Review #28: "Love is a Lie" - Friday the 13th: The Obsession (Episode 3)

*A quick correction prior to my actual review. I got into contact with the creators of this series shortly after I posted my review over Episode 2. As it turns out, this was not intended as a series. It was created as a feature film, but it could not have been in as high quality as it is now if it was kept in that format, so the creators decided to cut the film into portions (i.e. episodes). This explains why the pacing may seem a little off - there are various movies in which the action doesn't really begin until halfway through the film. Friday the 13th: The Obsession happens to be one of them.

I do apologize to the creators for this mistake. In my defense, I generally trust IMDb with all things related to movies and series, and they have Friday the 13th: The Obsession listed as a series, which is an error on their part. I will continue to review this as though it is a series, but I will refrain from criticizing any issues in regards to pacing.*

Source: Vimeo

Length: 15 minutes

Air date: December 2nd, 2011

This episode, despite it being longer, is virtually purely a character-driven episode, not that it presents a problem. Just letting you all know that action (insofar as Jason is concerned) is not this episode's strong point.

We begin on the "date" between Amy and Stephanie.

They converse about Amy's ex-girlfriend, Stephanie's inexperience with actual lesbian couples, and why Stephanie is "running away" from her boyfriend. Though not a surprise, as it turns out, her ex-boyfriend is a controlling dick, and treated her far more like property than an actual person.

Not enjoying the grim conversation, Amy offers Stephanie the chance to leave and get smashed, which they do.

Next time we see them, they are both overly drunk (and very good at acting, truth be told). They stumble into Amy's room, barely able to walk.

They flirt with each other, both drunk off their ass. Before too long, they kiss each other, after Stephanie blurts out she's never felt this close to anyone before.

Though it's not seen, it's implied they later have sex, leading Stephanie to be bothered and confused when she leaves later that night, asking herself, "What the fuck did I do?"

At home, she's taking a shower, and has a small breakdown, but she's jerked out of it when she believes she hears a noise in the house. 

She calls for her sister, Carrie, but she gets no reply. She goes back to her shower, though now likely nervous. It is at this point we are welcomed with a "To Be Continued."

So, because this wasn't made to cater the audience expecting a series, the fact that it's wholly character-driven will play no part in my rating.

I think Amy and Stephanie make a cute couple (regardless of whether or not Stephanie is actually a lesbian), but the make-out scene does bother me a bit, given they were both drunk. Obviously, neither party can give consent when drunk, so Amy should have been a bit wary about bring Stephanie home with her. She was drunk too, of course, so I don't know how much one can really blame her.

I'm hoping this does not destroy their friendship - if Stephanie can accept her feelings for Amy, perhaps it'll turn out fine, but I'm not positive how good their chances are.

Given that Stephanie and Amy are the only two characters on-screen in this whole episode, I've exhausted my talking points. I believe I've said this twice before (and been wrong both times, so I can cross "oracle" off my career list), but I'll say it again to cover my bases: I'm guessing that things get going on the horror side of things this upcoming episode, because I'd like to see some horror sometime soon.

Still, this was a pretty decent episode, and I hope for the best in regards to our characters.

My rating: 8/10

IMDb page

- Michael