WARNING: This post contains spoilers from the first two seasons of MTV’s Scream.
It’s now been 20 years since Billy Loomis and Stu Macher were unmasked as the killers in the original Scream movie. The creepy boyfriend and his eccentric best friend? It all seems so obvious in hindsight, but things have gotten more complicated since then.
The second season of the MTV adaptation will come to an end Tuesday (Aug. 16) and the list of potential killers is endless.
The first season took a page out of the Scream 2 playbook, making an ancillary, media-driven character the killer after revealing a previously unknown personal connection. An ordinary viewer probably wouldn’t have pinpointed Debbie Salt or Piper Shaw as the killer. In hindsight, however, they both got a lot of screen time for people who didn’t really seem all that important to the plot.
But there doesn’t seem to be anyone like that lingering in this second season. I assume the final episode will be rife with diversions and red herrings, but there’s no real outsider to go to and not much narrowing down has occurred.
Going into the season two finale, there are as many as nine legitimate suspects in this case. We’re ranking them from least likely to the top suspect.
9. Emma Duval
Why it could be her: For the most part, she hasn’t been the killer’s target this season. Sure, she claims to have seen and talked to the killer, but she was alone in most of those instances. As has been noted, she’s been more angry and violent since surviving the last attack.
Why it couldn’t be her: Come on, it’s not her.
8. Noah Foster
Why it could be him: He’s long been obsessed with Brandon James and he’s a technology/hacking expert. He fits the profile. He’d have a better chance at knowing the past and secrets of Audrey and Emma.
Why it couldn’t be him: Well, we saw him get stabbed two episodes back. So if it is him, there are two killers (three total) and the people making the show are being mighty deceitful. Burying himself alive with a stab wound would have been a risky move. And honestly I just don’t want to believe it.
7. Brooke Maddox
Why it could be her: She’s not an outsider, but she’s never been a suspect either. She showed her willingness to inflict pain when she tied up Seth Branson.
Why it couldn’t be her: It’s probably not, right? There’s been very little to indicate she’s anything but a normal high school girl put in horrific circumstances.
6. Miguel Acosta
Why it could be him: If you squint real hard and tilt your head, you can sort of see the angle where the Sheriff’s leads mostly exist to throw the scent off his own trail. He seems intent on making sure as many people as possible know his son behaves oddly. Also, his connection to Brandon James seems like the perfect monologue motivation-explaining fodder.
Why it couldn’t be him: If you don’t squint or tilt, his behavior is totally normal. He’s following logical leads and venting his concerns about his difficult son.
5. Gustavo Acosta
Why it could be him: His drawings, his father’s stories and his general behavior make ‘Stavo about as obvious of a suspect as possible. And he’s worked his way into earning the trust of one of the members of the group.
Why it couldn’t be him: It seems too obvious. Scream doesn’t really do obvious anymore.
4. Brandon James
Why it could be him: There’s now evidence that he might not be dead, which certainly helps the odds. His old hideout has obviously been lived in. He seemingly has motive.
Why it couldn’t be him: It seems the show would be better served by keeping the past open, as it has not been full explored.
3. Eli Hudson
Why it could be him: Like Stavo, Eli’s character has essentially been introduced as the potential killer. He has a mysterious past, he showed up when some trouble started, he behaves oddly, he showed up in a photo from Will’s funeral, Kieran doesn’t trust him and he was awake in the middle of the night around the same time Emma’s room was broken into. In the most recent episode, he was discovered to have all the letters that Audrey wrote to Piper. Audrey and Emma now believe he is the killer.
Why it couldn’t be him: Again, it’s too obvious. Eli seems mostly likely to be the killer, which means he’s not the killer.
2. Kristin Lang
Why it could be her: The recently-introduced psychology teacher seems the most like an outsider. She’s gathering psychological profiles on the main characters, which would be useful to the killer. Like Piper, she had a run-in with the “killer” and was left alive. Also, she pointed the finger at Emma in the last episode, which seems like a potential diversion.
Why it couldn’t be her: Because she appeared in a scene with the killer, she’d have to be an accomplice at most. It also doesn’t make sense for her to agree to be pushed off the stairs, considering how easily that could have been fatal.
1. Kieran Wilcox
Why it could be him: Think back to the end of the first season, before the Piper reveal. During that hectic night, who did it seem like the killer was? Who was behaving in the most mysterious way? It was Kieran, right? And there aren’t many disqualifying facts. He could have been the one to kidnap Will, giving Piper the alibi she needed. Brandon James’ mother recognized him in the first season, which now seems mighty suspicious. He’s shown violent and angry tendencies. Plus, he’s faded to the background for much of this season. If he was stalking Audrey, Emma would never know.
Why it couldn’t be him: You know, I don’t have a great answer for this.
Regardless, we’ll soon find out who Piper’s accomplice was. May all your hunches be correct.
** Taylor Nigrelli is a former below-average winger. Current hockey blogger and Sabres fan. Fan of advanced stats, sabermetrics, analytics or whatever you’d like to call them. Brett Hull’s foot was in the crease. @nigrelli93
