I grew up with Jason. Sorta. I wasn’t yet 10 when the first movie came out, and it was probably more like I was 12 when I saw it. We can thank the old Cable services for that. Pretty wild that in a franchise of 10 movies, there were two that didn’t really feature Jason at all. And then the crossover with Freddy and the reboot.

Crystal Lake though is more than just a new installment in the franchise. An exploration of the world surrounding the camp. Delving into just who Pam Voorhees is. What pushed her to do the things she did.

The first thing I thought when I started watching this series was that it reminded me of Bates Motel. If you haven’t seen that, it explores a young Norman Bates in high school and his life at home with his mom Norma. Over 5 seasons. It took a fantastic horror movie and gave it a world beyond what we knew.

Crystal Lake does that. Pam is given a depth that she couldn’t achieve in the film. We see her at work. At home. In her community. We see her as a mom. We get to see Jason as a kid beyond the minor camp scenes leading to his death.

Does it tread new ground? Not at all. And absolutely. Not at all because this is essentially an 8 hour version of the original movie. And then the new ground in a way that is very unexpected. There is some sort of experimental medical facility in the background, Argonaut. And In the history of Pam. There is a mystery underlying everything that is happening.

Within the world of Friday the 13th, there had always been mysteries. Things that never made sense but we just accepted. Because that’s what you do. In order to enjoy a franchise, you have to be willing to accept that Jason somehow recovers from the wounds that repeatedly end him in the final moments of each movie. Crystal Lake actually gives us an explanation of this mystery. It unfolds throughout the 8 episodes. But that is a bit of a lie. It is at best very lightly teased in the first half of the series. But then it kicks into overdrive in the second half. There were a few very bad moments in the first episode that made me think it was going to be a rough ride.

I have to say that I really liked the way the mystery of Jason is explained. There is actually an explanation of how and why he takes such a beating and keeps coming back. Taking a trope from the franchise and saying don’t just accept it any longer, here is what you never knew. That was amazing.

Pam and Jason were great. Both of them felt so much more well rounded thanks to this show. Other new characters were brought in. We even met Jason’s dad!

The one thing I am very uncertain about is what comes next. Because this show was really good. Like Bates Motel level good. But in all honesty, the series feels like it should be done. After this we would likely be falling into the repetitive world of the franchise movies. And I’m just not sure how a season of that could work. Well, maybe one season of it could, but then it’s done.

Bates Motel didn’t have the same problem, because it took its time and explored Norman for 4 seasons before Mother died. Then season 5 was the bit that is a direct prelude to Psycho. There wasn’t room to do a season 6. And it ended when it needed to.

I would honestly be happy if there wasn’t a season 2 of Crystal Lake. Could season 2 work, maybe… But if this is all there ever is, it’s enough.

I think the first half of the show is maybe a 6, but the second half pushes it firmly to an 8 for me. Might even be a 9. I suppose I need to decide and I think it settles at an 8 for now.