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The Watermill Move.
The first location swap of the show's run: new house, partly new cast, same weekend commute holding it together.
A rhythm worth tracking.
Summer House's sophomore season starts with a move: after East Hampton won't renew the house's permit, the group relocates to Watermill for the first time. Amanda Batula is elevated from a recurring friend role to the main cast, joined by two newcomers, while three of the original housemates depart for good and two more scale back to guest appearances. Twelve episodes track a familiar group finding its footing in an unfamiliar house.
The #05 slot.
Slot #05 of 10 in the Summer House Editor's Canon. Season two sits at the midpoint because it asks a lot of one season: a full location change and a reshaped cast at the same time. After East Hampton denies the group a return permit, the show relocates to Watermill for the first time, and the cast turns over more than it will again until years later: three original housemates depart for good, two more scale back to guest status, and two new voices step into the main cast. The weekend-commute rhythm holds steady even as everything around it shifts, which is the real accomplishment here. It just doesn't have the settled continuity that the seasons ranked above it built once Watermill became familiar ground.
3 moments, no spoilers.
- Premiere · a new house
The group moves into a new rental in Watermill after losing the Amagansett house, the show's first location change. Watch for how a familiar group adjusts to unfamiliar rooms.
- Cast shift · a promotion and two new faces
Amanda Batula moves up from a recurring friend role to the main cast, and two newcomers join her. Watch for how the group's chemistry holds with new voices in the mix.
- Season-long · three exits
Three of the original season's housemates don't return this year, and two more scale back to guest appearances. Watch for how the remaining group fills that space.