Admittedly, MTV is not known for the caliber of its content. The network has gone from music videos, to reality shows, and finally to it’s most recent push: teen dramas ("Teen Wolf," "Awkward," "Faking It," etc.) Tuesday, August 12^th marked the final episode of season two of "Scream," one of the most dramatic powerhouses on MTV's lineup, and I will say I was shocked by what I saw.

Why MTV decided to create a television series based loosely on the classic “Scream” franchise, I have no idea. The show and the films share very few plot points other than the iconic masked murderer and voice altered phone calls, but both use satire and violence to critique both the horror genre and the entertainment field as a whole. While the movies rely constantly on the juxtaposition of comedy and horror, the television show adds another level to the already complicated “whodunit” format by stretching the killing spree out over 12 episodes. I will admit that the only reason I suffered through the first season was because I am a die-hard fan of the films, but now after finishing the second season I will gladly admit that I am also an ardent fan of the series as well.

Season one was all about the obsession and revenge that surrounded Lakewood’s own urban legend: Brendan James. A teen with a congenital deformity, he allegedly went on a rampage in the '80s killing a few of his classmates. The show, set in present day, followed Emma Duval as she and her friends became targets of a mysterious killer tormenting and brutally murdering members of the town. Without giving too much away, season one ends with the killer’s unmasking and the survivors left bloody and traumatized as they go into their next year of high school.

Season two proved to be just as dramatic, if not more. More people died, pig hearts were given as gifts, and kids are cyberbullied: your usual teenage shenanigans. If "The Young and the Restless" is targeted towards middle-aged adults, MTV’s "Scream" attempted to become that melodramatic outlet for a younger crowd. The writers manage to make every character seem guilty, again, and maintain its iconic level of meta-awareness in lines that discuss what point in the story arc they were in and the difficulties of sequels.

This show was my guilty pleasure up until the very last episode. It has dealt with some fairly progressive storylines from the beginning, including issues surrounding queer identity in high school and teen pregnancies, but it also focuses on the relationships between family and friends. It wasn’t until I watched the season two finally that I fully realized to what degree MTV’s "Scream" focuses on female friendship and the bond between mother and daughter. At the end of the day, the show is about forgiveness and trust in your friends, expressed through the bond between main characters Emma Duval, Audrey Jenson, Brooke Maddox, and Zoe Vaughn.

When you peel off all the layers of melodramatic teenage angst, flashy serial killer horror, and forced teenage romantic tension, the show aims to probe and portray the bond between strong young women. All of the women portrayed are smart, brave, and creative in their own unique ways and work together to out-fight and out-trick whatever masked villain threatens their way of life – however cliched and dramatic it may be. It doesn’t really matter who is behind the mask at the end of the day, because the strong, well-rounded characters of this MTV show are powerful enough to defeat any psychopath out for revenge that wanders into their town.