New Year, New You
"New Year, New You" is an episode of American horror anthology web television series Into the Dark that aired as the fourth episode of the show's first season. It originally premiered in the United States on December 28, 2018, on Hulu. The episode was directed by Sophia Takal from a script she co-wrote with Adam Gaines and it stars Suki Waterhouse, Carly Chaikin, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Melissa Bergland.
Plot
Alexis, a babysitter, and the child she cares for both watch a video featuring Danielle Williams, a popular social media influencer and "content creator" who is receiving her own television show. Later, Alexis returns to her house to prepare for a New Year's Eve party while admiring how "perfect" Danielle's life appears to be. Her high-school friends Kaela and Chloe arrive, and they all catch up, discussing their friendship with Danielle before she became famous and the possibility that she may not show up. Later on, she does, though tension mounts between her and Alexis.While going about their night, Danielle unknowingly annoys the others by filming them for her Instagram and not knowing about their lives. As the girls are enjoyed the party, however, during a game of "Never Have I Ever", Alexis loses her temper at Danielle during the latter's turn before saying she never bullied a girl named Kelsey until she killed herself. Danielle attempts to move on, but Alexis waterboards her with champagne, counts down to midnight, then turns to the other girls to tell them to tie her up like they all agreed to.
With Danielle tied up with balloon strings, Alexis berates her for bullying each one of them before revealing that she intends to record her confessing her role in Kelsey's suicide and ruin her career. Danielle agrees, but only says she should've done more to stop Kelsey's bullying without admitting to doing it herself. In response, Alexis smears the products from Danielle's make-up line that the latter had given to them as gifts in Danielle's face and cuts off a section of her hair with broken glass to make her more "camera-ready." This becomes too much for Kaela, who leaves the room to FaceTime her girlfriend, Frankie. When Alexis follows Kaela out, Danielle attempts to convince Chloe to set her free by offering Chloe her spot on the YouTube channel she will be leaving. Chloe starts to untie her just before the others get back. After Alexis and Kaela return, Danielle attacks Alexis, knocking her out.
Danielle and Chloe lock Alexis and Kaela inside a sauna, intending to wait until they die before calling the cops so they will see the deaths as an accident. Danielle refuses to let them live, lest her dark past be revealed, and her career ruined. Chloe seems unsure but Danielle ultimately convinces her otherwise. Alexis and Kaela eventually discover a champagne bottle and, using it to smash the window of the sauna, nearly escape only to run into Danielle and Chloe. They hide in Alexis's closet before Alexis leaves to find her phone, leaving Kaela alone. Chloe finds Kaela, who tries to convince her to walk away and keep everything secret. Chloe claims Kaela doesn't want her to succeed and accidentally kills her. Meanwhile, Danielle corners Alexis and cuts her calf, but she's able to get away.
A shaken Chloe comes down to meet Danielle while Alexis tends to her wound. Frankie arrives looking for Kaela because she didn't answer her phone. Danielle and Chloe decide to frame her for the murders, and after letting her in, Chloe kills her. Alexis runs upstairs and prepares to defend herself. When her ex-friends give chase, Alexis knocks Chloe down the stairs, killing her. Danielle then engages Alexis in another fight, only for Alexis to throw Danielle out of a window to her death in the pool.
Later on, an influencer who worked with Danielle discusses how Frankie killed Danielle after the latter encouraged Kaela to end the relationship. Alexis stands next to her, and, after taking a moment to "grieve", she immediately becomes bubbly and films her own video, happy that she now has Danielle's life.
Production
Development
On November 27, 2018, it was reported that an episode of the series centered on New Year's Eve and titled "New Year, New You" would air in January 2019. On December 7, 2018, it was reported that the episode was directed by Sophia Takal from a script written by Adam Gaines and that it was now expected to premiere on December 28, 2018.Casting
Simultaneously with the announcement of the director, it was confirmed that the episode would star Suki Waterhouse, Carly Chaikin, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Melissa Bergland.Filming
Principal photography for the episode took place over the course of fifteen days between July and August 2018.Release
On December 12, 2018, a series of images from the episode were released. On December 17, 2018, the official trailer for the episode was released. On December 24, 2018, a clip from the episode was released. On December 28, 2018, two behind-the-scenes featurettes discussing the episode were released.Reception
The episode was met with a positive response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the episode holds an 89% approval rating with an average rating of 5.75 out of 10 based on 9 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though it starts slowly, "New Year, New You" builds into a twisty, chilling narrative that will please horror fans and millennials alike."In a positive review, 1428 Elms Luke Lucas praised the episode saying, "I highly recommend it. The acting is multilayered and shows us the four distinct paths of the characters. The narrative is driven by Takal’s script revisions and direction. Stream "New Year New You" and live your best life." In a similarly favorable analysis, Bloody Disgustings Daniel Kurland awarded the episode four skulls out of five and commended it declaring, "It’s a chilling story that only gets darker and more complex as it goes on. It also doesn’t shy away from an incredibly bleak ending that makes her point with eerie poignancy. Takal doesn’t try to overextend herself and this boiled down take on friendship and jealousy gone wrong is arguably the best addition of Into the Dark to date and hopefully just the start of Takal’s filmmaking career." In an additional acclamatory critique, Laughing Places Mike Mack was equally approving saying, "If there’s one thing Blumhouse has done well with Into the Dark, it’s building suspense. This episode is no exception. There’s an uneasy energy to the whole thing and the tense score Michael Montes only amplifies that. Only Blumhouse can show you a girl getting champagne out of her garage and keep you on the edge of you seat while watching it." In a further approving editorial, Pajibas Kristy Puchko was equivalently approving of the episode saying, "As she did with Always Shine, Takal takes jealousy/female rivalry/and frenemies to an extreme end but ratchets up the tension and madness with such steadiness that it's impossible to write it off as absurd. Her heroines are the frog in the slow boil pot, not aware of the danger until it's too late. And we are their horrified witnesses, who fear not just the story unfolding, but also the dark truths at its core." In a separate complimentary evaluation, Deciders Jade Budowski lauded the episode saying, "Takal deftly integrates themes of toxic self-care culture and the often-volatile nature of female friendships, and tosses in some biting satire and terrifying twists and turns for good measure. She knows what she’s good at and uses it to her advantage, creating something equally special and unsettling with her central foursome and their gradual unhinging."
In a more mixed assessment, RogerEbert.coms Brian Tallerico gave the episode a rating of 2 ½ stars out of 4 and said, "Sadly, like so many independent horror movies, the climax of "New Year, New You" falters. It's clunky both in concept and execution, and then followed by a cheap stinger that will make the film dissipate from memory more quickly than if it had really landed its punch. Still, given how January is the month when studios dump awful horror movies they couldn't get out before awards season, this isn't a bad way for genre nuts to start the new year." In an outright negative appraisal, Pastes Jacob Oller criticized the episode saying, "Takal's directorial ability may keep "New Year, New You" from being the worst Into the Dark yet, but the dull tropes, scene-chomping acting, and hole-riddled plotting at its core are resolutely rotten."