MTV's Finding Carter - Episode 1.04 "Now You See Me"
Carter must get a handle on Bird's deception; Max decides to leave the Wilson family; and Lori returns with a plan.
So, tonight was the first time I've been able to catch Finding Carter live. I really enjoyed the pilot for this show but haven't had the chance to actually write something up about it. That first episode was great - although it may have burned through a tad bit too much plot. I admired that about it. But now, the show is trying to follow up on that briskness and it has been awkward. So much of the main Carter plots of Episodes 2 through 4 have played as high school antics and anguish. That's a stylistic detail that wasn't exactly established in the premiere but it was something that had to be addressed. Carter is a teenager after all. So she would need to be in school.For instance, it wasn't until the very end of "Now You See Me" that you fully understand what the heck that opening 20 minutes was all about. Carter has slowly been opening up to this new world - thanks to the support of her father, her new friends and the continued existence of Max. She's not miserable anymore. And then, Bird just throws that misery up on the wall for everyone to see and experience all over again. It's such a weird thing to do and a very odd and out-of-nowhere wrench to throw into that friendship. On one hand, it's a story about friendship and not about Carter and some new love interest. Seriously, why does every single guy want to sleep with her? Does she have magical powers to lure them in? The most honest teenage guy is Max and he's largely being set up as a romantic interest for Taylor - which I ship so much already despite it being in the awkward beginning stages. But back to the Bird story, it largely feels like conflict with no meaning until we get that heart-to-heart between the two at the end of the hour. But still what we had to get through in order to get to that emotional resolution was tough.
More importantly though, Carter isn't dreading living life with Wilson family like she was before. Making these kinds of deep personal connections while still holding onto the hope that she'll eventually run away with Lori didn't make that much sense. Now, she honestly does enjoy being with these new friends. She likes having a sister and a brother. Sure, Elizabeth is bit difficult to handle at times but she also has a relationship with a father she never figured she would ever get. She's slowly accepting this world as her new reality. She has to force herself to remember that she wants to be with Lori again and how much she loves her. And that is so devastating for her which could be very dangerous down the line.
Meanwhile, Lori is not just sitting back and laying low. She has been keeping a watchful eye over Carter and has a plan in motion to run away with her. The question is: will Carter want to go once Lori finally returns? Right now, she seems much more torn than she ever has before. I'm thinking that's what this whole season will be building towards. But I'm more interesting in learning more about Lori and why she stole Carter in the first place. She seems a bit more cuckoo since losing her.
Some more thoughts:
- "Now You See Me" was written by Maria Maggenti and directed by Rob Hardy.
- I'm actively shipping against Carter and Gabe largely because his line last week about him being inevitable and his constant need to be the guy she's meant to be with is coming across as so very creepy.
- When will writers stop misinterpreting the meaning of Lost in order to make an easy joke?
- Elizabeth is a cop and yet she's isn't able to put two-and-two together that David is working on the "Finding Carter" book after saying he wouldn't to Carter.
- Also, don't care about Elizabeth and her affair with the other cop.
- Gammy popped up very briefly in the pilot despite it being Meredith Baxter! So, it's pleasant seeing more of her. I just wish she was more than just the grandmother who speaks her mind bluntly about everything. That trope has been done to death.
- I love Max but he says goodbye and then comes back. It's all a little too much just to get him to run into Lori and have that little chat. But hey, at least he's sticking around town now. I'm really intrigued to learn more of his backstory.
- When Bird and company were raising the blanket fort, I kept yelling at the TV: "Don't put those blankets on top of the lamp! You'll start a fire!"
