Need to get caught up? Check out my review of episode one, First Period.
Do you ever get the feeling that you’re too happy? That things are going too well? I know I feel that way, sometimes. And after the events of this episode, Carrie sure as hell will know it.
We begin this episode with Carrie trying to learn more about her powers. She heads for the library and finds a book about telekinesis.
Her research is soon forgotten, however, when Chris invites her to a party. At Sue’s insistence, of course. When Carrie says her mom will never let her go, Chris suggests sneaking out. And as luck would have it, Carrie’s mom is working nights.
The party is at an empty house. Everyone in their school is there. Booze and drugs are flowing. At first, everyone’s having a good time. Then Tina, the girl who’s been hanging out with Sue and Chris, feels left out. So she instigates a fight between Chris and Brooklyn. This results in Chris having a really bad night.
Carrie, on the other hand, has a great night. She drinks, dances, and plays beer pong. She has a good time. Tommy makes sure she gets home safely. She’s so happy, the car is literally floating.
We all should have known; it was too good to be true.
There was a lot to love about this episode. To start with, Carrie managed not to act weird at the party. She didn’t do drugs or fall down the stairs. She didn’t drink too much and throw up. She didn’t even spill a drink on herself.
This would have all been expected. I was cringing over it. Waiting for it to happen. And I’m thankful it didn’t.
Psychologically, it would almost have been a relief. People tend to believe that when bad things happen to someone, they’ve done something to deserve it.
I don’t think this is cruelty. It’s just a way for us to make ourselves feel safer. Someone’s house gets flooded, and you think, well, that can’t happen to me. It’s their fault for living near the water. Someone gets robbed. That can’t happen to me; I wouldn’t walk in that bad area at night.
Victim blaming is insidious. But to some extent, we all do it. And the end of this episode wouldn’t have been so impactful if we’d been able to do it. If we could have said that Carrie deserved what happened to her, maybe it wouldn’t make our social anxiety spike. But she didn’t do anything.
Well done.
Chris, on the other hand, just continues to make bad decisions. She flirts with a dangerous boy at the party. She drinks too much. She loses her temper with everyone except for who she should. And in the end, she does something that she can’t take back. Even though she wants to.
This was, once again, a fun episode. It was infuriating, tense, and exciting. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
My book, Station 86 Volume One, is available now on Amazon! It’s got two dark sci-fi stories about murder and mayhem on the station of First Contact.
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