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'The Carrie Diaries' Recap: Win Some, Lose Some



By  Justin Carreiro     11:52 AM    Labels:,,,,,, 


The little scrappy show is back to fight again.

Last season had a shocking and uphill battle for renewal. I don't think anyone expected The Carrie Diaries to return with its ratings, especially on a network like The CW, which only has a limited schedule as is. Though, I'm happy it did and I was pleasantly excited to see how the premiere of the second season would turn out. New faces (Samantha!) and more footage in the city, I already prefer it much more than some of last season's episodes. Will the show survive? I'm still on the realistic side, but at least we'll see how things go with the new changes.

This week on The Carrie Diaries, Carrie loses a treasured icon but gains a new ally, Mouse brings the fight to Maggie, and Dorrit's love life is uncovered by her father.

WELCOME MS. JONES
The first season is a faint memory. Change is good and "Win Some, Lose Some" washes away the childish theme of the first season to introduce a more mature Carrie Bradshaw. Who am I kidding! Carrie is still in her naive phase, but she's grown up since Sebastian cheated on her last season. The time away in Manhattan gave her and Walt more independence to grow up and live the life they want. However, when Sebastian shows up with Donna for a party night in the city, Carrie reverts to her old ways and avoids dealing with her toxic ex to attend a different club.

Two major events happened this episode. The purse, as in the Carrie purse, is stolen outside the club and Ms. Bradshaw has a mini panic attack, practically calling the police and breaking down at each available moment. The purse, while nostalgic and important, is better off gone moving forward - Carrie needs to mature and holding onto something from the past keeps her from moving on to the character we all know. The theme was a little too on the nose but if introducing Samantha was a trade-off, I'd be happy to see it gone forever.

Samantha Jones, the witty and larger-than-life character from the main series, is introduced as Donna's cousin and a bouncer in New York. In the span of one hour, Samantha loses her underwear, flirts with cops, helps Carrie break into her apartment, and delivers a multitude of life lessons to Bambi (i.e. Carrie). Samantha's a breath of fresh air the show needed to feel more like the original series and Lindsay Gort owns the role as her own person; fans of the original would be proud. Samantha helps the young Ms. Bradshaw out but calls on a favour to crash at her place for a few episodes. Let the fun begin!

MY ENEMY, MY FRIEND
Castlebury.... if only your storylines disappeared. Mouse and West, picking up their official new relationship from the end of last season, spend fourth of July at the country club for some food and fireworks. Unbeknownst to Mouse, Maggie is working the party to raise money for college and ends up fired by the end of episode - due to Mouse. I've never been drawn to Maggie as a character - she's a little egotistic, self-centered and plays the victim card too much. The Carrie Diaries' writers probably introduced the student and money issues to add some humility to the villainous character. Mouse ends up forgiving her friend but will Carrie be as forgiving?

BOYFRIEND BLUES
Miller and Dorrit balance each other. Both are rebels in their own right, defy the rules of convention, and refuse to conform to the expectations of others. While Tom, failing as parent to spot the obvious, finally discovers that Dorrit not only has a boyfriend but has spent the night with him, invites Miller to the house and meets the new boyfriend face-to-face. It's great to see Tom try and reach out to his daughter; even if he it failed miserably at it. Dorrit takes a stand and reverts back to her punk trendy style. I like the look - it's very Topshop now.

What adventures will Samantha dragged Carrie into next? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

About Justin Carreiro

Justin is a longtime TV buff and gamer. He loves chatting about shows, playing video and board games, and his not-so-secret love for reality tv. He is also a fan of horror movies, music and a bookworm at heart. He spends his time in Toronto working in PR and Social Media.

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