Carrie Season 1, Episode 1 Review: First Period

How do you adapt a story that’s been done several times? How do you make something so old feel so new that it can’t be fully compared to previous adaptations? And why would anyone feel we need yet another Carrie adaptation? Those are the questions I’m sure many of us had when we learned that Stephen King’s Carrie would be adapted once again.

Showrunner Mike Flanagan’s adaptation works because, while it offers a modern take on the world Stephen King created, he maintains the authenticity. And it all starts in Carrie Season 1, Episode 1, “First Period,” where Carrie White navigates her first day of public school.

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In the aftermath of Carrie’s (Summer H. Howell) father, Ralph, dying in a tragic accident at a construction site, life changes for her and her mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan). Carrie’s been virtually shut off from the outside world to the point where the landlord was shocked to find that anyone other than Carrie’s father was living in the house.  

Despite that, Carrie isn’t scared or timid. In fact, when she sits down to speak with the social worker, she asks her how she’s doing. She has just learned her father died, but she’s worried about how another person is doing. That speaks to her kind nature and innocence. In some ways, it’s also a bit worrisome. Her reaction to what she’s learned isn’t normal. She doesn’t shed a tear. All she knows is that something bad has happened to her father.

This moment in “First Period” made me wonder what she’s been taught about death and all it truly means. Because I think Carrie takes a lot of her emotional cues from her mother. Margaret was more angry than sad, which is a normal reaction. Life has changed for her and her daughter in an instant. She’s done her due diligence to protect her from the outside world, but now it has reached the walls of their home.

With her husband gone, she now needs to get a job because she is Carrie’s sole provider. That also means Carrie will need to be enrolled in school. Margaret is not thrilled about this because all she knows about the outside world is bad. Carrie doesn’t feel that way. That’s just one of the changes Flanagan has made to the character that I liked.

“Always try to be a little kinder than is necessary.”

Unlike the film version with Sissy Spacek, Howell’s Carrie is inquisitive and open. It’s her sophomore year in high school, so she’s more than ready to step into the school experience and be around other kids. It’s a culture shock, of course, but she takes it all in stride. She’s incredibly kind to everyone she meets, including Seniors Sue Snell (Siena Agudong) and Chris Hargensen (Alison Thornton).

Her kindness made it so I couldn’t understand what they did to her in the locker room during gym was the next logical step for them. Nevertheless, those of us who know Carrie’s story are all too familiar with the infamous “Plug it up!” moment. And I was curious as to how Flanagan would approach it because been done so many times in multiple adaptations. And his version was just as jarring, if not more because it emphasized how none of them looked to help Carrie. They whipped out their phones as if ready for the next “viral moment.”

Like previous iterations, Carrie didn’t deserve to be taunted like this. She hadn’t done anything to anyone. And the girls in that locker room showed no empathy for Carrie. They all knew what it felt like to get your first period. Chris in particular encouraged that behavior. But people have free will. The blame isn’t squarely on her for what happened in that locker room.

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But back to Carrie.

When Carrie realized she was bleeding, she was terrified. This is something she knows nothing about, and she believed she was dying. And Sue made me especially mad because I couldn’t understand how she could stand there while Chris and the other girls mocked and recorded Carrie’s trauma. She was initially nice to Carrie when they first met. Also, it’s worse because Chris and Sue are seniors. Carrie’s a sophomore. Which means they know better. Or they should know better.

The locker room incident triggers Carrie’s powers. But this isn’t the first time it’s happened. She already had a moment after a traumatic drill that took place on her very first day of school. Interestingly, Flanagan has taken moments when Carrie feels powerless and made them the times when she is most powerful. It makes sense because at this stage she is unaware she even has this power.

But how does Carrie go from this sweet girl to one capable of such a horrific event at their school prom?

This is the main question Carrie is trying to answer this season. It does so by going back and forth between interviews with Sue and other students at Ewen High. It’s like a documentary. And this was one of the things I already loved going into the first episode because it’s exactly like the book with the shifting perspectives. Everyone has their own thoughts about who Carrie is: a monster, a bully, kind, and a friend.

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Keeping all of this in mind, I do think that Carrie Season 1, Episode 1 “First Period” was a tad slow. But that’s par for the course, as we are introduced to the characters who will lead us through the season and learn lots of new information that establishes this world.

Chris in particular, I’m not a fan of her. She’s the “poor little rich girl” whose life is falling apart. Her parents are separated and even though she got into Duke, she can’t go because her dad doesn’t have the money for her tuition. So, I guess that’s supposed to be the catalyst for why she picks on Carrie??? Still doesn’t make it right.

There’s also the new element of some mystery players afoot and Carrie’s power triggering another person miles away (Hi Delainey Hayles!). Does that mean there are others out there?!

Carrie Season 1 is now available on Prime Video.

What did you think of Carrie “First Period”? Let us know in the comments below!