In Carrie Season 1, Episode 2 ‘Foreign Language’ picks up in the aftermath of her experiencing her first period while in gym class. We also see her developing new friendships and her power is also growing. Unfortunately for us, Chris Hargensen also reaches a new low even for her.
After Carrie has endured yet another traumatic event, she’s unwilling to speak out against those who led the charge in taunting her in the girls’ locker room. Principal Grayle and Miss Desjardin (Amber MidThunder) try to get Carrie to tell them who started it. She claims she doesn’t know the names. But I think that was a lie. Carrie doesn’t strike me as a person who forgets anyone’s name. Because she doesn’t want anyone to be punished, she stays silent.
Part of me understands her decision. She doesn’t even tell her own mother what happened. That’s because Carrie’s mother is strict. She already knows how she feels about Carrie going to public school. And this incident would only make matters worse. She’s already spoken to the principal once about the active shooter drill. Margaret would more than likely pull her out of school at this point. She wants to forget what happened. That’s easier said than done.
When Margaret finds the feminine hygiene products and pamphlets Miss Desjardin gave her, she’s livid. It should have been a moment for her and Carrie to talk. It should have been time for Carrie’s mother to be there for her. Instead, Margaret sends her to the prayer closet to repent. This only confirms why Carrie’s decision not to tell her mother was a better option. If she can’t even go to her mother for something as important as getting her period, why would she assume she could tell her about the locker room incident?
Unfortunately, Carrie has no one she can talk to. Since her dad died, she is struggling. And that’s to be expected. It just happened. She has visions of him. I don’t think that’s related to her power growing. I honestly believe this is just painting a picture of her overwhelming grief. Carrie has never experienced something like this. She doesn’t know how to handle it or her emotions. Thankfully, she finds support in the guidance counselor.
The Wonderful Things You’ll Be
Mr. Morton is the first adult Carrie talks to outside of her mother about how she’s feeling. She’s concerned that something is wrong with her because she’s seeing her dad everywhere. What I appreciated about this was that Mr. Morton didn’t dismiss her feelings. He let her know that what she’s feeling is normal. Because of that, these were some of my favorite scenes in this episode. Also, Summer H. Howell brought such a beautiful vulnerability to Carrie in this scene that it brought me to tears. I lost my father earlier this year. So hearing her speak about her grief was touching and heartbreaking.
Carrie doesn’t just receive a listening ear from Mr. Morton either. He offers her an outlet to escape grief, if only for a little while. Because Carrie loves literature, he takes her to the campus library. Seeing her eyes light up when she realized she could read all those books gave me Matilda-level feels. The library also introduces her to a new friend in Emaline (Thalia Dudek), another girl who’s an outcast as well. The introduction to Emaline is brief, so it doesn’t paint a picture of who she is, but she seems very interested in being Carrie’s friend.
CarrieRed_ Is Born
Chris is struggling with her new normal of her parents being separated. Her dad wants her to embrace the changing dynamic and split time between him and her mother. Chris has dreams of her parents getting back together, but that’s not going to happen. Chris hates the situation she’s in. With her mother dating a new guy also comes the possibility of an unwanted sister in Brooklyn who she goes to school with.
Chris has been tormenting Brooklyn because she represents the new life her mom is trying to make. When she’s told to leave Brooklyn alone and that she’s “Off limits.” She sees that as the green light to pick a new target in Carrie. As I said in my review of Carrie Season 1, Episode 1, I don’t get Chris’s need to pick on Carrie. Carrie is innocent. Chris doesn’t know anything about her, yet she’s made it her mission to be a grade-A b— to her.
Sue tries to get Chris to see that they deserved the punishment they received from Miss D, but Chris feels like she was on a “Power trip.” Truly, Chris works my nerves. She takes no accountability for any of her actions. Miss D didn’t tell her to record Carrie in the shower. She did that on her own. All she did was make them run laps. Boo-hoo! If you ask me, they got off too easily. And that’s, of course, because Carrie didn’t rat them out. They deserved another punishment. Especially because Chris was recording Carrie.
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Instead of deleting the video, Chris created an Instagram account which she named CarrieRed_. She places Carrie’s face as the profile picture and uploads the video of her in the shower. The only smart thing she does is keep the account private. But I’m sure it won’t stay private for long. I have to point out that the name CarrieRed_ did not just come out of the clear blue sky. Sue said it in passing while they were watching Chris’s video.
First, that’s messed up. Second, Chris using that name for Instagram was a great reminder that Sue was not innocent. I know she felt guilty over how she treated Carrie, but she was a willing participant from the start. And she still thought it was funny in the days after. Chris, however, doesn’t care one iota about Carrie or hurting her.
Showrunner Mike Flanagan wants us to see humanity in Chris, but I can’t. I have never liked her in any version of Carrie. He, however, wants viewers to see this version as someone who is not an “irredeemable monster.” He wants us to see her as a “normal girl, trying to do her best but just made bad choices.” And that “maybe her cruelty comes from a place of deep pain.”
As someone who went through bullying myself, I don’t think someone else experiencing pain is a reason to torment another person. Yes, Chris’s home life is difficult because of the changing dynamics, but Carrie didn’t do anything to her. She chose to create an account to bully a young girl who wasn’t even doing anything to her. I can understand the deep pain. But that’s not an excuse to hurt someone else.
Though the Instagram account is private for now, I can only imagine the ramifications to come.
Carrie Season 1 is now available on Prime Video.
