S01.E01: Pilot (E01)/The Birds (E02)

[Kromm]

I wish we had seen more of Carter and her life before the switch.  As others have mentioned, it would likely help with accepting her current behavior to have a more concrete notion of what was taken from her.

 

However, with that said, what we did see prior to the kidnapping reveal was a fairly permissive mom and an already a bit wild teen.  Faux-Mom let her go off with her friends late in the evening (they'd already seen a movie and were getting post movie yogurt) and Carter didn't seem at all concerned about how her mother would react to her having been arrested.  No matter how fun and "cool" most a mom might be, I cannot imagine any mom who isn't doing the attempt at BFF instead of parenting wouldn't be fairly pissed off about an arrest. And Carter was clearly doing recreational drugs and breaking into hangout spots.

 

So if they try to sell me a line that Not!Lori was a really great mom (as opposed to an ok mom with issues that Carter didn't recognize or understand), I'm not inclined to buy.  It doesn't appear that Not!Lori was horribly unstable or cruel, but I won't be ok with a "But for this one act, she was awesome!"

I think it's potentially good that Faux-Mom was too permissive.  That provides the hook they eventually need to show her as dysfunctional.  

 

The key is finding a clever way to get the girl to realize this.  

 

I can't say that having Bio-Mom be a heavy-handed, insensitive control freak, and the kid showing her up on it, is necessarily the right way to go.  But it's probably not an unsolvable character problem. Yet.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Kromm

[FAU]

I think it's potentially good that Faux-Mom was too permissive.  That provides the hook they eventually need to show her as dysfunctional.  

 

The key is finding a clever way to get the girl to realize this.  

 

I can't say that having Bio-Mom be a heavy-handed, insensitive control freak, and the kid showing her up on it, is necessarily the right way to go.  But it's probably not an unsolvable character problem. Yet.

 

They did this to shove her character right into the drama.

[Gwen-Stacys]

It's not a matter of having a parent's perspective, it's a matter of having empathy for another human being, any human being. I totally get Carter's anger and fear and teenage angst and any other horrible thing a child who's life has just been torn apart would feel. But in order for me to empathize with her, I need her to have a moment here and there of empathy for these other people who have been just as affected by the upheaval.

 

She has shown empathy for her siblings, her brother at least. Grant sat down with her and explained what Elizabeth had gone through (with both he and Carter), there's a beat there where you can see she's thinking about. But I think Elizabeth is shooting herself in the foot when it comes to Carter. Most teens don't like to know that their parents are snooping on them, much less a parent that they didn't even know existed 2 weeks ago. Right now she can't feel empathy; she doesn't have the emotional capacity to think about anyone else outside of herself right now. I agree with the other posters who've said that Carter needs to be in therapy on her own as well as family therapy. She needs someone that she can talk to and help her sort out her feelings and anger. She's focusing the brunt of her anger on Elizabeth because...Elizabeth is there. I think she is mad at her kidnapper, but she hasn't gotten the help she needs to figure it out.

 

What she's going through right now would be enough to put a grown up in years and years of therapy, and she's only 16. I can cut her some slack for the first season, at least. (I'm guessing they're only doing 6 or 8 episodes, right?)

[FAU]

 

through and instead has the character constantly snaps at Elizabeth.

Admittedly they've created "DRAMA!" by having the real mother be a hardass cop, who bungles just about everything. But taking a "lingering possibility" and being too hard on that aspect of the show before it's had any fair shot of proving that wrong seems premature. 

Kidnapping a kid?  Well, yes, short of the birth parents actually being abusive, it IS pretty black and white in terms of it's morality.  But from the standpoint of the daughter there's no way it would ever seem that way (again, since it seems the kidnapper was a "good mom" and not an abusive one).

I don't admire the show for going with this ridiculous, over the top plot where Bio-Mom is the very worst thing that could possibly be presented to her returned daughter--someone who's totally tone-deaf to how the things she says and does impact what's basically a brand new, and on the other side forced, relationship.

 

It's the over the top nature of it that's very off putting, it would've been far more interesting and could've provided better complicated relationships within the family and it would've been a better conflict for her character.

[Kromm]

It's unbearable because all the writers have shown is her being insufferable without trying to show another side of her character so basically the writers just dumped her into the drama without much build up of her character and her situation.

As others have said though, she's quite nice to the brother, and at least at first reasonably respectful of the sister.  She's not even that bad to the Dad in that yogurt shop scene (albeit for what we learn, thanks to the brother, are selfish reasons).

 

I'd argue, in fact a bit TOO much.  it actually took me a bit out of the notion that she was really fucked up by all of this and just lashing out.  

Edited July 10, 2014 by Kromm

[Nena]

and if she refuses to go to therapy? Like she purposely refused to show up for family therapy? What the hell else can they do? Nothing. They can't force her to sit in a therapist's office and talk. Carter is set on 'My mom is my mom and this is all temporary. I'm going to find her and life will be back to normal." Which is very stupid and shortsighted, but she just doesn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed so far.

But she did go to therapy.  She skipped the first session, went to the second.  it seems a lot of the anger about the premise and the characters is being based on more projection than what we've already seen.  She's a bitch to Elizabeth and nice to Grant, she started out totally unable to sympathize with anyone but herself, but has over time shown sympathy for both of her siblings on multiple occasions.  If they fixed her in one episode there wouldn't be much point to it all.

[Kromm]

You know, I also saw a few changes between the Pilot and the second episode that kind of were a bad idea.  The relationship with the sister got a lot more adversarial between them.  Carter got a lot more manipulative.  And we got the introduction of the Bad Influence Friends.

 

That said, the show at least didn't stint on people telling Carter she was wrong. So maybe we will see by episode 3 if they were mandated changes to the show, or just a stage of her acting up.  Although the attitude of the sister seems more like it might be due to a rethink on how to portray that relationship, to hype the drama from someplace other than the Mom, and so unfortunately we might be stuck with that.  And the Bad Influence Friends?  Sure the one kid, the perspective boyfriend, was there from the beginning, but the two other troublemakers almost seem like they were simply plugged into the show to create "MORE DRAMA!"

 

EDIT - The season preview confirms that the sister thing is definitely going to continue, which is kind of meh.  I also started thinking about the ending of Ep2, and the fear of some posters that Faux-Mom's actions might be whitewashed.  What I fear from that ep. ending is that Dad, who's clearly being set-up to be a bit of a snake, may have misdeeds that go back further than his book, and Faux-Mom's kidnapping may be setup as some kind of perceived "rescue" from HIM. Which... I won't enjoy if they go that way.  At all.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Kromm

[aradia22]

I think they were going for a Gilmore Girls vibe with her close relationship with her mom and all the "I love yous".

 

Oh, wow. Their act of rebellion is breaking into a carousel ride? 

 

I didn't mind her being a little bratty at first with the "you're such a peach" comment as they were kind of riding roughshod over her and besides, you need little things like that to establish that the character is still adjusting to the situation. It would have been weird if she was just completely fine with it. Also, Linden is a terrible name. I couldn't place Cynthia Watros. From her imdb page I think I associate her with House. That's not encouraging.

 

I think they chose a good actress to anchor the show. The parents seem really bland to me. The siblings as well. I hope Meredith Baxter sticks around because she was the only other actor with life in her.

[Gwen-Stacys]

and if she refuses to go to therapy? Like she purposely refused to show up for family therapy? What the hell else can they do? Nothing. They can't force her to sit in a therapist's office and talk. Carter is set on 'My mom is my mom and this is all temporary. I'm going to find her and life will be back to normal." Which is very stupid and shortsighted, but she just doesn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed so far.

Then she refuses to go, but it doesn't change the fact that she needs it. And she only missed out on one therapy session, she went to the second one. She didn't go (as she says) because she didn't see the point. The Wilsons are, just like you say she is,  stuck in their own pain and not thinking about what sort of damage this all might've done to Carter, Elizabeth especially. Instead of trying to bond with Carter, she's focusing most of her energy on finding Lori, the woman Carter (understandably) identifies as her mother. Elizabeth is so engrossed in her Crusade that she doesn't see or understand what it is doing to her daughter. Her husband tries to tell her but she doesn't listen. It takes Carter spelling it out for her in therapy (paraphrasing: I don't know any of you. And even though you tell me I'm a part of you and your family, I don't feel that way. You hunting down my kidnapper is making me hate and resent you) for her to understand. I doubt it'll even change anything Elizabeth does. Carter basically told Elizabeth that she's not even really making an effort to learn who Carter is as opposed to trying to hold onto who Linden was. 

 

I understand where both Carter and Elizabeth are coming from and sympathize with both. I sympathize with everyone. This is the first show I've seen in awhile where I like and understand/empathize with every single character.

 

PS: Does anyone else think that Gabe knows about his father and Elizabeth? If he does (or even suspects), it'd make sense why he was so gungho about pulling that prank on her. Teens are that petty and vindictive

[Kromm]

I couldn't place Cynthia Watros. From her imdb page I think I associate her with House. That's not encouraging.

 

Ehem. You Lost track of her other work, eh?

I don't think it's being understood what an utter soul crushing event it would be to have your young daughter kidnapped from you. Elizabeth NEEDS this to end. for her it will end once she arrests the damn kidnapper who ruined her life by taking her child. Her "crusade" is absolutely her right. Carter is a teenager, and quite honestly does not have the years of experience or intelligence to understand that yes, someone must be punished, and yes, it will be the woman who took her. Elizabeth shouldn't have to give that up just because Carter isn't okay with it. If Carter had her way, then Lori would go free and no punishment would occur. 

I think the implication is that it shouldn't be Elizabeth doing it personally.  The FBI and the Police have a lot of bodies on the job.

 

Admittedly Dad at the end was revealed as a lying weasel asshole, but the one good point they made sure he got in there was that getting the kidnapper and making sure you are the one to personally slap the cuffs on are two different things entirely.

[fliptopbox]

I would think that legally Elizabeth would not be able to actively participate in the investigation...or at least the actual arrest and apprehension of Carter's kidnapper. It's a conflict of interest. I get that she wants justice, but I think she should also focus on trying to bond with Carter. Thirteen years gone is a lot of time. If she misses this opportunity while Carter is still a teen living in her home she may very well lose it and not get it back.

[FAU]

I would think that legally Elizabeth would not be able to actively participate in the investigation...or at least the actual arrest and apprehension of Carter's kidnapper. It's a conflict of interest. I get that she wants justice, but I think she should also focus on trying to bond with Carter. Thirteen years gone is a lot of time. If she misses this opportunity while Carter is still a teen living in her home she may very well lose it and not get it back.

 

Exactly, this is just the writers adding in even more unnecessary drama for Elizabeth and Carter, I would think the show would have enough with Carter returning with her real family and dealing with the fallout from that would've provided more than enough conflict there.

[Universalhunter]

I get that it's Elizabeth's right to want the kidnapper arrested, but she is cold and callous toward Carter in the process. You've just gotten your child back after 13 years, I'd think reforming a bond with her and making her feel comfortable would be top priority. Maybe taking some leave from work and being more understanding instead of going on like business as usual and immediately expecting Carter to respect her authority as mom. The whole family just seemed so, as someone else said, blasé about her return that it's hard to sympathize. Other than Elizabeth's desperation to catch Lori, they seem completely uninvested in the whole thing.

[Aliasscape]

I think also while Elizabeth is right to want the kidnapper found, caught, punished and It is understandable, there's a chance Lori Stevens will never be found. She might leave the country, she might hide out in the rural forest or dessert or disappear into a big city or tiny town where nobody ever notices who she is. She may not be found for months, YEARS even. Or she could get hit by a bus and end up a Jane Doe in a morgue they never locate.

 

Elizabeth has 2 years before Carter can leave home and cross state lines without anyone's permission and live wherever she wants. Even if Carter never gets to see Lori again, she may still decide she can't stand to live with this family. So is Elizabeth going to waste the limited time she has to actually have with Carter on this chase? She's honestly on a 2 year clock to bond with Carter before she may forever lose that opportunity.

 

Exactly @Universalhunter Elizabeth can need Lori Stevens caught and punished. But does she need it more than she needs to take advantage of her limited time to truly get to know Carter?

[FAU]

 

Also liked Carter's thought that she felt free when she was actually kidnapped, but now feels trapped when she's been freed. (Paraphrased, she worded it better)

 

I'd prefer it better if it weren't so 1-sided and they had the mom be ott for drama's sake.

 

I understand where both Carter and Elizabeth are coming from and sympathize with both. I sympathize with everyone. This is the first show I've seen in awhile where I like and understand/empathize with every single character.

 

I wish I felt the way you do, I feel that everyone is just insufferable because the writers feel the need to make almost everyone ott for drama. Elizabeth just so happens to be the cop that's trying to catch the kidnapper and they try to make her every cold stereotype imagineable and then you have Carter who's just a big ball of rebel teen cliches where she can basically do whatever she wants and get away with it because of the teen excuse, which is why some people are annoyed with this type of character in the first place.  It doesn't help that the characters are thrown into the drama without actually setting things up for the characters first so they can head dive into the drama.

 

Oh and I almost forgot about the dad going behind his family's back so he can profit off their tragedy, another ott asshole character for the show unfortunately.  I think the brother might end up being the only character I might actually be okay with so far.

Edited July 12, 2014 by FAU

[crashboom]

I just finished watching the first two episodes on a whim. I agree with those who feel the pacing is way too rushed. I don't need gritty realism with my shows, and I'm especially willing to hand wave the believability if the show is otherwise entertaining and compelling, but instead those plot holes really hurt the storylines. I had a difficult time figuring out how much time had passed between events, some of the dialogue was way too heavy handed, and a lot of things just didn't make sense if you thought about it for two seconds. I think they just tried to pack way too much into two episodes, when stretching it out and letting things breathe as we get to know these characters would've been more effective. Hardly any of them act like actual human beings.

 

I didn't actually hate Carter. I'm not saying I liked her, exactly, but at least some of her behavior is understandable given the traumatic series of events happening in her life. I kind of thought in some ways she handled the super shitty way everything unfolded better than expected. Plus, she's supposed to be sixteen, so I give her a little leeway in not seeing things rationally and erring on the self-absorbed side. She's seeing the situation as to how it has hurt her instead of realizing the trauma this family has endured. That said, they definitely need to expand her compassionate side. I like the actress playing her, though.

 

I get where Elizabeth is coming from, but she is really not a likable character. I also hate to say it, but I find it hard to look at the actress's face. I don't know what's going on there. The overprotectiveness is fine, but really, railing about what a monster this daughter's kidnapper is in front of her-- when it's apparent the girl only has memories of being raised by this woman and understandably believes her to be her "real" mother-- is just stupid. Save the shit talk behind closed doors with your therapist or your husband. Who you're cheating on. 

 

I liked the father, until the reveal about the book at the end. That's the lowest of the low on a show with a lot of characters doing pretty deplorable things. Also, you don't pay back an advance-- publishers give you that money with the expectation that you will earn out in sales. The worst that happens is you don't earn out, don't get royalties, the publisher takes a loss and you aren't able to get another book deal in the future because you're a flop and nobody wants to touch your work. Unless the idea is that the advance was for a book he hadn't written yet, except it sounds like he got the $500k before she was discovered and the "sequel" was planned, so... none of this makes sense. Anyway, the twist at the end with recording the therapy session and going forward with this after hearing what his daughter is going through... what a sociopath.

 

Speaking of sociopaths, Gabe. "Maybe you need to take no for an answer." "I can't." Let me swoon!! Except no, that's completely gross. And the whole stunt in the food court was just beyond-- I know kids can be cruel and thoughtless, but that was just next level. 

 

The only character I actively liked was Max. I already liked the actor from his role as Wyatt on The Fosters, and I guess he's doomed to be typecast as "non-endgame love interest who is clearly the superior option". Not that it takes much on this show. Just don't be a sociopath and you've won.

 

Taylor and Grant are fine, but boring. It's too bad they had to immediately throw in boy drama with the girls. There is so much else there that would've been way more interesting to delve into. And come on girls, Gabe is annoying and has stupid hair. Not worth it.

 

I don't think I'll keep watching. I love teen dramas, even the soapy ones, but I need at last one character to latch onto, and this one is a barren wasteland of sociopaths.

 

[GaT]

Why would any teenager stop and think about things from a parent's perspective, when they don't HAVE a parent's perspective?  If she was omniscient, there'd be no reason to have a show at all.  Some major things have glossed over, but it would be entirely unrealistic for her to be a mature, capable adult, and react in a mature, thoughtful manner.  Kids don't do that when they're grounded, let alone when they're ripped away from the only home they've ever known without warning.  Even if she was an adult - how many mature, adults out there blame the person who tells them horrible news rather than the person responsible for it (the friend who clues them in to a cheating spouse, the boss who has to relay the message that someone upstairs has decided to lay them off)?

 

 

 

 

I think I decided as my fan reason for why the reunion didn't go the way it should have would have been Elizabeth working in law enforcement. Normally the fingerprints flagging a match would have had to go to authorities, then they parents would have been contacted and told how things would go. But Elizabeth probably was able to know immediately since she works at a police station. She also may have known judges, social workers whomever she needed to pull the strings to say just give her back immediately. Still a major stretch but it's what I'm going with.

 

But knowing this was the wrong way to go about it, I'm with @Shermie that it's a crucial part of the concept. That they went about this the wrong way, that they're pushing her, that they forced a fast reunion, that she's not getting the proper solo therapy, that it is not all on her that she's acting the way she is.

 

She is the "child" in this situation. Acting out, being immature, shutting down her emotions in self-protection, escape, get me out of here mode while not a "fun" behavior for others to be around is a realistic behavior.

 

The bio parents recognizing that this isn't going the way its needed have plenty to be faulted on. Let the Lori chase happen with others, stay home with your kid for a bit. Why not show her some photo albums? Home videos? Show her how beloved she was? Show her little twin baby photos and special occasion pics. Show her who she was and that she was LOVED. Then, show her who YOU are. 

 

Please just fit into our lives when we don't know each other at all is yeah, gonna result in some traumatized teen behavior. She may not be having panic attacks or refusing to eat or talk but I think most of her behavior still represents that she's suffered a trauma. Angry outbursts, emotional numbness, destructive and disrespectful behavior can be  post traumatic stress reactions. A kid with a normal life could just be spoiled and bratty. A kid whose just been ripped from their home and improperly introduced into a new one? That's not just being a brat. That's lack of coping skills for an extraordinary situation.

I finally got around to watching this, & I totally get how Carter is acting, I don't think she's a brat at all. She has absolutely no reason to care about or respect these people, they are complete strangers to her. As she told Elizabeth, it really does seem like she's been kidnapped, not by Lori, but by this family, to expect her to care about them at all is not realistic. Part of the problem is of course, how they handled just giving her to her new family right after telling her that Lori kidnapped her. As others have already said, it's just not realistic, & if that was me, I would have been pissed at everyone. 

Things I find very interesting:

1. Carter looks like Lori, but nothing like Elizabeth. It's an interesting casting decision.
2. Taylor & Grant. When Taylor was at the party & she said something about how she's never done anything because she grew up under the cloud of something horrible happening to her like Carter, only it turns out that nothing horrible happened to Carter, I got how she must have grown up overprotected. And Grant obviously feels like the replacement kid that was never as good as the original. I'm interested to see how they evolve.
3. Elizabeth is completely shut down & I wonder how she was before the kidnapping. When Carter said that Lori had told her every day that she loved her & she hadn't heard Elizabeth say it once to anyone, she was right. It's like Elizabeth has forgotten how to relax. She also seems to think that Carter would just move in & be her daughter without realizing that it's not going to happen like that. I don't understand how she can't understand that Carter can't just stop thinking of Lori as her mother.

I'll keep watching.

[Kromm]

My final judgment on the show won't come until we get a chance to counterbalance the reveals that

 

a.) Sister is acting like a petty jealous little bitch now.  I see this one as a bigger deal than many of the other "bigger" things.  If we don't see some sign of this changing a bit, I'm going to check out emotionally on the character.  OF COURSE she's affected by this, and should be.  What I'd like to see is the sister not bitter against Carter, but piling on the shit with the parents.  Not because I inherently want to see parental characters punished, but because I think the story possibilities are a bit less petty seeming/cliched than her being jealous a boy was "stolen" from her.

 

b.) Mom's affair--affairs are normal, but we need to see context--right now it just seems slimy, ESPECIALLY being with a partner in the Police, where an affair always comes off as super-inappropriate.  Slimy slimy slimy.  It feels far worse than her being cold and overcontrolling.  I suppose the reveal that the husband is a liar and a snake is another brick thrown into this.  I suppose the police partner on some level, as well as a booty call, is intended to serve as her emotional confidante, so we know she isn't just a total cold bitch and has other feelings.  If so... the show needs to tread REALLY carefully here.

 

c.) Dad being a lying piece of shit--I get that the family money needs are steep.  But they HAD to rub it in extra hard with him taping the family therapy.  Lying to the family could have provided enough angst by itself... because by its nature its a lie that HAS to come out when the book pre-release publicity ramps up (or even earlier).  The taping of the family therapy unleashes a shit storm of totally unforgivability though.  You don't get past that if you are the rest of the family.  Ever. Forty years later, standing in front of Dad's grave, I wouldn't be past that, if I were them.  How the show goes forward with this, I don't know, short of the book being canceled and him never using those tapes.  Or piling ALL the blame for everything on him, thus "justifying" the mother's affair, and if they are twisted enough, some justification about why the other lady kidnapped the kid (if the Dad was always a bad dude, and doing bad things).  

[FAU]

 

Taylor and Grant are fine, but boring. It's too bad they had to immediately throw in boy drama with the girls. There is so much else there that would've been way more interesting to delve into. And come on girls, Gabe is annoying and has stupid hair. Not worth it.

 

It's already annoying they're throwing the love triangle out there.

 

 

a.) Sister is acting like a petty jealous little bitch now.  I see this one as a bigger deal than many of the other "bigger" things.  If we don't see some sign of this changing a bit, I'm going to check out emotionally on the character.  OF COURSE she's affected by this, and should be.  What I'd like to see is the sister not bitter against Carter, but piling on the shit with the parents.  Not because I inherently want to see parental characters punished, but because I think the story possibilities are a bit less petty seeming/cliched than her being jealous a boy was "stolen" from her.

 

They don't need any more of that Carter has already done more than enough of that, 1 rebel teen is more than enough.

 

 

b.) Mom's affair--affairs are normal, but we need to see context--right now it just seems slimy, ESPECIALLY being with a partner in the Police, where an affair always comes off as super-inappropriate.  Slimy slimy slimy.  It feels far worse than her being cold and overcontrolling.  I suppose the reveal that the husband is a liar and a snake is another brick thrown into this.  I suppose the police partner on some level, as well as a booty call, is intended to serve as her emotional confidante, so we know she isn't just a total cold bitch and has other feelings.  If so... the show needs to tread REALLY carefully here.

 

It's been anything but careful, almost every character so far is a complete jerk and/or annoying in some way.

 

 

c.) Dad being a lying piece of shit--I get that the family money needs are steep.  But they HAD to rub it in extra hard with him taping the family therapy.  Lying to the family could have provided enough angst by itself... because by its nature its a lie that HAS to come out when the book pre-release publicity ramps up (or even earlier).  The taping of the family therapy unleashes a shit storm of totally unforgivability though.  You don't get past that if you are the rest of the family.  Ever. Forty years later, standing in front of Dad's grave, I wouldn't be past that, if I were them.  How the show goes forward with this, I don't know, short of the book being canceled and him never using those tapes.  Or piling ALL the blame for everything on him, thus "justifying" the mother's affair, and if they are twisted enough, some justification about why the other lady kidnapped the kid (if the Dad was always a bad dude, and doing bad things).

 

No matter what the show tries to do with his character, this guy went behind his family's back and profited off their tragedy, no amount of excuses can save this character at this point.

 

If anything, the show is trying to justify Lori as being the 'best parent ever' by making the family the way it is which goes to my point about them going to whitewash the character's actions entirely and probably a plot twist that'll justify it altogether as well as the kidnapping itself.  The show itself is already heading in that direction with all the not so subtle loving flashbacks/scenes of Carter and Lori.

Edited July 12, 2014 by FAU

[calliope1975]

If anything, the show is trying to justify Lori as being the 'best parent ever' by making the family the way it is which goes to my point about them going to whitewash the character's actions entirely and probably a plot twist that'll justify it altogether as well as the kidnapping itself.  The show itself is already heading in that direction with all the not so subtle loving flashbacks/scenes of Carter and Lori.

 

Exactly, which isn't fair to Elizabeth. Unless we get flashbacks of her being a horrible parent, I'm going to assume she wasn't cold and closed off until someone kidnapped her child. She never got the chance to be a fun, best friend parent because her life was ripped apart. 

[Kromm]

If anything, the show is trying to justify Lori as being the 'best parent ever' by making the family the way it is which goes to my point about them going to whitewash the character's actions entirely and probably a plot twist that'll justify it altogether as well as the kidnapping itself.  The show itself is already heading in that direction with all the not so subtle loving flashbacks/scenes of Carter and Lori.

This is where I disagree/hold out more hope than you.  IMO the only person who's done something unforgivable is Dad taping the Family therapy, and it only moves to unforgivable when he goes ahead and actually submits the book. THEN it is.  The lying?  Forgivable.  The Mom's affair?  Forgivable.  The sister's bitchy attitude? Forgivable.  The Mom's coldness and controlling nature?  Forgivable.  Even consistently ignoring the younger kid is forgivable, although that's a closer one to not being so.  

 

If I were this show's writer I might take the show to the abyss of  presenting the Faux-Mom as justified... then yank it back hard.  Have her present a good story, a good excuse, then peel it back and show it's utter garbage.  What they shouldn't do is present Faux-Mom's love as "fake" or even I think her as a conveniently horrible parent.  I think to teach the right lesson they need to be more subtle. That good people (and by that I mean the BIO family) can do bad things (affairs, fighting, lies) and bad people can occasionally do good things (being, on the surface at least very good parents) but when you dig deeper their true characters are revealed. Faux-Mom should have other misdeeds, or other signs of mental illness perhaps, that Carter uncovers eventually.  Real Mom needs to find a way to be less selfish seeming to her kids (even if we believe on some level her actions are very justified, because of the severity of what was done to her).  Dad needs to stop what he's doing before the book gets published.  Sister needs to get over herself, and Brother needs to stop being a little fount of wisecracks and wisdom who complains about being invisible but never does anything to overcome that.  

Have them overcome these things.  Maybe it's overdramatic to have put them in the show in the first place, but since they are there then have the plot movement be them being overcome.

[Mabinogia]

Making Carter a twin makes it impossible to justify Lori taking Carter because if she did it to save Carter then what, the other twin wasn't worth saving? She was selfish, she wanted a kid so she took one. There's no justifying that. If the parents were THAT terrible then she condemned the other twin (sorry, don't know all their names yet) to a life of whatever kind of abuse she "saved" Carter from. Nope, not buying it. Not sure yet if the show is trying to sell it. Too soon to tell. So far the show seems to think Lori is terrible but only Carter doesn't get it, because Lori was fun and let her do whatever self destructive shit she wanted.

 

I am hoping that over the course of the show Carter realizes what a parent really is. Not a best friend but someone who worries about you every day and makes sure you are safe and taken care of. The Family isn't perfect, but one has to wonder what they would have been like had Carter not been taken? I have a feeling we will learn that most of their issues were, if not born of, then definitely enhanced by, Carter's kidnapping.

[Nena]

Making Carter a twin makes it impossible to justify Lori taking Carter because if she did it to save Carter then what, the other twin wasn't worth saving? She was selfish, she wanted a kid so she took one. There's no justifying that. If the parents were THAT terrible then she condemned the other twin (sorry, don't know all their names yet) to a life of whatever kind of abuse she "saved" Carter from. 

 

It may yet come out, though, that she was planning to take both, and it didn't work out that way.  Because they've been so heavy handed with everything else so far, I'm sure it will probably be the cliche she lost a child and stole a replacement story, but until we know what route they're going to take, there can be a reason.  If they want to go extra soapy, it could even be Lori is the real bio-mom, the parents adopted her, and Lori stole her back.

[Universalhunter]

If they want to go extra soapy, it could even be Lori is the real bio-mom, the parents adopted her, and Lori stole her back.

This actually crossed my mind, because of the casting- Carter favors Lori and looks nothing like either of the other parents. Maybe Taylor isn't really her twin, but they happened to get pregnant during the process of adopting and they were born around the same time and Elizabeth and the dad just acted like they were twins! Super soapy.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Universalhunter

[FAU]

This is where I disagree/hold out more hope than you.  IMO the only person who's done something unforgivable is Dad taping the Family therapy, and it only moves to unforgivable when he goes ahead and actually submits the book. THEN it is.  The lying?  Forgivable.  The Mom's affair?  Forgivable.  The sister's bitchy attitude? Forgivable.  The Mom's coldness and controlling nature?  Forgivable.  Even consistently ignoring the younger kid is forgivable, although that's a closer one to not being so.  

 

If I were this show's writer I might take the show to the abyss of  presenting the Faux-Mom as justified... then yank it back hard.  Have her present a good story, a good excuse, then peel it back and show it's utter garbage.  What they shouldn't do is present Faux-Mom's love as "fake" or even I think her as a conveniently horrible parent.  I think to teach the right lesson they need to be more subtle. That good people (and by that I mean the BIO family) can do bad things (affairs, fighting, lies) and bad people can occasionally do good things (being, on the surface at least very good parents) but when you dig deeper their true characters are revealed. Faux-Mom should have other misdeeds, or other signs of mental illness perhaps, that Carter uncovers eventually.  Real Mom needs to find a way to be less selfish seeming to her kids (even if we believe on some level her actions are very justified, because of the severity of what was done to her).  Dad needs to stop what he's doing before the book gets published.  Sister needs to get over herself, and Brother needs to stop being a little fount of wisecracks and wisdom who complains about being invisible but never does anything to overcome that.  

Have them overcome these things.  Maybe it's overdramatic to have put them in the show in the first place, but since they are there then have the plot movement be them being overcome.

 

The reason for my pessimism is already how much they're putting on the family in 2 episodes already and the promo doesn't give me much hope either.

 

My problem isn't the drama itself, it's that in 2 episodes, they already threw a lot of drama out there instead of actually establishing the characters/story/etc properly.

 

This article really sums up my feelings for this show so far:

 

"MTV's Finding Carter stumbles out of the gate"

 

 

After the success of Teen Wolf and Faking It, we had high hopes for MTV's newest drama about a teenager who discovers that the woman she's always thought of as her mother is actually her kidnapper. But the series premiere was mired in clumsy dialogue, stiff adult characters, and more bad decisions and teen angst than we typically see on all of The CW's shows combined. Finding Carter has a decent story to tell, but it's already failing in its execution; here's hoping it finds a fix fast.

 

http://www.tv.com/news/ftw-vs-wtf-the-tv-week-in-review-july-612-140510619151/.

 

It may yet come out, though, that she was planning to take both, and it didn't work out that way.  Because they've been so heavy handed with everything else so far, I'm sure it will probably be the cliche she lost a child and stole a replacement story, but until we know what route they're going to take, there can be a reason.  If they want to go extra soapy, it could even be Lori is the real bio-mom, the parents adopted her, and Lori stole her back.

 

That would ruin the entire premise of the show of her being kidnapped in the first place but I wouldn't be surprised at this point.

Edited July 13, 2014 by FAU

[karenc3]

This actually crossed my mind, because of the casting- Carter favors Lori and looks nothing like either of the other parents. Maybe Taylor isn't really her twin, but they happened to get pregnant during the process of adopting and they were born around the same time and Elizabeth and the dad just acted like they were twins! Super soapy

 

 

 

I think this is a good possibility, actually, I even posted a specualtion of this under another thread.  I even thought of the possibility that the father is Carter's real father and he had an affair with Lori.  Either both Taylor and Carter are hers, or as you said they were somehow born at the same time, so they adopted Carter and told  them they were twins. 

 

This came to me because of the resemblence between Lori and Carter and when Lori said there was more that Carter didn't know.  It really would be the only way they can at all make Lori look sympathetic.

 

And if they are getting super soapy,  Cynthia Watros was a soap actress...

[karenc3]

It's annoying cliched rebel/teen angst and it's things like this that makes people annoyed with many kid/teen characters in movies/tv shows because of how insufferable it's portrayed especially if it's your main character the show is about.

 

 

 

I think the teen rebel characterization is because the show is on MTV,  and trying to appeal to a young audience who would like that in a main character. 

[FAU]

I think the teen rebel characterization is because the show is on MTV,  and trying to appeal to a young audience who would like that in a main character. 

 

It's unfortunate because they have a good premise on their hands, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired as well as the characterizations of most of the characters on this series.

 

 

It really would be the only way they can at all make Lori look sympathetic.

 

It's problematic because it would go against the whole premise of her being kidnapped in the first place and it's also problematic to the other characters who are portrayed as dysfunctional jerks while Lori in the flashback scenes is portrayed as the bestest mom ever with the writers constantly hitting us over the head with the 'love you more' stuff.

[kitmerlot1213]

I decided to watch this show for kicks and I'm actually enjoying the soapiness of it but I'm not quite getting all of the Cater love she's getting from the town and fellow students.  Take away her being a kidnapped victim, and there really isn't anything interesting about her.  I mean, I can understand why Carter would have a difficult time dealing with her family and all of the new rules that are being placed on her, but I need to see more emotional growth from her in order to start to root for her.  I'd like to see her get to know her sister and brother better, so that she can see just how restrictive their lives are because of what happened to her.  I would love to see an episode where Carter is the one worrying and freaking out over her siblings so we can see her show compassion and understanding for someone other than her "mother" or herself.

 

I also want her Carter to slowly start to realize just what a disservice her kidnapper, I mean "mom" did to her by raising her without any respect for other people or consequences for her actions.  I hope the show has Carter finally realizing that her bio parents are the ones who truly love her and want what is best for her while Lori just wanted a best friend.

 

Mom's affair--affairs are normal, but we need to see context--right now it just seems slimy, ESPECIALLY being with a partner in the Police, where an affair always comes off as super-inappropriate. 

 

 

I don't think affairs are normal at all and they are always inappropriate and damage the entrie family.  It would be rather sick if Gabe knows about his dad and Carter's mom--that would make his interest in Carter even grosser.

 

I look forward to what the rest of the season brings.

Edited July 13, 2014 by kitmerlot1213

[RachelKM]

I will be seriously annoyed with this show if Lori turns out to have some sort of claim on Carter, even if it wasn't a legal claim. It would totally undermine the premise of the show and, at least to me, be a total bait and switch.

 

This was billed as a show about a girl and her family dealing with the fall out of her kidnapping and eventual return 13 years later.  Plus, I don't want to see anything that justifies Lori to Carter who is tolerable at this point because she dealing with wrapping her head around the fact that her whole life is a lie and her mother whom she loves is a liar and a kidnapper.  If the show turns around and gives Lori and sort of legitimate basis for viewing Carter as hers, it will come across as a thematic justification for Carter's unwillingness to let her go and, to some degree, her asshole behavior to date. 

 

Not to mention that there is no indication the Wilsons had any idea who took Carter and if there was another person who had any sort of emotional claim on Carter, it would seem to be at least an obvious avenue to pursue.  But they both acted like, "OMG I know that woman" when they saw her picture with no sense that a light was going on about a connection or that they'd ever pursued her in the past.

Edited July 13, 2014 by RachelKM

[karenc3]

It's problematic because it would go against the whole premise of her being kidnapped in the first place and it's also problematic to the other characters who are portrayed as dysfunctional jerks while Lori in the flashback scenes is portrayed as the bestest mom ever with the writers constantly hitting us over the head with the 'love you more' stuff.

 

 

 

The kidnapping would still be an issue, though,  but maybe a bit more defendable.   If both twins were Loris, and they were adopted, that could have some implications for Taylor.

 

Though, as far as the story there would be more tension if Elizabeth was the biological mother. I think Carter is wrong the way she's acting, but Elizabeth is wrong too.

[Cranberry]

It's problematic because it would go against the whole premise of her being kidnapped in the first place and it's also problematic to the other characters who are portrayed as dysfunctional jerks while Lori in the flashback scenes is portrayed as the bestest mom ever with the writers constantly hitting us over the head with the 'love you more' stuff.

 

I'm not at all surprised that Lori has been portrayed as the best mom ever so far -- we've only seen two episodes (which functioned as one long pilot, really). We're taking this journey along with Carter, so we're going to learn things as she does. I think it will be interesting if Carter slowly starts to put things together, remembering incidents where maybe her mom didn't act as she should have, and if she starts comparing and contrasting Lori and Elizabeth and having Elizabeth come out ahead in some ways. There's plenty of time for that, AND for her to start really caring about her siblings and stop being so antagonistic in general.

 

We'd have no show if Carter immediately realized her kidnapper mom was "bad," loved everyone in her new family, and settled in fine in the pilot. Likewise, her "real" family would be boring as hell if they were all Mary Sues. Every family is dysfunctional in some ways. I can guarantee that a teenager wouldn't want to be shoved into mine.

[atlanticslide]

 

She has absolutely no reason to care about or respect these people, they are complete strangers to her.

Well, there's the fact that they're human beings with feelings. They may be strangers, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve any respect, especially when they haven't done anything to her other than the mom being cold and emotionally closed off.

 

 

I also hate to say it, but I find it hard to look at the actress's face. I don't know what's going on there.

Same! I can't figure out what it is, but something about her face just pains me, like she's maybe had too much work done or is relying on a sour expression way too heavily.

 

 

I feel that everyone is just insufferable because the writers feel the need to make almost everyone ott for drama.

This is exactly what I think is the biggest problem with this show - there's so much inherent drama in "kidnapped kid is returned to family 10+ years later" but instead they're skipping all of that to go straight to completely typical, cliche teen show drama. Why explore the actual psychological issues involved in learning that you were raised by a kidnapper, or highlight the awkwardness of having to move into a brand new house with a bunch of strangers, or the heartbreak of leaving all of your friends and your home behind, or give some insight on what Carter's life was like growing up (other than "Carter and kidnapper!mom had lots of cute funtimes together"), or explore what it's like for Carter to go from seemingly having one parent and no other family to having a dad, a brother, a sister, grandparents, etc, or show how Taylor is feeling having grown up in the shadow of her kidnapped twin now that her twin is back, or any one of the number of other built-in sources of drama, when we can just do yet another show about a grumpy teenager making douchy friends and sticking it to her mean mom while her mom has an affair with the father of her maybe-crush, who happens to be the BFF and crush of her sister? I guess you can never have too many shows about teenage girls fighting over the same guy.

[aradia22]

 

With the treatment of Lori, I'm wondering if they'll come up with some crazy twist like David staged a temporary kidnapping to promote his book career and Lori realized halfway through she wanted to keep Carter permanently.  Hopefully, it's something more realistic that does not let Lori off the hook after what she pulled.

Oh Lord, I hope this isn't it. I want to give them more credit than that but this is a teen soap... on MTV.

 

I think one of the things that kept me on Carter's side (other than the actress who is doing her best) was Carter pulling back from Gabe because she knew her twin sister liked him. At that point she hadn't been with the family long and had no reason to feel a strong sense of loyalty to her sister. Heck, I've seen shows where the characters should have a strong sense of loyalty to each other and still try to get away with the excuse "well, he doesn't like you therefore it doesn't matter how you feel." I don't believe in "calling dibs" or "girl code/guy code" or any of that but it was still nice of her to respect her sister's feelings. That said, given what we learned of Gabe, Gabe and the twin sister wouldn't be a good fit. Even though it's cliched for Max to become more of a Maximilian to fit with the twin sister (though she could be the one who ends up changing) I'm sure I'll still find it cute if they write it well.

 

 

I'm super annoyed that the dad is being so devious.  It could be sympathetic that he may feel he needs to write the book for the family as a whole, but damn he came across as a sociopathic ass in that last scene. I agree that taping the sessions is beyond the pale.  Also didn't love Denisof's facial expression in that scene.  He was doing his villain thing.

I actually kind of enjoyed it. I like the humor he brought to the show (the apple/peanut butter scene sticks out) and that final scene seemed to fit with that. I feel like the book agent/editor was toned down a little when he returned for the final scene. I was worried about the gay stereotype potential with that character. I'm okay with him being a little villainous as long as they don't use it to completely absolve Elizabeth of everything she's done wrong (A. all the bad parenting decisions B. cheating on him C. whatever else happens throughout the series). I find that too often with couples on television shows, once one of them is declared the "bad" one, the other gets absolved of all the bad things they've done.

 

I agree that they've rushed things A LOT. Especially since they had a two hour premiere to tell a more in-depth story. Enough with the freaking songs/montages as character development. OK, they're not really montages but what I'm thinking of is the carousel scene, the scene that got us into the party, and Carter dancing around at the second party when she was high. Enough of that. Actually spend time developing the characters. And stop having everyone just tell us what they're thinking and feeling. That's fine for therapy but for the rest of the episode try showing instead of telling.

[bluvelvet]

Just watched the pilot, I liked it and I will stick around for now.

 

As of right now I don’t know what kind of Mom Lori was, Carters recreational activities may not have been known to her and to be realistic a lot of teenagers experiment with bad behavior and still turn into productive members of society. Also it seemed as if that was their first time in a cell so it wasn’t as if Carter kept getting arrested over and over again.  I think right now Carter is acting out due to her situation. We barely know anything about her past life, Lori seems permissive but we don't know how permissive. Also the comment about a "booty call" I took as a joke.

 

 

Also yes Lori is the kidnapper, but I am curious as to her reasons and from the bit I saw it looked as if she and Carter had  a great relationship.  No matter what, Carter isn’t going to feel any familial connection to her bio family, she doesn’t know them and she obviously adored her mom.  She isn't going to find room in her heart to empathize with them.  She should have been slowly acclimated into the family with counseling.  Her feelings for her “Mom” aren't going to disappear overnight and while Lori is her kidnapper she is/was her mother for the past 13 years.

 

As for Elizabeth, sorry I don’t like her and I think she is a cold bitch and while I get her point of view, she lost her child and that fear ruled how she  lived her life I still can’t feel sympathy for her. The only time I thought Carter went too far was with the mall prank. I think Carter seeing how Elizabeth reacted should have felt some sympathy, the show went a bit far there.  

 

I do like the younger brother though and his scenes with Carter thus far.

[Humbugged]

 

Yes, they threw in some teen cliches like bad twin/goody-goody twin (Sweet Valley High anyone?) and fighting over the same guy but that's to be expected with any teen show.

 

Which is also a bit like Kathryn Prescott herself playing opposite her own identical twin in the UK version of Skins - KP was Emily Fitch the sweeter twin opposite her sister Megan who played Katie who was the brassy one .I wonder if they considered casting Megan or they intentionally went for fraternal twins so her and Taylor could be so unalike.

 

Edited July 14, 2014 by Humbugged

[Kromm]

I agree that they've rushed things A LOT. Especially since they had a two hour premiere to tell a more in-depth story. Enough with the freaking songs/montages as character development. OK, they're not really montages but what I'm thinking of is the carousel scene, the scene that got us into the party, and Carter dancing around at the second party when she was high. Enough of that. Actually spend time developing the characters. And stop having everyone just tell us what they're thinking and feeling. That's fine for therapy but for the rest of the episode try showing instead of telling.

There's no way that was shot as a two hour pilot though.  So I think the pacing is what they expected worked for a one hour pilot, and it's why there are some CLEAR changes in people's personalities in the second hour, and some extra drama inducements.  It's post-pilot rethinking.  In the first hour we have the sister be anxious about the boy drama, but fine with her new sister.  In hour two, she mysteriously seems to now hold her sister responsible for everything wrong in her life.  In the first hour we have a boy who's the source of drama, sure, but in hour two we have these two new even worse influences around.  In hour one, we learn about the Dad's plans to write a book, but in the scope of that hour nothing else really.  Only in hour two do we hear about both his promise to NOT write it, and that he's broken that promise.  

 

If the show seems rushed, it's because we basically had a 1 hour pilot, paced for that, and a second hour that piled so much new shit on it to shift the focus of the show in so many (most bad) ways.

[In2You]

Carter is annoying and so far unsympathetic. The mom is kind of annoying too but I at least understand her actions. The friendzoned sister gets on my nerves as well.

And the guy the mom was having the affair with was her husband's doppleganger. They looked so much alike in the pilot.

[aradia22]

 

And the guy the mom was having the affair with was her husband's doppleganger. They looked so much alike in the pilot.

I think of him as the State Farm guy who was considerably less annoying than the absolutely hateful "mayhem" guy. I think he also had a role on All My Children but I didn't watch it then.

[FAU]

There's no way that was shot as a two hour pilot though.  So I think the pacing is what they expected worked for a one hour pilot, and it's why there are some CLEAR changes in people's personalities in the second hour, and some extra drama inducements.  It's post-pilot rethinking.  In the first hour we have the sister be anxious about the boy drama, but fine with her new sister.  In hour two, she mysteriously seems to now hold her sister responsible for everything wrong in her life.  In the first hour we have a boy who's the source of drama, sure, but in hour two we have these two new even worse influences around.  In hour one, we learn about the Dad's plans to write a book, but in the scope of that hour nothing else really.  Only in hour two do we hear about both his promise to NOT write it, and that he's broken that promise.  

 

If the show seems rushed, it's because we basically had a 1 hour pilot, paced for that, and a second hour that piled so much new shit on it to shift the focus of the show in so many (most bad) ways.

 

That explains a lot, but the changes should not have been this jarring, it's especially noticeable watching it back to back.

[Kromm]

That explains a lot, but the changes should not have been this jarring, it's especially noticeable watching it back to back.

Yes, it stinks of network interference.  They saw the actual pilot and probably instructed them to drama things up as the cost of it being picked up.  The signs seem pretty clear--most (admittedly not all) of the stuff people have the strong objections to just popped up in the second hour and that doesn't seem like a coincidence.

[FAU]

Yes, it stinks of network interference.  They saw the actual pilot and probably instructed them to drama things up as the cost of it being picked up.  The signs seem pretty clear--most (admittedly not all) of the stuff people have the strong objections to just popped up in the second hour and that doesn't seem like a coincidence.

 

I know and it seems like a waste considering the premise alone should've provided more than enough interesting drama on its own.

[RachelKM]

I know and it seems like a waste considering the premise alone should've provided more than enough interesting drama on its own.

What do you mean?  You want to watch a program full of nothing people dealing with the emotional fall out of a deeply traumatizing event, exploring familial ties and definitions of family, and the basic bullshit that is being a teen/parent of a teen? Pshaw, where's the drama and human interest in that?  Clearly we need some teen triangles (or possibly some other polygon of yet undetermined sided-ness) to round out what would otherwise be a dry and emotionless story.

[FAU]

What do you mean?  You want to watch a program full of nothing people dealing with the emotional fall out of a deeply traumatizing event, exploring familial ties and definitions of family, and the basic bullshit that is being a teen/parent of a teen? Pshaw, where's the drama and human interest in that?  Clearly we need some teen triangles (or possibly some other polygon of yet undetermined sided-ness) to round out what would otherwise be a dry and emotionless story.

 

Pretty much, it would still be teen drama only it could've explored interesting storylines considering the premise it had.

[Jordan27]

What a self-important little snot Carter turned out to be.  I can't remember the main character on a show that was so unlikeable.  Obviously, a kid is a product of their environment and their upbringing.  Her other mother did a horrifically bad job. 

 

And I don't think her real mother could do much with her even if she was an outstanding parent.  But, we have already seen she is dysfunctional herself and incapable of handling her at all.

 

Personally,  I would have slapped the little brat across the face and sent her to boot camp.  She is too far gone to help her now.

[nemesis]

Carter really didn't bother me that much.  She wasn't really likable, no, but most kids just don't adjust that quickly.  I take in foster children and although this family Carter has been placed with is her bio family, I think there are a lot of similarities to being dropped of into foster care.  From her standpoint she was taken from her parent and set up to live with strangers.  It would make things harder, I think, that those strangers have emotional connections with her that she doesn't share with them.  In my experience, often times even if the parent a child is removed from is a homeless drug addict (and Carter's kidnapper-mom, although irresponsible, didn't seem particularly abusive) there can still be very strong loyalty to the parent.  Teenagers actually do try to run away from their placements and return to their parent/s and can be extremely difficult in their time in a foster or group home.  I've also seen foster children blame everyone but the parent for the situation they're in (the police officer who removed them, the case manager that works with them, the foster parent who takes them in).  Of course, not every child reacts that way, some actually throw themselves into their school work or other means of distracting themselves that aren't destructive or cope in other ways, but I don't find Carter's behavior implausible and I'm not holding it against her this early in the situation.

 

However, I really dislike the the things thrown in there just for the sake of drama.  The love triangle, the cheating, having the bio-mom as a police officer tracking down the kidnapper... I don't know if I can keep watching for long if they keep ramping up that kind of thing.

[FAU]

 

However, I really dislike the the things thrown in there just for the sake of drama.  The love triangle, the cheating, having the bio-mom as a police officer tracking down the kidnapper... I don't know if I can keep watching for long if they keep ramping up that kind of thing.

 

And they are unfortunately which is sad considering the premise alone should've provided more than enough good drama there for them to explore.

[candall]

EVERY teen girl is a horror around age 14-16 (and they should all be cryogenically frozen until the crazy phase passes.)  Ha, but there's actually a psychological basis for this, having to do with the need  to establish an identity separate and independent from their mothers'.

This Carter girl is shown to have been raised as an indulged only child by a "best buddy" type of single mom with nary a disciplinarian in sight.  When she wound up overnight in that massively dysfunctional version of the Cleaver household, I'm surprised she didn't BURN DOWN THE FREAKIN' HOUSE.

 

I disagree with all the posters above who found Elizabeth's food court experience beyond the pale.   Every pineknot in the world can see that she needs to disassociate from the manhunt for kidnapper mom.   She could have spared herself by 1. obeying orders from her boss,  2. pausing for two seconds as she rampaged through the house to let husband know why she was so frantic or  3. putting her daughter's needs over her own agenda.

 

She's obviously a graduate of the Olivia Benson School For Detectives.  "Determine your goal.  Proceed like a heat-seeking missile.  Disregard anyone in your path."

[FAU]

EVERY teen girl is a horror around age 14-16 (and they should all be cryogenically frozen until the crazy phase passes.)  Ha, but there's actually a psychological basis for this, having to do with the need  to establish an identity separate and independent from their mothers'.

This Carter girl is shown to have been raised as an indulged only child by a "best buddy" type of single mom with nary a disciplinarian in sight.  When she wound up overnight in that massively dysfunctional version of the Cleaver household, I'm surprised she didn't BURN DOWN THE FREAKIN' HOUSE.

 

I disagree with all the posters above who found Elizabeth's food court experience beyond the pale.   Every pineknot in the world can see that she needs to disassociate from the manhunt for kidnapper mom.   She could have spared herself by 1. obeying orders from her boss,  2. pausing for two seconds as she rampaged through the house to let husband know why she was so frantic or  3. putting her daughter's needs over her own agenda.

 

She's obviously a graduate of the Olivia Benson School For Detectives.  "Determine your goal.  Proceed like a heat-seeking missile.  Disregard anyone in your path."

 

Basically, they made the characters contrived extremes just to force drama on them and it's just poorly done.

[SonofaBiscuit]

Finally got around to watching the first two episodes.  I get that teens can be awful, but Carter's new "friends" are all little sociopaths.  That mall prank was just awful and not one of the kids involved looked even a little guilty about it once they saw Elizabeth's face.  Also, I'm pretty sure that Gabe was probably breaking some sort of law by fake-texting Carter to throw off the police.  I'm glad that Max at least seemed to feel kind of bad about Elizabeth being hurt by the mall prank.  I'm hoping he gets far away from Carter very soon (and it looks like he may from the trailer at the end of the episode, so yay). 

Edited July 30, 2014 by SonofaBiscuit