When I heard that The CW was developing a prequel to Sex & The City that focused on Carrie Bradshaw's introduction to Manhattan in the mid-80's, I was ... wary.
In the first place, The Carrie Diaries changed Carrie's backstory. In SATC she spoke about how her father walked out on her and her mother when she was young, and she never saw him again. In TCD, her mother has just died, and her father is trying to raise Carrie and her sullen sister (who we also never heard of in SATC) by himself.
That I can handle, but the fact that it takes place in the 80's was a potential deal breaker. I try to steer clear of any TV show or movie set in the 80's because they usually get it so ... wrong. It's either so eye-rollingly obvious or annoyingly anachronistic (Excuse me! Your movie takes place in early 1983, but features "Karma Chameleon," which didn't come out until late 1983!). As an 80's nit-picker, I didn't know if I could handle it.
Happily, The Carrie Diaries avoids those traps (more or less), and is a sweet and surprisingly touching coming-of-age dramedy, unlike the salty, snappy, and at times cynical mother ship.
If you're unaware of the cast of characters, here's a primer on who's who:
Carrie Bradshaw (AnnaSophia Robb) - Our heroine, who at 16 is missing her trademark mole and elongated jawline and is trying to navigate the not dissimilar worlds of high school and NYC publishing. Keeps a journal, but has yet to use the line, "I couldn't help but wonder." 80'S INFLUENCE - Any Molly Ringwald character.
Sebastian Kydd (Austin Butler) - The new kid at school, and the object of Carrie's affection. He got kicked out of his old high school for having sex with his art history teacher, Cocksure with possible jerk tendencies. 80'S INFLUENCE - The blond guy who learns a life lesson in The Karate Kid.
Jill "The Mouse" Chen (Ellen Wong) - Carrie's eternally optimistic best friend. Loves to meddle. 80'S INFLUENCE - Natalie Green
Maggie Landers (Katie Findlay) - Carrie's tough-talking, sarcastic other best friend. 80'S INFLUENCE - Jo Polniaczek
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Dorrit Bradshaw (Stefania Owen) - Carrie's 14-year-old goth sister, she resents Carrie for her relationship with their mother. 80'S INFLUENCE - Darlene Conner
Walt Reynolds (Brendan Dooling) - Carrie's best guy friend, and on and off again boyfriend of Maggie. Confused about his sexuality, he's slowly coming to terms with the closet. 80'S INFLUENCE - Ducky
Donna LaDonna (Chloe Bridges) - Carrie's rival and resident mean girl. She was the first to snatch up Sebastian, and now has set her sights on Walt. 80'S INFLUENCE - Pizazz from Jem
Tom Bradshaw (Matt Letscher) - Major DILF. 80'S INFLUENCE - Tony Micelli Any hot 80's single dad.
Finally, there's the luminous Freema Agyeman as Larissa Loughlin, Carrie's mentor and editor at Interview magazine. A notorious party girl, she's helping Carrie spread her wings, unaware that legally, Carrie is still a hatchling.
The Holy Grail
This week's episode had a couple of big moments that will fuel the drama for the rest of the season, but it's mostly notable for addressing the biggest problem I've had with the show, namely that if we didn't know this character was supposed to be "Carrie Bradshaw," we'd never guess that it was ... Carrie Bradshaw.
There have been a couple of in-jokes that suggest the Carrie we all know and love from SATC, most notably the Thanksgiving show. After Carrie destroys the holiday dinner, she quips that in the future, she plans on "using her oven for storage", which is a direct quote from SATC.
Other than a couple of those asides, we'd never know that this was our Carrie, and it could be about any fashionable girl growing up in the 80's
This episode changes that, as we see the origin stories of two of adult Carrie's obsessions. Having successfully duped her father into believing she took a job as an intern at a NYC law firm, Carrie embarks on her secret life, interning for Larissa at Interview Magazine. Her new boss has roped her into modeling some new-fangled shoes for an upcoming issue (having the most petite feet in the building), and she rewards Carrie by gifting her the shoes, whose designer Carrie finds unpronounceable. Larissa helps her out - They're "Manolo Blahniks," and because she's the only person in the world who can fit in to them, they're hers to keep.
A-Ha! So that's how it began. Good God, It's like watching Batman put on the utility belt for the first time.
Larissa tells Carrie she can wear the shoes that Friday when the entire crew heads to the hot trendy club Limelight to celebrate the new issue. Carrie believes fate has smiled on her, as Friday night is also the annual Junior/Senior "Lock-In" at high school, which is like a giant slumber party. Her father believes Carrie will be spending the night with her friends at the school, so he'll never know that she's actually going to be dipping her Manolo-covered toe in debauchery in Manhattan.
Debauchery!
Meanwhile, Sebastian has decided to break up with mean girl Donna, who takes the news by demanding he wait until after the Lock-In. And oh, of course she'll tell everyone that it was her idea to break up. Because she's the kind of person who needs to be in a constant state of devour, she immediately sets her sights on cute A/V squad member Walt, who is having problems with girlfriend Maggie (not the least of which is that he has yet to come to terms with the fact that he's a future girl's BFF).
Donna (whose middle name must be, just has to be, "Heather") decides she wants Walt, and tells him that Maggie has been sleeping with a local cop (a subplot that just doesn't work for me, and wish they'd drop). Walt confronts Maggie, who admits the truth, and the two break up. Now Maggie can officially have Walt all to herself. Good luck with that.
The episode's centerpiece is Limelight, in which we get the second Carrie Bradshaw origin moment, as she's introduced to the other love of her adult life.
When she's presented with the glowing brew, her eyes widen and she remarks, "It's so pretty! What's it called?" When she's told, "Cosmopiltan," she declares, "I think this is going to be my drink!"
A-Ha! So that's how it began. Good God, It's like watching Superman find the Fortress Of Solitude.
Unfortunately, that's the last happy moment for Carrie at Limelight. As she takes in the wonders and dances on center stage, she notices someone ... familiar in the crowd. And he eventually notices her. It's her DILF, who has been dragged out for a night on the town by his player friend Harlan. DILF angrily escorts Carrie out of the building (after Larissa discovers that Carrie is actually 16, which is NOT a deal breaker) and back home, where she's now grounded until Molly Ringwald makes the cover of Time Magazine.
What's worse is that Maggie and Mouse told Sebastian that in order to woo Carrie, he'll have to make a "grand gesture," so he and Mouse head to Limelight to surprise her (they miss her, of course, but I fully expected them to find one of her Manolos, a la Cinderella).
Back at home, Mouse tells Carrie about Sebastian's quest, and then Carrie has a heart-to-heart with DILF. She apologizes, but explains that interning with Interview has been one of the best things in her life, but she didn't think he'd understand, which is why she had to keep it a secret. "You can stop me from being at Interview, and seeing Larissa, and being in Manhattan, and I can't change any of that. But the one thing you can't stop is me wanting it, and wanting a life that's mine."
DILF looks conflicted. Will he allow Carrie to continue with her internship? Will Donna and Walk hook up ... and will it be satisfying to either of them? Will Sebastian attempt any more grand gestures after the last one ended with his car being towed?
THIS WEEK'S 80'S REFERENCES: "I Want Candy," floppy discs, "Our Lips Are Sealed,"E.T., Wrath Of Khan, Tender Mercies, Rocky III, Flashdance, Miami Vice, My Little Pony, Flamingo Kid, "You Dropped a Bomb On Me,""Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want."
Based on these references, I'm putting the timeframe of tonight's episode as .... very late 84/very early 85.
What did you think of this week's episode?
