I had a good feeling Mike Flanagan was going to take this and make it his own. After watching the original Carrie filming alongside the new show, his creative liberties and direction made this a much better adaptation than the 2002 and 2013 films. He expanded on so many topics and themes that weren’t explored in previous installments, including the original, that in my opinion enhanced the overall story and characters.
There was so much depth to Carrie, Chris, and Sue that was expanded on, and made Tommy a seriously sympathetic character. Not to mention the introduction of what feels like a “coven” of people with the TK gene that Flanagan is going to completely ball out on in my opinion in a second season if Amazon greenlights it. There is so much to talk about over this being an eight-episode show, and I wish it was weekly to really blow the hype up. If this was weekly, it would all everyone would be talking about for two months. Overall, the reception has been great and it’s being listed a tier below Flanagan’s big bangers like Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor, as well as being considered the best remake of Carrie in many circles. You cannot have such a successful showing here without having a fantastic lead, which they nailed it with Summer Howell as Carrie.
Summer Howell being 22 years old and portraying one of the most innocent little high schoolers I have seen in a film in a long time blew my mind. I felt genuinely bad for her in so many moments because I knew how bad it was going to eventually be for her, when she just wanted to exist and be a normal girl and make friends. She was the most genuine and innocent person at that school as you would expect out of Carrie in a modern version of the film. Also, the bullying and foreign concepts, like the school shooting drill, to her were so spot on with today’s society, Flanagan did an amazing job modernizing this story all around. Even Carrie’s mom resorted to influencer tactics to combat the issues that were being had at the school with Carrie. While the concept of modernizing Carrie doesn’t sound like something that would work, Flanagan had the right actors/actresses and direction for it to all work. Now to see how the “coven” of those with the TK gene will play into the entire post prom story that is seemingly set up for season 2.
When discussing this show, you have to highlight one glaring upgrade from the movie. It’s the performance of Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen. One of the smartest things Flanagan did was cast her as Chris and decide to dive into why she hated Carrie so much and also why she was so hateful. In every chance you thought she would have an ounce of dignity, she swerved the other way. You truly hate her. That is an incredible portrayal of a character if you can accomplish that. The bullying is level with shit these days you’d never imagine kids would do, but is way too realistic if you think about it. Bullying the new kid because they are new or weird, making a burner account to shit on one person specifically and expand to others, and to turn on all your friends and become a school outcast. It is so perfectly done for her, and she knocks the performance out the park.
So many things in this show being expanded on benefit the story much more than the movie which is much more slim on the face but subtle in the actions of the characters. This show mixes subtly with extensive showcases of expanding these characters such as Carrie, Sue, Carrie’s mother, Chris and Tommy so well. Tommy is someone you root for and truly see the good in. Same with Sue and she really wanted for Carrie to fit in and be happy. Chris for all the reasons I stated before. Carrie’s mother becomes more than just a Jesus Loving Freak and we get a much deeper dive into what makes her tick and many more interactions with Carrie. After rewatching the original and the remakes along with this show, I am much more a fan of the show than the movies. Sure some of the movies have some flair to them and done better in certain spots like how the mother is killed in the first movie is a better film moment in my opinion than what happens in the show, but it has more teeth to it. The prom scene is rushed for sure, but it felt like it had more weight when we knew more and saw much more buildup over the course of 8 episodes. Now to see where Flanagan takes this will be very exciting. Rumor is this could be 2-3 seasons and I’m exciting to see what he can do when pushing past just a single season show with this.
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