Finding Carter Season 2 Episode 12 Review: I'm Not the Only One
Carissa Pavlica
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So, the central theme seems to be all other families are coming together and the Wilsons are about to be ripped apart again. Or something.
Honestly. Did you ever imagine I'd be back here, for Finding Carter Season 2 Episode 12? Yeah, me neither, yet here we are. Suspending our disbelief together, like a bunch of crazies. The amazing thing is there were actually some good points to the hour.
Who would have guessed we might be done with the Peanuts-esque (look it up) world these kids live in when there was a chance for a whole new teenage bachelor pad to open up with the death of Kyle? Not me. That, at least, is a plus.
Since I haven't had my say yet about Kyle's death, I'm going to weigh in. While I pretty much agree with everyone else that it was rather pointless given where he and Elizabeth ended up, I have to give a shout out to Eddie Matos for the scene when he was shot.
He didn't go for the brave hero, but conveyed fear, love, loss and so many emotions on his face and through the way he used his body – it was amazing. Truly. I've always liked the guy and will miss him.
The after effects were well done. David offering Elizabeth not only an ear if she needed to talk about the loss of her former lover, but opening his home to his son, was in keeping with the way their relationship has progressed. Watching Gabe struggle with his father's disappearance from his life was also very unsettling and realistic.
Elizabeth walking in on Gabe swilling beers and angrily thanking her for nothing reminded us how much he wanted to be a part of a family. He had pinned his hopes on her, and he lost.
When his father died, he lost everything. It was very brave of him to admit he didn't want to be alone in that apartment after all and to take Damon up on his offer to stay with him and his mother.
The timing of the stories of Bird and Madison could have been better. Bird's peripheral character has never really fit well with the others, and her parents are a bigger mess than most of the kids.
Now that Madison is returning home, I wouldn't be at all upset if Bird was either written off or rewritten in a way to make her story a little more compelling (i.e., relatable). The next 12 will tell, I suppose.
In the great news category, we don't have to worry about Maxlor anymore, as they seem to be back in each others arms. Max is back in his old (and ridiculously cool) efficiency apartment, and Taylor has forgotten all about his blip with Carter. What happened on the road, stays on the road. Plus, Max can make pancakes in a crockpot (that looks suspiciously like a plant). Win.
The crux of the hour falls upon the Wilsons, who had to suffer through the ridiculous notion that Lori would have been found fit to stand trial and then that she would have dressed like Mama from Mama's Family to make herself more identifiable to the jury. That alone was laughable.
Television has taken on a brutal tone of late, with a lot of violence and rough waters that make it a little less entertaining than it should be, given we're here to be, ahem, entertained.
The evening news is just a click away if we're all that into being miserable. I never watch it. Hate it. I feel like I watch it all the time with my choices of programming lately.
Forcing Carter to say she loved Lori without the context of the kidnapping felt very dirty. It was very unpleasant and watching Lori with that smug look on her face left me with no other choice than to book a flight to Atlanta and prepare to slap the crap out of her when the opportunity presents itself. That's apparently where they film.
As soon as Carter designated her new name as Carter Wilson and walked outside the courtroom, it was obvious the young man she met was Lori and David's son. What's not so obvious is where the hell he was the entire time Carter was living with Lori.
I mean, the kid is a witness for Lori, for goodness sakes, so we have to assume he knows his mother pretty well, right? Or has he been brainwashed, as well? Carter lived with Lori for 14 years and never knew the guy. Is that really the kind of image of a doting mother Lori wants to portray to the jury? How in the hell are they going to spin that?
The amount of sense that doesn't make just kills me. All Lori wanted to do was waltz him before the Wilsons to prove to Elizabeth she was oh, so very fertile and Elizabeth wasn't. Well guess what, lunatic, Elizabeth still got the guy in the end, so you LOSE.
The ratings have been dropping to below Eye Candy levels week by week. It's not up to Finding Carter Season 1 standards by a long shot. If they aren't forced to do some serious rewrites for the remaining 12 episodes, I'll be extremely surprised. One of them should be to drop Lori like a hot potato. Put her in prison and lose the story. It's so unbelievable that it's unwatchable, and that's never good.
The thing is, this cast is terrific. They work their butts off even with the terrible material they've been getting. The series creator is really cool and so is her roommate. (Trust me on this.) The show shouldn't be wasted, so that means something's gotta give. Agree? Disagree? Are you going to keep coming back for the amazing cast with the hope it gets better? Let me know what you think.
If you have missed what's gone down so far, you can watch Finding Carter online to catch up. Why not?
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
