The Carrie Diaries - Recap: Hungry Like the Parakeet
Is Carrie Bradshaw cutthroat? The Carrie Diaries continued tonight with an episode that put Bradshaw’s drive to the test. NYC is a bird-eat-bird world.
Episode 11 opened with a hawk eating a pidgin in the park, but enough of that already!
The CW "The Carrie Diaries"
Carrie attempted to handle Bennet’s business for him at Interview while Walt’s ex allegedly wallowed in misery back at his apartment. Larissa (Freema Agyeman) was less forgiving considering the circumstances. Having given Bennet plenty of time to grieve both the loss of his relationship and potential future loss of another ex-lover dying of AIDS, Larissa refused to continue to make excuse for what began to seem like sheer laziness. Carrie is more sentimental and empathetic, though, and eventually she graduated from taking memos and scheduling appointments for Bennet to actually writing a piece for the magazine on parachute pants in his name. Larissa was thrilled with the work Carrie handed in as Bennet’s ghostwriter. Carrie, on the other hand, loathed the feeling of someone else, even a friend in need, getting credit for her work. When Bennet finally dragged himself into Interview, he was happy to lap up praise for “his” work, neglecting to even mention that Carrie had, say, helped out at all. Through the grapevine, Carrie learned of the truth behind Bennet’s grieving period. Rather than spending the days wasting away alone in his apartment, Bennet had been spotted out on the town, half in the bag and with a man on each arm. Suddenly, Carrie Bradshaw snapped into combat mode. Aah, the brutal world of high school internships in Manhattan. Why did I spend my free time in high school folding baby clothes at the mall Old Navy?
The CW "The Carrie Diaries"
The first person to school Carrie on the cutthroat world of Manhattan was her father, Tom, who claimed to have a killer instinct of his own when it came to his work as a lawyer. Dorrit called bull, of course, and it turned out she was right to do so. Tom’s story during Episode 11 focused on a tough case representing a client against Penny, an absolutely disheveled and dorky woman who’d lose her head if it wasn’t attached to her shoulder pads (I know, this 80s themed show isn’t really big on the actual 80’s fashion, but who cares?). This is the kind of woman who “loses” her glasses only to find them sitting atop her cluttered, messy head. Tom, getting caught up in her obviously shaky morning, eventually ended up losing a file in the chaos of her attempts to get herself together in the meeting room. Of course, things proved to be an entirely different ballgame when she returned from the bathroom having “freshened up.” In truth, Penny knew exactly what she was doing. She wasn’t a disheveled train wreck at all. She was another cutthroat shark of a lawyer with an agenda that totally trumped Bradshaw’s game, and if he was going to hit back with a vengeance, he’d need a little schooling when it comes to, well, vengeance!
Cue the master manipulator, Dorrit Bradshaw! Dorrit, helping her dad to come to terms with the fact that he’d simply fallen victim, yet again, to the charms of a woman, pointed out the fact that Carrie cries to get what she wants all the time, and he never sees it coming. This time, though, Dorrit offered a helping hand to her infuriated father. The next time he met with Penny, it was Dorrit who first appeared in the meeting room. Playing the “girl power” card, Dorrit managed to distract the female lawyer, who’s used to working in a profession where men don’t take her seriously, giving the littlest Bradshaw enough time to swipe an important file for her dad. Tom isn’t a cheat, though, and the two agreed to shake on a fresh, fair start. By the close of Tom’s storyline during Episode 11, he had a newfound appreciation for Penny, and the feeling was mutual. Can you guess where they go from here? Three hours of sex on the desk! I didn’t see that one coming! Also, not for nothing, but there was never any talk of a wife considering the fact that this woman had just met Tom’s daughter! I have to say, though, I actually think it’s cool that The Carrie Diaries gives the Bradshaw dad a significantly active sex life.
The CW "The Carrie Diaries"
Maggie’s new boyfriend, Pete, was heading in to Castlebury for a few days, but Maggie’s track record with picking the wrong guys had her worried about screwing things up with the army dude. Donna and Mouse were determined to prevent her from jumping in the sack to early, while Maggie, on the other hand, had initially thought the most important part of her week spent with her new beau was picking out the perfect lingerie. It’s true. Maggie tends to confuse love and sex. Having said that, the two boys she’s slept with weren’t the most normal of examples to work off of. Walt’s gay, and Simon is a grown man. Pete’s actually appropriate! Finally, a victory of sorts for Maggie. Thus, she had to screw everything up. Under some poor guidance from her friends, Maggie wore the wrong outfit, picked the wrong dining spot (the diner?!), and even went as far as to scarf down some chili fries to ward off any sort of kissing situation. By the time she got through with ruining her relationship, it was ruined. Make sense?
Before we knew it, Simon was hightailing it out of Castlebury early. Mouse, realizing that she and Donna had screwed up a good thing for Mags by driving her to doubt her instincts, reminded Maggie that there was still time to stage a run-in with Pete at the bus station in order to right the wrongs done. Maggie, choosing to be open and honest with this boy that she actually likes, confessed to purposely sabotaging their date. In the end, Maggie’s arc during Episode 11 closed with Pete admitting to having a true love for Maggie. It might have seemed quick for us, but these two have apparently spent the last month running up each other’s phone bills. A lot of time passes between episodes on The Carrie Diaries, huh? Maggie finally got the kiss she wanted to begin with, and the couple got back on track.
The CW "The Carrie Diaries"
Bennet continued to party away his sorrows, and Carrie wasn’t about to be taken advantage of again. This time, she swiped two tickets to the ballet, tickets intended for Bennet to interview a teenage prima ballerina post-show. I, for one, was happy to see that Carrie elected to take Samantha as her date. I love how The Carrie Diaries has created a young Samantha Jones. Knowing the woman she grows into, it’s so much fun to watch her young and confident self meandering around with a bunch of socialites and sipping champagne at an event like this one. Samantha had previously been attempting to find someone else’s lost pet bird, Gabriel, as her job of the week. If she could convince someone to find the bird for her with a reward of $50, she could swipe the giant actual reward from the bird’s actual owner. Clever, if you ask me! While plastering the city with flyers, Samantha met Elliot, the first guy in a long time to work some real magic over her. By the time Samantha was sharing her experience with Elliot with Carrie, it seemed she was smitten. That is, until she was introduced to his wife in a random encounter at the ballet. Only a little devastated, Samantha still kept her guard up later on when the man admitted to being in an open marriage. Of course, things seemed to say otherwise when Samantha very politely introduced herself as the woman “sleeping with your husband” to his wife, who, needless to say, broke down into sobs on the spot. It’s an open marriage! She just doesn’t know about it…
Carrie’s interview with the ballerina was surprisingly refreshing. I was worried the girl was going to be some awful teenage brat, but aside from an entertaining does of cynicism, she was a pleasure. The ballerina, a girl of Carrie’s age, gave Bradshaw advice on the nature of thriving in a city like New York. Did she feel bad taking the role of the Black Swan from a girl who was only twenty-four? Not in an industry that chews you up, spits you out, and leaves you with a heaping pile of drugs and anorexia, apparently. Meaning, getting out was the best thing for that girl, who simply seemed… done. Carrie, realizing that her own situation with Bennet was not so different, suddenly realized that maybe covering for him at Interview was not the best plan of action for anyone.
Long story short, Larissa managed to piece together the puzzle and decided to give Carrie credit for both pieces. Bennet, on the other hand, was promptly fired. Walt’s ex wasted no time heading over to Sebastian’s apartment to lash out and blame Carrie for his firing, much to her surprise. Sebastian, funny enough, backed Bennet. Carrie knew what she was doing when she swiped his opportunity for the ballerina interview. Even if he wouldn’t have shown up, she stole his job. Most of us at home, I’m guessing, couldn’t care less about the circumstances knowing that Bennet had been kind of a jerk throughout the entirety of Episode 11. In fact, it made me wonder if The Carrie Diaries is getting ready to write him off the show entirely. I don’t know if I’m ready for that, but this show has a habit of taking characters from super likable to absolutely detestable pretty quickly. Remember Adam Weaver? Neither do I.
The CW "The Carrie Diaries"
Sebastian might have had a skewed point of view this week. His father rolled into town with no true intention of spending time with The Kydd or getting acquainted with the significantly commendable life he’d managed to make for himself in Manhattan. In truth, his father was looking to gain access to his trust fund after squandering away the family fortune on bad investments. Sebastian, who’s perpetually disappointed in his parents, initially neglected to cave, but eventually did sign over the money. With the profit earned from selling his Porsche, he managed to buy about half a year in NYC, and with $25,000 invested in the skater clothing line that he truly believes in, he could make an honest name for himself. There’s nothing quite like earning your own dollar after having so much handed to you, and Sebastian is the kind of young person who would appreciate finding that sense of self. Carrie, in turn, is the kind of girl who’d appreciate that quality in her significant other.
The CW "The Carrie Diaries"
Episode 11 of Season 2 of The Carrie Diaries ended with Samantha breaking things off with Elliot as she continued to post her flyers. She does have real feelings for the man, but in the rare occasion that she does get attached, she wants a guy all to herself. I loved the symbolism of Samantha finding the lost parakeet all on her own after standing up for her self-respect. She handed the bird over to the overjoyed owner and refused to take the reward. Gabriel had already helped her out enough! Also, Carrie took Bennet’s bigger desk at Interview. As Larissa pointed out, Bennet did way worse to earn that seat himself.
PS- Congrats to Carrie Bradshaw on getting accepted into NYU!
What did you think of Season 2 Episode 11 of The Carrie Diaries, “Hungry Like the Wolf”? Is Bennet on his way out? Will Sebastian make it work without any money? Are you happy to see Maggie happy? Will Samantha find a man of her own soon? Did Carrie do the right thing this week?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Season 2 Episode 11 of The Carrie Diaries, “Hungry Like the Wolf”!