The Carrie Diaries - Recap: Guest Starring The Golden Girls

Episode 8 of Season 2 of The Carrie Diaries, “The Second Time Around,” might have ended on a universally happy note, but throughout the course of this week’s hour, most of our favorite Castlebury dwellers faced some true hardships. While Mouse’s (Ellen Wong) acceptance into Harvard was bittersweet, Maggie’s (Katie Findlay) lingering feelings for Simon (Josh Salatin) brought their toxic relationship to one final end. Carrie (Annasophia Robb) and Sebastian (Austin Butler) worked as a team to land Bradshaw her first story with Interview in an effort to convince Larissa (Freema Agyeman) of her capabilities beyond the world of cappuccino brewing. As all of this transpired, Walt’s (Brendan Dooling) relationship with his parents suffered a devastating and heartbreaking blow, leaving Carrie’s father, Tom (Matt Letscher), to step up to the plate and pick up the pieces. Here is the Recap and Review of The Carrie Diaries, Season 2 Episode 8, “The Second Time Around”!

The CW "The Carrie Diaries"

The CW "The Carrie Diaries"

Episode 8 opened with Carrie and Sebastian enjoying the perks of their newly rekindled romance, but just as their relationship had mended, Walt’s already fragile relationship with his parents finally crumbled. After stumbling across the picture of Walt and Bennet (Jake Robinson) in the paper during the close of last week’s episode, Walt’s disgusted (and disgusting) folks promptly gathered his belongings and sent him packing. With nowhere left to turn, a heartbroken Walt arrived on Carrie’s doorstep. I particularly enjoyed the quiet moment between the two just before the teary-eyed Walt opened his mouth to speak. Expecting her father to be entirely understanding, Carrie was initially shocked to discover that even her own dad was still confused and slightly uncomfortable with the idea of living with a gay boy; however, Tom is not like Walt’s parents in the slightest. After a mere moment of hesitation, he agreed to allow Carrie’s best friend to stay within the safe and welcoming walls of the Bradshaw home. Dorrit (Stefania Owen), needless to say, was a bit peeved that Walt made a makeshift home in her bedroom, yet the frank rudeness only served to make the boy feel more at home. Dorrit doesn’t discriminate!

The response to Mouse’s acceptance into Harvard was mostly a muted one. I guess everybody was just fed up with the lifetime of Ivy League babbling. Maybe they’d just become numb to the term “Harvard.” Still, West (RJ Brown) seemed absolutely ecstatic in response to the news. He, however, had not been accepted, much to Mouse’s dismay. West seemed fine, initially, choosing instead to be proud of his girlfriend for her awesome accomplishment. When the two celebrated at the diner, though, things changed pretty quickly. Mouse, refusing to let the fact that West hadn’t been accepted as well slide, continued to patronize him, mostly likely inadvertently. Still, it was enough to drive him to leave in a huff.

Carrie and Maggie took a stroll together, and it was mostly just nice to see these two as friends again. Unfortunately, the pair subsequently bumped into Simon and his fiancé while they were out Christmas shopping. The sight of Simon still simultaneously irked and saddened Maggie, who admitted to shameful feelings of pining after witnessing the man who’d gotten her pregnant shopping with another woman. Maggie is, of course, a teenager, and Carrie made sure to remind her that this entire ordeal could have been prevented if the grown man hadn’t taken advantage of her. Later, Maggie had a talk with her father after receiving some sage advice to come clean about the entire ordeal from Carrie. In truth, Mags had been dwelling on the secret so much so that she neglected to allow herself the time to heal from what had been a truly harsh couple of months. Surprisingly, Maggie’s dad was absolutely supportive, choosing instead to blame himself for not protecting his teenage daughter from his scummy officer. Simon, needless to say, finally got what was coming to him in an awesome moment of redemption from Mags' father.

Having arrived home from celebrating that fall holiday about the turkeys abroad, Larissa returned to Interview with the inspired idea to start focusing on the theme of Americana. Denim for everyone! Carrie, recognizing the opportunity for one last chance to make a name for herself as a writer at the magazine, promptly came up with a strategy to impress Larissa. Bongo Jeans, an up-and-coming brand that mixed sensibility with style, was the perfect subject for a trendsetting story. Luckily, Carrie had an in with Carter Richmond, the head of Bongo. Sebastian, whose father had known the man socially for years, could easily get them access to the brand’s Christmas extravaganza. Thus, Carrie wouldn’t have to use yet another one of Samantha’s (Lindsey Gort) backdoor sneak-in strategies. Just FYI, Samantha had been spending her time prepping her hostess self as the sexiest elf we’d ever see.

The CW "The Carrie Diaries"

The CW "The Carrie Diaries"

Sebastian was hesitant to bump into his father at the party, recognizing that when there’s scotch involved, his dad tends to royally screw things up. With Carrie’s career and job at Interview on the line, it seemed the two would be skating on thin ice at this holiday get-together. Unfortunately, Samantha didn’t do anything to help. In the mere blink of an eye, Carrie’s new bestie, “Trampy the Elf,” revealed that she’d already fooled around with this Carter Richmond fellow just prior to his introduction to Carrie. That, combined with the fact that Carrie was introduced as Sebastian’s high school girlfriend, did very little to sell her as a credible journalist, and Carter brushed off her proposed interview before Bradshaw could get a single word in. Luckily, Sebastian has been incredibly supportive this season, even when the two weren’t together, and a short pep talk about the nature of facing fears and having a little confidence went a long way. Before we knew it, Bradshaw managed to charm her way into the interview she’d hoped for, and Sebastian watched on proudly with his father from across the bar. In truth, it seemed Sebastian’s dad was turning over a new leaf, recognizing the respectable young man his son had grown up to be on his own. Could these two actually start fresh? Sebastian certainly hoped so. Then again, Kydd’s faith in his parents thus far has always resulted in utter disappointment.

Meanwhile, Walt’s quiet night alone ended up turning into a Golden Girls marathon with Tom Bradshaw! Who can resist the likes of Sophia and Rose? Though the two shared a couple of belly laughs, the conversation eventually got incredibly personal, as Walt chose to open up about the current situation with his parents, chastising himself for being a complete disappointment. Tom might have been slightly uncomfortable with the idea of living with a Walt at the start of Episode 8, but Mr. Bradshaw’s insecurity only stemmed from the fact that he’d simply never had the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with a gay person. He’d known Walt since he was a child, but not as gay boy. Obviously, he very quickly came to learn there is no difference between the Walt then and the Walt of the present. In the scene between the two, Walt admitted to being in a state of crippling fear following the rejection from his own parents. In response, Tom offered some comforting fatherly wisdom. This was the most moving scene of Episode 8.

In the meantime, Mouse and West seemed to have come to a brick wall in their relationship. West, having admitted to never applying to Harvard in the first place, shattered Mouse’s pride. West had become privy to the fact that he would have been the one offered the spot had they both gunned for admission. Their matched academics and extra-curricular activities combined with his sports career and difficult home situation would have ensured his victory over his girlfriend. Thus, he chose to sacrifice his chance for Mouse, recognizing that he wasn't nearly as dedicated to going to Harvard as she was. Mouse, realizing that she’d never know if she truly earned her spot, broke things off with West, who suddenly didn’t seem to hold her in as high esteem as she’d always assumed.

Reeling from his termination, Simon attempted to sideswipe Maggie in the hallways of her school. Causing an awful and embarrassing ruckus among her peers, Simon subsequently found himself on the receiving end of a verbal lashing from Carrie, who chose to bravely stand up for her friend. When Simon got snippy with Carrie, Sebastian stepped up to the plate. The two got into quite the brawl, landing a triumphant Sebastian in the principal’s office and a bloody Simon conked out on the floor. Sebastian, having used up all his chances with his unfavorable school record taken into account, was expelled. His father, having been called in by the principal, marched towards The Kydd enraged. Sebastian, however, was surprised to find that his father was fuming mad over the school’s audacity in expelling the boy who’d stood up for a teenage girl who’d been terribly harassed by a grown man on school ground. Sebastian’s moment of pride was cut short, though, as his father finished up his conversation by cluing his son in to the fact that they’d be permanently moving to Laguna Beach for that fresh start they’d discussed on the Bongo party. Later, Carrie and Sebastian shared another moment in bed alone together. Kyddshaw is giving a long distance relationship a go, guys. Whatever, he’s rich! Maybe he will be able to fly back and forth to Castlebury so often that Carrie gets sick of seeing him.

The CW "The Carrie Diaries"

To close the recap of Episode 8, Christmas on The Carrie Diaries kicked off on a universally happy note for everyone involved. Tom, welcoming Walt with his own family stocking, eventually gave him the push he needed to head back into Manhattan to spend Christmas with Bennet. The happy couple snuggled up and shared the holiday with Larissa and Samantha. Meanwhile, Mouse received a phone call from the biochemistry department of Harvard. It seemed the dean had personally ushered in her application, giving her the validation she needed that West had previously stripped away. Sebastian settled into his new California-based home with his father. Maggie and her own dad shared a nice moment picking out their house’s tree. After watching countless taped episodes of The Golden Girls, Tom and Dorrit wondered if Walt would return from NYC with a cheesecake to satiate their Christmas cravings. Carrie, in the moment of validation she’d been waiting for all season, got a call from Larissa informing her that the Bongo interview would be published in Interview. Take that, Adam Weaver!

What did you think of The Carrie Diaries, Season 2 Episode 8, “The Second Time Around”? How heartbreaking was Walt’s arc this week for you? Did you appreciate his heart-to-heart with Tom? Were you sad to see Mouse and West seemingly come to an end? Are you happy that Simon got what was coming to him?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of The Carrie Diaries, Season 2 Episode 8, “The Second Time Around”!