EARLY ACCESS: Carrie 1x7 & 1x8 FULL REACTION

There's alot to unpack here, so I'm gonna comment on the Eps separately. (comments for Eps 7) Oak's "Guess we're not getting a Porm' after Tina's awkward wooing of Tommy was a good line haha. Carrie using her powers on her Mother & your reactions to it was golden!. Agree with the tension of that build up at the Prom, I've never seen the original film or read the book, I was aware of it, but I never saw THAT actual famous scene that happens & How/Why it happened or that it was Pigs blood, even Tina tried to stop it beforehand & the horrified look on her face after is something I never expected to see after her attitude the whole series, the look on Carrie's face & your reactions to it says it all, the screams without seeing anything was a nice touch that got your heart pumping for the finale!. (Comments for Eps 8) that whole scene that froze with Sue with no sound was a nice touch, but I'm kinda conflicted how I feel about Emaline now, cause I admit I did think she was a cool character in earlier Eps, if the destruction had to happen, I would've preferred to Carrie to do it herself, I thought the Students demise was by the fire, I was shocked to see it was electrocution. Secretly glad about Chris/Billy's fate, too little too late for that apology. You could tell by the devastated look of betrayal on Carrie's face that she was reluctant to demolish the house on her. Didn't expect that big Adelaide twist with the Marie from Gen V type powers, what a mind blowing Finale this was! & is that a Matrix reference there Quinn with the "This Is My World" line? hehe.

Before Carrie, The Fall of the House of Usher was tied for my favorite Mike Flanagan series with his OG show Haunting of Hill House.. now, they're tied for 2nd place!

Instead of Carrie, they should have just named the series Chris. I mean, where was Carrie, really? 🤣 I enjoyed a lot of this show, but calling it "Carrie" is a bit of a stretch of reality. She is just vaguely present. It seems more like a Talamasca situation where the original material is being stretched out into a wider IP. In terms of Stephen King adaptions that changed things, I think Welcome to Derry did the stretching better. The "Carrie" part feels unearned.

I really disliked the ending and the Emaline taking over Carrie twist. But even more baffling is how the finale is structured. The prom sequence seemed to lose all momentum by going back and forth between past and present. Overall, not one of my favorite Flanagan works. 3/5.

Was fun reaction by you guys I can get why people being a bit mad about the change in the story but given that this series is going to get multiple seasons they kind of had to take some liberties in the story as for the Emaline character I know alot of people don’t like the character and the choice of her being the one taking control and taking out the people at the prom rubbed alot of people the wrong way because its massive shift when it comes Carrie’s character arc but Im willing to see where it leads

I've watched like all the adaptations of this book, and this show is one of my favorites... it was so good, and Samantha Sloyan is GOAT, my God, she was so good as Carrie's mom.

I am 100% up for a whole new BM rewatch of all things Flanagan with Answer! Start with Hill House!

Great reaction guys 👏🏽 ! Can’t lie, the first 7 episodes were good, but I also did not like the changes made to the ending (& some other things) from the original movie. I also did not like how Margaret was killed, (& I truly did not hate this version of Margaret compared to the original); so I felt that she deserved to live. The overall show was definitely entertaining though.

I hope they also watch the 2013 film version

If I had a dollar for everytime Mathew Lillard was brutally murdered poor guy lmao

loved everything about this series until the last episode.. Summer’ as Carrie & Samantha’ as Margaret definitely were the highlights with their acting & Mike’s own take wasn’t a real issue for me until unfortunately that finale.. it just didn’t feel as satisfying while it also felt like more of a setup for S2 & Emaline taking over Carrie for the prom scene? we didn’t need that at all but amazing show otherwise 🔥🏆

Regardless of the original ending, having Carrie become a puppet felt a bit cheap. Carrie's lack of autonomy in her own story makes her less interesting as a character, and makes the story feel like a bunch of lights and sounds that I care less about. I also didn't feel the bullying Carrie endured was portrayed in a believable way. The worst was being taken to her father's grave, but the story tried to make a lame social media post into the worst part. It failed to sell that as harming Carrie or believably inciting a riot. We needed to see Carrie humiliated and questioning herself and her world, utterly betrayed, to justify that ending. Despite Carrie being made into a puppet for the dirtbag Emmaline (another abuser), Carrie is to blame when she chose to step aside and give Emmaline the wheel, knowing what her powers could do and how vengeful Emmaline was. I don't know if Carrie would have to wait for Emmaline to let go before Carrie regained control, or if she was in shock at what was happening. Ultimately, Carried did the equivalent of handing a loaded gun to someone who expressed a desire to kill people and did nothing to stop them when they started killing. I like the twisted morality of Carrie's abusive mom (who also didn't seem abusive enough in this version) wanting to protect the world from Carrie by killing her. The dramatic irony of lady Professor X recounting the story of the mother activating powers in an effort to save her child, contrasted with Carrie's mom activating her powers in an effort to not be killed by her child. I wonder what the professor saw in Margaret's mind regarding her intent: to find Carrie and reconnect, or find Carrie and kill her. Either way, I believe Margaret wouldn't stop. Leaves the professor morally dark gray. I'm a big Flanagan fan, and I'm excited to watch anything he makes (except Midnight Club, that was lame). The dissatisfying trend I'm noticing, and that I hope he outgrows like the overly long monologues, is that he errs heavily on the side that people are basically good and anyone who does wrong can deserve sympathy - to the point that he brushes off accountability. That's only true up to a point. There are actual monsters, people with empathy wires broken in their brains, who genuinely enjoy seeing the suffering of others and do not regret any suffering they cause. They are not the majority, but they exist. It's more interesting to examine how people who do feel empathy and regret can become so lost that they lash out, and then have to face consequences, accountability, and try to atone.

Now that the crew has finished the series, I can finally share a few more thoughts! I mentioned in an earlier discussion that I'm generally pretty open to adaptations expanding on the source material, but I tend to object when they fundamentally change the story. And there's no question that this version of *Carrie* makes some pretty fundamental changes. Surprisingly, I'm okay with it. A few things can be true at once. Stephen King creates fascinating characters and tells compelling stories. He's also not always great at sticking the endings. And Mike Flanagan is an incredible storyteller who knows how to build worlds and develop characters. Something else I've been thinking about is how King's larger universe developed book by book. When Carrie was published, that interconnected universe didn't exist yet. In some ways, I think those earlier stories are limited by not having the benefit of the world King would eventually create. After reading a few articles, I've been thinking about Flanagan's plans for The Dark Tower and the possibility that he's building toward his own interconnected version of King's universe. Rather than judging this strictly as an adaptation, I'm looking at it more like an "inspired by" story. He's taking King's characters and foundations and exploring what else he can do with them. This wasn't Stephen King's Carrie. This was Mike Flanagan's Carrie. And I was here for it. In King's novel, Carrie's origin story is essentially also the end of her story. What I love about this version is the possibility that her origin story is now just that: an origin. There's somewhere else to go. I think the criticisms about the additional characters absolving Carrie of responsibility are absolutely fair. That fundamentally changes who Carrie is and how we interpret her actions. But if I look at this as an alternate-universe Carrie, I can accept those changes because they open up possibilities that didn't exist in the original. With King's Carrie fully responsible for the destruction, where does her story go next? She's extraordinarily powerful, and if she survives with that same destructive trajectory, I have a hard time imagining anything beyond escalating devastation. I certainly struggle to see a believable redemption arc. That's just my interpretation, of course. There are so many Stephen King characters and stories I love, and I'd be thrilled to see Flanagan explore an interconnected world where some of those earlier characters and stories can intersect. Not as replacements for King's originals, but as something new built from them. I'm also looking forward to the crew's reaction to the 1976 film. I'm not a huge fan of that adaptation, but I won't get into why just yet because I don't want to spoil anything. I'm especially interested in the conversation afterward. And yes, I recognize the irony here. I'm usually the person complaining when an adaptation fundamentally changes the source material (My Sister's Keeper, I'm still looking at you). But I think the difference for me is that I'm not approaching this as a true adaptation of King's story, but rather I'm approaching it as Flanagan's interpretation of King's characters and universe. And if that's where he's taking us, I'm excited to see what comes next.

It’s crazy how good this show would be if not for the finale

I know some people might think it was the pig's blood and the humiliation at prom that pushed Carrie over the edge, but I actually think it was her accidental role in Tommy's death. She's looking at him, trying to process what she's done, and that's when Emaline offers to take over. And I don't believe Carrie was an innocent bystander. She gave Emaline permission and remained conscious throughout. She was goaded and traumatised, absolutely, but I still believe she was complicit. As for where this goes, who knows? Just because Carrie's story has been extended doesn't mean she's heading for redemption. We could very well be watching the beginning of a Dark Phoenix-like villain... maybe!.. 😂🖤

I saw the same round pendant on teacher Rita and Sue (I thought I saw it on neighbor Stella but I can be positive). I think they are all part of the “coven”, they both have some form of “shine”. Notice the interviewer didn’t project anyone else back that night besides Sue and Sue kept saying it wasn’t just Carrie? I be she could see Emmaline ( apologies if I spelled it wrong)

Did you notice the headteachers tshirt at 37:34 in episode 7? The red door from Hill House 👀

Did anyone watch Battlestar Galactica before? I'm currently watching Katee Sackhoff and her husband reacting to it for the first time (she was part of the main cast but never watched the actual released show) and, besides Michael Trucco (Chris's dad) and Tahmoh Penikett (Carrie's dad) who we already saw in Carrie, in episode 7 there were cameos from 3 other Battlestar Galactica actors as parents in the school assembly about prom! I nearly screamed when I saw them appear one after the other 😂 I would looooove to watch the guys react to that show too, it's so good! And it aged really well ^^

Since DD asked our opinions on the changes: I think it’s a case of what do you as a fan find more important? The story or the character? Do you change the story around to explore the character more or do you explore the character more within the frame of the story everyone knows. They chose to move the story around to get deeper with our protagonist. My issues: They literally made Emaline, a character that never existed in any other version of this story in order to completely absolve Carrie of any wrongdoing at the prom (other than letting her take control I guess). Another change is Tommy’s death. Not going to spoil it but It’s usually done slightly differently. In this version she literally caved his head in by dropping scaffolding on him. I guess they figured that ONE “accidental” death and 2 intentional ones would leave her likable and redeemable enough for 2 more seasons rather than a whole intentional massacre by her hand. 🤷🏽‍♂️ Don’t care for them changing that just so she can fight the evil X-Men one day and be framed as the good guy i guess. I loved the series but some of these changes recontextualize A LOT.

At 1:09:07 Even though Mike changed the ending of Carrie. I still enjoy the ending since I know the context behind the creation of the show. Which I think that is important to know. Mike Flanagan has previously directed multiple Stephen King adaptations but his main focal point is to adapt The Dark Tower. Mike Flanagan was initially unsure about re-adapting Carrie given previous versions, while Amazon viewed the title as a top priority series. So Flanagan uses Carrie and other Stephen King projects to introduce psychic abilities, "The Shine," and multiversal concepts that lay the groundwork for his overarching plans for The Dark Tower. Now knowing this, I understand the changes he made for the series. 5/5 for me🩸🔥🍂

Episode 8… WOW!! That was incredible! I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen for a second! 🔥 Personally, I absolutely LOVED Mike Flanagan's reimagining of Carrie! I've never been particularly married to the idea that an adaptation has to recreate Stephen King's novel or the original film. I knew this was going to be Flanagan's interpretation, and from what I understand, King himself gave it his blessing and loved it! I can understand the criticism about Carrie's agency, especially from those deeply attached to the original. But for me, taking familiar characters and exploring them in a completely different direction is part of what makes a reimagining so fascinating. And Flanagan absolutely nailed it! I'm going to say it… I actually preferred this to the original! 😂 And that's coming from someone who still has a lot of love for it. This was no easy story to reinvent, but I thought the execution was fucking brilliant! I cannot WAIT for season 2! And now I'm dying to find out who our Magneto and Professor X are going to be! 🖤

I also don’t love that they didn’t give Carrie as much agency like in the book, but maybe in future seasons we’ll see it…

Oak's reaction to the Lana Del Ray lyrics gave me a bit of a laugh haha

Did anyone else notice that Ms desjardin sue and Adelaide has the same necklace

I thought this was a great series. Great acting, great story telling and great monologue as usual. The up to date and differences that where brought in didnt kill the story, and just so you know, some of the differences like the people and the shine, where brought in to bring Carrie into the Stephen King universe with other characters as it was out before the universe started. I thought you recognise the lady with black hair that lost her leg but maybe you haven't seen "fall of the house of usher", another great Mike Flanagan series. Loved this

There's a lot I liked about this show, and how they built on the story and the original movie. However, and I might be alone, it's just my take, but I don't like how nuanced they made some of the characters, like Carrie's mother. They made he seem to reasonable in some parts, and I preferred her when she was just straightforwardly an insane, crazy zealot, not the social media savvy, manipulative controlling mother in this. It was much harder for me to accept that this mother would try to kill her daughter than the 1976 mother. Same with Chris. Some people are just cruel and like to hurt others. We didn't need the bad father, broken family aspect. And also the "others". I prefer it all being Carrie. Carrie in the driver's seat Carrie causing the chaos. A victim who finally snapped and unleashed hell on the entire community. I feel like some of that was taken away from her, with Emmaline.

LETS GOOOOO

Whew! So I have to say that I absolutely loved this show up until the finale which I have mixed feelings about. It's not the change- I'm OK with changing the material especially if something has already been adapted before. It's the execution. I can see how they would have struggled with how to end this, especially if they want this to be a multi-season show. Does the audience still want to follow along with Carrie if she has murdered an entire school? They seem to have compromised here and decided that Carrie would not do it, but she would make the choice to kill two of her biggest bullies. I think it does lessen the impact of the ending. It sort of takes away Carrie's agency here to have Emmeline be the one that is responsible for a lot of this. Again- very mixed feelings on it. Great show, was with it most of the way, but I'm not sure about the finale.

Lol Carrie and that damn closet door. But I hope you guys watch the original movie, 2013 movie starring Chloe Grace Moretz and there's a sequel to the original I think you'd find fascinating, but it focuses on a new character who's connected to Carrie, but it brings back Sue from the OG movie.

I was hoping you guys would do the last two episodes back to back and I’m so happy I was right !

Woohoo let's get these watched 😀

I have plenty to watch during dinner time now!! Thank you guys!

I guess it’s Crystal Lake time for you gentlemen

YAAAAY! So excited ☺️

fun trivia, among those in the crowd at the prom is Don Mancinni who cast Summer in her first ever film role in Curse of Chucky, really want you do to the chucky films and tv series one day

a double drop!! i've been trying to find something to watch 🤩

Nooo I knew this was coming , I literally just thought Ik they’re dropping the finale today 😂😂😂

Back to back drop let's goooo

NO WAY!!!!!

Yessss a double post!!!