RECAP: The Carrie Diaries 1x9 - "The Great Unknown"

Last week's episode of The Carrie Diaries left viewers shocked when Carrie was told she could never step foot in Manhattan ever again. That's madness! That's like a book with no words, or a cookie without chocolate chips or worse...a shoe without a heel. Carrie belongs in the city just like viewers belong on their couches watching this week's episode. The unknown if a fearful thing but if we don't try, we are hindering ourselves from living! That is the lesson in this episode and after today, three characters will take the leap of faith.

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Make Way for "Kyddshaw":
   It's been a few weeks since Carrie has last seen the city and Interview magazine. Luckily she has her new beau Sebastian Kydd to keep her preoccupied. Now that Carrie has more time to spend at school, she learns that everyone has been calling her and Sebastian, "Kyddshaw". She doesn't mind the nickname and why would she, it's adorable! She and Sebastian are getting along swimmingly and even Sebastian doesn't want to ruin it by bringing Carrie home past curfew while out on dates. He offers chilly Carrie his leather jacket, but for some reason Carrie protests. After she is dropped off, she invites Mouse over and cries to her about her relationship with Sebastian. Did Sebastian break up with her? Is he talking to Donna behind her back? Nope, Carrie simply tells her the unexpected. Sebastian tried to give her his coat, they have a nickname at school, he bought her her favorite kind of chocolates, and he has a house account at the diner for french fries! What a monster. Carrie likes him, she is falling for him...but she is scared because this time she has something to lose. She doesn't want to fall off the cliff Wile E. Coyote style. Mouse remind her that Sebastian likes her too but Carrie can't help but worry for how long. What if her heart isn't strong enough for love? She contemplates breaking up with him but you can't sabotage a great relationship for fear of a broken heart. That is tomfoolery. Mouse suggests Carrie keep the relationship light and fun, but has she met Carrie? Good luck with that.
   The next day at school, Sebastian asks Carrie if she wants to hang out around town tomorrow but Carrie tells him she has to take Dorrit to the library. Play it by ear? Sebastian is stunned because normally Carrie likes to plan things ahead of time. She tells him she is loosey-goosey and they'll just see what happens.
   Tomorrow has arrived and Carrie's dad Tom is going to a raqcuetball tournament this weekend and reminds Carrie that Manhattan is off limits. Duh dad. After he leaves, Carrie takes Dorrit to the library to research her favorite date in history for a school assignment. So what date did she choose? She refuses to answer just yet. The girls return back to the house after xeroxing a bunch of newspapers. Sebastian pops over out of the blue so Dorrit decides it is best to take refuge in her room. Carrie and Sebastian "watch a movie" or in teen speak, make-out on the couch while Dorrit has punk music blasting upstairs. Carrie goes to her room to ask her to turn it down but finds that Dorrit has snuck out. 
   Carrie is worried and calls a bunch of Dorrit's friends but has no luck. Sebastian joins her and looks over a bunch of the articles Dorrit copied for her assignment. He notices that she is really interested in The Sex Pistos and Sid Vicious. In fact, he points out that the date Dorrit chose was October 12, 1978...the date Sid Vicious killed his girlfriend at the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. Sebastian believes Dorrit must be at the hotel because she probably wanted to be at the scene of the crime to be a part of it like a real fan. He suggests they head over to Manhattan to go get her. Carrie is worried Sebastian could be wrong but what other choice does she have?
   Carrie has difficulty searching for the train schedule in the kitchen and assumes Dorrit must have taken it. Sebastian proposes they drive so they'll get to the city in half the time. Carrie freaks and says she will go alone because Sebastian has already caused enough problems. If she hadn't let him inside after showing up unannounced, she wouldn't have been distracted enough to miss Dorrit slip out of the house. Sebastian is taken off guard and is very confused by Carrie's reaction. He's only trying to help.

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   Carrie takes a train into the city and a cab over to the Chelsea Hotel. She climbs the staircase in search of her sister and is surprised to see her standing next to Sebastian. Sebastian explains he decided to do things his way and that driving was much faster than the train. He walks to his car and leaves Carrie to scold Dorrit for sneaking out without a word. Carrie asks Dorrit why she is so fascinated with the love story between Sid Vicious and his girlfriend, considering they both died. Dorrit justifies that Romeo and Juliet died too and that was the most romantic love story ever. Sid and Nancy were two artists filled with passion who couldn't live without each other. But wait, didn't Sid stab her with a knife? Dorrit defends him and says it was because he loved her so much. Oh, well that makes perfect sense! Dorrit's sisterly instinct kicks in and she asks Carrie why she is so afraid. Dorrit admits that when their mother died, she promised herself that she would live big, even if it was scary. Carrie confesses to feeling the opposite. She feels she must be careful with everything and everyone because anything could go wrong at any point. Dorrit rationalizes that she shouldn't care, otherwise she'd just stop living. With new words of wisdom, Carrie leaves Dorrit to take a few more pictures before they leave, but not before Dorrit tells Carrie that "dreamboat" (Sebastian) is way cooler than she expected. Sister's seal of approval.

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   Carrie finds Sebastian waiting at his car outside. She thanks him for not bailing on her when she yelled at him. He informs her that he is always going to be there for her, but all Carrie can think is for how long. She admits she wanted to keep it easy-breezy but that is just not who she is. She is complicated, maybe even a little weird, and terrified. Sebastian comes clean and says he is terrified too and for some reason that makes Carrie and him feel a sense of relief. Things could go wrong and there are no guarantees but Carrie doesn't care anymore. She's got the guy and the guy has got her.








Let the Cube-Off Commence:

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   At school, Mouse is focused on completing a rubik cube for the second time. She has a small crowd surrounding her at the lockers but is struggling to figure it out. A jock by the name of West comes along trying to get to his locker behind Mouse. She refuses to move because she is currently in the zone. West takes a gander at the rubik cube in Mouse's hands and states he has never seen a rubik cube before and asks Mouse if she'd mind him trying it out. She hands it over to him and as she explains the concept to him, he completes the rubik cube in a matter of seconds. Everyone is stunned and Mouse is impressed but suspicious that a jock could figure it out before her. He claims it's beginner's luck but could it be more than that?
   Mouse goes to the main office to help a teacher file student paperwork for extra credit. She snoops through the file cabinet and finds West's transcript. She investigates through it and discovers she is #2 behind West as the smartest in the school.
   Mouse is at school on a Saturday working a bake sale for the blind and spots West in the halls. She confronts him and asks what he is doing there. He declares he is always here Saturday mornings bringing food to the senior citizen home. So he's a do-gooder too!? She mentions to him that he has the #1 spot in the class but not to get too comfortable because she will be taking it from him. He tells her to admit he is better than her but she refuses to accept it. West challenges her to a cube-off at the diner to see who is smarter. Mouse's competitive attitude strikes and she accepts the challenge.
   Mouse isn't taking this cube-off lightly. She prepares for the cube-off at the diner before West gets there. When he finally arrives, it's game time. Eye of the tiger!

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   The cube-off is over and it appears Mouse is the victor. West may not appreciate Mouse's idea of sportsmanship but does acknowledge the fact that he is impressed with her capabilities. He says he has to leave to pick up his little brother because his mom works nights to provide for them since their dad left. So let's get this straight. West is from a single-mother home, Black, an athlete, and a genius!? He calls himself a college admissions unicorn, and Mouse is a non-athletic Asian math genius with two parents...in other words, a dime a dozen. He wins after all and tells Mouse to wave goodbye to Princeton and Harvard because those are his. Oh snap, fighting words. Mouse refuses to accept defeat and decides to take up golf to further compete with West.




Out of the Closet and into a Friendship:
   Mouse and Carrie are still bewildered at how well things are going between Walt and Donna since they started dating after the school lock-in. Even Donna is amazed how great things are going between them. She swears this is the best relationship she's ever been in because she feels she can be herself around him. Maggie has been faking sick all of last week to avoid seeing the new couple in school. While she did fuck up pretty bad, you can't help but feel bad for her. No one wants to see their ex hooking up with their new boy/girlfriend in front of you. Rough business. 
   After a fun time shopping together, Donna proposes they have sex for the first time. Walt is nervous and tells her he doesn't want to rush this because he doesn't want their relationship to be all about sex. He wants to get to really know her before they take the next step. Donna finds this a bit strange considering any guy would jump at the opportunity but she actually kind of likes the idea.

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   Although Donna originally liked the idea of waiting, she is one horny chick and so she tries to seduce Walt with a sexy outfit. Clearly he has no interest and makes it apparent when he accidentally pushes her off the bed when she tries to mount him. She demands to know why he is choosing a movie over her and blatantly asks if he is even interested in girls. 
   Walt finally comes out about liking girls, but not wanting to bang them. In other words, he is not straight. Donna is very supportive and admits she had her suspicions when Walt refused to have sex with her. Donna still wants to hang out with him, but just as friends. She's a girl who needs a good dicking once in a while. She promises to keep his secret and never to tell a soul. She asks if he's gay but Walt isn't quite sure because he has never been with a guy. She then asks if he could be and when he doesn't answer, she confirms that he could trust her because her older brother is gay and her dad would freak if he ever found out. Her brother lives in L.A. now and is happy. Walt is relieved to have finally shared his secret with someone and is surprised and happy that it was with Donna. Adorbs.

What Kind of Father are You Going to be?
   Carrie's dad Tom has gotten into racquetball as of late and has caught the eye of an aerobics instructor at the gym. She puts on the moves, pretty hard-core, and invites him to her office to check out her aerobics schedule. She starts to kiss his neck and chest and poor Tom looks uncomfortable but is no doubt enjoying the situation. 
   He confides in Harlan about the incidence while they practice for their racquetball match. Harlan suggests Tom ask for another one to which Tom replies he didn't even ask for the first one. I'm going to assume here that they are discussing blow jobs. Tom you little devil you. Should he ask her out, send her flowers, return the favor? Harlan tells him things have changed and it's okay to let it go and play it casual. Out of nowhere, Larissa shows up at the raquetball courts. Apparently she and Harlan have been having crazy sex for weeks since the party at Limelight. Tom is shocked that his friend is dating the woman who abducted his daughter. 

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   Tom and Larissa have a nice private chat together up until his late wife is brought up in conversation. He tells her that he doesn't want to talk about his wife with someone who took advantage of his daughter. Larissa explains she didn't know Carrie was 16 but loves Carrie because she cared and was passionate. She continues saying Interview magazine comments on the world and is more than just fun. Tom cuts her off and clarifies that Carrie had a great internship at a law firm and that he bets Larissa didn't know Carrie wants to be a lawyer. Larissa laughs, as do we, and claims he has no idea who his daughter is or what she wants. Tom is offended and says she was a good kid with real dreams before she came to Manhattan. Larissa calls him out and says that just because Carrie's dreams aren't his dreams doesn't mean they are not real. He identifies that his job as a father is to keep Carrie safe. Larissa, so wise beyond her years, informs him that his job is to let Carrie become the person she wants to be. Carrie is a girl that is going to grow up and he can't stop that. She reveals that Carrie is a hell of a writer and is able to write about the world in a very special way. She has a voice, let her use it. Tom starts to calm down and discusses how difficult it is to make a living doing something like that, nearly impossible. He doesn't want her to be disappointed. Larissa reminds him that if he doesn't let Carrie explore the world and figure out what she wants to be, she'll never become the person she is supposed to be. Someone who is happy and loves who she is. She blatantly asks him, what kind of father are you going to be? I think we can all agree that Tom got seriously owned by Larissa. She's like the older sister we all want...or at least, I want. Hollah at me girl!
   Carrie's dad returns home after having to forfeit the match so Harlan wouldn't miss a date. Tom expresses that it wasn't the day he was expecting but it worked out alright. Later that evening he catches Carrie writing in her diary. He sits her down and asks to talk. He tells her he doesn't want to live in fear and he doesn't want her to live in fear either. He has had a change of heart about Manhattan and Interview magazine. He wants her to pursue her dreams and to figure out who she is and who she wants to be...but there will be rules and he will be watching her like a hawk. Blazing fireworks! He has seen the light! 

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   Carrie is back at her fabulous internship and still can't believe Larissa convinced her dad to let her work there again. Neither Larissa or her father told her what transpired between them but it didn't matter, all that mattered was that she was back.
   While Tom embraces his sex-capades with the aerobics instructor, back at school Carrie and Mouse are conversing over the latest rumor to hit the hallways. Donna and Walt broke up and word on the street says it is because Walt's penis was too big for Donna to handle. Nicely done Donna dear. Walt will never be looked at the same way. Walt says he's okay after the break up but admits that Donna is a lot cooler than he expected. We're right there with ya Walt!

CHECK OUT NEXT WEEK'S EPISODE RIGHT HERE: