Prime Video has renewed Carrie for a second season, but it wouldn’t have been possible if Mike Flanagan hadn’t introduced substantial changes to the original story proposed by Stephen King, tweaks not unanimously welcomed by fans and addressed recently also by Summer H. Howell. Starring in the horror TV series, the actress has acknowledged how what happened in the finale of the first season will have strong consequences for the second season. Warning: the following will refer to events that occurred in the first season, finale included, so please continue reading only after you’ve seen it all the way through.
Carrie, Summer Howell Defends Mike Flanagan’s Changes and Teases How They Will Shape Season 2
Fans of Carrie have long awaited the year-end ball: as in the novel, this is a shocking and revolutionary episode for the protagonist, but Mike Flanagan’s TV adaptation took a different route. While Stephen King had Carrie deliberately destroy Chamberlain in revenge after the pig-blood prank, Flanagan’s TV version followed a different path: what pushes Carrie toward vengeance is Emaline, a new character introduced into the story as Carrie’s sole true friend who is later revealed to be not real; or rather, Emaline explains only later to Carrie that she is like her, i.e., endowed with powers, and capable of generating astral projections to reach her.
In the finale, it is Emaline who offers Carrie the last push to commit that massacre, a choice that was not approved by all Stephen King fans but defended by Summer Howell. In interviews with The Direct, she defended Emaline’s character, explaining that many questions about her will find their answers in the second season: “With our version of Carrie we have always aimed to do something different, having the opportunity to explore more deeply the telekinesis gene (TK) and all these other extraordinary women. I believe it lays the groundwork for the future and that many questions about Emaline will find answers; I know she has received quite a bit of online hate, but I find it unjustified. If you’re looking for something new and fresh, just be patient: you’ll understand why Mike Flanagan chose to pursue this path.”
The first season concluded with a last-minute rescue: Emaline saved Carrie from the rubble of her house, and together they embarked on a car journey toward an unknown destination after both contributed to the tragedy of the year-end ball. Unlike the novel, in the TV series Carrie survived the night and is on the run with Emaline, but both are pursued by Adelaide, the leader of a group of women equally endowed with abilities who seems to be interested in both Carrie and Emaline, which she has described as dangerous. Adelaide, for her part, does not mince words considering that she has manipulated Sue’s memories and ultimately killed Margaret. What could she possibly want from Carrie?
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