Finding Carter - Show Review (minor spoilers)

(Jamie here in my phone I can't make my writing pink)

So I said awhile back I may randomly review shows so here is one!
First let me start by saying this show is on MTV. I want to start this by addressing the thing I hear often from people in my generation. Yes MTV used to be music television and it evolved. Music television 24/7 doesn't make sense anymore. I know it makes you all nostalgic and fuzzy on the inside thinking about how simple and wonderful everything used to be, but things evolve and change so get over it.
Yes, MTV sucked for along time. It went almost all reality and that's great if you love reality, I do not so for me it sucked. They have start adding scripted shows and every time a show starts on MTV the Gen Xers come out in force...aww why MTV that's so bad waaahhhh. Here's the thing though...the scripted shows on MTV are good! I could use the excuse that I have children in the age demographic they aim at, but truth is I enjoy the shows on there, even if they are aimed at a 13-30 demographic...suck it. So that's my Pro-MTV disclaimer, onto the actual show!

Finding Carter is about a girl who was kidnapped when she was 3 and raised by her kidnapper until she was 16. She thought that woman was her mother until she got in a bit of trouble and they returned her to her birth family, including a twin sister.
This show is excellent at a lot of things. The characters don't instantly deal with things nor does the plot drag on. The actors are great are portraying the aggravation and situations that would happen. Carter, the kidnappee, is the main character, but its really about this whole family and analyzing things like what makes a family? Nature vs nurture? People in your life who do terrible things. Good influences vs. Bad. A lot of the things you'd expect to see on a show aimed at milennials and what the name of the generation is after milennials, but handled differently and that brings me to why I wrote this review.....

So the storyline they just did/are doing is a big deal and something they would have NEVER done in the 90s without it going very badly. Carter has never liked school or gone. Her kidnapmom was super free range and friend like. Her bio(ish)parents not so much (moms a cop). So even since going back home she has ditched a lot of school on the show. Unlike other teen shows that never really address this or joke about it and then the students suddenly graduate with honors (I'm looking at you Pretty Little Liars, them chicks never went to school and if they did they left quick!), Carter is turned into truancy and told she will have to repeat her grade.
She tells her parents she is miserable at school. She doesn't learn like that. She is better at self teaching and she learns through action. You find out as a child she learned math by cooking with kidnapmom. She wants to drop out and get a job.
Bio(ish) parents are like oh hell no. Like I think most parents would be.
She is miserable. I kept waiting for her to suddenly learn her lesson. Yay school is valuable and important and she will work harder and prevail! That's how these shows usually go huh? Or something dramatic she runs away or does a bunch of drugs or something reckless.
None of those things happened. Yes she made an uncool choice, but then she backed down and told her parents she wants to drop out more than anything ever, but she wants to do it right with their support. Then...they let her!! She has to get GED and job etc, but they allow it.
I am sure there are parents all sorts of mad at the message this is giving, but those mad parents need to watch the episode again because this episode is aimed at parents not at the kids. Thus episode is about listening to your kids and what they really need! It's also a broader statement about our public education system and how the archaic one size fits all approach is actually failing a lot of people who could learn better other ways.
I am a HUGE fan of education! Ask my kids I turn everything into a learning experience if possible. But FORMAL education only goes so far and is useless for some people and only serve to make them feel useless, dumb, and incapable.
This show telling parents its okay you aren't failures and kids the same thing is amazing in my eyes. I spoke in another post about how irritating it is when parents say "I just want my child to be happy" when they don't really mean it, but on this show these parents chose their child's happiness over how it looks to others, their own expectations, societies expectations, etc. That is a very powerful statement in my opinion.

Finding Carter is halfway through its 2nd season on MTV.

Comic Con - The Bad, the Good, and the %$@$!!! - Part 1, The Good

Day 2 (Friday) - Comic Con

I went into Day 2 with the same positivity, but a bit of nervousness on being able to keep it up. I was sore and tired and the day before had deflated my bubble a bit. I have to say when Comic Con goes good people it can go really good! Day 2 was the pinacle of Comic Con days for me and made all 4 days worth it!

I started the day going to the back by the boats. I was not going to stand in the general line again so a ton of people can jump into the Hasbro line from the back, I would go straight to the 'exclusives' line. Security was confused. There was a group of us standing in a "not a line" for exclusives. We were told we needed to go to the general line. The problem is the exclusives lines have no where to go but down the stairs so there was no plan or strategy for controlling people from jumping into the line where we were standing. We tried explaining this to the guards and what had happened the day before. They were scrambling to come up with a plan, but it was too late and everyone jumped into their line of choice the moment the lines opened up. It was terrible and felt a bit like cheating, but when there is no organized system in place and the rules are not being enforced what do they expect? I walked right into the Hasbro line and got a ticket. Yes! I would be able to get my exclusives providing they didn't sell out. I felt like a winner. We went to the exhibit hall for a minute, stopped by the MTV booth because I really wanted the Elfstones of Shannara book they were handing out with the new cover. Sadly I didn't get a book, but I got tickets for autographs from the cast of the TV show! Score! Our feet were hurting so we went to check on a panel for My Little Ponies and luckily there were seats! I was so happy and the kids were entertained because we got to see some of the ladies who do the voices actually doing the voices! It was amazing! I sort of love Friendship is Magic series so I may have enjoyed it as much as the kids. Just saying. 

I head to the Shannara Panel after this, I am early, but I don't want to risk it filling up. I get good seats up front and I watch the cast and the author talk. I see the preview and it's amazing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crjkQHnDYu0 Watch it now! I will wait........

Amazing right? I was so excited I am pretty sure I had tears in my eyes like a goof, but I love this book series. Seriously my daughters middle name comes from this series. I named a child after this. That's love. Anyways my daughter wants to ask a question, I point to the microphone. She is second thinking this now lol, "uhhh I have to go to a microphone?" I nod. She shrugs and says okay. I am nervous for her. I hate public speaking and all of that so I thought I was going to have a stroke for her. She asks her question, "Have any of the actors read the book before being on the show?" ohhhh the actors stammer...the consensus is they have now, but had not beforehand. At least they read it. Then Manu Bennett (the actor playing Allanon, he was also Deathstroke on Arrow) tells my daughter she is adorable and asks if she wants a picture! I am dying at this time. She gets on stage with the whole cast and they then say "Mom come get a picture" all my fear of stage fright vanishes as I scurry to get the picture. I am shaking and excited. This is amazing! The picture is on MTV.com #8! I can't help being a proud mom!

After that we went to another panel with the Oatmeal and Hyperbole and a Half author Allie Brosh. I left early to get in line for my Hasbro time. That went pretty quick and I was able to purchase all the goodies I wanted.

How adorable is this?!?

Then it was Shannara autograph time! They remembered Illy from the panel and she got a special message signed on her autograph.

John Rhys Davis, Austin Butler, and Manu Bennett with Illy (and half of me)

I was done after this! It was the best! I had 2 days left and a very full positivity bubble, I knew the other days wouldn't compare, but I was content...