Carole & Tuesday – 14

「The Kids Are Alright」

Alright, so episode fourteen sure took a turn for the worst. I’m kidding. If anything, it’s marked the true beginning of Carole and Tuesday’s journey towards the seven minute miracle. In this episode, there were two story arcs I truly appreciated. The first was Carole and Dann’s and the second was the girls’ first recording session with Skip and his bandmates.

Let me start with the recording session. So, you might not know this about my life, but my partner recorded his very own album a few years ago and I was privy to the process on multiple occasions. Watching Carole, Tuesday, Gus, Tobe, and the rest of the gang work tirelessly felt a little nostalgic. To me, music is about being vulnerable, trying and failing, doing the shitty open mic nights, and the fun live concerts. It’s, so far, pretty much what Carole & Tuesday have been going through since the very beginning. It’s not an upward climb into the heaven of fame and riches. It’s a spiralling vortex of strain and doubt that then turns into a satisfactory ‘sigh of relief’ when a finish product emerges. That’s exactly what we saw. There was so much uncertainty as the girls went through fifty-two takes before getting Tobe’s ‘okay.’ And all this, for a single. The process was watered down by a montage but the tired eyes and throbbing, shaky fingers were accurate. It’s only the beginning for these two and there’s a lot more in store for them, especially if they’re going to produce a full album.

It’s pretty clear what this recording session is setting up. It’s not just about recording Carole & Tuesday’s hit debut single but about showcasing the actual work that real life people, artists have to put in to create a work of art. The whole scene was juxtaposed against Tao’s artificial (holographic) version of Angela. Angela is but a vessel. She was useful to him in the beginning because her body held the voice he desired for his songs. But now that he’s had his facility analyze her every move, her every sound, he’s managed to recreate her from A to Z. How will this play out? Who knows but I’m curious to see how Angela will retaliate if he ever uses his AI Angela publicly.

Now moving onto Carole and Dann. Her story so far has been shrouded in mystery. Anytime the subject of her childhood came up, she cooly dismissed it and she herself would never bring it up. As a character, she truly understands what it is to live in the moment. Her concern is always with the present and never with the past or future. Because of this, she’s learned to build a tough exterior. Regardless, it was bittersweet to watch her open up to a man who would have to disappear as quickly as he came into her life. It brought tears to my eyes, not a first for this show, but the first of this kind. True this story arc was short but I think it that was a necessary move. Had they drawn out the reveal for more episodes, we would have thought it tedious. In this way, we caught a glimpse of Carole’s vulnerability.

All that said, it isn’t only Carole & Tuesday’s music getting fuller and rounder. So is the series. There’s much more to Angela than meets the eye, there’s more to Carole’s mom, and much more to their world. Looks like we’re in for a treat this summer.