Carter!

So i've watched this, understand it is canceled (shame, because it was a good show, despite its origins) ... read several topics ... and i think you are being unfair to Carter ... a lot of hate there, and i fear is because you don't understand the character ... or feel very upset because it doesn't follow some very simplistic black and white patterns.

Carter impacted everyone on the show, in a positive way and put back a family that was falling apart, not communicating heading directly to divorce and custody trials ... she was crucial in Taylor's emancipation, which started as an very uptight character! She turned out Elizabeth from a cop into a mother and she taught her to laugh and smile! That was all Carter's doing.

Other characters that she impacted was Lori and Crash, by not giving up on any of them ... Carter was the one who transformed them in redeemable characters which lead them to do truly non-selfish acts in the end.

As for the finale ... convincing Max to turn himself ... was the only right thing to do ... even if Taylor doesn't understand that ... because Max was the type of character that would had been haunted by that forever ... so instead of destroying 2 lives ... Max and Lori's with a lie, false testimony ... how about saving them both with the truth! You don't seem to understand that this wasn't a 'saving Lori thing' ... but a 'save Max thing' ... another adult decision ... which bring us to the conclusion...

Carter wasn't a brat, bratty, spoiled or something else like that! She was the most adult character in the show, she made almost all the tough calls in the show ... from giving Crash up to the police when he could had slipped forever, till convincing David to came clean as the only way to save his marriage! IMO ... she is also the one who brings Ben into the fold!

Also ... i think that you confuse Carter's independent and stand-up nature with the word 'brat', try to bring her age into account ... when you know better that she was well beyond that age, mentally! So you don't get to do that!

She was the TEST SUBJECT of 2 opposite style of parenting and in my opinion no one was the correct one! Elizabeth tried to reset one and start a do over, which was very presumptions and Carter resisted. When Elizabeth finally realizes that she cannot erase the kidnapping but in fact has to accept Carter for who she is and to start building from there ... then is where the first bridge was created ... as also Lori realizes in season 2 ... that her parenting style wans't all that Carter needed and gave up to the idea of snatching Carter away!

So i think you should understand that in the center of this TV Series is the Losing Lynden / Finding CARTER dichotomy ... not finding Lynden ... is not a CSI plot ... Crash, Lori even Jared are not meant to be black-villain characters. Intersting ... to bad it's over, i would have liked to see more of this ... because these series didn't reach it's potential!