Tonight on MTV Finding Carter returns with an all new back to back episode with a Tuesday December 15, season 2 finale called, “The Sheltering Sky; Atonement,” and we have your weekly recap below. On tonight’s second season finale episode, a shocking event leaves Carter ( Kathryn Prescott) unsure about Jared. (Jackson Rathbone)
The series follows Carter, a teenage girl who has a perfect life with her single mother Lori. After a prank lands Carter in jail, it is revealed that Lori abducted Carter as a child. Now, Carter returns to her biological family.
On the last episode the death of a loved one left Carter and Max searching for the truth about those closest to them; and Elizabeth discovered an unlikely ally in her effort to protect her family. Did you watch last week’s episode? If you missed it we have a full and detailed recap, right here for you.
On tonight’s episode as per the MTV synopsis “a shocking event leaves Carter unsure about Jared; Ben faces the cost of his past misdeeds, and Bird faces a personal crisis following the death of a loved one.”
Be sure to tune in to FINDING CARTER on MTV at 10 PM EST and check here for a live recap. So far Finding Carter has been a great new show, what are your thoughts on the current season so far? Does it bother you that Carter is starting to become closer to her birth mother who stole her and slightly pulling away from her real family? Sound off in the comments and let us know your opinion and how do you think tonight’s two hour season finale will play out?
Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page often to get the most current updates!
#FindingCarter starts with Carter seeing Jared is out of jail on bail. She rails at him for flipping on her to the cops and he comes clean about the loan sharks he borrowed from and their threats to hurt his daughter and why he started dealing. He says he still loves her. She walks away. Later, Carter asks Liz how Jared could have just walked out of jail like that.
Liz offers to find out the status of his case but says Carter may not feel better knowing the details. Carter thanks her for not saying I told you so. Liz says she heard it a bunch from her mom and is trying to break the cycle. Liz says everyone makes mistakes and gets swept up. Max and Taylor talk about his mom and he says he’s worried about her.
Taylor says Bird is still processing her grief. Taylor asks what would they do if she got pregnant. Max says he would be there for her. Carter meets with Bird who talks about how all of a sudden her life is so complicated. She worries her parents might kick her out and Carter says they are 100% behind her. Liz tells Carter that Jared made a deal if he rats out the others involved.
Ben worries that Jared will give his name. Carter says Ben was forced into this and Liz says they’re going to make an example out of everyone involved. David comes in just then looking serious. He’s home! Lori is there too. Carter says this is all strange and David agrees. Grant comes in for a dad hug then sees them and says this is the new normal.
Lori says they need to go and asks Liz to keep them posted. David asks about what. No one wants to tell him. Max’s mom checks out his place and thanks him when he says she can have the bed. He’s looking at all her bills and has some cash for her. She thanks him. He says she needs to get money orders and send these off today. She hugs him then offers to make him dinner.
Carter goes to see Jared at the bar and she asks him not to put Ben’s name on the DA list. He says he won’t but she says she knows he agreed to a deal. He says Ben isn’t part of it. He says he knows how much Ben means to her. She asks if he’s lying and he says he would never hurt her and tells her again that he loves her.
Jared says this has all been crazy and tells her not to worry about Ben. He promises. Se thanks him. David hears all of the mess about the investigation. Liz says Ben’s involvement may be serious. He asks why she didn’t tell him Carter was living with that guy and she says he was working. Liz says don’t second guess my decision making and he says he needs to. She gets mad and walks out.
Bird finds out she has to get her parents permission before she can get an abortion. Taylor says they can go to DC and avoid it. Bird thinks about the implications since it’s Seth’s baby. Gabe offers to marry her and raise the baby. Max tells her that Gabe is the marrying type and has fantastic hair. Bird says she can’t do that to him.
Taylor says make a pros and cons list. Gabe says they’re there for her no matter what she decides. Carter comes in and tells David and Liz that Jared won’t give up Ben in the deal. Carter says she had to try and help Ben. David asks how she can trust Jared. Carter says she thinks she can believe him this time. Crash is at the door and says surprise.
Carter is thrilled to see him and he says Max told her things are upset right now and says he’s there as a friend. He says he’s going to go check into a hotel and catch up with her later. He says call if you need me. They hug. David meets Ben for coffee and says he’s sorry he had a hard time while he was away. He says he wished he had been around to help more.
David says he thinks Ben has had a lot of people disappoint him and he doesn’t want to be one of those. He asks if they can start seeing each other regularly and Ben agrees. Carter ignores texts from Jared. She tells Lori she can’t erase her feelings about him. Carter says she feels like she can’t trust her instincts about people and Lori says that’s her fault.
She says her experiences have made her older in some ways and hurt her in other ways. She says sorry then tells Carter she’s independent and unafraid. She tells Carter to figure out what she wants and decide who she wants to trust. Carter calls Jared back. She tells him she can’t do this anymore. He asks why. She says this is a lot of stuff to tackle and it all ties back to him.
She says she cares about him a lot but needs to take a step back. He rolls his eyes annoyed. She says sorry. Jared says he can’t make her feel something she doesn’t. He says he just wanted to make her happy and that won’t change. Max finds that his mom bought a bunch of stuff instead of paying bills.
She says he needed the food and she signed him up for a weekly food service. She says she’ll get the money for her bills and says it’s not her problems. He says she blew the bill money on baguettes. She says she made a mistake, sue me, then storms out. She says she needs air. The cops come to arrest Ben. Carter should have waited to break up with Jared. Lori tells Ben not to say anything and says she’ll be there as soon as she can.
Carter tells Liz that Jared promised her and Liz says Ben’s name came from Jared. She says Ben will be processed and sent to juvie. David wants to come along but Liz says let her do her job. She gets loud with him and Carter makes her promise to call as soon as she knows something. Bird and Taylor are at the doctor’s office.
The doctor comes in and Bird asks if her friend can stay with her. Carter finds David angry about Ben. He says he should have been there for Ben but Carter says that wouldn’t have stopped him. Liz talks to Ben at the police station and tries to give him some advice. She wants him to snitch on the dealer and promises to help him.
Carter meets with Crash who says she can talk to him about Jared. He tells her he’s seeing someone. She’s surprised and he says she can share too. She says Jared lied and he says her mistake was taking his crap. She says it takes two but he says Jared sounds like he’s messed up and says he knows what she did to him and helped him turn his life around.
He says he thought he was a lost cause and so did everyone else but she showed him different. David thanks Liz for working out the deal for Ben. She says of course. David says he’s an ass and she asks who told him. He says it was on the internet. He says he knows she did all she could to watch out for the kids. Liz says Ben did give her a run for the money and he says even if he was there, it would have happened.
David says Carter told him that she was looking out for all of them and did a great job. Liz says maybe he’s just a quarter ass and they kiss but then her phone rings. She answers and asks how that happened. Turns out Ben can’t live with Lori since he was arrested on her watch. Lori will lose custody. David says they’ll lose him too and he has to go back into the system.
David says they have to go through the system to get him because he’s not his legal guardian. Carter is really upset. Carter goes to see Ben at the juvie facility. She says they’re trying to get him out of the system. He says it’s his fault for getting involved. He says his mistake was buying in. Carter says they’re doing all they can. He says what’s done is done.
She says she can’t wait for him to go to a group home while Jared walks free. He says people like Jared get what’s coming to them. She asks what he means and he says – what goes around comes around. Max’s mom shows back up at his place and she says she’s no good at confrontation. She says she’s still figuring things out and doesn’t have her act together and may not ever.
She says she needs to stand on her own two feet. She tells him she turned him into someone who thinks he has to save everyone. He says he doesn’t feel that way but she says really. She says he’s been like that and she should have been looking out for him. He says he didn’t mind. She says stop worrying about everyone else. She says she’s going home.
Crash and Max hang out later and he says he told Carter he can be her friend but she seemed uncomfortable so he lied and said he was seeing someone. He says she opened up then he had to listen to her talk about Jared. Crash says he loves her and can’t be just her friend. Max says be both. He says be there for her, listen to her, and leaving when she needs him is not a good option.
Carter talks to Bird who says Taylor was there the whole time. She asks about Ben and Carter says it’s not good. She asks if Bird needs anything and she says she’s just tired. They are at Gabe’s place and he’s tending to her too. She says she would like a drink and Gabe says that’s not allowed in the pamphlet. Bird starts crying and Taylor holds her. Gabe says it’s okay to cry.
Bird says she wonders if she would make the same decision if Seth was alive. She says they never left anything unsaid. Bird says then they’re good. She says they are her family. Taylor holds her while she cries. Carter sits in her car thinking. Ben sits sadly and then is taken back to his cell. Lori gets the bad news from David and Liz. She says at least he’s not in jail.
David says it’s a good thing. She says it’s her fault but Liz says it’s not. She says kids have their own minds and this is not on Lori. David says sorry and Lori starts bawling. Crash calls Carter and she tells him about Ben. She says this is all screwed up. She says he’s being put back into the system. She says it’s all her fault and Crash says it’s not true. She says she screwed things up.
He says come to my motel but she says she has something to do first and then will be there. She goes to the bar and asks Jared how he could do it. She asks how he could break that promise and he says Ben screwed things up for himself and says this is not about her. Carter says she kept making excuses for him and he says he doesn’t have to explain himself.
He reminds her she came into his bar with a fake ID lying about who she was and says he had no reason to lie about Ben. David tells Liz that he feels awful losing a kid he didn’t even get to know and now it’s too late. David says he hates the idea of him out there in the system and Liz agrees. She says he’s a good kid who doesn’t deserve this.
Max gets a call from Crash who says Carter was coming to meet him and hasn’t showed up yet. He tells Max about Jared giving Ben up and how he’s stuck in the system. Jared tells Carter that Ben was trying to steal from his customers. She says the drugs weren’t on Ben and Jared isn’t taking responsibility. Jared says she’s just as culpable as he is.
She says she didn’t make a 16 year old sell drugs. He says he’s putting his life together and tells her grow up, this is the way the world works. She says he doesn’t deserve to be a dad and says the only place his little girl will see him is prison. He shakes her and she slaps him hard. He pushes her back and she hits the edge of the counter.
Lori wakes her and she asks what happened. Lori sits her up and Carter says her head is pounding. Carter sees blood and sees that Jared is lying dead. She asks what happened and Lori says there was an accident. Lori says she wouldn’t have done this. Carter asks when she got there and Lori says a few minutes ago.
They hear sirens and Lori goes to get the ambulance. She tells Carter not to move. Carter gets stitches in her scalp and is told to rest. Carter thinks back to Lori being there and asks why she was there. She says she came to give Jared a piece of her mind. The cops ask Lori to come down and make a statement. Lori says don’t worry and she’ll see Carter later.
Taylor calls Max and says Carter is okay and she says she’s shaken but not hurt too badly. She tells Max that Jared is dead. He wants to come and Taylor says just meet them at the house. Carter tells Crash they were fighting then she was out, Jared was dead and Lori was there. Carter asks if she killed him since she can’t remember anything. Crash says no way.
She thanks Crash for being there and Liz comes in with a detective to talk to Carter. Crash steps out. He asks if she and Jared were a couple. He asks about the argument. He asks if she hurt Jared to protect herself. Liz says she was unconscious. Grant asks about Jared and if he was a bad guy. The same detective comes to talk to Lori.
He asks why she went to the bar to confront him about turning in Ben. Then she says she saw him choking Carter and killed him. Carter asks why Lori wouldn’t tell her that she did that. Carter says she asked her and Lori didn’t say that. Taylor says this makes sense. Carter says there must be more to this and says she’s not a killer.
Liz says she’s in holding. Carter wants to go see her so Liz relents and agrees to drive her. David talks to a lawyer about Ben to try and keep him out of the system. He asks about fast tracking the process. Taylor listens. He says they are petitioning for custody of Ben. She says she’s fine with that. They talk about Lori’s troubles.
Carter asks to talk to Lori alone. Once they are alone, she asks if Lori is covering for her then asks why she confessed. Lori says she did it. Carter asks what happened. She says she was out of her mind about losing Ben and went to confront him and get him to recant. She says she saw him choking her and grabbed a bottle of vodka off the bar to stop him.
Carter says that was an accident and Lori says with her history she’s not a reliable witness. Carter says maybe forensics will help. Carter says they’ll get her a lawyer and won’t let her go to jail. Liz asks about Lori’s arrest. The other cop says Lori offered a confession up front. Then he says the task force lost track of Rick Barnes, the drug dealer, after he got out on bail.
Liz is stunned and says the guy just finished and says Ben needs to watch his back and Barnes will not take prisoners and will take out anyone who can ID him. Carter tells Crash that Lori’s story doesn’t add up. She mentions the choking and Crash says she didn’t mention that then asks how her neck feels. She says it’s fine and Crash says her neck would be marked up and sore.
She asks why Lori would confess to a murder she didn’t commit. They wonder who she’s protecting. Then David comes in and tells them Ben went missing on the way to the group home. Taylor says Ben can take care of himself and Grant says maybe he’s still laying low. Taylor rants that there are no eggs. David says he disappeared when the van stopped for gas.
Carter realizes Ben was already missing and they wonder if Ben is who Lori is covering for. David asks if Ben is capable of that and Taylor says no but Lori is. Carter insists something is off but doesn’t want to think Ben is involved. Taylor accuses her of throwing Ben under the bus.
Carter shares her theory on Ben then says he talked about Jared getting what’s coming to them. Liz ends the call and says she’ll call back. Taylor tells Carter she’s sorry and she’ll be there for her no matter who killed Jared. Carter thanks her. Liz comes to talk to Lori and says she’s covering for Ben who killed Jared. Lori says that’s insane.
Liz tells her that Ben is loose and never made it to the group home. Lori says he could be in danger since he’s supposed to testify against the dealer. Taylor calls Max and leaves another voice mail. She asks where he is and why he’s not there. Liz calls Ben and gets voice mail. She asks him to call her. She says he could be in danger and says she’ll come pick him up.
She looks at the crime board on Rick Barnes. Taylor goes to Max’s place and he says now is not a good time. She asks why he won’t let her in. He says he’s not drunk and he says he has company. She gets angry. He tries to block her but she pushes in and sees Ben there. Crash and Carter pull up at his hotel. He says he’s just running inside to grab his stuff then they can come back to her house.
He asks if she’s feeling okay and she says it’s weird. She says Lori thought Ben was in the group home and couldn’t have covered for him. Crash says they’ll figure it out. She hugs him. He leaves her in the car and goes to his hotel room. Rick Barnes gets into the car with her and she’s trapped. She asks who he is and he says he’s friends with Jared. He says he’s not there to hurt her.
He says he just wants to talk to her brother. She says she doesn’t know where he is. He says if she sees him, tell him he’s got something for her. Taylor rants at him for not telling anyone where he is. She says we’re your family and care about you. She says Jared is dead and Lori is in jail. She says that’s why she kept calling and says Lori confessed to killing Jared.
She says Jared was hurting Carter and Lori showed up and killed Jared to stop him. Ben curses. Max says he has to take care of something. Taylor says Ben is at Max’s and she says keep him there and she’s on the way. Crash comes back to the car and she looks upset. Taylor asks if Ben and Max were drinking and Ben says no. She’s worried.
David comes to see Lori at the jail and tells her Ben is safe. They tell her that they got the state to give them custody of Ben. David says that must be hard and she says it’s what she deserves – all of this. Liz says Ben is your child and always will be. Crash and Carter show up and ask if Ben is okay. They fill them in on Rick ambushing Carter.
She says Ben wants Rick to call him. Ben says he’s the only one that can tie Rick to Seth’s death and so he’s not calling him. Crash takes Ben back to their house. Taylor tells Carter that Max has been asking weird and reeks of booze and now she can’t reach him. Carter asks if she texted him. Then Carter says oh my God – that’s who Lori is covering for – Max.
We see Max at the police station. She says Max killed Jared. He shows up ready to confess. Taylor is furious at Carter suggesting that and Carter says Lori was covering for someone. She says Lori said she hit Jared with a bottle of vodka and now Max reeks of booze and hasn’t been around all day. She says he always shows up when she’s in trouble.
Taylor doesn’t want to believe it. She asks where Max was tonight but Taylor doesn’t know. Taylor tries to call Max again. He looks at his phone and ignores the call. Carter says she thinks she knows where he is. He’s at the holding cell talking to Lori who tells him he shouldn’t be there. Liz and David get Ben settled into the basement who says this is a five star foster home.
He says he owes them and David says no he doesn’t. David tells him that he’s one of their own. Liz offers to take him to see Lori but he’s worried about Rick. She says there’s a unit outside watching the house. He says that’s the first time a cop was there to protect him, not arrest him. They leave him to get settled. Once they’re gone, he calls Rick.
He asks if they can meet up. Max tells Lori he’s been trying to call her and find her. He says he should be in there, not her. Lori says this is the way it should be. Lori says if she got there first she would have done the same thing. She tells him none of that matters now. Max says no. He says it’s all his fault. She says he did nothing wrong.
He says he has to tell the truth. She says he has his whole life in front of him and he says she has Ben but she says the state took him. Lori says she has made so many mistakes but this is a good thing she can do and begs him not to take this away from her. Carter and Taylor pull up at the PD and see Max coming out. The girls run over to him.
Carter tells Taylor not here and they go to the car. They get inside and he asks where he should start. Carter asks why he was at the bar and he says he didn’t want her to be alone with Jared and followed her to the bar. He was in back and saw Jared attack her then hit him with the bottle. Jared went down hard. Then he went to Carter and saw blood and put a towel on her head.
Then he checked on Jared and tried CPR and then Lori showed up. He screams at Lori to call for help and she says Carter is breathing. Lori asks what happened. He says he shoved Carter and says it was an accident. Lori checks and says he’s dead. Max says no. He’s horrified. He says no, no, no. Lori tells Max to go. She pulls him to stand and says go home and let her deal with this.
She says go before anyone else gets here. She shoves him out the back door. Lori says Carter is waking – just go. He tells them he left like she asked. Carter says they can fix this and tell the truth but Taylor drives them way and says she won’t let him do that. Carter asks what she’s doing but Taylor won’t stop. Taylor says Lori deserves jail and Max doesn’t.
Carter says it was an accident but Taylor says the justice system doesn’t work. Taylor wants to keep this quiet for good. Max goes out to get some air. Taylor tells Carter that she needs to convince him to keep quiet. Max finds Crash outside. Max says he knows what he needs to do and says he finally gets why Crash ran after he shot him.
Crash says he goes back there in his mind. He tells Max you just have to keep going and Max says it reminds him of his dad but Crash says no. Max says he didn’t think – just saw him hurting Carter and just wanted to smash his head in. He says something inside just snapped. Crash says it’s not the same at all. Max says he hopes not.
Taylor says Carter is choosing Lori over Max. Carter says this will never be over until he tells the truth. She says Max can’t live like that and she knows it. She says the lie will ruin his life. She says think about what you’re asking him to do. Taylor walks off. Ben meets Rick and is angry that he spooked Carter. Ben threatens him and Rick says big mistake.
Rick says he works for him until he says he’s done and says he better never threaten him again. They come to blows and Ben is taking a beating. Lori sees Taylor at the jail and says she knows what she’s doing for Max. She says Max wants to tell the truth. Taylor agrees with Lori but says Carter doesn’t agree and asks her to convince Carter.
She says if the three of them agree, they can talk Max into it. Taylor says Max always thinks of himself last and will do anything for anyone. Taylor begs her to do this. Lori says get here there and she’ll convince her. Taylor asks why she’s doing this. Lori says part of being a mom is making sacrifices and says in some ways, Max is her kid but is talking about Taylor, not him.
She thanks Lori. Taylor likes to forget that she’s Lori’s mom. Then the cop tells Lori she’s being released. Rick beats Ben brutally. He gets into his SUV and drives away. Ben looks near dead. Taylor and Lori come out and see that Carter and Crash are there and so is Max who is taken into custody. He tells Taylor sorry and she starts bawling. Carter is also near tears.
THE END!
