Countdown to Thirteen: Hello Carter (2011)

Of the Jodie Whittaker shorts I’ve seen so far, this is the most straightforward.  It has more of a plainly-laid-out story, driven by the central character and a particular tumultuous day in his life.  First one that doesn’t have me going, “Wait – what?” at the end, which is a good place to start.

Carter is having a rough day.  It starts with his unceremonious firing and then leads into an awkward, prolonged encounter with an ex, still carrying the cleared-out contents of his desk in a box; he just can’t catch a break.

As I said, this is a short with a straightforward plot.  No heavy symbolism, no 180 twists.  Just a guy and a crazy day.  That gives it the feel of being a snapshot of a story, dropping into Carter’s life for a bit and then ducking out.  As such, there’s more int the way of dialogue and plot points this time around.  On the downside, it does feel a little “just there,” without a lot of spark.

Like Roar, the short is headed up by a former History Boy, one Dominic Cooper (who also plays young Howard Stark in the MCU.)  The short additionally features Ruth Negga (another MCU alum – Raina in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,) very briefly at the end.

As for Whittaker, she plays Susie, the aforementioned ex.  Bumping into Carter is at first mostly pleasant and a little awkward, but that ratio flips when an unexpected situation throws them together a lot longer than they’d been planning.

Accent Watch

Northern again – even though I was introduced to Whittaker through Broadchurch, where she does West Country, she uses her own accent a lot.

Recommend?

In General – Maybe.  It’s enjoyable enough.

Jodie Whittaker – Possibly.  It’s one of the larger parts in the short, and Susie’s increasing aggravation with Carter is amusing.

Warnings

Some swearing and mild sexual references.