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Shane
materializes in most of Jenny’s scenes with Carmen,
and much of Carmen’s actions toward Jenny are reactions
to Shane. Carmen only makes a move to kiss Jenny for the first
time when she knows that Shane, who has just rebuffed her, will
witness it. Carmen decides to head out with Jenny to get more
beer precisely when Shane starts kissing some girl on the couch
in their apartment. When Shane and the twins she has brought
home for the night walk in on Carmen and Jenny in the kitchen,
Carmen decides to call it a night mid-makeout. The next morning,
Carmen tries to explain away the buzz kill but Jenny points
out that Carmen is still hung up on Shane.
For
Carmen, Shane lurks in the background even when she isn’t
physically present.
Carmen
is clearly threatening to Shane, challenging her aversion to
love and commitment. Shane tries to keep Carmen at arm’s
length, but it seems that Shane’s m.o. has never before
been put to the test, and falling for Carmen poses a definite
challenge. Shane is clearly enamored, and this throws her off
balance--as evidenced by her certain discomfort when she sees
Carmen and Jenny share that brief kiss that in all likelihood
is performed expressly for Shane’s benefit.
That
first kiss between Carmen and Jenny is an obvious ploy for Shane’s
attention and an attempt to mirror her apparent indifference.
But Carmen is not one to play games, and she doesn’t let
Shane get away with any either. Within a few episodes she confronts
Shane about how the affection "we sweet simple folk"
show is genuine, and that Shane had better learn how to handle
it before people like Carmen give up on her entirely. Shane’s
inability to accept affection is even more apparent when she
responds to Carmen’s speech, and to the whole love triangle,
by taking way too much Oxycontin and winding up with a black
eye and an existential crisis.
While
she sends Shane into a tailspin, Carmen manages to bring out
a lighter side of Jenny. When it comes to Carmen, Jenny is less
of a tortured soul and more the shy kid stumbling into possible
love.
The
time Jenny spends with Carmen is practically the only time she
isn’t giving off the tiresome it’s-so-hard-to-be-Jenny
vibe that has continued to mark her character since the first
season. Jenny’s coolness quotient and general likeability
have risen this season simply by association with Shane--and
Carmen, as Jenny and Shane’s shared love interest, provides
a primary conduit for this connection.
Any
apparent inconsistencies in Carmen’s character
can be chalked up to the fact that it's still her first season
on the show. Her character’s development meanders as those
creatively responsible for the various episodes--so far this
season, four writers and six directors in eight episodes--experiment
with how Carmen will evolve on screen. She seems to be a straight
shooter but then she also seems to be playing Jenny only to
get at Shane. While her interest in Jenny seems calculated for
this purpose, Carmen takes it further than would seem necessary
if she is merely trying to front.
But
regardless of where and how the pieces eventually fall, Carmen
is consistent in her ability to shake things up on set, with
no sign of letting up.
