Villainess Review: Paula Carter (First Class Fear)

First Class Fear (aka My Terrorized Teen) is a film I had been waiting for almost a year to see on Lifetime. I had seen so many other announced films get their premiere dates but this one was still up in the air. Finally, this film hit Lifetime, and it centers on Sophie Ellis, an intelligent student with good things headed her way, but it hasn't been easy, as she and her mother, Grace Ellis (a teacher at Sophie's school), have been barely getting by financially. Regarding school, both Sophie and her best friend, Emma Austin, have been dealing with the antics of Carolyn Carter and her clique, as Carolyn had created a website that basically cyberbullied Emma for (in Carolyn's mind) stealing her boyfriend, Jack, from her.

We see Grace meeting with Carolyn's mother, Paula Carter, about the site, and while the film establishes that the Carters are quite well off, it also sees that Paula is raising Carolyn on her own, as Carolyn's father is overseas. Even so, Carolyn and Sophie are among the brightest in the school, and both girls are up for a lucrative scholarship, which ends up going to Sophie. Carolyn is furious and accuses Sophie of getting special treatment because her mother's a teacher, and vows something resembling revenge.

Sophie is elated to receive the scholarship, but what should have been a happy moment and a time to celebrate for our protagonist was actually a long period of distress, as a mishap involving a stage light resulted in Emma being hospitalized. It doesn't end there, as we see a mysterious culprit set up an explosion in the chemistry classroom, and Sophie is suddenly on the receiving end of vicious rumors that she had stolen Jack from Emma. Sophie knows the truth, and figures that Carolyn and her clique are behind it, but she can't prove it.

Speaking of Carolyn, and this really got on my nerves, we see her continue to berate Paula and keep saying, "If Daddy was here, he'd fix everything." Oh boy. Thank goodness I don't drink, because if that was a drinking game, my liver would be in danger. That's all we hear from Carolyn: pleas for her father, because as Paula pointed out, Brian (Paula's husband and Carolyn's father) continuously spoiled her. Meanwhile, Sophie continues to be sabotaged; set up to arrive late for an important test, and worst of all, she is nearly run down by the same culprit...twice. Photoshopped pics of Jack and Sophie ruin the latter's friendship with Emma (it's repaired later on), and the final insult: test answers planted in Sophie's locker.

Sophie is suspended pending an investigation, but she is dead set on Carolyn being the suspect. She headed to Carolyn's house, only to see two things: a "foreclosed" sign outside, and Paula inside. Paula invites Sophie in, and it's followed by Sophie mentioning Carolyn and how she had been setting Sophie up. In response, Paula uttered the following words:

"Cheaters never prosper, Sophie."

One problem: Sophie never told Paula what she was accused of doing. Also, Paula had burns on her left arm, which ended up revealing her as the true culprit behind (at least) the explosion. As Paula stated that she only wanted to create a small explosion, she knocks out Sophie and ties her up in the garage, while a worried Grace finds out about Sophie heading to the Carter household and drives there herself. Paula revealed the entire truth (after Carolyn's friend, Tara, revealed some of it to Grace); Brian wasn't overseas--he was in federal prison for embezzlement, and it was because of the arrest that Paula and Carolyn had been struggling. They had been counting on the scholarship, but when Sophie got it, Paula decided to sabotage and attempt to kill Sophie. She had been behind everything--the stage light, the explosion, both attempts to run down Sophie, and planting the test answers in Sophie's locker, though Tara was behind the fake photos.

Paula claimed that she didn't want to harm Sophie, though she did voice pleasure in hurting Emma, as she believed Emma stole Carolyn's boyfriend. Just as she was about to kill Sophie, Paula's attacked by Grace, who pleaded with the villainess to end her plans, only for Paula to berate Grace and accuse her of hating the Carters' wealth and being glad that they were down and out. Paula's attempt to attack Grace did not end well for her, as she met a fatal end due to Grace striking her head with a shovel.

First Class Fear aired on Lifetime Movie Network on September 2, 2022, and featured Christy Tate as the film's hidden villainess, Paula Carter. Tate made her Lifetime film debut in 2021's Sorority Sister Killer as the evil Lana McCray, and 2022 saw her play two heroic roles before turning heel again with this deliciously wicked role. I did see Reel One's trailer many months ago, which did give away Paula as the villainess, hence my reason for looking forward to this film. Paula Carter was quite an interesting villainess; she was ruthless and fiendish, but even in her reveal to Sophie, she shows some semblance of care for her intended victim, though that is also mixed with some sadistic comments about her actions. Tate acted out every facet of Paula's personality very well--her motherly care towards Carolyn, her concern about her daughter to Grace, and her unhinged demeanor following her reveal.

One thing I can't help but find fascinating is the rarity when it comes to Paula. Lifetime's films often show a hint of class warfare; the haves vs the have nots. It's either a down and out villain plaguing a rich protagonist due to jealousy and a desire for the good life, or a rich villain going against a heroic 99-percenter because they want to keep them down. This was a rare case of a grey area; Paula Carter did have it, but it was lost due to her husband's actions, so her villainous motive was to (at least) break even. Also, I can't help but be amazed that Paula was willing to resort to such evil methods for a daughter who (for all intents and purposes) did nothing but disrespect her throughout the film. It truly showed Paula's mindset, and once again, Christy Tate played this villainess immensely well.

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Check out Paula Carter's profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!