Who Emaline Is In Carrie & What She Really Wants

Published Oct 7, 2026, 7:00 AM EDT Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer and TV critic who covers sci-fi shows like Doctor Who and Pluribus, fantasy shows like The Magicians and Percy Jackson, and horror of all kinds. They also cover Marvel and DC TV shows and movies, with a robust knowledge of comic books. Their TV reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes. Dani is also part of ScreenRant's books team, using their fiction writing and literature studies as the backbone for their book analyses. They have covered events, such as the Denver Fan Expo. Professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale, have shared their articles. Their review of Ponies was quoted in the show's TV trailer. In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18. Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity. Warning: This article includes MAJOR SPOILERS for Carrie season 1! One of the many changes in Prime Video's Carrie is the introduction of a new character named Emaline, whose identity and motivation become part of Carrie White's story. When Mike Flanagan announced the new Carrie adaptation, virtually everyone was skeptical. The first movie is considered a platinum-tier horror. However, the second-guessing was largely unwarranted. The series has overwhelmingly positive reviews, with ScreenRant's Jordan Williams writing in the Carrie review that it's "far more tragic and emotionally compelling" than any other adaptation of the book. The new TV show brings to life many overlooked details from the Stephen King book, such as the rain of stones, which didn't appear in either feature film, and Carrie actively growing her abilities. However, it also gives the story a modern setting with changes that mostly capture the spirit of the original story, even if they seem like major divergences. Not all the changes focused on modernization, though. One major change is the introduction of Emaline, a new character who was announced ahead of the show's release. Carrie meets Emaline in episode 2 when she's crying in the bathroom, and they quickly become friends. The teen is harboring secrets, though. Played by Thalia Dudek, Emaline supports Mike Flanagan's goal of connecting the Prime Video Carrie TV show to the larger Stephen King universe. Carrie’s Character Emaline Is A Dangerous Astral Projector In Carrie episode 5, Chris gets hold of secret footage proving Carrie White isn’t talking to a physical person, and she leaks the video on the CarrieRed Instagram. This leads Carrie to think that Emaline is a hallucination. It doesn’t help that she’d been seeing visions of her dad. In reality, the visions of her dad seem to be grief-induced, and the visions of Emaline are real. The blonde-haired teen is an extremely powerful astral projector who can connect with Carrie, presumably because she’s a telekinetic. However, the other students cannot see her. The confirmed psychics in Prime Video's Carrie include Carrie White, Emaline West, Margaret White, the mystery psychics, and multiple women throughout history. This reveal is teased all the way back when Carrie first sees Emaline in the bathroom. She says directly that she’s a spy and that Carrie is her mission, which now seems true. They also have a “whoosh” sound when Emaline shows up and when she moves. Because they’re in a bathroom, it’s subtle enough that it could be an echo. As the show goes on, they tease the reveal again by having nobody acknowledge Emaline when they’re interacting with Carrie, even though she’s right next to her. Because the teens are mean and self-centered, the story builds plausible deniability once again. However, once we learn the truth, it seems extremely obvious. What isn’t clear, though, is how she found out about Carrie, why she connected with her, or what motivates her to help the lost teen. Clearly, she has some underlying motivation, but it won’t be revealed unless Prime Video renews Carrie for season 2. Emaline Has A Thirst For Blood & Lack Of Humanity In Prime Video’s Carrie At first, Emaline seems pretty normal, albeit a little bit surly and sarcastic. It’s pretty clear that Emaline hates the mean girls, but that’s pretty typical outsider behavior. However, everything about her changes once Carrie reveals herself as a psychic, which the astral projector obviously already knew. She starts encouraging the titular teenager to use her powers to punish the other students. What starts as little comments becomes full-on goading. She tells Carrie to imagine that the glasses she’s breaking in the junkyard are the students. Emaline cheers Carrie on when she breaks Chris’ nose. She says that the telekinetic should crush the bully’s skull. It’s pretty clear that Emaline is hurt and angry and sees Carrie’s violence against the students as just deserts. The true lack of humanity appears in the finale episode, though, when she possesses Carrie and massacres the prom. She throws people across the room. She starts the fire and locks students in the gym. Even after she leaves her body, Emaline still encourages Carrie to crush Billy and Chris. We never get a full explanation of why she’s out for blood. However, two things hint at an answer. Emaline makes comments about the other Ewan High students that imply they are lesser than Carrie and her, suggesting she sees telekinetics as superior. She also mentions in the final scene that she has “been there” with parents trying to kill their psychic child. Emaline Seems To Be On The Run From The Mystery Psychics From her first scene to her last, Emaline remains cryptic about her identity, past, and goals. However, the ending of Carrie suggests that she’s on the run from the psychics who showed up at the prom. They call Emaline a “dangerous” astral projector, indicating they see her as a threat. On the flip side, Emaline says she’s going to escort Carrie to safety from “the monsters on our heels.” Considering the other psychics are the only thing introduced in season 1 that could possibly be deemed a threat, they are likely the ones Emaline is trying to escape. This idea is reinforced with Emaline’s cryptic statements in the car. Carrie is freaking out and asking questions, but the astral projector refuses to tell Carrie who she is or where they are. She says that if she doesn’t tell Carrie, anyone tracking her wouldn’t be able to find them. The only answers she’ll give are that she’s Carrie’s friend and they are in the world. If I were to wager a bet on what’s going on, I think the mystery psychics are either members of the Institute from The Institute or the True Knot from Doctor Sleep. Mike Flanagan said he wanted to connect Carrie to the larger Stephen King universe, and those are the two most dangerous groups for psychics. Emaline could be part of a resistance group or possibly a part of the Breakers from The Dark Tower. In either case, this puts Emaline at odds with the psychics. That being said, these are just educated guesses about why the astral projector would want to escape the narrator and her cohorts. Emaline Does Not Have A Book Counterpart, But Is Loosely Inspired By A Few Passages When the Carrie team announced Emaline as an original character in the TV show, the question that came up was, “Does she have a book counterpart?” The most popular guess was that she was a telekinetic ghost—an individual created by Carrie’s imagination and psychic abilities. Another popular theory could be a version of Irma Swope, a minor student whom Chris also bullied, or Norma Watson, one of Chris’ accomplices. However, Emaline truly doesn’t have a book counterpart. The book has no character even remotely like her. But Mike Flanagan didn’t create the idea of another psychic out of nowhere. Carrie existed before the wider Stephen King concept of psychic groups or shining. However, a few passages confirm that Carrie’s a part of a bigger collection of telekinetics. Two in-universe incidents, the stone shower of 1891 and the Cleveland case study, are mentioned in scientific papers. The book confirms the TK Gene exists and gets passed down. Finally, the epilogue includes a letter about a young girl named Annie Delft who displays the same telekinetic abilities as Carrie. None of these are exact parallels to Emaline, but the idea of her existing feels baked into Stephen King’s novel. Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network Prime Video Showrunner Mike Flanagan Cast Summer H. Howell Carrie White Samantha Sloyan Margaret White Alison Thornton Chris Hargensen Directors Mike Flanagan, Axelle Carolyn, Hiromi Kamata, Kate Siegel, Kyra Sedgwick Writers Mike Flanagan, Alexandra Magistro, Justina Ireland, Jamie Flanagan, Elan Gale, Rebecca Klingel, Elizabeth Padden, Dani Parker Creator(s) Mike Flanagan