And Just Like That... It's Over. Let's Discuss.

Feb 04, 2022

This post contains spoilers for the finale of “And Just Like That.” I am not responsible should you choose to read further!

Now that we’ve finished all ten episodes of And Just Like That, the main questions that people seem to be asking are… was it any good? Was it worth revisiting these characters? Do we like where they ended up? Do we want another season?

My answer to all these questions is mostly “Yes.” Well, I don’t like where everybody ended up (I’m looking at you, Miranda), but isn’t that what makes TV shows interesting to watch?

I said this in my original piece when the reboot premiered, but it’s worth repeating— Sex and the City felt revolutionary in the 90s because it was four single women talking openly and unapologetically about sex. It was never some kind of television masterpiece. It was punny and over the top and a guilty pleasure, so with this reboot, we are still very much playing in that same sandbox. I think a lot of the disappointment in And Just Like That might be a reverence for the characters that either wasn’t really deserved in hindsight or feels outdated in 2022.

I will also say that much of the commentary from people who are not happy with the show seems to revolve around their disappointment in some of the character’s choices. Particularly Miranda, who was always the level headed, practical one. The one who played by a very strict set of self-imposed rules. It feels like some of us are so tied to that version of Miranda (or maybe you’ve even identified as “a Miranda” all these years), it’s hard to accept her compromising her values for a new relationship. We can’t accept her making an impulsive, free spirited Carrie-esque choice. A choice almost identical to the one Carrie made when she followed the Russian to Paris. But pretty much all TV shows involve people making questionable decisions, so I don’t know why everyone feels like in order for this particular show to be good, we have to approve of the characters’ story arcs.

There's a scene in the 3rd episode, when Miranda tells everyone about Che at the picnic table, and Charlotte (who is dealing with her feelings around her child’s gender identity) says— "why can't everyone just stay the same?!" I think that was a message to the fans and an insight into what life is like for people in their 50s. Everything isn't over and settled just because you get married and make the choice of whether or not to have kids. A lot happens after your supposed "Happily Ever After." Whether it’s by choice or because of something out of your control, for good or for bad, I'm glad we are getting to see how “real life” plays out for Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte.

Let’s talk about each character’s story arc on their own…

CARRIE

Big dies and Carrie is left to pick up the pieces, which seem to be mostly emotional. This is one aspect of the story I thought could have been more developed. I imagine most widows have much more to deal with than just grief. LIke, what the hell is the Wifi password and how do I transfer the Con Ed bill into my name and why don’t I have all the info for the bank accounts? That might sound boring, but it would have been interesting to see Big’s death throw Carrie some curveballs that she wasn’t expecting. Carrie has always been a bit of a child and I think losing Big would be a very adult headache in addition to the sadness of grieving her husband. Like maybe, Big wasn’t doing as well financially as she thought and she ended up having to make some big lifestyle changes because she could no longer rely on his income. THAT would have been interesting. Or maybe she could have questioned her response to the emergency, like, wait— WHY DIDN’T I CALL 911?? Is this partly my fault? That would have been true to life too. I did like the natural progression of her deciding to date again (especially the fact that it was requested by her editor), I liked that the teacher helped her feel ready without being the one, I liked the storyline of trying to appear cool to the younger neighbor, I liked the budding friendship with Seema (the best of the new characters), I liked the trip to the plastic surgeon, and I liked the hopeful yet detached texting with Samantha. I also liked that, like Miranda, Carrie seemed to be leaning into being old at times and then leaning back out. I like thinking of aging as partly inevitable and partly a lifestyle choice.

I was not a huge fan of the elevator kiss with the podcast producer. I spotted him in the first episode as a potential love interest, but I don’t know— a kiss in the middle of the day right after their first recording? It felt a little abrupt. I would have left it with them either staring at each other when the doors close or a kiss with a bit more lead up. But in general, I approve of the ending. The ashes off the bridge and the off camera rendezvous with Samantha in Paris felt right.

CHARLOTTE

Charlotte had my favorite storyline— finding out that Rose changed their name to Rock (on a class parent zoom!) and then her path to acceptance of her child as non-binary. I loved that through the ten episodes, we were able to see a mother who was caught off guard, then in denial, then trying to work against it, but eventually trying to understand and embrace her child for who they are. I liked the conference at the school when they were trying to do the right thing but also realizing the right thing conflicted with their version of what their life as parents would be like. I think many of us can relate to that for different reasons. Our kids are never who we imagine them to be and there’s a moment when you have to reconcile the vision with the real person. Often LGBTQ+ issues are portrayed as “for or against,” so I appreciated the depiction of a mom who thinks she is progressive but then finds acceptance challenging when it involves her own kid. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad mom or a bad ally. Sometimes big changes take self reflection, processing and growth.

I also loved the They Mitzvah plot line, but as someone currently planning a Bat Mitzvah, I was annoyed by Rock refusing to do it at the end! I know how much that party cost them!!! Although I laughed when Charlotte and Harry gasped when Rock said she didn’t want to identify as a New Yorker. Now, THAT’S a problem.

MIRANDA

Oh Miranda. I think the main problem with this entire reboot was that Che was so unlikeable of a character. Like if Miranda had fallen for Nya, I think we would all get it. But Che’s character was AWFUL. Juvenile, even. I still don’t fully understand if that was the intention of the writers or not. In my eyes, Che was throwing out every red flag in the book, but somehow because they weren’t a man, Miranda wasn’t recognizing the flags. I think we all kept waiting for Che to do something that would make Miranda realize her vision of Che was a fantasy, like being with another person when Miranda surprised her at home, shutting Miranda down when she called herself “the girlfriend,” or leaving town without her. But instead, the writers kept coming back to Che being genuinely interested in Miranda, falling in love with her even, which just didn’t feel believable. In the end, I don’t think I understood what either of them saw in each other.

I do get that Miranda was bored and wanted to mess up her life. I get that being with Che was exciting and different. I get that many people start to recognize or explore different aspects of their sexuality as they get older, especially since society is so much more open to a spectrum of desires now. So, despite Che, I like the storyline. It’s interesting that while Miranda is having a relationship with a non-binary person, she is actually taking a way more traditional stereotypical female role— the doting girlfriend who puts her partner’s needs and career first. Which is the opposite of what she’s always done. But I guess that’s what mid-life crises are all about. Breaking your own rules. It’s also easier to leave a relationship when there is something you are jumping right into. Maybe Season 2 would jump ahead to post LA, which didn’t go well, and Miranda is back in the city, alone, and faced with the task of really trying to figure out why she blew her life up and what she wants for herself.

One criticism I have of the show, which I’ve talked about before, is how they ignored the topic of wealth completely. To be clear, the characters in this show are not just wealthy, they are OBSCENELY wealthy. I get that Carrie inherited a lot of money from Big, but buying and selling an $8M apartment in a week would have cost her a pretty hefty sum. It just seems weird for the writers to be so cavalier with money when they are trying to be woke in every other aspect of the show. And if they are trying to be true to life changes in your 50s, I think they very easily could have worked in a plot line that was financial. Steve’s bar closing during the pandemic, Miranda quitting her job to go back to school, Carrie not making out as well as she thought she would in Big’s will… I don’t know. It seems like a fairly common phenomenon to reach middle age and realize your career has plateaued or you get laid off and your not exactly where you thought you would be.

I do like all the new characters. I love that they showed the awkwardness of forming friendships with a more diverse group of people (Charlotte and Harry going to a dinner party where they were the only white people was a highlight), but also how the friendships ultimately prevailed. There was a lot made of Miranda fumbling that first day at school with Nya, but I think it would have been a lot less realistic if the women all seamlessly wove these new friendships into their lives with no bumps in the road. The friendships at the end seem more genuine because they included the bumbling. Also… if Nya and her husband break up, then Season 2 could have Carrie, Miranda, Seema and Nya all single in NYC with Charlotte and Lisa giving us the mom-focused plot lines. I would watch that!

As a 47 year-old woman from NYC, I feel obligated to defend this show. But I also really love watching a bunch of fabulous 50-somethings live their lives after their supposed “happily ever afters.” We get a lot of “coming of age” movies and rom coms where the ending is always the couple getting together, but not a lot about life after that. I love that they all still look great— gray hair or otherwise. I love that they’re still diehard New Yorkers. I love that they don’t have their lives all figured out. I love seeing the messiness, the major life changes and the opportunities for growth. I am enjoying seeing how everyone’s lives are deviating from what they or we expected. And there’s something comforting in knowing that big interesting life changing events don’t just happen to young people!

It’s odd to me that so many old fans of the show hate it. Maybe they have to let go of the happy endings they once imagined for Charlotte, Carrie, Miranda and Samantha and embrace the uncertainty and missteps of their lives now.

Just like Charlotte had to let go of Rose to embrace Rock, maybe, to truly enjoy And Just Like That, you need to not be so precious about Sex & the City.

What did you guys think? What did you love? What did you hate? Would you watch Season 2?

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