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?
Wish they more deeply explored the topic of Miranda’s alcohol problem. Very few people struggling with addiction are able to get out of it so smoothly. It’s not always a rock-bottom / rehab situation, but healthy recovery almost always involves a lot of therapy - at a minimum. They seemed to gloss over the topic completely once Miranda realized she was unhappy in her marriage, and addiction rarely has a simple cause/effect solution.
I also need to visit the ridiculous double standard of miranda who judged the hell out of Charlotte when she left the gallery and Carrie when she left for Paris with the Russian but now expects everyone to embrace this new love struck version of herself that throws away an internship for a relationship that isn’t even labeled a relationship.
I think Miranda is a text book example of what happens when you don’t truly practice self care. When her mom died she didn’t even take a week off of work. When she had Brady she went right back to work. Her honeymoon was a disaster with her trying to find cell
Signal the entire time.
I hope this is the beginning of a lighter more carefree Miranda because she’s walked a tightrope the longest but it is hard to believe
Yes!! The double standard of Miranda Hobbs. She was so unsupportive to Carrie about Paris. And now she’s this weird giggly, insecure doe eyed selfish disaster demanding support.
Her little rant in the bathroom about being allowed to change was good. It helped me to see her side better. But she should acknowledge her double standards of the past. She’s got good friends for them not to throw that in her face.
I have to vent about Miranda even though I know I’m preaching to the choir here. Every one of Miranda’s decisions was self-serving (alcohol, cheating on Steve, ditching the internship, moving to LA) and there was never any fallout. She never hit rock bottom after any of her terrible decisions, nor did she show even a smidgen of self-awareness. She followed Che around like a luv-sick school girl and was never challenged (except a little by Carrie in the bathroom scene). I saw zero growth in Miranda this season, whereas the other two lead women had lovely arcs, made a few mistakes, and grew from them.
The writers did a huge disservice to the LGBTQ/non-binary community by writing Miranda so selfish and Che so annoying. Instead of championing these life changes, the audience was turned off. There are much better ways to write a show’s first non-binary character. There are much better ways to write your lead character’s transition into a same-sex (or non-binary) relationship. The AJLT writers failed at both, which is really a shame.
Yeah it seemed like Miranda only faced judgement from her friends and not her family, who would obviously be more affected by her choices. I wonder what Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Ramirez would say about their characters. I have to believe that while they were making the show, they thought they were portraying a positive representation of the LGBTQ community. Especially since Sarah Ramirez is non-binary and Miranda's storyline seems similar to choices Cynthia Nixon made in her real life. How did you feel about Rock's storyline? I liked that they had more than one non-binary character in a totally different storyline. Although I guess in the end, they made Rock pretty self-centered too.
I agree Rock was self-centered, which is very on brand for a 13 year old! 😆 I enjoyed Rock’s storyline from Charlotte and Harry’s perspective. As a parent of a middle schooler currently witnessing the evolution of transgender & non-binary kids at school, I find myself struggling with complicated feelings, which is surprising to me. There have been multiple, recurring issues within the drama club/choir/performing arts regarding dressing room access, costume dress codes, sexual harassment. Note: I’m not placing blame on anyone, just noting that there are issues today that I did not experience when I was in middle school. Maybe a good topic for the next Big Kid/Shorties Club??
Agreed. In no way should Miranda have stayed in an unhappy marriage, but she was very callous about how it would affect the others in her life, and I didn't think that was respectful. I kept waiting for her to have a reality-check with the fact that she was head-over-heels in love with Che, who kept saying that they were not in for a traditional relationship, but it never happened.
I am happy with the show and the ending, and I would definitely watch another season. I did miss Samantha’s character - I think she could have brought some comic relief that I craved. All in all it’s still about friendships and an evolving life in NYC, both of which still feel very relevant to me.
I have mixed feelings about this show. On one hand, I really like Carrie much better now than in the original Sex and the City. More down to Earth, less bratty, love how she has aged. I loved Charlotte and Harry’s plot line the most, but Charlotte is too whiny for my taste and all the plastic surgery she’s done to her face is a little distracting for me. I love her friendship with LTW and can totally relate to that feeling of wanting to be friends with cool mom. I had a hard time with Miranda’s story. Not only do I dislike Che, I find it a bit juvenile and immature to leave your husband and break up your family because you’re bored and want to have some fun. I just don’t find it believable that she’s in love with Che. I also felt that they tried a bit too hard to be relevant and to be politically correct. It felt really awkward and not genuine. I do completely agree Sex and the City wasn’t that great of a show to begin with. Overall, I would probably watch a second season and enjoy it, but I really hope they try to go deeper into some of the story lines instead of trying too hard to be “cool”.
I think if it hadn't been for Che, who was not just non-binary but had built a whole career around talking about it, the other new characters and the development of those friendships seemed pretty natural to me. The Che thing felt forced and trying too hard.
I was a smidge too young when the show started for it to feel relevant. I started watching it (on Netflix DVDs!) during the final season and enjoyed it as a fantasy life.
Having recently experienced a loss like Carrie, I felt that storyline was exceptionally well done. Even the 911 complaints, you just don't know how you'll be in an emergency until you're there. Funeral, brain fog, random items overwhelming you, it all tracks.
Charlotte felt as though she maintained her role in the group consistently. She would absolutely be the parent most concerned about appearances and not the children in front of her. I liked the way that put her in an "interesting" spot in the finale.
I think my major criticism was underdeveloped Miranda plots mostly. Steve deserved more story, even if it was sad. There should have been reaction from Brady? Even a young adult will have an opinion on the breakup of his parents. And Miranda's tale felt under done. You're giving up an incredible internship, that you've never before mentioned? You're surprising someone in Cincinnati, but there's no reaction to that choice, positive or negative? It seemed as though the writers set her up for shock value without fleshing out the wake around her.
I'd watch a second season, which would hopefully offer a bit more meat on the plot along with the realization that podcasts are not Frasier style call in shows! "I'm listening..."
I agree with your take on Miranda. Steve was fairly passive and easy about her leaving so it would have been nice to see a stronger reaction from Brady that challenged her. Instead all we got was the final scene where she said, "aren't you going to say anything?" and it turned out they were talking about her hair.
I'm glad you felt they did the grief storyline well. My best friend lost her husband a few years ago and after watching the first episode, I told her not to watch it because there were too many similar aspects that I thought would be hard for her to watch. But maybe now after seeing the whole thing, I'll tell her it might be worth it.
I hated what they did to Steve. Why did they make him seem so old! But I love that he finally stood up to Miranda and said he wasn’t going to fight for her anymore. I really enjoyed that side of him.
I wish that Steve’s story had ended as a bartender at a fun tiki bar in St. Barth’s or maybe a dive bar in the Virgin Islands is better. Bottom line is that he deserves a better ending. I think we all want him to be happy!
I agree, they made Steve like he was in his 70s! I loved the last convo he had with Carrie, talking about how the ring would stay on forever. It was so heartbreaking but just showed the real true side of who that character is.
I liked it over all. I think part of the issue is that it was a bit rushed. It was a whole year in ten 40 minute episodes. They didn’t have time to really explore a lot of things especially with so many new characters.
You are WAY more generous than me. I loved the original show when it was on, and I know it was very flawed and definitely didn't age well. But they could have handled all of it entirely differently. Lord knows if the original show wasn't perfect and if it aired in the era of social media and Twitter, we would have been yelling at the characters every week there too.
I think my biggest problem is that they wrote these characters like they were in a cryogenic chamber for 20 years and are just "learning" about the world and how things work in 2022 or however indeterminate years they decided it took to be done with covid. These didn't feel like the same characters AT ALL. I feel like I could have written a million more meaningful ways to bring these characters into today's NYC life and I am a 40-year-old mom who lives in the suburbs, not too far from where Aidan's cabin was that the show depicted as nothing farms in the middle of god-damned nowhere with no cell service ;-)
Carrie: Honestly, I thought the show did the most right by her. I think the character handled grief the way we would have expected someone like her to handle grief. It was thoughtful, it wasn't rushed.
Charlotte: So, it makes sense that someone like Charlotte would be obsessed with her world as a wife and mother. It's cool that the show gave her a non-binary child, but then they did basically nothing with it! They devoted an entire episode to her not apologizing to Harry (which was absurd -- you knock your partner over, you say you're sorry. It doesn't make you less "tough"), when they could have begun THERE to examine things like how Rock might not feel connected to the rituals of becoming a b'nei mitzvah. (And btw, did you notice i used the term "b'nei mitzvah?" That's because Judaism ALREADY has a gender-neutral term for bar/bat mitzvahs. No matter how religious you are, b'nei mitzvah prep takes MONTHS and I was kinda turned off when they implied that Rabbi's kept up "dumping" them and making lame excuses at the last minute. No Rabbi or Religious instructor would do something so callous, and as parents, you would have known MONTHS ago that Rock was not progressing. Also, maybe check in on them once or twice?
But yeah, if I were writing the show, the Charlotte story line would have been that, as Charlotte's children approach adulthood, where does she find her purpose for herself? Does she go back to work? What is she if she's not just a wife and mother?
Miranda: This was not Miranda from the original series at all. Not At. All. Instead of making her a bumbling, apologetic, socially inept person with ZERO confidence, why couldn't this be the story of Miranda, the know-it-all who has been a lawyer for 30 years who is suddenly finding herself challenged and dealing with ageism as the younger, more diverse generation starts moving up. The one time we saw the confident, sarcastic Miranda was in the finale when she shit all over Carrie for finding comfort in the idea that Big might have gone to heaven. Come. On. I can buy that Miranda had a sexual awakening and is attracted to Che, but I don't buy that after all the lectures about how they aren't good with "traditional relationships" that this wouldn't have imploded right now. And sure, everyone deserves to be happy and truthful to who they are, but the complete and utter lack of consideration for Steve and even Brady is just baffling. Yes, Miranda, you should "do you", but you are MARRIED and you have a CHILD and that needs to factor in a bit more in terms of how exactly you go about these huge-ass life changes.
Samantha: My god, these people are so petty. I don't know what *really* happened between SJP and Kim Cattrall, but if the petty way they wrote it into the story is any indication, I am more inclined to be on Kim's side. This didn't have to be complicated. In real life, even the best of friends can sometimes grow apart if there is physical distance. How about Samantha moved to London for her career? They see each other every now and then. It might have been awkward to explain why she wasn't at the funeral, sure, but I maintain that it was WAY more awkward to keep portraying Samantha as a mean-girl with a grudge, and Carrie is just the poor abandoned soul that misses her.
Stanford: The poor actor DIED and the best you could do was to have him leave his husband and go to Japan? And Carrie's just like *shrug*.
I liked a lot of the new characters, especially Seema, but even with them, they seemed like 1-note characters ("The old, lonely, single one", "The one with fertility issues", etc). The show could have worked them into the core cast a lot better. And why couldn't any of them have been existing friends? Did these people not meet anyone new for 15-20 years until literally the same week? See my prior comment about a cryogenic chamber...
I dunno. I loved the original show, flaws in all, and I couldn't stay away from this, but this crazy long rant isn't even the BEGINNING of all I could rant about, lol. And yes, I know it's just a TV show. But I swear, I could have written all of these ladies better...
I mostly felt that the reboot let the original show down. The quality of story and writing in general just wasn’t there. Often threads were started (ex. Miranda’s drinking) and then abandoned. I felt the attempt to be current was heavy handed and the effort to make everyone seem so much older and have “old people problems” felt clunky and off. The original show had a certain cadence, structure, and humor that was unique, but present every single episode. This quality that made the show special was lost. And while I realize that people change as they age and experience more of life, they tend to have the same basic personality and values that make them who they are. However in the case of this season, I often felt like the writers weren’t familiar with the original series and didn’t know the characters well. I’m sure that’s not true, but that’s how it felt. Most of the characters, especially the kids and new characters felt like they were one dimensional caricatures (Brady is obsessed with sex, Rock is non-binary, Seema wants a relationship, etc - that’s it). That felt lazy. Even Steve was reduced to being a hard of hearing couch potato.
Maybe they tried to add too many story lines and characters in one season? I rewatched the original series in the months before the reboot, and perhaps that was a mistake. It made the loss of the original magic too obvious.
I see where you’re coming from in a lot of your points but I don’t know that I agree with all of them. I think there’s two ways to view it - you can ignore the two movies and just pretend it went from the original series to this new one OR you include the movies in the timeline and in that case, it makes this reboot so strange and nonsensical.
I still can’t get behind the reason Samantha left. I will die on that hill. You don’t throw away a 30+ year sisterhood over something soooooo dumb. It also makes ZERO sense that Carrie ever had a publicist on retainer like that. Samantha would never ever hold that against Carrie. They should have been more creative and found a better way to explain her absence.
Miranda was so unrecognizable it was shocking. It didn’t come across as a woman who is changing and evolving, it came across as a whole new person with completely different morals!! I can get behind her change in sexuality and her attraction to Che. But the Miranda I know would never cheat and deceive Steve like that for as long as she did. I just don’t buy it. It felt like really sloppy writing.
Charlotte I loved and always have. I liked the Rock storyline. Charlotte felt a bit two dimensional but that’s okay.
Carrie is always insufferable IMO and this was no different. I don’t really care that they killed off Big. I do agree that they should have dealt more with the other aspects of becoming a widow.
I totally 100000% agree with you on the financial issue. You’re telling me NO ONE was affected by the pandemic or by anything at all??? We have all sorts of careers on this show.
To circle back to my point about the movies - those films weren’t that long ago. Maybe a decade? I would understand a completely change of character if this was 25 years later but they were in their mid 40s in the last film - they weren’t young 20 something’s. I just don’t buy into it - that they would chance so much and become so out of touch, etc.
You know, I actually never saw the second film so maybe that's why it's easier for me to make the leap. I just remember liking the way the first one ended and hearing the second was horrible so I skipped it. I have no idea what happened in it!
Oh don’t get me wrong - it was horrible haha but they were already playing into older versions of themselves like Samantha was dealing with menopause. Also they took a trip to the Middle East and they had to be sensitive to the culture there and Carrie and Miranda were so on top of it. So the Miranda of this series just feels like such a departure and it’s only 10 years later. But yes, awful film haha
I'm not a hard core OG fan, but did watch it and also saw both movies. This was a fun ride and would definitely watch another season. However, I kinda like how they wrapped it up at the end. I'd be happy with that if Season 2 never comes. I agree with you about Carrie and the grief journey. I guess I get that they want to focus on the getting back out there part, but I also would have liked more about that journey. More about the real stuff, not just the rings and dating. I LOVED the end. I cried way more with the whole light thing and the bridge than when he died. The act of looking for a loved one when they're gone and not finding them - so painful. And the final good-bye, letting them go. OMG, and the dream, the song. TEARS. THE DRESS. Wow. Loved it all. Now about the rest. Anyone else have a problem with how desperate Miranda was??? OMG - enough already lady. Have some dignity! The old Miranda would never have been like that. That whole, "you love me?" "you are?" "really?" was so overly desperate. I'm a fan of Che though. Love Sara Ramirez. I kept waiting for Che to drop Miranda or say that they are not into the whole traditional relationship construct and doesn't believe in love or something. Oh and what about Miranda sitting in between the grandmothers, it was like 3 old women sitting together. And that dress didn't help. Looked like something Blanche would wear! Also wasn't a fan of the shift in Nya's character from badass Black professor to wanting a baby and relationship problems. All of a sudden, her education, profession, status as a Black women was reduced to making babies. That was weird for me. And last but not least, Charlotte. I could not stand her annoying voice or her obnoxious daughters. Yeah, I have one of those too and they're full of drama, but come on. Lily came across as an entitled princess and Rock took the rebel thing too far. If my daughter would have refused to come out at her very expensive quinceanera, I would have dragged her out there by her hair and tied her to the altar. OK, maybe not that violent, but NO would not have been an option. I cheered Charlotte on when she came in and stood up to the brat but then was disappointed to see that she ended up taking her place. It was cute, but I would have liked to see her put her foot down and have Rock acknowledge her poor behavior.
So I'm not a fan of Charlotte or Miranda at this point, but would love to see a second season with Miranda being dumped by Che and like someone else said, being forced to figure herself out. Charlotte is a bit much for me, so maybe have them be "humbled" by the pandemic. I loved the elevator kiss, it was the happy ending I needed after Paris.
I agree about the party! If Mazzy pulled that at the last minute, I would lose my fucking mind. It did make Rock seem incredibly ungrateful for not just the work and money put into planning their party but the fact that their parents were trying so hard to show them that they accept who they are. (Acknowledging that I had to go back and change all the pronouns from her, because I'm still learning too.) It just goes so beyond being a teenager trying to assert their identity. Or maybe it points to the wealth thing again, that Rock has not been brought up to see how awful it is to waste all that money.
Fully agree about Rock. I was raised Catholic and had zero interest in being Catholic and quit as soon as I was old enough to choose. So I appreciate Rocks position here. BUT They had all that time through planning stage to talk about their faith. My mind would have exploded.
I wonder if the reason the show isn’t sitting well with so many people (even though we enjoyed it) is because we’ve become a more seasoned audience and the show is staying too true to its roots as a silly comedy about shoes and sex and friendship. For example, Girls was supposed to be the next Sex and The City but it was raw, grittier. Allegedly a comedy as well. It didn’t smooth over the uncomfortable with a pun or wrap it all up with a cute bow. Sex and the City broke the mold. But then the shows that followed pushed that envelope further and further and now we’re going backwards watching a show stay true to its style and roots and it feels weird or off. The other issue is 10 episodes was NOT enough to make this season. They needed more time to do these storylines justice.
Now, Was Charlotte always this slap stick?
Why is Miranda coming across so desperate to be liked by everyone? Like the scene where Carrie peed the bed, she kept giggling and smiling and trying to brush aside any conflict. She did that the whole season in one way or another. I also kept waiting for Che to dump her. I never felt secure in that relationship lol. But, I can totally see a woman who’s spent her whole life living one way thinking it the path to fulfillment, finding out it absolutely is not fulfilling and blowing her life up. It’s happened. It’s believable. Steve is a saint though and she got off way too easily.
Lastly, for a comedy, why couldn’t the writers of the show write a comedian? I actually liked Che (even though I did not trust them). But their comedy was brutal.
I’m glad you mentioned Charlotte. I felt like the acting was way more forced than I remember in the original. That and her cosmetic work was very distracting.
I really loved Sex and the City, loved Carrie, loved that it took place in New York, loved all of the outfits, loved the pursuit of love. I recently re-watched the second movie and while it was hideously offensive to most groups of people and they should have just stayed in New York, it was still great to see the characters; the magic was there. I found And Just Like That to be a bit flat -maybe because Carrie was dealing with grief and Big couldn't pull up alongside her in his limo anymore; maybe because the clothes while still gorgeous didn't feel as groundbreaking; maybe because there was too much wealth- it just felt a bit obscene. But I feel like the deepest issue was Samantha and the lack thereof. That group of women needed Samantha Jones to truly have their spark. It was only when she wasn't there that I realised what she brought in terms of comedy, levity and sheer self belief. I loved the scene on the Pont Alexandre iii though.
I agree that Samantha brought a lot of levity and confidence to group. I think Seema was a really great addition that made up for some of that, but definitely didn't bring the same kind of humor.
I entered these episodes with a VERY open mind. I grew into my 20’s with the show, I screamed my way through the first movie in delight and I absolutely hated movie no 2. So….it could go terribly wrong or be absolutely fabulous.
I think it ended up somewhere in the middle and I found myself looking forward to Thursdays again.
My highlight was the menopause scene. I think they did what they do best there - shed a light on a period in a woman’s life that’s still filled with taboo and confusion by a lot of us (I’m 44).
I couldn’t be further away from these ladies as to where my life is right now, but they somehow still feel like a part of my life. I cringe at Charlotte (also because I’m such a Charlotte myself sometimes), I sort of envy Miranda for her balls and I would kill to be a Carrie (minus the lack of kids).
I very much look forward to season 2, but not in the way I look forward to seeing Ozark season 2 or Succession season 3 (I’m behind, I know). It’s more like a great pizza or some Ben & Jerry’s - it’s not fancy, but it works for me.
Wish they more deeply explored the topic of Miranda’s alcohol problem. Very few people struggling with addiction are able to get out of it so smoothly. It’s not always a rock-bottom / rehab situation, but healthy recovery almost always involves a lot of therapy - at a minimum. They seemed to gloss over the topic completely once Miranda realized she was unhappy in her marriage, and addiction rarely has a simple cause/effect solution.
Yes, simply dumping out the bottles and she was just over it? Not realistic.
Ok it’s me again
I watched it again (😂)
I also need to visit the ridiculous double standard of miranda who judged the hell out of Charlotte when she left the gallery and Carrie when she left for Paris with the Russian but now expects everyone to embrace this new love struck version of herself that throws away an internship for a relationship that isn’t even labeled a relationship.
I think Miranda is a text book example of what happens when you don’t truly practice self care. When her mom died she didn’t even take a week off of work. When she had Brady she went right back to work. Her honeymoon was a disaster with her trying to find cell
Signal the entire time.
I hope this is the beginning of a lighter more carefree Miranda because she’s walked a tightrope the longest but it is hard to believe
Yes!! The double standard of Miranda Hobbs. She was so unsupportive to Carrie about Paris. And now she’s this weird giggly, insecure doe eyed selfish disaster demanding support.
Her little rant in the bathroom about being allowed to change was good. It helped me to see her side better. But she should acknowledge her double standards of the past. She’s got good friends for them not to throw that in her face.
Agree!! IRL, Carrie would have thrown the Paris convo re: Petrovsky in her face. So similar!
I have to vent about Miranda even though I know I’m preaching to the choir here. Every one of Miranda’s decisions was self-serving (alcohol, cheating on Steve, ditching the internship, moving to LA) and there was never any fallout. She never hit rock bottom after any of her terrible decisions, nor did she show even a smidgen of self-awareness. She followed Che around like a luv-sick school girl and was never challenged (except a little by Carrie in the bathroom scene). I saw zero growth in Miranda this season, whereas the other two lead women had lovely arcs, made a few mistakes, and grew from them.
The writers did a huge disservice to the LGBTQ/non-binary community by writing Miranda so selfish and Che so annoying. Instead of championing these life changes, the audience was turned off. There are much better ways to write a show’s first non-binary character. There are much better ways to write your lead character’s transition into a same-sex (or non-binary) relationship. The AJLT writers failed at both, which is really a shame.
Yeah it seemed like Miranda only faced judgement from her friends and not her family, who would obviously be more affected by her choices. I wonder what Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Ramirez would say about their characters. I have to believe that while they were making the show, they thought they were portraying a positive representation of the LGBTQ community. Especially since Sarah Ramirez is non-binary and Miranda's storyline seems similar to choices Cynthia Nixon made in her real life. How did you feel about Rock's storyline? I liked that they had more than one non-binary character in a totally different storyline. Although I guess in the end, they made Rock pretty self-centered too.
I agree Rock was self-centered, which is very on brand for a 13 year old! 😆 I enjoyed Rock’s storyline from Charlotte and Harry’s perspective. As a parent of a middle schooler currently witnessing the evolution of transgender & non-binary kids at school, I find myself struggling with complicated feelings, which is surprising to me. There have been multiple, recurring issues within the drama club/choir/performing arts regarding dressing room access, costume dress codes, sexual harassment. Note: I’m not placing blame on anyone, just noting that there are issues today that I did not experience when I was in middle school. Maybe a good topic for the next Big Kid/Shorties Club??
Agreed. In no way should Miranda have stayed in an unhappy marriage, but she was very callous about how it would affect the others in her life, and I didn't think that was respectful. I kept waiting for her to have a reality-check with the fact that she was head-over-heels in love with Che, who kept saying that they were not in for a traditional relationship, but it never happened.
Agree with everything you wrote!
I am happy with the show and the ending, and I would definitely watch another season. I did miss Samantha’s character - I think she could have brought some comic relief that I craved. All in all it’s still about friendships and an evolving life in NYC, both of which still feel very relevant to me.
I have mixed feelings about this show. On one hand, I really like Carrie much better now than in the original Sex and the City. More down to Earth, less bratty, love how she has aged. I loved Charlotte and Harry’s plot line the most, but Charlotte is too whiny for my taste and all the plastic surgery she’s done to her face is a little distracting for me. I love her friendship with LTW and can totally relate to that feeling of wanting to be friends with cool mom. I had a hard time with Miranda’s story. Not only do I dislike Che, I find it a bit juvenile and immature to leave your husband and break up your family because you’re bored and want to have some fun. I just don’t find it believable that she’s in love with Che. I also felt that they tried a bit too hard to be relevant and to be politically correct. It felt really awkward and not genuine. I do completely agree Sex and the City wasn’t that great of a show to begin with. Overall, I would probably watch a second season and enjoy it, but I really hope they try to go deeper into some of the story lines instead of trying too hard to be “cool”.
I think if it hadn't been for Che, who was not just non-binary but had built a whole career around talking about it, the other new characters and the development of those friendships seemed pretty natural to me. The Che thing felt forced and trying too hard.
Yes to so much of this. Kristen Davis’s plastic surgery is very distracting but her storyline was my favorite!
YES to this!
I was a smidge too young when the show started for it to feel relevant. I started watching it (on Netflix DVDs!) during the final season and enjoyed it as a fantasy life.
Having recently experienced a loss like Carrie, I felt that storyline was exceptionally well done. Even the 911 complaints, you just don't know how you'll be in an emergency until you're there. Funeral, brain fog, random items overwhelming you, it all tracks.
Charlotte felt as though she maintained her role in the group consistently. She would absolutely be the parent most concerned about appearances and not the children in front of her. I liked the way that put her in an "interesting" spot in the finale.
I think my major criticism was underdeveloped Miranda plots mostly. Steve deserved more story, even if it was sad. There should have been reaction from Brady? Even a young adult will have an opinion on the breakup of his parents. And Miranda's tale felt under done. You're giving up an incredible internship, that you've never before mentioned? You're surprising someone in Cincinnati, but there's no reaction to that choice, positive or negative? It seemed as though the writers set her up for shock value without fleshing out the wake around her.
I'd watch a second season, which would hopefully offer a bit more meat on the plot along with the realization that podcasts are not Frasier style call in shows! "I'm listening..."
I agree with your take on Miranda. Steve was fairly passive and easy about her leaving so it would have been nice to see a stronger reaction from Brady that challenged her. Instead all we got was the final scene where she said, "aren't you going to say anything?" and it turned out they were talking about her hair.
I'm glad you felt they did the grief storyline well. My best friend lost her husband a few years ago and after watching the first episode, I told her not to watch it because there were too many similar aspects that I thought would be hard for her to watch. But maybe now after seeing the whole thing, I'll tell her it might be worth it.
I hated what they did to Steve. Why did they make him seem so old! But I love that he finally stood up to Miranda and said he wasn’t going to fight for her anymore. I really enjoyed that side of him.
I wish that Steve’s story had ended as a bartender at a fun tiki bar in St. Barth’s or maybe a dive bar in the Virgin Islands is better. Bottom line is that he deserves a better ending. I think we all want him to be happy!
I agree, they made Steve like he was in his 70s! I loved the last convo he had with Carrie, talking about how the ring would stay on forever. It was so heartbreaking but just showed the real true side of who that character is.
One of the few true emotions to come through in the show!
I read his hearing loss is real so they wrote it into the show.
I liked it over all. I think part of the issue is that it was a bit rushed. It was a whole year in ten 40 minute episodes. They didn’t have time to really explore a lot of things especially with so many new characters.
You are WAY more generous than me. I loved the original show when it was on, and I know it was very flawed and definitely didn't age well. But they could have handled all of it entirely differently. Lord knows if the original show wasn't perfect and if it aired in the era of social media and Twitter, we would have been yelling at the characters every week there too.
I think my biggest problem is that they wrote these characters like they were in a cryogenic chamber for 20 years and are just "learning" about the world and how things work in 2022 or however indeterminate years they decided it took to be done with covid. These didn't feel like the same characters AT ALL. I feel like I could have written a million more meaningful ways to bring these characters into today's NYC life and I am a 40-year-old mom who lives in the suburbs, not too far from where Aidan's cabin was that the show depicted as nothing farms in the middle of god-damned nowhere with no cell service ;-)
Carrie: Honestly, I thought the show did the most right by her. I think the character handled grief the way we would have expected someone like her to handle grief. It was thoughtful, it wasn't rushed.
Charlotte: So, it makes sense that someone like Charlotte would be obsessed with her world as a wife and mother. It's cool that the show gave her a non-binary child, but then they did basically nothing with it! They devoted an entire episode to her not apologizing to Harry (which was absurd -- you knock your partner over, you say you're sorry. It doesn't make you less "tough"), when they could have begun THERE to examine things like how Rock might not feel connected to the rituals of becoming a b'nei mitzvah. (And btw, did you notice i used the term "b'nei mitzvah?" That's because Judaism ALREADY has a gender-neutral term for bar/bat mitzvahs. No matter how religious you are, b'nei mitzvah prep takes MONTHS and I was kinda turned off when they implied that Rabbi's kept up "dumping" them and making lame excuses at the last minute. No Rabbi or Religious instructor would do something so callous, and as parents, you would have known MONTHS ago that Rock was not progressing. Also, maybe check in on them once or twice?
But yeah, if I were writing the show, the Charlotte story line would have been that, as Charlotte's children approach adulthood, where does she find her purpose for herself? Does she go back to work? What is she if she's not just a wife and mother?
Miranda: This was not Miranda from the original series at all. Not At. All. Instead of making her a bumbling, apologetic, socially inept person with ZERO confidence, why couldn't this be the story of Miranda, the know-it-all who has been a lawyer for 30 years who is suddenly finding herself challenged and dealing with ageism as the younger, more diverse generation starts moving up. The one time we saw the confident, sarcastic Miranda was in the finale when she shit all over Carrie for finding comfort in the idea that Big might have gone to heaven. Come. On. I can buy that Miranda had a sexual awakening and is attracted to Che, but I don't buy that after all the lectures about how they aren't good with "traditional relationships" that this wouldn't have imploded right now. And sure, everyone deserves to be happy and truthful to who they are, but the complete and utter lack of consideration for Steve and even Brady is just baffling. Yes, Miranda, you should "do you", but you are MARRIED and you have a CHILD and that needs to factor in a bit more in terms of how exactly you go about these huge-ass life changes.
Samantha: My god, these people are so petty. I don't know what *really* happened between SJP and Kim Cattrall, but if the petty way they wrote it into the story is any indication, I am more inclined to be on Kim's side. This didn't have to be complicated. In real life, even the best of friends can sometimes grow apart if there is physical distance. How about Samantha moved to London for her career? They see each other every now and then. It might have been awkward to explain why she wasn't at the funeral, sure, but I maintain that it was WAY more awkward to keep portraying Samantha as a mean-girl with a grudge, and Carrie is just the poor abandoned soul that misses her.
Stanford: The poor actor DIED and the best you could do was to have him leave his husband and go to Japan? And Carrie's just like *shrug*.
I liked a lot of the new characters, especially Seema, but even with them, they seemed like 1-note characters ("The old, lonely, single one", "The one with fertility issues", etc). The show could have worked them into the core cast a lot better. And why couldn't any of them have been existing friends? Did these people not meet anyone new for 15-20 years until literally the same week? See my prior comment about a cryogenic chamber...
I dunno. I loved the original show, flaws in all, and I couldn't stay away from this, but this crazy long rant isn't even the BEGINNING of all I could rant about, lol. And yes, I know it's just a TV show. But I swear, I could have written all of these ladies better...
Yes! Yes! Yes to every word! I feel like you live in my brain. Lol!
I mostly felt that the reboot let the original show down. The quality of story and writing in general just wasn’t there. Often threads were started (ex. Miranda’s drinking) and then abandoned. I felt the attempt to be current was heavy handed and the effort to make everyone seem so much older and have “old people problems” felt clunky and off. The original show had a certain cadence, structure, and humor that was unique, but present every single episode. This quality that made the show special was lost. And while I realize that people change as they age and experience more of life, they tend to have the same basic personality and values that make them who they are. However in the case of this season, I often felt like the writers weren’t familiar with the original series and didn’t know the characters well. I’m sure that’s not true, but that’s how it felt. Most of the characters, especially the kids and new characters felt like they were one dimensional caricatures (Brady is obsessed with sex, Rock is non-binary, Seema wants a relationship, etc - that’s it). That felt lazy. Even Steve was reduced to being a hard of hearing couch potato.
Maybe they tried to add too many story lines and characters in one season? I rewatched the original series in the months before the reboot, and perhaps that was a mistake. It made the loss of the original magic too obvious.
Yes, I thought the writing was very heavy-handed. It felt like a "new character dump" too.
I see where you’re coming from in a lot of your points but I don’t know that I agree with all of them. I think there’s two ways to view it - you can ignore the two movies and just pretend it went from the original series to this new one OR you include the movies in the timeline and in that case, it makes this reboot so strange and nonsensical.
I still can’t get behind the reason Samantha left. I will die on that hill. You don’t throw away a 30+ year sisterhood over something soooooo dumb. It also makes ZERO sense that Carrie ever had a publicist on retainer like that. Samantha would never ever hold that against Carrie. They should have been more creative and found a better way to explain her absence.
Miranda was so unrecognizable it was shocking. It didn’t come across as a woman who is changing and evolving, it came across as a whole new person with completely different morals!! I can get behind her change in sexuality and her attraction to Che. But the Miranda I know would never cheat and deceive Steve like that for as long as she did. I just don’t buy it. It felt like really sloppy writing.
Charlotte I loved and always have. I liked the Rock storyline. Charlotte felt a bit two dimensional but that’s okay.
Carrie is always insufferable IMO and this was no different. I don’t really care that they killed off Big. I do agree that they should have dealt more with the other aspects of becoming a widow.
I totally 100000% agree with you on the financial issue. You’re telling me NO ONE was affected by the pandemic or by anything at all??? We have all sorts of careers on this show.
To circle back to my point about the movies - those films weren’t that long ago. Maybe a decade? I would understand a completely change of character if this was 25 years later but they were in their mid 40s in the last film - they weren’t young 20 something’s. I just don’t buy into it - that they would chance so much and become so out of touch, etc.
You know, I actually never saw the second film so maybe that's why it's easier for me to make the leap. I just remember liking the way the first one ended and hearing the second was horrible so I skipped it. I have no idea what happened in it!
Oh don’t get me wrong - it was horrible haha but they were already playing into older versions of themselves like Samantha was dealing with menopause. Also they took a trip to the Middle East and they had to be sensitive to the culture there and Carrie and Miranda were so on top of it. So the Miranda of this series just feels like such a departure and it’s only 10 years later. But yes, awful film haha
I'm not a hard core OG fan, but did watch it and also saw both movies. This was a fun ride and would definitely watch another season. However, I kinda like how they wrapped it up at the end. I'd be happy with that if Season 2 never comes. I agree with you about Carrie and the grief journey. I guess I get that they want to focus on the getting back out there part, but I also would have liked more about that journey. More about the real stuff, not just the rings and dating. I LOVED the end. I cried way more with the whole light thing and the bridge than when he died. The act of looking for a loved one when they're gone and not finding them - so painful. And the final good-bye, letting them go. OMG, and the dream, the song. TEARS. THE DRESS. Wow. Loved it all. Now about the rest. Anyone else have a problem with how desperate Miranda was??? OMG - enough already lady. Have some dignity! The old Miranda would never have been like that. That whole, "you love me?" "you are?" "really?" was so overly desperate. I'm a fan of Che though. Love Sara Ramirez. I kept waiting for Che to drop Miranda or say that they are not into the whole traditional relationship construct and doesn't believe in love or something. Oh and what about Miranda sitting in between the grandmothers, it was like 3 old women sitting together. And that dress didn't help. Looked like something Blanche would wear! Also wasn't a fan of the shift in Nya's character from badass Black professor to wanting a baby and relationship problems. All of a sudden, her education, profession, status as a Black women was reduced to making babies. That was weird for me. And last but not least, Charlotte. I could not stand her annoying voice or her obnoxious daughters. Yeah, I have one of those too and they're full of drama, but come on. Lily came across as an entitled princess and Rock took the rebel thing too far. If my daughter would have refused to come out at her very expensive quinceanera, I would have dragged her out there by her hair and tied her to the altar. OK, maybe not that violent, but NO would not have been an option. I cheered Charlotte on when she came in and stood up to the brat but then was disappointed to see that she ended up taking her place. It was cute, but I would have liked to see her put her foot down and have Rock acknowledge her poor behavior.
So I'm not a fan of Charlotte or Miranda at this point, but would love to see a second season with Miranda being dumped by Che and like someone else said, being forced to figure herself out. Charlotte is a bit much for me, so maybe have them be "humbled" by the pandemic. I loved the elevator kiss, it was the happy ending I needed after Paris.
I agree about the party! If Mazzy pulled that at the last minute, I would lose my fucking mind. It did make Rock seem incredibly ungrateful for not just the work and money put into planning their party but the fact that their parents were trying so hard to show them that they accept who they are. (Acknowledging that I had to go back and change all the pronouns from her, because I'm still learning too.) It just goes so beyond being a teenager trying to assert their identity. Or maybe it points to the wealth thing again, that Rock has not been brought up to see how awful it is to waste all that money.
Fully agree about Rock. I was raised Catholic and had zero interest in being Catholic and quit as soon as I was old enough to choose. So I appreciate Rocks position here. BUT They had all that time through planning stage to talk about their faith. My mind would have exploded.
I wonder if the reason the show isn’t sitting well with so many people (even though we enjoyed it) is because we’ve become a more seasoned audience and the show is staying too true to its roots as a silly comedy about shoes and sex and friendship. For example, Girls was supposed to be the next Sex and The City but it was raw, grittier. Allegedly a comedy as well. It didn’t smooth over the uncomfortable with a pun or wrap it all up with a cute bow. Sex and the City broke the mold. But then the shows that followed pushed that envelope further and further and now we’re going backwards watching a show stay true to its style and roots and it feels weird or off. The other issue is 10 episodes was NOT enough to make this season. They needed more time to do these storylines justice.
Now, Was Charlotte always this slap stick?
Why is Miranda coming across so desperate to be liked by everyone? Like the scene where Carrie peed the bed, she kept giggling and smiling and trying to brush aside any conflict. She did that the whole season in one way or another. I also kept waiting for Che to dump her. I never felt secure in that relationship lol. But, I can totally see a woman who’s spent her whole life living one way thinking it the path to fulfillment, finding out it absolutely is not fulfilling and blowing her life up. It’s happened. It’s believable. Steve is a saint though and she got off way too easily.
Lastly, for a comedy, why couldn’t the writers of the show write a comedian? I actually liked Che (even though I did not trust them). But their comedy was brutal.
I’m glad you mentioned Charlotte. I felt like the acting was way more forced than I remember in the original. That and her cosmetic work was very distracting.
I really loved Sex and the City, loved Carrie, loved that it took place in New York, loved all of the outfits, loved the pursuit of love. I recently re-watched the second movie and while it was hideously offensive to most groups of people and they should have just stayed in New York, it was still great to see the characters; the magic was there. I found And Just Like That to be a bit flat -maybe because Carrie was dealing with grief and Big couldn't pull up alongside her in his limo anymore; maybe because the clothes while still gorgeous didn't feel as groundbreaking; maybe because there was too much wealth- it just felt a bit obscene. But I feel like the deepest issue was Samantha and the lack thereof. That group of women needed Samantha Jones to truly have their spark. It was only when she wasn't there that I realised what she brought in terms of comedy, levity and sheer self belief. I loved the scene on the Pont Alexandre iii though.
I agree that Samantha brought a lot of levity and confidence to group. I think Seema was a really great addition that made up for some of that, but definitely didn't bring the same kind of humor.
Seema was great, it was a mistake not to integrate her more with the core cast and have her be a friend JUST to Carrie.
LOVED the reboot—and I have always loved the show!!! I agree with your breakdown and thoughts completely. Really hoping for a season 2!!!
I entered these episodes with a VERY open mind. I grew into my 20’s with the show, I screamed my way through the first movie in delight and I absolutely hated movie no 2. So….it could go terribly wrong or be absolutely fabulous.
I think it ended up somewhere in the middle and I found myself looking forward to Thursdays again.
My highlight was the menopause scene. I think they did what they do best there - shed a light on a period in a woman’s life that’s still filled with taboo and confusion by a lot of us (I’m 44).
I couldn’t be further away from these ladies as to where my life is right now, but they somehow still feel like a part of my life. I cringe at Charlotte (also because I’m such a Charlotte myself sometimes), I sort of envy Miranda for her balls and I would kill to be a Carrie (minus the lack of kids).
I very much look forward to season 2, but not in the way I look forward to seeing Ozark season 2 or Succession season 3 (I’m behind, I know). It’s more like a great pizza or some Ben & Jerry’s - it’s not fancy, but it works for me.