Review: And Just Like That…
Spoiler Alert – if you haven’t watched the entirety of the first season of And Just Like That… you should probably stop reading this now.
First off, I will say that my overwhelming feeling is that I loved this reboot and was so happy to reconnect with Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda. Judging by a lot of the media and social media coverage about this show, I think I’m in the minority. I am also in the minority in saying that I didn’t miss Kim Catrall’s character Samantha. I always felt like Catrall’s acting was too obvious and her storylines were often meant to shock the viewer.
After the trainwreck that was the second movie, Sex and the City 2, I wasn’t sure I wanted to catch up on the lives of the remaining three main characters, but I was optimistic that it would be like seeing old friends again.
I loved the original series – watching it coincided with an exciting time in my life. I was in my 20’s, in law school and in the early stages of my career. My group of friends and I liked to go clubbing on Saturday nights and brunching on Sunday mornings and we drank our fair share of Cosmos while analyzing our romantic relationships. Many of you might have been in a similar time of your lives. Although the characters were in their 30s, I related to them. Fast forward twenty years and I still relate to a lot of what they are going through.
Watching the first couple episodes of the reboot, I alternated between cringing and crying. I was happy to see that Carrie and *Big had settled into a loving and fulfilling married life but I really could have done without the Big masturbation scene – was it meant to be sexy or funny? I was not sad that Big died but I was very sad for Carrie. Although she was devasted by his loss, the series had to kill him off. Let’s be honest, do we find it entertaining to watch episode after episode of husbands serenading their wives while they make salmon? Big’s death gave Carrie a wonderful story arc this season and would likely hit close to home for anyone who has lost their life partner.
Aside from that major shakeup, the show opened up several new storylines and added new characters in an obvious attempt to address the fact that the original series was seriously lacking in diversity (except for gay best friends and Charlotte converting to Judaism). The addition of new Black women friends for Miranda (Dr. Naya Wallis played by Karen Pittman) and Charlotte (Lisa Todd Wexley played by Nicole Ari Parker) and an Indian friend for Carrie (Seema Patel played by Sarita Choudhury), was also supplemented by the inclusion of a non-binary boss for Carrie who became a love interest for Miranda. As each of these new characters were introduced in the early episodes there were many awkward and uncomfortable scenes. Miranda and Charlotte especially suffered from trying to be “woke” by saying and doing the wrong things to prove that they are not typical “Karens” (in our current culture, that is the worst thing to call a white woman). Once the characters were solidly established by episode 4, the writing seemed less forced and the dialogue seemed more realistic.
Once again, I seem to be in the minority of viewers who liked the character of Che – a non-binary comedian played by Mexican American non-binary actor Sara Ramirez (loved them as Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy (incidentally, Grey’s also has its first non-binary character this season). I’m not sure if viewers are angry that Miranda left Steve or if it’s that she began exploring her sexuality in her 50s, or that she did so with a non-binary love interest - maybe they’re mad for all those reasons. Once again, my unpopular opinion is that Steve was never a great character and I didn’t think he was a good fit for Miranda.
As a parent of two teenagers, I most related to Charlotte’s storyline with her two children. The tampon scene with Lily was eerily familiar and the discussions around gender identity with her child Rose who informs Charlotte and Harry they want to be called Rock are similar conversations we have had in my house because my kids have some gender fluid friends.
Overall, I liked the diverse representation in terms of characters and issues, but the show still focuses on three privileged white women living in one of the most expensive cities in the world yet money doesn’t seem to be an issue for any of them. It’s definitely a snapshot of the life of a certain segment of society (as it always has been). If the show gets a second season and intends to appeal to a wider audience, I think it needs to spend a bit more time exploring the lived experiences of people beyond the core trio. I also hope Aidan makes an appearance – I had read an interview with the actor who portrayed him (John Corbett) where he claimed he was in the show – I was sorely disappointed not to see him since I was always a bigger fan of Aidan than I was of Big.
What were your thoughts on the first season of And Just Like That…? Let me know in the comments.
Shonna is a Toronto area lawyer and avid lover of book and pop culture. Follow her on Instagram @thoughtsonplots.
*The actor who plays Big, Chris Noth, has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women – if he hadn’t died in the first episode, they would have had to kill him off before a second season.
~ Top image from HBO Max
