And Just Like That… recap: Let’s resurrect the Aidan-Big debate
Carrie wonders if Big was a big mistake, and Seema has doubts about the Hamptons house
TV Reviews Aidan
Maybe this is just the Aidan-lover in me talking, but did this feel like an old-school episode of Sex And The City? Some quippy, corny humor; an overarching storyline that has stakes; and some moving meditations on both friendship and romance? Oh no, I’ve been sucked in!
Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Aidan (John Corbett) have been holed up in a hotel room for enough time that they’ve established a routine over who has to close the curtains to block out the sun in the morning. They’re in that blissful new-relationship stage, with the added benefit of familiarity that comes from years of history. Where are his kids (aged 14, 17, and 20), you ask? Aidan alternates weeks with his ex-wife, freeing him up to spend every other week in New York with Carrie. No one on this show works, if you were wondering. (Just kidding. Miranda and Charlotte both have new jobs this week.)
He wants her to come down to his beautiful farmhouse in Virginia to meet the boys, sharing a “cute” story about a chicken who lays eggs in one of his children’s beds. But Carrie jokes that a chicken entering the house is a “home invasion,” and alarm bells are going off in my head. Carrie and Aidan didn’t work out for a reason. They have wildly incompatible lifestyle preferences. Aidan wants her to meet his boys, but I want Aidan to slow down. Protect your heart, man! Don’t let the sex scramble your brain into forget that this woman once obliterated you.
Carrie’s friends are on the same page. Over brunch, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Seema (Sarita Choudhury) are skeptical. Even Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is like, “Bitch, this is fast.” But Carrie is undeterred: “If it feels right, and it does, why slow it down?”
Miranda prods a bit more after brunch, but her doubts are quashed when Carrie shares that she’s been having the best orgasms of her life. Miranda basically decided to leave her husband after Che (Sara Ramirez) gave her an orgasm in Carrie’s kitchen, so that tracks, but I say these people are making too many orgasm-based decisions.
But here’s the bombshell: Carrie thinks the orgasms are better than ever because she was holding a part of herself back when she was with Aidan before because of Big. “I’ve been asking myself: Was Big a big mistake?” Carrie looks stricken, and Miranda is speechless. As a longtime Aidan advocate, I obviously understand this sentiment. In fact, after last week’s episode, I did a very scientific poll in my Instagram stories, asking people if they were a.) Team Aidan, b.) Team Big, or c.) Used to be Team Big but became Team Aidan with age. Do you know how many women selected Team Big? Zero. Maybe you were a Big fan in your youth, but supporting Big now? In this economy?
However. If your best friend starts to doubt her choice to marry the husband who recently died, I would highly recommend you talk up said dead husband and reassure her that she made the best choice for herself. Anything else is cruel. The man is dead! What is to be gained by rehashing your choice from more than two decades ago?
Instead of continuing to spend a fortune on hotel rooms, Aidan and Carrie decide to Airbnb Che’s apartment whenever he’s in town. This is really the only way they can think to keep Che in the show, huh? Unfortunately, Che’s apartment is devoid of any kitchenware, so Aidan and Carrie go shopping. Considering they buy a knife set and a Nespresso, I have a hard time believing this is a cheaper arrangement than hotel rooms.
Che stops by the apartment and observes the cheesy Aidan-Carrie chemistry. He’s cooking chili. She’s opening beers. They’re floored by the ease between the two. “I mean, come on,” Che says. “Why did this not work out the first time?” Carrie looks at Aidan as she replies that she made a huge mistake, and the two of them hug so intimately that it must be awkward for Che.
Is this the position of the show? I mean, I have been saying for years that any woman looking for a healthy relationship would have gone for Aidan, but Sex and the City, followed by And Just Like That…, always seemed to posit that Big was Carrie’s soulmate and she couldn’t have been happy with anyone else. Has the show also outgrown Big with age?
The happy couple wants to take Charlotte, Miranda, and Seema out to dinner, and everyone is on board except Seema, who is suddenly dodging Carrie’s calls and texts. When the two run into each other at the salon, Carrie forces a conversation and Seema comes clean. Carrie’s quick obsession with Aidan made her doubt their plan to share a seasonal Hamptons house, because who wants to third wheel all summer? Carrie has had two great loves, and Seema has had none, and even though she feels petty and pathetic, she wants some space.
It’s a really lovely scene that underlines the push and pull that comes with friendship, something the show has been light on in season two. Carrie does not mention Samantha, but she doesn’t have to; her panic at the thought of space becoming a rift is evidence enough. In the end, Seema swallows her complicated feelings and shows up to dinner, and Aidan effortlessly grabs her an extra chair. The payoff might have been better if the “space” had lasted more than a quarter of an episode, but it’s still a nice moment between Carrie and Seema.
Stray observations
- The main arc of the episode was all Carrie and Aidan, so I’ll highlight the supporting characters in the bullets this week. Other than her friendship drama with Carrie, we get a quick scene of Seema getting a new real estate client. A single (!), rich (!), Marvel movie director (?) looking for an apartment to rent. I assume we’ll see more from him in future episodes. Also, Seema’s office is fabulous.
- After turning down a prestigious internship with Human Rights Watch to follow Che to Los Angeles last season, Miranda begs for it back. (Just goes to show you: Never turn down a career opportunity for a quasi-relationship.) She’s immediately given more plum assignments than the younger interns who have been there longer, enraging them. They’re going to be so excited to find out that after just a few weeks on the job, Miranda has been appointed as her supervisor’s maternity leave backfill. Even with Miranda’s 30 years in corporate law, this is insane? They’re giving a supervisor role to a brand new intern?
- Charlotte informs her family that she’s beginning a full-time job at a gallery, assuming they will be distressed that she’s not around all the time, but no one cares. She spends the entire episode obsessing about her first day of work outfit and how it sits on her body, even living on bone broth for a week to try to lose five pounds. (Gwyneth Paltrow’s diet, is that you?) She also bizarrely yells at an attentive saleswoman who suggests more flattering outfits. It’s all very bizarre, including when Charlotte arrives at the gallery and is greeted by a plus-size coworker, giving her the confidence to throw her shapewear away in the bathroom. AJLT really thought it was doing something here, but having a thin, 50-something woman learn to accept her body because she met someone heavier is extremely condescending.
- The best subplot of the week goes to Anthony (Mario Cantone), who, upon learning that Giuseppe (Sebastiano Pigazzi) is gay, spends the episode trying to fire him. Anthony is too attracted to the hung Italian poet now that he knows he’s gay. Giuseppe gets two amazing lines in this episode: “Girl, take a chill pill” and “Crazy isn’t my first language. Maybe you can translate it?” In the end, Giuseppe quits and they kiss. Yay for love!
- Bonus points for the way Charlotte and Anthony call to complain about their issues to each other, each one having a one-sided conversation since the other isn’t listening.
25 Comments
Definitely Team Aiden.Big ,the pig was a terrible mistake.Happy that Carrie finally realizes it.Also loved the Anthony and his young hung ,soon to be lover.Hope they get the young stud naked and have some hot sex scenes
My guess is they don’t mind crapping on the Big character now because Chris Noth turned out to be a real-life jerk, but it doesn’t do the show any favors. I still believe the characters were meant for each other.
And we’re supposed to assume now that they were together for almost 20 years and Carrie was just not as happy as she was with the guy she dated for less than 2 years.
I got roped into regularly watching SatC with a now-ex gf. The one moment I remember enjoying while watching it was when Aidan—full of righteous indignation—points out,“ You don’t even wear that ring on your fucking finger.” I know the point of the scene was to show that the two of them were figuratively in two different places, had different mindsets, that Carrie loved Aidan but he didn’t trust her and she needed him to trust her to marry him, etc., but my takeaway then was that I was just glad that someone was finally telling Carrie to her face how much she sucks. Aidan seemed genuine; Carrie seemed phony as fuck. Of the four friends, she was the worst; she and Big deserved each other.
Hard agree!! Aiden was always too good for Carrie and it’s annoying they’re bringing him back to likely get his heart broken again. I say likely because Carrie is a selfish asshole. I’ve been rewatching the original series and had forgotten Carrie was kind of terrible right out of the gate with Aiden. She lied about quitting smoking, initially, then when he wanted to take it slow, she was such a dick about it. I do remember what’s coming and how hard she pursued him after their first breakup only to fuck him all up again. Maybe they brought Aiden back to finally balance her out, but even just reading these recaps (I don’t actually watch AJLT), he still feels too good for her.
I say likely because Carrie is a selfish asshole.Which is why Carrie and Big has always made so much sense.Maybe Baryshnikov – I bought them for similar reasons lol.
Petrovsky was about as exactly needy but only on my terms as Carrie, IMO, and they’d never have worked out. He’s probably closer to what she deserved, but I do agree Big and Carrie made the most sense.
This! My ex-gf roped me into watching it around the time Aidan came into the picture, and I remember thinking “this guy actually seems pretty decent, maybe I’ve midjudged this show”.And then she treats him like isht, she cheats on him, he (rightfully) dumps her and I dumped the show.
Glad to see I wasn’t the only one.
Berger, though…
I honestly can’t believe that they are going the “Was Big a mistake route?” I think this sums up one of the biggest issues with the show. We’re supposed to believe that these women have lived the last nearly 20 years of their lives, but it’s like they’re also living their life as if it’s 2 weeks after the original finale.I don’t believe for a second that Carrie would have been in a loving, happy relationship with Big for all of those years and not have been committed to it. I don’t believe Carrie’s husband could die and she would suddenly think he was a mistake. Whether you liked Big or not that makes her seem heartless.It undercuts every choice Carrie ever made. Plus it would just be far easier to have Carrie reconnect with Aidan as two older and wiser people who understand compromise better.
As a 40-year-old gay, I dislike how unrealistic the Anthony and Stanford were as a couple.. and now possibly Anthony and Giuseppe. I suppose I can see the latter working based on just sex. Even then, I don’t see Giuseppe, who can get his pick of men in Manhattan, going for Anthony. Anthony and Stanford, however, must have had a completely sexless relationship. That one absolutely did not work.
Team Baryshnikov FTW.
This is by far the most enjoyable episode of the reboot so far, which isn’t saying much given the low bar. The show is still weighed down by being overstuffed with characters. The decision to sacrifice Nya and LTW’s screen time in service of an Anthony story arc is ridiculous. Mario Cantone is enjoyable in small doses, but after a while is grating AF. Overall, I appreciate that they went back to focusing on their friendships, work and romantic relationships rather than their one-percenter lifestyles. P.S. “Was Big a mistake?” Gosh, I don’t know Carrie. You seem fine lavishly spending the millions he left you.
lol lol she do really be living the rich life. for better or worse, Carries does seem like a New Yorker who’d frequent page 6 in the day. Love that asshole, even though she’s far less relatable season to season, the more wealthy she becomes.
I almost punched my TV when Miranda gave that knowing look at breakfast and said “oh, there’s still an element of original you in there” LOOK IN THE MIRROR MIRANDAMiranda’s not a real intern. Yes, her 30 years of corporate law position her well to take on the supervisory role. The lead should have positioned her much better to the obnoxious gen z babies but them being offended that someone with litigation experience is getting more involved assignments is ridiculous (and realistic).
Charlotte was v relatable in this episode, aside from the Park Ave apartment. The post-45 weight struggle is real and the urge to do stupid stuff like eat only soup (I refuse to call it bone broth) and wear 3 pairs of spanx is constantly looming.
Oh and Carrie doesn’t deserve Aiden and this is going to fail miserably but I’m enjoying it anyway.
I agree re Miranda. She has been an attorney and they’re right out of college, and so immature they text each other about Miranda IN FRONT OF HER. How about give her a chance? Maybe the director shouldn’t have given her a title of intern, since she is way past intern material.
Completely agree; even if she got intern pay (which is not why she wanted the gig anyway) a different title would have been in order.
Screamed at my TV when Miranda said that.The Carrie/Aidan relationship stresses me out. I just can’t fully believe that he’s forgiven her enough to start their relationship back up (friends, maybe), and so I keep expecting an explosion of resentment at any given moment.
Yikes, Che uncomfortably watching Carrie and Aidan hugging is exactly why Seema canceled the Hamptons.
‘I say these people are making too many orgasm-based decisions.’
And just like that And Just Like That… finally feels like classic SEx and The City
The “was Big a mistake” question gave me whiplash! Look, Carrie and Aidan are headed for a fucking cliff. Yes, he’s a sympathetic character but outside of the bedroom these two people are oil and water. Carrie, a stepmother to 3 teenage boys on a farm in Norfolk, Virginia? Oh honey no.
I was always Team Big, and I always believed that while Aidan was the man Carrie convinced herself that she should love, Big, for all his faults, was simply the man she did love. This may be partly because I’ve come to red-hot hate the “she dumps the rich man for a simple, earthy guy who works with his hands and/or has a country cabin retreat” trope. Calling Big a “mistake” and swooningly pursuing happy-ever-after with his most potent romantic rival is just a variation of that.It may also be because I liked Chris Noth better than John Corbett.
Your middle paragraph describes just about every Lifetime and Hallmark movie ever made, judging by the commercials I’ve seen. (At least, the ones that aren’t about au pairs who steal babies or babysitters who stalk mothers or whatever.)
My favorite episode of this season so far. I found Seema’s response to the Carrie-Aidan crushing to be totally relatable. Haven’t we all been in that situation where you badly want to be happy for your friend but you have to distance yourself to maintain your own sanity? I generally find Gen Z Bashing stuff corny and lazy. This episode had plenty of it – the dress shopping, the interns texting, etc. I wish writers would remember they too were once the annoying younger generation and come up with smarter jokes. With that said, interns who have only been on the job for 4-6 months can’t claim seniority over anyone, let alone an industry-vet. I guess that’s supposed to be part of the [dumb] joke…
“AJLT really thought it was doing something here, but having a
thin, 50-something woman learn to accept her body because she met
someone heavier is extremely condescending.”
Thank you for noting. My jaw is still on the floor about that scene.