The And Just Like That… finale is just as underwhelming as the rest of the series
Possible subtitle for this show: “The Destruction Of Miranda Hobbes”
TV Reviews And Just Like That...
Well friends, we’ve finally reached the end of this 10-episode journey through the updated lives of Carrie and Co. Things have been so bleak and fairly uneventful on this show that I don’t know if I had high hopes for the finale, but it would have been nice to get some kind of closure past Carrie dumping Big’s ashes off a Parisian bridge. I’m also “woo woo” when it comes to stuff like that, so reducing Big to a reading lamp worked for me, plotwise, as did Carrie realizing that the first date you go out on as a newly single person probably isn’t going to be the best one.
But Carrie’s return to romance pales when compared to how this show outright massacred the character of Miranda Hobbes. The way things wound up for her in this episode has me absolutely fuming. Sure, toss your nice husband, kick-start a new relationship, but completely derail your career? Coming from the one person in the original four that was absolutely the most career-focused? I just can’t wrap my head around it. When your college professor and best friend are both telling you that perhaps you’re making a huge mistake, someone as smart as Miranda would be likely to listen. Instead, she’s flying off to L.A. to go sit and clap in Che’s audience some more. It is a complete role reversal from Miranda trying to talk Carrie out of jetting off to Paris with Mikhail Baryshnikov at the end of the series—and look how that relationship turned out.
Look. Marriages end, and Miranda is in love and appears to be happier than she’s been in a long time, yay for her. But the show so oddly framed it as her giving up this prestigious, impossible-to-get internship doing important work with a with a human rights group just to go sit poolside in California with Che. What is that saying about the choices women make for love? It just feels like a devastating, disappointing turn for the character. At least she’s a redhead again.
Charlotte will always be Charlotte, and at least she got a nice final moment with Lisa about the constant fear of failure that comes along with motherhood, especially mothering teens (I definitely hear you on that one, Charlotte.) Would have been nice if Rock could have spoken up before the 130 challahs had arrived, but it’s nice that we go out with a perfect snapshot of the Goldenblatt family. Nya’s future, unsurprisingly, is more up-in-arms, and Seema is locked down in a sex quarantine. And Just Like That… did manage to introduce some wonderful new characters; it’s too bad the show couldn’t have fleshed them out a bit more.
Unless… there is a season two? I mentioned in our speculation roundtable that I would not be surprised at all if there was one, as the just-dropped AJLT documentary alludes to all the behind the scenes moments of “season one.” Since I won’t be writing about it for this site, I wonder if I’d even watch it at this point. I can see why Michael Patrick King et al. would want to do a better job than they did on this season, which leaves us as a chronicle of failed opportunities for these beloved characters. But these 10 episodes don’t really bode well for the show’s future, sorry to say. Let’s face it; without Samantha, the show doesn’t really work.
Worst episode: Have to go with “Tragically Hip,” as the show decided to craft an entire episode around Carrie’s hip surgery, squeezed in a sex scene so heinous I still have trouble shaking it, and wound it all up with some fat-shaming.
Best episode: Big’s funeral, which had some nice moments (especially Samantha’s flowers) back when we still had some hope for this show.
Season grade: C-
Finale grade: C
Stray observations
- Stray observation from my first And Just Like That… review: “There were so many shots of the cute podcast producer laughing that he is destined to become one of Carrie’s suitors at some point.” Nailed it!
- Yes, Carrie, we all know your husband is dead, but wouldn’t Berger’s post-it note been a much better breakup story for the podcast?
- Man, you can totally tell where the Chris Noth part got cut in the dream sequence.
- Final best outfit: I recently talked to Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago, the costume designers for this series, because even with all the plot derailments, for the most part I really like the clothes on this series. I asked them about their own favorite outfits on the show, and Danny mentioned that there was one in the finale that he was super-excited about, and I am 100% certain that he was talking about the orange dress and pink gloves that Carrie wears on the bridge. I love it because it’s super-dramatic, and almost wedding-like, as dumping the ashes is certainly a ceremony (that could have used at least a few words, in my opinion). Plus we already saw a bright wedding gown earlier in the episode with Jackie and Storm. Anyway, well done, Danny and Molly, the effect is stunning. It was also fun to talk to them about how yes, most of the outfits in the series are complete fantasy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t skim some of that style sense for our own wardrobes. I’ll have you know that I paired my snow boots with two different dresses this week!
- Final worst outfit: All that said, the pink monstrosity Charlotte wore to the they mitzvah was just horrendous, especially after all of her stellar ensembles this season. Like a combination of the worst bridesmaid dress and the worst mother of the bride dress in the world. Frumpy, plain, did nothing for her. As Anthony would say, “Hated it!”
- Can Rabbi Jen get her own show please? Because she was straight-up amazing.
- Final thoughts: You guys, I just can’t believe this is likely my last-ever A.V. Club TV weekly review. One of the first things I ever did on the site (in 2013!) was to do weekly reviews of Broadchurch, which was so fun. When I got hired here full-time, I was so excited that I wound up doing three different reviews every Sunday night: Once Upon A Time, The Affair, and The Family (at least The Affair had screeners). The Mindy Project. Masters Of Sex. Scandal (including my only F grade!). Even Modern Family for a while. I really loved the camaraderie that comes from the weekly review community (as we have seen on this show!), even when I stopped by and subbed on other series (was Under The Dome the most fun I ever had writing a TV review? Probably?)
Anyway, I always say this when I wrap up a season, but this time these words have more resonance than ever: Thank you for reading. Thank you for commenting, for reaching out to me on Twitter, for understanding that what this show did to Steve is a travesty. It literally means the world to me. This has been such a great gig, it’s almost ridiculous to call it a job. My sadness right now is fortunately being edged out by overwhelming gratitude. Catch you all on the flip side.
113 Comments
I was somehwat of a fan of the original series as I thought it had some really funny moments and good plotlines , and my wife loved it. We watched this Season together and hoped it would gradually improve.It didn’t. It sucks.
great costumes at the very least, and I actually liked Carrie’s plot, her obsessing over Natasha again felt the most true to OG Carrie and to some of the wild regressive shit we do in grief.but the show tried to cater to every criticism it’s received over the years and lost itself. Miranda’s storyline should have just been her coping with her sexuality and her substance disorder, instead of involving Che. I think it’s hard to make changes in your later life without people accusing you of being an asshole, but this feels like it should have been a multi-season arc that found a way to validate Steve in the relationship.Side note: it’s weird how upset people got that Che offered Brady a puff, nobody would have cared if it was a glass of wine lol.
Sexism is when you throw everything away for a man, whereas intersectional feminism is when you throw everything away for someone who isn’t a man.
So true. Women all just need to devote themselves to supportive domesticity! I’m so glad Miranda finally figured that out in her 50s!It’s so frustrating. One of the things I liked about her and Steve was how utterly comfortable he became with Miranda’s drive.
Um, what? Steve is constantly threatened by Miranda’s success and shaming her for being high achiever. Remember the honeymoon? she’s the one who’s wrong because she doesn’t want to hang for four days straight. (Yeah, I know they’re getting down on their honeymoon, but that’s few hours a day max. After awhile, you chafe).
Miranda not enjoying the honeymoon had nothing to do with being successful or a high achiever. You think successful people don’t take vacations?
Yes it did. She didn’t enjoy the honeymoon because she was bored. She wanted a more active vacation. Steve wanted a more quiet vacation. Everyone has different travel styles (my dad is go-go-go, which is too much for me, but I don’t like to laze on the beach either. I like a moderate amount of activity) but, once again, Miranda compromises to meet Steve’s needs, and has her honeymoon the way he enjoys.
What’s that got to do with a show about three hookers?
Discussing Sex and the City in a college class 20 years ago, we called this the post-feminist paradox – any choice a woman makes it the wrong choice because working and not working are equally wrong. A couple decades of girlbossing and leaning-in have just made it clearer that one of society’s essential functions is to make women feel inferior. And here we are with yet more Sex and the City to provide a mealy-mouthed, vaguely conservative dramatization of the process. The original show mocked Samantha for being a slut and Charlotte for being a prude, but its take on Miranda was a different kind of misogyny – her business drive and organization weren’t feminine enough, and she was perpetually unhappy as a result. Having her flame out and leave her family and career is in keeping with a long-term goal of cutting her down to size.
I don’t know what show you were watching but SATC NEVER mocked Samantha’s choices, it celebrated them. Sorry that you missed the entire point of the series.
Also, if you’re a gay business owner, you’re allow to run a super sexist business.
I don’t watch this crap. I come here to read Gwen review the mess. AVClub = whack. Gwen Ihnat = good stuff.
Reminds me of back in the day when I didn’t watch the original SATC but I religiously read all of the TWOP recaps.
TWOP–now that’s something greatly missed. I wonder if that kinda decentralized model of a pop culture website would work today?
Agreed. I have no idea why I read this stuff (although the write up is excellent) since I have watched maybe 15 minutes of the entire original series and none of this season. Beats working, I suppose.
Give the trans rabbi her own show!!
I would 100% watch a show centered around her. She was delightful! And smart! And insightful! And compassionate!
I had to look up who was playing Rabbi Jen almost immediately. Her name is Hari Nef. She’s one to watch for sure.
The writers and Cynthia Nixon being unable/unwilling to separate the actor from Miranda was a pretty embarrassing failure, but I liked much of Carrie’s storyline.
Instead of writing a complex portrayal of Miranda figuring out what she wants from life and/or coming out, we got this nonsensical wish fulfillment. What was even the point of having her leave her firm to go back to school if she’s just going to ditch everything to be a glorified groupie?
And what was that bit about her mocking Carrie for thinking Big might be in Heaven? Who does that to a grieving friend?Replace Miranda with Samantha, and this would have been a MUCH better show.
The problem with this show is the absence of Samantha. She was the best part of the original.
Too bad she’s stuck in 2050, telling her son about meeting his father.
And she looks great
Science has shown that mannequins who magically come to life have only a 50% chance of aging like real humans.
SaMannequin!
I regret I have but one star to give you.
There were seasons where she was the only one actually having any sex worth mentioning on Sex and the City, which even at the time looked like a design flaw.
The problem with this show is the absence of Samantha. She was the best part of the original.Let’s face it; without Samantha, the show doesn’t really work. Last line of the review. Actual last line of the review. I don’t normally hassle people for this kind of thing, but come on.
They would have ruined Samantha further, like they did Miranda. They stopped knowing what to do with Samantha after the first movie.
Best wishes to you Gwen, and to everyone at AVClub turning a new corner.
I didn’t watch this or even SaTC but I just wanted to come in and say I’ve enjoyed your work over the years, Gwen, here and the Takeout and how you would always happily hop into comments with us. What’s happened to this formerly great site and its writers is vile.Best of luck to you, fuck Jim Spanfeller, fuck venture capitalism.
And we thought Kinja would be the worst thing to come out of the Univision acquisition.
Being fused to the bloated corpse that was Gawker poisoned the well from the get-go. The AV Club never had a chance.
Well they are just a bunch of old women…. Who gives a flip?
People are sick and tired of white women, “Karens” if you will. No surprise this landed like a lead balloon. Everyone knows Kim Cattrall was the best part of that shit show.
Thank you for all the years of swimming though seasons with great observations and good cheer. The shows didn’t always hold up but your writing was honest and candid. You didn’t mention any future plans, hoping to see your talent elsewhere?
This reboot was a dizzying experience, oscillating between the horrific Miranda/Che storyline and promising new characters like Seema, and now Rabbi Jen, with both of these characters proving they can write good material and cast great actors if they want to. And let’s face it, this last epidose all but took out a full-page ad begging Kim Cattrall to come back.
this last epidose all but took out a full-page ad begging Kim Cattrall to come back. Yeah that’s wishful thinking. Michael Patrick King just emphatically closed the door on Samantha’s return. Probably because Kim Cattrall liked an anti reboot tweet that called the show trashy (she’s not wrong). MPK is also super defensive about Miranda’s awful storyline so don’t expect him to set that right. He’s also said some pretty obnoxious things about fans’ disappointment regarding Miranda and Steve’s marriage.
Agreed. Cynthia Nixon has been equally defensive about Miranda’s storyline (no doubt because it parallels her own life). “Why can’t Miranda change?” She can, but you turned her into a spiraling mess who suddenly forgot how to talk to a black person, cheated on her husband and hooked up with a grating character with whom she has zero chemistry.
it’s Miranda’s fleabag era. let her have it, she is only fictional.
Yes, I know you’ve been in the pro Miranda-Che camp throughout this series and good for you. Now, if you don’t mind, allow me to have my feelings about this fictional character. I’m far from alone. The overwhelming consensus of viewers agrees with me.
Well it turns out that MPK’s idea was to have a Miranda-Nya pair up*, but Cynthia Nixon talked him into changing it to Miranda-Che. So there’s that.Also I rewatched the first movie last night, and it just brought home how mind blowing Miranda’s hypocrisy over her affair vs Steve’s single episode of cheating is. Also the rewatch confirmed how over the top Kristen Davis played Charlotte in AJLT, like a caricature of her SATC Charlotte. We’ve all been so caught up in the Miranda trainwreck that Charlotte pretty much got a pass, but honestly she’s just not good either. SJP is the only one who really stayed true to her character and did a good job of it. I never thought I’d defend Carrie but she seemed to be the only adult in the room. And finally the issue of Samantha. The rewatch made it glaringly obvious the show needs Samantha. It just doesn’t work without her.*I could see that if it was done in a thoughtful, organic way and not the rushed mess that we got.
I really wonder if someone at the show has passively-aggressively been manifesting a personal animus toward Cynthia Nixon by making her signature character an absolute disaster.
I get the impression she entered the writers’ room herself and said ‘I have some ideas…’
That’s exactly what happened. MPK’s idea was for Miranda to pair up with Nya. Nixon talked him into making it Miranda and Che because Nixon thought it would be sexier (I’m not kidding, it’s in the doc).
Yeah, that’s not a surprise at all, and I’d guess she had far more input into her character beyond her choice of hookup.
All I can say is New York may have dodged a bullet when she didn’t win the governorship.
I wouldn’t say NY dodged a bullet but only because the gun never really went off. Nixon never had a chance.
I’ve enjoyed the show but I get the feeling the original wouldn’t have lasted one season in today’s absolutely brutal climate of criticism. This never had a chance at succeeding. There was certainly never a chance they’d succeed with introducing people of colour. If they had kept it lily white, there would have been a shitstorm. So they introduced people of colour and it was a shitstorm of bitching and complaining about how it was done. Damned if you do indeed. Finally, I really don’t miss Samantha with her astonishingly tacky fashion and her insistence on saying fabulous 17 times an episode. This show never had a chance at succeeding; critics, like this one, made sure of it. Funny how everyone I know who watched it is in the absolute core demographic(I’m the only guy), and they all enjoyed it for what it was, a fun chance to catch up with much-loved characters, and enjoy the SATC universe once again.
I’m sure everybody has seen it but, if you haven’t, Vulture has an interview with the writers talking about the major beats of the show and they are, unsurprisingly I guess, unrepentant and self-satisfied and highly patronizing towards their own audience.
Yeah very strong ‘We meant to do that!’ energy in that interview. Especially as pertains to Che, who apparently we were totally supposed to find annoying
To be fair, a very large percent of the love interests on SATC were extremely annoying. Especially the long term love interests. Few are hated universally by fans but most are hated by a certain segment of fans. Steve and Aiden are passive aggressive. Big is straight up toxic. Richard is somehow even more toxic.
Everyone loves Smith and Harry but Smith is a bit of a Gary Stu, so I’m not sure if he counts.
Maybe, but: all of those guys (except Richard, who I’m forgetting–Samantha’s rich guy? in which case I’d include him too, he did try to meet Samantha halfway) had annoying characteristics but were pretty charming, and we were supposed to see both. I think they kinda tried to do the same thing with Che–the weed in particular was A Bad Trait–but what I took from the Vulture interview is that we were supposed to find Che fundamentally annoying. And I think that’s a retcon–I don’t think Che’s ‘comedy concert’ was supposed to be anything but a big celebratory moment that told us why Miranda was interested in them, but now the writers claim it was *supposed* to be cringy! I don’t buy that at all, and I think they’re trying to reframe their intentions after it became clear that everyone hated Che. (It’s a version of ‘The Room is a quirky black comedy!’) I don’t think they would have spent all that time and energy on the character, much less have Miranda run off after them, if the point was to find Che a complete asshole. The character didn’t land, and is a big part of why this series didn’t work.
Apparently it was Cynthia Nixon who is responsible for the Miranda-Che pairing (it’s in the documentary). MPK’s idea was for a Miranda-Nya romance but Nixon went to MPK and got him to change it because Nixon thought Miranda-Nya wouldn’t be sexy enough. So yeah note to self: don’t let Cynthia Nixon make storyline decisions.Full disclosure: I did not watch the doc but the whole world and their sister is writing stories about AJLT and the doc. This one was a People story.
I would expect nothing else from that crew.
Condescending rather than patronising, surely?
Just wanted to note that Miranda’s story this episode is 100% mirroring Carrie and the Russian. “You’re living in a fantasy!”
Miranda’s story screams mid life crisis, which would be well worth exploring, but won’t happen.
It mirrors it, but the key difference is that Carrie was like, 35 and Miranda is 55 with a kid. Carrie actually had far less she was giving up for a childish idea about romance.
I couldn’t bring myself to watch the finale, so this review will have to do. I was hoping that they’d bring some self-awareness to the whole Miranda fiasco but it would appear that the writers doubled-down. I was afraid that would happen, which is why I didn’t watch.
People and Huff Post leaked the Variety story yesterday so I knew the finale was going to be garbage. I just watched to see how bad it was. Idk if I’d tune in for a second season because the fascinated-at-watching-a-train-wreck-in-progress aspect just wouldn’t be there. It’s really what made this season such a great hate watch. Every episode I’d be going, “Oh they really aren’t going to get worse…oh yeah they are.”
Gwen, thank you for your work. I read your reviews of shows on AVC I don’t even watch (including this one!) for your insightful writing, your excellent sense of humor, and to keep learning about how a good critic thinks about culture, both in the big, broad, important ways, and in those little and hilarious. Thanks for bringing your full self, and hope to see you in print elsewhere very soon. PS: if it makes you feel better, my 4 and 8 yr old also are infuriated/ infuriating every morning; it’s not just your teenagers. This, too….
Your employers are idiots. Thank you for all the work you did so we didn’t have to watch more tv.
I think we can all agree with that one, northerneye3 — I imagine we’ll be getting nothing more than recycled press releases and listicles now….
Goodbye Gwen! I wish you the best of luck wherever you go!
Gwen, I read about 9000 times more reviews than I watched the shows you were reviewing. Thanks for your awesome writing around here and on The Takeout.
Just wanted to second this. I didn’t watch most of this series, but I kept coming back here to read Gwen’s take. It’s a shame the people running this site are such asshats.
So glad I watched absolutely none of this. And I do have HBO Max.
It did make for a great hate watch. I mean they couldn’t have produced a bigger train wreck if they’d planned it. I suppose because everyone involved with the show seems oblivious to how truly awful it is is probably why it’s such a train wreck success.
I thought Carrie was going to break out the Post-it note story for the podcast.
I find myself getting confused between Carrie’s date and Carrie’s podcast producer/future date. They need to get some different looking actors.Mario Cantone had the best lines in the finale. I actually laughed out loud.
Hey Gwen I’m very sorry to see you go, but glad you will hopefully find an employer who isnt a dumpster of burning medical waste. I’ve enjoyed your writing, and was particularly thrilled 4 years ago when you did a write up on a two night fundraiser I produced in Portland with 3/4th of REM, 2/3rds of Sleater Kinney, M Ward, The Shins, Decemberists and others. You said some very nice things, and I appreciated it, then and now.
Be nice if the underwhelming series wasn’t promoted front and center. Why not stick the good stuff you’re excited about there?
Not only does Che suck as a standup, but they also suck as a partner. The absolute gall to ask Miranda to give up an internship she quit her career and went back to school to pursue all for a few stupid months in LA for a pilot that will probably never get picked up. What a selfish asshole.
Yeah, they should have kept Chris Noth in the last episode. They already shot it, I assume he’d already been paid…was it really worth it to throw away what was probably something fairly poignant? It’s not like it was going to revive a career that seems to be on life support. I get it: current morals dictate that when someone is accused of doing something wrong, their existence must be erased to the fullest degree possible, but at what point are you cutting off your nose to spite your face?
“when someone is accused of doing something wrong”There’s “person was accused of shoplifting at Wal-Mart” and there’s “multiple victims have come forward with stories of their sexual assaults at the hands of this person.” It’s not that subtle of a difference. Enough people in the audience are survivors of sexual trauma not to want to watch a serial abuser and even if the producers don’t give a fuck about them, they do care about the ratings they will lose if a quarter of their viewers turn off the show. It’s one of those nice situations where doing the right thing lines up with good business decisions.
Sorry, but a long-time sexual predator? On a show about and for women?What next? You want Harvey Weinstein to do a Gloria Steinem biopic, starring Bill Cosby?
Part of the reason to do it is out of fear it will be a big distraction in the scene. I’m not so sure it would be, but they don’t want to upset anybody.
This whole thing gave me the creeps because Miranda is acting just like one of my friends when she got in an emotionally abusive relationship… not to say that Che has showed any signs of being ABUSIVE but they do seem at least a little emotionally manipulative… I don’t know that this show will go there, (or that I want it to), but given the high rate of abuse that goes unreported in non-binary relationships (Morning in the Dream House), it was a little weird to see Miranda give up her whole self for a relationship… in a more sophisticated show this could be a real plot line. A person who OPENLY says they are a “narcissist”, catching another very vulnerable person, isolating the person, etc. etc. I just didn’t read this like Miranda is not a consistent character any more but more like “oh wow, this doesn’t look good”
That would definitely be an interesting exploration to do in S2… as long as they didn’t make it as heinously clunky as e.g. the drinking storyline.
Yeah part of me would HATE to see this be like “hey the one lesbian relationship we’re showing is sooooo messed up,” but also as someone that had a friend start dating a fairly successful musician who systematically changed her personality and appearance, made her abandon her friends and career, and moved her to a city where she was extremely isolated… I think Carrie is right to be concerned. It’s not romantic- Miranda deserves to be a little self-indulgent after working tirelessly, raising a baby, etc., but this isn’t it.
Oof, sorry about your friend.Totally re the only queer relationship being sour… I really do wonder where they’re going to go with this one. Especially after the breadcrumbs that Che was going to be not that interested or was going to be non-monogamous, none of which materialised.
Farewell, Gwen. The site will be poorer for your absence.
My take on the whole series was that it wasn’t as good as it could have been, nor was it as bad as everything said it was. I loved the fact that it addressed and celebrated the sexuality of “women of a certain age.” I thought Carrie’s grief was often so real and so lovingly depicted. I really identified with the wave that hit her upon finding Big’s albums. I loved Nya and Seema and the relationship nuances they brought to the story.
I hated the way they absolutely destroyed Miranda’s character. (Why was she such an idiot with Nya her first class? Why the hwole thing in Carrie’s kitchen? Why was she such an unbelievable asshole to Carrie thinking of her dead husband in heaven?) I hated the way they turned Steve into a stumbling bumbling old man. I HATED THE WAY THEY TREATED WILLIE GARSON. But most of all I hated the way they equated living your best, authentic life means treating everyone around you like shit. How do you abandon your best friend when she asks you to help her spread her husbands ashes? I know Rock is a little kid but how do they wait until the actual they mitzvah to bail? How do you spring a cross country move on your love at a party among a whole bunch of random friends? All that just really pissed me off. Che sucked (no need to elaborate) but I was happy we got to hear Sara Ramirez sing.Carrie’s Paris dress and hair were an absolute dream and I cried with her when she dumped the ashes. I’ll watch S2. I still care, I guess? Feels like the feedback has been loud and clear so hopefully the ship rights.
ETA I LOVED the rabbi! Loved her! I want a whole show around her!
Beautifully articulated. Heartily agree. Thank you!
Miranda basically tired of her husband when he showed signs of aging such as his deafness. She dumps him for a younger lover. And before she leaves to run off with them, she dies her hair to cover her natural grey. If Miranda was a man this would seem like such an incredibly desperate and pathetic mid life crisis.Also I’m not all that certain why a character like Che would tolerate such behavior from Miranda. After a brief period of hooking up, Miranda makes surprise visits, labels herself “the girlfriend” and ends her marriage. Wouldn’t any sane person be incredibly concerned about a possible stalker/obsessed girlfriend situation?
“Who better to host a They-mitvah than a trans Rabbi?” Hashtag Relatable Content. Seriously what even is this show?
What kind of looney would ask “Where is John?” and not “Where are John’s remains?” Pure contrivance.
Yeah, that was. . . a super weird way to say that. Normal people would just say, “Where are you keeping his ashes?”
it was, but the absolute seriousness with which SJP replied “he… died” more than made up for it. one of the best laughs in a series that was sorely needing more of them.
Thanks Gwen! It’s been a pleasure reading you, and I’ll be eagerly looking to see where you land so that I can continue to do so.
Can you believe that lamewad date ASKING for a kiss? It’s so much cooler when a coworker gets you alone in the workplace and kisses you without asking!
Oh, of course, because obviously she didn’t like it, had no attraction for the man, and didn’t move in for the kiss faster than the guy did. Gone are the days of spontaneity, of romance, of giving in to feelings of mutual attraction, of being in the moment—not because people are so much more concerned about one another’s triggers or whatever, but because everyone is so terrified of being labeled a monster on Twitter and being ostracized over harmless shit that used to be thought of as cute or funny or romantic or awkward.The way people seize upon things to be appalled about is truly ridiculous. No one is as fragile as social media would have you believe. If you are so delicate that an awkward or uncomfortable social interaction destroys you, get some professional help instead of inflicting your neuroses on the rest of the world.
I making fun of the fact this aspires to be the world’s wokest show yet it mocks the guy who asked for consent.
Best luck in all your future endeavors, Gwen! You’ve been a bright spot in the last couple of dark years.
Gwen, I’ve enjoyed reading many of your reviews over the years and will miss you! 🇨🇦
Just like The Golden Palace when Dorothy left, this show just isn’t funny or as interesting without the Samantha. dynamic. That plus the stories they told were mostly boring in this miniseries. I remember reading SJP and MPK saying that they had stories they wanted to tell people about these Women in their 50’s….
Is this the best they could come up with? Carrie’s hip operation episode? Miranda cheating on Steve? Steve turning into a dumb couch potato? Charolette’s daughter tampon episode? Her other Daughter wanting to be a Man? Che screwing Miranda while Carrie pees her Bed? Stanford just running off with someone young guy? Oh, and Brady fu*king his girlfriend in Miranda and Steves home! Ick.This really takes these people to places I didn’t want to see.
Sure, I kept watching but I will not put myself through that again. No more for me.
I will just continue to watch the original show and pretend this show never happened. What a mess
Mark Kermode was 100% right about these people.
Sorry to see you go, Gwen, you were a true highlight of the writing team. Hopefully by the time the last ashes of this site slowly crumble you and the other great writers here will already have another, less shitty gig.
I didn’t watch the show, but wanted to thank you for your writing over the years.
instead of a “they mitzvah” why not call it a “bart mitzvah”? it’s right there.
I watched this show sporadically back in the day and it was always underwhelming. Were there really that many viewers who thought this new iteration was going to be any better?
“Have you forgotten where you are? You’re in the dome, baby.”
Gonna miss you, Gwen!
Gwen, I am truly sorry that your last weekly review show was THIS one.
I had many, many issues with the series throughout, but I honestly enjoyed the finale, and I liked how it wrapped up the season… Especially Miranda finally acknowledging that she is behaving is such a off-character sort of way, and shouldn’t she have the freedom to do so, and even change her mind back later if she wants to. We can’t change the awful manner in which Stanford was written out, or the way it treated Steve, and the show isn’t the same without Samantha, but for some reason this episode felt more real than most of the others (save for the second ep). Also so happy to hear Che sing, Sara Ramirez has such a stunning voice. Go have a listen to some of her tracks in Monty Python’s Spamalot, those are the only Spamalot tracks I ever listen to. We shall see what the next series will bring, I can handle it.
I first started reading your views on Once Upon A Time (a show that somehow only got wilder as time went on), and enjoyed them so much I started reading your reviews for shows I wasn’t even watching. They had a huge impact on the way I enjoy and think about TV, on my ability to recognize craft even in shows I don’t enjoy, on my ability to criticize the things I love while still loving them… Thanks for all your work. I look forward to whatever you write next!
The best thing for me was seeing Sarita Choudhury again as I’ve said here before.Rabbi Jen should absolutely get her own show.The rest of the show was meh.
I’m so sad to see so many of you guys leaving this site. Your insights are actual writing. No one needs anymore listicles. Management types that don’t appreciate writing and journalism don’t understand that and have destroyed the nature of their product.
Best wishes and on to bigger and better things.
Mrs. F. and I were never big fans of SaMannequin, so her absence wasn’t a big deal to us. It was very nice of her, however to meet Carrie in Paris. Nice to know that relationship continues.And worst outfit? I thought for sure it was a lock for Miranda’s dowdy blue dress she wore to the Theymitzvah. But that’d be piling on I suppose.Thanks Gwen for all the great reviews. You hung in with Under the Dome longer than we did!
As a gay men the main attraction of SATC for me has always been the fashion. Everything else was just an excuse to look at fabulous dresses, especially the ones that were worn by SJP and needless to say she is the only character i care about. On those fronts AJLT didn’t fail me. So, i’m not complaining.
Stopped in to say best of luck Gwen, and that I’ve appreciated many many of your reviews over the years.
I always enjoy your reviews Gwen.Would you have preferred a 4th season of Divorce over this? Enjoyed your reviews for that show and I think it tackled 50-something women in a better and more realistic light.
I always enjoy your reviews Gwen.Would you have preferred a 4th season of Divorce over this? I felt it tackled the subject matter of 50-something females in a better, more realistic light. Enjoyed your reviews of that show as well!
God damnit it. Hate-watching Under the Dome paired with your on point snark was a hell of a good time. You’ll be sorely missed Gwen!