And Just Like That… unravels one of Sex And The City’s core couples
And Carrie revisits her past in the form of her downstairs neighbor
TV Reviews Sex and the City
It’s hard to think of a recent TV character more divisive than Che Diaz, but as we start another And Just Like That…, there they are, unfurling their bumper-sticker/self-help rhetoric yet again (“If you’re living your truth, then you’re a part of the revolution… You’re a part of the evolution.” Rhyming is fun!) It was actually nice to see them falter as they witnessed Miranda slinking out of the protest crowd away from her son. But I have never liked Che Diaz more than at the beginning of this episode, when they finally called out Miranda on her bullshit. Well, someone had to.
If you’ll notice, in that particular exchange, Miranda is nothing but defensive, and not at all apologetic for dragging Che unknowingly into a homewrecker situation. Yes, either of them could have brought the issue of Miranda’s marriage up way before this. But Che’s ultimatum becomes the lever to actually force Miranda to do something about her marriage—which is also bullshit. She and Steve have been together for decades, and he’s obviously a caring, compassionate person; she couldn’t just talk to him about how unhappy she was before?
Nevertheless, the eventual showdown scene between Miranda and Steve is undeniably the high point in an episode where, frankly, not much else happens, mainly a credit to the acting talent and chemistry of Cynthia Nixon and David Eigenberg. After so many years together, onscreen and off, the two have a seamless connection, which makes it so much more painful when Miranda destroys it. The show, as stated here and elsewhere, is really trying its hardest to paint Steve as a doddering old(er) man who holds no appeal for Miranda anymore (a hearing aid search? Really?). But as Steve rightly points out, this has been their dynamic for years. Miranda was always try to change him into something he wasn’t, way back to the SATC episode about the corduroy suit that led to their first breakup, instead of just being content with the way that things were.
But as Miranda acutely points out, content she is not, and is ready to punt her cute husband in favor of a preachy nonbinary podcaster. Anyone else think that Che’s desire for a “non-traditional” relationship includes sleeping with other people? And that Miranda is about to get a rude awakening?
In other news, Carrie’s past returns in the form of her beautiful, stylish, young new neighbor, who stays up too late and dates the wrong guys, otherwise known as living in your 20s. At Carrie’s hip surgery age, it’s easy to romanticize those past decades, when no one called you ma’am and you could rebound from a 2 a.m. weeknight without even a nap (no longer!) Carrie, as usual, overdoes things by skulking outside her neighbor’s door and brings her brownies after a fairly mild exaltation at the late night carousers on her front stoop. But Lisette represents both the good and bad of those earlier years, and Carrie’s embrace of the stunning Versace gown at the end signifies her growth past that stage: The good thing about being in your 50s is that you can pretty much do whatever the hell you want. And, hopefully, care a lot less about what other people think of you.
One of the things that bugs about this show (I know, I have a long list) is how even in this short ten-episode season, certain plotlines get dropped, never to be picked up again. Carrie didn’t want to stay in her old apartment, right, a few episodes ago when she yelled “This isn’t working!” to the walls? Yet here she remains, outflanked by her invading wardrobe.
Also, Charlotte and Harry’s ridiculous apology fight last week (thankfully) has disappeared, only to get Charlotte all hopped up on another non-issue. (This is the thing that scares me about being unemployed, that I will just get way too wrapped up in my own similarly aged kids.) The blowjob discussion lunch was funny, although I longed to hear a Samantha quip on the subject. But honestly, even if Lily fully processed what she witnessed in that bathroom, she should just be happy that she has two parents who are still into each other. Unlike Brady, say. Charlotte and Harry are a happy testament that marriages can stay strong across the years (not without some considerable effort, but still). Apparently Miranda and Steve drifted apart. It happens, even (or especially) with fictional characters. But man, that Brooklyn Bridge reunion in the first movie sure made it look like these two were in it for an even longer haul. Sniff.
Stray observations
- I liked Carrie and Miranda’s walk through the mall, pointing out restaurants that moved or closed. That’s what I also love about living in a city; it’s like the mosaic of my neighborhood is always changing.
- There’s no way that Charlotte doesn’t have a tracker on her kids’ phones. Even I use those.
- Best outfit: Going to applaud Carrie’s wearing of a message T-shirt over that breathtaking teal patterned ballgown skirt. But am tempted to award the winner this week to her embarrassing smoking outfit, which was hilarious, down to the purple gloves. Personally, I plan to start smoking again on my 80th birthday. Just hoping they still make Camel Lights by then.
- Worst outfit: What was that pearl ropey thing over Charlotte’s outfit at the blowjob discussion lunch? Her purse strap I guess? I just can’t.
- Next week: Besides Miranda trying to figure out what a future with Che might mean, it looks like Carrie and Jon Tenney attempt another date. See you next week for our penultimate episode!
120 Comments
So is the whole point of this show just to destroy everything that the original series built?
Does Miranda still have a drinking problem? I’ve fallen behind/sort of lost interest. These reviews aren’t sending me flying to the remote to catch up (thank God and Aimee-Leigh for Righteous Gemstones to keep me HB-occupied).
Oh right- That just disappeared also!
Thank you! And I mean…good, I guess? It wasn’t really going anywhere or developed.
I would have preferred they focused on that story, frankly, rather than the Steve-is-old-and-boring one.
I really don’t see where Miranda is this wild adventurous person who is longing for a new life. She has constantly made Steve feel like he isn’t good enough for her, and if she felt that way back when they were dating, why marry him? And TBH, when was she ever happy? I have a feeling she’s going to catch Che with someone else. I just saw the old episode where Big tells Carrie he’s engaged to Natasha or whatever her name was, and she stalks his engagement party at the Plaza to be all Katie to his Hubbell. Even back then, for SATC to compare their relationship to The Way We Were is blasphemy. Carrie wasn’t fighting Communism, she was trying to change a man who didn’t really love her enough to change. Please God, let Steve hire Harry to handle his divorce.
Please God, let Steve hire Harry to handle his divorce- YEEEEES!!
If Harry handles the divorce, Steve might fall in love with him like Charlotte did. That would be quite the unexpected twist.
I know it won’t happen, but I’d love to see Steve with some great woman who appreciates him, and Miranda left twisting in the wind.Someone on another site mentioned that he cheated on Miranda back in the the first movie, but he did that because of how she always treated him.
From your lips to God’s ears …
For real, this is draaaaagging
Which..odd right..it really, really felt like they were leaning into a “late career alcoholism” angle but I guess not?
I think she was cured by drunkenly ordering a book on quitting drinking. Not because she read it, but the fact she didn’t remember ordering it was wake-up call enough. Apparently.
that reminded me of the last season of Big Love where Barb was being stalked by red wine like an Elf on the Shelf…apparently HBO has no idea how to realistically (or at least not thuddingly-obviously) portray alcoholism
HBO also portrays sex as: always a well-lit woman on top while someone like Steve Buscemi is in the shadows and laying down so we don’t have to see him.
I’ve been saying “pens drawer” to people whenever I get the chance.
She poured her booze down the drain so she’s 100% effortlessly sober now.
In my opinion, Miranda isn’t an alcoholic but was drinking a lot to cope with her unhappiness. I think that when we saw her dump the alcohol in her house out it was showing that she was setting aside drinking enough to get healthy. The relationship with Che is supposed to be what Miranda was missing. I think thats the logic the writers are using any way.
Let’s see: Miranda drunk-ordered a book about stopping drinking (which order she initially, resentfully, blamed on Charlotte because it took Miranda awhile to remember she had placed it for herself), poured her booze down the kitchen sink, drank what looked like a non-alcoholic beverage at lunch, has not been shown drinking since then, but – although I hope not – may resume drinking after she becomes disappointed with the difference between the type of relationship she *wants* with Che, post-Steve, and the type of relationship Che is willing and able to have with her.
I’ve been following these recaps secondhand out of embarrassed amusement for this whole Che Diaz arc, but I can only assume that it’s leading to a big moral about not trusting these newfangled genderfluid poly weed-doing comedy people. Or at least not leaving your prematurely doddering husband over them.
It doesn’t seem as though Che is interested in monogamy. Che just assumed that Miranda was in an open relationship without even discussing it, then warned Miranda that they aren’t interested in a conventional relationship. I wonder if Miranda really understands what she’s getting into.
She doesn’t at all. There will be a rude wake up call. I hate this storyline.
Miranda’s got a fairy tale going on in her head and it better blow up in her face, but at this point I just don’t trust the writers. This storyline is the worst.
Steve should just get the hell out of that relationship, I’m surprised he stayed this long.
It’s juvenile, and also they are fictional characters, but I want him to “win” the divorce.
The only reason she’s still married to Steve is because he stayed. Miranda’s storyline is such a typical mid-life crisis thing — at that point in their lives, soooo many people blow them up. But I can’t give the writers enough credit for actually realizing that.I hope Brody stays with his dad. If he’s a normal kid, even at 17, he’s going to be pissed over his mom doing this.
Steve is happy eating ice cream and watching TV. Even though he clearly would like to have sex more often (as indicated in the one scene where Miranda attempts to initiate and he’s into it), he’s content even without it. He doesn’t know she’s unhappy because in true SATC-expanded-universe fashion, the last person any woman is supposed to talk to about her relationship problems is the person she’s actually in the relationship with.
Just wanna say thank you for being so terrific at your job. The readership will forever be in your corner!
Aww, thanks so much JS!
Just piggybacking on his comment to agree. You’ve always been one of my favorite writers here. I don’t even watch this show or like it, but I always read and enjoy your reviews of it because I sincerely enjoy your work and perspective.
Your reviews are very thoughtful and enjoyable. I have no interest in this show, but i always look forward to your analysis.
This is the case where Gwen’s reviews are 90% of my motivation for continuing with the series.
Oh sweet, a Gwen appreciation post! While I have no interest in Sex and the City or this new iteration, your integrity, eloquence, humor, and spirit has been a bright spot ever since I first came to this site and I hope you either make it through the current storm or find a place more deserving of your talents.
I’m going to piggy back off of this and say that you are going to be SO missed, Gwen. You really are one of the sites best writers, and your passion for each show that you cover really shines through week-to-week. Can’t wait to see what you end up doing next. Please keep your twitter updated!
If you’re waiting until the last episode before unleashing Tommy Cooper can we at least get some Bella Emberg?Seriously this has been the worst tribute show ever.
This show is so up and down. The Bad: The stuff with Carrie and her neighbor was “meh” but I laughed at her questioning how the girl could afford the place. Like who never asked that about Carrie? The Better: Seeing Charlotte’s glee as she dropped to her knees felt WAY out of character (but in a good way, I guess?) The Best: Having Steve call Miranda out on blaming unhappiness on him felt very much deserved. Good for him! I almost HOPE Che busts her bubble, but in a way that doesn’t make Che a typical gender-fluid villain.
I felt like that was on purpose (her questioning the neighbor’s ability to afford the apartment). Wasn’t Carrie rent controlled before she bought it?
Wasn’t Carrie rent controlled before she bought it? Yes. Carrie being in that apartment annoys the hell out of me. But then almost everything about this show annoys the hell out of me. Definitely hate watching.
The only reason I know about rent control is it’s constant use as a justification to have poor TV characters in apartments bigger than a closet.
It was rent controlled back then, but that wasn’t the unrealistic and ridiculous part. No that part goes to Carrie being mad at Charlotte for not giving her $30k to buy her apartment when the building went co-op. In an interview with one of the episode writers, they said that they and SJP agreed that Carrie would and eventually did pay Charlotte back off screen. Yeah no.
But how did Carrie get the money to pay Charlotte back?“A wizard did it”
Probably Carrie’s book success and I mean…she did marry Big eventually. Carrie became a rich lady with that marriage and now that Big has passed on and he had no children, she probably inherited his entire estate. Carrie is a genuine rich New York woman now.
I personally thought that the most ridiculous part was her ex-boyfriend agreeing to just give her his own apartment without question as part of the breakup.
And she was only able to buy it after she browbeat Charlotte into handing over the money for the down payment in the form of her engagement ring.
Nah—Che has been a grating presence through the entire season. As a viewer, I’m fine seeing the character get the villain edit. I am still trying to figure out the point of Lisa Wexley (since we have rarely seen her), and Nya Wallace was WASTED (her character would have been a great show of her own). Seema has potential as a character, especially after the Diwali episode, but I think Sarita as an actress is better than this show.If HBO gives it another season, this this will go into the same level of stupidity as giving another season of Westworld.
I’d love another season if if focused on the new characters, and the original three just popped in for cameos.
I always thought Carrie could afford her place because it was rent controlled and she’d been there forever – but I know nothing about NYC rents in the 90s. Even that may have been unrealistic for a not super famous columnist.It was her designer wardrobe and shoes that she clearly couldn’t afford. That screams moonlighting as a sugarbaby.
just remember it’s not ageism to treat a man as old and gross because he has a hearing aid, it’s ageism to expect you to stay with him! It’s ageism against the young to make them not step on old people, reverse ageism! This show has apparently walked down the street, found every pile of dog shit it could jump in, and taken multiple flying leaps
Are none of us going to comment on the fact that we all saw Harry’s dick this episode?!
That was a prosthetic, right? I doubt it was Evan Handler’s real penis.
I can’t Believe I didn’t notice. I had to rewatch. I’m sure a prosthetic!
Congratz, Evan Handler himself tweeted your comment!
Between this and my re-watch of Righteous Gemstones, I’ve seen a lot of penises this week.
Yes, we got an eyeful of D this episode, from Harry’s impressive member to the downstairs BF’s as he ran out. About time the D was freed, after seeing so much T&A everywhere.
I realized my main problem with this show – it’s a pilot. It’s similar to other recent series like Vida where you realize the entire season should’ve been one double episode, setting up the series.SATC as a series was about dating in New York. So really, you’d have Big die at the end of part I, and Carrie mourn in part II, and start dating, and writing, again, with the focus being on how one navigates being single in the city in their 50s. It would be interesting! She’d meet widowers, divorcees, have to navigate dating people with full-grown kids, etc. A throughline for the season could still be grief, but it’d be grounded in Carrie’s new dating adventures.Breaking Miranda and Steve up, which they already did for opposite reasons in the first movie (part of why this is so dumb) feels like a desperate attempt to replace Samantha, who would be the one diving into non-traditional pairings. Miranda and Steve, as well as Charlotte and Harry, should’ve been used to explore how couples’ sex lives change when their older.But the main thrust of the series should’ve been Carrie’s dating and sex life as a 50-something widow. What we got instead is this hodgepodge of nothing.
This is all so true! It does feel like a pilot. Even as it becomes clearer with each episode that this reboot is a big nothing burger, I maintain that there is a place for it if it had been well-executed (and it had the resources to do so! which makes it all the more baffling that it’s such a disappointment.)
I think they could have even dropped into the season with Big’s death having already happened – I honestly didn’t even need to see it. Or it could have been tastefully shown in flashbacks or something…they were happy, he died, it’s been awhile… NOW START THE REBOOT.
I felt like they used to be so good with nuance and the little details of relationships… and everything is so forced and cliché now. Honestly the sex and full frontal this week shocked me because it just seemed so random and like “oh, hey yeah remember this show used to have a lot of explicit scenes don’t forget!”
For me the highlight was the little meta call out to the girl downstairs’ ability to afford the apartment – but even that fell a little flat and could have been so much better done. Where is the original writers’ room team??
100 % – hell you could even theoretically start at the funeral – or maybe they’re having a one-year memorial or something so it’s not quite as sad. Carrie gives a moving eulogy which also acts as catch-up on her and Big’s happy life together. No voiceover through the whole episode. She sits down at her computer to write, but nothing comes to her. Maybe she tries a few lines (you know, like “And just like that…Big died”) but it doesn’t feel authentic. And then she realizes the reality behind what Big dying means, with all the terror and sadness and maybe even slight excitement behind it – “And just like that…I was single again.” In 30 minutes you have your whole setup for a worthwhile and fun series.
EXACTLY. Love it. Well said.
Well, Darren Starr is currently making Emily in Paris…
Yeah, a lot of the streaming shows, even reboots of shows like SATC that originally aired before streaming was a thing, seem to have this problem where the writers’ room doesn’t spend enough time asking “what are we doing here and what motivates our characters?” and instead jumps straight into filming. Like they have scenes they know they want to do and half-formed ideas about character arcs and then they try to reverse engineer a story to fit it.
It also feels like King really just wanted to do a SATC 3 and didn’t have much interest in the TV format. Which is even more of a shame because generally I think those movies are pretty bad and totally missed what made the series really good.
King knows no one goes to movie theaters currently and these ladies aren’t getting any younger. Better do it now before the next setting for the show is in an old folks home with them playing canasta. Heck there’s more sex happening in those homes than on this show.
While I’m enjoying the little fan services in the calling-out the downstairs’ neighbour and affording the apartment, and the exquisite mille feuille dress, and even the restaurant blowjob discussion scene felt *almost* back to its natural feel, these call backs are mostly just making me feel wistfully nostalgic for how good it used to be and highlighting how much they are failing at this reboot attempt.
Quite right. And the calling-out, then connection with, the loud downstairs neighbor reminded me of SATC s3e18: “Cock-a-Doodle-Do”.
“Sex and the City” Cock-a-Doodle-Do (TV Episode 2000) – IMDb
Right? Then, her apartment faced the back. Now it faces the front. Are we to believe it’s big enough to do both? Fired blunder etc…
I hate this. I really hate this. The show has always treated Steve like shit for reasons I’ve never fully understood, but tying it in with a coming out narrative for Miranda just feels gross.
I’m no fan of Che, but I at least appreciate that even their reaction was WTF?!
Steve was great in the beginning. He just LIKED Miranda, and he made things so easy that she didn’t know how to relax and let her guard down. And let’s be real, Miranda wouldn’t be happy if she weren’t the higher earner in her household. That said, I wonder if Steve would have become a fixture if Cynthia Nixon’s pregnancy hadn’t forced the issue.
I mean, the thing is, the reason for splitting legitimately can just be “sorry, but this isn’t right for me anymore.”Like. The need to justify this breakup as being someone’s fault is obnoxious. Steve wasn’t abusive, he wasn’t cruel, and he wasn’t even really absent. He’s just not right for her anymore. That’s fine. Unfortunately, that’s how life be sometimes. I’m frustrated that we always need to have a “reason” for a break up that’s deep or moral or something. Most breakups aren’t. They’re usually just two people who care about each other, but one isn’t right for the other one anymore.
I wish more fictional relationships would take notes from this song:
It’s because Steve tracks “working class” and the show is about not being that, no matter the cost.
I never got the Steve love. He’s whiny and passive aggressive and I think his and Miranda’s relationship was always there as the example of what happens when you settle for a man you’re not actually in love with, and I always hated that that was the storyline they saddled Miranda with, instead of giving her a real partner. On the other hand it’s rather realistic for a show that isn’t usually that, since there are so many couples out there where one or both partners are just kind of chugging along, unhappy but not so miserable they’re willing to blow up their life unless someone else comes along and forces them to.
I thought her reaction was a bit ridiculous tbh. If it was that important to her, you’d think she’d have talked about it at some point over the several weeks they were together. She was the one who initiated the first encounter, with Miranda never even hinting anything close to having been in an open marraige, and considering how much rarer open marraiges are compared to people just cheating on their spouses, it was kind of insane to just assume a woman who went along with it was in an open marraige and then never ask about it once. It would have made more sense if she had assumed Steve was just dead or they had divorced, because at that point in the series he had been out of the picture for so long that I pretty much had.
I was looking around iTunes for a new podcast, and discovered an HBO AJLT official podcast. The reviews are either psychotically adoring, or scathing. One reviewer pointed out that Michael Patrick King actually said he is not creative enough to come up for a conflict for Big & Carrie other than for him to die.Was this the last episode? And was the whole idea of this reboot to make us hate all the original characters? So that they would finally get this shit out of their system once and for all?
No, it was designed for MPK & SJP to pocket money HBO was stupid enough to give them for this STEAMING turd.
I didn’t see SJP doing any press for it, was she on any of the late night talk shows? This crap is making The Morning Show look like Masterpiece Theater.
I love SATC and hate AJLT, and I listened to the podcast out of morbid curiosity. It is infuriating. MPK and the writers are so full of themselves and refuse to acknowledge or reckon with any of the (very justified) criticism of AJLT. And they constantly use variations of the phrase “another show would’ve done _____, but WE chose to do ______”, the implication being that these writers are much more insightful and creative than anyone else. The podcast is truly just a circle-jerk.MPK and the writers seem to fundamentally misunderstand what it was that fans of the original show liked about it, and it’s led them to emphasize all the wrong things in AJLT (and in the movies, too). AJLT’s treatment of Steve is atrocious. If the show wanted to have Miranda getting restless in her marriage and deciding to leave, fine, that could be an interesting storyline. But the show is purposely making Steve seem annoying and unattractive and old in order to justify Miranda’s decision to unapologetically cheat on him, which is both lazy writing and makes Miranda seem incredibly selfish and stupid. Steve wasn’t a perfect husband (who is?), but he was kind and loving and respectful and it’s painful to watch Miranda treat him so callously. And it’s baffling that none of the other characters seem to care much about Steve. They’ve known him for over 20 years at this point!
Unfortunately times have changed and the behavior of those women just isn’t justifiable any longer. Selfish, spoiled brats who think the world revolves around them. We’re just not that into you… I don’t know who these writers think they are, but I am aware of quite a few tv shows that are brilliant at handling much more complicated plot lines than this nonsense. And the way Carrie still dresses. For the love of God, life isn’t a fucking runway show. She should auction off 90% of the stuff on those racks and donate it to several charities.
I remember thinking in this episode that the amount of clothes she owns is really closer to hoarding than any kind of quirky personality or a testament to just being really into fashion.
I just saw a Tweet yesterday pointing out that the women of the SATC revival are the same exact age as the Golden Girls. What a different time.
I keep thinking about the scene on the Brooklyn Bridge too. It made me cry when I first saw it. They belong together. Miranda is going to get a rude awakening when she realized Che is not into a relationship with anyone.
Miranda right now kind of reminds me of myself when I’m manic. Just burning everything down and jumping into whatever feels exciting. I know she isn’t bipolar, but nonetheless, the low phase is going to hit her like a ton of bricks.
It seems like they’re making Miranda considerably less intelligent in this series. Doesn’t she remember the lesson from the “He’s Just Not that Into You” episode?
Miranda, they’re just not that into you to be in a traditional relationship.
Wow Lilly still uses straws? #cancelLilly
I find it hard to believe she and her sibling still share the same sleeping space. That deluxe apartment in the sky has only two bedrooms?
Y’know what we’re missing? Carrie’s narration. In SATC it was those little “and just across town, Miranda was having her own rude awakening” etc etc that gave the show a common thread. This just feels like a random selection of scenes with no throughline. I’m bored. Even the Steve/Miranda scene felt slow and laboured. And Miranda – what happened to you?!
It does feel very disjointed. In this episode, there were two scenes of Carrie meeting her publisher almost back-to-back, with her not appearing in anything in between to have the plot move along. It made it feel like the two meetings must have occurred before and after lunch or something, but as the scene went on it seemed they were trying to indicate that a notable amount of time had passed between them.
Random thoughts:1.) Thank YOU for your excellent recaps. Each week, I look forward to your reviews more than the actual episodes.2.) Miranda deserves Che. That is not meant as a compliment.3.) I hope David Eigenberg got additional hazard pay for having to play Steve as a special needs husband.4.) When the spirit of the old show rears its head in a few scattered scenes (the blowjob discussion, Carrie’s sweet and touching convo with her neighbor at the end of the episode), it only exposes how terrible the new content is by contrast.5.) I’m really, really, really angry at the writers for the opening scene of this episode. It forced me to actually say “Che’s right” for the first time. It better not happen again.6.) Give Sarita Choudhury her own show. I. Love. Her.
Miranda is in for a Cleveland surprise.Why does SJP get the great lighting and filters and Cynthia looks like she’s 80 years old? She was always so cute with her short red hair and suits, it doesn’t even look like she combs her hair.
It’s the eyebrows. They used to be sort of flat/not angular. Now she looks like Uncle Leo when Elaine drew on those Angry Bird style eyebrows on his face.
Good. She deserves it. Although I wouldn’t mind a plot twist where Miranda buys Che a Peloton and hopes for the best. As far as the lighting, etc., it seems to vary by episode. They made SJP look absolutely garish in the hip replacement episode. There are some scenes where Cynthia looks fabulous, and others where they make her look horrific. I wish they would let Cynthia show her current real-life hairstyle with short, chic blonde look.
I think they’re laying the groundwork for a twist down the road. Remember Steve’s mom in the original series? I bet Steve is in the early stages of dementia which is going to put Miranda in a difficult position…
They sure dropped Miranda’s drinking problem quickly . You would think that would be a problem in her marriage with Steve. Instead it was just about about her being unhappy and steve just going along. I can’t believe what they’ve done to his character. I’d love him to still be in the show and find happiness
I think it will come right back after Che fails her and leaves her out in the cold.
I’m starting to feel like the show is on par with a high school reunion. It’s nice to see old friends, and some of the event may be fun, but it’s not the same as it used to be.Did we ever see Carrie’s fancy front hallway or staircase before?
No, we never saw it before. The writers talk about that on the podcast about this episode. The podcast is not very good, btw; I don’t recommend it.
I’m at the point where I wish they had never brought Steve back at all. They should have split up as part of the backstory. I don’t recognize Miranda anymore; she is headed straight off a cliff, and it’s strange how she isn’t thinking about Brady’s reaction at ALL.
Exactly. They made a very smart character stupid AND a giant asshole. It’s disappointing.
The writers made Steve a dumb jerking starting around his second episode. He’s been a dumb jerk for most of the show. This is not new.
I’m here for this crazy ass Miranda! Let the girl burn it all down!
These women are the same age as the Golden Girls Actors when Golden Girls came out.
Anyone else notice there are far fewer jokes in this series than there were in the original?
I kinda fell out of watching this… But something just seems missing. I am hoping to see it click together at some point. It’s not just Kim Cattral missing either. Something feels hollow with it right now.
WOKE MOMENT!
they did this show much better in the 80s, its was called Golden Girls.
Not watching the series. But just wanted to comment that of all the girls different spouses and flings, Steve is the one I had the hots for. (gwm here)
Writing about a show like this is like shooting fish in a barrel. But at least get the details correct. That was the Chelsea Market, not “a mall.” It’s something any true New Yorker should know intimately.
I’m not a New Yorker, true or otherwise, so appreciate the clarification.
Ah, thought you were. Manhattan only has one real “traditional” mall, Manhattan Mall, a mishmash of stores where Gimbels used to be and a place where these characters would never set an expensive shoe in their JC Penney, Hallmark or GNC (and also sadly dying from the Pandemic like so many businesses). Chelsea Market is the Former Nabisco factory, where the Oreo cookie was invented, and it’s been trendy, quirky, appropriately highly priced for decades, is always hungry for free national publicity, and is also near the actual location Carrie’s magical rent controlled village apartment in the West Village (though I see on the show it’s supposed to be on E. 73rd St).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_Market
It also occurred to me that I should have said, “like shooting fish in a Cosmopolitan.”
Chelsea Market is for tourists… doubt Carrie and Miranda would bother to go in there. When I realized that’s where they were, I rolled my eyes.
Ha. Of course they’d go there. All of Manhattan is for tourists now. Hardly anywhere to escape it. Sure, they should have bought designer chocolates at Lilac, but you can’t do a walk and talk in a 10×20 shop
Not entirely — Chelsea Market is also one of the few remaining places you can shop for groceries in the West Village now that Citarella, Jefferson Market, Food Emporium and the C/Town on 8th and 14th are gone. There’s the food stores in Chelsea Market, Westside Market on 7th and 14th…and otherwise, that’s about it unless you want to hike to the East Side and shop at Whole Paycheck Foods or Trader Joe’s.
One of the reasons we eat out or order takeout so much when I go visit my best friend living in the West Village is because there’s almost no place to shop for groceries down there any more. I sometimes feel like I’m carrying CARE packages to my poor friends in the West Village.
The show, as stated here and elsewhere, is really trying its hardest to paint Steve as a doddering old(er) man who holds no appeal for Miranda anymore (a hearing aid search? Really?) I agree with the general critique of how Steve’s character has disintegrated into a shell of himself however the hearing aids are inspired by David’s real life hearing loss and something they wrote into his character.I think what frustrates me about this turn of Miranda’s storyline is that they’re going out of their way to not make her responsible for any of her choices? She first hooked up with Che in the middle of her drinking problem and now they have Steve just letting her go out of exhaustion. It’s a disservice to the really impeccable storytelling of their original courtship and I really did appreciate that he said his peace. I don’t know if Miranda’s going to have a face crack moment in someway between going through her divorce and pursuing what she wants with Che vs. what Che wants but there still might be some interesting gems to mine. That said, I wish they had at least used Steve’s prior infidelity as a jumping off point in the conversation of having different wants/needs or even shown that hard part of the conversation instead of jump cutting as it were to her speeding off. She’s definitely on a high tho – so much so that she sort’ve breezed past everything Steve said and his feelings – and I’m sure that’s going to become a set-up in some way to splash reality into her face next week.
I think it’s less about the hearing aids and more about the fact that he went and lost them down the back of the couch. Added to the earlier scenes of Steve getting confused at the market and shouting loudly and angrily like a moron in front of her cool college professor (first time he’s appeared on screen in weeks too btw and this was all we see of him), and it was clear they were setting it up to give Miranda a good excuse to want to ditch him.
I haven’t seen the movies, but I think Steve’s behavior in this episode tracks with his character in the show. He is constantly taking Miranda’s desire for more as a personal attack. He does it again, here.
I’m not saying Miranda is always in the right. Sometimes, she pushes a little too far. But he’s constantly taking it personally that she is an ambitious person who wants a lot out of life. And here he is, doing it again, responding to “I want more than sitting on the couch” with “so I’m not good enough for you.” He is as passive aggressive as always!
One thing I like about this show is that it reminds us
that the decisions of your earlier years do not have to be permanent.
You can use your accumulated experience to gather the courage to make
important changes. When the
show finally gave him a chance to talk, we learned that Steve has spent
the last 20+ years knowing he’s “not enough” for Miranda.
That’s brutal. He is now free to find someone who isn’t settling
for him, and Miranda is now free to figure out what she really needs. That’s what Che’s pep talk at the opening was about. The sexualty angle is a red herring.
When I used to smoke sneaky cigs, I’d keep the box in my outside freezer, sit on my porch with a little box fan next to me, blowing away; I’d wear a pair of latex gloves, and I’d put the ashes and butts into an old Dr Pepper bottle I’d hide under the bench. Then I’d throw away the full bottle at the bottom of the trash can before we pulled it to the curb!
Hi, there was a slight incorrection on this review. Carrie didn’t want to be in her apartment she had with big anymore as it was “haunted” not her brownstone. Also when she shouted this isn’t working that was in the new apartment in downtown when that thing was beeping all night and she couldn’t find it so that wasn’t her brownstone either. I am really enjoying “And Just Like That…” I’m liking seeing the other side of the glitz and the glam that SATC showed, and they are embracing stories that most of us are experiencing ourselves be it aging, relationships fading and even though it was quick death. But one thing this show really needs is Samantha!!
You’re right- when Carrie was reading in her old apartment, she said, “This isn’t healthy” to the walls, and said “This isn’t working” to the new apartment.
“But as Steve rightly points out, this has been their dynamic for years. Miranda was always try to change him into something he wasn’t, way back to the SATC episode about the corduroy suit that led to their first breakup, instead of just being content with the way that things were.”
Why can’t Miranda buy Steve a suit, so he fits in at her law firm party? Why is this her fault? And not the fault of his easily bruised ego?
Steve takes every desire Miranda has as a personal attack. Sometimes, yes, she doesn’t think he’s good enough. But plenty of the time, she simply wants something different than he does or wants more. And he invalidates her needs by claiming they are a personal attack. He even does it here, in this episode. She wants to do more than watch TV every night, for the rest of her life. He immediately responds with something about how she doesn’t think he’s good enough.
She has never enjoyed sitting still (the cuddling, the honeymoon) but she’s compromised for him. Where is his compromise for her?