Everyone is afraid to take the next big step on And Just Like That…
From tampons to dating to job transitions, change is usually difficult
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Transitions can be terrifying. Sometimes taking the next big step seems impossible. As I stare down the barrel at my final few months of employment here at The A.V. Club, I find that I am stress-eating like someone with a tapeworm the size of a garden hose. Seriously, I feel like I am more likely to be eating than not eating at any given time. It’s been days since I’ve felt actual hunger pangs. We get so comfortable/complacent where we are, what is there to compel us to make the next move, even though we may ultimately wind up in a better place?
For Lily, finally entering the world of tampons means that she gets to go to a pool party in the Hamptons. For Carrie, latching on to Big’s wedding ring means that she rejects a date with Jon Tenney’s Peter, who does seem to be a pretty nice guy. The fact that Steve is clinging to his now-dead marriage impedes his ability to ever be able to move on with someone else. Andre and Nya’s inability to come to an agreement on what the next phase of their lives will be may cause an irreparable tear in their marriage.
And sometimes we rush into the next stage when we really shouldn’t, as our formerly confident, capable Miranda becomes a giggling, stammering schoolgirl in her relationship with Che. That staircase scene was probably the worst in a series of neverending humiliations for Miranda related to her Che obsession. When Che comments, “This isn’t going to work,” Miranda becomes downright unhinged. A few weeks ago I cited a Vox article that posited that And Just Like That…’s goal appears to be to humiliate these beloved characters as much as possible. Like when Charlotte, who shat herself in the first movie, now has a period accident in the brightest white jumpsuit imaginable. But Miranda, the woman who coined the phrase “He’s just not that into you” (even turned into a terrible movie!) should not be cowering around Che’s doorstep. Again, I’m almost mad at this show for making Che relatable, when they, like everyone watching, wants to know what the hell is going on here. This Miranda is almost unrecognizable from the sardonic redhead we loved before.
Charlotte’s transition into full-on mom mode is much less surprising, and I liked Cathy Ang’s fits of teen angst as Lily wrestled with the tampon problem. (I went through a whole box of Playtex to figure it out myself, while my best friend coached me over the phone, then freaked out when one of the applicators appeared to be missing, convinced that it was floating around in my uterus somewhere.)
But honestly my favorite moments in this penultimate episode belong to Carrie and Steve. Have we ever seen these two interact on their own before? (I feel like at one point Steve asked Carrie to please leave his friend Aidan alone, as it obviously was never going to work out between them. But that’s all that comes to mind.) Nevertheless, they are characters with decades of history between them, and both grieving. Carrie stressing to Steve that he’s a wonderful, wonderful person who deserves to be with someone who loves him was way overdue, but at least someone said it! It appeared that Steve’s inability to move on, Miss Havisham-like, is what finally springs Carrie into action. You can’t waste the rest of your life just wishing that things were different.
That’s what change hopefully brings us, after all, right? A new happiness to replace our fading older one. We just have to be strong enough to move on. As a fellow fiftysomething like Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte, that’s what I’m counting on, anyway. Just as soon as I put down the Ben & Jerry’s pint I’m having for breakfast.
Stray observations
- Best outfits: Hard to believe that Carrie and Seema couldn’t get into the club, what with Carrie’s breathtaking rose-patterned shift and Seem blessedly breaking out of her monotone earthy hues for a sapphire blue dress that was just stunning on her.
- Worst outfit: Charlotte’s string tie blouse from the American Girl prairie collection.
- Worst accessories: Why would anyone wear high heels like that to a painting event? Or thigh-high lace-up boots for that matter.
- If you’d like to see Cynthia Nixon in a less annoying role, I highly recommend HBO’s new The Gilded Age. It’s like Downton Abbey but in New York, and a few decades prior (although creator Julian Fellowes has said that it exists in the same DA universe). Some critics are calling it out for style over substance, but I found it immediately addictive and yes, the gowns are to die for. And Nixon and Christine Baranski as a pair of maiden aunts are extremely fun to watch.
- Wouldn’t Anthony, owner of a bread company, bring the bread to dinner? Nonetheless, he was delightful as always and his immediate “Get out!” to the Holocaust denier made me lol. Guess that guy is definitely reading the wrong books.
- It was fun to see almost all of the AJLT’s new characters interact at the painting thing. Personally, I want to see a trio teamup of Nya, Lisa, and Seema, they are all such powerhouses.
- Cue Seema and the club owner hooking up in 3, 2, 1…
- I know most women have had one, but I had a period accident in the eighth grade that haunts me to this day.
- Seriously, someone as fabulous as Seema doesn’t have a ton of friends to go out with on her birthday?
- What happened to the black diamond Big bought Carrie at the end of the second movie; wasn’t that their commitment ring? I don’t get these plot holes, do they think we won’t remember?
- Next week: The finale, y’all. We have a lot of fun stuff coming up for it: I talked to AJLT costume designers Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago about how they revisited Sex And The City’s fashion sense for this new series, and frankly begged for advice on how to break out of my own stretchy pants wardrobe. Saloni Gajjar, who already called out Sarita Choudhury as the show’s underused MVP, has an interview with the actor also running next week. We will also speculate on what could happen in this possibly final episode. And look for an article about the character of Che on the site later today.
And will there be a season two? Stranger things have happened, after all. Have a great week, stay warm, and we’ll see you then.
93 Comments
We watched as The X-Files reboot destroyed Scully, and what this show is doing to Miranda is just as bad.
I cannot believe after all the buildup we were not given a scene of Miranda surprising Che in Cleveland. Every episode seems to have a time jump of several days and/or weeks and I do not understand this decision. This episode seems to be several weeks after the last episode. I understand that with only ten episodes they are on a time crunch but it just feels so disjointed.
True. Where is Miranda even staying now? Is she still living with Steve?
THIS! How have they glossed over such an incredibly salient topic? Getting divorced & losing/splitting up your home is typically one of the most traumatic parts of the whole ordeal. Whether you wanted to get divorced or not, it’s a major disruption to your life, no matter if you stay in the home on your own or have to move out.
I always appreciated how this was done in the original series…it was never quite clear exactly how much time had passed but there were subtle clues to it that felt real and lived-in. But it’s not being recreated here and it’s so frustrating!
Youre right! In the original it felt very organic but in this reboot they keep setting up cliffhangers and then not delivering. Instead it picks up weeks or days later so it feels very disorienting. I dont know if they are trying to recreate the original feel but if so it isnt working
Also I was sure one of the fans in the diner was going to say, “…and you slept with another of my friends in Cleveland!” but maybe that was on purpose… like with the whole stairwell conversation clearly – and very clunkily – meant to make us think we knew where it was going and then it didn’t. Not cute, those fake-outs.
I agree. They also faked us out with Miranda calling herself “The girlfriend” and Che clearly being uncomfortable but letting it go. They have done that a few times with the two of them and then had the confrontation in the stairwell instead which was awkward and unhinged.
Did Charlotte get a job at a car wash? Or as a housepainter? WTF is that white monstrosity? We knew what was coming for Miranda and Che. Cynthia Nixon is unrecognizable as Ada in The Gilded Age, if all you know of her is Miranda. Her voice is sweet and soft, her demeanor that of an older woman who always had to be a bit subservient to her sister. The first episode is setting the table and about 40 minutes of it is rather slow, but it steps into high gear toward the end. You start to see what is going to be coming up, and watching Carrie Coons plot her revenge in the last scene is almost scary.
Carrie Coons is fantastic and her gowns are… *swoon*
I thought her hats were a little over the top but then I saw the other ladies. I knew how that party was going to end. You could see that coming a mile away. Carrie doesn’t seem old enough to have a son that age, but I guess they all had babies a lot younger. I thought that was Vera Farmiga’s daughter playing the Russell daughter, but apparently it’s her 27 year old sister!! WTFI wonder if Pumpkin is the same King Charles Cavalier they used in AJLT for Richard Burton… ha
You don’t know Taissa Farming is? She’s a great actress. I hope she gets something good to do on The Gilded Age other than look like a deer in headlights.
No I have to say I wasn’t. I saw her name in the credit and assumed she was related to Vera, but had no idea she was 27 years old.Yes that poor daughter needs more to do than look like she just saw a ghost. And why is her mother so against her coming out? I saw the end of the episode on reg HBO last night so got the previews of the season. It’s going to get really good. Christine Baranski starts getting off some one liners that would make the Dowager Countess jealous.
Agreed, the preview really has me excited for the rest of the season.
I liked the first episode of The Gilded Age, but Christine Baranski is not playing a “maiden aunt” as the review said—she’s a widow. (Cynthia Nixon’s character is the maiden aunt.)
Or more appropriately, she’s a dowager.
I have really like Carrie’s storyline minus what they did with her and Samantha. I kinda like that she is have platonic love story with Seema. Also, I am sure Seema does have other friends but as I become the last single, childless woman standing in my friend group….well…they just can’t go out as much as me. Thankfully I have a other child-free friends but it has been an issue.
I can’t stand Miranda now. I really can’t believe this has happened.
Lastly, I appreciate the low key pro-vaccine take this show has done. They bring is up casually in a way that is realistic.
Again, I find myself angry with this show for making me sympathize with Che. (That doesn’t count as liking them). The title of this episode should have been “Steve Deserves Better”, as that convo between Steve and Carrie was incredibly touching. Anthony’s “GET OUT!” had me laughing for so long that I had to rewind to start the next scene over. And is it me, or has Kristin Davis forgotten how to act? She’s now delivering every line with the volume dialed up to 10.
Kristin had some really awkward deliveries this episode, like on the word “regularly”
Not to sound crass or judgmental, but I fear her botox/filler procedures are actually intefering with her diction. That’s not uncommon.
I thought maybe she was overacting with her voice because her face doesn’t move as much.
I did thank that perhaps her facial expressions aren’t as emotive as her voice and it the contrast makes it seem like she’s overacting. But then I rewatched episodes from the original series to compare. It’s definitely her voice. She’s overacting.
I would have to imagine it’s not dissimiliar to trying to talk when you’ve been outside in the cold for a while, your mouth just doesn’t want to move normally.
Same thing happened to Mika Brzezinski. She gets fillers & Botox and then can’t talk. Which when you cohost a three hour news show, is kinda important? Not that she ever has anything worthwhile to say.
Seriously. She was borderline hysterical delivering all those tampon lines.
Sadly, the actress playing Lily was even worse… Yeesh!
Honestly I’m all for Miranda being a this gal. I already find myself becoming complacent with things that aren’t going to make me happy in the end, this is like a warning to me that it gets even harder to change those things later in life and everyone will write you off as an asshole no matter what.On another note, I rewatched Breakfast at Tiffany’s the other night and it kind of made me think it would be weird if we revisited Holly Golightly in 20 years, and then I was like well I guess this is kind of what this show is doing with Carrie Bradshaw. Lots of similarities between both women as cultural icons but they seem to encapsulate a certain time. But it’s interesting to watch, and the internets reactions to change etc have been some of the more eye opening things in the series.
I love that movie til she throws Cat out of the taxi, and then when she finds him hiding in the box… He looks like my girl.
Next big step back onto the Peloton?
I don’t think she has room for it in the old apartment.
We have seen Carrie and Steve alone before. On a stoop. Carries asks about how Aiden took their breakup after running into Aiden’s post-Carrie ex.I think Steve was sleeveless and playing with a basketball because he’s adorable. FREE STEVE.
Right, I believe that’s the scene I was thinking of above.
That episode was a little weird. I’m not sure why they had Heather Graham as a guest star only to eat a pretzel.
This was after the situation with Big & Natasha, and Carrie was stressed that even a celebrity like Heather Graham knew what happened.
And then Stanford geeks out over meeting Heather Graham, which is just adorable.
Steve’s hotness snuck up on you. Was he a bit of a slob at times, yes. But what man isn’t.He’s a good guy. They are a rarity.
Steve is a passive-aggressive jerk. He is a good guy in some moments, but he is constantly ignoring Miranda’s boundaries in SATC.
I was watching with my wife, the first few episodes, and had to tell her how awful i found it. And then she got a nostalgia bug and decided to start watching the original show, season 1, and immediately i picked out what you were saying about Miranda. Watching the old show vs the new, it’s just so jarring. She was sophisticated and independent and normal! Now she’s a stuttering mess.“a b.b.b.b.black person????” or “you’re a l.l.l.l.lesbian???” as if she didn’t interact with both (well, the former not so much) in the original show. But that’s often a problem of shows written by old white people who think they have something to say about cancel culture or whatever. It comes off so hamfisted (which is why ultimately I also didn’t like White Lotus…anytime the characters broke out into debates about the plight of white people in cancel culture society i was cringing…those scenes were on par with the equally bad writing in “The Morning Show” when it came to these topics…) Can writers just stop it with projecting their insecurities in how to talk to minorities onto their characters? Especially well established characters like Miranda?
I, too, thought the writers room MUST be full of middle-aged white folks, when, come to find out, it’s actually “diverse” in both race and gender…(my source being NPR’s “Pop Culture Happy Hour” podcast.) Making it all the more perplexing why these things are being dealt with so… clunkily.
At least the first episode, that had me cringing most, was written by Darren Star (1961) and Michael Patrick King (1954). and I wonder if despite the diversity, they have a larger hand in what is on screen which leads to this clunky dialogue that is literally “I’m old and white, how do I navigate this world of black people and their hair? Let’s make Miranda my stand in!”(not quite as bad, but very noticeable in terms of how much worse this show is compared to the original is Carrie and sex talk. Her column was blowjobs and threesomes and anal sex, but on the podcast when they ask something not that crazy she turns into the biggest prude “heavens to betsy, I suppose once I shook a boys hand at a public dance!”. You’d think it was all new show runners with how little they seem to get the original characters!)
(also, can these writers write actual funny lines for the supposedly hilarious comedian?)
I agree, they should have just made Che a humorous motivational speaker. That type of performer is more likely to have a podcast and a rabid following anyway.
Right? They are painfully unfunny for a supposed comedian.
I’m a middle aged white person. I’ve been around and had friends who are POC and LGBTQ since high school. A few of us actually know how to interact with all sorts of people, and we don’t generalize about one group being a certain way.
My point was obviously about representation and perspectives through storytelling derived from actual experience, not storytelling through perception by way of going to high school with members of marginalized communities. (But you knew that.)
Exactly. When we randomly cut to the couple discussing having children, it feels like a white-guilt apology for not including more POC in the first series. Because there’s no way even the writers find their plotline interesting. We don’t even know them. Why would we care they might break up?
This! Miranda was in a somewhat serious relationship with a Black doctor! And she left him to get back together with Steve!
And now she starts the season basically doing the “hey, black person, can I touch your hair?”Soooooo bad.
Why would anyone in their right mind even think that, let alone say it?I have complimented Black women friends or neighbors on a new style, etc., but touch it? Get the fuck out. Hair, pregnant stomach, whatever. Don’t touch other people. Jesus Christ.
I don’t think a lack of diversity in the writer’s room is the issue, as others have pointed out. For me, it’s the approach they’ve taken to frame the characters in the reboot, as if each of the original women were cryogenically frozen for the last 20 years and just climbed out of their chambers to “ooh” and “aah” at all the changes that have taken place since they went into a self-induced coma. Take the above and mix in a Miranda that is now behaving like Carrie at her worst in her early 30’s, and add to that a character who is the biggest disservice to the image of queer non-binary people currently in existence.
Especially considering Miranda slept with hot team doc for the Knicks, Robert Leeds, aka Mr Hotness himself, Blair Underwood.
Speaking of things they think we won’t remember…
The “cool club owner” is TONY from PRADA and it’s so annoying to me when they reuse actors like this! They’ve done it before – with Justin Theroux – (and maybe someone else…?) I mean, it’s totally believable that he could still be Tony from Prada who graduated from high-end retail to owning the hottest club in Brooklyn…and at first I was like, oh cool they’re going to do that! And then Carrie walks right passed him in the last scene and it’s clear they just meant for us to forget about poor Tony. 🙁
Worst line of the episode:“Damn, that’s some grade A fathering over there.”WTF? Who are you again? Why do I care you want to be a father?
I don’t think even Carrie Bradshaw would opt to paint in open-toed heels.
I am not usually one to nitpick TV plots for “believability” but since this is ostensibly supposed to be a boundary-pushing show dealing with women’s issues, the whole tampon storyline was ridiculous.I refuse to believe that ANY person with a uterus watching this episode heard Charlotte’s line “You have two choices: learn to use a tampon or skip the pool party!” as anything but insane and wildly backwards.We all know by now there are many other options for menstrual hygiene, including the cup…I thought they were going to make this about the difference between the old generation (Tampax/diaper pads) and the new (menstrual cups, period panties etc.). Instead it was just an excuse to have MORE gross-out body fluid humor and humiliate Charlotte even further?! What the actual f.
For a second I forgot and thought Lily was the transitioning daughter. I thought that’s why she was so adamant about not using a tampon. So why was she so against it?
A lot of young girls are uncomfortable with internal options. My daughter sailed through that with a lot more grace that Lily, but we had discussed options way ahead of time since she is a competitive swimmer. From conversations with other moms, though, I know that some girls just aren’t ready to go that route.
gotcha. Is that the difference with pads, I guess? Not internal?
Yeah tampons can be scary when using them for the first time. I’m in my 30s and I used them from my first period at age 12/13 until my 20s, when better options finally hit the mainstream. Now I haven’t used a tampon in years, nor would I want to unless I had no other options.
Yup. I was wildly uncomfortable with the idea of tampons and didn’t transition to them until just before my senior year of college. (I had a bad accident overnight and was disgusted into immediate transition. My mom helped and suggested lube.)
Any of you old enough to remember the belt and the sanitary pads the size of a six inch sub sandwich? Talk about your fun times. And tampons were Tampax only, with cardboard tubes. It was basically sticking a cardboard tube up the vajayjay. My best friend showed me how to use Tampons, and my mother about had a heart attack. I think she thought it was a gateway drug to sex or something. No, Mom, as a cheerleader, I’d like to not have that fucking pad between my legs when I’m out on a basketball court and my skirt twirls around and people think I put my entire wardrobe of socks up my ass.
Oh my God, I’m dying! Yes, I just barely remember actual sanitary belts. My grandmother called them “Kotex.” Remember the cardboard tubes as well–what do they look like now? After the first Are You There God-inspired flush of womanhood, I hated getting my period and was thrilled when early menopause happened.
I know that, but acting like a tampon or missing the party are the only two options??? In 2021/2??
She could have gone to the party and not gone swimming. It’s not like you’re banned from a pool party if you’re not in the pool.
A lot of young women are intimidated by tampons. Many teens have never put anything in their vagina before. Of course they’ll be nervous about inserting a plastic applicator. They’ve never tried to penetrate the area!
I was hoping to hear more sympathy from Charlotte because she has a titled uterus (it is only mentioned in one episode of SATC, true, and it never comes up again… but it stood out to me on rewatch). For many of us with a titled uterus, tampons are not the easy to use products they are for people with a “normal” uterus. (A titled uterus is a normal anatomical variation. About 20% of people with a uterus have a titled uterus).
I guess it is realistic in the sense that we all 1st learn about menstrual care from our moms/older family members and they teach us what they know. My mom only showed me pads because thats what she used and then I learned to use tampons by myself and with friends. Even this idea of tampon or no pool party is what most likely her generation did. Plus if Lily didnt want to wear a tampon, she probably wouldn’t want a cup either.
Of course she could go and not get in the water, but thats also a bit sad in its own way… having to explain to everyone that you are not getting in the water because you have your period and then having to explain that no, you dont want to wear a tampon.
Semi-ignorant question here: Kristin Davis is 56, and I’m assuming her character is also supposed to be in her 50s, so on average, she should be past periods, right? The Mayo Clinic says the average age for tampon-free living is 51: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397#:~:text=In%20your%2040s%2C%20your%20menstrual,you%20have%20no%20more%20periods.
Charlotte going through menopause was actually a plot point in this episode.
Well, that’s what I get for not even bothering to hate-watch this show.
It depends, you might get one every six months or so til your mid 50s. I can’t remember when I completely stopped, but I think it was around 55. You keep tampons around just in case, usually if you go a year, you know you’re done.
Isn’t this what we all are going through, we can’t move on from our past stuff because the future looks so bleak? Also who of that cast still needs tampons?!
Since they said they were all going thru menopause, I’m guessing none.
Charlotte’s daughter Lily was learning how to use tampons. And evidently Charlotte could use one for the flash period she randomly got in this episode.
Man…like, I know it wasn’t great for Steve to ask Carrie those questions (bc – unfortunately – Miranda would be the best person to have that conversation with) – but he’s also known Carrie for forever, and her coward-panic (“You know how long this was going on for right?” *steps into paint then cry for help from the person You’re being dishonest to*), was just…ugh.I liked how they presented the ‘gender-reversed’ desire for a baby – it’s not fair to put that on her, and it’s not fair to tell him to basically get over it. And Seema is…overrated 😬 (Though a 50-something just having…well, a client as a friend bc her maybe older other friends don’t live in the same city anymore makes sense to me – like, it’s still sad, but also believable)
I guess it’s not fair of me to take this stance, but I just cannot with men who ride their female partners about having a baby. It’s not just that the female partner is the one who’s going to deal with pregnancy and childbirth. Most likely, she’s also going to do more childrearing labor and get less credit for it.
To help us remember our dearly departed Miranda as she was: what’s your favorite line of hers from SATC?
For some reason mine is always when Carrie tells her where she got pregnant in the 80’s and she exclaims “ THE TUNNEL?!” then a solemn “No judgment.”
Good question! Mine is when Charlotte is super drunk on the Staten Island Ferry (season 3 premiere?) hanging over the railing and Miranda says, totally deadpan, “If she falls over, I will never stop laughing.”
Man, I miss that Miranda.
SAM: I’m dating a man with the funkiest tasting spunk.
(Charlotte slams down her silverware and marches out of the restaurant)
MIRANDA: And she’s never coming back!
I was watching that episode at my parents house and when Samantha said that, I just got up and walked into the kitchen. Never watch SATC with your parents!
There you go—part of the current heartbreak. The writers for this series do not concoct clever or saucy lines in the realm of humor. Even Che doesn’t tell jokes or seems remotely funny as a world famous comedy act—more of a motivational speaker or head of a rally, than a comedian.
my favorite Miranda moment was when she ate the chocolate cake out of the garbage. our girl has a long history of denying herself the “sinful” things she really wants. 😉
This isn’t even a great line, but for some reason it’s always stuck with me. One morning at breakfast Charlotte was worrying that she’d had sex with too many men, and Miranda said, “Well, you have had a fair amount of bone in ya.” I mean, it’s not even that funny, but for some reason it’s stayed with me all these years and I still find it amusing.
I love when she said “It’s like those guys you have the great second date with, and then never hear from them again. I pretend they died.”
The “I’m in a rom-com!” end of last episode that felt like satire, and then starting this episode with Miranda and Che having a cosy dinner was so jarring. Is this show actually believing that they are a rom-com and Steve was nothing more than an obstacle in their way?! Steve better move-the-fuck-on and have an amazing life, we need to see that for him. And we need a scene or two of someone reminding Miranda that she destroyed her husband’s life for this and that there were better ways she could have handled it. If she was a male character we would be gunning for her. I thought for a second Brady was being deliberately snarky about not wanting to be Miranda’s paint partner (after what she has done to his father) and we’d get a moment of something-like-a consequence, but it was brushed aside, too. Do the writers really believe Miranda and Che are this great love story that we’re supposed to be rooting for?!
>>>Carrie stressing to Steve that he’s a wonderful, wonderful person who deserves to be with someone who loves him was way overdue, but at least someone said it! It appeared that Steve’s inability to move on, Miss Havisham-like, is what finally springs Carrie into action.personally, to me, this exchange did not read as, “poor Steve is unable to move on from Miranda” but moreso that Steve is open to letting Miranda explore and seek out what she needs outside the boundaries of their relationship. he seems to have made his peace with whatever journey Miranda is currently on, and has resolved to be there waiting when she (inevitably) returns to him. their whole relationship dynamic feels like it’s been building toward an open relationship, not a divorce. so i don’t really feel bad for Steve in this scene. he has all the facts now and he’s clearly made his choice; he’s sticking with Miranda “for better or for worse. forever.”as to why Carrie sprang into action after their chat, i interpreted this as: Steve said it was ‘til “death do us part” while twisting his ring on his finger. Carrie then went home (very spooked after she’d almost lost their very sentimental wedding rings to a careless accident) and opted to place hers + Big’s rings safely together in the box. (ie: ‘til death.)
The thing is, he doesn’t have all the facts. He asked Carrie to tell him and she lied and said it’s just that Miranda loves Che. The truth is Miranda said she had been very unhappy in her marriage long before meeting Che. I was disappointed Carrie couldn’t be more honest, but I have been in her position and it is exquisitely awkward.Nice observation about the rings.
In the previous episode, he tells Miranda he won’t fight for her. Now he’s never moving on? Which is it?
I suppose refusing to make any effort is not out of character for Steve, but there is a dissonance between these two scenes.
you’re not wrong. the consistency of characterization (both from the original to AJLT as well as from episode to episode) is nonexistent. these multi-week jumps in time are also not helping the situation. it almost feels like there’s an episode missing… like, Miranda was on her way to Cleveland at the end of last episode? so what happened with her and Steve? did they talk it out? did she get his blessing? are they still living together? why is he now saying he’s in it forever when last week he said he was too old and too tired to fight for her anymore? it’s all very confusing and poorly-done.
If you think Christine Baranski plays a “maiden aunt” in The Gilded Age, you weren’t paying attention. Cynthia Nixon’s character is a maiden; Christine Baranski’s character is a widow with a son.
That’s a shitty way to say she made a mistake. People make mistakes. It’s going to be okay.
Going to miss your recaps so much, Gwen! Really hope you all land on your feet. Please keep us updated on where you’re heading next!
I can’t claim I was ever a superfan of the original SATC. Still, I watched it fairly regularly and enjoyed it overall. I liked the first movie, HATED the second movie with a fiery passion, and thought AJLT had promise when I saw the pilot.But man, if there’s one thing that drives me crazy about serialized shows, it’s when basic characterization seems to go out the window from episode to episode and plots are mentioned and dropped (or completely skip major beats when they’re revisited – e.g. Andre & Nya’s decision not to try again for a baby) as soon as the episode ends. For example, did Miranda miraculously get her drinking under control? How is Charlotte’s oldest kid adjusting to their new non-binary identity? Did Carrie manage to sell her apartment with Big (or did I just miss that one)?And this episode just felt all over the place doing stuff like that. It feels like the writers don’t know what plots are important to them and what they want to focus on for the season, so they’re trying a little bit of everything and seeing very little through to the end.If this comes back for season 2, I hope the writers can figure out a way to tighten up the plots and characterization and make it feel a little less disjointed.
Are we supposed to draw a parallel between Che and Miranda and Original Series Miranda and Steve? Miranda was previously very closed off, valued her independence while Steve could be clingy and clearly all in right away. Maybe we can hope for Miranda to have that revelation in the finale.
Also, Carrie’s jewelry designer neighbour is totally going to design a piece that incorporates her and Big’s wedding bands, right? If not, what a missed opportunity.
SJP is such a star as always, she is pitch perfect even with middling material, but this show has evolved into such a dud – a real chore to get through, episode by episode. Awkward, stilted, dull, cringeworthy, not fun, and yes you knew it was coming: cloyingly, at times laughably, preachy. The exact opposite of what the original series was.
Please “spin off” Che, newly boring Miranda and Charlotte, their super-boring husbands, and all the filler characters (there’s quite a list) we’re supposed to learn from into their own boring series on Oxygen or Lifetime and leave Carrie to shine alone (unless of course Kim can be coaxed back once the ten tons of dead weight has been jettisoned) or become mentor-friend to her downstairs neighbor.