Having been a fan of Sex and the City from the beginning (I own VHS and DVDs of the original series and movies), I have felt a sense of excitement and lots of anxiety since they announced a reboot of the franchise. So of course I stayed up to watch the first two episodes of And Just Like That… when they dropped on HBO Max at 3:01am EST.
I think everyone was a little nervous about how they would go on without Samantha (Kim Cattrall). There were rumors that they were going to have her die of covid or cancer. Well, I can say, without spoiling anything for those who have not yet seen it–the rumors were not true. In fact, a lot of rumors that I read about what was going to happen were not true. Yes, it was weird without Samantha there but they handled it well and she is still a part of the story.
The new characters are a nice addition with each being paired up with a legacy character. Nicole Ari Parker plays Lisa Todd Wexley (LTW), a Park Avenue mother of three and documentarian whose son appears to attend music school with Lily Goldenblatt (Cathy Ang). Sara Ramírez stars as Che Diaz (they / them), a non-binary, queer, stand-up comedian that hosts a podcast on which Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is regularly featured. Karen Pittman portrays Dr. Nya Wallace, Miranda’s (Cynthia Nixon) brilliant and challenging Columbia Law professor.
Steve (David Eigenberg) and Miranda are still together. Miranda is back in school getting her Masters while dealing with sex-crazed Brady (Niall Cunningham). Harry (Evan Handler) and Charlotte (Kristen Davis) are also dealing with their teenage daughters and just like in the second movie, Rose (Alexa Swinton) appears to still be a handful for Charlotte. I wonder what happened to their nanny Erin.
Stanford (Willie Garson) and Anthony (Mario Cantone) are still married and being as dramatic as ever. It was bittersweet to see the late Willie Garson back as Carrie’s gay bestie.
I have purposely waited until the end to bring up Carrie and Mr. Big (Chris Noth). Carrie and Big are still together–not divorced or separated (again, the rumors were not true). In the first episode, they are blissfully happy having made it through the pandemic and still enjoying each other’s company–and very much in love.
I am trying really hard not to spoil anything. I think a lot of what I have said so far could be ascertained from the teasers, trailers and released clips. I am still processing what happened at the end of the first episode and all of the second episode. I also can’t help but wonder if I can continue watching the remaining eight episodes. Once more people have seen the show and all secrets are revealed, then I will write a more in-depth piece. But as a long-time Sex and the City fan, I will say that I now believe that scrapping the third movie was the right call and I wish that they would have just ended it with the second movie.
And Just Like That… my love for Sex and the City died.
Define Normal 