For many fans, the ‘And Just Like That’ reboot didn’t quite meet expectations in season one. The over-indulgence felt a bit overwhelming and, quite frankly, a bit too ‘token.’
Since 1998, Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha have played a pivotal role in the pop culture scene of New York City, with the constant tennis-match-relationship between Carrie and Big, Carrie and Aiden, back to Big, back to Aiden, and then eventually to be back with Big. As frustrating as it was, we loved it.
The first “Sex and the City” movie in 2008 proved popular among fans. However, we once again watched the breakup of Carrie and Big at the infamous wedding, only for them to reunite and eventually marry in the movie’s final scenes. The second movie, however, was a trainwreck. Attracting much criticism, it was a long 11-year wait to see what the ladies were up to in the 2020s.
After the bombshell of the first episode that saw Mr Big pass away of a heart attack, it was a wild ride from thereon. Charlotte faced image and gender changes from her youngest, Rose, who now identifies as Rock. Miranda left their long-time husband, Steve, for non-binary comedian, Che, and Carrie was at a loss as to what direction her life would navigate as a single woman once again. Three new characters were introduced to the storyline: Seema, Lisa, and Nya, and the audience would eventually learn about their lives and families as the series progressed. It ended with Carrie finding romance with her podcast producer, and it was fairly obvious that the series would be back for another shot.
Fans were outraged by the somewhat sloppy storylines, and one missing key element to the original series’ success, the fabulous Samantha Jones. The absence of Samantha was due to the confirmed rumours of actresses Kim Cattrall (Samantha) and Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie) being on unamicable terms.
It seemed that producers of season two of “And Just Like That” listened to audience requests, having provided higher quality storylines, and not so much tokenism.
Whilst things didn’t turn out so well for Carrie and her podcast producer in season two, there were some highlights. After travelling to Los Angeles, Miranda and Che called it quits, much to the audience’s pleasure. It’s not that anyone had anything personally against Che; it’s just that we love Steve and felt that he was treated pretty poorly in the first season. Miranda got her groove back in the later episodes of the season, taking an internship at a prestigious law firm, which saw her promoted to a temporary senior role as her boss took maternity leave. She made amends with Steve, who, after running his successful bar ‘Scout’ for many years, decided to purchase an old-fashioned hot dog restaurant outlet at Coney Island, and we saw her son, Brady, loosely gain some maturity.
Carrie found love again. It was time for round three with (surprise, surprise) Aiden. This was not a secret, as Parker posted images on Instagram as a tease before the season’s premiere. John Corbett reprised his role as loveable carpenter Aiden Shaw, which saw Carrie and Aiden pretty much pick it up where they left off. It went swimmingly well, and Carrie even put her beloved apartment on sale to move into a bigger townhouse with Aiden to make it official.
If you haven’t watched the original series, you will be unaware of Aiden’s reasoning to not wanting to set foot in her apartment again, prompting the move. However well it seemed, this move was plagued by Aiden’s son, Wyatt, in the later episodes. This meant that the so-called ‘happiest relationship’ he had ever been in was now in familiar doubt. Oh, how nostalgic.
For this viewer, the best character this Season was Charlotte. She was funny, caring, and just a lovable character. Charlotte was somewhat of a stick in the mud in the original series. Her rigid characteristics made her a bit of a downer, which is why it was refreshing to see her in a new light. From selling artwork to Sam Smith (which, by the way, was the strangest cameo since Gerri Halliwell in 2003) to throwing her iPhone into a pitcher of margaritas, Charlotte was second to none in season two.
The overall highlight was the unexpected cameo from Samantha herself. Fans had waited on tenterhooks all season after reports that producers struck a deal with Cattrall, who agreed to make a special guest-starring cameo in the season finale. The 71-second scene saw Samantha stuck in London, calling Carrie from the back of a car after her flight was delayed by three hours. Considering how difficult it would have been to arrange, and Cattrall’s unwillingness to be a part of the series, fans around the world have praised the scene, which was arguably the best of the season. Although some may say it was overacted, and some found it unnecessary, the show simply did not feel the same without Samantha.
As for the show’s future, it was announced that there will be a season three. It will be a long wait for fans to see what happens with Carrie and Aiden, but most importantly, will we see more of Samantha.
