F*** me badly once, shame on you. F*** me badly twice, shame on me.
And just like that... I have thoughts.
I was cautiously optimistic about this reboot, and early on, it was very clear that this show was not going to do what the original had done. It didn't take risks, it didn't explore modern issues in a thoughtful way, and there was barely any sex (and what little there was, was....cringe.) In broad strokes, the plot lines weren't bad, but the writing barely scratched the surface of what could have been a thoughtful show. It managed to be both too fast-paced and too slow at the same time (the individual episodes dragged, but storylines barely continued from episode to episode).
I realize this is a lot of words to spend largely critiquing something, but here's the thing. For all its faults (and there are many), the original "Sex and the City" was a massive cultural touchstone. These four women had an enviable friendship, enviable wardrobes, and (for the most part) enviable sex. (OK, maybe that last one is a stretch, but it was always amusing.) It explored sex in a way no shows had at time. Sure, a lot of it seems quaint now, but at the time, it was groundbreaking: Charlotte getting addicted to her vibrator, Carrie considering participating in a golden shower, Miranda building up the courage to talk dirty in bed, Samantha...being Samantha.
I won't rehash its faults here, but the OG show was funny, warm, wildly unrealistic at times, but it had heart and it stayed true to its characters. (Although, sorry, I maintain Miranda would have had the abortion.) Each character evolved over time (as everyone does throughout the whole of their lives), but they were steadfast in their friendship and always had each other's backs. They made mistakes, as everyone does, and the show remains rewatchable to this day--if you were a fan back in the day. If you weren't, I can see how, in 2022, some of it might be tough to...swallow. (You might call it...funky spunk.)
What are my qualifications to write this, you may ask? Frankly, not many. I was a film studies minor in college, so I know how to critique screenwriting (or at least, I did 15 years ago). (Never mind that I didn't actually finish enough courses to "technically" "complete" the minor.) I binged “Sex and the City” all throughout college. Like many of you, I've watched the OG show approximately 298 times. Unlike many of you, though, I have nothing better to do.
(The below is in no way chronological. But I needed to organize [I use that word loosely] my thoughts after participating in so many group chats throughout these past 10 weeks.) (Love you all, you know who you are.)
Lastly, no one asked me to write this, but I have been saying all season long that I could write a dissertation on this show, so...mix yourself up a Cosmopolitan and settle in. (Much like this show, I could have used an editor.)
Thanks for reading.
THE FASHION
Dare I say, the ONLY high point of the show? Which is a low bar. I miss Patricia Field.
THE RETURN OF THE FENDI BAGUETTE! God bless.
Carrie's ridiculous flower brooches (and the bird on her head—that one was for the fans for sure!). Brings me right back to the original show, in a perfectly nostalgic way.
The tulle skirt with the long-sleeve T-shirt with the fendi baguette and the "New York or Nowhere" tote...yes. Pump it directly into my veins. THAT is the high/low shit that Pat Fields pioneered on Carrie back in the day, that Jenna Lyons co-opted for J. Crew (and herself) in the 2010s.
The light blue dress Carrie wore when she started dating again! It was so good. MORE. I WANT MORE. (From a hair perspective though, I want the signature SJP curls instead of the tight bun. Why with the bun all the time. Why.)
The whole "I'm morally opposed to flats" thing was cute in the '90s but sneakers and streetwear are accepted high fashion these days and I would expect Ms. Bradshaw-Preston to know that. That would have been an interesting evolution for Carrie.
Carrie telling Seema she can't smoke in the apartment because of the clothes...um Carrie, YOU lived in your apartment in the '90s. There is no hope left for those clothes.
Odds and ends:
Cynthia Nixon wears a wrap/faux-wrap dress SO WELL. My god.
I loved the throwback moments such as when Lily wore the "single and fabulous? question mark" poncho. (The blue wedding Manolos were a little too on the nose, but I'll allow it.)
One fashion downside to me was Charlotte. Homegirl loves a '50s silhouette and god knows it's flattering on her, but it was practically the ONLY silhouette she wore, and it started to border on camp. Branch out a bit, Char!!!!
Why would they introduce a jewelry designer to the show, have a plotline where Carrie is conflicted about wearing her wedding ring (did you guys hear her husband died?) and then NOT have said jewelry designer make something new out of the wedding bands? This isn't rocket science, it's...riiiiiiiiiiight there, within grasp. So close, yet so far.
Disagree with me if you want but LTW in that Moschino outfit to paint at a women's shelter was HILARIOUS. And her BEJEWELED TURBAN in the finale. My god. The most entertaining that character was all season. (If the turban was in some way culturally appropriative, please let me know and I will retract that statement.)
God do I miss Pat Field.
"DIVERSITY" AND "INCLUSION"
Where to even start??? idk why we expected MPK et al to succeed here given the OG show BUT it's 2021/2022!
The LAZIEST possible approach is "pairing" each main character with a WOC, which is exactly what they did!! Even when Nya, Seema, and LTW have "independent" storylines, they still seem directly tied to Miranda/Charlotte/Carrie. (LTW has no discernable personality except "Charlotte, but make her Black.")
Nya's storyline could have been so interesting. What happens when a couple decides to stop IVF, makes peace with not having kids, and/or disagrees about adoption? But we have no reason whatsoever to care about Nya and her husband (Andre?). Miranda is still connected to this story when she is the one who inadvertently tells Andre that Nya isn't pregnant (via the voicemail in the car). Give us a reason to care about these characters!
Seema also could have been an interesting character—one of the only women we've seen in the SATC universe who could be content to not be in a relationship—but nope, she's still looking for Mr. Right (which, nothing wrong with that, but a main criticism of SATC is that they each ended up with a man, when really the show was about female friendship!).
Odds and ends:
I literally HID UNDER A BLANKET when Miranda started talking about Nya's hair in the first episode (braids vs perm, etc...). The most cringe.
Miranda is not a Karen and I will die on this hill. She is a try-hard white liberal.
Did they have to make the lamp repair guy the "wise black man"? Can we retire that trope pls and thank u.
Charlotte, tell us again—is the rabbi trans?
Frankly, I found it insulting that the writers tried to manufacture conflict between Charlotte and Harry over TENNIS when they are handling a delicate situation related to a nonbinary child. THAT could have been the interesting conflict (for lack of a better word) between them. Show us if they disagree on how to handle! Show them agreeing on how to present a united front. They are easily the most functioning couple on this show, but anytime there is a big matter in a child's life, no parents are 100% on the same page.
Another interesting angle that I would have liked to have seen explored more are the class differences. They merely scratched the surface of this when it came to Nya and LTW. In the painting scenes, Nya points out to Andre that Mr. LTW probably has two nannies and never sees his kids, but that is pretty much the most we get. Class is one of the last big gulfs that Hollywood has not properly explored, probably because when you are a successful Hollywood writer, you are often automatically out of touch, by virtue of being successful. We've seen some TV shows and movies touch on this, but rarely among shows that are so culturally "of the moment" like AJLT/SATC. In a "normal" world, Nya and LTW would likely never interact, so the fact that they DID and we got such shallow interactions out of it was a true bummer.
A random note somewhat related to class: how did that teacher justify bidding a G on Carrie in the auction? I know New York teachers make more money than teachers in other places, but...that's not small potatoes.
One could argue that it's not AJLT's purpose to explore class angles, but then why even bring up the nannies, etc? A show can't be all things to all people (especially when it's just ten 35-minute-ish episodes) but it's clearly TRYING to hit all of the checkboxes, as evidenced by the inclusion of the person in the wheelchair (in that one episode for 30 seconds), Rock's gender exploration, and so on and so forth. Pick a few lanes and truly EXPLORE those rather than including diversity just for the sake of it. Because this...ain't it. And it could have been so much stronger had they chosen a few things to really hone in on.
I WAS CRAVIN' ME SOME CHE
I'll start by noting that this is no shade whatsoever to Sara Ramirez or their acting skills. I actually thought they captured the ethos and physicality of a stand-up comedian quite well!
I saw a quote going around this week from MPK that he expected people to hate Che because they played a huge role in the dissolution of the Hobbes-Brady marriage. This just demonstrates how out of touch MPK is with the characters he writes, because, Che is a fuckperson (the non-binary version of "fuckboy" or "fuckgirl") and THAT'S why we hate them. Not because they (ostensibly, but not really) broke up Miranda and Steve's marriage.
I certainly didn’t need Che to embody the “magical gay” trope with no faults, but I think this fuckperson narcissist was a bit of an overcorrection to that trope.
The real issue is, BESIDES SEX, why do they and Miranda connect??? Can anyone answer me this???? What do Che and Miranda have in common???? What do they talk about??? SHOW US, MPK!!!
Again, I do not care that they played a part in Steve and Miranda breaking up. (Although, justice for Steve! What a zaddy.) (See section below.) I care that they brought ALCOHOL to their EMPLOYEE'S apartment when she was on OPIOIDS recovering from SURGERY. And then proceeded to HAVE SEX with said employee's FRIEND in their employee's KITCHEN. I cannot even describe the levels of inappropriate!!
The "comedy concert" was insulting, not just to stand-up comedians, but to everyone who has ever enjoyed a real stand-up performance. There are clearly no real comedians on the writing staff, because that wasn't stand-up, it was a motivational speech/public declaration of being out and proud (which, fine). But it wasn't stand-up! The audience seemed to be composed entirely of people in the LGBTQ+ community (...plus Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte), so like...what were they trying to communicate? I would assume everyone in the audience understands the issues and agrees with them.
Che has practically zero redeeming qualities and that podcast is horrendous. Carrie, did you ever consider that maybe Miranda does listen to podcasts, she just didn't want to listen to that one?
(And can someone please explain to me how that dumbass podcast was taking LIVE callers?)
Che announcing they're going to LA without telling Miranda ANYTHING is just further proof of what a garbage person they are and how little they value their "relationship" with Miranda. (And, lol, I can think of several comedians who deserve pilots and Che is not one of them.)
The LGBTQ+ rally was more poorly attended than a UGA men's basketball game (this is a niche reference). Extras can't be THAT hard to find for this show, can they?!
I was briefly on Che's side when they told Miranda that they're not a homewrecker (but why did they just assume Miranda was in an open marriage?) but then they continued to spew nonsense about how they are in love with Miranda (after 3 weeks), but then they can't commit to anything and Miranda shouldn't do anything drastic, but wait please do something drastic because I'm in love with you.
I found it very hard to believe that Miranda is the only person Che is sleeping with, which just speaks to how sloppily and one-dimensional their character was written. This is a person who runs into people they've slept with EVERYWHERE and we're supposed to believe that 3 weeks in, when they and Miranda are still "getting to know each other" (Che's words), they are monogamous? Absolutely not.
Were truer words ever spoken than Che Diaz saying, "what can I say, I'm a fucking narcissist"
WHAT HAPPENED IN CLEVELAND? The people demand to know, MPK! The most interest EVER in the city of Cleveland, and you leave us hanging!!
AGEISM
I realize I am not in my 50s, but do women in their 50s constantly talk about being in their 50s? "You're only as young as you feel" etc etc, but like...WE GET IT. You're all in your 50s. Just live your lives, the same way people in their 40s, in their 30s, in their 20s do!
When Carrie visited the plastic surgeon (hi, Jonathan Groff!) and he showed her the simulation of what she could look like with his work done AND SJP'S MOLE REAPPEARED IN THE SIMULATION. Y'all. I screamed.
I did appreciate the inclusion of a plastic surgery storyline, because it's quite realistic. Aging is hard! (Yes I am getting my own botox redone this week.)
I'm all for these women having midlife crises. Miranda, break up with Steve if you're not happy and start dating women and nonbinary people. Carrie, start making new friends and dipping a toe in the dating world. Charlotte...APOLOGIZE TO YOUR HUSBAND for knocking him over during tennis. (tbh idk what value Charlotte provided in this series; she is the easiest to lift out of the friend group because her lifestyle is so different from the others'.)
Speaking of which, did Miranda's drinking problem just magically disappear when she started sleeping with Che? Just another topic they barely scratched the surface of. There have been so many articles recently about women and alcohol and how people can still have a problematic relationship with alcohol but not be in the throes of what we consider "alcoholism" and...poof! gone! She just got addicted to Che instead, which...I think I prefer the Chablis.
More examples of Miranda going completely off the rails:
Passing up an internship to go with Che to LA. The OG Miranda prioritized her career, and even the Miranda of AJLT episode 1 was going back to school to help people!
Not wanting to be with Carrie to scatter Big's ashes. The OG Miranda always had Carrie's back; remember when they met up at the diner in the middle of the night -- "can you meet me at our place."
Sure, a person can change, but I have a hard time believing Miranda Hobbes would put a relationship ahead of her friends, even if is the best sex of her life. (Which...we all heard the grunts. No comment.) As with every other plotline on this show, this could have been solved with better writing.
A minor note, but I would have loved to have seen Carrie and Lily's auntie/niece relationship a bit more. It was touched on so briefly, and I think aunt- and uncle-like characters are so important in kids' lives (especially at Lily's age).
I didn't hate the introduction of the jewelry designer as a younger juxtaposition to Carrie, but why introduce her in episode 8? The whole "don't call me ma'am" thing is so overdone, but I like the idea of a younger neighbor to Carrie who she can sort of "mentor" or be a friend to.
Also, Carrie not wanting to ask her neighbors to keep it down at four in the morning...give me a break. I pounded on the shared wall in my new apartment at midnight on a Sunday when my neighbor was blasting Adele too loudly the other night. The only way to coexist with 8 million other people is a little light confrontation now and then.
It just comes down to lazy writing when you are constantly reminding your audience that the characters are in their 50s. Let them live their lives! Include more about storylines about perimenopause, menopause, injectables and fillers, and plastic surgery! Those latter topics especially make sense given the tax bracket these women are in. The golden rule of writing (I just made that up, but it's pretty well-known writing advice) is, "Show, don't tell." The characters kept telling us they were in their 50s, rather than just showing us via the storylines.
I'M SORRY
I CAN'T
I'm all for promoting safe sex in one's home, but WHERE ARE BRADY'S GIRLFRIEND'S PARENTS??????
I do not have kids, but if your child's underage significant other is ordering lube to your home, I think things have gone too far.
DON'T HATE ME
JUSTICE FOR STEVE
Just a note to say, David Eigenberg's acting during the divorce convo scene was truly incredible. (See, I don't just complain!) He conveyed such a sense of sadness and defeat, and ya know, it really is true—he has always fought for their relationship and finally found peace with it and Miranda shat all over it in that breakup scene—despite what she told Carrie about "finding a way to tell him that didn't make him feel bad." NOT TRUE, MIRANDA. Not true. You belittled him for liking the life that you apparently hate. GTFO.
And evidently David Eigenberg actually is experiencing hearing loss IRL, but I still take issue (...of course I do) with how it was portrayed on this show—Miranda always screeching at him, him "losing" his hearing aid in the couch cushions (although maybe he just put it there so he wouldn't have to listen to Miranda yelling at him...). Why did they have to make him so bumbling? Was this a tactic to encourage the audience to be on Miranda's side in the breakup? If so...that backfired.
The click-baity internet articles asking, "was it just us or did we see sparks fly between Carrie and Steve" — NO. Steve and Carrie have been friends for 20 years, men and women CAN just be friends, and he was her bff's partner! No romantic undertones, they are just super comfy with one another!
Steve was a bartender in the '90s, he knows how to pleasure a woman! Washing his hands was so sexy; what if he had been handling jalapenos beforehand???
He deserves someone who appreciates him! Steve, I'll sit on the couch and eat ice cream and watch baseball with you anytime!!!
ALRIGHTY.
Big's brother is also Nate's grandfather (from "Gossip Girl") and I like to imagine they are the same person and Big is Nate's uncle (great-uncle?) and Carrie is his aunt. Big, as the finance guy in the family, helps fund the Vanderbilts' campaigns and contributes to lobbyists on behalf of their interests. Carrie constantly reminds everyone in the family she dated that politician that one time in the '90s. Everyone rolls their eyes behind her back.
"You can now kiss each other—or do whatever will get the most likes on Instagram," makes me weep for the future.
Carrie saying "great head of hair" next to Cynthia Nixon's wig feels intentionally cruel.
Reading this interview with the writers confirmed what was abundantly obvious: this writers' room needed a voice of reason, and MPK wasn't it. It seems as though every writer just threw a bunch of ideas at the wall and no one was there to ask, "does it make sense for this character to do this? have we demonstrated she has changed enough to justify it?” So we got stuck with every half-assed idea the writers had.
"Steve is a loser with no money." OK, Samantha Irby.
Evidently Michael Patrick King "used to do stand-up," which explains the poorly written comedy concert.
This quote from MPK: "It took us a while [to get everyone together in one setting], because by the time LTW meets Nya, the audience has finally gotten a grasp of who they are.” Ummm...I have no idea who LTW truly is as a character. Does anyone else?
ALL JUSTINS ARE TOXIC.
That's all.
COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA, OR, What Would Samantha Do?
I can't be the only one who was DYING to hear Sam's take on the whole "you still blow Harry?!" nonsense. Like, yeah, she still blows him! Grow up, ladies. Sam would have shut down Miranda and Carrie so hard, and been SO PROUD of Charlotte.
I refuse to watch the second movie so I don't know what happened to Samantha's character beyond the first movie. But the below are some thought-starters for Samantha had Kim Cattrall chosen to participate in AJLT.
Samantha has started evolving her business to represent influencers. We get some funny one-liners about how "these girls don't know how good they have it" as she helps negotiate influencer trips and 5-figure deals for two (2) 30-second TikTok videos.
After an appropriate amount of mourning time, Sam takes Carrie out on the town. They go to a club and are surrounded by people in their 20s, and Carrie keeps reminding everyone that her husband is dead and ruining people's highs. Samatha takes home a 25-year-old. "Honey, someone's gotta train him!"
Sam experiments with different types of lube. When she finally finds her favorite, she immediately negotiates a brand partnership for one of her "older" influencer clients (who is in her mid-30s), just so she can get a bunch for free. (Remember the Hermes episode with Lucy Liu?)
Samantha reminds Miranda and the gang that Brady is (still) an asshole.
Samantha bungles a statement about Black Lives Matter on behalf of one of her white clients and faces cancellation. Together, across multiple episodes, Samantha and her client explore different solutions and how to not just pay lip service to racial justice. They attend protests and share via Instagram Live. They donate a portion of their earnings to racial justice organizations as a form of reparations (and start a fund for fellow white influencers to do the same). The influencer commits to pay transparency to ensure Black influencers make the same amount of money for equal partnerships from the same brands. Samantha offers her services at a discounted rate to Black micro-influencers who want to break into the fashion and beauty business in a bigger way, and then we see a few of those Black influencers have full, separate storylines that don't necessarily revolve around Samantha and the gang. (Perhaps there is a spinoff with them and the jewelry designer?)
Samantha tries a new Pilates studio to help her find new sex positions. She gets stuck in the reformer machine.
At 64, Samantha contracts HPV. "I can't believe how well you're taking this," says her gynecologist. "Most women are so upset, wondering how this happened and who gave this to them." "Honey, who DIDN'T give this to me," Samantha responds. "Frankly, it's about time, I was starting to feel a little left out."
Samantha learns the hard way that post-menopausal women are more prone to UTIs. "I tell ya, it's a good thing we've been drinking those cosmos for so long -- so much cranberry juice!"
(I can't take credit for this thought, but did anyone ever consider that Kim Cattrall read a script and THEN said no?)
RIP Willie Garson.
I would have loved to have heard Stannie's take on, among other things, Carrie's white downtown apartment—truly the stuff of nightmares. His presence was sorely missed in this show.
HARRY GOLDENBLATT
Mazel tov, Char!
COMEDY CONCERT
No one in the history of the world has said these two words in succession before this show aired.
Miranda saying this once shows she's out of touch. Miranda saying this more than once plus Charlotte saying it shows MPK is out of touch.
WHY.
SERIES MVPs
Natasha, for refusing to put up with Carrie's continued bullshit
First runner-up: the Peloton
Second runner-up: Anthony. Can we get an Anthony spinoff focused on his dating escapades + Hot Fellas Bread.
Several things, and this is going to go in reverse order as presented because of what is currently fresh in my mind:
- Do you feel like Willie's storyline (I know his death was not anticipated) was a bit....unfair to him? Like I know we couldn't have TWO characters die, but did he have to just LEAVE Anthony asking for a divorce? I dunno, it felt like a cop out. SURPRISE.
- Everything you've written makes so much sense and I totally agree - I wanted more on the storyline of Rock and that school meeting. It took like 2 seconds. Like this is a huge thing for parents and they could have shown one way of handling it.
- Now I feel a bit bad about just enjoying it at surface level. Because you're right, it could have been SO MUCH BETTER. Ugh.
THANK YOU FOR THIS MASTERPIECE!! I agree so much, particularly with your thoughts about Che / Miranda. I actually like that they made Che a fuckperson, but then commit to having them be an asshole, not turn into Miranda's nonbinary knight in shining armor??? If nothing else, the instant Che seated Miranda WITH HER GRANDMOTHERS at the California GIrls announcement (whatever the fuck that was) Miranda should have been out immediately.
One other note--Charlotte does talk about getting the "trans rabbi" during the conversation about how the other rabbis fired them (with Anthony and Harry when they're tasting the challah). Rabbi Jenn was incredible and hilarious.