Great sexpectations
This trainwreck of a season has ended, but perhaps it was a "good trainwreck"?
Well, as Beyoncé and Jay-Z said in “Apeshit,” I can’t believe we made it. We did, though—we made it to the end of season 2 of “And Just Like That,” but I’m not sure I’m thankful for it? As I saw Michael Patrick King’s name flash across my screen at the end, I couldn’t help but wonder, why are we all watching this show? I suppose I keep hoping it will get better (although god knows I love to complain!). These characters and this franchise are beloved, and it’s funny, cringey, and a little bittersweet to watch them deliver this dialogue and these plot points with straight faces.
The news broke this week that the show was renewed for season 3, although with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, it’ll be awhile before it graces our screens. Although the bar was quite low, I can confidently say that season 2 of “And Just Like That” was better than season 1, so perhaps season 3 will continue to raise the bar? I guess we’ll all just have to keep hate-watching to find out.
That said, let’s get into it.
We open with Carrie on the phone with Aidan, telling him she’s “shifting into party gear” at her old apartment while also making sure he got Wyatt home. OK, so Aidan won’t be at the Last Supper. Shocking.
Carrie’s phone rings, and who could it be but Samantha! MPK isn’t making us wait long for the Kim Cattrall cameo—probably for the best.
Samantha reveals to Carrie that she was going to surprise Carrie by attending the Last Supper, but the weather sucks, the flight crew has timed out, and she’ll no longer make it there in time.
Since it was going to be a quick overnight trip, Samantha isn’t even coming to the States at all now—but she demands Carrie put her on speaker so she can pay her respects to the apartment—much the same way she did in the first movie.
And then we are treated to an Annabelle Bronstein mention!
I love that this is an inside joke between Samantha and Carrie, and clearly has been since that fateful day at Soho House in 2003 when Samantha tried to pass off Annabelle Bronstein’s membership card as her own, in a desperate attempt to use the pool.
This cameo was about what I expected—a quick phone call, nothing more, nothing less. What I loved was the spin on the original “Sex and the City” theme music that played during the call; I’d be lying if I said I didn’t almost tear up at seeing these two back “together” with this music accompanying them.
Carrie hangs up and has to run off after the kitten as it tries to make its escape.
After drinks with her Gen-Z coworkers, Charlotte is, in a word, unwell. Harry wakes her up, proclaiming that Anthony is there and he’s ready to talk about losing his ass virginity.
Harry also tells Charlotte, proudly, that he got Lily and Rock up and out without her help, and then tells her he “can’t do it all!”
Charlotte, through her hangover haze, manages to set him straight.
She tells him that women have been expected to do everything around the house for years and years, and he’s basically doing the bare minimum. She loves her job, she’s good at it, and he needs to actually pitch in instead of just talking about it. Go, Char!
Over at Coney Island, Steve and his crew are hard at work on the renovations for his new place.
Steve and Miranda have what turns out to be a really nice conversation—she tells him that she wants to be part of his future, if he wants that—but obviously just as friends.
She also tells him that he was right about a lot of things—buying the brownstone in Brooklyn when they did, that they’d be good parents—but he wasn’t right about them.
Steve gives her more credit than she probably deserves—but he’s right. They were good together. They worked through that cheating thing in 2008, and I’m sure countless other things that came up throughout their marriage. I’m glad they finally have this conversation. Justice for Steve!!!
Of course, this is the moment Brady pulls up on his bike and sees his parents having an actual adult conversation. Hopefully this helps his healing journey.
Uptown at Columbia Law School, Nya’s boss makes an appearance and tells her that she’s been elected to the American Law Institute. Nya is surprised, given that Gene just nominated her last week.
While I was not familiar with ALI before this, I took a look at their site and they describe themselves as “the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law.”
About their members: “Our membership consists of eminent judges, lawyers, and law professors from all areas of the United States and from many foreign countries, selected on the basis of professional achievement and demonstrated interest in improving the law.”
On its election process: “New members are elected three times per year by the Council or Executive Committee based on recommendations by the Membership Committee.”
So it seems that one week from nomination to election is quite speedy. As usual, we all need to continue to suspend belief while watching this show—regardless, mazel tov, Nya.
She arrives home and shares the news with Miranda, and then ashamedly shares that her first reaction was to tell Andre.
“How sad is that?” she asks. Idk, I feel like getting great career news and wanting to share it with the person you shared your life with is a normal reaction? Even though they are divorced.
Miranda reminds Nya that she is a “beloved and tenured professor at one of the best law schools in the world” and that this is the life she wanted.
SIGH. This is peak MPK. I’m reminded of an instance or two on the original show in which Carrie was ashamed to admit that she wanted a man in her life—which, to be clear, is not a bad thing to want, but it’s preventing Nya from fully enjoying one of the peak moments of her career and I am sad MPK has put her in this position!
Nya says she’s going to go text Carrie her regrets; she’s not up for the dinner—until Miranda reminds her that a Michelin chef will be cooking. And just like that, Nya is back in.
It’s party time! LTW is admiring Carrie’s tablescape while people trickle in and our guest list is revealed.
For some reason, Lisette is here? She doesn’t know any of these people. I’m all for merging friend groups, but Lisette feels like a strange addition to the guest list.
LTW and Herbert share the news of the miscarriage with Charlotte, but they are interrupted by Harry, who arrives with a new iPhone for Charlotte.
Downstairs, Carrie greets Anthony and Giuseppe, telling them that the chef is using Lisette’s kitchen since Carrie’s is basically useless. (Maybe that is why Lisette is at the dinner party…)
Giuseppe and Anthony still haven’t resolved their issues, which we are reminded of right away.
Next to arrive is Che Diaz. They meet Lisette, and for a moment, I am worried that this is going to be a new love interest for them.
But no. Che reveals that they are emotionally transitioning, whatever tf that means.
But Lisette is a nicer soul than me; she tells Che that she felt the same way when she moved from LA to New York and shows off the butterfly ring she made to commemorate her metamorphosis. OK.
They are interrupted by Jackie and Smoke, whom we haven’t seen since episodes 4 and 1, respectively. Why the fuck are these two here??? This show is truly unhinged.
Che and Jackie rib each other for a bit, it’s not funny, and Smoke gets one of her two lines in.
Nya and Miranda arrive and Nya says the quiet part out loud; she really does not know any of these people. So why is she here? Great question! Because getting all of our characters together for one event is a well-worn plot device!
But, Miranda and Nya are greeted by none other than the Michelin star chef himself, Toussaint—whom Nya met way back in episode 2 at a bar!
The two have insane chemistry right off the bat, and it’s very clear that Nya is getting more than just a Michelin-star meal tonight.
In Carrie’s kitchen, Che is taking shots with one of the servers, because of course they are. However, Miranda is here and she has a few choice words for Che.
Che assures Miranda they will never do those “jokes” (quotation marks mine) again. To their credit, Che does say “I am so sorry I hurt you,” which I can appreciate it. Miranda says she thought they ended well, and Che says they did, until Miranda stopped answering Che’s calls and returning Che’s texts.
Is Che familiar with the concept of a breakup, because typically when two people stop seeing one another, they also pump the brakes on communicating.
Regardless, Che doubles down and says they thought the jokes were funny, but they agree to disagree.
Miranda still needs some closure, though.
Sure, Miranda. Che was the off-ramp for your marriage, but, like the rest of America’s infrastructure, it was bumpy and crumbling and in need of some upgrades. Get! A! Therapist!
In another corner of the apartment. Giuseppe reveals to the group that he’s planning to return to Rome next month. This is news to Anthony, who is surprised and upset.
Giuseppe shares that he finds New York impenetrable—and he’s clearly not just talking about the publishing industry.
Last to arrive are Seema and Ravi. I sort of can’t believe she brought him? Carrie and Ravi make small talk while Seema nurses her drink. When Ravi steps out to take a call (as he does), Carrie is all like, wtf.
To her credit, Carrie is correct about this situation—Seema is clearly afraid of getting hurt so she’s starting to pull away before Ravi even has a chance to. I’d say I’m rooting for these two crazy kids, but the show has given me no real reason to care about Seema.
In the closet, Anthony and Giuseppe finally have it out, where they are intermittently interrupted by random partygoers.
Giuseppe has to explain, in incredibly literal terms, that he’s not leaving because Anthony won’t let him fuck him, but because of Anthony’s other walls.
Anthony quickly gets to a vulnerable place, and shares, for the first time, that he’s in love with Giuseppe. Good for these two!
Back in the main party, Carrie introduces everyone to her new kitten, affectionally named “Shoe.” SHOE? SHOE? What a perfectly apt metaphor for how lazy the writers of this show have been. What a missed opportunity to name the cat Choo. As in, Jimmy Choo, as in “I lost my Choo!”. I truly could not be happier that this season is over.
As Carrie is baby-talking Shoe and telling the crowd she’s off to “put her baby to bed,” LTW heads to the bathroom—all this baby-talk is bringing up some unpleasant feelings and she needs a moment.
Thankfully, Herbert isn’t totally useless and he makes his way past Anthony and Giuseppe’s make-out session to support his wife.
LTW worries that, because she didn’t want another baby, she caused the miscarriage. I think this is probably a very common emotion for a lot of child-bearing people, and this is a nice scene between LTW and Herbert (both of whom, it must be said, look super out of place in Carrie’s bathroom).
Herbert assures LTW that, while guilt is a natural feeling, thoughts are only thoughts and she didn’t cause the miscarriage. The pregnancy “wasn’t meant to be.”
Carrie calls for everyone to take their seats, LTW fixes her makeup, and they make their way back to the party.
Chef Toussaint serves the appetizer, which he calls “Enjoy Olives,” and which comes with very specific directions for how to eat it. He and Nya are flirting quite excessively, a fact which hasn’t escaped the notice of everyone else.
We are then treated to some shoots of everyone “mmmmm”-ing excessively over their food; it seems everyone here attended the Joey Tribbiani school of acting.
Unfortunately, Ravi’s phone rings and he takes off again, leaving a bummed Seema next to a horny Nya. (Have these two ever even met before???)
As the main course is being served, Seema goes downstairs to fetch Ravi, who is in the middle of an Egyptian crisis. He has been given permission to shoot in front of the great Sphinx, but “Egypt” just changed the dates he’s allowed to film there so he has to leave tonight.
Seema isn’t having it—she accuses him of peace-ing out as soon as she said “I love you,” and Ravi swiftly reminds her that he reciprocated the “I love you” (accurate).
Ravi tells Seema he’s given her no reason not to trust him, and that her doubt is an insult to his feelings and “to what we have, and what we could be.” I wish I could care more about this relationship because Ravi seems like a decent guy (albeit with some slight workaholic tendencies), but since this is practically the most screen time Seema has had all season, it just isn’t there for me.
Back upstairs, it’s speech time! Carrie reminds everyone that she’s letting this apartment go, and asks everyone to go around the table and share something they’d like to let go of—one word only.
Che, who is inexplicably seated in a place of honor on Carrie’s left, goes first. After Carrie emphasizes the rules of the game, Che says they want to let go of rules. Typical.
After Smoke and Jackie share (which, no one cares), we get Anthony and Giuseppe.
Followed by Ravi and Seema.
Followed by Nya and Miranda and LTW, all of whom want to pick the same few words: “yesterday” and “guilt.”
Herbert asks to be skipped—can we, the audience, let go of him? This man is so boring, truly.
Lisette wants to let go of fear, and then Harry and Charlotte share.
Lastly, Carrie shares she wants to let go of expectations—and she expands upon that, clarifying that she means assuming things will go the way we think they should, for whatever reason, because you never know what tomorrow will bring. This feels like a genuine sentiment from someone who has lived through a tremendous loss over the past year or two.
Clearly, Che is not far along in their emotional transformation.
After dinner wraps up, Carrie is shooting the shit with Harry and Charlotte when Miranda rushes in, saying that she has to fill in for her boss and do a live interview on BBC immediately.
And can we just take a minute to appreciate this red and orange dress Cynthia Nixon is wearing??? Her character has been annoying af throughout the course of this show, but the styling has only gotten better and better.
Downstairs, Nya and Toussaint are having a moment and Miranda interrupts them as well. She rushes out of the brownstone, hails a cab, and tells him to take her straight to the BBC studio! (Luckily, she does include that it’s on 52nd Street.)
Over at Seema’s, Ravi does what every man who is in love does—asks Seema to join him Cairo.
Naturally, she refuses, telling him she won’t give up her life for a man.
But, she finally gets vulnerable with him! Seema tells Ravi that what they have is real, and that’s never felt this way—but the fact that he’s leaving terrifies her.
Ravi reassures her that he’s coming back, not just because of the ironclad lease she made him sign, but because he’s in love with her.
At this point, the music starts to shift, and I start to think about the series finale of the OG show. There was a lovely, emotional montage of Carrie running through Paris after she found her “Carrie” necklace in the lining of her purse, and Miranda running through the city looking for Steve’s mom, and it brings on the tonal shift of the storylines beginning to conclude as the characters are growing. These next scenes feel almost reminiscent of that montage—clearly, MPK and the writers don’t know they’ll be renewed for a third season yet (god help us all), so they’re treating this like it could be a series finale.
Miranda arrives at the BBC studios and is greeted by Joy, whom we met in the previous episode—and as Miranda begins the interview, it’s clear Joy likes Miranda for more than just her legal mind.
Regardless, it’s good to see Miranda also slaying at work—this is where her character truly shines.
Back at Carrie’s, she’s blowing out candles while cradling Shoe, when who should arrive but Aidan!
He crosses the threshold of Carrie’s apartment—a sight which I was sure we would see earlier in this episode. But, he’s there for what is sure to be a tough conversation.
(Sidenote: Carrie paired that beautiful dress with calf-length leggings??? I can’t go there again, I just can’t.)
Carrie asks where Aidan’s luggage is, and it becomes clear that this trip—and perhaps this relationship—is not for long.
Wyatt needs him, Aidan tells Carrie. She seems to understand, saying Aidan should take all the time he needs with his family and to not even think of coming back up until he feels good. “I don’t think I can come back up,” Aidan says.
Evidently, Wyatt had not only alcohol but also shrooms in his system. “He needs a lot of watchin’,” Aidan says.
Carrie is still confused and Aidan has to clarify that he will not be coming up to New York every other week like they’ve been doing.
Aidan feels that since he has been the parent who was consistently there for the kids, he can’t not be there now. Carrie offers to visit Virginia “when he can get away,” and is brutally rebuffed.
Aidan reassures her that the only thing he loves more than Carrie is his children. He doesn’t want to lose Carrie again, but he does ask Carrie for more time.
Asking a widow in her mid-50s to wait five years for love and happiness is…not a good move, at best. At worst, it’s cruel. Maybe Aidan realizes that Carrie is ill-equipped for step-parenthood? Regardless, I don’t think it’s fair for him to ask Carrie to wait around for him while he finishes raising his kids.
Aidan is all like, “10 years went by like {snap}.” I think he is wrong and this is very unfair to our heroine, as annoying as I find her.
They kiss, and our finale music resumes as we are treated to a montage of all of our main ladies, plus each of their emotional support friends of color (and Che), wrapping up their storylines.
Charlotte and Harry are trying in vain to activate her new phone without the help of their children.
Miranda and Joy are exploring their chemistry over a drink (Joy) and seltzer (Miranda).
Anthony is taking it up the ass from Giuseppe next to approximately 800 bottles of lube and a bottle of booze on their nightstand. Nice touch.
Che and Toby (WHY) kiss in Che’s Mojo Dojo Casa Hudson Yards House. May these two go on to ruin one another’s lives during season 3—offscreen.
Chef Toussaint invites himself into Nya’s apartment, and she is very excited.
Carrie and Aidan have what may be the most explicit sex snippets we’ve ever seen from Sarah Jessica Parker in this franchise?
Seema and Ravi are also saying goodbye, in multiple positions.
LTW and Herbert snuggle in bed, secure in their relationship.
In the light of morning the next day, Carrie and Aidan are now inexplicably at the Gramercy Park apartment, and Aidan is heading out, small hand luggage in tow.
Their goodbye is bittersweet.
Doesn’t feel like a great sign to end on these words?
Carrie and Shoe watch Aidan depart from the window, while he holds up his fingers in a snap motion.
And just like that, Carrie is alone with her new kitten—until the phone rings.
It’s Seema. Ravi has departed, and she’s booked a place “on the beach” for herself and Carrie.
(I am obsessed with Carrie’s hot pink coverup.)
I…don’t even know what to say. The end of this season was so lackluster and the writing so lazy (“I ordered two more Cosmpolitans” is what we go out on??????) that I feel inclined to be lazy myself.
I can’t help but wonder, by having Carrie let go of expectations, is MPK also telling us, the audience, to let go of expectations for this show? Should we stop assuming things should go the way we think for these characters? Should we stop expecting these characters to act a certain way because of how they behaved on “Sex and the City”? As we saw in the very first episode of “And Just Like That,” we never know what tomorrow will bring—so perhaps we should just enjoy the ride, however bumpy it may be.
Or, is Miranda’s insistence on calling her relationship with Che “a good trainwreck” also a metaphor for this show? Is this beach in Greece where Carrie Bradshaw is meant to end up, and only this trainwreck of a show could get her there? I hope she doesn’t sit around and wait for Aidan for five years, because, as frustrating as she is, Carrie deserves to be happy.
Perhaps I’ll compile some more coherent thoughts on the season as a whole in a few days, but for now, I also deserve to be happy, so I’m off to celebrate the (successful?) end of this season.
What did everyone else think???