The “Treat or Trick” episode of And Just Like That was both about Sex and The City fans. From start to finish, even without Carrie’s narration, it followed the ‘classic’ formula of the original series, therefore the most nostalgic one could hope for. A treat, and a trick.

As I called it during the recordings, an ‘accident’ puts a new man in Carrie’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) life, who convinces her that she hasn’t forgotten how to ride a bicycle, in an allusion that yes, she will have an effective life post-Big. We already know that not necessarily with someone ‘new’, because in each episode we have a teaser of the return of Aidan (John Corbett), but he still didn’t show up.

I still see each episode as an attempt by the showrunners to address past criticisms, but more on that. The big and good difference from And Just Like That is that we see something more of an ‘ensemble cast’, mixing characters socially without depending on Carrie as a link. The rapport is more visible and positive, even if there is still ‘something missing’. Nya (Karen Pittman) has the support of Carrie and Seema (Sarita Choudhury) and Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker) remains Charlotte’s (Kristin Davis) bestie. Speaking of Charlotte, her healthy relationship with Harry (Evan Handler) is one of the show’s best-kept secrets, which needn’t bring up drama or crisis for two people who genuinely love and understand each other.

What And Just Like That, unfortunately, is tortuously doing is revealing just how much trouble Carrie and Miranda are in. Carrie, I always repeat, with no material or even emotional problems, is on autopilot. Overcoming widowhood is certainly a challenge, but as it collides with drama, it has been avoided. It’s like the character and sex: she listens, she doesn’t judge but she never shares. A dangerous closeness to people would find boring in storytelling. We know the chemistry with Mr. Big (Chris Noth) was unbeatable (after all, she was obsessed with him and was happy after they got married), but we never find out what she is like behind closed doors, while we see Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda exhausted. Carrie is the ideal woman for everyone and keeps her mystery, for what I say ‘bravo’, but in narcissistic digital times, this mystery is also her problem.

On the opposite side of that, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and her rationality always put her in the chair of the boring group as well, always judging others just so in the natural hypocrisy of life, always doing the opposite of what she preached. Her crush on Che (Sara Rodriguez) was cruel to Steve (David Eigenberg) and now And Just Like That is underscoring just how much Steve was the wrong, passive-aggressive person she should have left behind. As ‘punishment’ for what she did, Miranda is submitting herself to an insane routine of waking up at 5 am, leaving Hudson Yards (on 30 St) going to Morningside Heights (on 116 St, where Columbia University is located ), and crossing Manhattan to be in Brooklyn in time to make breakfast for her son and ex. Even if the commute is from Hudson Yards to Brooklyn and then Morningside Heights? Impossible. For those who lived in NY and studied at Columbia, I warn you: pure fiction. But yes, if that were even remotely impossible, it would be a nightmare.

Che is not off the hook. She also earned her sentence by submitting to hear what people thought of her in her series’ quality survey. Yes, I’ve been in a Focus Group before and it’s exactly as shown. It’s a recipe for destroying any ego. Poor Che. And that leads to what I find the error with the story of And Just Like That. Apology is NOT what we thought it was, the pre-millennial generation doesn’t understand things as we did. If the series doesn’t see itself doing anything wrong, do not address things again. This is not an apology. Instead, what we’re seeing with both characters (Che and Miranda) doesn’t eliminate the ‘mistakes’ of the first season. Miranda IS selfish and judgmental and yet she had the right to fall in love and live that, no apologies demanded. She did hurt Steve, but that’s life. Move on and be happy, stop torturing Che or trying to humanize Miranda. She can’t change. A good example was her ‘surprise’ to see Carrie hanging out and flirting with casual sex, it was consistent with the Miranda we know, even if it was unclear whether she was jealous that Carrie was living a healthy life or if she was annoyed that Carrie is looking for men.

With the mission of being the ‘new’ Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Seema is the most interesting character in the entire series. The spin-off series I really wanted to see was Samantha Jones and Seema Patel in New York. It would be amazing! Without that seed, they rewrote an episode of Sex and The City for Seema. A recap: before Jerrod Smith (Jason Lewis), Maria (Sonia Braga), or Richard Wright (James Remar), Samantha was briefly in love with James (James Goodwin). The proof that it could have been ‘true love’ was when she found out that he wasn’t ‘well equipped’, but still insisted on keeping him. To ‘make up for it’, she used the vibrator until he, offended, broke up with her for it. Yeah, guys, that was in 1999. In 2023, we see Seema meet a man she loves, even though she knows he suffers from erectile dysfunction and needs a penis pump. He is also offended when she resorts to the vibrator and the relationship ends. Really? An unsubtle metaphor for what we are facing and living. It’s the B+ sex that Seema tolerates. So do we…

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