Hey guys!
Loooong time no see. I have to say that the whole pandemic and lockdown combo have killed my creativity for a while, but as a big BIG fan of the 90’s, I feel like now is a good time to come back since And Just Like That premiered on the 9th of December.
And Just Like That sees the return of Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte, 3 of the 4 besties from the iconic Sex And The City series. Kim Cattrall is not part of the reunion: she moved on, and the fans know that Sarah Jessica Parker, aka Carrie Bradshaw is actually not her best friend in life.
I wasn’t even sure I wanted to watch this new series, because Samantha was the most interesting character and the signature of the show to me. Also, I found the films terrible. It didn’t bring anything to the original series and the storylines were so predictable. It ruined the spirit of the show for me.
And finally, I was afraid that the tone would change. Sex And The City was so bold and unique (I mean, women in their 30’s talking so openly about sex, I don’t remember any other series like that in the 90’s) that I didn’t think it was possible to get the same tone with different writers and of course, in a different era.
Before I really get into it, just know that there will be some major spoilers here for the first 2 episodes, so if you haven’t watched it yet… stop reading now.
First, let me say… it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.
I guess the main problem in my opinion is that some things feel so unatural that it made me cringe a few times. And unfortunately, it’s mostly related to my favourite character, Miranda: Miranda’s political rant, Miranda’s son and his sex life, Miranda’s drinking problem, Miranda’s aggressiveness…
Let’s start from the beginning. The opening theme is a remix of the original one, and we find the 3 friends having lunch like good old times.
They are all still married to the men they ended up with in the original series and Carrie is now an influencer and co-hosts a podcast, Miranda quit her law firm to go back to studies and Charlotte seems to be a stay at home mum, with pretty strong ideas on how her daughters should look like and what they should be.
As they run into someone they know, we’re quickly getting the beginning of an explanation as to why Samantha isn’t hanging out with them anymore. She moved to London for work. Ok, fair enough.
But as Carrie and Miranda walk away, we finally get the full story: Carrie and Samantha fell out when Carrie told her she didn’t need a publicist anymore… What?? I completely agree with the other bloggers. This is definitely not what Samantha would do. She’s always been the less judgemental character of all, and probably the more independent too. It doesn’t make any sense.
Let’s address the Big storyline now. I’m not so shocked about the fact Carrie didn’t call 911, I guess when you’re facing this situation, your brain can completely freeze. At first I thought getting them a divorce would have sufficed, but then I thought about this again, and I understood why the writers killed him off.
If the couple had gotten a divorce, Big could have come back and messed with Carrie’s head every time she was in a healthy relationship, like he used to in the original series. To me, the idea was to give the show another dimension and I have to say, I’m on board. But I also have to admit that I’ve never been a fan of either Carrie or Big, and I’ve never understood why they are seen as the ultimate couple goal when they are the most toxic couple in all series of all time. I’m hoping though that the series won’t be all about grief, and that we’ll jump forward in time at some point to see Carrie dating as a widow.
I was talking about things that don’t flow naturally, such as Samantha’s reason to leave the gang . I’m of course all for diversity and I’m very happy the show is more inclusive thanks to the addition of the new characters. However, I felt like there was sooooo many social issues addressed in only 2 episodes that it seems like the show runners did a checklist. I wish they had introduced the new characters in the long run instead. I remember the quote from Anthony, when they all are at Lily’s piano recital “Give black Charlotte a glass”. This is exactly how I felt: every white character has their black alter-ego. This is great in theory, but in terms of how it’s introduced, it almost seems like a parody. The writing could have been better here.
Finally, I think that there are some obvious storylines already, particularly on the Miranda angle. As I mentioned above, we can already tell she’s going to have a problem with alcohol, and after watching the (very) awkward first scene between her and Che, Carrie’s boss, I have the feeling the writers are going to make Miranda question her sexuality. I think they were trying to create a chemistry between the 2 characters.
I also know that Aidan, Carrie’s ex boyfriend will make a come back in the show, but I’m really hoping they are not going to put them back together. First, it would be so predictable, and also I’m still not over the way Carrie treated him in the original series. He deserves better! #teamAidan .
To sum it up: I thought the 2 first episodes were quite heavy and dark for a reboot, but thank God for the few funny lines that made me catch a glimpse of the spirit of the 90’s show such as at Big funerals “Am I the only who remembers how much of a prick he was to her?” or after Carrie loses it in the hallway of her flat “Great, am I going to be that neighbour now?“.
I think there was too much going on even if I understand they wanted to come back with a bang. I will still watch the whole season, because as I said earlier, it’s definitely not as bad as I thought it would be but I really hope I’m going to be surprised with the evolution of the characters and storylines.
I think it’s also interesting to mention that Big and Samantha’s ghosts linger in the 2 episodes. They are the most present absent of the episodes! I feel like the show runners are desperate to leave an open door for Samantha to come back, even if I really don’t think Kim Cattrall will have a change of heart.
I know a new episode came out yesterday, so I need to catch up now.
Feel free to discuss in the comments, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the reboot too! I might write about the show again after watching the full season.
You can watch the new series on Now TV in the UK, or Salto in France.
Have a lovely Xmas guys and thanks for reading my blog! I’ll try to be more consistent in 2022. x
Music & films blog 