The woman wondered what she had gotten herself into. When I first started watching Sex and the City, I was enchanted by the fantastic outfits, ever-rotating slew of romantic interests, and most importantly, the tight relationship between the four core women–Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha (Kim Cattrall). Two movies and one less woman later, I had begun watching the less-than-enchanting sequel series And Just Like That…and after its shock cancellation last week (there’s NO WAY this was planned!), I am not prepared to say goodbye. Originally meant to be a continuation of the original Sex and the City, And Just Like That… evolved into something completely different: a cringe-inducing, slow-motion train wreck of a show where nothing made sense, every character became a caricature, and the most likely explanation is that we have been thrown into an alternate reality where the laws of space, time, and plot continuity do not matter.
But despite this mess…I couldn’t look away. After two rocky seasons (and an unfortunately off-putting character named Che (Sara Ramirez)), season 3 had me completely hooked. I couldn’t stop watching–perhaps it was rage bait, perhaps it was a hate-watch, or perhaps it’s the Patrick Swayze Road House Rule where it’s so bad it becomes good again. Season 3 alone had me pondering important questions: Why did Carrie spend most of the season dating Aidan (John Corbett)? Why are the writers of the show gaslighting us into thinking Carrie’s book about “The Woman” is the next New York Times bestseller?? Why are Carrie and Anthony (Mario Cantone) both acting like Big (Chris Noth) and Stanford Blatch (the late Willie Garson) never existed??? Why is there an entire plot about Charlotte taking a psychic energy class that she won at a silent auction and the psychic is played by Susie Essman from Curb Your Enthusiasm???? (You know something is wrong when Susie is the calmest person on the show).
Originally, when the season 3 finale was going to air, I was going to write about the craziest plot lines of this season alone. But now, since the show is ending, I decided to compile my favorite insane plots of the whole series. Believe me–I would’ve watched this show for 372 seasons, tuning in to watch Carrie and her friends meet for brunch via hologram after being cryogenically preserved for 189 years (you know they could afford it).
The woman wondered what she had gotten herself into writing this post. Buckle up, because there are a lot of sentences in here you could have never even imagined reading.
Season 1
Big dies of a heart attack in the shower after a Peloton workout (“Hello It’s Me,” Season 1, Episode 1)
… and then a Peloton ad killed his career. Not a great way to start a reboot of a once-beloved TV show!
Carrie pees herself in bed after a hip procedure because Miranda is too busy having sex in the kitchen with Che (“Tragically Hip,” Season 1, Episode 5)
The woman wonders yet again why she watches this show (*sighs deeply*).
Season 2
Carrie doesn’t want to do an ad for her podcast about vaginal dryness and it ends her career in podcasting (“The Real Deal,” Season 2, Episode 2)
And Just Like That…I really wish I didn’t have to write those combinations of words in a sentence.
Miranda almost has a threesome with Che and their ex-husband (“Alive!,” Season 2, Episode 4)
I wrote about this in a previous post about And Just Like That, but it must be mentioned again because it’s truly insane. Miranda almost has a threesome with Che and their ex-husband, Lyle (Oliver Hudson), the latter of whom pops up out of nowhere like a whack-a-mole that won’t go away. Miranda gets a leg cramp which effectively ends it, but still! The whole scene is crazy!
Aidan re-enters Carrie’s life in a jacket that makes him look like a 19th-century soldier that’s about to die in war (“February 14th,” Season 2, Episode 7)
Screenshot/HBO Max via YouTube
This should’ve been the first red flag for Carrie to STAY AWAY FROM THIS MAN AGAIN!!!!!!! Also, this is almost exactly how his character dies in Carrie’s book, so maybe this was foreshadowing?
Carrie agrees to a five-year situationship with Aidan (“The Last Supper Part Two: Entrée,” Season 2, Episode 11)
Aidan says he has to move back to Virginia to raise his son Wyatt until he is 18, after which he can basically stop being a parent and live happily ever after with Carrie. Aidan constantly seems bothered by the fact he is a dad and has A FAMILY to take care of which is YET ANOTHER red flag. Seriously, why did Carrie ever agree to this? This was never going to end well–and guess what!–it didn’t. Good riddance to Aidan and his whiny voice.
Season 3
Carrie smuggles drugs across state lines for Aidan’s son Wyatt on the request of his ex-wife (“Carrie Golightly,” Season 3, Episode 3)
Another sentence that sounds like it is made up but is in fact true. On top of that, Aidan had no idea his ex-wife asked Carrie for this favor–but THEN, this leads to yet another ridiculous plot:
Aidan sleeps with his ex-wife and Carrie is totally fine with it (“Silent Mode,” Season 3, Episode 6)
Literally she’s like, well, what were we supposed to do, NOT sleep with anyone for five years while we have the world’s worst situationship going on? Okay, maybe it’s not verbatim, but it sure is close. Also, Aidan is such a hypocrite for cheating on Carrie even though he never forgave her for cheating on him with Big twenty years ago!!! Ultimately, this leads to their latest breakup as Aidan has BIG (no pun intended) trust issues when Carrie starts hanging out with another man, Duncan (Jonathan Cake), a writer who is helping Carrie workshop her book. Carrie rightfully, FINALLY calls him out for his issues, ending things for what is hopefully the last time.
Jonathan Cake via Instagram
Of course, this begs the question, who will Carrie end up with in the finale? She did end up sleeping with Duncan months after her breakup with Aidan, but she also pointed out Duncan was the first person to be attracted to her intellectually (Aidan, seemingly, could care less about her writing). Duncan’s actor, Jonathan Cake, joked on Instagram he “killed the show” for sleeping with Carrie (more proof it was NOT a planned final season!), but also said he enjoyed his time on the show, which makes me think he won’t be back. I’m really not sure how Carrie’s love life will end on AJLT–but as long as it’s not with Aidan and his hypocrisy, I’ll be happy.
Seema (Sarita Choudhury) wears an eyepatch made out of a Louis Vuitton bag because a technician messed up her eyelash extensions (“They Wanna Have Fun,” Season 3, Episode 7)
Sarita Choudhury via Instagram
The level of wealth and privilege you must have to get eyelash extensions! In New York City! Seema kinda rocks the eyepatch though, and it leads to yet another bonding experience with Adam (Logan Marshall-Green), who is genuinely the only good man on the show besides Charlotte’s husband Harry (Evan Handler). As I’ve said in previous posts, they better get engaged or married in the finale!!!!!
Just look at them look at each other. They’re adorable! Screenshot/HBO Max via YouTube
Charlotte falls onto a naked woman at an art gallery (“Happily Ever After,” Season 3, Episode 8)
Aaaannnd here’s another crazy subplot! Honestly, Kristin Davis deserved an Emmy nomination for being the unsung comedic champion of And Just Like That. HBO Max/via YouTube
Just really poor timing for Charlotte’s vertigo to act up. Also, I love how her vertigo is only brought up maybe once the rest of the season and never discussed again. Plot continuity is not And Just Like That’s strength.
Giuseppe (Sebastiano Pigazzi) has an old man for his roommate and the old man makes a puppet that looks exactly like Giuseppe (“Better Than Sex,” Season 3, Episode 10)
This causes Giuseppe to move in with Anthony because the old man takes his relationship with the Giuseppe puppet to another level–which if a man and a puppet are in a romantic relationship, it’s never good, and I also cannot believe I am writing a sentence about that. This show is a fever dream. Or a night terror. I can’t decide which.
In Memoriam: The Craziest Outfits on the Show
Carrie’s Pigeon Purse
Did I mention the purse is $890???? You can’t even put anything in it it’s such an odd size!!!!!
Charlotte’s top hat
Is Charlotte going to be a ringmaster at a circus now? I guess we’ll never know since HBO CANCELLED IT. I’m sure it would’ve been a plot in season 83.
Carrie’s Coat Dress
It’s a coat…it’s a dress…it’s a coat dress! And living in blizzard-prone Wisconsin, I can tell you that this would also be extremely implausible to walk in during a snowstorm.
Carrie’s Bonnet
Carrie really decided to cosplay Little House on the Prairie in season 3–which she refers to as Little House on the Carrie. No wonder her book is set in the 19th century when the clothes she’s wearing were trending!
Seema’s Pastel Outfit
She’s right, she does look like an Easter egg!
Lisa Todd Wexley’s (Nicole Ari Parker) Many (MANY) Necklaces
I wish I had the courage to wear jewelry that looks like it’s from the Crate and Barrel catalogue (perhaps the craziest thing is this necklace is actually out of stock to buy online).
If this show had continued for a million more years like it was meant to, I genuinely looked forward to seeing what Carrie and the rest of the gang were gonna rock next, no matter how crazy (or crazy expensive) the look. Fashion has always been a core character of the Sex and the City world (much like New York City), and it has certainly influenced me–I know when I go to work every day I want to dress to impress, much like Carrie Bradshaw did. I will miss tuning in to see what crazy shenanigans Carrie and Co. are up to every week, and I know there is no show that will match the level of absurdity of And Just Like That. I can only hope they reboot it again in twenty years–this can’t be the last time Carrie Bradshaw has strutted down New York City in her iconic Manolo Blahniks. It won’t be the last time.
Carrie Bradshaw, you will be missed! Sarah Jessica Parker via Instagram
The Pop Culture Pundit 
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