‘And Just Like That...’ Is Fun When It Gives Us Nods To The Original ‘Sex And The City’

I’ve always worn my “I’m a Charlotte” badge with pride, and Kristin Davis is delightfully effervescent on-screen. So it bums me out that Charlotte’s storylines have felt half-baked and not true to her character thus far this season. This, sadly, was no exception. I chuckled over the idea of a secret “MILF list” being circulated at a high school, but there’s no way Charlotte would lust after a student, no matter how mature he appears, in a public setting. This is a woman who prides herself on knowing her boundaries! It all felt a little too “Desperate Housewives”-y to me. — Curtis

Without spoiling, Charlotte gets some more plotlines in the next few episodes. But they mainly involve her kids, which I did not find all that interesting. — Marina

I definitely had forgotten who Lisette was when she first appeared on screen in this episode — but this robbery moment at Lisette’s jewelry show reminded me of so many “SATC” moments. When Carrie thought she’d lost her nameplate necklace in Paris, and then found it in her purse — so we all know how important it is to her. It also reminded me of when Carrie was robbed at gunpoint for her bag, er, bagette, and her Manolo Blahniks. Love a throwback to the original every time. — Erin

What year is this supposed to be taking place in, exactly? This show continues to struggle in the ways it attempts to acknowledge the pandemic, and Carrie’s attempt at igniting COVID panic inside what appeared to be a well-ventilated tent in hopes of thwarting a robbery felt straight out of the pre-vaccine days of 2021. Seema’s handgun lighter was a clever touch, though. — Curtis

Also, it seems strange to have a jewelry show in a tent at Bryant Park. Could Lissette not get somewhere better? Lol. — Marina

I don’t even think I commented on the Miranda + Che relationship at all last week because I really think Che is such a caricature of a person on this show. It just annoys me so much every time they appear on screen. So when they had that blowup on the studio lot after Miranda’s phone went off during Che’s taping, I was like, “Oh yay, now Miranda’s gonna go back to New York, and they’re going to break up.” But no. Miranda said some MEAN stuff, though, in that fight. “I had my own family scene, and it was real!” I literally screamed DAMN, MIRANDA! Che obviously was really having a hard time with that scene with her TV dad Tony Danza — and those emotions were not just for the TV screen. That part actually did feel real. So I kinda found myself being on Che’s side in this. Even though… I want them to break up. — Erin

As a New Yorker who also unapologetically adores Los Angeles, I didn’t love the whole “let’s move an N.Y.C.-based character to L.A. only to have them discover they’re miserable” trope for Samantha in the first movie, and I don’t love it for Miranda now. Both cities have their merits and complement one another. Also, I wanted Che to have more empathy, given the situation with Brady and the fact that Miranda uprooted her life to be with them. Proud to see Miranda stand up for herself, too. – Curtis

That’s a good point, Curtis. I was literally screaming at both of them but was definitely happy for any reason to get Miranda back to New York. Sorry, Brady. — Erin

Agree with both of you, though I also felt genuinely bad for Che when Miranda’s phone went off and ruined that big scene. I get Miranda was in a tricky situation, needing to be in contact with Brady while also supporting Che and being there for the sitcom taping. But man, what a shitty moment. Not Miranda’s finest hour. — Marina

I think this might have been a nod to the original. Seema says she bought her Birkin when she made her first real estate deal years ago, back before there was a waitlist. In the original series, there’s that episode in which Samantha uses her client, Lucy Liu (a fun cameo!), to get a Birkin and bypass the waiting list. But then Lucy Liu fires her! — Marina

A perfect and seamless nod to Season 4 of the original series. 10/10, no notes. I love to see it! — Curtis

The showrunner for Che’s TV pilot is an asshole. He tells the live studio audience, “Che is not an actor; they’re a standup!” And I’m sure that was crushing to Che. I thought Che did a great job in that scene with Tony Danza, but it also seemed like at every turn during the writing process, they were so not into the trajectory of the show itself. I bet that was incredibly frustrating. — Erin

I’m really on board with Tony Danza as Che Diaz’s on-screen father, despite his less-than-ideal introduction. Kudos to him for helping lighten the mood after the showrunner’s meltdown. — Curtis

I love that they’re continuing to bring OG characters from the original “Sex and the City” to this series. Bitsy von Muffling made a couple of appearances in Season 1 of “And Just Like That…” And now she’s back and sassy as ever. Bitsy always seemed like a fun character, and Julie Halston knocks that portrayal out of the park every time. — Erin

Any chance to see Julie Halston – an incomparable New York film, TV and theater actor – on-screen is good in my book. Loved the advice she gave Carrie, too. — Curtis

Bitsy, a legend. Any time a blast from the past shows up on this show, I do the equivalent of that “Leo pointing” meme. — Marina

Did anyone else find it kind of thrown in there that Carrie had written a book about Big and his death? Obviously, she was still asking for blurbs for the book jacket, so it wasn’t out yet, but did that seem abnormally fast to anyone? It’s only been a year, according to Carrie’s conversation with Bitsy Von Muffling. I did find the moments where she was trying to read her own writing out loud for the audiobook really touching and sad. I feel like the best parts of the series so far have revolved around Big’s death. I really think they knock it out of the park there. Well, you know, aside from her lying about having COVID to avoid doing the voiceover for the audiobook. — Erin

When it became clear she was going to fake a COVID case, I thought: “Is she really going there?!” Ugh, but also very on-brand for chaos queen Carrie Bradshaw and very on-brand for this show. Also, now that I am remembering this, she makes a joke about one of the audiobook producers wearing a mask because of his bad B.O. This kind of rubbed me the wrong way because it feels off-putting to joke about mask-wearing, and people shouldn’t be judged for wearing a mask! Both of these things were weird ways to insert COVID into the plotlines. Anyway, I realize watching this show requires me to try to not think too hard about it. — Marina