The long-awaited Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That has arrived.
Landing on Binge in Australia you can now catch up with Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda.
And the first two episodes have dropped some HUGE bombs.
Be warned, everything ahead is a spoiler.
And Just Like That, where are they now?
Firstly, let’s clear something up.
Everyone looks older because they are, that’s the point.
Just Like That is about exploring the lives of these women in their 50’s.
It’s not about Sex and the City anymore and that’s ok.
So, what’s happened since we last left the ladies?
At the outset, life is normal for Carrie, but not for long.
Whilst panelling on a very woke podcast “X, Y & Me” talking about gender roles and society, Carrie is still a writer.
The podcast offers the opportunity to introduce a new character, Che Diaz.
Che is a Queer Non-Binary person of colour and also Carrie’s boss. It’s clear Che is set to become a leading character from the outset.
Che is also one of several inclusions of people of colour in the reboot, it’s clear and deliberate, but it’s also about time.
Carrie continues to live in her Penthouse apartment, mind you, she still owns the old one and by large, life is the same for our leading lady. For Now.
“We can’t just stay who we were”
The girls sum it up in the first few minutes of the episode, “we can’t just stay who we were.”
As much as many things are the same, life is changing for all of them.
Miranda has quit her corporate law career after thirty years to pursue her master’s degree in human rights.
Steve is still faithfully by her side as they both juggle managing a very sexually active seventeen-year-old Brady.
Sporting a hearing aid and citing only 60% hearing left, Steve is as endearing as ever.
If anything Miranda for the most part is appearing to mellow.
However, there’s a hint of problems to come as two separate scenes show Miranda drinking before 11 am.
Charlotte’s biggest problem continues to be her quest for perfection.
Her life continues to be the picture of upper east side happiness.
Lily is an overachieving oldest sibling, whilst a rebellious Rose is proving to be the thorn in her side.
Harry is still an endearing, loveable dorky, fifty-eight-year-old Jew.
Life is running at a steady pace for the three ladies, but they’re about to be thrown a curve.
But first, Samantha.
Where is Samantha?
Moments into the first episode as the girls run into the iconic Fitzy Von Muffling the elephant in the room is addressed.
Where is Samantha?
There’s a moment of pause as they announce “she’s no longer with us.”
But after laughing it off, her absence is explained, yet she continues to be a presence through the episode.
Samantha has moved to London for work, is the initial explanation.
But Carrie and Miranda take a more sombre moment to address the friendship breakdown shortly after.
“It is kind of like she’s dead. We never even talk about her” Miranda says.
From here Carrie and Miranda elaborate more on the breakdown.
Carrie stopped continuing Samantha as her book publicist and things went sour.
“I always thought the four of us would be friends forever,” she says.
Although they might not still be friends, her presence is definitely included in both of the first two episodes.
Samantha may not be there, but they have laid her story to rest well.
Life after Sex and the City
There’s a sprinkling of former characters dotted through the first two episodes that give way to some of our favourite characters past.
After opening with the three ladies at lunch, the first episode is largely set against the preparation for Charlotte’s daughter, Lilly’s piano recital.
Bitsy Von Muffling who famously married the very camp Bobby (Nathan Lane) reveals his death only a year prior during Covid.
The oddly coupled Anthony Marentino and Standford Blatch remain married, despite a publicly very hostile relationship.
Fraught with tension the two characters take up their fair share of screen time, providing light and shade to the reboot.
The first two episodes allow for a smooth transition of new characters, on top of the previously mentioned Che Diaz, two other women join the ladies frequently.
Lisa Todd Wexley or “LTW” is a fellow school mother with Charlotte, a wealthy, high profile woman of colour who Charlotte is desperate to befriend.
Miranda too has made a new friend in her college professor Nyah Wallace, another woman of colour.
It’s clear that the direction of the cast is changing and it’s for the best.
The addition of old and fresh faces to the cast has helped breathe life into the Sex and the City reboot.
But nothing will quite prepare you for the shock at the end of episode one.
And Just like that, Big died.
In one truly heart-wrenching moment, the end of episode one will leave you with your heart in your throat.
After making a decision to not go away to the Hamptons as planned Carrie and Big delay their trip by two days.
The reason for their delay, to see Lily’s piano recital.
As Carrie attends the recital Big remains at home, taking a spin on his exercise bike.
Finishing his ride, Big never makes it to the shower as he falls to the ground clutching his heart.
The scene as Carrie returns home to find him helpless on the bathroom floor is possibly the most harrowing in the series to date.
It’s an awful way to begin the reboot, but a definite way to open a narrative for the story to continue.
Most of episode two largely centres around the funeral for Big as Carrie struggles with her grief.
In a touching moment despite a request for no flowers, a beautiful display arrives decorating Big’s coffin.
The note accompanying it, Love, Samantha.
And Just Like That is available to stream on Binge in Australia.
Episode three will premiere on Thursday the 16th of December.
For the latest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
No Comment