"And Just Like That..." I think I might be done with "Sex And The City" before I even see the reboot
I've loved Carrie and friends for years, but the big first-episode spoiler is a trigger I don't think I can get past
SPOILER ALERT: THIS WHOLE THING IS ABOUT A HUGE SPOILER DEATH ON THE FIRST EPISODE OF “AND JUST LIKE THAT.” PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
This is not something I do.
I have never been one to critically comment on a piece of art before I’ve seen it. As a professional critic I’ve always rolled my eyes at those pieces that start “I haven’t actually watched Big Important Show Sure To Get Me Clicks Just By Mentioning It but let me tell you why it sucks.”
I do not know if “And Just Like That…,” the new “Sex And The City” reboot that dropped yesterday, sucks. I can’t say whether it competently portrays the decades-old friendship between Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte York Goldenblatt (Kristen Davis) and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) in a way that honors their original connection (although I do hear that the way they explained the absence of former fourth friend Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) was kinda incongruous and petty).
But I do know that (SPOILER) they killed off Carrie’s husband, Mr. Big (Chris Noth) in the first episode, meaning that Carrie is now a widow. Like me. Yeah, no thanks. Carrie’s life was always a fantasy version of what being a writer was - gorgeous apartment, nights out and dream wardrobe in an expensive city on what appears to be one column a week. It was sort of aspirational, even though she was kinda petty, cheaty, biphobic and often a bad friend. But at the end of the day, she and her girls - and her guy- worked it out in a way that worked for them.
I aspired to Carrie’s clothes and career. But the widowhood? Been there. Done that. Didn’t like it. You may keep it.
Look, I know the show is about women in their 50s, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that at least one person in a friend group could be widowed. Ask my friends. I am that one person. And there is a chance that fans that have grown to love this couple since the late 90s might also be in that sad widowed boat and be comforted to see themselves in this story.
I am not one of those people. This is mad triggering for me. I generally avoid things that I know have triggers, like guns, as they may go off and hurt me. I mentioned this on Twitter and at least one widowed friend said she watched and it was OK, and another non-widowed friend was like “Girl, I know you and this is too much like your situation and No No Nope. Not for you.”
I have no idea where this storyline is going - I hear that Carrie’s friends who are not Samantha rally around her, and that’s rewarding. A few people tell me that they’re afraid this is just a ploy to get Carrie back out there on the 50s dating map, because dating Carrie is fun Carrie. And as a 50-year-old widow, let me tell you that if they make it easy breezy and not a bunch of dudes demanding why they should deign to be with your old ass and not someone born the year you graduate college, it’s a lie.
Listen…I want my nostalgia entertainment to be a warm hug with some hope, even in its harshness, like in the “Before Sunrise” series. Imagine if the last one had ended with them killing off Ethan Hawke. Nobody wants that.
I’m sure a lot of people like “And Just Like That…” and maybe I will at some point when I see it. But I probably won’t see it. At least not yet. I’m not ready yet. And it’s OK. I’m gonna go watch Ethan Hawke again.
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