And Just Like That in the Media

[Hanahope]

it almost feels like when they were working on ideas for the show and decided they had to have a regular lesbian character/couple (just like they decided that each of the original 3 characters was going to have a new POC friend) and instead of bringing in a new lesbian character/couple for the group, Cynthia insisted that Miranda switch, even though that went against prior character development.  

[kristen111]

On 6/18/2023 at 2:47 PM, badhaggis said:

What a moron. Is she trying to destroy any last vestige of positive feelings people might still have for her?

I recently dumped HBO Max as I exhausted it.  Does it pay to join again just for this show.  I’m not crazy the way they all treated Kim.  They came back for MONEY.  A little of Kim is a bonus for them, that’s all.  I’m debating as I’m not too thrilled with the three of them.

 

[millennium]

I fully intended to hate-watch the new season, especially given the show's self-destructive doubling-down on Che, but then I read this in an article on Vulture:

Spoiler

There are other, more SATC-like aspects of the show now, too, specifically the emphasis on sex and relationships: Carrie fumbles back into the dating pool while attempting to move on after Big. Miranda tries a strap-on, and Charlotte worries about Harry’s ability to come. The new characters sleep around, too, with Seema’s affair with a guy who needs a penis-enlarger and Nya’s marriage continuing to crumble.

Humiliating Carrie Bradshaw

 

Sex scenes between Miranda and Che were sufficiently cringeworthy because they seem so ... manufactured ... but that?   I have no problem with anything consenting adults do but this just seems like a desperate bid to be outrageous at the expense of the character.

Edited June 24, 2023 by millennium

[Cosmocrush]

2 hours ago, kristen111 said:

I recently dumped HBO Max as I exhausted it.  Does it pay to join again just for this show.  I’m not crazy the way they all treated Kim.  They came back for MONEY.  A little of Kim is a bonus for them, that’s all.  I’m debating as I’m not too thrilled with the three of them.

 

I don't know if I'd join JUST for AJLT but don't forget SATC is on there + both movies.   It's been about 10 years since I did a rewatch so I think I'm due but meanwhile sometimes I just watch my fave episodes.  

As an original fan (where my very old screen name came from) I will watch this show, just like I went to both movies.  And I will miss Samantha and continue to be bummed that Carrie isn't. 

If anyone is still deciding Kristin aka Charlotte was on Hoda and Jenna this morning and said this season is  more fun/fashion.   She said now that Carrie is coming out of her grief, it's lighter.  So far, they have certainly delivered on the fashion. 

[Lethallyfab]

Have we had an interview yet where Nixon and/or Ramirez dismiss any LGBTQ+ person who doesn’t buy into Che and Miranda’s epic love as being “self-loathing?”  Because I feel like that’s coming next.

[millennium]

4 hours ago, Lethallyfab said:

Have we had an interview yet where Nixon and/or Ramirez dismiss any LGBTQ+ person who doesn’t buy into Che and Miranda’s epic love as being “self-loathing?”  Because I feel like that’s coming next.

Billy Eichner set the precedent for that kind of thing last year when he tweeted:

"Everyone who ISN'T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight!"

[kristen111]

8 hours ago, Cosmocrush said:

I don't know if I'd join JUST for AJLT but don't forget SATC is on there + both movies.   It's been about 10 years since I did a rewatch so I think I'm due but meanwhile sometimes I just watch my fave episodes.  

I hear you.  I’m debating.  I taped both movies recently, plus, I binged on a marathon of all the seasons I think on HBO Max at one time last year, so ….. I’ll see.  I do like their chats around the breakfasts tho, and the clothes. Lol.  I just might cave.

[Yeah No]

Article in the NY Times about John Corbett reprising his role in "And Just Like That".  I copied the "share" link so everyone can read it (hopefully).

[luna1122again]

This article is so weird to me, mostly, I guess, because for me, John Corbett will always be Chris in the Morning. That was a quality program, and a career making and defining role. 

Yes, he also happens to be Aidan Shaw (and I'm going out on a limb here and speculating thst this writer hates Aidan Shaw), and I'm sure he made more money and I guess a wider audience, but to suggest that SATC made him a star and not NE seems off to me. 

I also don't agree with the characterization of Aidan as being a controlling, manipulative douchebag, tho I get that some do. He didn't tell Carrie she couldn't smoke. He said he couldn't date a smoker, which is his right. (I have asthma and being around smokers is literally bad for my health). Carrie is the one who promised to give it up so she could still date him. 

And he punished her for cheating? Was he supposed to reward her? He broke up with her almost immediately. That's not punishment, that the smart decision. Yes, when they got back together, he got passive aggressive when he realized Big was still hanging around. I think his reaction was fairly normal, if not the most grownup way to handle it. And he was definitely desperate and insecure about her fidelity and commitment, and he should have bailed before he did. But again, human, as human as our female protagonists, who were also all of these things in relationships at certain times. 

Oh well. Whatever. I think I'll wind up hating whatever they do with Aidan, but im always happy to see JC

 

[slowpoked]

12 minutes ago, luna1122again said:

Yes, when they got back together, he got passive aggressive when he realized Big was still hanging around. I think his reaction was fairly normal, if not the most grownup way to handle it.

This is one of the worst parts of SATC for me. In the real world, it’s normal and human to ask your current partner to not be friendly with his/her ex. If y’all eventually get friends, organically, then sure.

But Carrie forced Aidan on that issue. She had a huge drama about how Big would always be a part of her life somehow and even had the gall to invite him up to AIDAN’s cabin when he’s the guy she cheated on him with. Then Carrie even had more temerity to act like how and why Aidan could not understand that Big is suffering and so she invited him up. What, Big doesn’t have any drinking buddies of his own that he can drown his sorrows with or another young model he could bang for one night while he gets over his actress ex?  

If I were Aidan I would have thrown them both out of his cabin instead of giving Big the couch.

Definitely one of the episodes that shows how selfish and self-absorbed Carrie is.

[Yeah No]

46 minutes ago, luna1122again said:

I also don't agree with the characterization of Aidan as being a controlling, manipulative douchebag, tho I get that some do. He didn't tell Carrie she couldn't smoke. He said he couldn't date a smoker, which is his right. (I have asthma and being around smokers is literally bad for my health). Carrie is the one who promised to give it up so she could still date him. 

I'm down on this board last year making similar comments about Aidan as in this article, which is one reason I didn't like him 20 years ago.  But I'm different now and hopefully so is Aidan, because I'm open to him being a serious love interest of Carrie's again if that's the case.  If he starts in again with the controlling side, not so much. 

I didn't mind him not being on board with dating a smoker as I wouldn't be either, I just didn't like that he wanted to manipulate Carrie by trying to change her.  If it was a deal breaker he should have just said he couldn't date a smoker from the get go and let that be that.  I don't blame Carrie for trying to please him, though.  He put her in that situation and in my opinion that wasn't fair.

[kristen111]

FYI .. Season 2 is on the E channel today, all day, here on Long Island, N.Y.

[chitowngirl]

2 hours ago, kristen111 said:

FYI .. Season 2 is on the E channel today, all day, here on Long Island, N.Y.

That’s Sex and the City, not And Just Like That.

[kristen111]

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

That’s Sex and the City, not And Just Like That.

Yes, I know, but I love both the same.  

[RedHawk]

12 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I'm down on this board last year making similar comments about Aidan as in this article, which is one reason I didn't like him 20 years ago.  But I'm different now and hopefully so is Aidan, because I'm open to him being a serious love interest of Carrie's again if that's the case.  If he starts in again with the controlling side, not so much. 

I didn't mind him not being on board with dating a smoker as I wouldn't be either, I just didn't like that he wanted to manipulate Carrie by trying to change her.  If it was a deal breaker he should have just said he couldn't date a smoker from the get go and let that be that.  I don't blame Carrie for trying to please him, though.  He put her in that situation and in my opinion that wasn't fair.

My husband smoked when we met. I told him I wouldn't date a smoker and he said, "Ok, I'll quit" and he did, immediately. I believe Carrie did the same, and why shouldn't Aidan have given Carrie the same option? IIRC she also said she would quit but then she snuck around and didn't, lying to him about it. I don't see how he was manipulative. 

If they use Aidan's appearance on the show to finally wrap up the relationship in a mature adult way, with a little nostalgia for the fans, then fine. But if somehow Carrie starts talking about how he was right for her and blah blah blah it will be IMO another character assassination on the part of MPK. Carrie was not at all right for Aidan, nor he for her, and he couldn't and then wouldn't see it until she broke his heart the second time. I'd like to see them chatting about his now nearly adult children, his woodworking business, and maybe how Steve is doing post divorce, but please, spare me some attempt by Carrie to selfishly get him in love with her again. 

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, RedHawk said:

My husband smoked when we met. I told him I wouldn't date a smoker and he said, "Ok, I'll quit" and he did, immediately. I believe Carrie did the same, and why shouldn't Aidan have given Carrie the same option? IIRC she also said she would quit but then she snuck around and didn't, lying to him about it. I don't see how he was manipulative. 

It wasn't just the smoking with him, he wanted her to be a different person.  He wanted her to be more of a "country type" to please him, but that wasn't her.  He couldn't accept her for who she was in any way and exerted subtle manipulation to get her to change for him.  I didn't blame her for trying to quit smoking and failing.  She did her best and I don't think she started out with bad intentions.  Some people just can't quit.  I have known them.  But it's especially hard to quit when someone asks you to and it wasn't your decision in the first place.  It really has to come from within, and the fact that he expected her to do it for him was especially offensive to me.  He made it such a deal breaker that it set her up for failure.  I'm an ex smoker so I know what it's like to quit.  He obviously didn't and didn't care how hard it is to do either.  If he had one ounce of compassion she would have felt safer coming to him about it, but that was not the impression he gave.  For sure she shouldn't have lied about it, but the judgmental way he acted about that and her in general was self-centered and offensive to me. 

I personally think the way Aidan acted was typical of a self-centered man that wants a woman to revolve around him and cater to him in every way whether it's good for her or not.  I dated a young man like that once.  He wanted me to be a completely different person and when I didn't change for him he exerted the same type of self-centered judgmental pressure on me.  He even wanted me to change the way I dressed for him, the music I liked, the food I ate, etc.  I was young and tried to please him but after a while it got ridiculous and the arguments started and we broke up. 

20 years ago when I watched this show I knew Aidan rubbed me the wrong way, but it wasn't until many years later rewatching the show that I realized why.  I didn't even see the subtle manipulation until I was much older and more aware of stuff like that.  And to be honest it's even more offensive to me as I am now than it was 20 years ago, especially in light of all the newer societal consciousness on the power dynamics between men and women.  I am just happy that I am not alone in seeing it this way and that at least one writer at the NY Times agrees with me!

[Yeah No]

10 hours ago, RedHawk said:

If they use Aidan's appearance on the show to finally wrap up the relationship in a mature adult way, with a little nostalgia for the fans, then fine. But if somehow Carrie starts talking about how he was right for her and blah blah blah it will be IMO another character assassination on the part of MPK. Carrie was not at all right for Aidan, nor he for her, and he couldn't and then wouldn't see it until she broke his heart the second time. I'd like to see them chatting about his now nearly adult children, his woodworking business, and maybe how Steve is doing post divorce, but please, spare me some attempt by Carrie to selfishly get him in love with her again. 

The show could do that and that would be fine in my opinion, but I have a feeling that Aidan has matured a lot in over 2 decades.  I'm hoping the show sees this as a way to show how two people can mature and grow toward each other, not apart.  I doubt that Carrie will start talking about how he was right for her.  I don't think she's ready for a relationship yet and she has even stuck to that in the most recent episodes.  So perhaps they might have a platonic friendship going for a while which may be beneficial for both of them.  Whether it leads to a relationship will be the question and might be enough to create some romantic tension and drama for the show, which I wouldn't find so bad if handled well.  So we'll see.  

[RedHawk]

11 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

It wasn't just the smoking with him, he wanted her to be a different person.  He wanted her to be more of a "country type" to please him, but that wasn't her.  He couldn't accept her for who she was in any way and exerted subtle manipulation to get her to change for him.  I didn't blame her for trying to quit smoking and failing.  She did her best and I don't think she started out with bad intentions.  Some people just can't quit.  I have known them.  But it's especially hard to quit when someone asks you to and it wasn't your decision in the first place.  It really has to come from within, and the fact that he expected her to do it for him was especially offensive to me.  He made it such a deal breaker that it set her up for failure.  I'm an ex smoker so I know what it's like to quit.  He obviously didn't and didn't care how hard it is to do either.  If he had one ounce of compassion she would have felt safer coming to him about it, but that was not the impression he gave.  For sure she shouldn't have lied about it, but the judgmental way he acted about that and her in general was self-centered and offensive to me. 

I personally think the way Aidan acted was typical of a self-centered man that wants a woman to revolve around him and cater to him in every way whether it's good for her or not.  I dated a young man like that once.  He wanted me to be a completely different person and when I didn't change for him he exerted the same type of self-centered judgmental pressure on me.  He even wanted me to change the way I dressed for him, the music I liked, the food I ate, etc.  I was young and tried to please him but after a while it got ridiculous and the arguments started and we broke up. 

20 years ago when I watched this show I knew Aidan rubbed me the wrong way, but it wasn't until many years later rewatching the show that I realized why.  I didn't even see the subtle manipulation until I was much older and more aware of stuff like that.  And to be honest it's even more offensive to me as I am now than it was 20 years ago, especially in light of all the newer societal consciousness on the power dynamics between men and women.  I am just happy that I am not alone in seeing it this way and that at least one writer at the NY Times agrees with me!

I appreciate your comments and understand what you're saying and seeing now that you rewatch. I haven't watched the original episodes in more than a decade, so I don't remember many details, except Carrie screaming in fear of the squirrel in the cabin window! At the time I felt like she could and should have stopped dating Aidan if she felt too much pressure to change herself. There was an interesting dynamic about him being seen as this great guy ("he sanded your floors!") and how Carrie couldn't "appreciate" him and the loving relationship he offered. She kept choosing Big who constantly mistreated her and also made her feel she wasn't right for/good enough for him (we can agree on that, right?). I found it interesting that SHE kept trying to change herself to fit Aidan and now I can recall that he did exude an expectation. I always saw that she wanted Aidan because Big treated her so badly and didn't seem to love her while Aidan did at least show love for her, yet with Big she could be more "herself". Still stuns me that many see her relationship with Big as romantic when I saw it as so harmful and lacking in real love.

Looking at it now I guess neither guy was at all a good choice for Carrie but she couldn't choose herself over a man. The time she walked away from Big after quoting "The Way We Were" should have been the end of them. I like articles that reexamine the series.
 

14 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

The show could do that and that would be fine in my opinion, but I have a feeling that Aidan has matured a lot in over 2 decades.  I'm hoping the show sees this as a way to show how two people can mature and grow toward each other, not apart.  I doubt that Carrie will start talking about how he was right for her.  I don't think she's ready for a relationship yet and she has even stuck to that in the most recent episodes.  So perhaps they might have a platonic friendship going for a while which may be beneficial for both of them.  Whether it leads to a relationship will be the question and might be enough to create some romantic tension and drama for the show, which I wouldn't find so bad if handled well.  So we'll see.  

"If handled well" is the key here. I see what you're saying, and I expect that Aidan has matured and will be shown to have had some ups and downs. The problem is that I don't see much maturity from Carrie so far. Maybe Aidan will be a catalyst for her to do some introspection. They could indeed end up as good, supportive friends.

[Scarlett45]

30 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

It wasn't just the smoking with him, he wanted her to be a different person.  He wanted her to be more of a "country type" to please him, but that wasn't her.  He couldn't accept her for who she was in any way and exerted subtle manipulation to get her to change for him.  I didn't blame her for trying to quit smoking and failing.  She did her best and I don't think she started out with bad intentions.  Some people just can't quit.  I have known them.  But it's especially hard to quit when someone asks you to and it wasn't your decision in the first place.  It really has to come from within, and the fact that he expected her to do it for him was especially offensive to me.  He made it such a deal breaker that it set her up for failure.  I'm an ex smoker so I know what it's like to quit.  He obviously didn't and didn't care how hard it is to do either.  If he had one ounce of compassion she would have felt safer coming to him about it, but that was not the impression he gave.  For sure she shouldn't have lied about it, but the judgmental way he acted about that and her in general was self-centered and offensive to me. 

I personally think the way Aidan acted was typical of a self-centered man that wants a woman to revolve around him and cater to him in every way whether it's good for her or not.  I dated a young man like that once.  He wanted me to be a completely different person and when I didn't change for him he exerted the same type of self-centered judgmental pressure on me.  He even wanted me to change the way I dressed for him, the music I liked, the food I ate, etc.  I was young and tried to please him but after a while it got ridiculous and the arguments started and we broke up. 

20 years ago when I watched this show I knew Aidan rubbed me the wrong way, but it wasn't until many years later rewatching the show that I realized why.  I didn't even see the subtle manipulation until I was much older and more aware of stuff like that.  And to be honest it's even more offensive to me as I am now than it was 20 years ago, especially in light of all the newer societal consciousness on the power dynamics between men and women.  I am just happy that I am not alone in seeing it this way and that at least one writer at the NY Times agrees with me!

Taking this to the comparison thread. 

[Yeah No]

14 hours ago, RedHawk said:

There was an interesting dynamic about him being seen as this great guy ("he sanded your floors!") and how Carrie couldn't "appreciate" him and the loving relationship he offered. She kept choosing Big who constantly mistreated her and also made her feel she wasn't right for/good enough for him (we can agree on that, right?). I found it interesting that SHE kept trying to change herself to fit Aidan and now I can recall that he did exude an expectation. I always saw that she wanted Aidan because Big treated her so badly and didn't seem to love her while Aidan did at least show love for her, yet with Big she could be more "herself". Still stuns me that many see her relationship with Big as romantic when I saw it as so harmful and lacking in real love.

Yes, we can agree about Big.  I saw his mistreatment of her 20 years ago but somehow wanted Carrie to end up with him anyway.  He was just as bad for her in his own ways.  I think I was allowing the shallower part of me get sucked in by the romance factor and excused him for a lot.  And again today I see it very differently.

14 hours ago, RedHawk said:

Looking at it now I guess neither guy was at all a good choice for Carrie but she couldn't choose herself over a man. The time she walked away from Big after quoting "The Way We Were" should have been the end of them. I like articles that reexamine the series.

I agree with you 100% on this too!

[Scarlett45]

10 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Yes, we can agree about Big.  I saw his mistreatment of her 20 years ago but somehow wanted Carrie to end up with him anyway.  He was just as bad for her in his own ways.  I think I was allowing the shallower part of me get sucked in by the romance factor and excused him for a lot.  And again today I see it very differently.

Big’s mistreatment of Carrie was clear from day 1. I never wanted them to end up together, the narrative that if you hang onto a man long enough, become his side piece, allow him emotional space in your life for years, EVENTUALLY when he’s older and sick of hunting for partnered sex he will choose you (oh and after he humiliates you in public while you’re wearing your wedding dress). 
 

And Just Like That is wish fulfillment (I  get that) and what I would like to see explored and for the media to address is that Carrie is now back to being just “herself” (with a lot of money). She’s no longer hunting for that happy ending (she supposedly had it with Big) and now he’s gone. What does that mean for her? For any woman in her position?

Regarding The NY Times article- I think we are all happy to see John Corbett again, and I can certainly understand him wanting to be asked back (work is work) but let’s make sure it’s in a space that fits the narrative for Carrie. For the record them getting back together in Season 4 made sense to me, granted I think it was a bad idea, but people do things like that!

[bluegirl147]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

And Just Like That is wish fulfillment (I  get that) and what I would like to see explored and for the media to address is that Carrie is now back to being just “herself” (with a lot of money). She’s no longer hunting for that happy ending (she supposedly had it with Big) and now he’s gone. What does that mean for her? For any woman in her position?

I will be shocked if they don't pair Carrie up with someone (probably Aiden) and give her a happy ending again.  The overwhelming narrative with most TV shows and movies is single women, no matter their age, want to be coupled.  

12 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I saw his mistreatment of her 20 years ago but somehow wanted Carrie to end up with him anyway.

That was me too. Now that I'm older it's hard for me to rewatch SATC and not think run Carrie run.

[NotMySekrit2Tell]

16 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

And Just Like That is wish fulfillment (I  get that)

Sometimes it's wish fulfillment in a "Monkey's Paw" way. The wishes are granted in a horrifying way that makes you regret wishing.

[funnygirl]

The fact that the head of HBO reached out to her is such a flex! 

I love that she got to do it on her own terms, Pat Field and all. Hope she got paid an obscene amount for the one scene. 

[bluegirl147]

41 minutes ago, funnygirl said:

The fact that the head of HBO reached out to her is such a flex! 

I love that she got to do it on her own terms, Pat Field and all. Hope she got paid an obscene amount for the one scene. 

So that makes me wonder.  Did MPK want to bring her back?  Or did HBO say we want to bring her back and we are going to make it happen?  

I've always thought MPK and SJP wildly underestimated how popular Kim and Samantha was with viewers.

[T Summer]

On 6/26/2023 at 12:12 AM, Yeah No said:

Yes, we can agree about Big.  I saw his mistreatment of her 20 years ago but somehow wanted Carrie to end up with him anyway.  He was just as bad for her in his own ways.  I think I was allowing the shallower part of me get sucked in by the romance factor and excused him for a lot.  And again today I see it very differently.

I know what you mean. I wanted Carrie to be with Big because he's the one she always  wanted. He was her person. However I always thought it wouldn't have worked given their history. Can you imagine sitting across the breakfast table from this egomaniac who had to test the waters with half the women in NYC (and one in Paris) before knowing he wants to commit to you?

 

Couldn't be me.

[Hanahope]

i always thought Carrie fixated on Big because he was super rich and part of society.  she dated other rich people, but Big brought "status" that she could have with everyone she knew in NYC.  Its why she liked "the russian" as well and would have been fine had they stayed in NYC (where she could be with her friends), but she was pretty much alone in Paris.  

[funnygirl]

Kim has far too much respect for her work and is protective enough not to let MPK and those clowns ruin Samantha Jones. 

One short scene - as Pat said, people will be so happy - and in a fabulous outfit from Bergdorfs. Can't wait to see it! 

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by funnygirl

[bluegirl147]

38 minutes ago, funnygirl said:

Kim has far too much respect for her work and is protective enough not to let MPK and those clowns ruin Samantha Jones. 

One short scene - as Pat said, people will be so happy - and in a fabulous outfit from Bergdorfs. Can't wait to see it! 

 

She was also on the View yesterday. She said at this point in her life she gets more out of saying no.  I'm a younger than her but I realized a few years ago I feel the same way.  I will always love her for not giving into MPK and SJP and filming that third movie/AJLT plot of her sexting with Brady.  I miss her as Samantha but I am happy Kim is having a good time doing projects she enjoys.

[qtpye]

18 hours ago, T Summer said:

I know what you mean. I wanted Carrie to be with Big because he's the one she always  wanted. He was her person. However I always thought it wouldn't have worked given their history. Can you imagine sitting across the breakfast table from this egomaniac who had to test the waters with half the women in NYC (and one in Paris) before knowing he wants to commit to you?

 

Couldn't be me.

 

2 hours ago, Hanahope said:

i always thought Carrie fixated on Big because he was super rich and part of society.  she dated other rich people, but Big brought "status" that she could have with everyone she knew in NYC.  Its why she liked "the russian" as well and would have been fine had they stayed in NYC (where she could be with her friends), but she was pretty much alone in Paris.  

Yes, Carrie was a superficial person when it came to romantic relationships and she wanted to be with Big because she felt that he represented everything she wanted.

The first season had the feel of a "what if a regular gal could date a handsome billionaire" vibe. She did not care if he was a terrible person because that made him more "alpha" in her eyes.

Then the show became more fantastical and all her suitors were pretty well off with the Artist being on the same financial level as Big.

I do not know if this makes her a gold digger or just a woman who knew how to attract men with money.

[bluegirl147]

13 minutes ago, qtpye said:

I do not know if this makes her a gold digger or just a woman who knew how to attract men with money.

I ain't saying she is a gold digger but.....

Carrie never would have married a man who didn't have money. She expected to find a man who would give her the life she was attempting to have while she was single. To be able to shop and have lunch with her friends.  If Big hadn't been filthy rich do we think Carrie would have stayed around for so long putting up with his inability to commit to her?

[qtpye]

6 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I ain't saying she is a gold digger but.....

Carrie never would have married a man who didn't have money. She expected to find a man who would give her the life she was attempting to have while she was single. To be able to shop and have lunch with her friends.  If Big hadn't been filthy rich do we think Carrie would have stayed around for so long putting up with his inability to commit to her?

As the show went on I had no idea why the Hell any man or woman would put up with Carrie.

I would never be friends with someone who demands that I lend them money when they wasted thousands of dollars on high-end designer shoes.

SJP's natural likability really hid what a terrible person Carrie could be to her lovers and friends.

 

[T Summer]

15 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I ain't saying she is a gold digger but.....

Carrie never would have married a man who didn't have money. She expected to find a man who would give her the life she was attempting to have while she was single. To be able to shop and have lunch with her friends.  If Big hadn't been filthy rich do we think Carrie would have stayed around for so long putting up with his inability to commit to her?

Right!  They portrayed Charlotte as being the one determined to "marry well", but never accentuated this uglier aspect of Carrie's persona. I always thought that was why Aiden was never a serious consideration for the long term in Carrie's eyes. In Abu Dabi wasn't he shopping in the souk for leathers and things for a line of furnishings and having lunch with Arab business partners who "didn't cotton to the ladies"?

 

I hope now that he's rich[er] he soesn't become the one.

[Rebecca berkowit]

On 6/12/2023 at 1:00 AM, heatherchandler said:

Michael Patrick King sounds like a nightmare too.  He ruined the franchise.  He is the reason we have Che Diaz shoved down our throats.  

For some reason SJP loves him.  Of course she is besties with Andy Cohen too so her choice of friend is questionable.  Although she’s also friends with Amy Sedaris, who I love... but I digress!

I don’t know where this belongs, but on the topic of MPK/Pat Field- I just re-watched the behind-the-scenes documentary on the HBO website, and the overall impression is of a toxic workplace in which the employees are afraid of MPK and SJP, and so nobody says no to them and their every bad idea is indulged.  (Che).  It seems like the kids of workplace where if you aren’t a “yes man,” you quickly get shoved out.  Cynthia is portrayed as a yes-man, and it works for her, as she gets to direct and episode and she gets the Che thing.   The doc spends a lot of time with the wardrobe person who used to work for Field on SATC and has replaced her on this one.  She praises Field and gives no reason for the departure of Field.   She, in particular, seems to HATE/fear MPK, and she must clear her each and every wardrobe decision with him and SJP, down to each outfit, shoe, and bag, in the most suck-uppy way.  She pretends it’s a teasing relationship, and she respects their wardrobe ideas, but you can see it’s really not, and she’s just doing this to keep her job.    They show a dispute over a stupid hat between MPK and SJP, with this wardrobe lady in the middle, and it’s just horrible.  I would NOT want to work there, and I can understand why Cattrall left, why she doesn’t like MPK/SJP, and why she wants to be dressed by Field.

[Rebecca berkowit]

On 6/23/2023 at 9:59 PM, millennium said:

I fully intended to hate-watch the new season, especially given the show's self-destructive doubling-down on Che, but then I read this in an article on Vulture:

  Hide contents

There are other, more SATC-like aspects of the show now, too, specifically the emphasis on sex and relationships: Carrie fumbles back into the dating pool while attempting to move on after Big. Miranda tries a strap-on, and Charlotte worries about Harry’s ability to come. The new characters sleep around, too, with Seema’s affair with a guy who needs a penis-enlarger and Nya’s marriage continuing to crumble.

Humiliating Carrie Bradshaw

 

Sex scenes between Miranda and Che were sufficiently cringeworthy because they seem so ... manufactured ... but that?   I have no problem with anything consenting adults do but this just seems like a desperate bid to be outrageous at the expense of the character.

The scene with the strap-on was the most unsexy sex scene I have ever seen.  It was like they’d just gotten a new board game or some sports equipment and were trying it out.  No eroticism at all.  Same with all their sex scenes.  Very “insert tab A into slot B.”

Edited June 29, 2023 by Rebecca berkowit

[Rebecca berkowit]

On 6/24/2023 at 3:16 AM, millennium said:

Billy Eichner set the precedent for that kind of thing last year when he tweeted:

"Everyone who ISN'T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight!"

I liked Bros!  It was good!  I don’t know why people didn’t like it!  But it doesn’t mean they’re homophobic.  Sara Ramirez really comes off as grandiose and super narcissistic in that article.  Not everything is about you and how you’re non-binary!  Likening the Che storyline to the George Floyd protests (yes, really) is just beyond.  What is wrong with this person?  It’s like it’s the first time someone has come out as gender diverse.  Not!  

Edited June 29, 2023 by Rebecca berkowit

[millennium]

7 hours ago, qtpye said:

I do not know if this makes her a gold digger or just a woman who knew how to attract men with money.

Like the one who paid her after sleeping with her.

[millennium]

7 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

I ain't saying she is a gold digger but.....

Carrie never would have married a man who didn't have money. She expected to find a man who would give her the life she was attempting to have while she was single. To be able to shop and have lunch with her friends.  If Big hadn't been filthy rich do we think Carrie would have stayed around for so long putting up with his inability to commit to her?

Berger knew the truth about Carrie, which is why he experienced so much anxiety with her.   The show tried to position Berger as the one with a problem because he didn't find Carrie's narcissism, superficiality and inconsiderate behavior intoxicating.   IMO, a Post-It was all Carrie deserved, if that much. 

[qtpye]

29 minutes ago, millennium said:

Berger knew the truth about Carrie, which is why he experienced so much anxiety with her.   The show tried to position Berger as the one with a problem because he didn't find Carrie's narcissism, superficiality and inconsiderate behavior intoxicating.   IMO, a Post-It was all Carrie deserved, if that much. 

I did get a little chuckle when he questioned her hat...she was really pissed.

It's like it was inconceivable that Carrie could ever make fashion mistakes.

Anyone who takes risks with their style will have a dud once in a while.

[millennium]

2 hours ago, qtpye said:

I did get a little chuckle when he questioned her hat...she was really pissed.

"Nice hat."

My favorite line in the whole series.

[Baltimore Betty]

8 hours ago, qtpye said:

Anyone who takes risks with their style will have a dud once in a while.

So, so, so many risks and fails.

[bluegirl147]

11 hours ago, millennium said:

Berger knew the truth about Carrie, which is why he experienced so much anxiety with her.   The show tried to position Berger as the one with a problem because he didn't find Carrie's narcissism, superficiality and inconsiderate behavior intoxicating.   IMO, a Post-It was all Carrie deserved, if that much. 

I liked Berger.  He was a nice change of pace.  He didn't seem overly enamored with Carrie.  He liked her but he wasn't here for her "Carrieness" that all the other guys seemed to overlook.  And that I think is why Carrie was snippy with him a lot.  She knew he knew the truth about her and she didn't like it.

[RealHousewife]

On 6/28/2023 at 5:50 PM, T Summer said:

I know what you mean. I wanted Carrie to be with Big because he's the one she always  wanted. He was her person. However I always thought it wouldn't have worked given their history. Can you imagine sitting across the breakfast table from this egomaniac who had to test the waters with half the women in NYC (and one in Paris) before knowing he wants to commit to you?

 

Couldn't be me.

Me neither. I'm not talking to the point of needy, but the more someone wants me, the more I want them. It shouldn't take someone that many years (especially at their ages) to know they want to commit to you. I'm not into the country lifestyle, but I always preferred Aidan.

[luna1122again]

9 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

Me neither. I'm not talking to the point of needy, but the more someone wants me, the more I want them. It shouldn't take someone that many years (especially at their ages) to know they want to commit to you. I'm not into the country lifestyle, but I always preferred Aidan.

Aidan owned a store and an apartment in Manhattan. His "country" cabin was an occasional thing. He was a little crunchy granola but he was also a guy who lived in NYC with a successful business. 

Anyway. I always got the chemistry between Carrie and Big but I ALWAYS thought they were wrong and toxic together and for a long time, I believed that was the whole point of the show. Giving them some fairy tale ending on the series finale mildly enraged me. 

Not that I thought she should wind up with Aidan either. I loved him bit their dynamic was also toxic. 

[RealHousewife]

1 hour ago, luna1122again said:

Aidan owned a store and an apartment in Manhattan. His "country" cabin was an occasional thing. He was a little crunchy granola but he was also a guy who lived in NYC with a successful business. 

Anyway. I always got the chemistry between Carrie and Big but I ALWAYS thought they were wrong and toxic together and for a long time, I believed that was the whole point of the show. Giving them some fairy tale ending on the series finale mildly enraged me. 

Not that I thought she should wind up with Aidan either. I loved him bit their dynamic was also toxic. 

I know Aidan was a successful man who lived in NYC. But people who love the country like to spend a lot of time in it. When you're a city girl, you're not necessarily comfortable in the country, no matter how beautiful it is.

Agree. The show needed drama to keep it going.

True. Carrie was wrong treating him the way she did. But if Aidan didn't truly forgive her and was going to play games, he shouldn't have taken her back. 

[Cosmocrush]

I saw Kim’s interview on Honda & Jenna yesterday.  She was mostly promoting her new Netflix show but of course the asked her about AJLT.  Besides what’s already been posted here she said one of the reasons she decided to do it was the president of HBO personally called her and asked her, How can we make this happen?”   In the end, she showed up at noon, left by four, and went home and had a martini.  😉.   

I miss Samantha.

[Quof]

Kim wins.  Team Kim.

[Yeah No]

On 6/28/2023 at 2:27 PM, bluegirl147 said:

I've always thought MPK and SJP wildly underestimated how popular Kim and Samantha was with viewers.

Yes, also Samantha was like that rug in "The Big Lebowski" that tied the whole room together.  After seeing this version of the show without her in it I am firmly convinced that she tied the whole show together.  The attempts they are making to more or less "replace" her with Seema are really falling flat with me and only making me miss Samantha all the more.

[Yeah No]

On 6/29/2023 at 1:36 PM, bluegirl147 said:

I ain't saying she is a gold digger but.....

Carrie never would have married a man who didn't have money. She expected to find a man who would give her the life she was attempting to have while she was single. To be able to shop and have lunch with her friends.  If Big hadn't been filthy rich do we think Carrie would have stayed around for so long putting up with his inability to commit to her?

The answer to that is of course "no", but he also had to be sexy, attractive and an all around alpha male.  Being older than her was also part of the dynamic.  She also aspired to status, which he could also give her.  The designer clothes were part of that aspiration too.  

Another thing the older me sees now is how very old fashioned and unliberated this all was.  I was conscious of that with Charlotte 20+ years ago but somehow didn't notice it as much with Carrie, perhaps because it fed into one of my own frivolous fantasies, kind of like the ones in romance novels that tap into a secret longing in many women.

The thing we loved about the original show is that there were two women (Samantha and Miranda) that were diametrically opposed to that dynamic in that they were generally dominant types who forged their own success in life and wanted men to fit into their lives, not be the subordinate that fit into a man's life and got their needs met from being taken care of by him.  And now we don't have either of them on the show because Samantha is gone and they've pretty much turned Miranda into some kind of pathetic groupie with a crush on someone.  Carrie might be changing given how she was in control of the situation with her podcast guy.  But Big is still taking care of her and giving her status and wealth even in death.  So she still has one foot in that former arrangement.

[Scarlett45]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Another thing the older me sees now is how very old fashioned and unliberated this all was.  I was conscious of that with Charlotte 20+ years ago but somehow didn't notice it as much with Carrie, perhaps because it fed into one of my own frivolous fantasies, kind of like the ones in romance novels that tap into a secret longing in many women.

Taking my response to the Compare & Contrast thread.