S01.E09: No Strings Attached

[Aulty]

Quote

Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte transition from friendship in their 30s to life in their 50s as the revival series continues.

Original Air Date: January 27th, 2022

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by Aulty

[RedHawk]

So please tell me that the place Steve is painting in this preview is maybe an apartment Brady is renting, NOT that Steve is moving out of his house and letting Miranda have it. Steve better not be going to live in a tiny place over top of his bar.

[GiveMeSpace]

1 hour ago, RedHawk said:

So please tell me that the place Steve is painting in this preview is maybe an apartment Brady is renting, NOT that Steve is moving out of his house and letting Miranda have it. Steve better not be going to live in a tiny place over top of his bar.

I figured Steve is helping out Carrie because I don't see Carrie as the help someone paint type. I do see her wearing ridiculous ass shoes whilst painting though. I hadn't even thought about that possibility. I am with you-he better get the house and the sectional and the ice cream bowls.

[funnygirl]

2 hours ago, RedHawk said:

So please tell me that the place Steve is painting in this preview is maybe an apartment Brady is renting, NOT that Steve is moving out of his house and letting Miranda have it. Steve better not be going to live in a tiny place over top of his bar.

It looks like he's helping out with Nya's project that the ladies are all there to help paint and restore - going off of Carrie's outfit in the preview, she's wearing the same thing by the food truck with the ladies as she is inside with Steve. In which case, another testament to the type of man Steve is, helping his (ex)wife's former professor now friend with her restoration project even after what she did to him. 

Miranda was pissy about moving to Brooklyn in the first place so fuck her, Steve deserves the house and anything else he wants. Miranda can go find her new exciting rom-com apartment with exciting rom-com furniture that she'll apparently never sit on because she'll be out living her exciting rom-com life. 

Edited January 24, 2022 by funnygirl

[SailorGirl]

On 1/24/2022 at 12:51 PM, RedHawk said:

So please tell me that the place Steve is painting in this preview is maybe an apartment Brady is renting, NOT that Steve is moving out of his house and letting Miranda have it. Steve better not be going to live in a tiny place over top of his bar.

It looked to me at first glance like the Brooklyn house living room -- when couples break up, selling the marital home is often part of the break up. Since they've thrown everything else in there, may as well throw in the crazy housing market and that they are getting some obscene amount of money for the house. And then pull some more crap like Miranda is going to let Steve have most of the money because she can't not put herself in the position of being "better" than Steve and able to afford a nicer lifestyle -- at least that would be one consistent element of her character -- hello corduroy suit . . . 

If they are selling the Brooklyn house, because of the way this whole thing has gone, they are likely going to stick Steve in some back room or upstairs apartment of the bar. I don't recall from the series or movies whether Miranda ever sold her "just me" "single person" condo/apartment in the city, but if not, they'll probably stick her back in there; if not, we know she's going to find someplace close to wherever Che is (barf) in the city. 

[chitowngirl]

Wonder where Brady (and his girlfriend) will live? 🤔

[Snazzy Daisy]

Please, please, please do NOT start this episode with Che Diaz’s comedy concert in Cleveland. 😩

[Jillybean]

Well, I guess we'll never know what happened in Cleveland.

Hey, the guy from the Prada store owns a club in Brooklyn now!

[ruby24]

They really aren't going to give us the reaction that Steve and Miranda's kid had to them breaking up? Really? Just skipped over entirely? I mean, did Steve move out?

[WendyCR72]

What a freaking copout. So we're supposed to be as blasé as Miranda is about her nuking her marriage and family? I mean, it's all bullshit, but as the show went all in, at least have the fallout.

Chickenshit writing.

[ivygirl]

Oh, Steve. 💕

That little scene was the first really moving moment of the show for me. Though I do still like the teacher. And Seemantha. And Dr. Nya  and Andre. I’m glad there was some likability somewhere in this morass.

But then we still had Che and the cookies and the additional set of ADORING fans… and the guy who shows up to dinner and just ANNOUNCES his holocaust-denying self as like the third thing he says… like who DOES that, Show? Neither of those scenarios resonated with truth for me. 

Edited January 27, 2022 by ivygirl

[Aulty]

The scenes with Carrie and Steve were really lovely. And I love Seema. And the hot perfume guy from EiP.

The story with Charlotte and her menopause/flash period did feel like a SATC-Charlotte plot, I'll give them that, even though I didn't get all the fuss about using tampons.

Edited January 27, 2022 by Aulty

[bobbyjoe]

Can I say thank god for Sarita Choudhury?  With all of the other bullshit this episode I ended up just wanting to follow her character around.

Okay, there were a few things I also liked.  I liked Carrie’s scene with the teacher.  I liked Carrie’s scenes with Steve.  Wait… I think I’m joining the chorus of people who have been shocked at themselves all season because Carrie is genuinely the most watchable character this time.

Oh, and I also liked Anthony’s reaction to his date.

I wish I could re-write the end of Carrie’s scene with Steve, though.  I’d still have her tell Steve he’s a wonderful person but then I’d have her say “Go ahead and take the ring off.  Charlotte and I are really sick of Miranda, too. Let’s all divorce her at once.”  Because that comes across in their scenes together; the last few episodes every time they’re all three at lunch Carrie and Charlotte look like they’re one step away from rolling their eyes or putting their heads down on the table every time Miranda speaks.

And, no, Miranda, you are not Meg Ryan. 

[violet and green]

Wtaf. Opening scene, not Cleveland. Nothing happened. Again. All the plot potential, all the meat of the storylines, is just left on the floor unused.

As well as not seeming to know the original series' characters, the writers also don't even seem to know their own series' prior incidents. This is Carrie and maths teacher's second dinner date? What about the lunch he blew a thousand bucks on at the charity event?

One episode to go, and we are wasting time on screeching teenagers having untimely fits about tampon placement, and Nya and her husband and their lack of offspring. Anthony would shout, Who cares!

I enjoyed Seema; give her her own show. Also liked Charlotte's blouse/dress in the opening scene. Steve was nice, again. I hate this show!

[Conotocarious]

Nothing happened in this stupid episode. And I absolutely hated Miranda more with every word coming out of her obnoxious mouth. Steve is the only character with an ounce of integrity. Charlotte is still on SATC (which I guess is good?) Nya is on another show entirely. Carrie is the only other person who seems to have any depth of feeling and I cannot believe I just typed that. 

Seriously, why is Nya on this show? Seema is working as a character, and I’d like to see more of her. Seema needs a core plot line not Nya. I don’t dislike the actress but this infertility storyline sticks out as random. 

ETA: I cannot describe the loathing I have for Miranda. Blows up her life, hurts Steve and then is blithely joking about her relationship breezing by any fallout whatsoever. They cannot be serious with this. Some of us have experience watching a friend or close family member do something like this and let me tell you THERE’S FALLOUT. Yet this show writes about all the stupid stuff and NONE of the hard stuff. They probably don’t know how. Is Brady going to say anything at all besides a single line? Although he did manage to convey contempt in that one line, so good job, I guess. Miranda deserves it.

Edited January 27, 2022 by Conotocarious

[gaelgirl]

curse this show for making me cry before I finish my coffee

[Conotocarious]

Did anyone get a promo for the final episode? I didn’t this time and I usually do.

[T Summer]

2 hours ago, ivygirl said:

Seemantha

OMG! 😄

 

1 hour ago, violet and green said:

One episode to go, and we are wasting time on screeching teenagers having untimely fits about tampon placement, and Nya and her husband and their lack of offspring. Anthony would shout, Who cares!

The writers are out of ideas, and 90% of the ones  they had sucked.

 

2 hours ago, ivygirl said:

But then we still had Che and the cookies and the additional set of ADORING fans… and the guy who shows up to dinner and just ANNOUNCES his holocaust-denying self as like the third thing he says… like who DOES that, Show? Neither of those scenarios resonated with truth for me. 

Do you think if not for the  "well, alright thanks" (paraphrasing), those fans would've continued naming people Che slept with?

 

20 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

Nothing happened in this stupid episode. 

Nya is on another show entirely. Carrie is the only other person who seems to have any depth of feeling and I cannot believe I just typed that. 

1 hour ago, bobbyjoe said:

Okay, there were a few things I also liked.  I liked Carrie’s scene with the teacher.  I liked Carrie’s scenes with Steve.  Wait… I think I’m joining the chorus of people who have been shocked at themselves all season because Carrie is genuinely the most watchable character this time.

I actually teared up watching Carrie and the teacher.

Could have done without the hysterics over the ring down the drain. At least she didn't scream.

 

LTW.   I love a good safari inspired look, but wtf was with the  brushes tucked in to loops and pockets all over the garment? Was she about to paint faces or walls?

[Hana Chan]

Well, that was a whole lot of nothing. With the exception of Steve showing what a decent human being he is and that he deserves a whole lot better than his selfish idiot of a wife, this was an hour wasted.

[Baltimore Betty]

15 minutes ago, T Summer said:

OMG! 😄

 

The writers are out of ideas, and 90% of the ones  they had sucked.

 

Do you think if not for the  "well, alright thanks" (paraphrasing), those fans would've continued naming people Che slept with?

 

I actually teared up watching Carrie and the teacher.

Could have done without the hysterics over the ring down the drain. At least she didn't scream.

 

LTW.   I love a good safari inspired look, but wtf was with the  brushes tucked in to loops and pockets all over the garment? Was she about to paint faces or walls?

LTW thought she was going to a hair salon?  Her wardrobe choices to help paint a home for charity was an odd one, thigh high boots of any color would not be my go to choice just like Carrie's stripper heels, do these women know what wet paint is?  

Lily and her tampon issues are a real thing but my goodness there was so much time spent on that.  As soon as Charlotte said it was four months since her last period I knew she was going to get again once I saw her in her white painters clothes.   These women are what, 55 and they are on the other side of menopause, did they have the kind of menopause that is like a head cold, over in a week?  When my hot flashes started I asked the doctor to give me either a pill, a patch or a gun, anything that would make the hot flashes stop.

Steve seemed like his meds kicked in, there wasn't a Jerry Lewis like moment at all, he is too good for Miranda.

Do fans really tell their idol about how they slept with their friends, Miranda just told them that she is Che's girlfriend...seems like they really want to drive the point home that Che is a player.

After Carrie walked away from that new guy I mentally went thru my rolodex looking for one of my single friends for him, lol.

[T Summer]

Were I Che, I might relocate undercover of night if someone new I was seeing showed up acting  and sounding as unhinged as Miranda did.

 

Is Steve's jaw wired shut? WHY is he talking like that? Does no one on this show speak like a normal person? Seema is very stilted with her one liners, Charlotte is manic most of the time. I do not get it.

1 hour ago, Conotocarious said:

Did anyone get a promo for the final episode? I didn’t this time and I usually do.

No  next episode promo when I watched

 

[Evie]

Miranda used to be my favorite character and Carrie my least and now that has flipped. What bizzaro world is this? I liked Carrie's scene with the teacher, and I appreciated how kind she was to Steve. I like her and Seema too.

Really show? You just skipped over the fallout of Miranda leaving Steve? No scene where Brady is told? Nothing. Also, Miranda apparently left out the part where she had cheated on Steve months ago if he is asking Carrie how long it had been going on. Poor Steve.

Miranda and Che are just awful. Miranda acts like a crazy person around her, and they are trying way too hard to make Che somebody. The scene in the diner with the fan girls was just ugh. There is no way Che and Miranda would ever work out, but I'm getting the feeling they might. 

Charlotte had a typical sitcom plot. They really haven't done much with her.

We see Nya and her husband once every few episodes. I don't know them and don't care whether they have kids, split up, etc.

[Night Cheese]

So Miranda gets to be Meg Ryan in a rom-com with a new relationship while Steve gets to never move on, wear his ring until he's dead, forever love Miranda and want her to be happy above all else no matter what she's doing or who she's with? Not an ounce of anger or resentment that your spouse of 20 years had an ongoing affair and then ended your marriage without even discussing it with you first? The scene between him and Carrie was really nice and poignant until I remembered that Steve's not a widow wallowing with Carrie about "death do us part". He was dumped and is supposedly totally fine with it and will never get over Miranda for as long as he lives. Give me a freaking break, show/writers/CN. Miranda should not get to be the "good guy" in this storyline and the writers should not be pushing us to root for her.

The fertility storyline feels like a backdoor pilot for a Nya and husband spinoff. I don't know how the writers think this is an organic storyline, because it's really coming off random as hell.

Ugh I was really looking forward to this episode and some Che/Miranda reckoning. Instead I got to watch Carrie painting in heels, spineless Steve, like 20 minutes of agonizing over a tampon (seriously wtf was that?), Miranda and Che working on their [not a] relationship in a way that shows the writers really want us to see them as an OTP, Brady perfectly cool with the fact that his parents are splitting up and mom is banging a celebrity, the old ring-down-the-drain trope, holocaust denier jokes (although Anthony's immediate reaction was absolutely perfect), and a fertility storyline that's stretching on forever. I'm going to assume next episode will feature Miranda and Che's commitment ceremony with Steve as Miranda's best man. 😒

But I did really enjoy the lunch scene with the three at the beginning. Bringing up "smug Charlotte" and Charlotte just carrying on like she did felt verrrrry SATC and I loved it. Too bad the Charlotte menopause thing had to devolve into the getting your period while wearing white pants trope.

Edited January 27, 2022 by Night Cheese
Add in the one thing I liked

[mstar1125]

3 hours ago, bobbyjoe said:

 

Okay, there were a few things I also liked.  I liked Carrie’s scene with the teacher.  I liked Carrie’s scenes with Steve.  Wait… I think I’m joining the chorus of people who have been shocked at themselves all season because Carrie is genuinely the most watchable character this time.

 

I couldn't help but wonder...is this the Carrie we could have gotten to know in the OG series if she hadn't been chasing after/fawning over/commiserating about Big for 6 seasons? It's like Big died, a veil was lifted, and she became a likeable person. 

[ifionlyknew]

4 hours ago, Jillybean said:

Hey, the guy from the Prada store owns a club in Brooklyn now!

I knew he looked familiar!!!

3 hours ago, Aulty said:

And the hot perfume guy from EiP.

Yep I know  him from that as well.  

Spoiler

IMDB lists him as being on the next episode as well.

 

3 hours ago, bobbyjoe said:

 Wait… I think I’m joining the chorus of people who have been shocked at themselves all season because Carrie is genuinely the most watchable character this time.

 

1 hour ago, Conotocarious said:

Carrie is the only other person who seems to have any depth of feeling and I cannot believe I just typed that. 

I know. Can you believe it?  I have never made my annoyance on a good day and outright disgust on a bad with Carrie going back decades a secret.  But this time around she is acting mostly normal.

3 hours ago, bobbyjoe said:

Oh, and I also liked Anthony’s reaction to his date.

I would have reacted the same way.  Everyone has deal breakers when it comes to they type of people they will date and being a Holocaust denier would be at the top of my list too.  

3 hours ago, bobbyjoe said:

 Because that comes across in their scenes together; the last few episodes every time they’re all three at lunch Carrie and Charlotte look like they’re one step away from rolling their eyes or putting their heads down on the table every time Miranda speaks.

I wouldn't be surprised if KD and SJP feel the same way viewers do.  Miranda's story has really brought down the whole show. They are trying to show it as some empowering story but they are ignoring the sadness that comes with ending a marriage.  Especially when one of the people in the marriage doesn't want to end it.  

1 hour ago, Conotocarious said:

Nothing happened in this stupid episode. And I absolutely hated Miranda more with every word coming out of her obnoxious mouth.

I agree. With one episode to go this is what they show us? Miranda is forever ruined for me.  She could dump Che and beg Steve to take her back and I would still not like her.  

1 hour ago, Conotocarious said:

ETA: I cannot describe the loathing I have for Miranda. Blows up her life, hurts Steve and then is blithely joking about her relationship breezing by any fallout whatsoever. They cannot be serious with this. Some of us have experience watching a friend or close family member do something like this and let me tell you THERE’S FALLOUT. Yet this show writes about all the stupid stuff and NONE of the hard stuff. They probably don’t know how. Is Brady going to say anything at all besides a single line? Although he did manage to convey contempt in that one line, so good job, I guess. Miranda deserves it.

Unfortunately not always. I have a relative who has been married twice.  She cheated on the first husband with the man who became her second husband. Cheated on him with the man she is with now.  Somehow she always come out of it with no repercussions. 

It did look like Brady wasn't thrilled with his mom.  He is Team Steve all the way IMO.

1 hour ago, Hana Chan said:

Well, that was a whole lot of nothing. With the exception of Steve showing what a decent human being he is and that he deserves a whole lot better than his selfish idiot of a wife, this was an hour wasted.

I just knew they wouldn't show us Cleveland.  Was Che happy to see her?  They don't seem like someone who would like a surprise like that considering we just saw them less than thrilled that Miranda showed up at their apartment without calling or texting.

46 minutes ago, Baltimore Betty said:

Lily and her tampon issues are a real thing but my goodness there was so much time spent on that. 

What is this show's fascination with bodily functions? Was this supposed to be funny?  I felt bad for the actress playing Lily having to act out putting a tampon in.

47 minutes ago, Baltimore Betty said:

These women are what, 55 and they are on the other side of menopause, did they have the kind of menopause that is like a head cold, over in a week?  When my hot flashes started I asked the doctor to give me either a pill, a patch or a gun, anything that would make the hot flashes stop.

They finally deal with one of (if not the biggest) biggest things women in their 50s deal with, menopause, and this is how they deal with it.  Why am I not surprised?

32 minutes ago, T Summer said:

Were I Che, I might relocate undercover of night if someone new I was seeing showed up acting  and sounding as unhinged as Miranda did.

In real life yes.  On this show I guess we are supposed to think Miranda is  just so love and just wants to be with the person she loves. 

Spoiler

The next episode Carrie goes to Paris right?

I wonder how they will tie everything up?  Or will they?  Knowing these writers they have purposefully written cliffhangers expecting a second season.

[Rebecca berkowit]

Ok, so I’m having fun counting how many minutes into the show they have a line which is so ridiculous it takes me totally out of it.  Today it was seven minutes in.  Seven. Minutes.  In.    For me it was, as others have noted, the two Che fans mentioning “You slept with our friend so-and-so, he lives in (wherever)”, followed by the SAME sentence, but with a FEMALE name this time.    OMG, who talks like this?  I get that they’re trying to show that Che sleeps with a lot of people, of different sexes, (how radical!), but COME ON!  Ugh, with this!  If most of the audience is the age of the characters, nothing about this is shocking or revolutionary, it’s just tiresome.  And now that we got the insta-divorce out of the way, this has turned into just a funny SATC plot with Miranda dating a new person and wondering when to call the person back.  Which, ok, if it means I can forget all the horrible cringey stuff that went before with this relationship, I guess I’m in.  

Speaking of, this episode seemed to resemble the former series, in that it was sort of funny and light (in parts), with some relatable situations for the audience regarding the stuff women go through, and some funny stuff thrown in, like Anthony’s date.  (Get Out!). Except then there’s Nya.  That’s a whole different show.  Why is this plot there?  Is the finale going to have her ditch Andre and end up kissing Miranda on a cliffhanger?  If so, I called it.  (But soooo poorly set up.)  Also, LTW?  Why is she at the painting event? Was it just so Andre could see her kids?  Was it so he could see kids who might look like his and Nya’s, because, honestly, there were probably other families there, you know?  Weird, clumsy writing again.  Very contrived to have them all at the painting event.

Seema is the best part of this show.  Her storyline is exactly like something they would’ve had on the old show.  Vaguely aspirational, yet funny and relatable.  It made sense that she wore what she wore to go painting, because it’s who she is.  But at least they had her not actually paint, which is also who she is, unlike Carrie with the heels.  And I did like that Carrie finally agreed to go out with the teacher at the end, and took off the ring.  And Steve is so nice, I like that he helped her see that she needed to move on.  

Finally, let’s get to the bleeding.  First, it’s not that hard to put on a tampon.  Charlottes’s right, there’s really only one place it can go.  If you can’t find that place, then you’re really sheltered and need to maybe become more familiar with your own body.  And no mom is going to go in the bathroom with the kid, they don’t want you in there, that was unrealistic.  Maybe shout through the door.  And she lost the string?  That’s not a thing, is it?  Unless you lose the whole thing up there, or the string breaks off or something?  That seemed like it was just something they put in to make Lily seem more whiny than usual.  Did a female writer write that?  Did it happen to her?  Where did the string go?   I have questions.  
 

As for Charlotte, you could see that coming a mile away when she was so smug and then wore the white pantsuit.  But everyone knows that you’re not officially in menopause until you’ve missed a whole year, not four months.  Why did she think she was done?  I get that that was part of her smugness, but really, why didn’t anyone at the lunch correct her and say “actually, you’re not done until it’s been twelve months, so maybe don’t get ahead of yourself?”  And every perimenopausal woman knows to carry stuff in your purse at all times because the periods are unpredictable.  I’ve never heard it called a “flash period,” though, but I’ve definitely been surprised by one.   How old are the writers?  They can’t have gone through this.  There’s definitely a show to be written about the whole transition process, it has its funny and sad moments.  This isn’t that show, alas.  I think a lot of the audience would like it to be.  Or maybe just me?  
 

 

[ifionlyknew]

31 minutes ago, Evie said:

Really show? You just skipped over the fallout of Miranda leaving Steve?

That is deliberate.  If they show that then that means Miranda has done something that isn't exactly right.  They want us to think she is right and be on her side.  Too bad the audience can think for themselves.

18 minutes ago, Night Cheese said:

So Miranda gets to be Meg Ryan in a rom-com with a new relationship while Steve gets to never move on, wear his ring until he's dead, forever love Miranda and want her to be happy above all else no matter what she's doing or who she's with? Not an ounce of anger or resentment that your spouse of 20 years had an ongoing affair and then ended your marriage without even discussing it with you first?

Why do that to him?  I guess we are supposed to think Miranda is just so perfect and Steve was lucky to have her for as long as he did.  

19 minutes ago, Night Cheese said:

Give me a freaking break, show/writers/CN. Miranda should not get to be the "good guy" in this storyline and the writers should not be pushing us to root for her.

That is it in a nutshell.  Did CN have so much influence on the writing that they have completely destroyed  her character all in the name of CN wanting her story told?

20 minutes ago, Night Cheese said:

. I'm going to assume next episode will feature Miranda and Che's commitment ceremony with Steve as Miranda's best man. 😒

At this point I would not be surprised.

13 minutes ago, mstar1125 said:

I couldn't help but wonder...is this the Carrie we could have gotten to know in the OG series if she hadn't been chasing after/fawning over/commiserating about Big for 6 seasons? It's like Big died, a veil was lifted, and she became a likeable person. 

I actually think it's because she isn't obsessing over a man. Any man.  Some women have different personalities when they aren't involved with a man. I can only speak for myself but I like myself better when I'm not involved with a man.

[Trillian]

3 hours ago, violet and green said:

One episode to go, and we are wasting time on screeching teenagers having untimely fits about tampon placement, and Nya and her husband and their lack of offspring. Anthony would shout, Who cares!

I really didn’t get what the big deal was.  Why wouldn’t Lily want to use tampons? Is that a thing now?  And I don’t remember it being difficult to get the hang of it. Maybe I’m a bad mom, but when my daughter started, I handed her the box, showed her the diagram in the package insert and just hovered outside the bathroom door for a couple of minutes.  That’s more than my mom did. Somehow, we survived without hysterics. 

1 hour ago, Hana Chan said:

Well, that was a whole lot of nothing. With the exception of Steve showing what a decent human being he is and that he deserves a whole lot better than his selfish idiot of a wife, this was an hour wasted.

Steve is the sweetest guy ever, not only showing up but helping Carrie out too.  Although, I’ve gotta say, I was worried for him the way Carrie was looking at him when he rescued the ring. I’m glad the show didn’t go there.

Steve, sell the ring.  And keep the money.  Unlike Big, who didn’t voluntarily leave Carrie, Miranda treated you like something she scraped off her shoe. 

Carrie and her wedding ring reminded me of a poignant response Miss Manners once gave a widow on when to remove her wedding ring: [paraphrase but close] “a widow leaves her ring on when she still feels connected to the marriage; she removes it to signal that she is now open to new romance.  Unfortunately, there is no way to deal with the perfectly normal desire to do both”.  😭 

[Conotocarious]

37 minutes ago, ifionlyknew said:

Unfortunately not always. I have a relative who has been married twice.  She cheated on the first husband with the man who became her second husband. Cheated on him with the man she is with now.  Somehow she always come out of it with no repercussions. 

But there’s also fallout like loss of respect among other friends and family. In my situation, the person married the AP and so on its face it would seem to have worked out. The fallout was from family and friends secretly losing respect and not looking at them the same again. (And also the jilted exes on both sides not rolling over like Steve did)

21 minutes ago, Trillian said:

I really didn’t get what the big deal was.  Why wouldn’t Lily want to use tampons? Is that a thing now?  And I don’t remember it being difficult to get the hang of it. Maybe I’m a bad mom, but when my daughter started, I handed her the box, showed her the diagram in the package insert and just hovered outside the bathroom door for a couple of minutes.  That’s more than my mom did. Somehow, we survived without hysterics. 

I never wanted to use tampons. If you are an anxious person you hear about things like toxic shock syndrome or other mishaps and you figure, forget that. I only started using them in college and even then it was a huge PITA. No friggin’ way my squeamish, anxious 12 year old is going to want to use them ever. 

[thesupremediva1]

4 hours ago, Aulty said:

The scenes with Carrie and Steve were really lovely. And I love Seema. And the hot perfume guy from EiP.

He was actually the Prada salesman from season 5! Carrie brought Berger and tried to get him to buy a red shirt that she later picked up with her big advance from France. Carrie actually tried to set that guy up with Charlotte during the time she was apart from Harry.

Anyway, since they chose not to acknowledge this (a la Justin Thoreaux), I tell myself this guy got out of high-end retail and opened a club. I think he looks good for Seema (whom I love), though I kind of want Steve to get Seema - BIG upgrade from horrible Cyn-randa. 

The scene between Carrie and Steve was well done - it was something that actually FELT like Sex and the City. All the writers did this ep, besides making me vomit with the Che and Cyn-randa moments, was make me root for Steve harder, hate Cyn-randa more, and despise this crap storyline more.

Brady has zero reactions to these developments in his life? Mom and Dad not together, Mom now queer (or at least experimenting, I hate to put a label on it right now because it's new), and dating someone new who's non-binary - but he's just going along as if nothing happened. That's not fucking realistic, I do not care how "woke" they think they've set up Brady to be. He'd have at least some comment. 

When Cyn-randa said "This HAS to work" in the stairwell, I don't know if it was an accident, and damn I don't want to give the writers one kudo, but maybe this is the clue that taking C-4 to her life wasn't really a great move, and Che is just a new addiction to distract from some deep-seeded self-loathing that Cyn-randa is dealing with? Because yeah, if she has to leave the Che bubble and let the dust settle, she's gonna see some gruesome carcasses in her wake. She needs the distraction. Truth is, in real life, folks don't often stay with the person they blew up their life for. That was just some sort of red herring that quickly runs its course and then the person has to sift through the rubble at rock bottom and start fashioning a real, sustainable life for themselves again. 

I finally figured out why I like Dr. Nya's husband so much despite only like 4 scenes - he's Shy Baldwin on Mrs. Maisel, and his voice is BUTTER!!

Last week Steve said he was too old to rally for them again, and now he won't ever remove his wedding ring? Ok, not buying it. Sure he's not ready, but Carrie basically told him he's deserving of someone way better than the alien who invaded his wife's body, and I hope we see that in the finale.

It's true hate-watch for me now, because Carrie is mysteriously a supporting player since ep 2 with Cyn-randa's affair taking center stage for most of this season and all good moments have been overshadowed by that lazy, stupid abomination foisted on us, but there are good moments here. Most of them include anything with Seema and Carrie. Cynthia and Kristen cannot act anymore, but SJP and Mario Cantone are still fucking hilarious, and Choudhry is a masterpiece (loved her since she was Saul's wife on Homeland).

ETA: Carrie's scene with the teacher was rough on me. I still have every old voicemail from my mom, who passed in April 2020. I will never delete them, and will in fact avoid ever getting a new phone for fear of losing them. My heart broke for both of them. Letting go is hard; there is no timeline.

Also, FWIW: I feel like one of the writers, or maybe all, read Untamed by Glennon Doyle and fell in love with it like I did. Miranda's plotline is straight out of Glennon's real life. Glennon's life is hugely inspiring, and I love her for being a real, bad-ass truth-teller. However, her situation was not the same as Miranda Hobbes', and Miranda was with us for 20 years, learning and growing in a way that does not support this 180 plotline.

Edited January 27, 2022 by thesupremediva1

[ifionlyknew]

2 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

But there’s also fallout like loss of respect among other friends and family. In my situation, the person married the AP and so on its face it would seem to have worked out. The fallout was from family and friends secretly losing respect and not looking at them the same again. (And also the jilted exes on both sides not rolling over like Steve did)

But did that matter to the person?  It would matter to me if I hurt someone and people thought poorly of me for doing that. But there are a lot of selfish self centered people who would not care.  I don't think Miranda cares one whit that she hurt Steve.  And I'm very disappointed they didn't show Brady's reaction.  

[Spartan Girl]

Okay, I know that tampons aren’t a big deal for most people, but for some they are. Namelt me. I was already an anxious mess when I was a teenager, and the first time I tried it…it did not go well. Later the doctor told me that I had a kind of spasm that probably contributed to the problem. I didn’t try it again until just two years ago, and this time with smaller ones, and it went a lot better. Now I’m used to them and it’s no big deal. But yeah, the writers are clearly scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Not much to add except I too love Steve and fuck Miranda.

[funnygirl]

An episode featuring a Holocaust denier for laughs released on the same day as Holocaust Remembrance Day. This shitshow has impeccable timing. 

[Conotocarious]

5 minutes ago, ifionlyknew said:

But did that matter to the person?  It would matter to me if I hurt someone and people thought poorly of me for doing that. But there are a lot of selfish self centered people who would not care.  I don't think Miranda cares one whit that she hurt Steve.  And I'm very disappointed they didn't show Brady's reaction.  

It’s hard to say. I would say yes, but they would never admit it. I could just tell from the way they tried to alter the history about it a few years later. But in the context of this show, I’d like to see more from the people surrounding Miranda. Not just a look or a line. She’s acting nuts. She deserves repercussions. They don’t have to mean breaking up with Che or having that relationship be a disaster either. But something recognizable.

[Conotocarious]

1 hour ago, T Summer said:

Were I Che, I might relocate undercover of night if someone new I was seeing showed up acting  and sounding as unhinged as Miranda did.

This made me laugh. It’s so true. Why is Miranda so loud and shrill? Why is she constantly babbling? Is this Cynthia Nixon’s attempt to show Miranda as a nervous newbie because she really, really likes someone? Because it comes off as frankly insane. It makes me jittery and uncomfortable. Is that what I’m supposed to be feeling?

[ifionlyknew]

10 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

But in the context of this show, I’d like to see more from the people surrounding Miranda. Not just a look or a line. She’s acting nuts. She deserves repercussions. They don’t have to mean breaking up with Che or having that relationship be a disaster either. But something recognizable.

A lot of us having been saying this.  For Miranda to blow up her marriage without any regard to how it would affect her husband and child is so out of character for Miranda.  Carrie was more upset about how that awful kitchen hookup affected her than her best friend just cheated on her husband.  Where is the speech from Charlotte that she gave Carrie when she cheated on Aidan asking how do you think the cheated on spouse will feel?  If they were hellbent on telling Cynthia Nixon's story then they should have had her and Steve already separated.  Having them still be married and Miranda having an affair and only confessing to Steve because her lover told her to doesn't do Miranda any favors.  

3 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

Why is Miranda so loud and shrill? Why is she constantly babbling? Is this Cynthia Nixon’s attempt to show Miranda as a nervous newbie because she really, really likes someone? Because it comes off as frankly insane. It makes me jittery and uncomfortable. Is that what I’m supposed to be feeling?

Gotta admit this has me perplexed.  Cynthia Nixon's acting has been off throughout this series.  And I can't decide if it's because she is playing Miranda as being very far out of her comfort zone or if she is playing her as Miranda is a lovesick school girl.  The only time she plays her like the Miranda I remember is when she is with Charlotte and Carrie and they are talking about something that isn't related to Steve or Che.

Edited January 27, 2022 by ifionlyknew

[ivygirl]

2 hours ago, T Summer said:

Do you think if not for the  "well, alright thanks" (paraphrasing), those fans would've continued naming people Che slept with?I

 

Haha! Probably! They were like TripAdvisor for Che’s liaisons. “In Tucson, stay with our friend Pat, excellent hugger but light on the cuddling. Don’t mind the dizzy spells… they pass quickly. Continental breakfast from 6 to 9 am. 4.25 stars”

And, they probably would have started stealing fries (or whatever) off Che’s plate.

[SFoster21]

44 minutes ago, thesupremediva1 said:

He was actually the Prada salesman from season 5! Carrie brought Berger and tried to get him to buy a red shirt that she later picked up with her big advance from France. Carrie actually tried to set that guy up with Charlotte during the time she was apart from Harry.

Anyway, since they chose not to acknowledge this (a la Justin Thoreaux), I tell myself this guy got out of high-end retail and opened a club. I think he looks good for Seema (whom I love), though I kind of want Steve to get Seema - BIG upgrade from horrible Cyn-randa. 

The scene between Carrie and Steve was well done - it was something that actually FELT like Sex and the City. All the writers did this ep, besides making me vomit with the Che and Cyn-randa moments, was make me root for Steve harder, hate Cyn-randa more, and despise this crap storyline more.

Brady has zero reactions to these developments in his life? Mom and Dad not together, Mom now queer (or at least experimenting, I hate to put a label on it right now because it's new), and dating someone new who's non-binary - but he's just going along as if nothing happened. That's not fucking realistic, I do not care how "woke" they think they've set up Brady to be. He'd have at least some comment. 

When Cyn-randa said "This HAS to work" in the stairwell, I don't know if it was an accident, and damn I don't want to give the writers one kudo, but maybe this is the clue that taking C-4 to her life wasn't really a great move, and Che is just a new addiction to distract from some deep-seeded self-loathing that Cyn-randa is dealing with? Because yeah, if she has to leave the Che bubble and let the dust settle, she's gonna see some gruesome carcasses in her wake. She needs the distraction. Truth is, in real life, folks don't often stay with the person they blew up their life for. That was just some sort of red herring that quickly runs its course and then the person has to sift through the rubble at rock bottom and start fashioning a real, sustainable life for themselves again. 

I finally figured out why I like Dr. Nya's husband so much despite only like 4 scenes - he's Shy Baldwin on Mrs. Maisel, and his voice is BUTTER!!

Last week Steve said he was too old to rally for them again, and now he won't ever remove his wedding ring? Ok, not buying it. Sure he's not ready, but Carrie basically told him he's deserving of someone way better than the alien who invaded his wife's body, and I hope we see that in the finale.

It's true hate-watch for me now, because Carrie is mysteriously a supporting player since ep 2 with Cyn-randa's affair taking center stage for most of this season and all good moments have been overshadowed by that lazy, stupid abomination foisted on us, but there are good moments here. Most of them include anything with Seema and Carrie. Cynthia and Kristen cannot act anymore, but SJP and Mario Cantone are still fucking hilarious, and Choudhry is a masterpiece (loved her since she was Saul's wife on Homeland).

Sarita Choudhury got naked with Denzel in Mississippi Masala.  Apropos of nothing.

[Cementhead]

36 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

This made me laugh. It’s so true. Why is Miranda so loud and shrill? Why is she constantly babbling? Is this Cynthia Nixon’s attempt to show Miranda as a nervous newbie because she really, really likes someone? Because it comes off as frankly insane. It makes me jittery and uncomfortable. Is that what I’m supposed to be feeling?

 

35 minutes ago, ifionlyknew said:

Gotta admit this has me perplexed.  Cynthia Nixon's acting has been off throughout this series.  And I can't decide if it's because she is playing Miranda as being very far out of her comfort zone or if she is playing her as Miranda is a lovesick school girl.  The only time she plays her like the Miranda I remember is when she is with Charlotte and Carrie and they are talking about something that isn't related to Steve or Che.

Is this what Cynthia Nixon thinks is cute?  Does she think she's being sexy?  Charming?  Whatever the hell it is, it is not working, dude.  Publicly, we all know that she is one hell of a good actress.  Unfortunately, thanks to her weaving her way into Miranda's story, we also now know that privately, she is a giant asshole.  We already know her asshole ways with the ex-husband.  And now we can also surmise that this is how she is/was with her then-girlfriend/now wife.  And it ain't cute. 

[Evie]

1 hour ago, Trillian said:

I really didn’t get what the big deal was.  Why wouldn’t Lily want to use tampons? Is that a thing now?  And I don’t remember it being difficult to get the hang of it. Maybe I’m a bad mom, but when my daughter started, I handed her the box, showed her the diagram in the package insert and just hovered outside the bathroom door for a couple of minutes.  That’s more than my mom did. Somehow, we survived without hysterics. 

I could have done without the story, but I'm sure not all teenagers want to use tampons. I didn't. I had it in my head that it would hurt and knew of someone who had gotten toxic shock syndrome. I was a senior when I finally gave in. My sister showed me how, and it did not go well. I was tense, which made it difficult.

Edited January 27, 2022 by Evie

[ruby24]

Why are they doing this to Steve? It's like there's an internal struggle going on, with the show being forced to do what Cynthia Nixon says with her ridiculous and absurd storyline but also loving Steve and not thinking he deserves this either (like Carrie clearly doesn't). It's weird. 

I'm convinced now that Nixon is the one who doesn't care at all about Steve's character or the whole relationship they made for the two of them on the old show. 

[ifionlyknew]

23 minutes ago, Cementhead said:

  Unfortunately, thanks to her weaving her way into Miranda's story, we also now know that privately, she is a giant asshole.  We already know her asshole ways with the ex-husband.  And now we can also surmise that this is how she is/was with her then-girlfriend/now wife.  And it ain't cute. 

 

11 minutes ago, ruby24 said:

I'm convinced now that Nixon is the one who doesn't care at all about Steve's character or the whole relationship they made for the two of them on the old show. 

If this story is true to Nixon's life I guess she doesn't care about what happened before she met her current spouse.  Even though she had two children with someone that person seems to have just been forgotten.

Could you imagine if Kristin Davis came in and said since I'm single I want you to kill off Harry. Or if SJP had said I have three kids I want Carrie and Big to have had three kids since the second movie.  

Edited January 27, 2022 by ifionlyknew

[Cementhead]

1 hour ago, Rebecca berkowit said:

And she lost the string?  That’s not a thing, is it?  Unless you lose the whole thing up there, or the string breaks off or something?  That seemed like it was just something they put in to make Lily seem more whiny than usual.  Did a female writer write that?  Did it happen to her?  Where did the string go?   I have questions.  
 

I wouldn't doubt that it was written this way just so that it would tie back to the episode title No Strings Attached because this is the caliber of writers we're dealing with here, people.  Real award winning material.  Top notch. 

[NotMySekrit2Tell]

3 hours ago, Baltimore Betty said:

Lily and her tampon issues are a real thing but my goodness there was so much time spent on that. 

And Curb Your Enthusiasm did it better, funnier, and more economically. Yes, AJLT writers and directors. You're losing to Curb Your Enthusiasm on a storyline about something as feminine as it gets. Take the shame.

I will give SJP credit. I've never been a huge fan, but her acting of a recently widowed person has been one of the best things about AJLT. I really liked her scene with the teacher. Even though getting that done up to go to a restaurant and tell a guy you're not having dinner with him is weird.  

[belladonna77]

I am so sad that Tony from Prada is not the same character!  IMDb has this character named Zed.  I wish they had just had Prada Tony show up again like some people do.  He wasn't right for Charlotte, but he could be right for Seema.  He certainly knows how to sweet talk her.  

 

For once Brady's selfishness works out because Miranda was left the odd one out with the painting.  That scene with Steve saving Big's wedding ring is why Steve is a keeper.  Even when he's going through his own shit, he has the time to help others.  I hope that if we have to sit through a second season, we see less of Miranda and more Steve.  More Seema and less Carrie.  Less Charlotte and more Anthony.  More of the jewelry designer neighbor and less Carrie.  Let's gravitate to new people's experiences.  

 

Does it seem like Lily had that tampon in for far too long?  Overnight and into the next day, right?  Charlotte didn't talk to her about TSS?

Edited January 27, 2022 by belladonna77
New thought.

[Harvey]

Seema and Carrie's conversation in the restaurant was so lovely. I like how supportive they are of each other.

In the beginning of the episode I was worried they are hinting at a Charlotte pregnancy, but it was even more fun in the end.

[greekmom]

I agree that nothing happened. 

I feel really bad for Steve and after Carrie not telling him what he wanted to know, one basic question, I would have told her to get her own damn ring out of the sink.

My hopes that Che would just outright reject Miranda cause she's too clingy was dashed.

Actually did laugh at the stupidity of the scene with the dude who said that thing about the holocaust in front of Harry.  Anthony needs to screen these guys more!!

I dont get the Nya thing. Did Miranda even bother to introduce her to Charlotte and Harry and Lilly to show that adoption could be the route for her and her husband instead of invitro?  Nah - she's just busy  chasing Che's pussy.

Best character in this dumpster fire is Seema, Anthony, Harry and Steve. Even Lilly's anxiety was grating on my nerves.

 

[greekmom]

4 hours ago, Hana Chan said:

Well, that was a whole lot of nothing. With the exception of Steve showing what a decent human being he is and that he deserves a whole lot better than his selfish idiot of a wife, this was an hour wasted.

i can't like this enough!

[Quinzee]

I’m a (younger) widow of almost two years and I wear my wedding rings on my right hand now. Is that not a thing?

[luna1122]

Okay, first, to get it out of the way: I hated everything having to do with Miranda, so there’s that. I have absolutely no idea what Che sees in her. She acts so incredibly flaky and weird and shrill with Che, there is nothing charming about this Miranda. I do not understand CN’s acting choices here, so I have to assume that this is maybe how she really behaved in her real life situation, and I do not know how her real life wife didn’t screaming from her. I don’t hate Che, tho they are kind of a cliché (ha cliCHE) of a character,  but sadly I sure don’t like Miranda anymore, and I don’t know why Che does.

I loved the Steve/Carrie scenes, they felt real, and Steve looked hot, and felt more like Steve than he has in any previous episode. EXCEPT for the wedding ring thing. How much Miranda/CN propping do we need, for the love of jeezus ? When my husband cheated and I kicked him out, I took off my ring immediately, and later, on a girl’s trip to Chicago, I threw it into Lake Michigan. Why would Steve feel this undying devotion to a woman who apparently never really felt he was good enough for her and blithely cheated on him and left him without a backwards glance? Is it just the good Catholic boy thing? Fucking throw the ring down the toilet, Steve.

And the wedding ring stuff with Carrie made me cry, I will not lie. Like many have posted, it’s baffling to me how much I like Carrie here. I almost love her, honestly. I FELT her pain, and her panic over losing the ring down the sink. The scene with the new date guy was poignant to me, though I feel like maybe he shouldn’t accept her last date offer. Maybe the ship has sailed. But  he was the one to first mention the 3rd strike, so I guess he’s up for it.

I liked her scenes with Seema too. I like Seema, and the hot Prada/club guy. You get yours, Seema. I loved most of Seema and Carrie’s outfits here (except for Carrie’s platform 5 inch heels to paint in, which: stupid). Carrie is definitely looking pretty again. I half expected Carrie to start shrieking ‘You’re just a doorman! Doorman! Doorman!’ outside that club, since they winkingly referenced the movie scenes regarding this situation, and she DOES kind of look like Leslie Mann.

Okay, Lily. WTF is with all the drama? It’s weird to me that she was so opposed to tampons, but whatever, people are different.  But she was so over the top and clingy and needy. I got my period when I was 9 and started wearing tampons right away and definitely never asked my mom to help me out with any of it, and Lily is a smart and savvy FIFTEEN year old. It just all felt inauthentic and strange.

What kind of freak would walk into a Jewish family’s home and announce there was no holocaust? Well, the kind of freak who is a Holocaust denier, I guess. Anthony’s reaction was the only one to have.

Not to be smug Charlotte, but I never had a single hot flash or any other real menopause symptoms either. At least I never bled out on a public Brooklyn street wearing all white, either.

I  thought Brady seemed fairly dismissive of Miranda, but it was hard to tell if it had anything to do with the divorce or if that’s just…Brady.