S01.E10: Seeing the Light

[violet and green]

Well, that wasn't too bad. I really wish someone was paying attention to wig continuity - it drove me round the freaking bend seeing Miranda's wig grow two inches on the annoyingly shorter side from one scene to another, and one wig to another. And she's finally back to red at the end. Why? Who cares. Steve's just dropped, bam, from the final episode. Carrie in that ridiculous ball gown with the gloves and the sparkly bag to empty Big out of... Unkind to not share the ashes with the brother. Good points made above re the 'podcast' aside, I didn't mind the end. Eh...

I did like the lamp situation, and found Carrie far more likable in this episode. It just took so long to get here. What could have been, hey.

[Cloudly]

It never got any better, did it?

Carrie using Big as "worst break-up" (a death is not a friggin break-up!!) when she had the golden opportunity of the Post-It note right there. 😏 Although getting covid to avoid someone still should've won, I thought.

Che singing "California Girls". What? Your family and – although I still can't believe the fact – significant other are RIGHT THERE and you barely introduce them and instead rush off to do some pretty average karaoke about this big life event/decision of yours while no one has any idea what's happening? Was everyone else present somehow an invited guest or just unwitting bystanders to this cringefest? And THEN you say you want Miranda to come along. "I had no idea at all!" Indeed, how could she have had?

No Cleveland. I really, really thought Cleveland would be the turning point of that storyline, as in "Miranda turning right back to work on things with Steve". As others have noted, it's absolutely fine for her character to rediscover her sexuality, divorce Steve and all of those things, it's just how they did it that drives me crazy. It would have been SO much better for Miranda and Steve to start the series as a long-divorced but friendly couple that co-parents and live next door to each other or something. Brady being a brat and banging his live-in girlfriend led to nothing. The heartbreak and betrayal led to nothing. Steve even cheers for Miranda which is just unbelievable and sad in this specific setting.

Seema is a delight. 

"Where's John?" "He died." Oh God, it really was as stupid as it seemed in the preview. I suppose it was meant to be funny. It was not in my book. "Our family crypt in Connecticut." Wow.

They waited until the final episode to let Franklin have more than a line, and then that ending? 🙄

It was so obvious the dream sequence was supposed to be longer and that Carrie was looking at Big.

You are not allowed to just dump ashes in the Seine, Carrie!!

Carrie is as unlikeable as ever and yet she is one of the most likeable characters on this show. Go figure. 

[T Summer]

When Miranda said to Carrie you really think Big is in heaven, I thought for a moment she was going to touch on all that angst Big put her through before he decided to marry her... but then I quickly thought: no one would do that to someone still so raw and in the early stages of  the grieving process.

On the other hand, Carrie's kissing the teacher and the podcast producer already? Jeez, if she'd have sparked with Seema's cousin? the surgeon she'd be having her pick of every single attractive fit dude in his 50's in NYC!

That freaking ball gown! Ridiculous is right! So our new billionairess goes out and buys what's no doubt a designer ball gown  and coordinating accessories and  an updo to  go with it,to walk on a bridge in Paris and release Big's ashes... No doubt, never to be worn again. Yet, she takes a lamp into a shop for repair and spends her time traveling there and back (probably by private car), where nowadays even people living on modest means would most likely call Amazon and have a new lamp on the doorstep  next day for  under 20 bucks? [unless they're really about that low/no waste life]

I really thought the reaching out to Samantha  and getting a yes back would come last?  How are they just going to have Carrie back in New York doing the podcast without clueing us in  as to how that went?

Rock should've been clear about not doing the "theymitzvah"  before the day and all the expense and people traveling to Harry and Charlotte's. Even if AJLT is supposed to be a year or two after the pandemic I'll bet people aren't too thrilled  to be in crowds that big, maskless and all.

Lots and lots of crap I could have done without.  The lamp BS, the meeting with the brother and that awful dialogue,  Miranda Hobbs starring in the Cynthia Nixon story and that includes Che's singing,  the wedding of some people we hardly know, everything to do with the Goldenblatts... heck I didn't even care  much for Anthony in this ep. 

It's nice Seema has a new dude. E showed the episode with him as Tony the Prada  salesman earlier today.

Andre is just wrong for leaving the professor uncertain  about whether he wants to stay together.

I didn't have it in me to watch the documentary right after the finale...maybe tonight.Did you?

[NotMySekrit2Tell]

22 minutes ago, T Summer said:

That freaking ball gown! Ridiculous is right! So our new billionairess goes out and buys what's no doubt a designer ball gown  and coordinating accessories and  an updo to  go with it,to walk on a bridge in Paris and release Big's ashes... No doubt, never to be worn again. Yet, she takes a lamp into a shop for repair and spends her time traveling there and back (probably by private car), where nowadays even people living on modest means would most likely call Amazon and have a new lamp on the doorstep  next day for  under 20 bucks? [unless they're really about that low/no waste life]

Exactly what I was thinking, on the lamp.

Re: "Coordinating accessories," honestly, I wasn't loving the color combination of the gown and gloves. I guess it worked, technically (i.e., a "fruity" theme), but I thought the gloves were too strong. I was trying to think of what would have been better. If not good ol' white gloves, then maybe a silvery shade?  

When the podcast guy said to Che after her L.A. announcement, "Wait. This isn't a bit?" I sympathized with him. It really did seem like a Che bit, in that it wasn't funny at all.

Here ends AJLT. It wasn't always enjoyable to watch, and it had huge problems, but it was fun to talk about. If it comes back for a second season, I hope they can take the good things there were (and there were some) and rethink the rest. "Do better without trying so hard" would be my Rx.

Edited February 3, 2022 by NotMySekrit2Tell

[Hana Chan]

Considering just how long it takes to plan a bar mitzvah ceremony (my parents spent close to a year planning my brother's and that's not counting the months of training he went through in order to recite his portion of the haftarah), it was kind of idiotic to all of a sudden have Rock decide that Nope! This wasn't for them. Who cares that their parents spent a fortune on the party and had a few million people there. Rock gets to pull the plug on the whole thing at the very last second, If that were my family, Rock would have been going through the ceremony with my mom's shoe up their backside.

But that really boils down to just why I can't stand these characters anymore. There are no consequences to their actions. They are the most self-involved, self-indulgent babies and I can't find it in me to get invested in their storylines (though Charlette bugged me the least this season, so... yay for her?). I had the same feelings that I had watching Glee those final seasons - where the good characters got crapped on while the most obnoxious, selfish ones (*coughRachelBerrycough*) get everything they want regardless of who they run over in the process. The writing was shoddy wish fulfillment and while there were a few good moments scattered here and there, for the most part this season absolutely ruined everything that I'd enjoyed about the original series.

Miranda is irredeemable now and if I never have to see her on my tv again, I'll be a very happy person. As others have pointed out, there a difference between working to make yourself happy and fulfilled and doing so at the expense of everyone else. The way the show treated Steve and their marriage was an atrocity and they didn't have to go this way. The show has always been centered around the POV of the women, but the men were never treated as such non-entities. Steve (and Aiden and Big and Harry) were allowed to have their own perspectives and their wishes could come into conflict with what the female characters wanted. But Steve got reduced to a sad, pathetic man who just stood on the sidelines while his ex-wife (soon to be) cavorts around with her new partner. And the hell with her son, who likewise was not made any kind of a consideration in her behavior. Not to mention her professional commitments that she just threw in the trash. Miranda finding balance between her professional ambitions and her personal life has always been the interesting crux of her storylines and it was all tossed into the trash. Congratulations CN - you got what you wanted. Who cares if the audience hates it (despite all the PR efforts made to change opinions).

Carrie's story could have been interesting, seeing her grieving her husband of more than a decade and trying to figure out where her life goes after this but like all storylines, it was handled badly. She should have been mortified that her husband's ashes were stashed away in a closet and not have Big's brother involved in deciding what to do next. When I made the decision to have my mother cremated, my dad and I immediately picked a beautiful urn and Mom's now in a prominent place in our house (where she will stay until Dad passes and then I will have their ashes interred together). The idea that she loved her husband, yet his ashes stayed in a cardboard box hidden away just rubbed me the wrong way. As did Carrie's attempts to date within months of Big's death. While the whole scene in Paris was beyond self-indulgent (with  the OTT ballgown), seeing Carrie actually dealing with Big's remains in a way that was meaningful for her was more emotionally sincere (though not including his brother really bugged me). 

I really hope that the writers get the message that this series was not well-received or appreciated and that we (and the characters) deserved a lot better. Here's hoping that they leave this as a one-off and we don't have to deal with a second season of this idiocy.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Hana Chan

[EtheltoTillie]

Was she wearing the pink rubber gloves she had been using for smoking?  

[thesupremediva1]

And just like that.... our long national nightmare is over.

Please let this abomination end here. Under no circumstances will I watch a season 2, even if HBO Max foists it on us. 

As Samantha once said: Fuck me badly once, shame on you; fuck me badly twice, shame on me!

[Conotocarious]

Am I still supposed to be charmed by Rock? Because I am not. Not in the slightest. What a BRAT. 

Hey, Miranda? If Carrie wants to believe in heaven now after an enormous loss, shut your stupid face and be supportive instead of snarky. Why is she such a complete asshole? So Miranda can change her beliefs about herself and her life and NO ONE is allowed to judge but Carrie can’t? Go AWAY, Miranda. Go watch Che’s stupid pilot AND NEVER RETURN AGAIN. How nice that they disposed of Brady in one line too. It’s OK for Miranda to disappear for several months because Brady will be in Europe! CONVENIENT. Is that kid going to college at all? I swear to god, she’s a cardboard cutout of a parent and he’s a cardboard cutout of a 17 year old kid. 

You know what I liked? This forum here. That’s my enjoyment of AJLT.

The part with Carrie’s lamp was actually my favorite part of the show. We had a huge unexpected loss in my family (a child) a few years ago and the lights kept flickering inexplicably for one of the parents, starting in the hospital but even after. Seeing that happen to Carrie’s lamp gave me chills actually. I didn’t think it was silly or nonsensical.

[Evie]

Rock should have spoken up before the big day. I did laugh at how Charlotte and Harry both gasped when Rock said they didn't want to be a New Yorker. 

Carrie at the bridge in that get up was ridiculous but otherwise, I didn't mind her story. She should have had a solo relationship podcast from the beginning. 

The writing for Che is ridiculous. A network wants them to be the next Roseanne. They tell everyone they are going to California by gathering them in a club and singing. Come the fuck on. For someone who made a big deal about wanting a nontraditional relationship, they are apparently only sleeping with Miranda, told Miranda they love her and invited her to California. Seems fairly traditional to me.

Miranda was an asshole to Carrie. She can change but Carrie can't change her beliefs about the afterlife? Go to California and never come back, Miranda. 

I don't know why they didn't have Brady grown up and in college if they were never going to do anything with him. I guess he's just fine with his parent's divorce and his mom running off to California. I guess poor Steve will just be eating his ice cream alone, wearing his wedding ring, forever devoted to Miranda. WTFever.

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Evie

[Rebecca berkowit]

5 hours ago, TakomaSnark said:

 

I've also never been to a bar/bat mitzvah where the party was before the ceremony. 
 

Because it isn’t.  The Bar Mitzvah IS the ceremony.  The party is after, and, in fact, is optional.  It’s a RECEPTION. 

And Rock, as is appropriate for this occasion, needs to GROW UP.  Sorry to harp on this, and I may be extra sensitive on the subject, but  this plot, as I’ve said  before, is so insulting and tone-deaf, especially in light of recent events, I couldn’t even watch it.  It cannot have been written by anyone with any connection to or love for the community it’s meant to represent.  (If it is, well, that’s disappointing.)    As anyone with any connection to the community knows, a Bar Mitzvah is not some declaration of the self, or your individual acceptance of a faith.  It’s not about you at all, other than the preparation you have to put in.  It’s about becoming an adult in the eyes of the community, and taking on a new responsibility and role in that community.  (Yes, I realize some people take that aspect more seriously that others, thirteen year olds being what they are, but that is the significance nonetheless and everyone knows this).  You don’t want it?  Don’t do it.  But what you don’t do is take the occasion to let down the entire community and family members who have shown up for what they believe is something super important and meaningful.  And having a character to say to their (Jewish) family on this day that they “don’t want to identify as a Jew?”  Just, no.  Not a good choice.  First, as explained above, this is not the time for such soul-searching.  But more important is the fact that it’s a lot more complicated that that.  It’s not necessarily something you can opt out of,  and to be insensitive to that particular aspect of the Jewish experience is inexcusable.   If you don’t understand this, showrunners, don’t put it in at all.  This could’ve been a beautiful moment to show a family changing, and a culture changing with the times and supporting a child.  To take an ancient religion and culture seriously.   But what this show did insults and misunderstands that entire culture gratuitously, all in the service of a circumcision joke.  And the kicker is that this show bills itself as an attempt to be tolerant and diverse and accepting of different types of people.    I call bull. 

Quote

 

 

 

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Rebecca berkowit

[Jillybean]

1 hour ago, thesupremediva1 said:

And just like that.... our long national nightmare is over.

Please let this abomination end here. Under no circumstances will I watch a season 2, even if HBO Max foists it on us. 

As Samantha once said: Fuck me badly once, shame on you; fuck me badly twice, shame on me!

+1 to all of this.

[mikem]

Miranda says to Carrie in the bathroom that she is leaving to go to LA on the fourth, and the taping is either on the 9th or 10th.  Most pilots don't get picked up and that result may not be known for months, so why aren't Che and Miranda coming back to NYC on the 11th?  What are they planning on doing in LA after the taping is over?  And given that most pilots don't get picked up, why did Che shut down the podcast?  None of this made any sense.

It felt like there was an intentional parallel between Miranda and Rock this episode that was reinforced after Miranda dyed her hair so they both had similar hair colors now.  Both Miranda and Rock are just doing whatever they feel like, with no regard to their commitments or other people.  Except Rock is 13 and Miranda is an adult with a husband who asked her professor for a recommendation for an internship she's blowing off.  Somehow, I think the writers think we are supposed to be cheering them both on.  But I don't think the audience is doing that. 

 

[Jillybean]

11 minutes ago, mikem said:

Miranda says to Carrie in the bathroom that she is leaving to go to LA on the fourth, and the taping is either on the 9th or 10th.  Most pilots don't get picked up and that result may not be known for months, so why aren't Che and Miranda coming back to NYC on the 11th?  What are they planning on doing in LA after the taping is over?  And given that most pilots don't get picked up, why did Che shut down the podcast?  None of this made any sense.

Furthermore, how is it that a pilot is being shot in one day? It's as though these TV showrunners don't understand how TV is made. They obviously don't understand what a podcast is.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Jillybean

[T Summer]

2 hours ago, NotMySekrit2Tell said:

Exactly what I was thinking, on the lamp.

Re: "Coordinating accessories," honestly, I wasn't loving the color combination of the gown and gloves. I guess it worked, technically (i.e., a "fruity" theme), but I thought the gloves were too strong. I was trying to think of what would have been better. If not good ol' white gloves, then maybe a silvery shade?  

When the podcast guy said to Che after her L.A. announcement, "Wait. This isn't a bit?" I sympathized with him. It really did seem like a Che bit, in that it wasn't funny at all.

Here ends AJLT. It wasn't always enjoyable to watch, and it had huge problems, but it was fun to talk about. If it comes back for a second season, I hope they can take the good things there were (and there were some) and rethink the rest. "Do better without trying so hard" would be my Rx.

Earlier I thought of something good to say about AJLT. Failure to Launch was on and I came in midway yhrough and still noted 3 of SJP's obnoxious  screams. I don't count that little squeal she let out in ep one when the girls were told their table was ready... so there's that: we got all the way through it with no screaming.

I  thought Carrie looked great all season. I think she still has a youthful look, except for when we have to see sad distraught withdrawn  Carrie, like in the first few episodes or when they pull her hair back so severely. With her slight frame she can really wear some clothes!

Although  with a sky's the limit budget, it's surprising how few times I saw her wear anything that I loved and wished I had access to. Certainly not that cantaloupe colored taffetta monstrosity! IDK what she could've worn to improve that look instead of the pink gloves, but maybe she should've taken  Big  to the bridge  in that beaded Judith  Lieber swan purse instead of the Eiffel Tower shaped one!

I thought that cranberry red dress  Miranda wore to Rock's party enlivened her  complexion. That rust  brown garment  worn with little make up and  her back to red hair  transformation... not so much.  If that was meant to depict  sassy carefree Miranda, they  missed the mark.

These comments are pretty superficial; I know, but I feel like the most interesting part of the episode was only suggested... the meet up with Samantha. Though she agreed to meet Carrie the next night, we never got to see or hear about  what happened.

 

 

 

[SailorGirl]

1 hour ago, Rebecca berkowit said:

Because it isn’t.  The Bar Mitzvah IS the ceremony.  The party is after, and, in fact, is optional.  It’s a RECEPTION. 

And Rock, as is appropriate for this occasion, needs to GROW UP.  Sorry to harp on this, and I may be extra sensitive on the subject, but  this plot, as I’ve said  before, is so insulting and tone-deaf, especially in light of recent events, I couldn’t even watch it.  It cannot have been written by anyone with any connection to or love for the community it’s meant to represent.  (If it is, well, that’s disappointing.)    As anyone with any connection to the community knows, a Bar Mitzvah is not some declaration of the self.    It’s not about you at all, other than the preparation you have to put in.  It’s about becoming an adult in the eyes of the community, and taking on a new responsibility and role in that community.  (Yes, I realize some people take that aspect more seriously that others, thirteen year olds being what they are, but that is the significance nonetheless and everyone knows this).  You don’t want it?  Don’t do it.  But what you don’t do is take the occasion to let down the entire community and family members who have shown up for what they believe is something super important and meaningful.  And having a character to say to their (Jewish) family on this day that that they “don’t want to identify as a Jew?”  Just, no.  Not a good choice.  First, as explained above, this is not the time for such soul-searching.  But more important is the fact that it’s a lot more complicated that that.  It’s not necessarily something you can opt out of,  and to be insensitive to that particular aspect of the Jewish experience is inexcusable.   If you don’t understand this, showrunners, don’t put it in at all.  This could’ve been a beautiful moment to show a family changing, and a culture changing with the times and supporting a child.  To take an ancient religion and culture seriously.   But what this show did insults and misunderstands that entire culture gratuitously, all in the service of a circumcision joke.  And the kicker is that this show bills itself as an attempt to be tolerant and diverse and accepting of different types of people.    I call bull. 

 

And then for Rock to go up on stage to join the rest of the family? That was a serious WTAF, among many. 

Again, skipping over all the Che content has made watching the past few episodes more tolerable but still the whole Miranda-throws-away-a-primo-internship-for-twu-wuv was ridiculous. Especially when Nya said who it was with -- I immediately thought -- she's walking away from THAT?? 

I did appreciate that they revived a version of the Miranda being pissed that Carrie is going to Paris for a relationship conversation but they even had to stomp on that by having the trans rabbi hit us over the head by saying its really their way of saying they care about each other. Like, we're now not supposed to think Miranda was a bitch to Carrie about Paris/Alex, despite the fact she was, in the vein of her character, the one who called Carrie on her shit. Nope, even that has to be retconned to further remove Miranda and replace her with Cynthia. 

Seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I thought Carrie doing the full fashion thing on the bridge was very in character. The whole Paris scenario was one of the only scenes that rang true to the original series.  That and Charlotte telling Carrie she still owed her a trip to Paris -- no way would original Charlotte have let that slide, and glad this version didn't either. 

Damn Chris Noth because I think having Carrie see Big at the wedding (which was clear he had been edited out) and on the bridge would have been touching and in line with the core of the original series themes. 

Seemantha was the least forced new character and I think she and Carrie vibed most naturally of the new additions. 

Anthony was the saving comedic grace and it says a lot that I thought the funniest part of the entire episode was the sight gag of the Hot Fellas at the they-mitzvah in the tight rompers and rainbow yarmulkes. 

In short, I turned the tv off thinking "WTF did I just watch."

Absolutely NO interest in watching the documentary, and just so, SO disappointed with this.

They really did a disservice to those of us and our friends who spent our 20s-40s identifying moments in our and each other's lives as being "such a Charlotte" or "being so Samantha right now!", etc. 


 

[Aulty]

1 hour ago, thesupremediva1 said:

Please let this abomination end here. Under no circumstances will I watch a season 2, even if HBO Max foists it on us.

According to MPK the viewing figures are phenomenal and they want to fast track a possible 2nd season. We haven't seen the last of this.

Was that supposed to be all of Big's ashes in her weird purse? I looked it up and you'd usually get about 5 pounds of ashes ... Sorry if that's a bit morbid.

[SailorGirl]

oh, and . . . Harry wouldn't marry Charlotte because she wasn't a Jew but his kid gives a middle finger to Judaism and its all just fine and dandy because its tied into identity issues? Give me a friggin' break. Original Harry and new-Jew Charlotte would not have hand-waved that. 

Edited February 3, 2022 by SailorGirl

[mstar1125]

13 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

I did appreciate that they revived a version of the Miranda being pissed that Carrie is going to Paris for a relationship conversation but they even had to stomp on that by having the trans rabbi hit us over the head by saying its really their way of saying they care about each other. Like, we're now not supposed to think Miranda was a bitch to Carrie about Paris/Alex, despite the fact she was, in the vein of her character, the one who called Carrie on her shit. Nope, even that has to be retconned to further remove Miranda and replace her with Cynthia. 
 

I haven't seen the episode yet, so I'm only going on the description of this scene from others who have posted, but if there was ever a time for a reversal of the "you're living in a fantasy" scene, this would have been it. Instead it sounds like we get more self-righteous Miranda telling Carrie how to live her life. 

[Hana Chan]

14 minutes ago, Aulty said:

I looked it up and you'd usually get about 5 pounds of ashes ... Sorry if that's a bit morbid.

I just remembered lugging home Mom's ashes from the memorial service and between the ashes and the stone urn, I got a good upper body workout. Mom would have approved.

[NotMySekrit2Tell]

37 minutes ago, T Summer said:

Certainly not that cantaloupe colored taffetta monstrosity!

Ha ha! In the documentary, Molly Rogers says that SJP was so delirious over that gown at first sight that she didn't even want to see any of the other options they had.

[Hana Chan]

2 hours ago, Evie said:

Miranda was an asshole to Carrie.

Miranda was an asshole. Period. 

[ivygirl]

The way Miranda just hound-dogged Carrie about her picture of Big in heaven was MASSIVELY insensitive. To my mind: unless someone is about to do something foolish, irreversible, and/or harmful… allow them to process as they need to. I mean, Charlotte very well could have been sitting there thinking “You think THAT guy’s in heaven???” but I’m sure she would never had said anything. Some people have very particular views about the afterlife—I do—but in a moment like that… it’s more about the grieving person’s feelings and less about theology or skepticism. I could see Old Miranda taking about it LATER, but maybe keeping her mouth shut in the moment. 

[RedHawk]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Was she wearing the pink rubber gloves she had been using for smoking?  

I thought so, too! LOL.

So are the LGBTQIA+ community members who are "advising" MPK and the writers totally fine with the transgender rabbi being continually referred to as "The Transgender Rabbi"? Did we ever hear her name? We get it, Charlotte and Harry found a transgender female rabbi. Then we saw her, and I guess because she doesn't look "obviously transgender" we have to keep hearing the label rather than her name, so that we will understand, this rabbi is TRANSGENDER! Another example of something being pushed too hard because the writers think they have to educate us.

And is Charlotte/KD also having hearing problems? She was absolutely shouting in the restaurant in the brunch scene, and for most of the episode actually. I kept expecting the other diners to look at her in surprise. 

Edited February 3, 2022 by RedHawk

[SlovakPrincess]

On 1/31/2022 at 1:16 PM, BrindaWalsh said:

Just watched the promo. 

Miranda Hobbs, you are not Lauren Conrad and she learned the hard way, on behalf of career minded women everywhere, that you always choose the internship.

OMG!   🤣  I'm glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought of The Hills.  "You'll always be the girl who didn't go to Paris" -- Lauren's boss was so damn savage to her over it, too.  Miranda could maybe use some of the same tough love?  

I guess if Miranda is over being career-minded at this point, fine?  Or it would be, if the show told us she'd saved up from her many years of law firm partnership and is now basically financially independent.  But it's not clear that that's the case, and she's got a kid about to go into college and a divorce to get through and assets she's gonna need to split up with Steve, so how is this gonna work if she's blowing off her first new-career-path opportunity?  

Charlotte's giant pink dress for the "theymitzvah" ... what in the world and why and no.  

Agree with everyone puzzled as to why Big's ashes would end up in Paris.  He was a New York guy through and through.  It's probably illegal to put ashes in Central Park, but I'll bet people do it all the time, anyway.  

[NeenerNeener]

5 hours ago, violet and green said:

Well, that wasn't too bad.

I think I could watch a Season 2 as long as it doesn't include Miranda and Che. Carrie and Charlotte could carry it with the addition of Seema and LTW, and of course, Anthony, who was the only good thing in Season 1.

Hated the orange ballgown at the end, and at first I thought those were actually pink opera gloves but they were shiny when she took them off so those could have been her "smoking"gloves so she wouldn't get Big's ashes all over her. She could have/probably should have split the ashes and taken some to Paris and let his family put the rest in their crypt though.

 

ETA: Has Evan Handler been sick? He looked awfully skinny in this episode.

ETA 2: I don't want Nixon back, period. If she comes back she'll hijack the show again and it will be all about her running for Governor.

Edited February 3, 2022 by NeenerNeener

[slowpoked]

 

4 hours ago, T Summer said:

On the other hand, Carrie's kissing the teacher and the podcast producer already?

It's been around a year since Big has died, so I think I'm going to give Carrie the leeway here that that is enough time for her to move on. Although I think there's really no hard, fast "rules" in situations like this.

Well, it was a drag, but it ended finally. At least I can still binge-watch the original SATC. Before HBO Max, I've just been catching the series on E!, and well, watching it on HBO, I just forgot how raunchy it all was. 

I like how it ended for Charlotte and Carrie. And little tidbits from Samantha are always a welcome sight for me.

As for Season 2, I'm hoping that Miranda and Che broke up in the off-season so we don't have to hear from Che ever again, and that Miranda goes back to NYC and has her second SATC single gal chapter, along with Carrie and Seema. Yes, I get it, people change, Miranda, but usually people try to change for the better. You changed in the worst way possible. That scene with Che at the bar where you're trying to process them moving to LA? Old Miranda wouldn't have bought all that BS about "I want to tell the person that I love along with the other people I love..." I was so hopeful when you started telling Che "Yes, it was so last minute, but you had enough time to plan a space in the bar, invite all these people, and practice with a band..." Old Miranda would have bitch slapped Che right after that. I never thought that one of my favorite TV characters ever would suddenly turn into a puddling doormat. 

And not even a "Well, I hope it works out for you, Mom..." from Brady? I mean, he may be a horned out teenager, but I can imagine he would still have some feelings about his parents divorcing and his mom flying cross-country to be a groupie.

Ok, rant over. 

[Baltimore Betty]

49 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

oh, and . . . Harry wouldn't marry Charlotte because she wasn't a Jew but his kid gives a middle finger to Judaism and its all just fine and dandy because its tied into identity issues? Give me a friggin' break. Original Harry and new-Jew Charlotte would not have hand-waved that. 

I definitely think they pushed it too far with Rock and her not wanting any identity at all, I side with Charlotte on that point, how can one move thru life as a non entity so to speak?  Does this mean she won't go to college because Rock would have to pick a major and after graduation she would be a _______? I want to understand this movement towards nothingness that Rock wants to achieve.

I remember what it took to get my kids Bar/Bat Mitzvah'd, I could not have filled in for either one of them, the trope alone is tough to master, good for Charlotte being able to do it.  The only thing I have a problem with is her dress, it was awful and unflattering.  All the money and none of the taste she once had, sad.  The one thing they did not say about the They Mitzvah is that it was a Havdala service, (it was not held in a synagogue and they were calling in their own Rabbi) and it could have been done in English and any way they wanted it done.  I loved the role of the Rabbi.

Is Miranda still living in the house with Steve? If so, I wish they would have shown how that day to day went down.

Carrie's podcast producer is hot, I figured she would interested in him but the teacher was a good match too, which way will she run?

Maybe Brady will grow up a little on his trek thru Europe.

How did Carrie get all of Big in her Eiffel Tower purse? Maybe she is giving some to her brother in law.  I think it was a great idea to leave his ashes in Paris but can you really legally dump ashes in to the Seine River from a bridge?  

 

 

 

 

[NotMySekrit2Tell]

29 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

So are the LGBTQIA+ community members who are "advising" MPK and the writers totally fine with the transgender rabbi being continually referred to as "The Transgender Rabbi"? Did we ever hear her name?

I think when she pops out of the restroom stall, she introduces herself to C and M as "Rabbi Jen," so we did get a name eventually, but yeah. They weren't very subtle about the fact that Charlotte found a transgender rabbi.  

Did anyone here see the recent movie Parallel Mothers? Penelope Cruz plays a photographer, and we see her photographing all kinds of people and subjects through the course of the movie. One of her photo shoots is with a model who's a trans woman. The AJLT writers should watch that scene and take note of how it can be done.

[marny]

I’m so angry how this show started with the notion that Miranda was going back to school because she wanted to do social justice work, but as soon as she finds a they-friend, she bags on her prestigious and competitive internship to go fawn all over Che in LA. Definitely shows how uncommitted to the cause she actually was. If she really wanted to seem less pathetic, she could have done the internship and if Che’s show worked out, she could have met them in LA after it was over. But no, not our insecure Che-obsessed Miranda. Barf.

And the show made a huge error in showing us Che’s performance at their “comedy concert” (cringe). They weren’t funny or clever. I have a hard time imagining anyone giving them a show based on what we saw. Just tell us they’re successful and funny so we don’t have to question their “humor”. 
 

Also, a podcast isn’t a spontaneous call-in show, Carrie. People don’t know when you’re actually recording so they don’t know when to call in. I just can’t. 

Edited February 3, 2022 by marny

[tennisgurl]

Che: "I have to go now. My planet needs me."

*Che died on the way back to their home planet.* 

No wonder this show has no idea how a podcast works, it clearly has no idea how a show works. There is a LOT to unpack here, but right now, all I have to say is fuck this show, fuck its showrunners, and most important, fuck Miranda. 

Edited February 3, 2022 by tennisgurl

[Baltimore Betty]

43 minutes ago, SlovakPrincess said:

Agree with everyone puzzled as to why Big's ashes would end up in Paris.  He was a New York guy through and through.  It's probably illegal to put ashes in Central Park, but I'll bet people do it all the time, anyway.  

But that is where Big rescued Carrie and they knew they were meant for each other, it was on that bridge where he declared his love for her so I guess she wanted to go back to where it all started.

[luna1122]

I didn't hate it, and if there is a second season I will still watch it. I guess there are shows that I hate watch on occasion but if I really just hate a show I stop watching it. The walking dead was ruined for me after a certain character came on and I just gave it up. Tho...I  was  TRAUMATIZED by the Veronica Mars reboot, and I'm still bitter and absolutely hope they never try it again, so maybe I get the "long national nightmare" comments a little. 

But if there is a season 2, I'll watch. Miranda was the worst part of the whole season and remains so, and if season 2 didn't have her and Che crashing and burning, I'd be annoyed. I have no idea, really, where they're going here, if we're supposed to think Miranda is headed for a fall or some stupid happy ever after 

I am a diehard atheist but Miranda was being an asshole to Carrie. If it gives her comfort to think Big was trying to communicate with her, that's her business. It has nothing to do with you. Fuck right off. 

And damn Chris Noth. The dream and bridge sequences would have been really touching with an actual Big sighting. The big dress on the bridge was dumb but it was Carrie. It's what she would always have done. 

And I actually was touched that her new podcast/talk radio show is called Sex and the City. And producer guy is hot. And its been a year. 

I loved the rabbi, even when she was being a buttinski. She's delightful. I understood Rock not wanting to do the thing but, yikes, bad timing. Charlotte's dress was not good. 

I still thought Aidan might show, and I love JC but we really don't need to see aidan/carrie part 3 or 4 or whatever. 

I found the Hello its Me refrain again touching,  especially the lyrics "its important to me that you know you are free" line being highlighted, as if Big were telling her to move on. Its cheesy but sweet. Big was cheesy, after all. 

 

[WendyCR72]

4 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Che: "I have to go now. My planet needs me."

*Che died on her way back to her home planet.* 

No wonder this show has no idea how a podcast works, it clearly has no idea how a show works. There is a LOT to unpack here, but right now, all I have to say is fuck this show, fuck its showrunners, and most important, fuck Miranda. 

CO-SIGN.  Thank you for the rant so I didn't have to!

[txhorns79]

1 hour ago, SailorGirl said:

oh, and . . . Harry wouldn't marry Charlotte because she wasn't a Jew but his kid gives a middle finger to Judaism and its all just fine and dandy because its tied into identity issues? Give me a friggin' break. Original Harry and new-Jew Charlotte would not have hand-waved that. 

My parents would have have literally dragged me out of the house and put me on the bimah kicking and screaming if I had tried to refuse to go ahead with my bar mitzvah.  It was deeply important to them, and no way was one of their children going to pull that crap on the day of the event.   

[SlovakPrincess]

Just now, Baltimore Betty said:

But that is where Big rescued Carrie and they knew they were meant for each other, it was on that bridge where he declared his love for her so I guess she wanted to go back to where it all started.

I know, but it just seems ... off?  Like, Big was rescuing Carrie from a lonely life in Paris that she was quickly realizing had been a big mistake, and bringing her back to where she belonged (New York) and where the vast majority of her history and life with Big was.  

Big's resting place being anywhere but New York just kinda bothers me.  A while back I saw an analysis of the original show, and it had the interesting thesis that Big was not only a fully-fleshed out character, but also symbolized the mystique and fantasy of super-wealthy New York.  Carrie wanting this hard-to-pin-down, stereotypically desirable guy was an analogy of people trying to make it in New York based on the Hollywood-ized version of New York (basically, New York equated to the rich parts of Manhattan).  

[bichonblitz]

I still have a hard time believing hipster Che would have the least bit of interest in frumpy Miranda. Why? Every single bit of her wardrobe screamed "old lady" to me and the wigs were awful. There are really fantastic natural wigs out there these days but Miranda's helmet head looked so cheap. 

High pitched Charlotte and Harry the jew are terrible parents. Let the kids do what ever they want with no discipline or repercussions what so ever. Over it. Too much time spent on their kids. I also don't need to see Anthony constantly running around frantic. 

SJP did a pretty good job with what crappy scripts she had to work with. 

Why can't they just let go of Samantha? The texts were unnecessary and really who cares?  

 

[bobbyjoe]

I’ve decided that if they do have a second season I actually do want to see one more scene with Che.  In fact, it should be the opening scene for season 2:

We open on Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda eating popcorn and sitting in front of the television.

Charlotte:  “Hurry, Che’s show is about to start.”

Miranda:  “I’m so proud of them that their pilot got picked up!  Che called and told me that they’d done some revisions to what I saw though.  You know, I never figured Che to be so modest— they said I might not want to watch.”

Carrie:  “Shhhh, here it is.”

[the episode of Che’s show begins.  Che is talking to a character who is very obviously based on Miranda.  It is a devastatingly accurate depiction of the AJLT version of Miranda that is cruel, mocking, and utterly makes her the butt of the joke for the whole episode] 

[surprisingly, Che’s show becomes a huge hit, and though we never see Che again, all of the second season Miranda is confronted by random people everywhere she goes who keep saying how much they love to hate that despicably pathetic self-obsessed Miranda character.  

Carrie can end the first episode by saying “And just like that… Miranda Hobbes learned about consequences.”] 

[Evie]

24 minutes ago, marny said:

I’m so angry how this show started with the notion that Miranda was going back to school because she wanted to do social justice work, but as soon as she finds a they-friend, she bags on her prestigious and competitive internship to go fawn all over Che in LA. Definitely shows how uncommitted to the cause she actually was. If she really wanted to seem less pathetic, she could have done the internship and if Che’s show worked out, she could have met her in LA after it was over. But no, not our insecure Che-obsessed Miranda. Barf.

That's a good point. Miranda went from supposedly wanting to make a difference through social justice work to being a groupie. It's so dumb too because Che was just filming a pilot that might never be picked up. How long would that even take? A month or so? There was no reason Miranda had to choose between Che and her internship right now. 

[TooMuchRealityTV]

Well, that was certainly something wasn't it?

Has Brady graduated High School, has he turned 18 off camera? It doesn't sound like he is traveling with his school, just his girlfriend, which actually seems a little much if he's only 17 and in High School. It seems like they shoehorned in the European Vacation thing because someone might have mentioned that Miranda can't just move to LA with a NYC based teenager, and likely a custody arrangement.

I was hoping Carrie and Miranda would actually have it out in the bathroom. Like actually have it out. It seems like Carrie often holds her tongue about Miranda. I need someone, anyone, to actually confront her about her being a completely different person now. Not in a good way. She used to be a pretty logical person and now she's just running around doing whatever pops into her head next, to hell with consequences.  She just spent money to go back to school at a time when she should be saving money for Brady's eventual tuition, or retirement. But now she's blowing off a prestigious internship, because of Che. Che's show might not even get picked up. And yes, bugging a widow because they now believe in god is just wrong.

Rock--I was okay with them until this episode. You do not blow off your Theymitzvah on the day of. You just do it. Your parents went through a lot of trouble. The time to put your foot down has long since past. I was hoping Uncle Anthony would go in there and drag them out by their shirt collar and make them go through with it. Maybe remind them of the things Charlotte and Harry have had to put up with because of their love for them. Including the shitty way they came out on social media and let their parents find out through everyone else. Not because they have issues with their parents, but because they were being immature and shitty.

Not here for season two. But judging from the smug showrunner/writers reactions I assume there will be one unless HBO puts their foot down.

 

[chediavolo]

9 hours ago, TakomaSnark said:

A complete dumpster fire of a season and finale.

So much to rant about but for now: Will someone PLEASE tell the writers of this mess that a podcast is a not a radio talk show that takes live calls on the air? Oh my god.

Yes! What the fuck. Are the people writing this over 70?

[ChelleGame]

5 hours ago, T Summer said:

When Miranda said to Carrie you really think Big is in heaven, I thought for a moment she was going to touch on all that angst Big put her through before he decided to marry her... but then I quickly thought: no one would do that to someone still so raw and in the early stages of  the grieving process.

If I was grieving and someone wanted to have an intellectual argument about whether or not heaven existed, i  would leave the table. If you're not hurting anyone else and it's giving you comfort, and in some cases allowing you to face another day and keep going WHY would you talk them out of that?

Asshole.

I liked the Carrie story all the way through in this episode. So many glimpses of the old show in her scenes. Seema was the best addition.  Wish Charlotte had a storyline outside of her kids. The dull fertility couple with the whiny husband. I'll pass. Didn't get a real read on the beautiful Nicole Ari but I loved her in Soul Food.

The new writers were not a good addition to this season. They wrote agenda not story and that was just too bad.

[chediavolo]

6 hours ago, Cloudly said:

It never got any better, did it?

Carrie using Big as "worst break-up" (a death is not a friggin break-up!!) when she had the golden opportunity of the Post-It note right there. 😏 Although getting covid to avoid someone still should've won, I thought.

Che singing "California Girls". What? Your family and – although I still can't believe the fact – significant other are RIGHT THERE and you barely introduce them and instead rush off to do some pretty average karaoke about this big life event/decision of yours while no one has any idea what's happening? Was everyone else present somehow an invited guest or just unwitting bystanders to this cringefest? And THEN you say you want Miranda to come along. "I had no idea at all!" Indeed, how could she have had?

No Cleveland. I really, really thought Cleveland would be the turning point of that storyline, as in "Miranda turning right back to work on things with Steve". As others have noted, it's absolutely fine for her character to rediscover her sexuality, divorce Steve and all of those things, it's just how they did it that drives me crazy. It would have been SO much better for Miranda and Steve to start the series as a long-divorced but friendly couple that co-parents and live next door to each other or something. Brady being a brat and banging his live-in girlfriend led to nothing. The heartbreak and betrayal led to nothing. Steve even cheers for Miranda which is just unbelievable and sad in this specific setting.

Seema is a delight. 

"Where's John?" "He died." Oh God, it really was as stupid as it seemed in the preview. I suppose it was meant to be funny. It was not in my book. "Our family crypt in Connecticut." Wow.

They waited until the final episode to let Franklin have more than a line, and then that ending? 🙄

It was so obvious the dream sequence was supposed to be longer and that Carrie was looking at Big.

You are not allowed to just dump ashes in the Seine, Carrie!!

Carrie is as unlikeable as ever and yet she is one of the most likeable characters on this show. Go figure. 

Would have loved to see her be carted off to a French jail.

[NotMySekrit2Tell]

4 hours ago, Evie said:

The writing for Che is ridiculous. A network wants them to be the next Roseanne.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, I saw one of Roseanne Barr's early stand-up specials, before she had a sitcom. Not. Even. Roseanne seems to have gone around the bend, but she didn't deserve to have Che's solipsistic bromides compared to her funny, cutting material from back in the day.

[brillia79]

Rock is a colossal brat. They couldn’t have the not wanting a They-Mitzvah conversation with Charlotte and Harry well before the big event?

[marny]

Also, how come we never got to see Miranda telling Brady about splitting with Steve and getting together with Che? It would have been nice to know if he had any reaction at all to the end of his parents’ marriage. 

Edited February 3, 2022 by marny

[RedHawk]

On 2/3/2022 at 11:38 AM, NeenerNeener said:

I think I could watch a Season 2 as long as it doesn't include Miranda and Che. Carrie and Charlotte could carry it with the addition of Seema and LTW, and of course, Anthony, who was the only good thing in Season 1.

Hated the orange ballgown at the end, and at first I thought those were actually pink opera gloves but they were shiny when she took them off so those could have been her "smoking"gloves so she wouldn't get Big's ashes all over her. She could have/probably should have split the ashes and taken some to Paris and let his family put the rest in their crypt though.

ETA: Has Evan Handler been sick? He looked awfully skinny in this episode.

I would watch S2 if Miranda and Che were jettisoned. Let them live happily ever after in La La Land but not on my screen.

I also thought that Carrie could have had a line about sharing Big's ashes with his brother to be interred in the "family crypt" (that does sound so creepy!) and taken her small portion for (illegally) scattering from the bridge. Those gloves may have protected her from the ashes but that Eiffel Tower purse will have remnants of them since she didn't seem to have them in a baggie or something. Eh, maybe she's ok with that and intends to "retire" it or put it somewhere special as part of her memories of him.
 

On 2/3/2022 at 12:26 PM, luna1122 said:

I am a diehard atheist but Miranda was being an asshole to Carrie. If it gives her comfort to think Big was trying to communicate with her, that's her business. It has nothing to do with you. Fuck right off. 

And damn Chris Noth. The dream and bridge sequences would have been really touching with an actual Big sighting. The big dress on the bridge was dumb but it was Carrie. It's what she would always have done. 

I found the Hello its Me refrain again touching,  especially the lyrics "its important to me that you know you are free" line being highlighted, as if Big were telling her to move on. Its cheesy but sweet. Big was cheesy, after all. 

As if I didn't intensely dislike Miranda enough already, they way she challenged Carrie's belief was my final straw. The woman who was reading a book on how to be culturally appropriate in Abu Dhabi now scoffs at her widowed dear friend for taking comfort in one small thing. So rude and insensitive. No, MiRambo, Carrie doesn't have to continue to hold the same non-belief you do, especially when your entire personality has changed.

I knew that the "you know you are free" lyrics would pop up somewhere when Carrie was ready to move on. It was done well though, and yes, Big was cheesy and sentimental. And I think John James Preston who took his mother to church would choose to be in the family crypt so I hope a portion of him is there. I could see why Carrie found it morbid that her BIL said he could "squeeze her in" (she is tiny, you know) when she of course imagines she will live many more years. It was a kind offer, as she acknowledged, and showed that he did consider her part of the Preston family.

On 2/3/2022 at 12:36 PM, bichonblitz said:

SJP did a pretty good job with what crappy scripts she had to work with. 

Why can't they just let go of Samantha? The texts were unnecessary and really who cares?  

SJP/Carrie got the best story line and for the most part didn't have to act unhinged.

As this episode ends Seema has filled the Samantha role quite well, and I love Sarita Choudhury, so I hope they'll let Samantha go rather than make her Carrie's occasional text buddy. Let her go, Show.

Edited February 4, 2022 by RedHawk
Removed comment about Evan Handler

[slowpoked]

13 minutes ago, brillia79 said:

Rock is a colossal brat. They couldn’t have the not wanting a They-Mitzvah conversation with Charlotte and Harry well before the big event?

This. I know tweens and teens can be colossally selfish and narcissistic, but seeing how their parents have been preparing for the event and not at one point before the big day she couldn't say "Mom, Dad, this isn't going to work..." I was with Charlotte when she said "Do you want to be just...nothing?" Lily may also be going through the teen angst phase, but she has shown some self-awareness and care towards others. 

And now that I have finally processed the ending more, I think I was ok with this show 80%-20%, if only the 20% wasn't so gobsmackingly horrible that it outdid the other good parts of the show. It's good to see Charlotte and Harry still be a happy couple, and mostly a happy family. I've seen real growth in Carrie that I didn't really feel happened in SATC (because of her stubbornness to go back to Big). The addition of most of the other characters, while due to the main reason to address the original series' lack of diversity, was done in mostly a tactful manner. I've always been of the position that while it's important to see minority characters deal with issues related to their race, that it's also important to see minority characters deal with issues that "regular" (code for white) people deal as well. LTW dealing with her mother-in-law's continuous disapproval, Seema enjoying the fantasy single NYC woman lifestyle, Professor Nya dealing with infertility issues, and teenagers (Lily and Rock) dealing with normal teen angst. Most of the time, the integration of the characters, while not perfect, have been acceptable.

It's the "check-the-box" Che that ruined it for me, and by association, Miranda. Other people have said it more eloquently so I'm not going to repeat it. But if S2 is ever going to be more successful, write that character off. There are a LOT more nuanced ways to write a nonbinary character. 

[Linda956]

I won't go over what's already been said beautifully by everyone else regarding the fact that Rock is a brat and Miranda is dead to me.  What I would like to mention is how annoyed I was with Carrie's decision to dump Big's ashes in Paris (and don't even get me started on that ridiculous dress she just felt the need to wear for the occasion).  They make a point of showing Big's brother and his concern about where Big is going to be interred, etc. and yet no one else was in Paris with Carrie?  Did she even bother to let them know what she was going to do or take their feelings into consideration?  I know if my brother died and my sister-in-law pulled a stunt like that and scattered his ashes in another country without letting us know, I would be furious!  Yes, she's his wife, but there are family members involved here and depending on their feelings, maybe they would have liked to be able to visit a cemetery and pray over the ashes.  I have several friends and family members who have done this.  Maybe it's just me, but I just didn't like what she did with his ashes.

[slowpoked]

2 minutes ago, Linda956 said:

I won't go over what's already been said beautifully by everyone else regarding the fact that Rock is a brat and Miranda is dead to me.  What I would like to mention is how annoyed I was with Carrie's decision to dump Big's ashes in Paris (and don't even get me started on that ridiculous dress she just felt the need to wear for the occasion).  They make a point of showing Big's brother and his concern about where Big is going to be interred, etc. and yet no one else was in Paris with Carrie?  Did she even bother to let them know what she was going to do or take their feelings into consideration?  I know if my brother died and my sister-in-law pulled a stunt like that and scattered his ashes in another country without letting us know, I would be furious!  Yes, she's his wife, but there are family members involved here and depending on their feelings, maybe they would have liked to be able to visit a cemetery and pray over the ashes.  I have several friends and family members who have done this.  Maybe it's just me, but I just didn't like what she did with his ashes.

This is why you include these things in a will. Which speaking of, I'm very surprised if someone like Big with the estate he had and estate lawyers at his disposal wouldn't have this simple, little detail in his trust and will.

Or maybe it is implied, that Carrie has the final power and decision on what to do with Big' ashes. And the brother was merely asking and requesting, not ordering Carrie, about their family crypt. If that's the case, she's well within her power to do anything. The extra polite thing to do is inform the family, but she's also well within her right not to.

 

[Harvey]

What an anticlimatic finale. There better be a season 2 after this! And Samantha better return! It's time.