Sex And The City Reboot: And Just Like That, Got It All Wrong!

I’m a huge fan of “Sex And the City” (SATC). But even my love for the show couldn’t save this sequel.

“And Just Like That” features three of the main characters – Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte. What’s a show without the fun Samantha?

I felt I lived her life in many ways and even dreamt of ageing gracefully – just like her. But when I watched the latest series, all my hopes were shattered and my bubble burst.

One lesson that needs to be learnt from my all-time favourite sitcom “F.R.I.E.N.D.S” is that you can’t recreate the magic again, so it’s important to leave it at that and not revisit the show again or try to come up with sequels.

How is And Just Like That different from Sex and the City?

SATC makers ended the original series very well, giving us the closure we wanted and bringing together elements we had been rooting for all through the series.

It was an emotional journey for me and I felt the three – Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte were like my own friends, not just Carrie’s.

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But they did not stop there. They kept going on with two subsequent movies. While the first one was just okay, the second was worse than the previous one. And now this new reboot series is wrong in so many ways.

They are attempting to be woke and picking up new age issues but totally missed the plot, how to convey these new age messages, and keep them in line with the characters they had built during the initial series!

Here is why the reboot didn’t work for me

Carrie – She has been my most favourite character all through, and while I tried hard not to judge her character in this new series, it got really hard after the first episode.

She didn’t seem to care much that her husband (love for many decades – John Big) died!

She cared more about getting back into her heels after a hip surgery, which was from a childhood defect and not due to ageing (a point they had to reiterate for some reason)!

The whole idea of telling the doctor I’m waiting to get back into my heels, was so superficial that I actually thought it was a joke, only to realize that it wasn’t.

Carrie seemed to have given more importance to her inheritance & who got what, rather than mourning over the one she lost.

And Big operating her table lamp from the afterlife – at that moment I was like there is no coming back from this illogical nonsense.

Miranda at 55+ years suddenly turned into a lesbian when I remember in the earlier series she tried to hang out with lesbians, and kissed one too exclaiming confidently – “Yeah I’m definitely not a lesbian”.

Also, I cringed at the scenes when Miranda does not know how to talk to a woman of colour, saying all the wrong things then trying to do damage control.

She’s a lawyer for God’s sakes with a strong character – did you forget that! The obsession over her greying hair only made things worse, as she didn’t herself seem convinced enough to confidently carry off the silver linings.

Samantha, as for her, I felt it would’ve been better to have killed her character rather than this sad exchange of messages that did not sound like her at all!

She wasn’t the sorts to hold a grudge, or not be there for her friends, especially Carrie.

I still remember when she turned up in public after a face peeling treatment, since it was Carrie’s first book launch, and she couldn’t miss it.

Then why would she not fly down for Big’s funeral or wake!

Stanford, suddenly vanished, claiming he cheated and wanted a divorce! Antonio, his husband was never Carrie’s friend, only Charlotte’s, still Carrie and he were shown hanging out more in this series for some random reason.

Charlotte, was my least favourite character all through, but this season actually substantiated why I felt so.

She wants to change the world, but is so clueless about what’s happening in her own house. She did not realize the signs that her own daughter does not identify with any gender and is exploring her identity.

And when she is even told, she reacts so immaturely and insensitively. Having had a gay friend for decades, Antonio, I expected her to be more understanding and supportive.

I even cringed when Charlotte brought in random feminism about not apologizing to her husband for hitting him at a tennis game, claiming “Tennis is one place where women don’t need to apologize.”

I really wish they understood better what feminism is, and conveyed it through the power of this show rather than misrepresenting it.

She even made a mockery of the whole tampon thing, teaching her daughter how to use one, and the list goes on. Samantha was so good when she handled menopause, cancer sweats etc. Thought they would take a lesson from that.

Then there were several characters forced in, like Natasha (Big’s ex-wife). She could’ve been skipped and Big given more screen space rather than killing him off in the very first episode.

Inclusivity felt very forced in this Sex and the City sequel

The makers’ attempts to portray inclusivity by bringing in a person on a wheelchair, a transgender person, a person of Indian origin etc., felt very forced.

That reminds me, the Diwali episode was so silly. I wanted to tell the Indian lady – it is not a sari but a lehenga that you are holding in your hand!

All in all, I was disappointed and sincerely hope they do not create another one. Or perhaps just bring Samantha back on the show, so I can watch it just for her!

Image source: Still from Drew Barrymore Show On YouTube

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