And Just Like That: Sex and the City fans should just lean into it

And Just Like That is billed as a new chapter of the fan-favourite HBO series Sex and the City, and all 10 episodes are now ready to binge-watch on Showmax.

Spoiler alert: this review contains details that you don’t want to know if you haven’t watched And Just Like That

Full disclosure: I was not a fan of the first two episodes of And Just Like That. I was furious with Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) for basically killing Big. I was appalled at the stylish society gathering into which she turned his funeral, and the side plate she wore on her head. I wanted to smack Charlotte (Kristin Davis) for making it all about her. I was ambivalent about Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and I could feel nothing but regret that Samantha (Kim Cattrall) was conspicuously absent.

But then I leaned into it and found myself effortlessly bingeing the remaining eight episodes (some of which are as short as 36 easy minutes).

A reunion for some, but not all, of the original characters

And Just Like That (I shall avoid using the phrase, which Carrie says in voice-over at the end of each episode, for example: “and just like that…Big died”) brings three of the four original Sex and the City (SATC) cast back together – three of five if you count NYC, which was always a huge part of the six-season series but, for Covid reasons, is not as prominent as before.

Carrie’s old brownstone is still there, however, and she is seen several times swanning down the stairs, and prancing out the front door in some spectacular outfits; the wardrobe department is still at the top of its game. (Except for the side plate.)

Bye-bye, Big, and farewell, Samantha

Big was always going to die – it was on the table for the third movie – but Chris Noth was written out of the season finale because of the allegations of his improper conduct. I do have to say I didn’t buy Carrie having all his ashes in her sparkly Eiffel Tower bag.

As for Cattrall, well she turned down the third SATC movie and apparently wasn’t even asked to be in And Just Like That, which is a shame. Samantha “appears” in texts with Carrie, and is briefly mentioned in other anecdotal scenes but it’s not quite the same without her; there was always a very special dynamic at work between her, Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte, and their personalities.

Welcome back, Harry, Steve and Stanford

Along with the three women, other characters who return are Anthony (Mario Cantone) and Stanford (Willie Garson), who married in the second movie; Charlotte’s long suffering husband Harry (Evan Handler); and Miranda’s hubby Steve (David Eigenberg), who is finding their rut and ice cream rituals very comfortable.

New BFFs on the block

Each of our stars makes a new close friend in this new chapter. When Carrie decides to put her and Big’s apartment on the market, she meets high-powered real estate agent Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury) who, like all our heroines now, is in her 50s. She’s being pressured by her parents to settle down, but in some respects could almost be an acceptable substitute for Samantha.

Charlotte is in awe of dynamic Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker), who is on the school fundraising committee with her. And Miranda has her law professor Dr Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman). Miranda also has Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) – Carrie’s boss with whom she does a podcast – but that’s a whole lot more than your average friendship, and the fans had lots of feelings about this, and THAT kitchen sex scene.

LGBTIA+ storylines are a welcome addition

The story arc brings in non-binary, gender fluid, bisexual topics, which tie in with Charlotte and Harry’s younger child no longer identifying as a girl, something they have to muddle through as they accept them (and use the correct pronouns).

Miranda’s infatuation with Che brings up her deep unhappiness with her life, and Steve, and shows that the opportunity to change and pursue happiness is never beyond our reach. (That said, Che’s promiscuity and celebrity status caused much anxiety for this viewer who kept expecting her to break Miranda’s heart.)

Just as fans have aged and matured, so have the characters

To all those questioning new standards that come across as double (including how Big treated Carrie in the past, before their 15 blissful years of marriage, and how Miranda reacted when Steve cheated): life, time and experience all have an intriguing way of altering how we think about things and how we view the world. Even friendships we thought would last forever suffer casualties we never expected, for myriad reasons.

These are all topical issues, and relevant to women in their 50s (who are still hot, by the way). As is ageing, and the choice of whether to let the grey grow out, or not. Menopause makes a fleeting appearance, and proves to be completely unpredictable. Carrie’s backache turns out to require hip surgery and physio, and she ponders plastic surgery when she goes with Anthony to see a doctor about his own facelift.

Reinvention is what we do: it’s called survival

Over all of this hovers her grieving process followed by healing as she moves back into her own apartment, writes a book, wears magnificent frocks (including a cameo reprise of the Versace she fell asleep in in Paris), and eventually dips her toes back in the dating pool, albeit not voluntarily. Reinvention after death, or even the end of a long-term relationship, is what we do. It’s called survival.

In these aspects, And Just Like That moves from the late 90s and early 2000s, when the women were in their 30s, into this decade, where everyone is simply trying their best while wondering what the heck is going on.

“Life beyond the enchanted happy ending”

Robyn Bahr at The Hollywood Reporter reviews: “I, for one, appreciate seeing life beyond the enchanted happy ending. Call me a glutton for discord and cynicism, but I sincerely hope this series is greenlit for a second season. These are still my women, through and through (even if they no longer see each other with that same rosiness).”

Good news, Robyn – HBO has renewed And Just Like That for another season.

Binge And Just Like That on Showmax now, and all six seasons of Sex And The City for the nostalgia. You might also like Younger, The Bold Type and How To Be Single.