The first and second episodes were packed with glamour, sass, a little too many nods to political correctness and sensitivity and not-so subtle nods to Samantha’s (Kim Cattrall) absence – before the big blow as Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is widowed, when her husband Mr Big (Chris Noth) dies from a heart attack in her arms in the closing minutes of the first episode. Here’s our top 10 takeawaysTHE first few minutes were hard to watch, with Carrie, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) almost caricatures of the characters we first fell in love with 23 years ago. As News.com.au Wenlei Ma tweeted “that first episode of #AndJustLikeThat is so conscious about it being 2021, it’s doing that thing where its characters are behaving like time travellers from 2010. Just breathe, let it be more organic”. Fortunately, as the story developed and settled, the three originals were back to who we loved and missed. IN another example of TV shows making a conscious decision to move on from Covid, – And Just Like That is set in post-pandemic New York City, with characters navigating: when is it OK to hug? Carrie making an exception at Big’s funeral for his long-term personal assistant. While Miranda longs for the days when you had to keep 1.5m from people. FRIENDSHIP was always a key theme in SATC. Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte taught us the importance of building and maintaining friendships, no matter how ugly things get. And it’s central to this reboot, in episode 2 the focus is on Carrie and her loss, And, she is never left alone to grieve as Charlotte and Miranda are over in a split second. They take turns to stay with her and also help her plan out the funeral reception. THE iconic friends have officially fallen out onscreen too. The missing fourth musketeer – Samantha – is dealt with in a rather brutal fashion, in what appears to be art imitating life. Carrie and Miranda discussing how it “feels like (Samantha’s) dead”. Miranda “We never talk about her.” and Carrie spills the tea, “Well what is there to say? I told her that because of what the book business is now it didn’t make sense for me to keep her on as a publicist, she said ‘fine’ and then fired me as a friend. And she stopped returning my calls. I always thought the four of us would be friends forever.”FORTUNATELY we made some new friends. Nicole Ari Parker’s Lisa Todd Wesley, a documentarian who befriends fellow parent Charlotte; Karen Pittman’s Dr. Nya Wallace, who is Miranda’s grad school professor at Columbia, and Sarita Choudhury’s high-end real estate agent Seema Patel and former Grey’s Anatomy Sara Ramirez as the show’s first nonbinary character, Che Diaz who works as a stand-up comedian and hosts a podcast. And all they have the potential to be great supporting characters. THE original iteration has subsequently copped a tonne of flack for being a little too lily white so our new friends add even another level of richness to the series which is walking a fine line of paying tribute to its past, while promising an even more substantial future for Carrie with her widening circle of friends.CARRIE has mellowed in her fifties. The once-shocking sex columnist clams up as Che talks masturbation and sex on her podcast. Che chastising her afterwards “you need to dialogue with us more”. Carrie: “Today turned kinds raunchy. I’m used to writing at a desk, I’m not comfortable with the more graphic content.” THE fashion is still fabulous. When Carrie steps into her immense and sumptuous – what do we call rich people’s walk-in robes? Is it a clothes room – wardrobe filled to the brim with designer labels and many, many Manolos, we all echoed her “Hello lovers” sentiment. THERE’S a whole new generation to shock us as the SATC children are all grown up now. Charlotte’s daughters Rose and Lily, not so much. But remember Miranda’s son, Brady? “I stepped on a used condom in Brady’s bedroom this morning,” Miranda tells the girls at brunch. “Wait” she says as Charlotte starts to screw up her face. “In my bare feet.” Indicating now Charlotte can go “ew” as we as viewers did. AND yes, yes their much-talked about faces do not look like they did 15 years ago when the iconic show aired its last episode. But neither does mine. Parker’s face does not look like most other female 50-something-year-old faces starring in blockbuster films or television series. Her skin has signs of movement, of laughter and shock and contemplation. And that’s something which should be celebrated. So far, two episodes of ‘And Just Like That’ are available to stream on Binge. Stay tuned for a new episode to drop every Thursday.
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