‘And Just Like That’: This Carrie and Seema Interaction About Big Was a ‘Sex and the City’ Throwback
Television remakes are all the rage, and it seems like just about everything old is new again on the small screen. While plenty of these reboots have been highly anticipated, few could hold a candle to the excitement surrounding a return of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and . . . well, we don’t talk about Samantha. The return of Sex and the City was a buzzworthy event that had been rumored for years, and trickles of details kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Now that the new series — titled And Just Like That. . . — has finally arrived, the reviews are mixed, but the enjoyment of some little throwbacks to the series’ heyday are nice moments for diehard fans.
‘And Just Like That. . .’ has received a mixed reception
Sex and the City was not new to reboot status. It had already spawned two theatrical release film sequels that had gone far beyond the scope of the original series. Far removed from the single thirty-somethings featured in the original show, fans got to see the characters navigate the challenges of middle age, marriages, and parenthood.
And Just Like That . . . promised to deliver an even more complete picture of these lifelong friendships. Picking up in a modern-day version of the women’s lives, the story is now focused on the day-to-day happenings of mature women who are nearly twice the age of their earliest on-screen versions. In fact, fans were a little shocked to learn that Carrie is the same age as Blanche from The Golden Girls!
The film sequels didn’t fare very well with fans, and it looks like the new series reboot may suffer the same fate. The Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 59% is bad enough, but viewers are giving it a depressing 29%. Still, there’s something to be said for the nostalgia factor, and even those who wouldn’t recommend the show as a whole are softened by the moments that give a nod to the best parts of the past.
Carrie and Seema’s interaction is a throwback to earlier days
One of the most pivotal plot points in the original series was the ups and downs of Carrie’s relationships with Mr. Big (played by Chris Noth). The pair finally got their oft-delayed happily ever after only to see marital issues take front stage for the film sequels. Fans worried about how their marriage would be handled in the new show, but the issues actually got even more serious. Mr. Big’s death in the very first episode sent shock waves around the internet.
The aftermath did give Carrie a chance to send a throwback to a scene from years ago. Then, Carrie was on the edge of starting an affair with Big while he was married to Natasha. Big, reflecting on the unhappiness in his marriage, remarked that he hated the color beige but everything in his house seemed to have transformed into the nondescript color, signaling that he didn’t feel at home in his own life.
By contrast, we see modern-day Carrie walking real estate agent Seema through her apartment as the widow prepares to sell. As they look at the decor, Carrie tells Seema that her late husband “wasn’t a fan of beige,” a clear nod to his ultimate rejection of life with Natasha in favor of a more eclectic life with Carrie, as Insider reports.
Will there be more ‘And Just Like That. . .’?
Obviously, the story of these women’s lives and friendships has an endearing quality that keeps bringing it back in different decades, but the dissatisfied reception from fans might make pitching a Season 2 difficult. On top of that, Chris Noth has been embroiled in a sexual misconduct scandal that has cast a cloud over the entire production.
Still, some fans are eager to get answers to remaining questions and hope that the series will make it through another season before calling it quits — perhaps finally for good. At this point, its fate is still up in the air.
