The ‘And Just Like That…’ Mystery That Needs to Be Solved but Probably Won’t Be
The writing team behind And Just Like That… created a huge mystery in the early episodes of the HBO Max reboot. In episode 3, fans learned that Mr. Big had left his ex-wife a hefty inheritance in his will. Deeply bothered by the action, Carrie Bradshaw set out to discover why Mr. Big would leave Natasha Naginsky money. A coffee shop showdown doesn’t bring Carrie an answer, but it gives her peace. Despite never learning the reasoning behind the inheritance, she acts completely cool with it all after Natasha reveals Mr. Big was always in love with Carrie. While that’s a nice sentiment, we still want to know why he left Natasha the money. There had to be a reason.
There has to be more to the inheritance story
While Natasha and Carrie’s run-in in a coffee shop effectively ended Carrie’s speculation about the money, it explained absolutely nothing. Sure, Natasha insisted she had no idea why Mr. Big left her the money, but there had to be a reason. It has to be more involved than him feeling bad about cheating on her, too.
After all, she wasn’t his only ex-wife. Natasha wasn’t even the only wife Mr. Big cheated on. Before Mr. Big ever met Carrie Bradshaw, and long before he married Natasha, he was married to a woman named Barbara. Sex and the City mentioned his first marriage just a few times, but fans of the series learned plenty about the union.
Mr. Big and Barbara both revealed that the marriage ended after he had cheated on her with her best friend. The duo remained on friendly enough terms after the fact, though. The former flames spoke often enough for Barbara to tell Mr. Big that she had met Carrie, at least. So, if Mr. Big wrote Natasha into his will because he felt guilty for cheating on her, presumably, he would have done the same for Barbara.
You’d think he’d be more inclined to leave money to Barbara since they had a continued relationship after their marriage ended. He and Natasha, by her own admission, did not. So, what did Natasha have that Barbara didn’t? It looks like we’ll never know.
Will’ And Just Like That…’ grapple with the inheritance again?
While we would personally love to see more of the inheritance story play out in season 2 of And Just Like That…, it seems unlikely that fans will get to revisit the storyline. There are a couple of reasons we don’t think it is likely.
Bridget Moynahan has stated that she’s not against returning for the reboot’s second season. Still, there has been no indication that she’s signed on to reprise her role again. Moynahan famously portrayed Natasha Naginsky. For the Natasha storyline to resurface, Moynahan would need to be signed on. Unless that happens, a resolution to the inheritance storyline feels hopeless.
The lack of Moynahan’s involvement isn’t the only reason we think And Just Like That… will drop the inheritance storyline. Sarah Jessica Parker recently revealed the direction season 2 will be taking. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Parker said that season 2 of the HBO Max reboot would include more laughter. She went on to say that it will be about resilience and rebounding. If rebounding from Mr. Big’s death is the main focus, we imagine another visit from Natasha is unlikely. After all, that would likely bring more drama than healing. We aren’t against the inclusion of drama, though.
