The Filmscape Reverie

By: Maria Cieslarczyk

Warning: Spoiler Alert! Read at your own discretion. Here is the Season 1 trailer.

And just like that…Sex and the City is back…this time with deaths, divorces, and silver fox daddies!

The spin-off show brings original fans of the award-winning series back to the glamour and grit of New York City, following our beloved sex writer and fashionista Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) and her best friends Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis), as they take on a new adventure: aging into their mid-fifties!

As a twenty-something year old, I find it refreshing – and inspiring – to have a popular show with this kind of representation. It’s not every day you come across a mainstream series that doesn’t put its women characters out to pasture once they reach a certain age.

Instead, the show tackles on the topic of aging realistically …and all the tough aspects that come with it, like back pains, menopause, and finding your purpose once you hit half-a-century!

After previewing all the new content circulating social media about Season 3’s weekly episode releases, I felt no choice but to binge-watch Season 1. I was pleasantly captivated by the cadence, with a major plot twist happening just in the first episode! Now, I’m nearly through Season 2 and am totally hooked on the drama, romance, comedy, and good ol’ fun.

To recap: Season 1 was a whirlwind as we watched Mr. Big’s death and how Carrie navigated being a grieving widow and building a new life without him.

As most self-respecting women do, I despise Mr. Big and all the bullshit he put Carrie through in the original series and movies. Let’s not forget that he made her wait 10 years for marriage only to chicken out and leave her at the altar, before finally going through with the deed (BTW no, I don’t forgive him). I’m not sad he’s dead…although my heart did hurt to see Carrie’s pain as she planned his funeral and of course, had to build a new life without her husband.

But despite its dramatics, this plot-point allowed us to watch the endurance and power of friendships as Carrie learned to survive – and even find happiness again in small waves – by leaning on the people she loves.

Season 1 doesn’t leave out our OG favs either (although #rip my queen Samantha, who’s apparently off in Europe after a falling-out with Carrie was written into the show…yeah, I miss her and need her back).

Level-headed lawyer Miranda has now quit her corporate badass job to begin graduate courses and follow her passion to make a positive difference in society. In her fifties, Miranda realizes she is unhappy in her stagnant marriage with Steve (who she’d always been hesitant about). It’s both shocking and exhilarating as she explores her sexuality after beginning a steamy new relationship with Che Diaz, a non-binary comedian and Carrie’s podcast show boss.

Meanwhile, Charlotte is killin’ it as a PTO mom at her kids’ fancy private school while trying to stay as involved as possible in the community and also continue her loving marriage with Harry. It’s fun to see her being tech-savvy on social media as she maintains her fashionista ways. It’s interesting as well to witness Charlotte embracing motherhood to two teenagers while finally returning to the workforce at a renowned art gallery…after nearly thirty years away. Sweet, smart, sexy Charlotte has always been my favorite character!

Carrie’s inner circle also expands as we meet a few other powerhouse women, including Lisa Todd Wexley, an award-winning filmmaker; Seema Patel, a fierce and posh real estate agent who admires love while staying true to herself; and Nya Wallace, a Columbia University law professor undergoing divorce and discovering dating apps for the first time.

Of course, And Just Like That isn’t perfect…nor does it pretend to be.

Sometimes, the show does too much when it comes to trying to be relevant to hot social topics, like gender norms and racial equality. It can be a bit cringe but sometimes that’s the point. It’s not 100% accurate representation but it has its moments, like Charlotte and her husband Harry trying their best to be supportive of their non-binary kid, Rock; or Miranda trying to be an ally while making embarrassing mistakes and getting educated the hard way.

While it has great themes of wanting to be politically correct in 2025, it also shows how outdated certain things are. Of course, no one lives that glamorously in NYC with those realistic paychecks! The show is definitely centered on upper class activities (*cough cough* Carrie and Charlotte literally get invited to the Met Gala in one episode…My dream date. Cute).

All in all, I’ve enjoyed S1 and S2, and can’t wait to see more of the emotional and comedic roller-coaster ride that is S3. It’s a comfort show of mine now, although dramatic and totally wild. I actually used to be afraid of getting older, but now, it’s refreshing to know that we can all just try our best and the things (and people) meant for us will stay and love us, anyway.

In a couple months, I’ll turn 26. Being in your mid-twenties is an odd thing. As Carrie herself once said, “Your 20s are for mistakes, your 30s are for the lessons, and your 40s are to buy the drinks.”

For those of us afraid of not having it all figured out just yet, I’ll leave you with my favorite quote so far from And Just Like That: “You move on because you’ve outgrown who you used to be.”

Seasons 1-3 of And Just Like That are now playing on HBOMax.