‘And Just Like That’ Gives Us 1 Reunion We’ve Been Waiting For

Speaking of romance, I was so pleased with this Carrie-Aidan storyline. We got the will they-won’t they moment; there was so much sexual chemistry, and they adequately addressed their tumultuous past. I also loved the callback of Carrie sitting in a restaurant waiting for someone. (Remember her birthday episode, “The Agony and the Ex-tacy,” where everyone flaked on her at the last minute?) — Erin

These two are totally doomed, but this is the most excited I’ve been about an “AJLT” storyline in a while. John Corbett and Sarah Jessica Parker just have so much chemistry. I think Carrie and Aidan both know things will never work out, but they’ll always hold a candle for each other. I mean, running into an ex in a market in Abu Dhabi would also set off my kismet sensor and forever cement him in my brain as the one who got away. — Lydia

Lydia, no! Do not bring the second movie into this. It is indefensible. We shall forget it exists.

As much as I am a cynic about this show (and in general), I’ll begrudgingly admit that seeing the two of them together at that restaurant, I did feel some of that old “SATC” magic. (This may also be because I’ve been rewatching various stretches of the original series lately.) Part of me (the cynical part of me, ha!) wondered if they were just going to leave it at that: this brief reunion for fan service, Aidan standing in front of Carrie’s old apartment, all the painful memories of her affair with Big and their thwarted engagement flooding back, realizing time can’t heal old wounds, and that’s that, roll credits! I was not expecting this to be a multi-episode arc — and yeah, this can’t possibly end well. — Marina

Ah, one of the two big moments we’ve been waiting for this entire season has finally arrived! I’ve always felt that Carrie should’ve ended up single at the conclusion of the original series, so I’ve never fallen into the “Team Big” or “Team Aidan” camps. That said, I’m here for the Aidan and Carrie reunion, which was handled a lot more thoughtfully than I was expecting. To my relief, it actually felt somewhat organic. I, too, was reminded of “The Agony and the Ex-tasy’ episode of “SATC” when Carrie was sitting alone at a restaurant. And speaking of the rightfully maligned second movie, I believe Carrie mentioning that it’s been 13 years since she last saw Aidan is the first overt reference to that film in the series thus far. — Curtis

I would have loved for some of these unimportant storylines to have been cut for some actual sex or super sexy moments with some of the cast. Seema was only in the episode to rant at the massage parlor receptionist, and while I’m glad she stood up for single ladies everywhere, it felt pretty forced. Why couldn’t we have seen her meeting some man and getting whisked away to a hotel room? Or why couldn’t Nya have had another run-in with Gary Dourdan, the fine man at that bar from earlier in the season? Bring him back! It’s Valentine’s Day! I wanted more romance! — Erin

Counterpoint: I did like Seema’s rant at the stupid “couples massage only” situation because she’s right, and she should say it! And I also like Nya just enjoying her own company, making that souffle and drinking her wine. I’ve actually quite appreciated the show’s explorations of single women (and in both of these cases, single women of color) at middle age not interested in long-term relationships because we don’t see that on-screen often. And I like that both storylines underscore the outsized societal emphasis on romantic relationships and how it’s OK to not want that. Valentine’s Day is also just… Thursday.

That said, for a show about sex — yes, it’s strange to do an entire Valentine’s Day episode, and the only sex presumably happening is off-screen!

Small detail here: it was weird to get that tiny glimpse at Nya’s friends, whom she Facetimed in that earlier scene. It reminded me of how one of the problems with the first season was how all of the new women of color characters felt ancillary. I think this new season has done somewhat of a better job at giving each of the women of color storylines that are independent and not solely in service of the white women at the center (low bar, I know). But fundamentally, it is, and will always be the Carrie/Miranda/Charlotte show. So I get that there’s only so much that can change. — Marina

I also appreciated Seema’s rant about the “couples only” massage situation, BUT I have bias because of a similar recent spa day the weekend of my friend’s bachelorette party in San Diego. I’m glad I’m not the only one that got stressed out at a spa.

Anyway, I still really wish that there was more Seema, and especially Nya. I like Nya deciding to be by herself for Valentine’s Day, but yes, I do wish there was more romance for the women of color on this episode. Lisa and Herbert just didn’t cut it for me, but I may just be being picky. — Taiyler

I agree with all of these assessments. Even though both Seema and Nya felt a bit short-changed in this installment, the scenes that they did appear in were some of the episode’s best. — Curtis

I thought we might not see Che this episode. Alas, there they were, chatting up Carrie after their breakup with Miranda and then rescuing a little dog. Since Che’s show isn’t happening, they are AirBNBing their apartment and need a job ASAP. So apparently, Che used to work at a veterinary clinic and then takes the dog there to make sure it’s alright. The vet ends up offering Che a job. The one good thing about the Che of it all in this episode is that there’s a brief moment when they call Miranda — and Miranda just ignores the call. Thank you, Miranda! — Erin

I loved Miranda ignoring the call without any hesitation. I think I enjoy Che playing the role of Carrie’s friend more than Miranda’s love interest. Anyway, the dog rescue and vet clinic scene felt a little random, especially with no follow-up on that in the episode. I won’t be terribly surprised if Che exits the show after this season because I don’t really know what the writers will do with them next. — Lydia

I’m a little surprised that Che would turn their back completely on show business after one flop sitcom episode, but that rescue puppy was adorable. I’m not sure why they felt calling Miranda was a good idea, but yes, Miranda has my permission to ghost in this circumstance. — Curtis

Maybe Charlotte will get a consistent storyline for the next few episodes of the season now that she’s decided to approach Mark (Victor Garber) about that museum curator job offer. Charlotte’s been floating around all season tending to other people’s needs, so it’s about time that she told Harry that she needs to do something for herself. The brownie moment kiiiind of reminded me of when she ate all those puddings in the “Sex and the City” movie and crapped her pants. I immediately knew that she must have gotten high on that brownie, and I do still appreciate these silly moments. — Erin

Yes, get that job, Charlotte! I also hope this means we’ll get a return appearance from Victor Garber. — Marina

Now I’m wondering if Charlotte’s storylines were written to be deliberately shallow this season as a build-up to this epiphany. We, as the audience, were able to see firsthand how disconnected she felt from her own daily routine. The “Time and Punishment” episode of “Sex and the City” – where Charlotte quits her art gallery job at the suggestion of her first husband, Trey (Kyle MacLachlan) – was polarizing when it first aired. Twenty-two years later, it will be interesting to see how she manages to balance career and family in the modern workplace. I’m so ready for it! – Curtis

Now this was a storyline I could get with. The old Miranda is back, and I’m here for it. She meets one of her favorite audiobook orators, and well, she turns on the confidence and gets a date. Too bad Amelia’s place was an absolute dump (literally, there was shit on the floor). When Miranda calls Carrie and was basically like oh, I forgot dating sucks, I literally screamed YES, IT DOES. Also, shoutout to the actor who portrays Amelia, Miriam Shor. I absolutely adored her in “Younger.” Too bad this guest spot won’t last any longer. — Erin

More of this, please! Some of the most iconic parts of the original series involved one-off, bad dates. There was Carrie’s aspiring comic book writer who secretly lived with his parents, Samantha’s “Friar Fuck,” the guy Charlotte met at his late wife’s grave, and Miranda’s lover who had to immediately shower after every sexual encounter. Dating sucks most of the time, and “Sex and the City” gave viewers a place to laugh about that. Miriam Shor’s Amelia revived that element of the series, much like Seema’s penis pump guy did two episodes prior. — Lydia

Yes, as we say every week, this show works best when it leans into the spirit of the original series. Also, I enjoy that Miriam Shor is the second “Younger” star to make a guest appearance on this show. That Darren Star TV universe! — Marina

Tragic… omg. Dating really is a shit show, like Miranda said. I’m glad she left that apartment packed up and left after talking to Carrie because that was a hot mess. But it was great to watch as viewer because dating really is a hit or a miss.
Also, LOL at the reminder of the penis pump guy Lydia. And you’re so right about the encounters people face while dating. — Taiyler

The wry, cynical Miranda has returned, and she’s on the market — looking fabulous, to boot! I thought this storyline was hilarious and extremely relatable — like Miranda, I always want to believe that the quality of your dating pool somehow improves with age when the reality is quite the opposite. Kudos to her for being so forward in her intentions! I adored Miriam Shor on “Younger,” too, and also wish she could stick around a little longer here. — Curtis

Enough of this!!!! I do not care about Lisa Todd Wexley’s son and his girlfriend. I do not care about Rock’s modeling career. Again, this felt like a diversion from what I really care about: more sex, more dating, and more talking about said sex and dating with my friends over brunch. — Erin

100%. I wrote down two things about these kid storylines: 1. “What is this girl doing?” (when Baxter, the girlfriend, had the gall to snoop around LTW’s closet!) Like, what the hell?! Who thinks it’s OK to go into your boyfriend’s mom’s closet?!

And 2, with Charlotte taking Rock to those modeling agency meetings, I thought: “I cannot bring myself to care about Rock’s modeling career and Charlotte becoming a ‘mom-ager.’” Hopefully, Charlotte deciding to get back to her art career will kickstart some more interesting storylines for her. (More on that later.) — Marina

I’m begging you, Michael Patrick King: please release us of these kid storylines. Can I bribe you with $300 like Charlotte did with the well-endowed poet? — Lydia

It’s amazing to me how I still enjoy watching Charlotte so much, even though her storyline revolves around her kids rather than herself. And I did find the weed brownie scenario pretty entertaining. — Taiyler

I gasped when Giuseppe the poet walked out the dressing room at the Drew Barrymore Show with his package looking … like that! It was a funny little segment, especially when Drew just has her jaw on the floor but keeps trying to get through her script. However, did anyone else feel like there were just too many things happening in this episode? I would have loved one less storyline. I’m not even sure this should have been cut out because it was fun and lighthearted, but it also just felt random for a Valentine’s Day episode. — Erin

So, a little peek behind the curtain: when reporters and critics get screeners of a show, sometimes the episodes aren’t quite done yet, especially the later ones. There are visual effects, ADR, and other post-production elements that still might need to be added. So when I watched the screener for this episode a while back, the Drew segment wasn’t in here — all we could see was Charlotte watching a blank screen and reacting to it. So I was very much looking forward to seeing the final product — and it delivered (pun intended)! I agree, Erin, that there was A LOT going on in this episode. But somehow, with so many storylines, characters still get short shrift, as we talk about here, week after week. This was comedy gold, though.

Also, I’m obsessed with Anthony’s bread phone. — Marina

I’m no lawyer, but I don’t think it’s legal to fire all (or any) of your employees on the spot for taking human growth hormone. However, all of these dudes seemed bizarrely fine with being out of a job! I honestly thought they were about to unionize over the right to wear coats over their uniforms in the winter. — Lydia

Lol, a Hot Fellas union! I support their right to unionize. At the same time, I agree with Anthony that they were not the right vibe for Drew and her audience. Orange juice and juice heads, indeed, do not go together. — Marina

Loved the Drew Barrymore appearance, but obviously, there were even bigger stars this episode…sorry, bad joke…

But seriously, I thought this whole Hot Fellas ordeal was pretty amusing today. The growth hormone piece? That got a little chuckle out of me. But, Giuseppe situation on the Drew Barrymore show was totally uncalled for. — Taiyler

Drew Barrymore has expressed her love for “SATC” numerous times on her talk show, so I was thrilled that she (and, by extension, Ross Mathews) was able to make a guest appearance. The bit about Giuseppe and his, um, bread basket felt very classic “SATC” to me. His storyline with Anthony felt a bit open-ended – I wonder if he’ll be sticking around a bit for future episodes. — Curtis