Long ago, I tortured my dear husband by binge watching the entire “Sex and the City” series in a matter of like two weeks. My good friend had given me the complete series in a pinky-purple velvet case. This was at a time when we only had one television in our home.
I think he read like six books in that time period.
He even humored me and took me to the movies to see both feature length films.
About two months ago, the new series came out on HBO Max featuring three of the original ladies.
“And Just Like That...” takes place in current times.
Seeing Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte is like seeing old friends from your youth.
We have all aged, some better than others. Aspects of our personalities have matured or evolved but fundamentally we are the same people we were when we last met.
Do I disagree with killing off of Carrie’s husband, the iconic Mr. Big? No. He had a heart condition that was well-documented in the series.
Is it weird that Samantha isn’t there? A little but life takes people in different directions. And friendships change.
A small side-effect of watching the new series is that our living room TV plays the old series on a regular basis. I just watched season six again and felt all the feelings again. Thankfully, we now have more than one TV.
Let’s talk about two of my other favorite characters: New York City and the fashion.
New York City looks amazing, but then it always does.
The fashion is not as on point as I would like to see.
Patricia Field, the orignal costume designer, is working on the hit Netflix series “Emily in Paris,” which has amazing clothes and accessories.
The clothing in “And Just Like That...” is a little bland. It needs some oomph. I cannot imagine Carrie Bradshaw not being a 50-something fashionista.
Charlotte stills looks classy and they have been dressing Miranda either impeccable or dowdy.
To clap back at critics who said the original was too monochromatic, the show has introduced several new characters who are people of color. There are also two characters who are non-binary— one is a younger person and the other is a more mature adult. In the beginning, these updates felt forced and not organic. It is starting to settle down now and I think season two, if there is one, will be on point.
The only aspect that I think is a bit unbelievable is Miranda’s son’s escapades in his parents’ home and that is all I can say in this family paper.
The death of actor Willie Garson is heartbreaking. Writing off Stanford’s character was mildly awkward and we are left with his husband, Anthony (played by Mario Cantone).
I am enjoying how Anthony and Carrie are finding comfort by spending time with each other.
For me, I want to see more Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda time. I have always loved how they share everything with each other. Their brunches always had legendary conversations (remember the Post-It).
How will Carrie move on in the coming months now that her beloved husband has passed? Will she date? How is Charlotte coping being the parent of two adolescents? What’s going on with Steve and his career?
I hope some old characters reappear.
Bitsy von Muffling thankfully showed up.
Big’s ex-wife Natasha made an appearance and the lovely Bridget Moynahan never looked better.
Will we see Aidan? Will there be some sort of memorial for Magda (she died in 2020)? Will Berger come back and break up again via a sticky note? Will Louise from St. Louis (Jennifer Hudson) make a visit to New York? Louise was in the first movie. I think all viewers wouldn’t mind a little visit from Smith Jerrod.
Maybe you cannot go home again in TV land, but we will always have New York.
And that is one constant my life will always need.
Gina Rullo is the editor-in-chief of The Hammonton Gazette and won two awards in 2021 for investigative journalism.