In ‘And Just Like That…’ Season 2, the Sex Returns to the City

Sandra Miska

After a sexless year, widow Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) gets her groove back in season two of “And Just Like That…” This sophomore season of the “Sex and the City” reboot is steamier than the last, something that is promised in the opening sequence of episode one, in which Carrie gets it out with her hunky co-worker, Franklyn (Ivan Hernandez), while her friends have fun in bed with their own respective partners and sex buddies. While her grief for late husband Mr. Big (Chris Noth) is still there, parts of the old Carrie reemerge, and the viewer watches her experience more than one relationship mishap before reconnecting with an old flame, the one and only Aidan Shaw (John Corbett).

First and foremost, Carrie is a writer and sex expert, even if she does have trouble keeping with current trends while keeping her dignity intact, i.e. when she is asked to read an ad on her podcast that involves her discussing her vagina. She does, however, find a new audience, connecting with fellow widows after she releases a book on love and loss. Candice Bergen makes a welcome return as Enid Frick, Carrie’s former editor at Vogue, who now considers Carrie a peer. It is interesting to watch as Carrie navigates this season of her life. Is she another single senior, or the same old Carrie from years ago? Never one to be put into a box, she reclaims some of her past sparkle and sexiness while still aging gracefully. She even gets to revisit old territory after she makes the bold decision to contact her now-divorced ex-fiancé Aidan.

Meanwhile, Charlotte York Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis) has her own identity issues as she continues to put her family first in the first seven episodes of the season. As fans of “SATC” remember, she gave up her career running an art gallery during her first marriage in order to focus on starting a family, and never started it back up again. Occasionally, her vast knowledge of art will be woven into a scene, but the possibility of her going back to work has never been mentioned since she married Harry (Evan Handler), but that changes this season. She goes through what will be relatable to viewers who are parents, and that is the realization that she lost a part of herself when she became a mother. But she is far from resentful, and it is refreshing to see a depiction of a family like the York-Goldenblatts, with two parents who love each other and go above and beyond for her children, especially Charlotte, who braves a a snowstorm to buy condoms for her older daughter, Lily (Cathy Ang).

Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) is less successful on the family front, but not because she is anything less than a devoted mother to son Brady (Niall Cunningham). She just still has a lot of guilt stemming from her decision to leave husband Steve (David Eigenberg), and struggles to balance her new life with partner Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) with her other commitments. There’s also an added layer of her still trying to figure out her sexuality and deciding if she wants to put a label on herself. Miranda’s storyline is the most awkward to watch unfold, and it feels at times that the writers are still trying to figure out what they want to do with her. 

As for Che, we see them go on their own journey this season; they’re no longer just a conduit for Miranda and Carrie’s storylines. The character of Che Diaz, a cocky, non-conforming comedian, received a lot of flack last season, but this time around, they are given more room to be vulnerable, and even sympathetic. They navigate getting their own sitcom off the ground, the first to star a non-binary comic, a subplot that feels extra relevant due to the current strike situation in Hollywood.

The other formerly peripheral characters come more into their own this season. Anthony (Mario Cantone) has an opportunity to have a national spotlight shined on him and his bread business, Miranda’s law professor Dr. Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman) deals with a divorce, and Charlotte’s mom friend, documentarian Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker), navigates family and other issues that seem to run parallel to Charlotte’s. The only difference is that Lisa and her husband, Herbert (Chris Jackson), have to deal with issues unique to their being an upper-middle class Black family. In a thought-provoking subplot, Herbert gets some interesting feedback from his mother after a racist experience, and it is not what one would expect.

Then there’s Seema Patel (Sarita Choudbury), Carrie’s sexy and elegant former realtor who somewhat fills the gap left by Samantha (Kim Cattrall). Seema does get into some Samantha-esque sexy hijinks this season, including sleeping with a man who needs a penis pump to perform in bed, but there is only one Samantha. There has been much hype around Cantrall’s upcoming cameo in the season finale, and fingers crossed she can bring some of her old-school Samantha charm, confidence and pose back to the city.

“And Just Like That…” season two episodes one and two premiere June 22 on Max, with new episodes streaming on Thursdays.