‘And Just Like That…’: Carrie Bradshaw Begins a New Chapter as Series Rushes to an End

Sandra Miska

Nothing lasts forever, and 27 years after the debut of “Sex and the City,” Sarah Jessica Parker seemingly takes her final bow as Carrie Bradshaw in the series finale of “And Just Like That…” Following the death of her husband John, AKA Mr. Big, her third failed attempt at a lasting relationship with ex-fiancé Aidan (John Corbett), and one night of passion with hunky British writer, Duncan (Jonathan Cake), the sexpert turned novelist decides to embrace her single status. But whether Parker has truly hung up her Manolo Blahniks for good remains to be seen, as the episode, “Party of One,” feels more like a “goodbye for now” rather than a permanent ending.

While Carrie’s reunion with her second great love Aidan initially gave fans the warm fuzzies, the storyline quickly became tiresome in season three thanks to never-ending conflicts stemming from Aidan’s family problems, as well as his insecurities. While his being suspicious of Carrie’s friendship with fellow writer Duncan was the final straw for the couple, his instincts turned out to be correct, because following the breakup, Carrie and Duncan begin a romance. In a lot of ways, Duncan is an ideal partner for her. He appreciates her in ways Aidan never could, and their chemistry onscreen was the first time this series came close to recapturing the allure of “Sex and the City.” 

With “And Just Like That…” finally hitting a stride, it came as a shock to many when showrunner Michael Patrick King announced that it would be coming to an end following an unexpected two-episode finale. These last episodes center around Thanksgiving, with Carrie feeling a little blue. Duncan has returned to London, seemingly for good, and no new loves are on the horizon, although Charlotte (Kristin Davis) attempts to set her up with her boss at the gallery, Mark (Victor Garber). Although we know Carrie is not going to find great love number three in the last 30 minutes. But he gets points for being a good sport when he has to deal with a toilet that overflows through no fault of his own, another one of the recent cringe moments awkwardly added into the final episodes.

As for Seema (Sarita Choudhury), while she took the place of Kim Cattrall’s Samantha in a lot of ways, one key difference between the two characters was that while Samantha thrived as a single woman, marriage was always a goal for Seema. When it came to Carrie’s free-spirited gardener, Adam (Logan Marshall-Green), he was a welcome addition to the ensemble, but he and Seema really made no sense as a couple. The fact that the writers could not give them much to converse about beyond the pros and cons of deodorant speaks volumes, so when Adam says he is anti-marriage in the series finale, that should have been an easy out for Seema. However, our final image of them together is her lounging in jeans while partaking in a vegan meal on Thanksgiving, or what is “just another Thursday” to Adam. Instead of him embracing her lifestyle, she opts to embrace his.

Miranda’s (Cynthia Nixon) romantic future was a bit more promising. Her relationship with Joy (Dolly Wells) was not the most exciting storyline, but progressed at a reasonable pace, and the pair shared some sweet moments together. Miranda’s meatier storyline this season, which felt ripped out of a scene of “Girls,” commenced following the bombshell that her and Steve’s (David Eigenberg) son, Brady (Niall Cunningham), had impregnated a shampoo girl named Mia (Ella Stiller), who was just a casual hookup. After a rocky first meeting filled with cringe moments, Miranda invites the expectant mother to Thanksgiving dinner. Despite carrying all the red flags and having the type of New York hipster personality that makes the other Gen Z characters on this show much more likable, Mia ends up surprising Miranda. It is disappointing that this is the stopping point for Nixon’s character, as her grandmother storyline had so much potential for drama and growth.

While the early episodes this season saw Charlotte at the center of some pretty silly plotlines, she finally faced a real obstacle after Harry (Evan Handler) was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately, it was successfully treated with surgery. Unfortunately, a side effect was erectile dysfunction. But to Charlotte’s delight, the turkey is not the only thing getting stuffed on Thanksgiving, as Harry receives a holiday hard-on to be thankful for. But what prestigious college did Lily (Cathy Ang) get into? We’ll never know. Meanwhile, Rock (Alexa Swinton), coming into her own as a young actor, has what is perhaps the most poignant line in the finale: “I’m going to be many people in my life.”

There was more focus on Lisa’s (Nicole Ari Parker) solo subplots the second half of the season, including her husband Herbet’s (Chris Jackson) run for city comptroller (snooze), and her growing attraction to her editor Marion (Mehcad Brooks), also married (scandalous). Marion was not just a pretty face, he also had an in with the Obamas’ production company, and while Michelle Obama does not end up making a cameo in the finale, she does tentatively agree offscreen to narrate Lisa’s docuseries. As for Lisa and Marion, their story came to an end in an impressively mature moment in which Lisa had the smarts to pull herself together and set a boundary.

When Anthony (Mario Cantone) first started to get serious with Giuseppe (Sebastiano Pigazzi), an Italian poet some 30 years his junior, their connection felt forced. However, the writers fleshed out Giuseppe more this season, and we even got to meet his mother, Gia (an amusing Patti LuPone), a sophisticated psychologist with an accent that was revealed to be phony in a humorous moment. But the big laugh this season, one that made fans feel like they were watching “Sex and the City,” came when Giuseppe caught his creepy puppeteer roommate masturbating to a homemade Giuseppe puppet, prompting him to move in with Anthony. In the first of the final two episodes, Giuseppe proposed to Anthony, who initially accepted but later expressed some misgivings to Carrie. Sadly, like much of this show’s many subplots becoming too thin or eventually disappearing, the couple are barely seen in the finale. Frankly, Anthony deserves better.

There are a few nice reflective moments in the finale, such as when Carrie and the ladies attend a bridal fashion show, leading to her to open up to Seema about marrying John. But, overall, “Party of One” may have been fine if it were merely a season finale, but as a series finale it is rushed and unsatisfying. It’s hard to believe that this is what King and Parker truly envisioned for their swan song. For better or worse, “And Just Like That…” has sparked so much discussion online and in real life, and now it is left to the fans to imagine what is next for Carrie and company. 

“And Just Like That…” series finale begins streaming Aug. 14 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max