“And Just Like That…” Should’ve Just Killed Off Samantha Jones — Here’s Why
WARNING: This post and episode contain spoilers for the first two episodes of And Just Like That...
On today's episode of BuzzFeed Daily, we broke down the top pop culture headlines AND discussed And Just Like That.... You can listen below or scroll down to read more about the interview!
So let's dive right into it! Recently we talked to The Independent’s Olivia Petter about the Sex and the City reboot. Here's some of what we learned:
BuzzFeed Daily: And Just Like That... premiered last Thursday on HBO Max, and it's been almost universally panned by critics. So what were your thoughts on the first two episodes?
Olivia Petter: I mean, where do I start? [Here are] the things that I like: Obviously, it wouldn't be groundbreaking anymore to have a group of women speaking about their sex lives in their 20s and 30s [like they did in the original show]. But what is groundbreaking is to have women in their mid-50s talking about these kinds of things, and I think there is a real opportunity to kind of fill that cultural gap with these really interesting, nuanced conversations. And we've seen that a little bit already.
So I think the first episode, when Miranda complains about finding condoms all over her son's bedroom floor, and kind of coming to terms with her son having sex, and then Carrie asking Big to masturbate in front of her, and having a woman in her 50s even talking about masturbation is something that I think is quite transgressive in pop culture. We don't see that ever. And I think there is this kind of idea that women, once they get over a certain age, they don't talk about sex, they're not sexual beings anymore. And I think that's where this show could really excel. And I think it is subtly already kind of doing that. And there was also a storyline where the actress Karen Pittman, who plays the professor on Miranda's course, is talking about IVF to her husband. So I think that could potentially be a really interesting thing as well.
But when it comes to things I don't like about it, I think in a lot of ways the characters are kind of unrecognizable. I don't know what they've done to Miranda. When she was in the [original] show, she was the most kind of tech-savvy, confident feminist character, I think, and the fact that she is kind of this bumbling out-of-touch woman now, who is constantly questioning things and so clumsy with all of her phrasing and with all of her views on gender equality and women's rights... I just don't believe that she would be that out of touch. And I also don't believe that she wouldn't listen to podcasts because when Carrie talks about the podcast, she's like, "Oh, I don't have podcasts," and it's like, no way, she would be on it. She would love "Fresh Air." She'd be on all the podcasts.
Charlotte has become kind of a caricature of herself. I think she's become really overbearing and kind of lacking any emotional depth or self-awareness. Carrie's a bit similar, I think, so far, but it's still quite early days.
Obviously, Samantha is a big hole in the whole thing. I really don't buy the storyline explaining her absence at all. I just find it so hard to believe that they would have this dramatic fallout over something so small, as Carrie not wanting Samantha to be her publicist anymore. I also don't know why Carrie wouldn't want Samantha to be her publicist anymore, because I feel like Samantha would be so up-to-date with all of that kind of stuff. She would be on TikTok and be really rocking that kind of industry each day. I don't know why Carrie wouldn't want her to work with her.
I also just find it really hard to believe that Samantha would just ghost all of her friends, and I've heard a lot of people talking about how it feels like a really pointed message to Kim Cattrall because it does kind of reflect what has reportedly happened between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall, particularly the line when Carrie's like, "Apparently I was just a walking ATM to her" and "I've tried to reach out and I've tried to do this, but she's just ignoring me."
And it sounds like what has happened between the two of them in real life, because, if you know, there's a long history of rumored rifts. There were reports of Kim Cattrall having money issues with the show and not being paid enough and that being the sort of rivalry between her and Sarah Jessica Parker. And it just sounds very pointed and yet not believable. And I guess when we talk about the next episode and this kind of twist at the end of the first episode, I can talk a bit more about my bigger issues of that.
BuzzFeed Daily: What do you think about how the show is addressing current issues like Miranda's white saviorism and Carrie being chastised by her non-binary friend for being an "uptight, cisgender, female, married lady?" Because on the one hand, it's great that the show is making the attempt to tackle these issues. But then, on the other hand, if it's not hitting, then that can be detrimental. So how are you feeling about these moments so far?
OP: I mean, I'm all for representation and diversity, and it's definitely something that the show was lacking the first time around. But I think what they've done is quite clumsy and it's a bit too obvious, and it's lacking the nuance that I think is needed for these things to be effective. I just find it a little bit...almost satirical. So now every person they meet is either a person of color or a person who is nonbinary or someone who's questioning their gender identity? It's like they're trying too hard to make up for the past. And I just think it needs to be a little bit more subtle and it needs to serve the plot. At the moment, it just seems like they're just trying to ridicule these women for not being woke enough. And it's just way too in-you- face. I don't think they needed to make it so obvious. All they needed to do really was diversify the cast and make sure the characters didn't say anything transphobic or racist. It's not that hard.
BuzzFeed Daily: You actually wrote a book called Millennial Love, about contemporary dating and romance for our generation. I'm curious — as someone who has written extensively about modern relationships, do you think And Just Like That... has anything new to say to younger women?
OP: I think it could. Yeah, but like I said, I think young women aren't really going to take it seriously unless the show does start introducing some nuance to the writing, and shows that they have a hold on the subjects that they're addressing, which I don't think we've seen yet. But I think one thing that could potentially be very interesting is if we start to see the characters entering the kind of modern dating landscape themselves and using things like dating apps and talking about unsolicited sexual imagery and basically all of the ways that technology has changed the dating landscape. And I think that is still to come. From interviews I've read with Michael Patrick King, that is kind of on the horizon. And I think watching these characters navigate those kinds of contemporary dating hurdles could be really interesting. Even from that masturbation thing I mentioned earlier with Carrie going into her bedroom with Big and asking him to masturbate in front of her, I think that's something that young people can learn from because so many of us aren't open about what we actually want with a partner, particularly young women, and I think going in and asking what you want and being more upfront about it and kind of having that power is definitely something that people can learn from. So, yeah, I think we will get that. We just haven't had that much of it yet. But I think all things are pointing to the fact that we might get that.
BuzzFeed Daily: We need to talk about the "big" spoiler at the end of the episode. I found out about it before I watched it, but Mr. Big died of a heart attack after riding a Peloton. I mean, as a fan, why do you think they did that?
OP: I had no idea that this was happening. I watched it first thing in the morning when I woke up, and I was so shocked. I was trying to work out what they were doing, because there was this build-up of piano music and Big on his Peloton. I was like, "This is a really pointless scene. What the hell is going on? This is so weird." And then he gets off the bike and he puts his heart to his chest — I have goosebumps even thinking about it. I was distraught. I was so shocked and so upset.
I can see why they did it, having thought about it. They needed something to change for the season. I think they couldn't just rely on the nostalgia of fans and references back to the show and jokes about a group of women in their mid-50s trying to be woke — that just wouldn't have been enough substance. In order for the show to have any kind of emotional depth, there has to be some kind of dramatic shift. So I think Big's death provides a really interesting opportunity for that.
It also puts Carrie back on the dating scene, which I think will be really interesting for us to see, not only as a woman in her mid-50s navigating the modern dating world with technology and stuff, but also just seeing a widow go through that as well. And I think it could be a really interesting and important examination of grief, which could be really compelling and is also something that I think is really misunderstood to this day. And I think it's also something that unfortunately a lot of us can probably relate to because of the pandemic. So that could be really powerful.
Having said that, I am really angry that they have done this without Samantha. I find it incredibly hard to believe that regardless of any kind of fight that Carrie and Samantha and the other women had, if Carrie loses the love of her life, Samantha wouldn't jump on a plane from London right away to be by her side. I just find that so hard to believe. And not only that, she continues to not reply to their messages. And then what did she do? She sends flowers for the funeral, as if that's the only thing that she's going to do. She was one of the most loyal characters to all of them throughout the series and the films, particularly to Carrie. And the whole point of this show was about women being each other's soulmates and women being there for each other above romantic partners and putting everything to one side and prioritizing one another. So like I said, I can understand why they did it, but I'm kind of heartbroken that they've done this without Samantha because I do think it kind of goes against everything Sex and the City was supposed to be about. So I find it quite hard.
We also discussed West Side Story star Rachel Zegler's recent comments about taking on another beloved role: Snow White.
She’ll star in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake and told BuzzFeed that she’s excited to take Snow White, who’s been “criticized for existing solely for a prince [and] to be rescued,” to a new level.
Rachel said: “I think that our director, Marc Webb, and everyone who's working on this film has really taken her narrative and turned it into something that's a lot stronger.”