And Just Like That, We Still Hate It
This is my second piece on And Just Like That. Not sure I’ve ever covered the same subject twice, let alone twice in a row. Call it a hit piece. I can’t help it. I can’t do it once, I need to lash out this hatred in series.
No, I don’t feel bad about it. Writing is a hard job. Writing television is a harder job. But attempting to revive a cult show of one era to another time that could have benefited from pressing a pulse on a much-needed dialogue; it's a complete dissonance with every subject it's trying to tackle.
It’s an insult.
We feel offended. Enraged.
Like I said, we need to let out this hatred in series.
Overtime.
Once is not enough.
I read an interview by one of the bottom writers on the show, and she was very displeased about the aggressive hate the show is getting. She’s surprised. She says not everyone should love the same things, it's about different tastes, but why such rage?
Because this isn’t about taste.
The writers' failure to comprehend the source of our collective outrage is a telling sign. Their inability to grasp the reasons behind our anger serves as an explanation in itself—had they truly understood, such episodes would have never been written.
In my view, the show's issue lies in its attempt to emulate the current raw and gritty nature of contemporary television. It endeavors to have a somber vibe, after all, somber is serious. Edgy. Except it’s not sexy.
SATC keeps forgetting we watched it because it was sexy. Fun. It was entertaining while tackling serious subjects in a joyous, comedic manner. It was a satire about issues we all experienced. It was romantic, even in the tough times; the heartbreaks had a romantic flair about them. The City, the clothes, the romance, the heartbreaks, the intimacy – all of it was a joy to watch.
There’s no more joy. There is only depression. Sex is not sexy anymore.
The writer Megan Fox (not that one) has a similar sentiment. She writes for PJ Media:
“These writers hate this show, the characters, and the fans. They’ve taken everything we loved about the show: the fashion, the joyfulness and fun, the city of New York, the romance — and they’re killing it slowly with the skill of a psychopathic serial killer. We can’t even rip off the bandaid by binging all the episodes at once because they’re making us wait, terrified for what’s coming next week. It’s sadism.”
I also love this bit:
“Carrie is a dumpy frump with no identity or charm, Miranda is a woke drunk Karen…”
And, this:
“The rest of the new characters are part of checking that diversity box and not even the woke crowd likes it. Please yell it for those in the back, WHY ARE YOU TREATING MINORITY CHARACTERS LIKE ACCESSORIES? It’s weird, it’s forced, and it’s not necessary.”
I’ll do a quick character drive-by:
Carrie was always a snotty, self-centered character to me. I always felt, even in the original series, she’s that type of friend that asks you 1–2 quick questions about your life, so she can legitimately skip it, with care, to start talking about herself. Her 10-minute feign at Miranda’s kitchen finger-bang was more insufferable than the act itself. Obviously, the writers are leading Carrie toward a hot older greyish hair producer at the radio station.
For the love of god, please give her some pep!
Miranda, the best character in the universe became quite literally “woke drunk Karen”. The murder the writers did on her is unwatchable.
Charlotte’s face. The scene where she’s about blow Harry in the bathroom, the camera zooming in on her, doing Charlotte’s usual face gimmicks that maybe worked for a quirky 35-year-old; today, in the bathroom, it was painful to watch all that filler struggling to move alongside her. I think it’s played, discussing women’s choices on how to grow old, overdoing it or not doing it at all, like Sarah Jessica Parker, and I’m still debating with myself which side of the spectrum works for television.
Che Diaz. I’m aware of all the online hate for this character, even being called the worst character on TV, but I have to tell you the unpopular opinion — Sara Ramirez is the only reason I’m still watching the show. I’m not going to go into the storyline, but this character is the only one looking comfortable in her own skin. Or again, is that just Sara being completely comfortable in her own skin? Everyone else is just stumbling and mumbling through shitty plotlines.
I find Che/Sara sexy as hell, to be honest. I looked at her in the last few episodes like I look at the hot guys I watch in the TV shows. With a bit of a tingle. The storyline is dumb but every time she approaches Miranda, I get a tingle. It keeps me going. (Sara if you’re reading this, call me).
And finally, aging plotlines seem to be the main thing everyone finds the most offensive. These women are acting like out-of-touch 80-year-olds and not women in their 50s! In today’s society, 50 can be a peak of your accomplishments, stability, security, being content with who you are, and if you take care of yourself mentally and physically, it can be your best life yet. Instead of showing that, or at least some comic approach to changes that come with aging, the writers decided to be a depressing reminder of why most women fear aging.
It plays into every single stereotype there is about middle-aged women.
Men too.
Steve, 55, should be at the peak of his mature foxy grey sexiness, hearing aid or not. Instead, every scene with him feels like a visit to an old people’s home. Steve deserves so much better.
Miranda, there is so much wrong with that character, I have no energy to even unpack it. Miranda ran into Stephen Strange on 177 Bleecker St. and slipped into the Multiverse.
I have no ending.
The pain is ongoing. Every Thursday, on the dot.
