REVIEW: And Just Like That…Has A Hard Time Finding The Balance Between Catering To Old Fans Or New
It has been seventeen years since Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) graced our small screens, but now, here we are in 2021, and the trio is back in HBO Max’s revival, And Just Like That…, which premiered the first two episodes earlier today, December 9. Created by Michael Patrick King, this new series focuses on our trio of ladies as they try to navigate a new chapter in their lives, aging.
In the first five minutes of the premiere, viewers find the trio in a very familiar place, brunching and chatting like no time has passed at all. Viewers quickly catch up on what each lady is doing with their lives and what’s ahead for them. The show also promptly deals with the elephant in the room, the missing member of their squad, Samantha (Kim Cattrall). And honestly, it’s kind of disappointing. For as big of piece as Samantha was to the original show, the revival pays her character dust when the trio are asked where Samantha was. Fans of the original and fans of Samantha won’t be entirely pleased with the ease at which they wrote her character off.
As the episode progresses, viewers get a look at the smaller moments between are characters and their loved ones. From Carrie and Big’s lockdown routine to Charlotte’s relationship with her girls, it’s a nice touch, but does become a little too fan service. The balance between catering to old fans and trying to create new memories for new fans is a tough balance to find when it comes to revivals and the premiere episode finds itself falling into the fan service category a little too often.
However, if the reasoning for Samantha’s disappearance doesn’t leave viewers reeling, the last few minutes of the episode certainly will. As a storyteller, I understand how the events in the final minutes will continue are characters’ stories and development, but boy are some fans not going to like it.
And though viewers will most likely be in disagreement over the episode’s end, they definitely won’t be over the fashion. One of the best things about Sex In The City were the iconic pieces Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, Samantha, and many others wore throughout the six season and And Just Like That… is here to continue that tradition. Costume designer Molly Rogers knocks it out of the park by donning each of our leading ladies in ensembles that not only represent their personalities, but showcases the beauty of the fashion world. From small start up business to the luxury brands, the pieces shown off in the episodes are sure to leave the most die hard fashionistas drooling.
Revivals of beloved television series don’t always live up to their original counterparts and And Just Like That… has some very big shoes to fill. With only the first two episodes released, thus far, the show is still a work in progress that will leave many fans of the original series with a questionable taste in their mouth. Newcomers to the series though will have a better time dealing with changes made to our beloved characters, but will surely have some difficulties understanding some of the Sex In The City Easter eggs thrown their way. Either way, the show can go one of two ways from here and, hopefully, it is up.