And Just Like That…- Better Than Sex

The first post-Aiden episode moves plots along and shows a much lighter and freer Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) enjoying autumn. Her house is starting to come together, and we know from the voiceover that “the woman returned to herself…and the family that would never inhabit her home, or her heart, faded from her life…” That’s cold, and I’m here for it. 

Duncan (Jonathan Cake) continues to fawn over Carrie’s novel in progress. There must be something we’re not seeing, right? The plot device of having “the man” come back from the war only to die from an untreated wound from a previous battle? A bit on the nose. Is “the man’s” name Sh-mayden? What is compelling is how Duncan complements Carrie. She’s smart and clever. This is meaningful to Carrie, who has often been called sexy or cute. She likes the person that Duncan sees. It empowers her. What’s concerning is that Duncan has missed deadlines for his Thatcher book. 

Steve’s (David Eigenberg) back! It’s time for an awkward family dinner where Brady (Niall Cunningham) delivers both good news and bad news to Steve and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). Good news! He’s found some direction and has enrolled in the Institute for Culinary Education. Miranda and Steve are thrilled, but their joy is short-lived. Brady goes on to tell them that he’s gotten someone pregnant. He hooked up with a girl named Mia, maybe twice (how does that work?), and doesn’t know her last name. Steve is incensed, and Miranda is trying to gather facts by questioning the baby’s paternity and wondering if Mia is keeping the baby. I feel Steve’s frustration, especially when Brady says, “It’s cool.” 

“Better Than Sex”-AND JUST LIKE THAT…, Pictured: Niall Cunningham as Brady Hobbes, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes, and David Eigenberg as Steve Brady . Photo by Craig Blankenhorn/MAX ©2025 MAX. All Rights Reserved

Miranda gets Carrie and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) on a three-way call to break the news. I’m distracted by Carrie wearing a cardigan over tights sans pants. What the hell’s going on in that house? I like that Charlotte vocalizes this as her worst nightmare. Carrie brings some more honesty to the situation by sharing that if Mia doesn’t want Brady involved, she most likely won’t let Miranda be involved either. I feel hijinks coming. 

The Anthony (Mario Cantone) and Giuseppe (Sebastiano Pigazzi) storyline is a bit of a yadda-yadda-yadda; they now live together. It takes a detour when Giuseppe realizes that his elderly puppeteer roommate not only whittled a puppet that looks just like him, but he also uses it to pleasure himself. And just like that, I never want to watch Pinocchio again. What I wanted to see was Anthony telling this story to Charlotte to bring him into the mix, but that never happened. 

On the subject of unrelated plotlines, election night approaches for Herbert Wexley’s (Chris Jackson) run for city comptroller. There was a lot of lead-up to this, with multiple mentions of campaign manager Chauncy, but the election was over in a blink, with Herbert losing despite being ahead in the polls. Again, where is Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker) sharing this information with Charlotte, or a scene with the ladies going to vote? 

When we do see Charlotte, she’s trying to redeem her free session with Rhonda Portante (Susie Essman) for a psychic energy cleanse, but keeps being interrupted by work being done on her home. Rhonda doesn’t have her camera on and seems bothered by Charlotte’s frivolous life. That’s why it’s actually compelling when, in the end, Charlotte breaks down about being so scared when Harry was sick, and Rhonda turns on her camera to provide a guided meditation. First of all, I want Susie Essman to give me a psychic energy cleanse, and second, this is what’s infuriating about this show. Charlotte had a good storyline, but they threw her into these comedic situations that felt forced and deeply unfunny. It was a good idea, but it had lousy execution. 

Seema (Sarita Choudhury) and her deodorant-free Adam (Logan Marshall-Green) continue to take two steps forward and three steps back. Adam lives in a beautiful rent-controlled apartment and shares intimate information about his deceased mother. Seema keeps looking for the red flag that will end this relationship, but Adam continues to surprise and meet Seema exactly where she is. It’s kind of sweet, but also seems to be the plot of a different series. 

Miranda and Charlotte attempt to locate Mia at the hair salon where she works. We know there are hijinks because Miranda’s wearing a hat. They meet Mia, who is not a stylist, but rather the gassy shampoo person played by Ben Stiller’s daughter, Ella. Mia is painfully honest that she’s only keeping the baby because it will be a double Libra. Yikes. Miranda comes clean and shares that she’s Brady’s mom and wants to be involved in the baby’s life, but Mia shoots her down. Where is this storyline going? 

“Better Than Sex”-AND JUST LIKE THAT…, Pictured: Kristin Davis as Charlotte York Goldenblatt and Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes.. Photo by Craig Blankenhorn/MAX ©2025 MAX. All Rights Reserved

Duncan finally sees Carrie’s closet and does a cringeworthy thing, talking to her shoes in a way that implies asking her out. I kind of liked him better when he was grumpy. He eventually asks her to a party his publisher is hosting, and she agrees. Carrie initially puts on a gray suit to wear, but thinks better of it and changes into a Vivienne Westwood ensemble. We see old-school Carrie strutting into the party, where she is greeted by Duncan’s editor/ex-wife and Carrie Bradshaw enthusiast, Imogen (Tina Benko). I don’t write fan fiction, but how funny would it be for Imogen to be best friends with Samantha in London and give Carrie a stern British talking-to? Imogen does indicate that Duncan’s time in New York is coming to an end. Although initially Carrie doesn’t want to kiss Duncan goodnight, she turns and initiates a kiss. There is no indication that this will become a relationship. It was a meaningful experience that helped Carrie come back to life, trust her instincts, stop apologizing for everything, and forge forward. 

We received news this week that AJLT would end with this season, so we have a two-part finale to wrap up the show. It’s funny; I look forward to this show every week, but I hate it during and after. This cycle then repeats. I’ll be sad when it’s over, but it was a failed experiment. In an attempt to revisit these characters and see them as vibrant people navigating new challenges and experiences, it became a parody of its old self. The show thought it had something important to say, and it really could have accomplished this, but the characters were too rich and removed from real life to be relatable.

Can the two-part series finale redeem the series, or will it fall flat? Is this like one of those collections of short stories that seem unrelated and, in the end, everything makes sense?

Meredith Howell

Meredith lives in Chicago where she and her husband made sure their two boys were fluent in all things pop culture. She loves talking about all things GG- Gilmore Girls, Gossip Girl, and Golden Girls and indulges in a yearly viewing of Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth version is the only one recognized).