Warning! SPOILERS For And Just Like That season 3, episode 3, “Carrie Golightly”
Sex and the City’s revival is changing one of the franchise’s best original characters for the worse inAnd Just Like That.ManySex and the Cityfavorites returned forAnd Just Like That,including three of the four leading ladies. The sequel series revisits Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) in their fifties, with a few new friends joining them in thecast ofAnd Just Like That.The revival also featured Carrie’s OG boyfriend, Aidan Shaw (John Corbett), with the couple reviving their romance inAnd Just Like Thatseason 2.
However, at theend ofAnd Just Like Thatseason 2, the couple’s romance hits a snag when Aidan’s teenage son gets in a car accident. The incident prompts the father to reconsider starting a part-time life with Carrie in New York, at their newly purchased Gramercy Park home. Despite the arrangement that he wouldn’t see Carrie for five years, Aidan returned in season 3. With the father’s decisions straining the couple’s ability to start over,And Just Like Thatis subverting the reputation of Aidan,a character who fans once deemed“too good”for Carrie.
And Just Like That Season 3 Is Making Aidan Way Less Likable Than He Was In Sex And The City
Aidan Doesn’t Look Like The Good Guy Anymore
FollowingAnd Just Like Thatseason 3’s premiere, we got to see the pitfalls of the couple’s romance agreement, which made Aidan less likable in the reboot. InSex and the City,Shaw was Carrie’s second serious boyfriend, a relationship she took on after two seasons of her on-again/off-again romance with John Preston, AKA Mr. Big (Chris Noth). In the original series, Aidan was a breath of fresh air for Carrie. Where Mr. Big wouldn’t give Carrie the commitment and assurance Bradshaw wanted, Aidan was all-in, and it was Carrie who ruined the romance by going back to Mr. Big.
Aidan continues to act impulsively inAnd Just Like That.
That said,Aidan’s reputation has changed in the reboot, continuing the progression of his worst character traits fromSex and the City.In the original series,Carrie and Aidan’s relationshipultimately ends, in part, because Aidan is too impulsive. He rushes Carrie into marrying him, trying to control her out of fear that he will lose her. Still, Aidan’s actions are understandable considering Carrie’s affair, and he ultimately looked like a better option for her. However, Aidan continues to act impulsively inAnd Just Like That,leaning into some of the worst aspects of his personality from the original.
To begin with, Aidan asking Carrie to wait five years for his son, Wyatt (Logan Souza), to turn 20 years old wasn’t realistic, especially after he established a no-contact clause. Then,Aidan became less likable when he broke the arrangement he established, calling Bradshaw for phone sex after three beers. Carrie needs more than blank postcards or calls in the middle of the night. While Bradshaw is showing grace, trying not to expect too much as she navigates her third try at the romance, she deserves better. If Aidan can’t be there, their situation at least merits clear expectations.
And Just Like That Can’t Have Yet Another Carrie-Aidan Break Up
And Just Like That’s Inevitable Story Has Been Done
With their relationship on the rocks,it’s impossible not to wonder whether Carrie and Aidan will break up againinAnd Just Like That.The couple first broke up after Carrie had an affair with Mr. Big. Despite Carrie and Aidan calling it off, they got back together when Aidan opened a bar with Steve Brady (David Eigenberg), called Scout, which brought the couple back into the same circle. During the second romance, Aidan gets anxious to put a ring on Carrie’s finger, and the relationship ends again when they can’t reach an agreement about what’s next.
If the couple can’t make it work in the reboot, it would build on their existing history: that, despite wanting to, Carrie and Aidan can’t strike the right balance. There’s still hope that they will avoid a breakup storyline, which we’ve already seen played out twice onSex and the City,but it doesn’t look promising. Unless they’re heading into a break-up again,And Just Like Thatneeds to get us back on Aidan’s side, making him more likable again after his half-hearted attempts to reignite his long-distance romance in season 3.
And Just Like That…
Cast
And Just Like That is a continuation of the beloved franchise Sex and the City, chronicling the experiences of Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte as they transition from the complexities of life and friendships in their 30s to those in their 50s.
