And Just Like That… hasn't figured out sex in the city
It's a shame that this sequel series can't seem to get intimacy right.
Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/Max
No brave viewer of And Just Like That…‘s season-three premiere has likely recovered from the repulsive phone sex between Aidan Shaw (John Corbett) and Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker). It’s mortifying to witness him stumble his way through an orgasm with a loud “Here it comes,” while his girlfriend becomes increasingly detached from the experience. Carrie can barely muster a half-hearted “Yeah” and a sigh during the conversation as Aidan pleasures himself on the other end of the line, too busy to realize how ridiculous he sounds. She fakes her way through it, a decision that’s compounded by her cat jumping on the bed. (Poor Shoe had no idea what he signed up for.) And Carrie didn’t even see him lick his fingers. That sight was just for us, the audience, with Aidan going about the whole act in the least inviting way possible. Then again, this all fits into a disappointing AJLT pattern.
For a sequel to HBO’s trendsetting Sex And The City, the Max reboot still hasn’t figured out how to incorporate sex as organically into the story. Most physically intimate moments between characters are either mechanical or cringeworthy, put together for the sake of heightened drama rather than, in a more SATC fashion, to spark fascinating and provocative conversations. Don’t we yearn for the days when Samantha‘s (Kim Cattrall) comment on funky-tasting spunk led to a candid discussion on oral sex, or when Miranda’s (Cynthia) purchase of a vibrator pushed her friends into splurging, too? At least SATC fueled its narrative through the four protagonists’ respective dating lives, whether embarrassing or titillating. AJLT‘s writers, on the other hand, struggle to find that sweet spot between humor and sensuality.
