And Just Like That… is flirty and thriving(ish) sans Aidan

What’s going on with our other mains? Well, Charlotte (Kristen Davis) is always tragically left with very little to do, so this episode is devoted to her avoiding the loud sounds of her home—a wallpaper renovation, Harry (Evan Handler) watching football, and Rock (Alexis Swinton) learning to tap because she’s been cast in Thoroughly Modern Millie—in order to cash in on a Zoom energy cleanse. Now, I don’t have time to unpack all of that, but it’s worth noting that the literal one good line Kristen Davis is given to work with, she absolutely kills: “It was the most scared I’ve ever been, and I wasn’t really allowed to express that.” 

I can’t think about Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) too hard because I tend to get enraged. Over the course of three seasons of AJLT, the writers—and Nixon herself—have consistently demonstrated total negligence when it comes to this character. Why is she so obsessed with keeping a relationship fun? Why is she so weird about everything? What happened to our original and beloved Miranda and her entire personality? I can’t keep typing about this. I’m starting to yell.

But this week, Steve (David Eigenberg) returns for the special occasion of Brady (Niall Cunningham) showing up to tell his parents that he’s gotten a girl pregnant. She’s not a girlfriend, but someone he’s hooked up with maybe twice. “Maybe twice,” Miranda repeats. “You don’t know?” Steve gets progressively more insane about this, dropping several f-bombs until Brady walks out. 

Okay, that’s not a great first reaction to this, but I understand how the shock might make you behave in ways that aren’t true to your character. Oh no! Miranda just continues to lose touch with reality more and more, deciding it’s appropriate to track Brady’s baby mama down to the salon where she works as a shampoo girl and interrogate her while she’s massaging her scalp. This ends as you would expect (with the girl finding out who Miranda is and spraying her in the face with water for being so inappropriate and intrusive), but I really have to ask: What was the plan here? Surely you would have met her eventually, and she would have recognized you as that nut from work. I thought Miranda was supposed to be smart! Why wouldn’t she have devised a better, if not more ethical, plan to spy on this girl?

But the real reason this episode is fun is because of the crackling chemistry between Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Duncan (Jonathan Cake). Because Aidan is no longer in the picture, they’re able to lean into their writing partnership full force, and Carrie has been remarkably productive. Duncan loves her writing! He tells her it’s a nice touch to have the man die of an untreated wound from a previous battle. (I see what you did there, Carrie!) He compliments her constantly, including calling her work “Scotch worthy,” which you know is the ultimate kudos from a British man. It’s sexy and fun. When he says, “Well done, you,” and I grin, I realize I may just have a personal affinity for being complimented by British people. 

Of course, now that Aidan is out of the picture, all of her friends are asking what’s the deal with Duncan. Carrie insists it’s just a writing partnership, and Seema asks if it could be more. “Would that be more? Maybe that would make it less,” Carrie muses. “I’ve never had a man see me as smart first. Sexy, yes; cute, yes. Duncan respects my thoughts. What makes me me.” Carrie, I’ve literally never been more depressed for you, and that’s really saying something.

He asks her to go to a publishing party, and though she hesitates, she eventually says yes. She tells Charlotte that if something happens with Duncan, Miranda will never let her live it down. “That’s not true. And if it was, fuck Miranda,” Charlotte tells her. Do these people hate Miranda? She seems deeply loathed by everyone in the friend group. Despite almost wearing a boring ass gray suit to the party, Carrie dons her best Vivienne Westwood and wows the folks at the party, including Duncan’s editor and ex-wife Imogen. Afterward, they have sex, obviously. The episode is called “Better Than Sex,” and I stupidly thought for a minute that the show was going to demonstrate just a hint of self-restraint and delayed gratification—but no, of course not. He’s going back to London, but gives her some “final suggestions” for her book? Is this the end of Duncan? Maybe. Some one-off sexiness could be exactly what Carrie, and this show, needs.

Stray observations

• • Seema hired her driver, Rocco, back, and I feel like we deserved a more impressive reunion scene after their dramatic breakup.
• • After Brady moves back in with Miranda since Steve is being dickish, Miranda vents to Carrie: “He gets this girl pregnant, and I’m a mother again?” Girl, you always are?! It’s kind of a forever thing! Why is this woman so abhorrent?
• • Brady’s baby mama may not be much better, though: “I was going to get an abortion until I realized the baby would be a double Libra.” Why can no one on this show say a normal sentence?
• • Herbert (Chris Jackson) is maybe my least favorite character, but I enjoyed his delivery of “fuckin’ rat” in regards to the escaped hamster.