We finally get an episode filled with rich conflict, but at what cost? Season three of And Just Like That… immediately walked back the five-year gap Aidan (John Corbett) proposed at the end of season two, but everything still felt murky in terms of boundaries. This installment propels things forward at last only to have them ricochet back to where we started by the credits. I am tired.
Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) wakes up in Aidan’s guest house because he and his sons are painting its exterior. Are these guys painting at the crack of dawn or does Carrie sleep until noon? Honestly, either is plausible. Because her luggage is still in the rental car, she’s still wearing her outfit and five-inch heels from yesterday. Though she heads into town (by ATV!) to the “sister-wives dress shop” to buy a new wardrobe, she apparently does not think to get new shoes and either goes barefoot or clomps around in those monsters for the full episode.
The episode introduces us to Homer (Corbin Drew Ross), Aidan’s delightful middle child, and Wyatt (Logan Souza), the problematic youngest who caused this mess to start with. We know from last season that he got drunk and crashed his dad’s truck (at age 15), so we’re aware that he has some struggles, but this episode brings to life exactly what that looks like. Some of it is typical teenager stuff—he’s addicted to his screens, he’s moody, he has a bad attitude about being asked to do stuff—but eventually we (and Carrie) realize that there is more going on here.
Aidan pushes them to bond, and Carrie does her best by agreeing to go to one of those virtual-reality zombie-fighting games at the mall. Unfortunately, Wyatt swings his pretend gun around and accidentally clocks Carrie in the head, which she proceeds to be a huge baby about. Carrie, you are trying to win this kid over! Be quick to say you’re fine and you know it was an accident! But after decades of watching Carrie, I think we all know that she doesn’t do well when she’s not the center of attention—and Wyatt is definitely and understandably the biggest focus in Aidan’s mind.
This all comes to a head at a family birthday party for Aidan’s oldest, Tate (Jason Schmidt), that’s also attended by his ex-wife, Kathy (Rosemarie DeWiit), and her boyfriend, Bob (Tony Crane). Bob tries to offer Carrie some advice on gaining acceptance with the fam: “It was hard for me to break in; they are a tight-knit group. But after four years down the road, it feels pretty normal.” Four years! And just when you think Carrie can’t spiral anymore, Bob brings up the Adderall: Unbeknownst to Carrie, Kathy is pro but Aidan is anti. When she tries to raise this with him as he lights Tate’s birthday candles, he snaps, “Carrie. Not tonight.” Timing was never our girl’s strong suit.
The whole thing blows up, obviously, over a game of Apples To Apples. Wyatt starts to throw a fit because his cards aren’t getting picked, the older brothers pile on a bit, and then he storms off before breaking a window with a shovel. Of course, Aidan and Kathy start going at it over the Adderall thing. She thinks Wyatt clearly needs it, but Aidan doesn’t want to medicate a kid who is already showing substance-abuse issues. Carrie, a woman who can barely take care of herself, is out of her depth.
With this very intense family portrait, Carrie finally realizes what Aidan meant when he needed to be with his family. And honestly, I do too. There is a lot to work through here. And while a woman who isn’t Carrie might find it in herself to be empathetic and helpful, that’s just not Carrie’s bag. She tells him she doesn’t belong there yet. “Are you breaking up with me?” Aidan asks tearfully. “No!” she insists. No? No?! Then what is happening here? I am begging one of you to make it clear.
Balancing the episode out is a perfectly unhinged plotline for Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) Her BBC crush Joy (Dolly Wells) invites her back on air (why is she on the street like a correspondent instead of being interviewed like an expert?) and when she’s trying to take Joy’s advice to speak slowly, she stutters over the word “countryside.” Obviously, the internet does its thing an edits her into a meme saying “wild cunt.” Miranda is mortified and spends the whole episode stressing that Joy has lost interest in her, only to get a kiss at the end.
We barely get any screen time with Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker) and Seema (Sarita Choudhury), but both are still navigating their career troubles from last week. Seema is starting her own real-estate firm but is bullied out of her office. Meanwhile, Lisa’s stress over picking a new editor (she’s going to hire a very hot Black man, but is worried that he’s not a woman) has her sleep talking and Herbert (Chris Jackson) pursuing a sleep divorce. And finally, Charlotte (Kristen Davis) still has nothing to do. But in the scene where Harry (Evan Handler) can’t get it up and she’s comforting him that their marriage is more than their sex life, I wrote down: “Not relevant, but Charlotte’s boobs look great.”
Stray observations
- • Lily (Cathy Ang) invites her boyfriend to family dinner while Harry’s dad is in town, and he shares that he’s poly. Obviously the grandfather doesn’t know what “poly” means, but Rock (Alexa Swinton) swiftly explains. Then comes perhaps the worst wordplay I’ve ever heard on this show, and that’s saying something: “Does poly want more brisket?”
- • The “Little House On The Carrie” pun was also tough for me to take.
- • Carrie’s obsession with the stupid dining-room table is a perfect showcase of why she would be insufferable to date. Just buy the table if you want it so much! You’re still bringing this up two episodes later when this man has actual problems?
