Introducing Endless Mode: A New Games & Anime Site from Paste
This episode of And Just Like That… is basically devoted to the long-overdue demise of Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Aidan’s (John Corbett) third—or is it fourth?—attempt at a relationship, and this recap will reflect that. The rest of the developments can be summarized very quickly, so here we go: Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) finally tells her girlfriend that she’s an alcoholic, but it’s fine; Charlotte (Kristen Davis) and Harry (Evan Handler) are navigating both his surgery recovery and her vertigo, but it’s fine; and Seema (Sarita Choudhury) is having sex so good that it bamboozled her into not using deodorant, but it’s fine.
The only other thing to note is that Herbert (Chris Jackson) is suddenly being super weird about not having unhealthy food in the house because he’s lost 20 pounds and doesn’t want to go back. He’s being a little crazy about it, and Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker) tells him not once but twice to just use Ozempic like everyone else. Is Ozempic paying for this? In future episodes, will we see Herbert taking his weekly shot? Will HBO Max start having to put a little #sponcon at the bottom of the screen? Just curious.
But now we turn our attention to the breakup we’ve all been waiting for. All season long, AJLT has been turning Aidan into the most manipulative, unpleasant and even downright revolting (remember the phone sex in the truck?) man imaginable so that this felt inevitable. Not for the first time, I looked at Aidan and thought of Harvey Dent: You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain. If only we could go back in time and put you on a Pelaton, Aidan, but I’m sorry: You’ve become the villain.
Honestly, there was enough in the current relationship to break up Carrie and Aidan, but as if that weren’t enough, this episode goes far down memory lane to remind us of the many reasons these two never worked out before: She cheated on him and she smoked. Though Carrie specifically asked Aidan to let her preserve the working relationship with Duncan (Jonathan Cake) by not getting too personal, she finds them in the garden having coffee together. There are major Aidan-and-Big-at-his-cabin-in-the-woods vibes here, and you can almost see Carrie watching those scenes replay in her head. Aidan passive aggressively pushes for details on Duncan’s pipe smoking, his marital status (he has an ex-wife), and if he has any kids (no).
Of course, rather than confront Aidan about his obvious insecurities or breach of boundaries, she vents to Seema and then refuses to communicate: “I’m too happy that he’s finally here to bring up the past and throw a wet blanket over it.” Okay, but are you actually happy he’s here? You seem miserable. Have a conversation! How is this woman still so bad at relationships after all these years?
Aidan continues to push the issue when Carrie and Duncan are having a writing session. He bought steaks and offers to cook for the three of them. Carrie declines politely and then more forcefully. He says he’ll wait up for her, no matter how late they go. Of course, when she finishes and crawls into bed with him, thanking him for his patience and understanding, he is ice cold. “Get away from me; you smell like smoke. Go take a shower.” Remember how much he hated her cigarettes? She showers but goes to sleep in the guest room, unmoved when he comes looking for her. This whole thing is like watching a very slow-motion car crash. It could have been sped up a bit.
They fight the next morning, she tries to walk it off and ends up in a shoe store (of course), and then he texts her to meet him for lunch. They both seem primed to make up, but then he uses the present tense instead of past when he admits he has trust issues with her when it comes to other men. And that’s really the last straw for Carrie. “I have moved mountains and apartments! I have agreed to arrangements that even you yourself could not live up to!” she yells. And honestly, yes, that is fair! She sold that apartment to help him move on from the stench of their past. “I can’t give you any more than I have, and it wasn’t enough,” she tells him sadly as I fist pump in triumph. Is there any better feeling than watching a girlfriend dump a guy you hate?
They’re sad. Which is fine—they can be sad. Their breakup gets the Taylor Swift treatment as “How Did It End?” plays. Carrie takes his Virginia postcards down from the fridge and tucks the extra pillow away into the closet. But then she puts on a pair of high heels and a cute outfit and meets her friends for dinner, and I was reminded of the Big line: “You’re the loves of her life, and a guy would be lucky to come in fourth.”
Stray observations
- • Earlier this season, when Carrie visited Virginia (my god, was that truly this season?), she was joking about having to dress like “Little House On The Carrie.” But what exactly is the outfit from the opening scene if not prairie-girl inspired?
- • Seema gets herself a new office, which she says she can afford with savings and because office real estate is so cheap these days. But why does she need all that space?! Isn’t it just her and her assistant?
- • Patti LuPone finally drops the fake Italian accent to go full Buffalo on Anthony (Mario Cantone). I wish they had found something for her character to do in a storyline that mattered even a little bit.
