Why Doesn’t ‘And Just Like That…’ Want Carrie to Be Happy?

Since the very start of Sex and the City, the dating lives of Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) have been at the forefront of the series. However, given that Carrie is the show’s leading lady, the show’s main focus has been on her love life. Cut to the sequel series And Just Like That… and not much has changed. Well, sort of. Carrie’s love life is still as hot a topic as it ever was, only this time, the show seemingly refuses to give her any sort of happy ending.

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‘And Just Like That’ Season 1 Was About Carrie’s Grief

Season 1 of And Just Like That… killed off Carrie’s longtime love Mr. Big (Chris Noth) in a devastating moment from the pilot episode. The rest of the season obviously followed Carrie’s grief journey and led to her opening herself up to dating again. While the shocking death is a reminder of how fragile life is, it was quite harsh for what the show originally seemed to be, and felt especially brutal after all Carrie and Big have gone through to get to where they are. They were doing really well in this series, they seemed so happy. It certainly cleared the floor for SJP to show off her acting chops, but it feels like a disservice to the characters. After six seasons and two movies, you’re just going to off Mr. Big like it’s nothing? At least give us a second to digest the new series before you kill him, a few episodes maybe, or in the finale perhaps. But the very first episode? The show wasted no time in sabotaging Carrie’s happiness for the sake of the plot.

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Her first love interest post-Big is her podcast producer, who is a stone-cold fox. However, it’s short-lived as Carrie doesn’t want to pursue a real relationship with him and would prefer to keep it casual and just sleep together. A totally valid request after such a traumatic event in her life, but he’s not quite as on board, so they call it quits altogether. While I suppose it makes sense Carrie would be reluctant to jump into a full-fledged relationship so soon after Big, I can’t help but wish the show hadn’t been so hasty in ending their relationship. Couldn’t we have seen them grow? It could have been good to watch Carrie learn to open herself up to someone again. Instead, we get squat, and the show quickly moves on from podcast guy like he never even existed.

And of course, there’s George (Peter Hermann) who she accidentally caused to crash his bike. He and Carrie have some good chemistry, and though it’s an odd meet-cute, it works for this show. However, a wrench is once again thrown into the plan because George’s business partner is hella clingy. It’s a return to form in a lot of ways, but when it comes to Carrie’s love life on the show, it’s just another disappointment.

Aidan and Carrie Don’t Get the Happy Ending They Deserve in Season 2

And Just Like That… revealed Aidan’s (John Corbett) return long before Season 2 even premiered, giving fans plenty of time to get excited about his arrival. He obviously did not disappoint, and despite some questionable fashion choices on his end, he and Carrie picked up seemingly where they left off as if no time at all had passed. There was still so much trauma and guilt to work through from the last time they dated, but there was plenty of time to do it. After all, Aidan was going to be sticking around this time… right? Right?? Wrong. Aidan’s youngest son Wyatt (Logan Souza) doesn’t take well to his dad’s new/old girlfriend and begins acting out as a way to get his attention back. This culminates in the two-part finale episodes when Wyatt drives Aidan’s truck while underage and under the influence, and wraps it around a tree, severely injuring himself. Aidan says he needs to go home to him, and that he can’t have Carrie around because he’ll only be thinking of her. It’s such a cop-out of an excuse and a stretch of a way for the series to forcibly create drama that didn’t need to be there. Aidan’s kids not warming up to Carrie right away? Sure, that makes sense. But Aidan having to leave Carrie for five years because his son doesn’t like her? Who approved that idea?

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Bringing Aidan back, with the added development of having his kids around, could have been a big step for both Carrie and the series. But even when she does go and meet Aidan’s sons we don’t see it. We barely even hear about it. So when Aidan is suddenly leaving Carrie to go back to his boys, it doesn’t feel like there’s much at stake. It could have been a big moment for Carrie. She doesn’t have children of her own, and Aidan’s are so dear to him, impressing them is a big deal – especially given her and Aidan’s history, gaining their trust will likely be a task. Not only can the show not let Carrie be happy in a relationship, but it refuses to let her have any sort of growth or development on her own, and it’s honestly just unfair for such an iconic character.

‘And Just Like That’ Season 3 Needs to Let Carrie Shine… and Get Laid

No matter where you lie in the Carrie Bradshaw debate, whether you love her or hate her, there is no denying the show has done her quite dirty in the love department. They killed off the love of her life, made her emotionally unavailable to podcast guy, and gave her a rebound that had genuine potential but ultimately turned out to be just another disappointment. Just as things were finally looking up, and she and Aidan were swept up in a picturesque reconnection, the show rips him out of her life once more. What happened to the third time’s the charm, guys? Yes, he says it’s not over between them, but it feels pretty over. He can say all he wants that the time will go by in a snap (one so quick you don’t even see it) but for us fans, that’s not exactly the case.

Carrie should be allowed to flourish both in and out of a relationship. Instead, the show doesn’t give her much of any content to allow her to be interesting on her own, nor does it let her stay in happy, genuine relationships. Even her friends kinda suck in this series. Gone are the days of Sex and the City where the focus was on the ladies’ dating lives, but the ladies themselves were still interesting in their own right. Now, it just feels completely hollow, and it doesn’t seem like the show knows its characters at all. Season 3, please be good to Carrie. Let her find love that lasts, and a storyline that doesn’t make us want to pull our hair out, is that too much to ask? For this show, it just may be.