'And Just Like That' Episode 1 Review: Hipness seems forced in otherwise great start
Spoilers for 'And Just Like That' Episode 1 'Hello It's Me'
'And Just Like That', the reboot of the beloved 'Sex and The City' series, is finally here and it's just as fashionable and friendship-filled as ever. The revival sees the New York friend group as tight as ever and further along in life now that the years have passed.
Bringing in new characters, the series also marks the absence of the 'sex' of 'Sex and The City', Samantha Jones played by Kim Cattrall, but we have to go in with a fresh mind and swallow the bitterness. Read on to know what we thought of the first episode of the 'Sex and the City' revival series.
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The first episode sets the tone of the show right after the pandemic with the characters referring to social distancing. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) in a very nostalgic moment make a fun entrance as the New York ladies in a typical fashion get together for lunch. One question fans of 'Sex and the City' had was that how would Samantha's absence be explained. This is immediately cleared when at first they imply she is dead but clarify that she's just moved to London for a job.
In a scene mirroring the real-life fractured relationship between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall, Carrie talks to Miranda and we get to know that after Samantha was fired as Carrie's publisher her pride was hurt which prompted her move to London. They add that none of them have been in contact with her and it's quite clear the makers want to get this out of the way immediately for the show to progress without the distracting absence of the raciest member of the group.
The reboot in a familiar scene takes the 'Gossip Girl' reboot direction and is full of diversity, LGBTQ, Instagram, podcasts and whatnot from the current world. Although a good attempt at adapting to recent times, the constant mention of terms like cis-gendered female, pronouns and more seemed a little forced which took away from the significance of it all.
'And Just Like That' is more sexually expressive which at times is uncomfortable, one such time being when Carrie asks to watch Big masturbate. Carrie is expected to be raunchier for her podcast which has her spew the line 'step my p***y up' which we never expected to hear from her. The women on the show are quite comfortable and confident with their ages as seen from Miranda's choice to sport grey locks instead of dying it red, which we loved. Carrie too is just as stylish as ever and her perfect golden wavy hair (dyed now) is just as iconic.
The episode which was decent saw an exciting and devasting blow towards the end as we see Big have a heart attack and die in Carrie's arms. The makers certainly didn't keep him on for long but this decision will see our protagonist be forced to lead a different life after the loss. A good start to the revival but we wish they'd tone down the attempt to be hip and current a bit for a more natural take.
2 episodes of 'And Just Like That' are available to stream on HBO Max with more to follow every week.