Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for the And Just Like That Season 3 premiere.And Just Like That…had a lot working against it from the beginning, including needing to appeal to the cult following and fandom culture that rose in the years sinceSex and the City’s original series finale aired. Within the show’s social ecosystem, Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) is the singular die-hard romantic. While the other women – Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and the now-absent Samantha (Kim Cattrall) – go through the highs and lows of various relationships, Charlotte is the most consistent in her identity. Sowhy does it feel likeAnd Just Like Thathas no idea what to do with her?
It took the sequel series far too long to give Charlotte anything substantial — she doesn’t function separately from her children until the end ofSeason 2— andSeason 3opens with a storyline that could be described as a C-plot at best. A case of mistaken dog identity has Charlotte arguing with a random elderly NYC resident, to the point of being absent in scenes with her own children. It begs the question:When does Charlotte get to be Charlotte inAnd Just Like That?
In the ’90s, not many stories were being told about the dating and sex lives of unmarried women, andSex and the Citywas a huge part of changing that. In the present day, however, stories about women’s romantic and sexual appetites in their fifties are few and far between. Without Samantha,And Just Like That’s dive into intimacy would have to consist of Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte’s married lives.CarrieandMirandafound separate outs, to mixed reception. Charlotte, ever the romantic, still remains with her husband, Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler). That makes sense on paper, butCharlotte’s characterization has all but disappeared in the show’s two seasons— and the latest premiere doesn’t inspire any confidence in that changing.
The showhas relegated Charlotte to forgettable plotsthat serve as comedic relief or simple logistics. She’s almost a secretary for her friend circle, calling Miranda out for her alcoholism or running a schedule for Carrie’s care after hip surgery. Charlotte has always had a strong empathetic instinct, even channeling her pain into helping her friends. Season 4 ofSex and the Citydemonstrates this through two great moments: Charlotte gives her engagement ring fromTrey(Kyle MacLachlan) to Carrie, helping her keep her apartment, and she also plans the funeral for Miranda’s mother out of kindness, facing the grief of her fertility issues to plan her baby shower near the end of the season.
So while helping Carrie and Miranda would be in character, it doesn’t do anything for Charlotte.It tells us nothing about where Charlotte isdecades down the line. With Season 3’s premiere trapping her in sitcom territory — not sharp, tongue-in-cheekSex and the Citycomedy — with a mistaken identity storyline for her dog, things feel a little hopeless for Charlotte fans. Where is the Charlotte who arguably proposed first to both of her husbands? There’s certainly no sign of the Charlotte York from “Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women,” who had a fun Hamptons persona that let her behave like a fun and flirty, forever 27-year-old.
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“I’ve been dating since I was fifteen. I’m exhausted. Where is he?”
Charlotte Was Constantly Evolving on ‘Sex and the City’
While Charlotte’s end goal of a perfect partnership was always stable, she had a consistently evolving personal arc beforeAnd Just Like That. In the original show’s run, Charlotte’s journey, from her hurtful marriage to Trey to her atypical, fairy-tale ending with Harry, doesn’t break down her core beliefs. It breaks down her vanity, freeing her from the WASP standards that she obsesses over alongside her pursuit of true love. Her time with Trey ultimately teaches her the importance of self-worth. Before Charlotte leaves Trey, she learns her sorority girl past isn’t something she wants anymore when she meets up with old friends in “Frenemies,” who judge her. Trey and his overbearing mother, Bunny’s, responses to her fertility issues – and her desire to adopt – show thatCharlotte’s traditional values are about high standards, not exclusivity or exclusion.
And Just Like Thathasn’t demonstrated that Charlotte’s dreams have come true. In fact, feels like the show has forgotten all that she went through leading up to that outcome. Charlotte always wanted to be a mother, butmost of the show’s focus on her children is rooted in her misunderstanding them. While her openingconflict with her child, Rock, over a dress somewhat demonstrates Charlotte’s particular fashion tastes, it feels like a parody of her character. In fact,And Just Like That’s forced conflict between Charlotte and Rock feels like a complete misunderstanding of what makes Charlotte who she is, and it reflects the show’s insistence on makingLGBTQ identitya source of conflict.
The assertion that someone with a love of fashion and art like Charlotte, with so many measurable evolutions in her understanding of sexuality and gender, would do anything less than meet her nonbinary child where they are with a more androgynous look was something of a canary in the coal mine.Rather than giving Charlotte meaningful parallels to her past,And Just Like Thathas instead put her on the back burneror made her a joke. In the Season 3 premiere, she’s dealing with her dog’s ban from a doggy daycare because of a social media post, while Carrie is there for Lily’s first big crush. Viewers are robbed of Charlotte being a part of this huge milestone for her first child, as well as what would be a meaningful, emotional experience for her. It’s the kind of thing the original series would have the girlsbreak down over brunch.
‘And Just Like That’ Is a Backward Step for Charlotte
WhileAnd Just Like Thatmakes room forstorylinesand points of view missing fromthe original series, it doesn’t do so forHarry. As Charlotte’s role has become reduced to various hijinks, Harry is reduced to dad jokes. Where is the romance for the most romantic woman of the remaining trio? Charlotte’s most meaningful moment with Harry inAnd Just Like Thathappens in Season 1, Episode 7, but it’s anything but romantic. She begrudgingly allows Harry to join her for tennis. When she knocks him over, she refuses to apologize, which spirals into a bigger argument. When her peers see this, Charlotte hisses, “Now we’re that couple.” Charlotte has found her soulmate, and his only purpose has been to facilitate her regression.Charlotte is back to being obsessed with appearances and reputation, somethingSex and the Citybrilliantly forced her to confront — as well as how lonely she was without Harry — before they got married.
It’s said that art imitates life, and people certainly grow in change, even in the confines of a marriage, a nuclear family, and, of course, a friend group. However,AndJust Like Thatdesperately needs to decide what that change looks like for Charlotte on a meaningful level. If not,the reboot risks swallowing up everything charming, inspiring, and even empowering about Charlottein the process.
And Just Like That…
