And Just Like That…I’m Profoundly Sad!

And just like that… My husband and I are so sad that the reboot series of Sex and the City — And Just Like That has ended in its third season. It wasn’t cancelled, it just ended. I’m profoundly sad. I’m profoundly sad. I’m profoundly sad. (I’m channeling Carrie Bradshaw repeating her lines three times in Season 3, Episode 10: Better Than Sex). Every Thursday night, my husband and I look forward to coming home and watching our favourite show. It was the highlight of our Thursdays! 

My husband and I love the world of Carrie, Charlotte and her Jewish husband, Harry (coincidentally, my husband Ron is also Jewish), Miranda with her ex Steve and son Brady, Seema and her gardener Mama’s boy lover, Adam, who gave such a sexy rendition of Bette Davis’ Eyes in Season 3, Episode 7 (They Wanna Have Fun); and, of course, Lisa Todd Wexley and her husband Herbert. Oh, not to mention, I also dote on Anthony and Giuseppe; I adore Charlotte’s children, Lily and Rose (or they prefer to be called Rock). I was amazed by the singing talent of Lisa’s son, Henry, when he performed I Dreamed a Dream again in Season 3, Episode 7! And yes, I developed a huge crush on Duncan, Carrie’s English writer/tenant turned new lover.

Photo courtesy of AJLT, HBO Max.

My husband and I know that AJLT received a lot of backlash and negative reviews for being “too woke” and that the storyline didn’t live up to its predecessor, SATC. But hey, we do live in a new world now where gender binaries exist and the proper use of pronouns is to be used nowadays lest we risk offending others. In this new era, it’s no longer just relationships, there’s now so-called “situationships.” There’s also more awareness of social, political, and racial matters, most especially issues in social and racial justice. 

I know I’m in the minority when I say that AJLT characters are just evolving and trying to adapt to this modern world. I love how a woman like me, brown-skinned and a woman in her mid-50s, is finally represented in the most quintessential show about women, their friendships and their relationships. Yes, other skin-toned women like me do exist. We always did. 

Photo credit : Craig Blankenhorn/New Line Cinema

Carrie Bradshaw has always been my sort of alter ego since I came across her character in the Sex and the City days. In the late 90s and 2000s, before my life with my husband, I lived my single life similar to Carrie as she struggled through her single lifestyle, going through date after date, writing and pouring out her innermost thoughts onto a laptop and navigating life through designer high heels. In our 30s, I could totally relate to Carrie’s painfully self-absorbed ways, her imperfections, her complex character, her independence, her sassy nature, her confidence, and yes, her unique fashion sense and how she enjoys expressing herself through clothing, especially shoes.

Photo courtesy of SATC scene from Season 3 Episode 18, “I ❤New York.”

And just like Carrie, I also had my own Mr. Big and Aidan in my life (both men will remain unnamed)! With my own Mr. Big, I didn’t break up with him. I ghosted him when I met Mr. Right in 2018. While with my own Aidan, I left him for another country in 2007. Just like Carrie, I lived in different cities and time zones — I lived in London (for a decade), Barcelona (for 6 months), New York (for 1 month), Dubai (for 3 months), Manila (for 24 years), and Vancouver (for 20 years and 2 months counting). Carrie and I share a common trait: we’re both always ready for something new to happen in our lives — always! At the same time, we both broke our hearts, habits and heels along the way. Carrie and I both loved, won, lost, failed, triumphed, and tripped over. We both had our fair share of worst and best decisions in life. 

Photo courtesy of Craig Blankenhorn.

When the reboot, And Just Like That, premiered on HBO Max on December 9, 2021, I immediately reconnected with the older and wiser Carrie Bradshaw. Now both in our 50s, I could relate with Carrie’s more established and more stable status in life — career wise. We are both more evolved women and have accumulated a wealth of experience that shows our strengths and weaknesses. And just like Carrie, I still have my great love for fashion, which remains a defining aspect of my personality, with my Audrey Hepburn signature style (wearing a lot of black clothing and pearls) and shopping habits still present, albeit much more controlled. 

Perhaps the only big difference between me and Carrie Bradshaw (apart from our skin tone) is this: I’m no longer so self-absorbed because I am now a mother of a kind young gentleman and I also happen to be a devoted wife. Also, I no longer have the “main character syndrome” that Carrie still has even in her 50s. Now in my 50s, personality wise, especially when it comes to my relationships (with my son, my husband and my girlfriends), I am more of a Charlotte personality type. I share Charlotte’s outlook on life; how she values and prioritizes her husband, children and friends, her being a hopeless romantic with a heart of gold and a taste for the finer things in life.

Photo courtesy of AJLT, HBO Max.

Going back to our dear Carrie Bradshaw, I  also resonated more with her because she is a writer and she found writing a perfect way to express herself. It was because of her that I was inspired to work hard throughout the years to pursue one of my dreams: to have my own column for a newspaper. I transitioned from writing on the pages of my diary to writing in my own column in Canada’s largest and biggest Filipino Canadian newspaper and news website. In March 2020, “Maria in Vancouver” was born. Just like Carrie Bradshaw, I have found my voice and my own platform to share my innermost thoughts and views on everything under the sun. I am no longer afraid to speak out and be heard. I am no longer scared to share my feelings and point of view with those who care to read. Yes, because of Carrie Bradshaw, I transitioned from a diarist to a memoirist and a columnist!

And just like that…here are my top 5 favourite Carrie Bradshaw moments (Geez, I know there are a gazillion moments that are so memorable, but I decided to just pick 5 because of word count, lol!):

Photo courtesy of SATC scene from Season 2 Episode 2 “The Real Me.”

WHEN CARRIE BECAME A FASHION ROADKILL! Who can ever forget one of SATC’s most definitive moments, which occurred in Season 2, Episode 2, “The Real Me”? In this episode, a friend recruited Carrie to model Dolce & Gabbana clothing for a fashion show. Carrie asked for the tallest heels possible to feel like a “real model”, which caused her to slip and fall on the runway. Worse, Heidi Klum, a real model, stepped over Carrie while she lay embarrassed and frozen! It was too painful to watch, but it ultimately became one of the series’ most unforgettable moments. The moment is so memorable because of how Carrie picked herself up and got back and sashayed along the runway wearing just one shoe, and yet she masterfully proved that there is grace even in vulnerability.

Photo courtesy of SATC scene from Season 6 Episode 7 “The Post-It Always Sticks Twice.”

THE POST-IT BREAK-UP NOTE OF JACK BERGER. Actually, I personally don’t think that Jack Berger was Carrie’s worst boyfriend — the worst boyfriend title goes to controlling Aidan, only because Mr. Big finally came to his senses and eventually married Carrie. But, I have to say that the way Jack broke up with Carrie would immortalize his character’s cowardice in SATC’s season 6, episode 7, “The Post-It Always Sticks Twice.” Carrie and Jack had quite a tumultuous relationship, but they decided to work things out after Jack’s romantic apology. 

Therefore, it was quite a shock when Jack left Carrie a farewell note on a yellow post-it. But I loved how Carrie reacted to this humiliating break-up moment. She threw away Jack’s flowers by smashing the vase across the room — this break-up reaction is up there with the scene when Carrie threw her wedding bouquet at Mr. Big when he failed to show up at their wedding. That was Carrie at her rawest, most vulnerable moment and yet, she still managed to win in this post-it break-up. 

Photo courtesy of SATC scene from Season 6 Episode 20 “An American Girl In Paris, Part Deux.”

WHEN MR. BIG TELLS CARRIE “YOU’RE THE ONE.” They have been an item since Season 1. In fact, Mr. Big is Carrie’s big romance of her life. Theirs was the classic years-long toxic on-again-off-again romance. Carrie finally withdrew from Mr. Big when he couldn’t tell her “she’s The One.” In the series finale, SATC’s season 6, episode 20, “An American Girl In Paris (Part Deux),” Mr. Big finally delivered Carrie’s most coveted words when he went to search for her in Paris, thus sealing their relationship and their future together as Mr. and Mrs. John James Preston.

Photo courtesy of AJLT scene from Season 3 Episode 9 “Present Tense.”

CARRIE’S REAL FINAL BREAK-UP WITH AIDAN. In AJLT’s Season 3, Episode 9, “Present Tense,” Carrie and Aidan finally break up for good! Carrie questions Aidan about his issues with trust and jealousy. However, when Carrie says, “I was one hundred percent in,” she realizes that she can give no more and leaves the relationship. In this break-up scene, I admire how Carrie chooses her independence and self-respect over what could be another yearlong toxic relationship. In this scene, Carrie was both strong and emotional. Oh well, I never thought I’d say this, but it’s good they’re finally over. And quite rightly so, because their relationship has oscillated through the years between the supercilious and lacking. I love how they ended this episode with Carrie walking with dignity amidst a broken heart. I also love the dress and shoes she wore as she met up with Charlotte, Miranda, and Seema at a restaurant. 

Photo courtesy of AJLT scene from Season 2 Final Episode “The Last Supper Part 2: Entrée.”

CARRIE HOSTED A FAREWELL DINNER PARTY (MOVING TO HER NEW HOME) AT HER LEGENDARY BROWNSTONE WEST VILLAGE APARTMENT. Carrie invites her inner circle to her farewell home party — she’s moving into her new Gramercy townhome and gasps, leaving her legendary West Village brownstone apartment for good. Everyone arrives dressed to impress. My favourite part  from AJLT’s Season 2, the final episode, “The Last Supper Part 2: Entrée,” is this scene where Carrie delivers a speech before dinner is served and asks everyone to say something about one thing they want to let go of their lives in just one word and with no repeats. Anthony says, “control,” Giuseppe says, “Rome,” Seema says, “distrust,”, Charlotte says, “limits,” Harry says, “possessiveness,” and Miranda says, “guilt.” Carrie says, “expectations,” and then she launches into a long speech about how she doesn’t want to assume things will go a certain way, and she acknowledges that tomorrow will be better than she ever expected.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Michael Patrick King’s announcement and Sarah Jessica Parker’s touching tribute to Carrie Bradshaw were just a bad dream and that I’ll wake up tomorrow, with exciting news that AJLT has been given a fourth season.  And just like that, I walked around my neighbourhood channeling Carrie’s energy, wearing my designer heels and vintage clothes.