The episode opens on one Carrie Bradshaw, her laptop open, wearing yet another inexplicably bland sweatshirt. She opens her email and — jump scare! — a response from Aidan!
Yep, it’s *the* episode, friends. Aidan is finally back and we’re all wondering if he’ll finally stand a chance now that his main romantic competition has bit the dust?
Time will tell…
Before we get into episode seven, you can find out what happened in previous eps here:
Miranda’s Return To The Field
After her break-up with Che (and Steve), Miranda is back in the game with her own Mrs Darcy. And by Mrs Darcy, I mean a woman called Amelia Carcy.
They meet at a reading of Pride & Prejudice (naturally) and have a surprisingly smooth first encounter during which they agree on a date on Valentine’s Day.
As for any questions around Miranda’s sexuality, she swiftly concludes to Carrie over the phone: “Strong, sexy women are my thing. I’m done with Dickens.”
The pun game is strong this episode, harking back to the original Sex And The City and making me wonder why it worked so well then, but doesn’t feel the same now.
When it comes time for her date, Miranda goes all out. Vibrant, purple, bodycon dress, complementary-coloured coat, slicked back hair — she looks tops. Unfortunately, Ms Carcy — who promised max sophistication when we met her in a chic crimson pantsuit — has morphed into a grey marle hermit with cat poo-stained socks.
I once stayed in an Airbnb on the lower east side that looked exactly like Amelia’s apartment. The owner even had her own crafty, makeshift editing suite set up in the corner of an already over-crowded kitchen — just like Ms Carcy. And while I stayed in my cramped, cat lady quarters for three terror-filled nights, Miranda found her 56-year-old strength and Irish goodbye-d her way out of there.
There’s hope for us all.
Charlotte Gets High
Last episode, Lily lost her virginity to a boy named Blake during a blizzard. This episode, it’s mentioned in passing that Blake dumped Lily two weeks before Valentine’s Day. I, personally, love how this has been treated as a non-event. It would have been so easy for the writers to make this into drama. But the casual treatment of Lily’s sex-to-single status shows a step in the right direction about the framing of women’s virginity, which is too-often treated as a precious gift to be given with caution, meanwhile a man’s virginity is basically not discussed. (Did we all see the light touch awarded to Brady and Harvey Jr’s sex lives? I hope Lily continues to receive the same treatment.)
Later, during Lily’s ‘Eff The Boys’ party, Charlotte helps herself to a brownie brought by one of Lily’s friends… and I cannot believe I did not see the next part coming. Of course it was an edible! Of course Charlotte was going to wig out at dinner and end up in hospital!
As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Charlotte and Harry’s undying love on heightened display.
Drew Cops An Eyeful
Drew Barrymore is here! Unfortunately, neither she — nor a ginormous phallic silhouette — could get me invested in Anthony’s Hot Fellas plot line.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved this bit. I love the idea of Hot Fellas. I love that Anthony had to fire his entire staff for taking human growth hormone. I love Anthony’s bread phone and think it makes an excellent case for the return of the landline… But, as with Nya’s “me-vening”, I just don’t care.
Fortunately for Anthony, at least his arc was funny. Let’s hope his business gets a, erm, solid rise. (A-hah! Multi-level pun!)
The Return Of Aidan Shaw
After Carrie goes to the wrong place and lands in the least romantic restaurant in Manhattan, she eventually finds her way into the arms of twice-ex-boyfriend Aidan Shaw.
Seated in a romantic red booth, after comparing Botox budgets, they reminisce about time gone by and Carrie’s dead husband. (Aidan says he was sorry to hear John passed away but we all know that’s only half true. He is definitely at least a tiny bit happy he outlived the guy who stole the love of his life. We all know it.)
Nevertheless, the evening progresses and Aidan is —rightly— shocked to see Carrie still lives in the home they briefly owned and shared together.
I would definitely find it weird if someone I dated in my thirties lived in the same house 20 years later. (Though, in this economy, every available person in their 30s lives in a rundown sharehouse with a comparable mould to house plant ratio—so, it would be a real grim shocker.) Can you imagine, though? In 20 years you meet up with the person who broke your heart: you’ve both had new marriages, one of you is divorced with kids, the other widowed with best-selling books; you magically hit it off, they take you home and—surprise!—it’s the house you used to live in? Come on, Carrie. Give a guy a heads up? (Having said that, Aidan was allegedly in town for a “meeting”… He didn’t already have a hotel booked? He literally cries out, “New York has hotels!” as though it’s a completely new revelation. Where’s your stuff, man?)
As Carrie and Aidan realise a haunted apartment can’t keep them apart, these previously star-crossed lovers kiss as Carrie narrates: “And Just Like That… Aidan and I were back on the same page.”
Eeeeeeeeee. Give us more.
Where To Watch ‘And Just Like That…’
Season two of And Just Like That… is now streaming on BINGE. You can also catch up on every episode of season one. New episodes of season two arrive every Thursday at 5pm.