As much as “Sex and the City” enjoyed a loyal fanbase for the TV series and movie spin-offs, the 2021 TV sequel, “And Just Like That…”, received a mix of praise and criticism.
The most scandalous change was Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis reprising their roles as Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York Goldenblatt, while Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones, was snubbed.
The public beef between Cattrall and Jessica Parker clearly played a hand in the decision to not include Cattrall as the storyline shifted from a group of 30-something women navigating life's joys and tribulations to the now 50-year-olds doing pretty much the same but in different ways.
Cattrall’s guest appearance for the second season got fans giddy with excitement. But at a recently held round table media junket with Jessica Parker before the show’s release, no one dared ask about it.
Some topics are off limits and everyone respected that.
But we were able to talk about the fashion, the evolution of the characters and Carrie’s journey 25 years on.
Jessica Parker was matter-of-fact in her responses.
On resurrecting her popular character once again, she elaborated on how the storyline dovetailed with the reality of the issues faced by Carrie.
When asked about the fashion and how it advanced over the years, she said: “I think the evolution is kind of apparent, given the last season.
“It is all there in front of everybody’s eyes, so what I don’t love doing is kind of analysing things too much and sharing my feelings about evolution in story and emotion because I feel like it dictates to the audience a little bit.
“I will simply say that, like most people I know, like myself, your life changes in certain ways, you adapt, you maybe spend more time running around in subways than in cabs, so that changes footwear. Or maybe you carry an umbrella more than you used to.
“Or maybe you are working from home so your job doesn’t require you to be presentational in ways that are expected for conventional office space.
“Or maybe you got used to wearing more comfortable clothes during Covid and so you are having a hard time getting out of sweatpants. I mean, it’s kind of those things.”
Jessica Parker continued: “Carrie obviously had a really long and wonderful relationship with fashion, she’s always been interested, curious, and had a relationship with shoes. I don’t think those things change.
“What does she want to wear and how does she feel comfortable in the streets?… You know she was married for a lot of years, how is she now single? What does that mean about the way she chooses to dress and with whom and when?
“So, I think those are things she will have to answer in real-time on the show. So, I don’t want to tell you now.”
When pushed for a comment on her favourite outfit, she responded: “I don’t have favourite outfits. I’ve worn thousands of outfits. I couldn’t possibly pick a favourite shoe, meal, or book… I just can’t.
“And it’s not interesting. I mean who cares what my favourite outfit is? I have loved the hits and I’ve loved the misses and we’ve been right and we’ve been wrong. It has been a thrill. All of it.”
I think her responses left some journos on the call deflated. After all, fashion has been and continues to be such a talking point of the show.
With Jessica Parker as the poster girl for head-turning outfits, it was perhaps not the response they expected.
Moving on, the 58-year-old actress and producer, who is married to Matthew Broderick, wasn’t too excited about being asked about her thoughts on ageing.
She said: “I only ponder this question when asked about ageing. I am just living my life, I have three kids, and I'm working. I don’t have a doctorate on it. I haven’t written a thesis. I’m just living my life.
“It’s such a confounding question. I don’t think about it. How do I feel about ageing? Probably like everyone else does.”
To bring viewers up to date on the story: In season one, Mr Big suffered a heart attack and Carrie was left to deal with the grief of losing a spouse.
Miranda battled alcoholism and found herself questioning her sexuality after hooking up with Che (Sara Ramirez). And Charlotte, well, she was grappling with the challenges that come with taking care of her family.
In season two, Carrie appears to be finding herself – like truly finding herself – in this day and age (pun intended).
She agreed: “I think grief is different for everybody. You know, my father just passed, and my mother and father were married for 56 years and it was unexpected and awful.
“So grief for my mother is different from grief for Carrie Bradshaw or my friend who just lost her husband.
“I think Carrie very much wanted to be noble about the grief. And not burden others. And I think she gave herself a period in which to sort it out and move on because it seemed unsightly to carry on.
“But it is not an emotion you can control. Certainly, the last season was an attempt at resurfacing, but how genuine and authentic an experience can that be when you’ve lost somebody that you really loved, publicly, for many many years?
“So, I think you are right, this season feels familiar. As we were shooting, I thought: ‘It’s like the old days in a way.’ This is a woman who is in a city who is in pursuit of discovery, romance, profession and friendships.
“It’s a liberty that she hasn't had because she was in a relationship that she directed attention towards. It’s a very different way of being in a city with Carrie.”
Jessica Parker added: “For Carrie, it is what is being single today like, how to be single, what is important now verus then, what is she looking for, what is she expecting from herself, how to be intimate with somebody after so long.
“It provides for joy, discovery, humour, silliness and more time with friends.”
∎ “And Just Like That…” season 2 airs on Mondays on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 9pm.