This article contains spoilers for the season two finale of And Just Like That “The Last Supper Part Two: Entrėe.” Proceed with caution.
By Michele Yeo
Season two of And Just Like That has wrapped up with the highly anticipated cameo from Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones. Though we were told ahead of time it was just a brief cameo featuring Samantha on the phone and not actually sharing space with any cast members, and even though we were advised to keep our expectations in check, as the finale drew closer, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was all a ruse and that Samantha was going to actually show up for Carrie’s “last supper” at her iconic apartment.
But alas, I should have, like Carrie, let go of expectations because it really was just a cameo featuring Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker on the phone. As Carrie prepares to host her friends one last time, Samantha calls with the bad news that her plans to surprise Carrie by attending her apartment’s swang song soirėe have been thwarted by a flight delay out of London. “I am fucking furious,” Samantha declares. You and me both, sister. You and me both.
But still, there was something magical about seeing Samantha, even briefly (for just over 1:15 but who’s counting?) on our screen again, Not just Kim Cattrall (who has remained busy in a post Sex and the City world) but Kim Cattrall as Samantha. Whether that’s a testament to the legacy of the character, the actress who plays her, or a sign that And Just Like That has never truly captured the essence of its groundbreaking predecessor is up for debate but I believe it’s likely a cocktail of all three. Diehard fans of the original series were even treated to a callback to Annabelle Bronstein, the British woman Samantha impersonates in season six in an attempt to get access to the rooftop pool at SoHo House. ”Thank you for everything, you fucking fabulous, fabulous flat,” Samantha/Annabelle says with a British accent, paying tribute to the apartment. And thank you, Kim Cattrall for giving us this sweet, if not short, return.
The finale also featured the return of Aidan, who fled New York back to Virginia last episode after his 14-year-old son Wyatt got drunk and crashed his father’s truck into a tree landing himself in the hospital with several broken bones (is it me or are all the kids on this show horrible?) The incident prompted Carrie to wrap up the penultimate episode with the narration, “And just like that, for the first time, I was worried.” Turns out, she was right to worry. Aidan, who stubbornly refused to step foot in Carrie’s old apartment since their reconciliation, broke his rule only to inform her that he could no longer do double duty in New York and Virginia, that his kids need him back home full-time. Aidan’s “kids”, by the way, are 14, 17, and 20 so yes, all the offspring on this show truly are the worst. Aidan suggests he and Carrie press pause on their revived romance until Wyatt is out of his teens. Sir, that is six years away! Oh no, Aidan reassures, fear not, it’s actually only five years since Wyatt’s 15th birthday is next week. Ah okay, cool!
So the future of Aidan and Carrie remains up in the air as the season comes to a close. Can Carrie wait five years? And should she? Looks like she’ll have some thinking to do on that beach in Greece with Seema who is herself waiting on her man to return, albeit just for five months as he shoots in Egypt.
While it is slightly insane – and sadistic if you’re an Aidan fan – of the writers to bring back Aidan only to potentially snatch him away again (as Carrie said, “I can’t believe we’re back here again”) it does feel somewhat realistic that a couple reuniting after so many years wouldn’t have as smooth a sail as they had hoped. Especially when there are children involved. And doubly so if those children suck.
The rest of the characters seem to find some sort of peace in their own way: Charlotte and Harry remain partners in domestic bliss, Anthony and Giusseppe explore uhm…uncharted territory, Nya says “Yes, Chef” to Toussaint with whom she enjoyed a mild flirtation earlier in the season and who just happens to be the Michelin Chef for Carrie’s dinner, Miranda, fresh off a friendly encounter with Steve, seems poised for a new romance with Joy from the BBC, Lisa and Herbert come to terms with their miscarriage, and Che, who apologized to Miranda for their “jokes” at her expense, meets up for a rendezvous with their fan, Toby.
And Just Like That, while still totally unhinged, did feel more like Sex and The City at times than the first season. It’s certainly not without its faults and plenty of…curious choices by Michael Patrick King and his writers room, but the show continues to have a stranglehold on fans of the original like myself.
And this finale isn’t really the last supper, after all, as it was announced this week the show would be returning for a third season. My reaction seemed to echo that of many fans, “Oh my God, why?” immediately followed by, “I can’t wait.” Especially if we level up to 2:00 of Samantha screen time.
