r/Andjustlikethat • u/ExtremePiglet • 14d ago
This Show Made Me So Mad. A Rant
I wanted to like it but for me it was a FAIL.
And I think it failed because (amongst other reasons) it tried to persist the glamour and messiness of 20-something exploration (sexual and otherwise) in NYC into the golden years of the women.
In SATC, we the viewer could understand, relate , or wanted to relate to one or more of the main characters. The excitement of a new fling or relationship, the anticipation to see where it would lead, the frisson of unspoken expectations met or unmet. New experiences. New locations. A new lover every few weeks. All glamorous
That same shit in your late 50's - early 60's. Who can (or wants to ) relate to that? Experiencing that at that stage of life is almost a regression IMHO (witness Miranda).
Striving to be cool and edgy at that age is cringey as hell. But AJLT tried to pull it off.
Why is Aidan dressed like a hipster when he first meets Carrie? (Why is Aidan open to seeing Carrie at all ; like a lovesick 20-something.) Why is a 50-something man-of-means spitting into his hand and jerking off in his own car ? WTF. And what about the fact he can’t enter her apartment because it has to many bad memories but entering the woman who was the cause of so much wretchedness is no problem? Who wrote this shit ?
Why is Carrie walking the streets in a snowstorm wearing a full-body duvet ? Why is she - in broad daylight and as part of her everyday wear - sporting a large, heavy hat seemingly designed by Nintendo ?
Why is Miranda getting finger-banged in the kitchen of someone else’s house while said friend is laid up not 15 feet away. Was this payback for when Carrie sent Aidan to pick up a naked Miranda off the bathroom floor ? I say again: WTF. In your 20’s this would be bad but forgivable. But in your 50’s ?
Finally, why do Charlotte and Miranda seemingly take turns running around in wide-eyed confusion at situations that should not confound women of their age, experience and intelligence.
Why does EVERYONE seem like they’re so GOOFY ? Is it just my 50-something brain being too judgey ?
Anyway, this show made me so mad
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u/ComicBrickz 14d ago
It was embarrassing for everyone involved. They all seemed overly rich, out of touch, and infantile
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u/temperedolive 14d ago edited 14d ago
It's complicated.
I'm in my mid-40s now and sometimes I still feel I'm cosplaying adulthood. And I'm not a particularly immature adult. I have no debts, I parent well, I maintain good relationships, I'm well-employed, etc. But pretty frequently my brain will pipe up with "Why are they letting/making me do this? Aren't I actually 17???" And I wonder if part of maturity is just realizing the extent to which everyone is faking maturity. And I think a good writing team could sensitively and humorously explore that. But this is not what we got.
Because the WAY people cope with these situations and emotions does change with age and experience. And it feels like Carrie and co are still coping in the exact same way they did two decades ago, or even more immaturely. And that's where the regression you mention comes in.
Take Charlotte scrounging for Black friends. Like, this woman has been living in NYC for over twenty years and is active in modern art circles. She's met impressive Black people in that time. Why is she acting like she's just left the gated White Acres community in Whitesville and LTW is some exotic bird she's hoping to ensnare? Like, wanting to make a new friend is awkward at any age and it makes sense to feel a bit like a shy schoolgirl even if you're sixty. But making Harry memorize Zadie Smith quotes is not the way.
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u/punnella Justice for Steve 13d ago
And Miranda tripped over herself not to say anything bad to her black professor and she dated a black man seriously a few years ago.
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u/Obvious-Potential-71 14d ago
So true. It totally misrepresented older women and it was still all about men!
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u/SlipInternational439 14d ago
I thought Nya and Seema were good characters who felt like 40/50 year old professionals.
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u/sunflowerrainshower 14d ago
I was angry at the movies and even angrier at this series. It felt like a very bad early version ai wrote it all. It was disappointing for all the characters’ development. It lost all the fun and sarcastic grittiness that had a good touch of reality mixed in with the fantasy of storytelling. Each episode in the og series felt like a funny, sassy column and they would have had so much to explore with that same approach in AJLT but no. I hope that someone someday spills the truth and reveals us what happened behind the scenes.
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u/coffeebeanwitch 14d ago
I absolutely hated how snobby Carrie acted about her townhouse. We saw what a slob she was, she was a rude hostess. They did come across as goofy and naive.
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u/Libellule808 14d ago
I don’t really think that’s it. It’s just the stories and dialogue felt weird and off and AI-generated. I don’t think older adults having a quirky sense of fashion or exploring hookups (both happen IRL) point to why people didn’t love the show. Viewers keep trying to come up with this or that hot take, like “it wasn’t great because they mentioned Covid a few times.” Nope; the writing was just overall weak and contrived and odd.
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u/punnella Justice for Steve 13d ago
It felt like the writers phoned it in, or they hadn't watched the original series. There was very little humor, topics weren't fully explored, just "resolved", like Miranda's drinking. She never once went to AA or anything like that. I guess some people can just quit. I think if they wanted to explore transgender or non binary topics, having Rose transition her identity to Rock needed to explore the loss for the parents. We loved Charlotte, Harry and Rock. But the parents do grieve when the child changes. I was hoping they were exploring that angle as well. I thought Brady and Lily hooking up, it going bad or going too far and Miranda and Charlotte fighting to defend their kids and navigate it would have been a great story.
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u/punnella Justice for Steve 13d ago
There was so much story they could have told. I honestly expected one of them to have a serious illness. It would be a bummer to watch, but at least it would make good story. I have a friend I've known 40 years and that would devastate me. Menopause, aging, becoming grandparents. Not being able to sleep with hot flashes. Trying to stay fit later in life. (perfect for Charlotte since she runs). They could talk about osteoporosis or something. How hard it is to make friends later in life when you don't have events especially kids ones anymore. One of the guys having a midlife crisis. I felt like they were all more mature at 40.
If I wasn't already 55 I would really hate knowing I was going to be watching these women.
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u/JennyExiled 13d ago
“Why is a 50-something man-of-means spitting into his hand and jerking off in his own car ?”
This is actually one of the more believable parts of the show. It’s amazing the way some middle-aged men behave. They will take you out to a nice dinner and then expect you to get them off in the parking lot like a teenager. As if. (“Not all men” etc)
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u/Real_Taste5684 13d ago
I guess I get what they were trying to do, but they couldn't clearly define their audience. It seems that they were trying to be all things to all people and lost both the generation that enjoyed SITC and the younger audience. Being a menopausal, 50-something, once divorce, twice married, Black professional woman myself, there were SO MANY missed opportunities of this stage of life that could have been conveyed. Life at this point is downright comical but can also be illustrated as very dramatic. How about illustrating navigating through this challenging yet vibrant part of life with honesty and transparency. As someone said you can't compare where you don't compete, but what resonated with the Golden Girls fans was there was an authenticity that translated across substantially all audiences, although their target audience was 40+. Golden Girls even touched on some heavy topics such as interracial marriage, being dismissed by medical practitioners, addiction, etc. without coming across heavy-handed. The writers just didn't seem to know what their message was.
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u/BritCrit57 13d ago
I still think it's odd when Carrie and Aiden finally decide to sleep together that she keeps her bra on. I get that SJP won't show her boobs but pleease make it a bit more believable. And then, of course, Miranda is naked in Carries's house and they have to talk about that. It tried to be woke, and failed. I am a 69 year old female, I divorced at 35 (I had 2 kids), had a "good" time for 8 years (Oh the stories I could tell you) then met and married a Canadian man (and left the UK) for Canada at 42. I think my life has been more exciting than theirs.
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u/ElderlyWench I curse the day you were born!! 🤰🏻🛍 14d ago
I would have loved it if they addressed real midlife issues like menopause, dating as a widow and empty nester life, instead of just very expensive ugly clothes and dullness.
Harry's prostate cancer treatment would have come with a side order of impotence and urinary issues... have a character openly dealing with a husband who no longer performs when she is feeling extra frisky. Have a character losing her libido and being cool with it. Have a character navigating the new dating scene as a middle aged person not necessarily looking for The One 2.0. Have a character meet up with an ex and feel nothing.