Carrie and Aidan's love bubble shows no signs of popping.
Spoiler alert! If you haven't seen this week's episode of And Just Like That, proceed with caution.
And we couldn't help but wonder, did Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) just alienate half the Sex and the City fanbase?
In the latest installment of the Max spin-off series, And Just Like That, Carrie is deep into her love bubble with her ex-fiancé, Aidan Shaw (John Corbett). The two wake up in each other's arms, twisted in sheets, bargaining over who has to close the blinds to keep that pesky sunshine from hitting them. It's a nauseating scene that begs the question — does nobody have a job anymore? Doesn't Aidan have three sons? Is Carrie just going to spend the rest of her life living off the funds of her late husband, Mr. Big (Chris Noth)?
And speaking of Mr. Big, the man is certainly rolling over in his Armani suit, because after Carrie has spent the last season and a half mourning his death, she's now definitively declaring that the dearly departed John James Preston might not actually have been the love of her life.
After oversharing that she's been having the best orgasms of her life, which she attributes to holding herself back with Aidan in the past because of Big, Carrie drops this bomb on her bestie Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) -- "I've been asking myself was Big a big mistake?"
Honestly, what's next? Is Alexander Petrovsky going to pop out and sweep Carrie back to Paris and we'll all just be expected to go along with it? Is Jack Berger going to write her a Post-It note sonnet and all will be forgiven?
But Carrie doesn't show any signs of taking things slowly, even telling her friends, "If it feels right — and it does — then why slow it down?"
Umm, maybe because your husband died a year ago and you're out here convinced you shouldn't have loved him in the first place after a week in bed?
Now, Carrie is set to travel to Virginia of all places, to visit Aidan's farmhouse and meet his sons aged 14, 17, and 20. What could possibly go wrong?
At least she admits, "I'm still traumatized from that country shack he had upstate."
Miranda replies, "Traumatized, that's good. That means you're still you in there somewhere," and coming from Miranda "I'm craving me some Ché" Hobbes, Carrie should be humiliated.
Speaking of Ché Diaz (Sara Ramirez), Carrie asks to rent out their old place, which is now moonlighting as an AirBNB, so that Aidan can stay there to avoid his phobia of Carrie's trauma-filled apartment.
After a horrific display in a home goods store involving a pair of tongs that is likely the reason Bed Bath & Beyond declared bankruptcy, Carrie and Aidan chat with Ché about their rekindled romance.
"Why did this not work out the first time?" Ché asks.
"Because I made a mistake," Carrie declares, falling into Aidan's arms.
What about when Aidan admitted he only wanted to force her into marriage to claim his property in the Mr. Big face off? Carrie, did meeting Gloria Steinem a few episodes ago teach you nothing?
In truth, the best part of Carrie and Aidan giving things another go is the impact it has on Carrie's realtor pal, Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury).
It's clear that Seema is a pseudo replacement for Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), joining Carrie and the ladies' brunch discussions and giving off big girl boss energy.
So, it's particularly interesting to see her reaction to the lovesick pair. She begins avoiding Carrie's request to meet Aidan, and finally confronts her outside of a hair salon in the rain over a cigarette — something Aidan banned, no less. She reminds Carrie that just one episode ago, she was vowing to spend the summer in the Hamptons with her, going in on a pricy Hamptons beach home.
Seema tells Carrie that she's canceled the home, saying, "I won't love how I feel about myself when he's there," and explaining, "From everything I've heard, it sounds to me like you've had these two great loves and I've had none… I don't want to spend a fortune having this feeling."
Carrie realizes that she's running the risk of losing another friend after her falling out with Samantha as Seema asks for space.
"Space gives friends more space. Seema, please, really, please don't pull away from me and pretend you don't see me at a salon hair washing bowl," Carrie begs her.
And though Seema seems unwilling to be subjected to Carrie and Aidan's PDA fest (and who can blame her), she comes around and meets up with them for dinner.
Carrie is then seen packing up to travel to Aidan's farm, happily declaring, "It was our new beginning."
While Carrie is off in Aidan Land, Miranda has seemingly come to her senses and begged for her internship at the Human Rights Watch back. Worried that she, like Lauren Conrad — the girl who didn't go to Paris — is going to be discriminated against for passing up on the internship to try California dreaming with Ché, Miranda vows to work hard.
But she quickly realizes that she is getting preferential treatment and her fellow interns and their weird garlic cookies aren't pleased.
When one asks if she is "perfect," Miranda replies, "Actually, I'm a sexually confused alcoholic who's going through a divorce," so take that, garlic cookie girl!
She ends up landing a spot as her boss' maternity leave cover, being sure to express her concern over her privilege. Her boss reminds her of her 30 years of experience, and hopefully the former lawyer is returning to her roots (not just the red ones).
Charlotte York Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis) is getting ready to slip back into the art gallery scene and that means slipping back into the modern version of the same uniform she was rocking back in her 20s.
But Charlotte is newly aware that menopause is "the devil" and that she can't drop weight the way she used to. After sipping bone broth for a week and wearing about 10 pairs of shapewear, Charlotte heads to her first day only to be confronted by the very slim 20-somethings she's been dreading. But fear not, SATC lovers, it's 2023 and And Just Like That would not end on such a trite, body-negative storyline. Charlotte meets her boss, Leila, who is young, full figured, and full of life. Leila proudly rocks a crop top and expresses a love of Charlotte's Web, urging Charlotte to "make yourself comfortable." She does, ditching a handful of shapewear that likely costs the same as a mortgage payment.
All's well that ends well, but we'll have to tune in next week to see how life on Aidan's farm goes or whether Miranda will continue shaking her salads like a Kardashian.
New episodes of And Just Like That stream Thursdays on Max.
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