As “And Simply Like That,” the dour “Intercourse and the Metropolis” sequel, comes mercifully to an finish this week, there are already rumors swirling that there can be a second season as a result of the forged and crew need to “prove a point.” Present star Sarah Jessica Parker lately stated “there’s momentum” for an additional season.
On behalf of these of us who cherished “Intercourse and the Metropolis” — please don’t. Allow us to cling to the glad recollections of the collection we nonetheless have left.
When “Intercourse and the Metropolis” first blasted onto our TVs in 1998, I used to be an adolescent, and it was on the peak of a chastity craze. Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore had been all loudly proclaiming their intention to stay virgins till marriage. However what in case you had been a teen who thought you may get pleasure from intercourse, and possibly didn’t need to get married at 22? “Intercourse and the Metropolis” gave me, and I think lots of different younger girls, hope that intercourse could possibly be nice, even in case you didn’t marry your accomplice. And, extra importantly, it gave folks hope that, single or married, our thirties could possibly be crammed with mates, cool footwear and lots of enjoyable.
“And Simply Like That” hasn’t failed as a result of, as homosexual comic Lea DeLaria advised, its growing older viewers has “issues” with nonbinary people. Nor has it failed due to the agism Sarah Jessica Parker has complained about.
It’s failed as a result of it’s no enjoyable by any means.
Our lead Carrie Bradshaw’s (Parker’s) husband, Mr. Large (Chris Noth), has been famously felled by a Peloton, however there isn’t a merriment in Carrie’s widowhood. Within the season following, Carrie proceeded to have hip surgical procedure and spilled urine throughout herself in mattress as she recovered. She’s knowledgeable she wants a facelift. She has neighbors who preserve her awake all evening and a brand new residence she hates. When she goes on a date with a person, she will get so drunk she vomits on him. To be truthful, he additionally vomits on her.
It’s unclear why the makers of this present thought that an viewers who traditionally cherished the style and glamour of “SATC” would get pleasure from seeing an abundance of disagreeable bodily fluids, however that’s what they gave us.
Miranda has it no higher than Carrie. She’s left her job as a company lawyer, taken up consuming at 10:45 a.m., and by episode 5 has declared that she’s hated her life since “endlessly.” She abruptly leaves her 17-year marriage after dishonest on Steve with Che Diaz, a nonbinary, deeply unfunny comic performed by Sara Ramirez who has been described as “the worst character on TV.” She then waits miserably for Che to name her whereas berating herself for wanting to place labels on the connection.
Charlotte, a stay-at-home mother with two youngsters nonetheless fortunately providing her husband blowjobs, appears to be rewarded by the writers for making essentially the most conventional decisions. No less than, she’s spared the abundance of indignities heaped on the opposite characters. Nonetheless, she nonetheless manages to menstruate onto her white pants and has an adolescent who asks her to drag out her tampon for her.
It usually feels just like the characters are being punished for the writers’ sins in failing to make the unique present sufficiently progressive and numerous. They’ve now tried to appropriate that by giving each character a buddy of a unique race. That may be nice if the characters acted like some approximation of regular people round their new mates as an alternative of like a bunch of lunatics.
When a black buddy of Charlotte’s plans to come back for a cocktail party, Charlotte runs round attempting to gather different black friends for the occasion as if they’re characters out of Pokémon. Miranda greets her black professor with a jumble of phrase salad about black hair, after which cringingly asks if she’s being a white savior when she stops that professor from getting mugged.
In “SATC,” Miranda had a long-running relationship with Dr. Robert Leeds, performed by the African-American actor Blair Underwood, so it’s weird to see her behave as if she’s by no means talked to a black individual earlier than.
All of them are guilt-ridden on a regular basis, although — Miranda will not be solely a large number round black folks, she’s so nervous about seeming lower than sex-positive that she’s letting her son have libidinous love-ins at her home with out grievance (I strongly suspect the writers of this present have by no means met an adolescent, most of whom don’t need their dad and mom to have a lot familiarity with their genitals or intercourse life). Carrie buys an residence she dislikes as a result of she’s nervous she’s made her actual property agent present her too many residences. Carrie, that’s what real-estate brokers do.
Didn’t these girls used to go after what they wished and demand it?
“And Simply Like That” tried desperately (so desperately) to appear fashionable and progressive. However in a world the place numerous industries and people thrive off of ladies feeling responsible and insufficient, what made “Intercourse and the Metropolis” revolutionary was its willingness to depict girls being unashamedly, even selfishly, joyful.
The one comfort is understanding that Samantha Jones is nicely out of this mess, off in London. I hope she’s having nice intercourse and having fun with a martini at Claridge’s. And, God, I hope she will get her personal present.
Jennifer Wright is an creator, columnist and journalist. Twitter: @JenAshleyWright
