And Just Like That ...

 

Like a cozy sweater, I wrapped myself in the past, took a deep breath and pushed play. I knew what was coming, and I was already familiar with the first episode of its release, but knowing I had full access to every episode made the experience more personal. There was no familiar theme song as it wasn't a reboot, but it had the feeling of something you know like the back of your hand, like that smell that brings you back to your grandmother's home or the taste that transports you to another time in your life. It was almost like the feeling returning to a numb limb, with which I have had recent experience, two carpal tunnel surgeries later. My brain, or rather my soul, was awakened from the fog bathed in for what seemed like forever. 

I decided to use my time back in New York with ladies from my past. Although fictional, they definitely were part of my life, playing out storylines side by side with my life on the tube weekly. Having them back, 20 years later, aged and lived in, they felt like that old cozy sweater. I'm not sure what it was about the original HBO series, Sex and the City, that was so much more special than my other past favourites - The West Wing, Cheers, Frasier, LA Law, House, ER - but coming back to Carrie Bradshaw's world later in life was like a breath of fresh air. When a television show makes me see things differently, I put it in my "favourites" pile. 

I read the reviews and the disappointment some viewers had about "And Just Like That..." and wondered if I'd be disappointed by the return to the city and women that formed my adult life. Instead of plunging back into the pool, I decided to dip my toes in the water, testing the temperature. I scrolled through the options on my streaming channel and found the documentary about making new episodes of the iconic show, similar to running my fingers over Carrie's wardrobe, shoes, furniture and knick-knacks in her beloved brownstone. The day-to-day outtakes and decisions on scenes, vintages dresses, scripts and spaces brought me back into the world of Charlotte, Miranda and Carrie (Samantha missing but not forgotten). Even the side characters reprised their roles, feeling like I moved back to the city, catching up on all the gossip.

After binging the whole 2 seasons of "Just Like That..." in 2 days, I took a week to let it sit with me, deciding if the show was just as powerful, affecting me as the original HBO show had done. As a fan of Star Wars in my youth, I was initially excited about the prequels, but after sitting back and mulling over the movie, I realized it wasn't the movie that was bad (well it wasn't great) but rather the age I was when I watched it in my childhood and it's affect compared to my adult reaction to the prequel. When you are a child watching a movie like Star Wars, it will imprint on you for the rest of your life. Watching it as an adult is diluted in effect but still in your archives. Watching a sequel as an adult is different as the effect isn't as impressionable. I went in with knowledge of the characters already, in turn, the learning curve was low. I was ready for the familiar storylines, the women's personalities and habits, so peering in 20 years later was more like moving back home. 

I enjoyed the series and the new adventures the ladies experienced, and when the last episode was over I was disappointed to not have another season to start. This jumpstarted me to revisit the original series and binge the 6 seasons of "Sex and the City" - I just finished the third season last night. I was amazed at how easy it was to rewatch, regardless of the old technology - laptops and cell phones especially - the stories appeared to still apply today. I never noticed the trend of the saying "And Just Like That..." throughout the episodes, making me realize now why the sequel was titled the same. The amazing attraction of  "Sex and the City" was the stories from women and their love lives and how those stories were about those women viewers, not just the characters on the show. I look back at my own life and can say I experienced many similar storylines as Carrie or Miranda, perhaps less from Charlotte or Samantha, and love how those stories were discussed so openly. Everything from "Funky Spunk" to "The Post It" episodes were so familiar and viewed through a comical lens. Women everywhere could relate to the stories and laugh at them rather than the opposite, realizing they are not alone.

Is this a review of the sequel of "Sex and the City"? Perhaps. I look at this blog as more of a reflection on my own realization that a television sitcom was very much part of my friend circle, fictional as they were, affecting my decisions and points of view on men and relationships. Do I suggest to watch "And Just Like That.."? Absolutely. The characters have aged like we all have emotionally and physically, just like us all.