#Stanford blatch

[a-member-of-minuteswithmandm]

Can you believe we've gotten to see the ladies of Sex and The City accross 25 years?? That's so crazy.

Anyway, season 2 of And Just Like That will be out in a month so we did a recap of our thoughts and feelings about season 1.

Obviously the biggest thing is how much Miranda and Che sucked right? Sorry to my baby Sara Ramirez who deserves better than the writing last season, crossing our fingers that season 2 is better for them. Honestly Miranda just sucked as a wife, as a mom, as a friend and as a professional. It was so disappointinf because she's literally my favorite character (after Samantha) in SATC. Can't believe I think Steve deserved better smh

Even more surprising is how much I enjoyed Charlotte?? She used it get in my nerves but she was (mostly) great all season! Love that she and Harry are still going strong and watching her as a mother was so rewarding!

Mr Big dying feels like such a slap in the face tbh. After years of Carrie fighting heart and Soul for this man, he's just gone? I fucking hate it 💔 watching her grieving and moving on was well done but I just wanted her to be happy tbh

Loved most of the new characters they added even though there were definitely some choices made lmao. Overall we liked season 1 and we're excited for season 2! What do you think, is Carrie going to end up with Aiden? Wouldn't that be crazy??

Watch our thoughts here-

[iluvsatc]

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

Carrie Bradshaw meets Aidan Shaw on Sex and the City (2000)

#carriebradshaw #sarahjessicaparker #aidanshaw #johncorbett #williegarson #stanfordblatch

[lucy-moderatz]

If you turn into one of those married assholes, I'll kill you.

[virgochalet]

[homoqueerjewhobbit]

Pulling the best of my tag ranting from this post that I completely forgot I wrote.

Why are you so sad, HQJH?

*crying* People are just posting such ahistorical takes about the progress of queer representation on American Television.

Are you gonna start ranting about Mr. Slave again?

You kids don’t even know! You know what cartoons had gay characters when I was a kid? South Park. And that was it. Sure, Mr. Slave anally vored Paris Hilton, but he was also often the voice of reason on that show. And you know what, Big Gay Al is an icon. And if you wanna get drunk and sing “I’m Super Thanks for Asking!” I will break out my Tom of Finland vodka.

Anything else you need to get off your chest!

Will & Grace wasn’t allowed to show men kissing romantically, it was only allowed to show men kissing as a gag, so they wrote a whole episode about how gay kisses were being censored on the characters’ favorite sitcom that ended with Will and Jack making out on the Today Show in protest. The only reason they were allowed to kiss is because they weren’t romantically involved. And that was like, a Moment.

Are you done?

I’m gonna go eat grocery store cake and cry about Stanford Blatch. RIP Willie Garson.

Apologies to longtime followers who’ve heard this exact rant, word for word, mostly in the tags on posts about rupphire and korrasami, over and over again for years.

[dykehaus]

Stanford Blatch with the underwear model in SATC

[edwardalbee]

watching satc and honestly if stanford blatch doesn't get his dick sucked by the end of this show what's the point. if there's no hope for stanford how is there hope for anybody

[art150class]

And Just Like That...is Cringeworthy, Not Binge-worthy

I have a new guilty pleasure: no, it’s not Riverdale, nor is it the umpteenth season of The Bachelor. It’s And Just Like That…, the reboot of Sex and the City starring Sarah Jessica Parker and her (mostly intact) group of gal pals as they help her move on from the death of her husband, John James “Mr. Big” Preston (Chris Noth). Where Sex and the City was a fun romp exploring the lives of Carrie Bradshaw (Parker), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) through singlehood and coupledom, And Just Like That is strictly a cringe watch, not a binge watch, as the reboot attempts to correct some errors, including the lack of diversity, of the original show. 

The cast of Sex and the City 

The cast of And Just Like That…

Over the course of the first season, we are introduced to Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte’s new friends, all of whom are a part of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community (Kim Cattrall did not reprise her role as Samantha due to an ongoing feud with SJP). There’s Charlotte’s new friend Lisa Todd-Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker), Miranda Hobbs’ hip professor Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman), Carrie’s podcasting partner Che (Sara Ramirez), and her realtor Seema Patel (Sarita Chodbury). All of these actors are wonderful additions to the cast–it’s just too bad the show squanders the opportunity to flesh out the characters beyond what they look like or identify as. 

As Deborah Willis discusses in the documentary Through a Lens Darkly, it’s important to have representation. She explains that “Black people were subjects for the photographers, but none of the photographers were African American.” The original Sex and the City had an overwhelmingly white writers room, and it seems And Just Like That...is making up for it with the introduction of BIPOC women behind the camera in both writing and directing positions. But despite the attempts at increasing diversity off-camera, that doesn’t mean the characters’ escapades at welcoming diversity on camera are any less cringeworthy. 

In the pilot alone, Lisa is referred to by Charlotte’s husband Harry as “Black Charlotte;” later, Charlotte and Harry attempt to befriend more Black people after fearing Lisa and her husband will be the only non-white people at their dinner party.  

Miranda’s attempts to befriend her professor may be more awkward. When Miranda first meets Nya, she spends too much time complimenting her braids, over-explaining that her compliment had “nothing to do with it being a Black hairstyle” and then insinuating she signed up for her class just because Nya is Black.

This whole video is just one giant face palm.

But the worst offender might just be Che Diaz, a Latinx nonbinary comedian who has become the subject of multiple think pieces. What should be an innovative character highlighting the joys of representation becomes the most annoying human imaginable, an unfunny comedian who introduces themselves to Miranda by shotgunning a joint into her mouth at a bar. Miranda’s coming-out story should be a point of pride, mirroring the real-life story of Cynthia Nixon’s own coming-out; instead, Miranda’s plot feels like an insult to her ex, Steve Brady (really the last good character on this show) and an embarrassing attempt at understanding real-life coming out stories in the queer community. 

And that’s the problem with And Just Like That: it doesn’t understand the people they are trying to write about. Sex and the City was largely white and heterosexual: while they did have excellent recurring gay characters in Mario Cantone’s Anthony Marentino and the late Willie Garson’s Stanford Blatch, the core four’s gay panic is unmistakable. In one episode, Carrie dumps a man because he is bisexual; in another, Samantha dates a woman, only to break up with her because they talk too much, which perpetuates stereotypes regarding female relationships.

Which is why And Just Like That…is so disappointing. It had the opportunity to create a new, updated spin on single life in NYC with perspectives that weren’t just white women; instead, it chose to make the white women awkward, Karen-like stereotypes that don’t know how to handle diversity and instead sound like soundbites that could be used on Fox News. What was once a hip show touting the female experience all set to a jazzy theme tune has now turned into a cringeworthy watch that makes you wince every time they even try to tackle a relevant topic. As Ronald Takaki explains in A Different Mirror, authenticity of experience is important, and AJLT does not feel like any of the characters’ lives are being explored in an authentic way. The struggle to “let America be America,” or to depict our multicultural history accurately, has been very real, and it’s only exacerbated more by the gratingly frustrating attempts for AJLT to be diverse without making diversity awkward. I can only hope that AJLT will learn to be more comfortable in depicting diversity as something incredible, not incredibly awkward, but 2 seasons in, I find myself even more let down with every passing episode.

Suffice to say, And Just Like That…I’ve given up on this show ever trying to tackle a relevant topic in a fashionable manner. At least we can all look forward to Samantha’s cameo in the season 2 finale. Maybe she’ll have something good to say. 

Works Cited:

Family Pictures USA, Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People, June 19, 2013, 8:14-8:19, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THZWSexAjgk.

Lesley Goldberg, ‘Sex and the City’: HBO Max Sets Writing Staff for ‘And Just Like That,’ Hollywood Reporter, February 5, 2021, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sex-and-the-city-hbo-max-sets-writing-staff-for-and-just-like-that-4128564/. 

And Just Like That…, season 1, episode 1, “Hello, It’s Me,” written by Michael Patrick King, Directed by Michael Patrick King, aired December 9, 2021, on Max.

And Just Like That…, season 1, episode 4, “Some of My Best Friends,” written by Keli Goff, Directed by Gillian Robespierre, aired December 23, 2021, on Max. 

Sex and the City, season 3, episode 4, “Boy, Girl, Boy Girl…”, written by Darren Star and Jenny Bicks, directed by Pam Thomas, aired June 25, 2000, on HBO. 

Sex and the City, season 4, episode 5, “Ghost Town,” written by Darren Star and Allan Heinberg, directed by Michael Spiller, aired June 24, 2001, on HBO.

Ajani Bazille-Dutes, “7 "Sex And The City" Samantha Moments That Were Ahead Of Their Time And 6 That Were Not Okay Then (Or Now),” BuzzFeed, June 3, 2023, https://www.buzzfeed.com/ajanibazile/samantha-moments-satc. 

Ronald Takaki, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America (New York: Back Bay Books, 2008), 18. 

Takaki, A Different Mirror, 20.

Picture and video credits:

Sex and the City, HBO, accessed Jul 12, 2023, https://www.hbo.com/sex-and-the-city. 

And Just Like That…, Max, accessed July 12, 2023, https://www.max.com/shows/b9c27771-247a-459d-b751-85460d3fd5a2. 

The Cultured Queen, “Miranda Appears Racist on her First day of Class at Columbia AND JUST LIKE THAT HBO MAX,” December 15, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WriOpZkNFQM. 

[plutobutartsy]

also WHY does stanford blatch look like my therapist i cant do this 😭

[eeclare]

linda’s a stanford blatch and youuu know it!!

bob is a miranda

linda is a charlotte

gene is a samantha

louise is a carrie

[sexandmanhattan]

RIP Willie Garson 

[mytvjunk]

Sex and The City (Reboot)

Some random thoughts on the first two episodes

-Why so little theme song? I was fully expecting for Carrie and the girls to strut down the New York City streets to their highly notable theme song composed by Douglas J Cuomo, or at least with an updated version of it, but we got nothing, but a straight shot to the opening scene at the restaurant. I'm guessing they chose to go this direction due to the signs of the times; because nowadays most shows don't have a full opening theme segment...so I kinda get it, but I still miss it.

-The other right away surprise was the little to no Carrie narration. In the original show she is the voice of the series, from beginning to the end of each episode, however she's only narrated some short thoughts twice in these two episodes. She didn't even narrate what she was typing on her laptop, which is a classic Carrie thing to do. I wonder why they chose to take this direction...maybe they thought this would be a more mature approach to her character, to show that she's not as much in her head as she was before. Who knows....

-The Samantha conversation between Carrie and Miranda seems very autobiographical. I wonder if Sara had any hand in writing that part. I desperately want to hear Samantha's side of things; cuz we all know she has the real tea of what went down between them.

-I'm trying to gauge the timeline of this story because if it is taking place in modern times (and I think it is considering the covid references in episode 1) then the kids should actually be a bit older than they are in this current timeline. Brady should be close to hitting 20, since he was born in 2002, but Miranda said that he was actually 17. Some where some how theres been close to a three year gap unaccounted for....unless Brady wasn't actually born in 2002. We need the writers to clarify for certainty LOL

-The BIG issue...I've gotta be honest, I didn't really see many previews or read about what might happen on this reboot, so I was a bit surprised and disappointed when I saw that Big was back on the show. I guess I was hoping they would write the man off completely...I just do not like him. He treated Carrie horribly and for the most part it was a toxic relationship. But thankfully he didn't have much screen time & we didn't have to go through any potential emotional damage as he'd done in previous seasons (and movies) And as cold as this going to sound, I felt nothing when he passed away. TBH I was more moved when Lexi Featherston fell out the window. Either way, good riddance sir!

-So 20+ years later and Carrie, the famed sex & relationship columnist and now sex/gender role podcaster is still uncomfortable discussing....sex! And although I agree that the subject of public masturbation was a bit over the top in their delivery & the talk about Bradys sex life was cringe, you would think that with all her years of experience and being surrounded by sex positive friends, she wouldn't be so closed off with having open conversation about the act of sex. I've always found that dichotomy quite temperamental because here was this person airing out her and her friends sexual escapeds, but on the other hand her own personal views on sex were quite close minded & judgmental. Remember how Carrie reacted to Samantha's relationship with sex? Her rebuttals were all laced with slut shaming take downs (see the following pics) I hope the writers give her an arc where she finally grows comfortable having these open conversations because I refuse to believe that she stays stuck in her old 90s/early 2000 ways. And as she said "We can't stay who we were, right"....well let's hope that she is about it!

-It is beyond clear that Samantha's presences is very much needed. Her voice was such an integral part to the cohesiveness of this show. With out her it all seems a bit bland and one note. I know that it's extremely early to judge, but so far Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte's lives are not interesting enough to give the show the punch of flavor it got from Samantha alone. On the upside I'm glad the writers chose not kill her off and gave her an opening ending to her story. A big part of me wishes that they were all trolling us and a few episodes in Samantha will shows up in all her amazingness to save the show. If only.....

Predictions:

I belive Carrie's new love interest will be the silver fox hottie from the podcast; who I assume might be a producer or some sort of sound engineer on the show. We haven't been formally introduced to him, but we got several reaction shots from him during the interview with Carrie and that was enough for me to be convinced that a relationship was going to happen LOL

-A twist I sort of see coming is that Miranda might have a tryst with Che. I feel like the writers are going to slowly build that relationship up and somthing between them might happen. Of course I don't ship this because I LOVE Steve and I love Miranda with Steve, but I can see somthing happening on that end, later on in the season, which will bring major drama.

-It seems like Lisa Todd Wexley will be the new addition to the group. Looking forward to seeing what role she'll play within this storyline

-----‐--------‐-------------‐-----

Overall I liked the first two episodes. They weren't the best episodes from the SATC catalog but the show is watchable. Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season brings.

[outtagum]

The cast of SEX AND THE CITY pay tribute to co-star Willie Garson who sadly passed away at 57 from a private battle with cancer. RIP Stanford Blatch x

[lucy-moderatz]

That night, Howie and I had sex like we were teenagers again. Meaning, he had no idea what he was doing, and I didn't say anything.

[andjust-likethat]

And Just Like That icons | Season 1 Episode 1

Feel free to use, but credit would be appreciated :)