In one of the fastest new season turnarounds in recent memory,And Just Like That…is back with season three—and things are off toa slow but totally solid start. The first episode ofAnd Just Like Thatseason threeis alreadystreaming on Max(Or HBO? Or HBO Max? I dunno,ask Jean Smart). So far, Carrie is doing long-distance with Aidan, Miranda is sleeping with a very familiar looking nun, LTW has a Michelle Obama quandary,Seemais serving up a Hollywood movie ending on a dilapidated pier and Charlotte…well, she has another dog plotline. But what will happen next?! After watching the first episode of the new season, I have a prediction—and I think fans of the originalSex and the Citywill like my theory. Craig Blankenhorn/Max As the credits rolled (and Carriedidn'thave a voiceover saying, "And just like that…"—more on this in a minute), I couldn't help but wonder, are we finally getting back to the show's roots? My theory: This season will be the closest one yet to the OGSex and the City. I have a few reasons to think this. First of all, the new characters are much more solidified now. We know them. We love them. We aren't confused as to why Carrie is spending so much time with her realtor anymore. In a great way, for the first time, we aren't introducing major new characters. Like with the original series, the new faces we meet (like Rosie) are clearly guest stars who will provide minor storylines at best. And while the new season three gang stands at five members instead of the original four, this feels much more manageable—and much more likeSATC—without usalsohaving to follow Che and Nya (and too much of Anthony's plotline) as well. This, plus the absence of any life-altering events like a spouse's death, makes the whole thing feel much more episodic, likeSATC. Craig Blankenhorn/Max And finally, the end of the episode seems to hint that we're getting back to our roots in a big (but not Big) way—albeit with a twist. No more podcast. No more trying to force Carrie into some career she was never intended for. Carrie sits down at her laptop and begins to type, complete withSex and the City-esque voiceover.And, we ditch Carrie saying, "And just like that…" as her final line (although she does slip it into dialogue in the middle of a convo with Anthony earlier—TBD ifthatbecomes a thing this season). Seeing Carrie back at her laptop, after an episode free of deaths or wild twists or new characters or too many characters is refreshing. It takes me back to why I fell in love with the series and the characters in the first place. The one big twist with the laptop though? Carrie doesn't write in the first person. Her text (and voiceover) says, "The woman wondered what she had gotten herself into." The woman?! At least this is a Peloton-free twist I can get on board with. Here's to more ofAnd Just Like Thatfeeling likeSex and the City!New episodes air Thursdays on Max. 16 Shows and Movies to Watch This Weekend, Recommended by Our Editors
