When I first heard about Sex and the City returning to screens, my reaction was the same as every other fan: it’s about time! After years of rumors of a possible third movie or a continuation to the series, the iconic group of girlfriends will be wrapping up their stories in the 10 episode reboot. The revival will follow Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as they navigate life, love and friendship in their 50’s. Yes, you read that correctly, Samantha Jones, the fourth member of our fabulous quartet will not be returning to the series. The show will also address COVID- 19 and how the characters dealt with the pandemic affecting New York City.
Although excitement is at the forefront of my mind, I can’t help but wonder…will these changes affect the essence of the show?
- Losing Samantha Jones
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Samantha Jones is the “sex” in Sex and the City. Her bold confidence and think-like-a-man attitude makes for a forward-thinking woman who isn’t afraid to showcase her sexuality. Each of the four women have different personalities that make their friendship special and relatable, so losing one of them will feel like a car without one of it’s wheels. I’m extremely curious as to how they will write Sam off. Killing her seems a bit dramatic for a show like SATC and would surely disappoint fans who have been waiting so long for a reunion. But since the show is so much about friendship, I wonder if they will touch on the topic of friends growing apart which is a very realistic issue. Either way, things will never be the same and Samantha’s scandalous relationships and epic humor will be missed.
When circumstances change and friends grow apart, are we left with more than just the memories?
- The Pandemic Storylines
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Since SATC is having a 2021 makeover, we couldn’t leave out the fact that we are currently living in a pandemic. Growing up with these characters and feeling as though they could be my friends, I can almost predict how they would handle a crisis such as COVID-19. Carrie would most likely quarantine in the Hamptons with Big and take on a new writing project such as “The Key to Virtual Dating”. She would also become a pro at making at home cosmopolitans while doing plenty of online shoe shopping. Charlotte would be baking non stop, furiously sanitizing everything she comes across and washing her hands at least 15 times a day. Miranda would struggle to adapt to a work from home office and would be in and out of zoom calls as the true workaholic that she is. Finally, it is safe to say that Samantha wouldn’t be respecting social distance guidelines and would be finding loopholes to lockdown orders to satisfy her sexual desires.
I can’t help but wonder if, just like our characters, have we been able to adapt to a “new normal”?
- The Big Question
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In the original series, Carrie suffered a lot of backlash for her on-again-off-again relationship with Mr. Big. I have to admit that I’m not a Big fan of that relationship myself, and was extremely disappointed that such an independent woman like Carrie would endure so much and eventually settle for such a toxic guy. With that being said, rumor has it that just like Samantha, Mr. Big will not be coming back in the reboot. That fact leaves us room to speculate about what happens to Carrie and Mr. Big’s marriage? Will they get a divorce? Will they become friends with benefits again? Does Big die of COVID? Does Carrie get her happily ever after? That is the Big question…
- And Just Like That…
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Along with the loss of some characters, the show will also lose it’s iconic Sex and the City name as the reboot will be titled And Just Like That… It is clear that a change in the title is purposeful, as if to signify that this will not be like the original series. Not only are these women no longer in their 30’s, but just like the rest of us they will be facing the complexity of life during a pandemic in the city. New York certainly isn’t the same so it would be unrealistic to expect this sameness from our characters. I’m sure they will remain the fabulous, independent, strong women we know and love regardless of their age. I want to stay optimistic for the show’s success this time around, but my concern is that as fans and humans we are creatures of habit. As much as I would like to think that we have learned to adapt to change in the last couple of years, will we be satisfied with simply having some of our favorite characters back on screen?
Or will we let our expectations of how things used to be get us Carrie-d away?