And Just Like That's Ending Set Up A Worse Samantha Problem In Season 2
And Just Like That's finale has set up a major problem for Samantha. How will the show justify her absence now that she's made up with Carrie?
Warning: Spoilers for And Just Like That ahead!
The And Just Like That season 1 finale inadvertently sets up a huge problem for Samantha, one of Sex and the City’s most beloved characters. Now officially picked up for season 2, And Just Like That will have to find more ways to grapple with the absence of Kim Cattrall and the hilariously broad Samantha Jones, as the season 1 finale hinted at a potential return for the character. The series has had no problem writing off characters like Stanford, Big, and Samantha, who were all written around in various ways. But now, with season 2 on the horizon, And Just Like That may have to start from scratch in justifying Samantha’s absence.
Throughout And Just Like That season 1, Carrie would occasionally text with Samantha, now living in London—just one reason why Samantha is not part of the reboot series. But, Samantha’s absence also ran deeper than just physical distance. It was also explained that Samantha and Carrie nearly fell out after Carrie dropped her as her PR representative. And yet, by the end of the season, which saw Carrie leave Big’s ashes in Paris, she and Samantha had reached an unlikely reconciliation, as they agreed to meet for a drink the following night across the pond.
With And Just Like That season 2 coming, and Kim Cattrall still unlikely to appear on the show, the series will have to find another way to further explain Samantha’s absence even though she and Carrie have reconciled. If she and Samantha had truly made up, it stands to reason that Samantha would visit New York, or even move back at some point. At the very least, much like in the franchise’s first movie, Samantha would likely come to New York for occasional drop-ins for important events, or at least continue to stay in touch some other way.
Perhaps And Just Like That will justify Samantha’s absence by insisting she stay in London for work. While this excuse may have worked in the original series, And Just Like That has to contend with FaceTime and Zoom. With Miranda moving to LA to be with Che, it’s likely Carrie and Charlotte will stay in touch with her via Zoom—so why not Samantha? The series could also hint that perhaps Carrie and Samantha’s drink didn’t lead to an actual kiss-and-make-up, but if so, what purpose does that serve thematically?
Samantha and Carrie’s slow-burn rekindling over the course of And Just Like That season 1 was one of the show's most compelling narrative arcs. Thematically, the series puts a focus on how friendships and relationships change over time, particularly into middle age, and Samantha and Carrie’s reconciliation was one of the best examples of this theme. If the show is forced to walk back this moment, rendering Samantha and Carrie’s feud pointless, what does that say about the themes of the series as a whole?
For And Just Like That season 2, the writers and creative team behind the series has a steep hill to climb when it comes to Samantha. It’s likely that the first season was originally conceived as a limited series, with a definitive endpoint. But now, loose ends abound, and the absence of Kim Cattrall’s Samantha Jones still looms large, it’s likely that And Just Like That will need to think carefully about how to continue Carrie’s character arc and relationship with Samantha into its sophomore season.