Can ‘And Just Like That…’ Carrie On Without Aidan?

Carrie and Aidan finally did the right thing: they broke up. The evil is defeated! The stale relationship they reheated in the microwave until it was miserable and joyless finally came to a close. It’s still unclear why Aidan was brought onto the show only to dominate every episode with repetitive fights with Carrie, but at least it’s over. At least, we can hope it’s over. HBO’s And Just Like That… has a peculiar allergy to plot decisions with any relationship to sense. As Dustin intimated, it’s entirely in-character for the series to bring the dope back from Virginia to ensure no one enjoys themselves. For hints of where And Just Like That… may be going as it begins its two-part series finale, we must look to the fictional world’s one enduring heart: Carrie Bradshaw.

Carrie celebrated her new freedom by having a fling with Duncan, a neighbor and fellow writer who really seemed to get her. Carrie remarked that he could see her “me-ness,” which is very sweet, but Samantha Jones was sorely needed on hand to make an innuendo out of it. Alas, Duncan had to head back to London, which cut this promising romance short. Given Carrie’s disastrous past following men to Europe, it makes sense that she didn’t uproot and tag along. It remains a possibility, though; Carrie hasn’t really experienced respect from writers she’s dated, like Berger. It’s entirely in her character to rationalize skipping across the pond to be with someone who makes her feel so seen, and, in a rare twist for the men of AJLT, Duncan seemed genuinely supportive of her.

Throughout the third season, Carrie has felt somewhat detached from the rest of the cast. Sure, she still chats with Miranda, Charlotte, and Seema in most episodes, but there are scarce moments where she connects with the women of her life. Carrie’s relationship with Aidan is partially to blame, but it’s striking how few of the plotlines are about these women together. Most often, our ladies of New York have their own separate, parallel dramas. Over in one silo, Seema is growing in her relationship with Adam Gardens, the gardener. In another, Miranda stumbles her way toward happiness with Joy. Charlotte and Harry’s silo is mostly dedicated to their family’s weathering of Harry’s diagnosis. Lisa’s silo is full of grief for her father and her workplace flirtation with Marion. Now that Carrie is, at last, free of Aidan, it’s clear how relatively divorced she is from her friends’ lives.

What if, in the absence of a killjoy like Aidan, Carrie decided to commit herself not to a new man, but to her friends? It’s entirely warranted to wonder what this Sex and the City sequel series is without the sex, but AJLT hasn’t been anything close to its original series for most of its run. The show has already gotten well far away from the heady days of SATC. Even then, SATC balanced the ladies’ individual adventures with stories about their friendship. This could be a realignment, an opportunity for Carrie to reconnect with the loved ones in her life who won’t ask her for a five-year break.

Besides, with just two episodes left, And Just Like That would have just two scant options if they wanted to kindle up a new romance. They would either need to bring Aidan back, which would make the final season feel even more like a waste of time, or they would have to create a new character and then rush at breakneck speed to establish a new relationship before the series ends. Neither of those options would feel satisfying in the least. In the former, Carrie basically settles for someone familiar who has proven they’re an inconsiderate partner. In the latter, Carrie ends her run on TV with some random guy the audience hasn’t had a chance to connect with.

Instead, why not have Carrie gain a measure of maturity and realize she doesn’t need a man to be happy? Seeing her realize how much her friends mean to her and giving time to their relationships could end the series on a warm high. So what will And Just Like That… do? Who knows! The series is unpredictable in the most exasperating ways. For all we could guess, And Just Like That… could time-jump 10 years into the future where Carrie sips a martini made by the human-like robot programmed to be like Big.