The final words from Carrie Bradshaw, “she was on her own,” are a poignant commentary on the show’s theme. The sentiment may be trite, but it provides a crucial Band-Aid for the series finale’s lack of cohesion. And Just Like That … failed to recreate the show’s signature voice-over narration that defined and energized the original run of Sex and the City.
Michael Patrick King, the showrunner, initially argued that excluding Carrie’s commentary was a logical choice due to the thesis of the show being that Carrie has no overview. However, this decision led to a show that felt disorienting and lacking in cohesion. The absence of the voice-over made each episode feel like an isolated event, rather than part of a larger universe.
The original Sex and the City series used random New Yorkers speaking directly to the camera as if they were being interviewed by Carrie about their sex lives. This wider scope gave the show its anthropological feel, allowing it to explore contemporary debates about women’s lives. And Just Like That … failed to replicate this structure, instead focusing on a scattered plot without anyone doing the work to solve for a correlation.
Carrie’s voice-over was not an omniscient overview but rather a scientific approach to understanding city life and love. The show should have followed its own narrative threads, even if it wouldn’t be clear to the characters, to make each episode feel like part of a larger universe. Without this commentary, And Just Like That … relied on humiliation, cruelty, and gross-out comedy.
However, with Carrie’s novel returning by way of Sarah Jessica Parker’s narration, the show began to find its footing again. The voice-over provided a sense of an active intelligence trying to apply what one has experienced back to an understanding of the world, and for Carrie, love. While the series finale lacked cohesion, the return of Carrie’s narration offered hope that the show could have continued.
The legacy of Sex and the City is still very much alive through Carrie’s voice-over, which provided a unique perspective on city life and love. The show’s failure to recreate this structure led to a disjointed narrative, but with its return, And Just Like That … had the potential to continue exploring the themes that made it so compelling in the first place.
Source: https://www.vulture.com/article/and-just-like-that-series-finale-review.html