Warning: This post contains spoilers for And Just Like That Season 3, Episode 7And Just Like Thatseason 3, episode 7, “They Wanna Have Fun”, is a step above last week’s episode, which saw Lisa’s (Nicole Ari Parker) dad die and a much-needed conversation between Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Aidan (John Corbett) lead somewhere and nowhere simultaneously. “They Wanna Have Fun” is, well, more fun, with Carrie and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) throwing a birthday party for Charlotte (Kristin Davis) to get her mind off of Harry’s (Evan Handler) cancer… er, I mean Richard Burton’s terminal illness (or so Carrie tells Miranda).
The result is a chaotic episode that is at times genuinely humorous — Joy (Dolly Wells) taking back her gift to Charlotte because she wasn’t supposed to know about Richard Burton was unexpectedly funny — and sometimes painful — the karaoke bits were fine until they became prolonged. I’m enjoying Carrie and Duncan’s (Jonathan Cake) interactions. The exchange of their work is nice and the show managed to authentically develop their relationship so that it hasn’t felt rushed at all.
I’m Happy About Seema & Adam’s Unexpected Hook-Up
By the end, Charlotte finally gets to talk with her friends about Harry’s cancer now that it’s out in the open, and Seema (Sarita Choudhury) and Adam (Logan Marshall-Green), Carrie’s gardener — who I initially thought she might have a relationship with but that was thankfully and quickly crushed — hit it off and go home together. It’s a relationship I didn’t see coming, but after a string of disappointments and a failed matchmaker match, Seema needs this. Maybe Adam is exactly the kind of guy she should be with (at least right now). He’s exactly the opposite of her, but in a good way.
Meanwhile, Anthony (Mario Cantone) meets Giuseppe’s (Sebastiano Pigazzi) mother (Patti LuPone), an American who moved to Italy and fell in love with Giuseppe’s father. Anthony’s concerned she doesn’t like him (and he’s right, she seems thoroughly unimpressed, but I’m loving her general vibe).
…nothing was as interesting as Carrie and Miranda’s argument in the episode’s final moments.
Then there’s Lily (Cathy Ang), whose breakup with her first high school boyfriend is so devastating she thinks it’s the worst she’ll ever feel (oh, to be a teenager). Lisa didn’t get all that much to do here, except show up to Charlotte’s party and be shocked by the news of Harry’s cancer. That’s fine here, but it continues the issue of her being more disconnected from the other characters.
And yet, while the episode was fine enough, nothing was as interesting as Carrie and Miranda’s argument in the episode’s final moments. It brought to a head what I’ve been feeling for a couple of episodes now, especially asAnd Just Like Thatcontinues trying to make Carrie and Aidan work.
And just like that… I’m confused about Carrie getting mad at Miranda for suggesting she was having fun with Duncan at Charlotte’s karaoke-themed birthday party. Carrie took it so offensively, as though Miranda was crapping all over her relationship with Aidan, even though Carrie herself was questioning the whole five-year wait and no sex with other people thing inAnd Just Like That’s last episode.
I was irritated with Carrie, though I know she was likely angry because Miranda is ultimately right. Though Miranda didn’t fully say it out loud, the truth of the matter is becoming quite clear: Carrie and Aidan’s relationship can’t realistically be sustained. They’re already struggling. Just because they have history, which surely makes things easier in terms of being in the thick of the relationship and skipping the get-to-know-you portion, they’re living completely different lives. I’m not convinced at this point that it’s worth all the hassle to maintain something that isn’t fully solid.
It’s also hypocritical of Carrie to be mad at Miranda; she’s just saying what we, as viewers, likely already feel about this whol scenario. The fact there was no clear resolution regarding how Carrie and Aidan would move forward continues to leave Carrie in limbo. And as a friend, I’m sure it guts Miranda to constantly watch Carrie be stressed about the current state of her relationship. If Carrie thought it was wild to think she wouldn’t sleep with anyone for five years while waiting for Aidan, then I don’t see what the issue would be to start up something with Duncan.
I’m not convinced at this point that it’s worth all the hassle to maintain something that isn’t fully solid.
I like Duncan, and mentioned he was one of the best parts of the episode he was introduced in. Jonathan Cake and Sarah Jessica Parker have good chemistry; Duncan can be charming and he’s plugged into her work. Carrie trusted him to read the first chapter of her fiction book and that says a lot. We all know what happened the last time Carrie dated a writer, but Duncan is different than Burger. He’s a successful writer, confident, and witty. What’s more, Carrie is obviously attracted to him. There’s only so long she can resist not falling for him, especially if they’re hanging out all the time.
By getting frustrated with what Miranda (who should refrain from having a karaoke party in the near future) was trying to get at about Carrie and Aidan’s relationship, Carrie was distracting herself from the hard truth. It’s a truth she’ll have to contend with sooner rather than later. Miranda’s just trying to look out for Carrie. And while I do believe that Carrie and Aidan won’t work in the long run, he’s a comfort relationship after losing Big, and that may have been what Carrie really needed all along.
But I’m starting to think Carrie might be more mad with herself for putting in all this effort into a relationship that isn’t really going anywhere. Time will tell what she does with that realization and the complicated feelings she has about it.
And Just Like Thatseason 3 airs every Thursday at 9pm ET on HBO Max.
