Where did Samantha go and what happened to Mr. Big: foreign critics talked about the sequel to "Sex and the City"

New York hosted the premiere of the HBO Max series "And Just Like That" - a sequel to the famous project "Sex and the City".

Sarah Jessica Parker, Christine Davis and Cynthia Nixon returned to their roles, playing in the original series and two full-length sequels Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbs, respectively.

The tape is set in New York after the coronavirus pandemic.

In the center of the plot are already 50-year-old heroines, faced with age-appropriate problems and experiences.

According to the author of the Chicago Sun Times, Richard Roper, they all find themselves on new stages of life, but they retain their key features: Miranda is still the most serious of the whole company, Charlotte is still charming, and Carrie has not lost interest in fashion accessories.

The general mood and humor also migrated to the new series, but now there are much more dramatic events in the lives of the heroines: for example, one of the friends suffers from alcohol addiction, and the other faces unexpected difficulties associated with children.  

“This is the source of the show's greatest potential — an honest portrayal of 55-year-old women, a band we almost never see in the spotlight on television and in movies,” says Jennifer Kaseen Armstrong of The Wrap.

Long before the premiere of the series, it became known that Kim Cattrall, who also starred in the other projects of the franchise, did not take part in the production of the tape.

Foreign critics explained her absence by the departure of the heroine of the actress, Samantha Jones, to London for work.

Richard Roper notes that Samantha does not want to continue communicating with her friends.

To keep the intrigue, the reviewer does not specify what exactly influenced the relationship of the heroines, but emphasizes that the authors of the series have chosen a rather careful way to exclude the character from the plot.

TVLine author Dave Nemec, in turn, believes that the absence of the heroine Cattrall has not benefited the series.

According to the critic, Samantha set the tone for the original project, which is lacking here.

“Samantha was a bold pioneer in the sex positivity that gave the original series its daring poignancy, and that poignancy is sorely lacking here.

This time, talk about sex is kept to a minimum, and the tone is closer to the late seasons of Sex and the City - more a dramedy about relationships than a nasty sex comedy, "Nemets writes.

• Shot from the series "And just like that"

One of the main intrigues of the series was the relationship between Carrie and her beloved Mr. Big (Chris Noth).

Many critics noted that an event took place in the first episode that had a strong impact on the lives of the heroes, but refrained from further disclosing the plot.

"The first episode ends with a devastating turn of events (too big to be spoiled here) that steers Carrie's life in a new direction, forcing her to rely more on her friends and turn back to those parts of her past that we know so well," writes Armstrong.

Her colleague from Variety Daniel D'Addario hinted that Carrie and Mr. Big would be forced to part, but he also did not give a reason.

“The reasons for the platonic (Carrie and Samantha. -

) and romantic (Carrie and Mr. Big. -

) breaks in the first episode are not worth exploring here, since the series can be watched on HBO Max right now;

one is revealed at the very beginning of the pilot episode, the other at the end.

Suffice it to say that the door for the resumption of some key relationships in the life of Carrie Bradshaw was left open, while for others it was finally closed, ”said D'Addario.

However, the secret was revealed by Entertainment Weekly author Darren Franich, stating that Mr. Big will die in the first episode.

After that, part of the series will be devoted to Carrie's experiences.

“This death is sad for many reasons, not least because the eternal mischievous Noth is simply magnificent in several scenes of domestic bliss.

His heart attack also makes “And Just Like That” alternately touching and confusing, ”writes Franich.

Film critics also note that the authors of the series "And Just Like That" tried to take into account the maximum of modern trends that can be traced in American cinema.

IndieWire's Ben Travers explains that Carrie is on the X, Y, and Me podcast, Charlotte is looking for black guests for her dinner party to accompany her only black friend, and Miranda recalls trying to help Muslim migrants ...

In addition, a non-binary stand-up comedian appears in the series.

"Too many 2021 cultural landmarks and new characters are landing awkwardly in a luxe-looking Michael Patrick King-produced revival of sorts," says Deadline film critic Dominic Patten.

Darren Franich notes that attention to these topics becomes less intrusive in the fourth episode, in which "people stop talking about their problems and start talking about

problems."

In general, reviewers note that the series "And Just Like That" is more dramatic than the original.

Marriages are unhappy here, and friendships are no longer as strong, explains Daniel D'Addario.

Nevertheless, the journalists considered the project a worthy continuation of the popular tape.

Jennifer Kaysin Armstrong writes that the show is returning to what made Sex and the City so popular: intimate stories and realistic and challenging emotions.

“And just like that” is a smart, layered, insightful gem with true dramatic weight, but with the same sense of style and escapism of the Manhattan upper middle class as the original, ”concludes Richard Roper.