Warning: SPOILERS For And Just Like That Season 3, Episode 8, “Happily Ever After"I hate to say it, but Charlotte’s (Kristin Davis) storyline inAnd Just Like Thatseason 3 has been all over the place, coming to a head in “Happily Ever After.” It’s been a stronger season forSex and the City’s revival overall, with 3 scoring a higher Rotten Tomatoes score thanAnd Just Like Thatseasons 1 and 2.
While Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) navigates her not-so-long-distance romance with Aidan Shaw (John Corbett), things are heating up for the other key members ofAnd Just Like That’s cast— Charlotte, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Seema (Sarita Choudhury), and Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker). That said,Charlotte’s story has fallen short in a significant way.
Things Just Keep Going Wrong For Charlotte
Image via Max
Notwithstanding some promising elements,And Just Like Thatseason 3hasn’t been able to resist making Charlotte York Goldenblatt the butt of the joke in almost every episode. It starts in theAnd Just Like Thatseason 3 premiere, whenCharlotte’s dog, Richard Burton, gets “canceled” by an elderly woman at the park, adding little to the main character’s story.
And Just Like Thatseason 3, episode 8, made her the punchline again.
While it momentarily looked like Charlotte’s arc would take a turn as she navigated more serious matters,And Just Like Thatseason 3, episode 8, made her the punchline again.In “Happily Ever After,” Charlotte suddenly has vertigo, and she is particularly humiliated when she falls into one of her art exhibits at her gallery show, onto the exhibit’s condom.
Sadly, these stories contribute little to Charlotte’s characterization, and they fail to achieve the comedic value they aim for. It’s hardly funny to watch Charlotte’s gallery opening go badly for her. Her tripping and falling brought Miranda’s storyline to a compelling head, but it would have been much more memorable to watch Charlotte succeed in her career-centered scenes.
Charlotte Shines When She’s Given Serious Subject Matter In And Just Like That Season 3
Why Not Lean Into Charlotte’s Serious Side?
Still, Charlotte’s story hasn’t been all comedic relief. InAnd Just Like Thatseason 3, episode 5, Harry (Evan Handler) tells his wife that he has prostate cancer, introducing a sad but heartfelt conflict.Charlotte’s character shines as she navigates Harry’s illness, evoking heart-wrenching momentsthat lend emotional weight to the character, which are necessary due to her longevity.
Charlotte’s evolution continues in the following chapters, as she finally opens up to Carrie about Harry’s illness and then the rest of her friends, after a mix-up at Miranda and Carrie’s party. However,Charlotte’s storyline is back to comedic relief inAnd Just Like That,as even Harry’s cancer is used for a punchlinein episode 8.
Based on what works for both the show and the character,And Just Like Thatshould lean into Charlotte’s more grounded moments, with storylines like Harry;s bringing out some of her best development in recent years. Charlotte had a pretty good arc at the end ofAnd Just Like Thatseason 2, so hopefully her story is building to something.
And Just Like That…
Cast
And Just Like That is a continuation of the beloved franchise Sex and the City, chronicling the experiences of Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte as they transition from the complexities of life and friendships in their 30s to those in their 50s.
