Warning! SPOILERS For And Just Like That Season 3, Episode 4, “Apples To Apples”
Sex and the City’s revival show has encountered challenges creating a compelling story for Charlotte York Goldenblatt inAnd Just Like Thatseason 3, which is an issue the original show never dealt with. Kristin Davis was Charlotte inSex and the City’s castand reprised the character forAnd Just Like Thatalongside Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw and Cynthia Nixon’s Miranda Hobbes. InAnd Just Like Thatseason 1, Charlotte is raising her teenage children, is fully settled into motherhood, and is building on her story from the original series and movies.
Charlotte is happily married in the revival show, andCharlotte’s romance with Harry Goldenblatt(Evan Handler) remains strong. Charloette was always trying to check the boxes of a traditional lifestyle inSex and the City: to fall in love, get married, and have children. Therefore, continuing Charlotte’s story inAnd Just Like Thatwas a challenging prospect, since the mother of two had already achieved everything that she hoped for. Therefore,Charlotte’s story has stalled at times, as is the case inAnd Just Like Thatseason 3.
And Just Like That Season 3 Is Struggling To Find An Interesting New Story For Charlotte
Nothing Interesting Has Happened To Charlotte In AJLT Season 3
As the other leading ladies navigate life-changing moments inAnd Just Like Thatseason 3’s premiere, Charlotte is embroiled in an outrageous B-plot about an older woman at the park, mistaking her dog, Richard Burton, for a vicious canine. While Seema (Sarita Choudhury) dumps her movie producer boyfriend, Miranda hooks up with a nun, and Carrie navigates roadbumps in her long-distance relationship with Aidan Shaw (John Corbett),Charlotte is relegated to comic relief, withAnd Just Like Thatseason 3 doing little to move her story forward.
Then, inAnd Just Like Thatseason 3, episode 2,Charlotte teams up with Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker)to get their high-school-aged kids into college. The mothers hunt a sought-after college admissions expert, Lois Fingerwood (Kristen Shaal), only to pull their kids out of the situation when it becomes overwhelming. It’s satisfying to watch Charlotte tell Fingerwood off, but the plot is frivolous, creating a trend for Charlotte’s season 3 stories, in which she often shares the spotlight with her daughter, Lily (Cathy Ang).
Charlotte Became One Of And Just Like That’s Best Characters In Season 2
We Saw Charlotte’s Spark Return In AJLT Season 2
The mother’s story inAnd Just Like Thatseason 3 contrasts with Charlotte’s story in season 2, with York Goldenblatt having one of the best narratives of the revival’s second installment. We see Charlotte balancing the unending duties of motherhood with her desire to restart her career inAnd Just Like Thatseason 2, after the owner of a popular art gallery convinces the mother to return to work. Frustrated by the pull she feels between her work and her family’s constant requests, Charlotte delegates some of her parenting duties to Harry and finally lets herself live a little.
By the end of And Just Like That season 2, Charlotte had fully embraced her midlife resurgence.
By theend ofAnd Just Like Thatseason 2,Charlotte had fully embraced her midlife resurgence, going out with the other gallery girls after selling a painting to musician Sam Smith. She drops her phone into a pitcher of margaritas when her family tries to contact her, signaling that Charlotte had, at least momentarily, unburdened herself from the less urgent duties of motherhood. With the mother wrapped up her kids’ trivial matters inAnd Just Like Thatseason 3, Charlotte’s story has regressed, discarding the mother’s independence that made her story in season 2 enjoyable.
The Show Suffers When It Doesn’t Lean Into Charlotte’s Edge
Charlotte’s story in the revival is fundamentally different from how the character was treated inSex and the City.In the original series, Charlotte’s character was divisive, with many audience members not agreeing with her traditional opinions. Still,Charlotte’s ideals led to some of the most interestingSex and the Citystories, like when her marriage to Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan) fell apart. Charlotte’s story as an unhappy wife, having to rethink the perfect life she expected for herself, led to one of the most meaningful arcs of the show.
Charlotte’s story stayed interesting after her divorce from Trey, which led to York meeting and falling in love with her divorce lawyer. Charlotte memorably converted to Judaism to be with Harry, and the way she took on the challenge and rethought her worldview was another fascinating element ofSex and the City.Charlotte has had a better reception in the reboot, but hopefully,And Just Like Thatdoesn’t sacrifice Charlotte’s edge to make her more likable. The revival could be saving something huge for Charlotte in season 3, justifying her slow start.
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.
