We need to face the truth. And Just Like That… is no Sex and the City.
When the revival was announced in 2020, loyal fans of the acclaimed show were under the illusion that the story would pick up where we left Sex and the City's main characters Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis).
And that’s not what happened. Season 1 of And Just Like That… delivered more imperfections than substance when it was released in 2021. It was received with mixed reviews, with many complaining about the inauthentic storytelling and shift in tone.
The second season does little to change that.
The story begins three weeks after the end of season one. Carrie is moving on in some respect from the grief of losing Mr Big, and is trying to figure out her next step – in work, in life, in romance.
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Meanwhile, Miranda is having a midlife crisis. She is spending the summer in Los Angeles with the immature and narcissistic Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez), a character who has become epic for all the wrong reasons. And Charlotte is coming to terms with her teenage children becoming their own people.
A welcome change from the emotional rollercoaster of season one, this season has finally found its rhythm.
While Carrie is still Carrie, finding herself in the only way she knows how – through her experiences – her story is still wonderfully frivolous. From choosing a replacement dress to wear to the Met Gala, to deciding how much of her past she’s willing to revive – including her ex, Aidan Shaw – her conundrums and internal monologues are the bridge from Sex and the City that fans loved.
And Parker is the saving grace of the show. She is always a delight to watch. Charismatic and intuitive, she proves that she understands Carrie right to her bones.
Meanwhile, the writing in And Just Like That… is funny but sometimes redundant.
Charlotte's challenges as a mother to teenagers, as well as Miranda dealing with her growing son Brady, are dealt with in the most cliche ways. The children are also written with the same exact traits, a paint by numbers caricature of sullen, wisecracking teenagers.
The storylines don’t always make sense, either. And sometimes the series is more Desperate Housewives than Sex and the City.
But as all Sex and the City fans – including this writer – will attest, it's hard to switch off from the show.
I had to find out what happens next. Sure, the performances are brilliant and cringeworthy in equal measure, but the story of Carrie Bradshaw and her life in New York has gone beyond good or bad. It’s entertaining, addictive, and is too integrated into the fabric of pop culture to miss.
Season two of And Just Like That… is all about seeing the main characters in the next phase of their lives with the overridding theme: Who do we become when our identity has been so defined by our past?
It's ironic that this is the very question the show itself is grappling with.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs: 2018 Maserati GranTurismo/GranCabrio
Price, base Dh485,000 (GranTurismo) and Dh575,000 (GranCabrio)
Engine 4.7L V8
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Power 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 520Nm @ 4,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.3L (GranTurismo) and 14.5L (GranCabrio) / 100km
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km
SPECS
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
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