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And Just Like That
There Goes the Neighborhood
Season 2
Episode 9
Editor’s Rating
Photo: MAX
Bad news, friends: If you’ve arrived at this recap to see if there has been any further development on the fact that last week Carrie — out loud, mind you — wondered if choosing Big over Aidan was actually a terrible mistake, the answer is a resounding no. Well, unless you count the moment when she describes her marriage quite lovingly, which honestly, really only adds to the confusion. Can’t she love Aidan without rewriting history here? Perhaps in due time. For now, though, my thoughts on Carrie’s Big bomb remain mostly “what?” and “why?” and also, “WHAT.” It seems neither Carrie nor Miranda, the one person she uttered this thought to, need further introspection on this wild retcon. Instead, for Carrie, it is full steam ahead on the S.S. Aidan Shaw.
Apparently, Carrie’s time down in Virginia with Aidan’s sons went pretty well. We wouldn’t know since, much like Miranda’s infamous Cleveland trip in season one, we’re only able to imagine what went on during this much-hyped trip. It seems that Aidan’s 14-year-old son Wyatt has taken umbrage with his dad’s new girlfriend, but otherwise, things for Carrie and Aidan are going well. That is until Aidan’s friendliness toward strangers in Che’s building gets the long-term guests ousted by building management. While it does put a wrinkle in Carrie and Aidan’s plans, it does affirm my long-held belief that friendliness is for the birds and you should never talk to your neighbors no matter what.
Now, you might think that losing Che’s apartment for their tryst isn’t a huge deal — Carrie has her own apartment in New York. Alas, Aidan isn’t budging on never setting foot inside the Apartment of Pain, so Carrie decides it’s time to finally sell her place and find a new home. And Just Like That… toyed with this idea last season, but Carrie ultimately could not give up her place, but this time it seems like it’s going to stick. Seema finds her a gorgeous, gigantic apartment in Gramercy Park. It’s got enough room for Carrie, Aidan, and his sons when they visit. It’s a huge change for Carrie, but she really does seem all in on this relationship.
She says as much when Cathy, Aidan’s ex-wife, asks her to coffee the next time she’s in New York. Cathy actually seems pretty cool (Rosemarie DeWitt plays her), although she is super protective of her boys — all of them. She wants to have a chat with Carrie about never using the boys as fodder for her writing (you know this is going to come back around at some point) but also to remind her that she knows about her history with Aidan and if she hurts that man again, well, this time around it’s not just Aidan she’d be hurting. Written out, the whole thing might sound like an aggressive move, but it doesn’t feel aggressive in the moment. Cathy genuinely cares for her ex. She’s firm but not mean.
When Carrie brings Aidan to the apartment and tells her the plan, she can’t help but bring up her meeting with Cathy. Aidan’s not thrilled with his ex-wife overstepping, but it does allow them the space to have a real conversation about what they’re doing. Aidan is adamant that the past is staying in the past (except for the fact that he, a grown man, can’t walk into an apartment with MEMORIES). He’s also well aware that if this relationship continues, they are both going to hurt each other at times, but he knows they’ll always figure it out. That’s how it goes in relationships. They deserve to be happy, he tells her. And so, Carrie finally feels 100 percent sure about getting rid of the baggage of her old place and moving into this new one. And you know what? Even if this thing with Aidan crashes and burns, the new place really is fabulous.
Meanwhile, in one of my favorite developments of season two: Miranda and Charlotte discover that Brady and Lily are hooking up. It starts innocently enough: Miranda asks Charlotte if Lily can come hang out with Brady and encourage him to rethink his decision about not going to college. Like all horny teenagers before and after them, Brady and Lily ditch their parents’ plans and wind up in bed together. It’s not really their coupling that I’m excited about — it’s Miranda and Charlotte’s. They haven’t really been set off on their own storyline much and it’s a shame — these two characters (and actresses) are perfectly suited to make great comedy together.
It’s fun watching them go through the evidence before them, and it’s fun watching Charlotte spiral about all the ways this could go wrong (she’s worried about Miranda being a terrible in-law, which is objectively funny). It’s fun to see them at the Goldenblatt’s fundraising party for Herbert team up in an attempt to read body language and get some confirmation as to what’s really going on between their kids. Cagney and Lacey they are not. In the end, Charlotte is the one who decides they should just let things be. Maybe it’s better not to know for sure if their kids are having sex or not because, hey, Charlotte had lots of sex her mom never knew about when she was a teen and things worked out just fine. Oh, reader. I laughed and laughed at this notion. It’s a hilarious thought for any teen, really, but especially for Brady and Lily specifically, two chaos agents who seem as if they were born with the sole purpose of torturing their parents with inane decision-making. They are idiots, and I cannot wait to see what happens to their mothers as this relationship progresses. What a treat!
On the opposite end of the fun spectrum is Nya. Well, things start out fun. Like, so, so fun. Nya has found the joy in random Tinder hookups and much to her roommate’s chagrin, the woman seems like she’s having the best sex of her life. She deserves this! Even better than the sex, Nya’s enjoying that these random hookups are super casual. There are no expectations. Afterward, she can aimlessly scroll on her phone all she wants and doesn’t have to hide it. It’s a brand new world for Nya. Unfortunately, all of that aimless scrolling leads to a gutting discovery: She sees Andre post about his new girlfriend’s pregnancy. He’s having the baby he always wanted — he’s really moved on. The air is immediately sucked out of the room. Karen Pittman is so great in this scene — you can see the moment her heart breaks. While this news is surely going to put a damper on Nya’s carefree sex, let’s hope it also means we get to spend much more time with her. She doesn’t deserve the heartache, but she definitely deserves more screen time.
• What a lovely surprise: Somehow it’s Anthony with the sweetest romance on this show! He’s been pushing Guiseppe away and here it’s because Anthony is feeling self-conscious. He can’t believe someone as young and hot as Guiseppe would be genuinely interested in him, but Guiseppe allays those fears, and the two finally have sex — during Herbert’s fundraising party no less! I’m rooting for these two.
• Seema hooks up with her Marvel director client Ravi while showing him an endless string of luxe NYC apartments. Has the woman ever looked so satisfied? She tells Carrie that Ravi is all wrong for her, but maybe he’s exactly what she needs? More importantly, Ravi finally takes an apartment. An orgasm and a commission? Seema is thriving.
• Well, Che is still happening — now they’re flirting with people who come into the animal clinic with a box full of kittens and getting back into the standup game. Prepare accordingly.
• LTW is pregnant! As if this woman doesn’t have enough to do already.
• Aunt Carrie, upon learning that Brady and Lily are hooking up: “That’s like hearing that two of my stuffed animals are having sex.”
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