Anyone watching the SATC reboot? Major spoiler inside...

[Wendy31]

I’ve been watching the reboot - which has caused me to rewatch SatC. And I have to say I enjoy SatC SO MUCH MORE than the reboot.

SatC was easy & enjoyable to watch - the characters & storylines felt so much more natural.

My issues -

1. Stanford - especially after rewatching several episodes of the SatC, I’m so sad at how they handled his death… the way they wrote that he just suddenly decides to leave NYC & divorce Antonio... it’s just not Stanford at all.

I know that, after Big’s death & funeral, they probably decided not to write another death. However, it kinda makes me wonder, if they had known about the allegations against Chris Noth & had known that the actor who played Stanford (can’t remember his name) was going to die, would they have reversed the storylines & given the death & funeral to Stanford & the leaving NYC & divorce to Big?

2. The characters are acting too old for 55.

3. Women who have lived & worked in NYC for so many years would NOT need so much education & instruction about so many issues & would not be bumbling about - especially Miranda who has not only been a partner in a law firm but has always been the one of the 4 who was leading the charge, so to speak, on different issues/stances - which, I think, is why the show feels preachy. For those of us who have watched & rewatched SatC, we KNOW the characters & realize they wouldn’t be so awkward & unaware about current issues, so it feels like we the audience are then being preached to through the characters, if that makes sense.

4. Which brings me to Miranda - the same woman who walked behind Charlotte for blocks to make sure she was okay wouldn’t just get drunk & makeout w/ Che when she’s supposed to be taking care of Carrie, the same woman who made partner in her law firm in her early 30s is NOT going to be weird & awkward around her Black college professor, the same woman who was so punishing toward Steve for cheating on her would NOT turn around & cheat on him… ethics have always been important to Miranda.

I understand that a lot of people did a lot of soul-searching during the lockdowns, & I understand that the lockdown was hard on a lot of marriages… and Miranda has never been all that wonderful w/ Steve... but, still, I think her current story could be written a lot better & more true to her character.

5. I miss Samantha.

So far, one of my favorite parts of the reboot was the very short text convo between Carrie & Samantha.

As an aside, my other favorite part was Carrie w/ Antonio at the surgeon‘s office... the computer image of her face from 15 years ago & Carrie saying, “Oh, I know her!” & then asking herself if she really wanted to just erase the past 15 years felt both poignant & relatable.

 

[AustinTink]

I find Miranda so annoying that I've been fast-forwarding through her scenes.

Most of her scenes thus far have been cringeworthy at best.

 

[AustinTink]

4. Which brings me to Miranda - the same woman who walked behind Charlotte for blocks to make sure she was okay wouldn’t just get drunk & makeout w/ Che when she’s supposed to be taking care of Carrie, the same woman who made partner in her law firm in her early 30s is NOT going to be weird & awkward around her Black college professor, the same woman who was so punishing toward Steve for cheating on her would NOT turn around & cheat on him… ethics have always been important to Miranda.

All of this is spot on, especially when she walked behind Charlotte all those blocks. Scenes like that were the heart of the original series. They've lost the heart.

 

[tcufrog]

I don't watch SATC to be educated.

 

[prairie_girl]

For those saying Miranda was awful for doing what she did while she was watching Carrie, agreed it wasn’t her best idea, but let’s not forget that she was also high. She wasn’t having reefer madness, but it can shift your thinking. Not making excuses, just pointing it out.

 

[anniemae]

For those saying Miranda was awful for doing what she did while she was watching Carrie, agreed it wasn’t her best idea, but let’s not forget that she was also high. She wasn’t having reefer madness, but it can shift your thinking. Not making excuses, just pointing it out.

True her judgement was impaired, but what gets me mad was that she shouldn't have been drinking and getting high when she was there to take care of Carrie. Not only was Carrie healing from surgery, but she was suffering huge loss from Big, plus under stress from moving, and selling her former home. Huge stresses and she needed support, but Miranda was acting like a high schooler with a crush.

 

[anniemae]

I read that they were trying to be more inclusive with the core characters since there was not much diversity in the original series. So they are introducing more people of color like the professor and Seema. SJP said that they were addressing it in the reboot.

Ahhhh this kind of makes sense. Notice each of the ladies has a friend of color. I just realized that. I feel like Charlotte and Carries new friends are more natural and seemless, but like a pp said, the professor does not really fit in for some reason. I like her, and her DH, but it just feels forced. I think it's because her and Miranda had such an awkward and rocky start that I can't see her being friends with the ladies. Charlottes friend seems nice but too "uppity" to me. I can see her being good friends with Charlotte, but not with the other two. I am loving Seema. She would fit right in.

 

[prairie_girl]

True her judgement was impaired, but what gets me mad was that she shouldn't have been drinking and getting high when she was there to take care of Carrie. Not only was Carrie healing from surgery, but she was suffering huge loss from Big, plus under stress from moving, and selling her former home. Huge stresses and she needed support, but Miranda was acting like a high schooler with a crush.

100% agree with you.

 

[StephMK]

Wendy31- I agree with your observations completely! The Stanford handling still upsets me. The way Antjony flippantly adds in, oh and he's divorcing me too. I would rather have had him die, maybe not show all the grieving/funeral, etc. but the time jump could have included a better tribute to him.

It really feels like the writers didn't know the original series and don't understand women or couples in their 50s. I have a son and no one I know would be ok and the kids wouldn't be so comfortable with the loud banging. Being 420 aware would be more realistic. A knee or achilles injury and surgery would make more sense with all those stairs than some sudden hip issue.

The last episode felt the closest to some of the original spark. The dr office and the picnic were better scenes. I was glad she said she wouldn't want to get rid of the last 15 yrs and sold that all white apt.

 

[Colleen27]

I’m not opposed to changing pronouns or gender presentation. That said, I did identify with the last episodes use of they/them. I’ve considered both words to be plural for 40+ years, so anytime they are someone’s personal pronouns, my brain takes a minute to process and catch up because I instinctively assume the speaker is talking about multiple people. I wish there was a different option that was singular.

Oh, I get hung up on that one too. The AP stylebook didn't recognize the singular they/them until 2017 and as a journalism major and former newspaper reporter, that was my grammar bible. So my brain still catches a second and wants to "fix" it or assumes plural even when I know it is someone's chosen pronoun.

I do. It doesn't feel authentic in many of the episodes - it feels like we're all on a journey of learning regarding a variety of issues.

That's what jumps out at me too. It doesn't feel authentic to me that women just a few years older than I am, living in one of the most diverse and cosmopolitan cities in America, would need so much educating about these things. Like I said upthread, the conversations Charlotte is having about pronouns and gender are very close to some we've had with my 70-something MIL, who has lived her whole life in a homogenous midwestern town, about the young trans people in our inner circle. It is probably not meant that way - it is probably meant to be more reflective of Charlotte's attachment to the way she imagines things should be, and the scene this last week with the kids' room shifted it that way a bit - but it feels very much like "old ladies just don't get gender identity". And that doesn't resonate for me given the main characters' ages and backgrounds. Neither did Miranda putting her foot in her mouth with her professor, or the way she ignores Brady's sex life (that doesn't ring true from either side - I know my young adult kids have had sex, but they're no more eager to do so within earshot of their parents than we are to hear it!).

 

[Wendy31]

Additionally, as prissy & uptight as Charlotte could be in the original SatC, she was always rather progressive w/ the showings in her art gallery - there was the artist’s photos of women dressed & styled as men & there was another one too but I can’t recall the specific details.

And she’s never been one to hide from issues either - when Trey was having problems, she wasn’t shy about talking to him about it & was actually rather direct w/ him

And Miranda has always been about boundaries - she’d never be okay w/ Brady & his girlfriend having loud sex in the room right next to her.

I read a commentary that said the reboot is almost like Carrie, Charlotte, & Miranda were frozen in time after the 1st movie (the 2nd movie in Dubai doesn’t count) & then reactivated & plunked down in 2021 - w/ no thoughts or clues at all for how these characters would have naturally grown & evolved w/ the times.

And Stanford was one of Carrie’s best & oldest friends - NO WAY would he have just left New York like that!

 

[anniemae]

Wendy31- I agree with your observations completely! The Stanford handling still upsets me. The way Antjony flippantly adds in, oh and he's divorcing me too. I would rather have had him die, maybe not show all the grieving/funeral, etc. but the time jump could have included a better tribute to him.

It really feels like the writers didn't know the original series and don't understand women or couples in their 50s. I have a son and no one I know would be ok and the kids wouldn't be so comfortable with the loud banging. Being 420 aware would be more realistic.

Had to look that up (hangs middle aged head in shame)

 

[Imzadi]

An episode from 10/10 is scheduled to be run this Sunday at 8pm. Chris Noth is in that rerun. I suppose we'll see if it's pulled.

I'm wondering if they will call attention to him leaving by giving his character some excuse to leave or if his character will just become one that is never mentioned again? Sometimes that happens in shows for non-controversial reasons too and the audience is left confused why some person up and leaves and is never mentioned again.

Chris Noth is in every episode of The Equalizer, so they can't just pull the previous episodes and not rerun them, the way Law & Order has a gazillion other seasons they can rerun into infinity and no one would even notice if the first seasons never re-air.

That said, Noth wasn't in this week's Equalizer episode. He had a major storyline in the previous two episodes focused on his character, yet not only wasn't he in this episode, he wasn't even mentioned. Something major happens at the end of the episode that Queen Latifah's character does not have the power, influence or, most importantly, the connections on several top covert governmental levels and departments to make happen on her own. That usually was Noth's department and place in the series. So, the event happened, yet she glossed over how she was able to get others to make it happen.

You may be right, they just move forward and never mention him again.

 

[Imzadi]

It really feels like the writers didn't know the original series and don't understand women or couples in their 50s. I have a son and no one I know would be ok and the kids wouldn't be so comfortable with the loud banging.

I read a commentary that said the reboot is almost like Carrie, Charlotte, & Miranda were frozen in time after the 1st movie (the 2nd movie in Dubai doesn’t count) & then reactivated & plunked down in 2021 - w/ no thoughts or clues at all for how these characters would have naturally grown & evolved w/ the times.

Actually these new writers are aware of some moments from the old series and it sounds like they are superficially trying to re-create them to give everyone a look and feeling of the old moments, yet they miss the boat on the real, deeper feelings, values and heart connections the women had in the old series, and yes, how they would have grown in the interim years.

I recall a couple episodes. The first one was were the girls went to Los Angeles. (It may be some place else but the women had to rent hotel rooms.) As usual, Samantha hooks up with a guy and is having sex in her bed. Then the scene cuts to Carrie, who is in the bed, right against the wall, in the neighboring hotel room, and hearing all the loud banging all night.

Another time, Carrie and Big were in the room next to Samantha, going at it again.

Samantha is now missing from AJLT, yet the writers wanted to recreate that moment of hearing it in the next room, so they have the 17 year old kids doing it instead. Meanwhile throwing out basic laws, (17 is still considered underage in most states except like Kentucky,) and the normal values of Miranda.

Which brings me to Miranda - the same woman who walked behind Charlotte for blocks to make sure she was okay wouldn’t just get drunk & makeout w/ Che when she’s supposed to be taking care of Carrie

True her judgement was impaired, but what gets me mad was that she shouldn't have been drinking and getting high when she was there to take care of Carrie. Not only was Carrie healing from surgery, but she was suffering huge loss from Big, plus under stress from moving, and selling her former home. Huge stresses and she needed support, but Miranda was acting like a high schooler with a crush.

Again, Samantha is missing. SHE would normally do it in the kitchen and no one would think twice about it. But, now they have to get in the sex moments via the other characters.

And Stanford was one of Carrie’s best & oldest friends - NO WAY would he have just left New York like that!

Totally agree with this.

 

[Imzadi]

Charlotte having to have things explained to her reminds me of the episode where she admits she's never seen her err, umm lower lady parts. And one of the girls asks if she's never been curious and taken a mirror to look down there. Later, in private, she even asked Carrie if she had seen her own lady parts.

The writers seem to be following a framework that was left for them, and they are being clumsy. And those items on the list are more important than the development of the actual characters and relationships.

I Googled and there is a SATC "Drinking Game," where anytime one of the women does _____" people take a drink.

It seems that Miranda and family were handed Samantha's items in the drinking game. And Charlote is still clueless about certain stuff that have to be explained to her.

 

[AustinTink]

Today's episode was better than the last few. Felt more like the old series. Now they can delve deeper into Carrie's new love life and pull back from the other awkward stuff with the other characters. Not eliminate, just less of it.

On a side note, I've chaired a million of those school auctions just like the one on this episode and a school of that caliber would never have two parents (no matter how important they were) running the live auction. They would have a professional auctioneer. Just a little nit-picky thing.

 

[Colleen27]

On a side note, I've chaired a million of those school auctions just like the one on this episode and a school of that caliber would never have two parents (no matter how important they were) running the live auction. They would have a professional auctioneer. Just a little nit-picky thing.

It's funny because I had that same thought. I'm on the auction committee at two much smaller, much less affluent private schools and hiring a professional auctioneer is a totally non-negotiable expense for us because it makes such a difference in how much we raise. A bad amateur can really sink the whole night. But I suppose sacrifices must be made in the name of comedy, because I do think this last episode was a lot more fun than the reboot has been so far.

 

[tcufrog]

It's funny because I had that same thought. I'm on the auction committee at two much smaller, much less affluent private schools and hiring a professional auctioneer is a totally non-negotiable expense for us because it makes such a difference in how much we raise. A bad amateur can really sink the whole night. But I suppose sacrifices must be made in the name of comedy, because I do think this last episode was a lot more fun than the reboot has been so far.

I've been on the auction committee at DS10's school most years. I had to explain to a committee member one year that you don't trim the budget by eliminating the open bar because drunk parents making poor financial decisions during the auction is what makes the money.

We do cut people off if they are starting to drink too much and we don't let anyone drive home drunk.

 

[AustinTink]

I've been on the auction committee at DS10's school most years. I had to explain to a committee member one year that you don't trim the budget by eliminating the open bar because drunk parents making poor financial decisions during the auction is what makes the money.

We do cut people off if they are starting to drink too much and we don't let anyone drive home drunk.

Absolutely! I was just at a venue meeting yesterday and I made them move the bar (first of many bars) closer to the check in desk. Drink in hand at all times!

 

[neverlandsky]

So a time jump of 18 months to 2 years with Carrie writing the book? As-in post + world? Sure looks like it.

OMG the first date . Agree Carrie wins over Anthony.

On Charlotte’s side with the Sorry.

Miranda & Steve it’s really rough and uncomfortable to watch.

Aww Peter. I like it.