Warning! This article contains spoilers for And Just Like That… season 3, episode 9.
And Just Like That…has officially brought an end to both of Carrie Bradshaw’s biggestSex and the Citystories.And Just Like Thatseason 3, episode 9, “Present Tense,” may only be 27 minutes long, but it certainly packs a punch.
With Aidan (John Corbett) staying at Carrie’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) Gramercy Park townhouse for longer than 24 hours, it was only a matter of time before the tension hit an all-time high. Leaning into some ofCarrie and Aidan’s greatest hits, theAnd Just Like Thatwriters laid the groundwork for a major argument; little did we know where it was truly headed.
Aidan was distrustful ofCarrie’s strictly professional relationship with writer and neighbor Duncan(Jonathan Cake). He picked a fight with her over the smell of smoke. To top it all off, he let two perfectly decent steaks go to waste.Their relationship was never meant to last, was it?
And Just Like That Has Officially Ended Carrie’s Romances With Both Big & Aidan
Carrie Can Finally Move On From Her Sex And The City Life
Though it took a while,And Just Like Thathas given Carrie a fresh, clean, romantic slate. Carrie’s two greatest loves were Mr Big (Chris Noth) and Aidan.And Just Like Thatsurprisingly killed Big off in theSex and the Cityrevival’s first-ever episode, as he died in Carrie’s arms after suffering from a heart attack on his Peloton.
After a suitable amount of time had passed, she ran into Aidan, and their chemistry was as electric as ever. Nevertheless, they couldn’t seem to work past their original issues. Aidan’s plan to have them be in a kind of committed, long-distance relationship for five years while he dealt with his youngest son was never going to work out well. Carrie deserved more than he could give her.
Then, of course, there was the fact that Aidan fundamentally couldn’t trust her. He was still reeling from her affair with Big inSex and the City. As soon as she got close to another man, his jealousy and possessiveness resurfaced, an interesting turn of events given thatAidan was the one to cheat on Carrie this time around.
Their love was arguably doomed to fail, and"Present Tense" brought their complicated, baggage-heavy relationship to a meaningful, well-articulated close. Now that Carrie’s two biggestSex and the Cityromances are officially over, what’s next for the glamorous writer? Carrie Bradshaw is once again on the market, and this time, no one’s holding her back.
Why And Just Like That Reunited Carrie & Aidan Just To Break Them Up Again
Carrie Needed To Be 100% Certain About Their Relationship
Carrie Bradshaw can be defined by one meme-worthy, iconic phrase:“I couldn’t help but wonder…”
This is a woman who sustains herself with questions of “what if?” What if she hadn’t cheated on Aidan? What if she’d never married Big? What if Big hadn’t died? While it’s technically possible Carrie and Aidan will one day find their way back to each other again, their latest breakup feels pretty definitive.
Carrie needed to know that they would never work. After the events of this particular episode, she’ll never have to"wonder"again.
At this stage in their lives, would it truly be worth it to try again, only to end up right back where they started?Aidan Shaw was always a loose end for Carrie. She needed to know that her relationship with Aidan was unsustainable. She needed to know that they would never work. After the events of this particular episode, she’ll never have to"wonder"again.
Now that she’s fully free of her past, Carrie can embark on a new romantic era, one with endless possibilities.She deserves a relationship free of lingering emotional damage.
As Carrie points out to Aidan in “Present Tense,” she was all in with him this time. Maybe she can finally give that energy to someone worthy of her, whether that’s Duncan or someone else entirely. With only three episodes ofAnd Just Like That…season 3 to go, I’m excited to see where Carrie Bradshaw’s story is headed next.
New episodes ofAnd Just Like That…premiere weekly on Thursdays on HBO Max.
