Was Samantha Jones the Star of 'Sex and the City' All Along?

I couldn't help but wonder...

I don’t know about you, but I’ve missed Samantha Jones. Every friend group needs a bit of spice, sex appeal, and camp to keep things interesting, and the SATC girls are no exception. Losing Samantha's singular sense of fashion (no one wears a snatched blazer like New York's most fabulous publicist), her catchphrases (“I love you, but I love me more”), and her swagger has left a giant Kim Cattrall–shaped hole in And Just Like That… that’s impossible to fill.

Thankfully, the writers didn’t even try, opting instead to inject some fresh blood into the reboot with a diverse ensemble of newcomers. Yet, even with standouts like Seema (her penchant for animal print has been this season's fashion highlight) and the unexpected return of Aidan Shaw, fans' collective longing for the beloved character has not lessened.

When Variety reported a Kim Cattrall cameo was on its way last spring, SATC obsessives rejoiced. We were finally getting the cameo we wanted — nay, the cameo we deserved — rather than just a deeply unsatisfying transatlantic text exchange. And, thankfully, the wait is finally over.

Today, Kim Cattrall made her highly-anticipated return to the Sex and the City universe in the season 2 finale of AJLT. (Spoilers ahead.) And though the cameo was nothing more than a 2-minute FaceTime between old friends (one in the back of an Uber, one saying goodbye to her single-girl apartment), I immediately perked up when I saw Cattrall's face on my TV screen.

Related: All the Fashion References You Might've Missed in 'And Just Like That...' Season 2

Sure, the conversation was shorter than I would've liked, and yes, I would've killed for a glimpse at whatever shoes Patricia Field chose for the scene, but Samantha's return was somehow still deeply satisfying. I laughed a few times. I admired her silver lamé jacket and colorful Fendi First clutch. I even got a good-natured F-bomb expertly delivered by Cattrall. More than anything, though, the cameo made me realize how much the Sex and the City universe relies on her energy. How much the new series demands a Samantha-like figure to bring some much-needed brutal honesty and attitude to the reboot. And just like that, I couldn't help but wonder... was Samantha Jones the main character all along?

Think about it. Of all the original cast, Samantha is arguably the most staunch feminist icon. Carrie, Charlotte, and even Miranda have all delivered their fair share of questionable opinions or problematic jokes. Samantha, on the other hand, has delivered unforgettable manifestos like "The right guy is an illusion. Start living your lives" and "A guy gets angry in a meeting, he’s a pistol. A woman, she’s emotional."

Not to mention that her taste is unmatched. If Sex and the City characters were luxury fashion brands, Charlotte would probably be Burberry or Ralph Lauren, Miranda would be some mix of Max Mara and The Row, and Carrie Bradshaw would take a quirky statement maker like Vivienne Westwood or Jean Paul Gaultier, curated by Patricia Field, of course. There’s no question, however, that Samantha Jones would be Mugler, which is arguably the "main character" of all the fashion houses. It’s futuristic. It’s fabulous. It’s very much Samantha Jones.

Samantha's sparkle, sharp shoulders, and bold use of color are sorely missed in the reboot, but so is her signature candor. She's always been the most open about the realities of aging, a topic that sits close to the heart of the show. She was the first to admit to using Botox, which, frankly, was a radical act for 2008 when the first movie was released. Rallying cries like, "I am fifty-fucking-two, and I will rock this dress," and "As you know, I have always loved my body just the way it is," come from Samantha Jones, not Carrie Bradshaw.

In short, she was way ahead of her time, embracing femininity long before TikTok rehabilitated the bimbo and baby Botox made its way to Instagram. Samantha was also the only unmarried, "single girl" left of the group after Carrie married Big at the end of the first movie. As such, Samantha Jones carries the proverbial torch. She represents the spirit of the show, one that was originally about women still in the dating pool, living their best lives in the city, uninhibited in their choices, unencumbered by husbands and children, and unbothered by anyone else's opinions. That is main character behavior.

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