All the Ways 'AJLT' Was Like 'SATC' in the Season 2 Premiere

One of the early criticisms against And Just Like That was that the show felt heavy, unfamiliar and nothing like its flagship series, Sex and the City. That was in part due to the storyline—Carrie had just become a widow and Miranda was stuck in a lifeless a marriage—but it was also due to the tone. Something was off (and I say that as a longtime SATC fan who liked the reboot much more than the average writer on the Internet).

But whatever zsa zsa zsu was missing from the first season of And Just Like That seems to have returned for its second, at least judging from its two-episode Season 2 premiere, which is now streaming on Max. While continuing to explore territory that's new to SATC, the show seems to be doing so while embracing more of what made the first six seasons of the franchise so beloved. (We've all agreed to just never speak of the movies again, right?)

Below, six ways the And Just Like That Season 2 premiere episodes felt gloriously like vintage Sex and the City.

Related: These Are the 10 Best Sex and the City Episodes, No Questions Asked 

6 ways the And Just Like That Season 2 premiere is like Sex and the City

1. It has lighter vibes

With Carrie's loss of a spouse, Miranda's life implosion and Charlotte's grappling with her child's gender expression, AJLT was, unavoidably, pretty heavy in its debut season. Right off the bat, Season 2 feels breezy by comparison. Even the show's more serious moments are balanced with levity. There's a world of difference between, say, Charlotte rattling off a long list of Black artists at a dinner party in Season 1 and Lisa and Herbert frantically re-braiding their daughter's hair to be more in line with Herbert's mother's standards. Both moments say something important about race, but the latter does so in a way that's funny and organic, rather than being A Very Special Moment.

As a bonus, this time around Carrie's not vomiting on the street with a fellow bereaved spouse—she's having hot sex with her podcast producer. Which brings us to…

2. It shows actual sex in the city

Season 1 of AJLT didn't always feel particularly sexy, aside from a few scenes between Miranda and Che. That's understandable, since Carrie was newly widowed, Miranda was in a marriage with someone who felt less like a lover and more like a roommate, and Charlotte and Harry were squarely in old married-couple territory. (If Charlotte were here, she'd surely pop up to remind us all that she still [bleeps] Harry.)

From the jump, Season 2 wants us to know that things will be different this time around. The opening scene, set to Britney Spears' and Elton John's remixed version of "Tiny Dancer," features each of the show's original cast members and new leads on the brink or in the throes of passionate sex.

It's not that the show necessarily needs explicit sex scenes to succeed, but SATC felt so groundbreaking at the time of its release because of how fearlessly its leads expressed their sexuality. It's refreshing to know from the outset that things will be a little different in Season 2, and the montage both sets the tone for what's to come and reminds viewers of where we left off with each of the show's core couples. It's smart, efficient storytelling. A "previously on…" could never.

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3. It features iconic fashion

It's always been a given that fashion is a main character in the SATC universe, and it's not as if AJLT's first season fell short, exactly. It's just that some of the most iconic fashion moments in Season 1 came from repurposing Carrie's signature looks from the flagship series (think of her lounging around her apartment in her Versace Paris dress or pulling out the shoes from her wedding with Big).

Season 2 is less about revisiting those past looks (with one exception that we'll get to in a second) and more about creating jaw-dropping moments of its own. What better way to do that than sending the cast to the Met Ball in Episode 1? Seeing Lisa crossing a New York City street in a Valentino gown with her husband carrying her massive train is even more stunning than some of the original series' quintessential looks. Still, Carrie gets her (obvious) Easter Egg moment when she repurposes her wedding gown—the one from the first movie (ugh)—as her Ball look after a seamstress disaster.

Also! In episode two, Carrie has a purse that looks like an actual, living pigeon. Let. That. Sink. In.

4. It includes flawless physical comedy

Sex and the City was groundbreaking, sure, but what we forget sometimes is that it was also really, really silly (not a criticism!), embracing slapstick moments like Carrie being literally stepped over by Heidi Klum after becoming fashion runway roadkill or Samantha rage-breaking a sliding glass door hurling melons through it. AJLT rediscovers that playful comedy in the Season 2 premiere episodes, and it does so best through Miranda, whether she's trying not to drown in a sensory deprivation tank, sorting through buckets of kelp and garbage trying to recover a lost phone on the beach, or, most memorably, struggling mightily as she tries to climb into a strap-on harness.

5. It shows relatable breakups

Think back to some of SATC's most memorable moments, and you'll realize that they're not all about falling in love; some of the best moments of the show came from its characters falling out of it. AJLT gives us a scene that's right at home with Samantha papering her neighborhood to call out Richard as a cheater and Berger breaking up with Carrie with a Post-it when Nya and Andre split. Nya rifling through the closet to throw out all of Andre's things, yelling "TIME FOR THE BONFIRE OF THE BEANIES"? Instant classic.

Related: What Will Happen When Aidan Returns?

6. It has zippy dialogue

Whether it was Miranda explaining why she wouldn't wear white at her wedding ("I have a baby! The jig is up!"), Carrie telling Big they needed "a new word for over" or Samantha's announcing that her boyfriend had "funky tasting spunk," SATC was wildly quotable. AJLT offered up some moments of dialogue—both poignant and hilarious—that were right at home with those perfect one-liners. For your consideration:

• "I think my vagina needs to write its own monologue." -Carrie

• "Hey, I’m really enjoying listening to your podcast, Rich People’s Problems." -Anthony, listening to Charlotte and Lisa complain

• "The Danzilions agree with me." -Tony Danza, as himself, referring to his "hardcore fans"

• "You know what? I am the most beautiful person you've ever seen." -Che

Next, The 60 Best Sex and the City Quotes