It only took seven episodes into season two, but Carrie and Aidan have officially reunited on And Just Like That…. Of course, it remains to be seen if they have what it takes to go the distance—again—but there’s no denying the sexual tension and chemistry between these two.
But let’s back up to the start of the episode, which begins with Aidan answering Carrie’s out-of-the-blue email. It turns out he’s coming into town for a meeting and wants to have dinner on Thursday. Valentine’s Day.
It’s been 13 years since the two have seen each other, so naturally the tension builds as soon as Carrie arrives. The only problem is that Aidan isn’t there. After a lot of miscommunication—and frustration on Carrie’s part—it turns out she’s gone to the wrong restaurant. And then, after what seems like a lifetime, the two reunite on the street. Whosever team you’ve been on since John Corbett first stepped onto the scene in the Sex and the City universe back on 9 July, 2000, there’s no denying the zsa zsa zsu he brings to the show.
Carrie and Aidan then go to the right restaurant, where they discuss the last decade plus. (He was sorry to hear about John’s passing but wasn’t sure if he should have reached out, and he loved Carrie’s latest book; she tells him she’s doing better now; he asks if she’s dating anyone; she says no; he says no.) These two could read the phone book and I’d still be riveted.
After dinner they continue the evening by heading back to Carrie's apartment, but that’s when reality sets in for Aidan. He’s hesitant about going in for all the obvious reasons from seasons past. Carrie tries to diffuse his anxiety by saying they’re not the same people, and her place doesn’t even look the same (um, nice try). But Aidan can’t do it.
“No matter how much I want to, I can’t go in there with all that,” he says with his sweet, puppy dog eyes. “I’m never going in there again.”
It’s a necessary moment for both Aidan and Carrie. He needs to remind her that no matter how much time has passed, he still has a beating heart and a memory. And she needs to recognise that if there’s going to be any future between them, there’s a responsibility she must account for. “I guess time doesn’t heal everything, no matter how much you want it to,” she says, accepting a defeat of sorts.
Aidan says he should go until he has a come-to-Jesus moment and declares, “Fuck it! This is New York! They have hotels, right?” With that, he walks over to Carrie and kisses her, and “just like that…Aidan and I were back on the same page,” Carrie declares via voiceover.
But for how long? Here, Sarah Jessica Parker and executive producer, director, and writer Michael Patrick King discuss what lies ahead for Carrie and Aidan, and why it was imperative that Mr. Shaw didn’t walk up the stairs to Casa Bradshaw.
Glamour: What’s next for Aidan and Carrie?
Sarah Jessica Parker: They’re different people, so the things that got in their way in the past might be looked at differently. It doesn’t mean that there’s more promise for them now than there was then. It just means that they’re more mature, and they’re more interested in being thoughtful about one another. But there is an undeniable passion about who they are when they’re together. It’s really fun to explore, and it’s a very pleasant place to be, I think, for Carrie.
Will he stick around for the next four episodes?
SJP: Yes, he’s not somebody who you can be casual with. He deserves more—the character and the actor. He’s played too big a role in Carrie’s life for it to be a kind of fun nibble at a buffet.
Michael Patrick King, let's dissect Aidan's speech to Carrie outside of her apartment. Whether the audience is Team Aidan or not, talk about the importance for the character to establish those boundaries.
Michael Patrick King: It brings reality. When they first see each other, there’s so much memory and fantasy and chemistry. [But when news] broke that he was coming onto the show, people were like, “What? You going to hurt him again?” People were very aware of the pain. So we want to always show people’s self-awareness. It’s strong to show a character who knows what happened to them and is sort of drawing a line. So when he looks at her and says, “This is where we end it. I don’t want us do this,” it’s important that she acknowledges it too. She doesn’t try to talk him out of it. She says, “I guess time doesn’t heal everything.” It’s a very important speech because he’s drawing a line in the sand, which is, “I’m not going back into that apartment. And by the way, I don’t want to do this if it’s going to be the same thing.” But he feels the energy and the sex and the power and the connection, so much so that he creates a new way to be together, which is going to a hotel. But he does not go up those stairs, and she does not tell him he should.
We’ve seen so many photos and videos of Carrie and Aidan before this episode even aired. Why did you decide to show so much ahead of time?
MPK: When any picture comes from us and not from the paparazzi, it’s been thought out. The idea is everybody knew Carrie and Aidan were in the show, and this is really a dance. We’re basically flirting with you. We’re showing you a little bit and not giving it all away. We’re showing you the kiss, but you don’t know the beginning, middle, and end of that. You don’t even know what happens next. You know there’s a kiss, and you know what she’s wearing. But you still don’t know the details. So that was a very thought-out moment because it gives the audience everything and it gives them not everything. But sometimes we don’t have a choice [with the release of photos] because it’s getting released anyway.
Because the good news about the Sex and the City and Just Like That… dynasty is when [these actors and characters are] on the street, there’s a lot of energy around them. People are excited, and they come and take pictures. So why not us give you the best version of it? Sometimes it’s not by choice, sometimes it’s, well, They’re going to get it anyway.
SAG-AFTRA members are currently on strike and therefore not promoting their film and TV projects. This interview was conducted prior to the strike.
This article originally appeared in GLAMOUR US.
