And Just Like That - Women in their 50s are grandmothers who are obsolete

Five weeks ago, Sex and the City reboot, ...And Just Like That was released around the world to mixed reviews.

Aside from Big (Chris Noth) being written out in the first episode of the ten part series, Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) refusing to participate and Stanford (Willie Garson) being suddenly written out due to the actor's untimely passing I want to talk about the representation of different groups walking amongst us.

Charlotte and Harry's non-binary child

When Charlotte finally got pregnant she had a daughter named Rose, who now goes by the name Rock and is questioning their gender. As you would expect, Charlotte will always love her children no matter what happens to them. She will never desert them and she'll support them. She met with the school in the fifth episode and it felt like the story was glossed over. If this was back in the original series, Charlotte would've talked to Samantha and asked for her advice. She also would have talked to Rose/Rock to find out more. The storyline feels extremely rushed as if the writers are trying to cram too much into the show.

Steve's hearing loss

Steve Brady is the same age as Miranda, so he is in his 50s. According to Forbes, the average age of first time hearing aid wearers is 70. Even if you account for the fact that Steve owns a bar, you wouldn't expect him to start wearing hearing aids this young. It's as if the writers of the show want to age the 50 something cast before their time and are writing them as if they should be in rest homes.  

Miranda's alcoholism

Miranda has always had her issues and struggled in her marriage to Steve, since the very first time they met in Sex and the City but after the first movie it was implied that they had worked through their issues. Maybe they hadn't though. Maybe Miranda had been looking for an out for a while and during the pandemic she started drinking. As she said in episode five, "we all drunk in the pandemic and didn't stop". I have no doubt that is true. Some people did drink. Me, I ate during the pandemic because I couldn't go to the gym but that got fixed as soon as gyms reopened. Miranda's alcoholism was glossed over. I haven't known anyone who experiences alcoholism but I think it would take more than a month to notice that someone has an issue with alcohol.

Miranda and Che

It's one thing to be unhappy in your marriage but Miranda had such an issue with Steve's cheating in the first Sex and the City movie that her cheating with Che is out of character. Yes, it was always going to happen but it doesn't fit the character's back story. If she was unhappy in the marriage she could've at least divorced Steve first. Steve still could've been in the reboot with them sharing custody of Brady. There should have been more of a build up to it rather than it happening suddenly.

Carrie's hip surgery

And this is the storyline that really grated on my nerves. The one that got under my skin that I found quite offensive. Of course everyone ages and of course some people have physical issues but the way the show is carrying on you would think that the cast are all one foot in the grave and you would think that women become pathetic old ladies the moment we reach our 50s. Women over 25 have a hard enough time as it is without a show treating us as though we're invalids after 50. It goes against the tone of the original show. There is no way that Carrie would act like an old lady in her 50s. Even though she enjoyed married life until Big's death she would still be getting out there but instead she's feeling sorry for herself and acting way older than she actually is.

Samantha Jones

Samantha Jones was always older than the rest of the characters. I think she had a decade on them. In the first movie she talked about how much she loves Botox and in the second one she was on hormone replace pills to fight the signs of aging. Aside from her views on aging, which is that it's just a number (which it is) her presence is missed from the show. She was always open with her sexuality and loving men. She was accepting of others. She never judged Carrie for cheating on Aidan with Big or for being the other woman. She'd know how to deal with Miranda's alcoholism and Charlotte's child's gender doubts. It's become very clear that Samantha was actually the glue that held the group together and that without her the friendships don't really have a solid foundation.

I do hope that the show is renewed for a second season despite the allegations against Chris Noth, who to my knowledge has not even been charged with these alleged offences but if it is I really hope that Kim Cattrall can mend her feud with Sarah Jessica Parker. The show badly needs Samantha. Anthony Marentino however has been bumped up to a core cast member and that is a very welcome addition. He always stole the show in whatever scene he was in.

 Finally, I want to reiterate that if the show is renewed the writers need to stop treating women as if they're invalids the moment they hit 50. When Samantha went through her cancer battle in season 6 of Sex and the City she still rocked trendy wigs and wasn't afraid to party. She didn't let her birthday dictate who she was.

Of course time has passed but that doesn't mean the women should be treated as though they're one foot in the grave.