And Just Like That, It’s All Over!
A love letter to a TV show.
With HBO announcing that the beloved continuation of everyone with a fashion sense’s favourite show coming to a close, and its final episode ever being set to air on August 14th, we can’t help but feel the tears starting to form. With And Just Like That’s finale officially ending the Sex And The City universe, I couldn’t help but wonder, are we ready to say goodbye?
With the end of a show that we’ve loved wholeheartedly for so long being in sight, it calls for a reflection of all the good times (whilst also not forgetting the times we’ve yelled at Carrie’s poor decision-making through the screen). We need to remember what we’ll miss, and it’s not just the outfit inspo, sex tips, and many, many laughs, it’s much more than that. During the show’s run time, we’ve not only had the pleasure of watching the characters progress through their storylines, but the show has undoubtedly helped us in our own development. I remember the days when my parents would reference it, and through concealed giggles would tell me that I’m too young to watch it. From that, to my first watch, when I understood why my parents stopped me from watching it (I mean, as we know, Samantha’s dialogue is anything but appropriate); this show has been formative to who I am.
I could never have predicted how much a show, whose lifetime is longer than my own, would’ve come to mean to me. And I’m not alone in my devotion, as our love for the story, the characters, and the column has spanned generations, and has reached every corner of the world. I mean, disclosing yourself as a Carrie, a Samantha, a Miranda, or a Charlotte is now genuinely a universal classification system, that tells us who we are with more accuracy than the literal stars (I’m more of a Carrie than I am a Pisces).
And with emotions already running high, there is just one thing that sent us over the edge, and it took the form of an Instagram caption from Carrie herself.
SJP’s love letter to Carrie
I just can’t help but get emotional seeing the show take its final bow, and after reading Sarah Jessica Parker’s beautiful tribute to the character that she knows best on Instagram, I can’t be the only one welling up. Her caption not only encapsulated the entire storyline, but it captured how it all felt: how it felt like we were experiencing it with her - the shock, the joy, and the pure sadness at times. She truly captured Carrie!
And for the first time, we got to see Sarah Jessica Parker talking to Carrie. It was like old friends saying goodbye; it felt invasive to read, but you can’t help but be moved by the farewell. It was a touching moment that Sarah Jessica Parker had the grace to share with us, and we’re glad she did.
Years wiser after one watch
I think one thing that she was able to epitomize was how much more it meant to us than a show. Of course, we were entertained, but we also learnt so much through the dilemmas which the girls faced, and the lessons they learned. It taught us that the path is sometimes messy, and that we can royally screw up, yet redeem ourselves. It taught us how to dress, how to style our curly hair, how to walk in heels. It was the big sister we needed, and the bad influence which we really didn’t need. It gave us an example of the ultimate situationship, and gave us hope that it can work. It taught us how long it can take to figure things out, and how much value there is in all paths that you can take. It taught us that, as women, we don’t need to be a mother to be triumphant in life, and that you can break expectations. You can even be a little bit slutty if you want!
It taught us how much we need our friends, and how to find everything you’re searching for without romantic love. It taught us that our friends can be our soulmates, and that the great loves of our lives aren’t the awful men we match with on Hinge, they’re the friends that we laugh about it with. The ones who pick you up off the floor, make you laugh at your worst, and never, ever judge (it’s not their style). A love stronger than romance.
Sex and the City let us hear our own ways of thinking, and get mad at the characters for making the mistakes that we would’ve made too. We laughed, we cried, and even if it’s with white-knuckled fists, we’ll let it go. Through it all, we were taught how to survive in the absence of men, and how to teach our inner monologues to pass the Bechdel test (even if this wasn’t something we learnt from Carrie directly).
And in the end, the title deceived us because the show wasn’t really about sex: it was about girlhood, and the friends that allow you to stay girls whilst well into womanhood. Above it all, it was about Carrie’s devotion to her city – another bond stronger than romance or lust. It’s hard to not get swept up in it and pack your bags!
Shutting the closet doors
As the show ends and we say goodbye, let us keep Charlotte’s optimism, Miranda’s drive, Samantha’s confidence and Carrie’s wit. Let us PLEASE have all of their wardrobes! But most of all, let us find friends like them!
As the girls have stayed devoted to their city, through rain, rejection and tragedy, we stayed devoted to them. Now, we look back at the show with gratitude and love, thanking God for streaming, so we don’t actually have to say goodbye!
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