The Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That has made absolute waves by killing off one of the OG series’ most iconic characters in episode one. If you’ve somehow managed to avoid the spoilers and don’t want to see them – please, for the love of god, close this tab now.
Basically, Mr Big (Chris Noth) – aka Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) fated romance throughout Sex and the City – was killed off in the final moments of episode one after having a heart attack while exercising on a Peloton bike.
Episode two revolves around his funeral, so there’s very little hope that the show will pull a switcheroo and reveal that Big was secretly alive all along.
Predictably, the twist was received with absolute shock by fans.
And that’s how I looked after watching the first two episodes of #AndJustLikeThat pic.twitter.com/rUpuqbheWJ
— India Spalvieri (@indiaspalvieri) December 9, 2021
The PR person at Peloton having to make statement because Mr.Big died after using the bike… #AndJustLikeThat pic.twitter.com/U5ZLMfmrKV
— Sarah Allegra Nehama (@NehamaSarah) December 9, 2021
How I feel after watching #AndJustLikeThat#MrBig pic.twitter.com/bFpmLtOcav
— Wear your mask (@lizztxtx) December 10, 2021
Whether you’re a Sex And The City enjoyer or not, let’s be honest: it’s pretty iconic to kill off one of your biggest characters in the first 45 minutes of your reboot.
Now, And Just Like That’s creator Michael Patrick King has confessed that he couldn’t imagine the reboot of the show happening without Big’s death.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly King said, “I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t have a really strong impulse [to explore the idea of] ‘is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?’ for the character who has done nothing but tried to find love from this one person.”
God, Michael, hit us where it hurts why don’t you. He also said that he felt comfortable killing Mr Big off because it keeps the show’s “DNA” the same.
“People forget, Carrie never had Big in the series. She had him briefly — a minute or two. And she doesn’t have Big now. It’s just a different circumstance. It’s more final.”
King also delved into Sex And The City lore to explain the decision. He referenced the last voiceover of the original series, where Carrie walks down the street and Big is heard saying “I’m coming, baby”.
According to King, “what Carrie’s really saying in the voiceover is that the most significant, challenging, loving relationship you will ever have is the one you make with yourself.
“And if you find somebody else who sees you, that’s fabulous. So this [show] is about the significant, challenging, loving relationship — we’re trying to prove the thesis and the theory that you’re enough.”
That’s a lovely sentiment, but if Mr Big was your number one problematic TV crush, you can still be forgiven for weeping at the mere thought of exercise bikes. It was originally reported that Noth wouldn’t be returning for the reboot, so at least Sex and the City fans got a glorious most-of-an-episode with Big after all, though.
You can catch And Just Like That every Thursday on BINGE and Foxtel.
