And just like that, Carrie Bradshaw is single again.

For the last three seasons, fans have watched TV’s greatest anti-heroine begin an entire new set of adventures. After HBO original Sex and the City ended in 2004 (followed by the fun 2008 film of the same name and its not-so-fun 2010 sequel), And Just Like That picked up in 2021 with Carrie’s happily ever after. The most fabulous woman in Manhattan seemed to have everything she’s ever wanted: a loving marriage to her Mr. Big (Chris Noth), a condo on Fifth Avenue, financial security beyond her wildest dreams, and a truly gigantic closet.

But no one is immune to late life’s indignities, apparently not even Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker).

In the show’s often-clunky style, Carrie faced a series of dismal realities. She became a widow; she hosted a podcast; she left behind her beloved apartment for a beautiful but strangely empty Gramercy Park brownstone. She wasted a bunch of her (and the audience’s) time on an ill-fated attempt at rekindling her romance with the country Lurch known as Aidan Shaw (John Corbett). Money remained a non-issue for Carrie, but the show often reminded us that not even immense amounts of wealth could insulate you from life’s dishonors.

In the series finale — which showrunner Michael Patrick King abruptly announced at the beginning of August — Carrie finds herself at a place not unlike when we first met her in that pilot episode years ago: single, in heels, living in Manhattan, bolstered by her friends, but wondering if there’s love left in the Greatest City on Earth.

It’s not the fairytale ending. But Carrie’s story ending by herself feels true. Truer, even.

The original show wrapped with true love for all of its heroines, but something felt off. The real point of Sex and the........

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