The And Just Like That finale will go down as one of the most talked-about series finales ever, and not for a reason anyone saw coming. If you’ve already watched—and if not, consider this your spoiler warning—then you know what I’m talking about. But you might have also missed a major Easter egg after the show faded to black.
The season three episode, titled “Party of One,” was relatively uneventful overall. There was no reconciliation with a soulmate or bombshell reveal. Instead, we got a bathroom scene that rivaled what we saw in The White Lotus‘s season one finale (IYKYK).
But I’m getting ahead of myself: The episode opens with Carrie eating at an Asian restaurant across from Tommy Tomato, a life-size plush character meant—emphasis on meant—to make solo diners feel less alone. It’s certainly humorous; and as someone who hates eating out by myself, I wonder if I would actually get a kick out of the gesture. Carrie, on the other hand, does not. And I can’t blame her.
Meanwhile, Lisa Todd Wexley hears that Michelle Obama could possibly be interested in narrating Lisa’s docuseries, which is amazing news, but we never find out if the former First Lady signs on or not by the time the credits roll. Not that we have to, but I really wanted this for Lisa and now we’ll never know. What we do know is that she is setting some boundaries with her crush and co-worker, Marion. And just like that, they’ve nipped their sexual tension in the bud.
Across town, Steve and Miranda have a vent session about Brady over Mexican food. Why did it take until the end of the series to get more with these two? Either way, it’s so nice to see David Eigenberg.
The next day, Seema is horrified to learn that her deodorant-avoidant gardener boyfriend, Adam, doesn’t want to get married. Seema’s disappointment carries over to a bridal fashion show (how convenient) later that afternoon, where she tells Carrie that Adam thinks marriage is a joke. Seema says ever since she was a little girl, she’s dreamed of a wedding and marriage. Now she’s wondering: Does she really want it, or was she just programmed for it? Seema asks Carrie why she wanted to get married, and Carrie says it’s because it meant she was chosen. As someone who is single and in their 40s, these are the conversations I want more of! Is it too late to get a Seema spin-off?
Less than a foot away, Lisa and Charlotte debate whether marriage is really all its cracked up to be while watching a parade of models in wedding dresses. Lisa asks Charlotte if she knew what she knows now, would she still get married? I mean, what kind of question is that when talking to Charlotte? Of course the answer is absolutely.
The most honest conversation happens afterward, when Carrie and Charlotte are walking back home. Carrie says she’s been alone before, but she always had something brewing and knew she wouldn’t be alone for long. Even when Big died, she felt that after the shock and devastation, there was always the possibility of rekindling something with Aidan. Now, without Aidan, and without Duncan, there isn’t a prospect. And that’s sobering for her.
“I have to quit thinking maybe a man and start accepting maybe just me,” she says. “And it’s not a tragedy. It’s a fact. And I have to start accepting it full stop.”
Charlotte responds by telling Carrie that she’s fabulous, but…Charlotte being Charlotte, she can’t leave anything alone. So she tries to set Carrie up with Victor Garber’s Mark Casabian, who reminds me of Bachelor in Paradise‘s Golden Captain, Kim. (In other words, no thank you.)
Meanwhile, Charlotte is preparing Thanksgiving at her home when Harry tells her he is “crisp and ready to baste, baby.” And off they go to “give thanks,” per Harry. No explanation necessary, but am I the only one who finds Harry totally cringeworthy this season?
In the next scene, Carrie goes to pick up her pies from Jackie Hoffman (I don’t remember the pie lady’s name, but does it really matter? Beloved character actor Jackie Hoffman deserves credit as much as possible.) Carrie’s Thanksgiving Day outfit (a beret, a sequined V-neck sweater with a tulle skirt and plaid jacket all in monochrome fuchsia) is the last Carrie Bradshaw look we’re going to get in this series, and it’s a beauty. It’s over the top, colorful, whimsical, and oh-so-Carrie Bradshaw. Well done.
To juxtapose Carrie’s New Years look on steroids is Seema in jeans and a sweatshirt while heading to celebrate just another Thursday with Adam. Again, we need more of this story.
When Carrie arrives at Miranda’s, Miranda tells her that Joy’s dog is at the vet hospital, and she’s running out to be with her. Carrie is left alone with Brady until his soon-to-be baby mama, Mia, arrives with her friends, one of which is named Epcot. They’re all obnoxious, and I don’t care about them even though it is rather humorous watching the group interact with Carrie and Mark (Victor Garber, in case you forgot).
And that brings us to the moment no one is going to forget from this episode, and I say that regretfully. Epcot uses Miranda’s bathroom, and when she reappears later, says, “Does anyone have any matches? That cheese is no joke.” Then, when all the guests—sans Mark—have left, we see Mark in the bathroom urinating. He flushes the toilet, and we get the most insane visual of Epcot’s poops rapidly bubbling up one by one, causing the entire toilet to flood the bathroom. It’s disgusting, it’s one of my worst nightmares, and I will forever now associate the finale of AJLT… with poop. I can’t wait for all the hot takes about how the scene mirrored this show for the last three seasons, even though I have always enjoyed AJLT… even at its most absurd. But this time? Too far. Too. Damn. Far.
As Miranda is left to clean up the mess—with Joy, who arrives home and grossly gets on the floor and hugs Miranda—we follow Carrie back to her apartment. She turns on the karaoke machine, throws her scarf and handbag on the table, and starts to finally act as if this really is her place and not just a rental she’s keeping warm for someone else.
All the while, we see montages of everyone else—Miranda, Joy, Lisa, Herbert, the Goldenblatts, Anthony, Giuseppe, Seema, Adam—enjoying their respective Thanksgiving dinners as Barry White’s “My First My Last My Everything” plays. Then we pan to Carrie at her computer, and I doubt the writers intended this, but we see Carrie’s cat, Shoe, standing on all fours on top of magazines on the coffee table. And my first thought was, Oh crap, the cat’s gonna take a dump or urinate. See, writers, this is what this episode has done to me, and there’s no undoing it.
That is not the last shot though—thank goodness—as we see Carrie writing her epilogue for her novel. After erasing her latest (very short) draft, she drafts the following: “The woman realized she was not alone—she was on her own.” With that, Carrie gets up from her computer and starts dancing in the hallway of her home, taking up the space she was always meant to.
But wait, that’s not all. Remember that Easter egg I mentioned in the beginning? As soon as Barry White’s song fades out, the credits roll to none other than the original Sex and the City theme song. It is the first time—I believe—that we’ve heard the OG tune in this series. (Did I get chills? Maybe.) It’s a really endearing and fun touch, but also a reminder that nothing will ever compare to the genius of the original series and what we felt at the end of every episode.
And yet, I’ll miss you, And Just Like That…
Thanks for the memories. Except one.
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