Eight episodes and I still haven’t quite enjoyed HBO Max’s new “Sex and the City” spin-off, “And Just Like That . . . “, which debuted last month. Even bringing the legendary Atelier Versace Mille Feuille dress Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) donned her first night in Paris during the 2004 finale of the original series (which The New York Times considered “the crown jewel of Carrie’s wardrobe”) because a brief appearance failed to convince me. “And just like that. . .” just feels dull. And I can’t help wondering, where is New York? We barely see the city that served as both the fifth character and the definitive heart of its predecessor.
Vox’s Alex Abad-Santos hits the nail on the head with its assertion that there’s nothing “ambitious fartainment” about the spinoffs, in stark contrast to the OG series, which painted life in New York as magical. He writes: “In the original show, Carrie, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and the now absent Samantha (Kim Cattrall) were fairytale avatars of hope, greatness and success. The lows in life, which resulted mostly from dating and breaking up with terrible men, were nothing compared to living in New York with fabulous shoes, fantastic outfits, and forever friends. Indeed, even on one of Bradshaw’s worst days, when NYC “kicked her ass” during season five’s “Fleet Week” and led her to contemplate the benefits of lithium ice cream. , Carrie and Manhattan couldn’t have looked more fantastic! But I struggled to find anything envy-inducing in “And Just Like That . . . .” Even the sleek new apartment Carrie briefly inhabited in episode six, “Diwali” (which didn’t was just a set), seemed cold and devoid of personality.
One element of the series, however, sparked joy in episode seven, “Sex and the Widow.” And no, it wasn’t the Gucci belt bag Charlotte participated in her tennis match. My breath was instead taken by the tony fitness center where the match was played, namely the beautiful wooden staircase that Charlotte and her husband, Harry (Evan Chandler), descended after the controversial match. One look at the curved span, which looks more like a work of art than a way to move from one floor to another, and I was won over!
Turns out the tennis scene was filmed at the Waterline Club, the luxury amenity property at the center of the new upscale Upper West Side neighborhood Square of the waterline community. The residential complex, which spans two blocks overlooking the Hudson River, was designed by the GID development company. According to Chairman James Linsley, the group go plan “reinventing what an urban living experience in a skyscraper can be” with the project. To that I say mission accomplished! Waterline Square is nothing if not one of a kind.
