Everyone Has Mommy Issues in the Newest "And Just Like That Episode"

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7 days ago

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New York is so back, baby. And Just Like That's third season is in full swing, and Harper's Bazaar will be recapping new episodes every Thursday. Read ahead to find out what happened this week, or click here to read last week's recap.
Finally, it's Duncan's time to shine. After last week's episode bid a bitter and final farewell to Aidan Shaw, this week's episode turned the romantic spotlight on Duncan Reeves—and, boy, was that spotlight burning hot.
'Better Than Sex' opens in the middle of another joint writing session between Carrie and Duncan. To cope with the breakup, Carrie has been ferociously working on her historical novel, producing chapter after chapter and killing off the main character's love interest/fictional Aidan insert. Duncan is practically salivating at the mouth over Carrie's new work. There's a long drawn-out bit where he lavishes praise on her use of repetition, but regardless what I think about the quality of Carrie's fiction, Duncan's wide-eyed excitement is refreshing. When was the last time we saw one of Carrie's suitors enamored with her intelligence and capabilities to this degree? It's a new dynamic that even catches Carrie by surprise. 'I've never experienced a man see me as smart first,' she tells Seema over drinks. 'Duncan respects my thoughts. What makes me, me. He sees my me-ness.' Duncan witnesses in her what former lovers refused or neglected to see. It's a special thing to be seen. Still, the potential to be anything more than writing buddies repels Carrie—sex might just ruin the best partnership she's ever had with a man.
When Duncan flirtatiously invites Carrie to go to his publishing house's party, she accepts with the formality of a coworker. But even as she tries to play it cool, her actions betray her: she flip flops back and forth about which outfit to wear and whether or not she wants to 'go there' with Duncan. At the party, Duncan introduces her to Imogen, his agent/ex-wife. The Duncan lore is getting spicier by the second! Imogen offers up some intel into Duncan's past, including his tendency to 'never miss a deadline' yet 'always miss our anniversary.' However, dedicating hours upon hours to Carrie and her book has caused Duncan to ask for a rare extension on his own book's deadline. It turns out that their partnership is breaking toxic relationship molds for Duncan, too.
By the time they get home, sleeping together feels inevitable. Duncan is basically a new man, having shed all of the academic grumpiness that he had worn when Carrie first met him. Now, he simply seems at ease in her presence. 'I think you're wonderful,' he tells her so sweetly that it's a miracle Carrie doesn't melt on the spot. In fact, she seems to have a supernatural level of self-control because she also rejects him when he asks if she wants to come downstairs. Does that mean the night is over? Are these two really not gonna kiss? The two say good night and Carrie slowly makes her way up to her door. But because she is, after all, Carrie Bradshaw, she barely reaches the top before spinning on her heel, flying right back down the stoop and straight into Duncan's open arms.
While Carrie experiences the magical start of a new relationship, everyone else seems to be going through some version of their own mommy issues. Charlotte is having what might be rightfully called a universal experience for mothers everywhere—i.e. she can't find a second for herself to relax in peace. She won a session with an energy healer/meditation guide in an auction, but her home is in chaos due to remodeling construction work, Rock's tap dancing, and Harry's perennial habit of playing TV way too loud. She has to literally leave her own home and hunker down at Carrie's place in order to have a half hour of peace and quiet. The so-called 'energy healing' may sound a bit woo-woo for someone like Charlotte, but it's sorely needed. As she tells the guide, she has been emotionally repressed for months because of Harry's cancer diagnosis. Even though he's finally on the better end of the health crisis, she clearly still needs some help working through those feelings.
Lisa is Supermom, juggling her demanding job with the demands of motherhood. Even so, she'll never get it right 100 percent of the time. When her daughter takes her pet hamster for a 'walk' in Lisa's walk-in closet, Lisa loses her shit. The crash out is valid, in my (humble, childless) opinion. The animal is so small and could crap all over her expensive clothes, if not outright die in some hidden corner and stink up the entire place. Unfortunately for Lisa, her mother-in-law witnessed said crash out and immediately chastised Lisa for speaking to her granddaughter that way. Herbert comforts Lisa by reminding her that she's only human. Later, when Herbert officially loses his election for city comptroller, Lisa will echo that reminder back to him.
Meanwhile, Seema has to worry about living up to the memory of Adam's late mother, a talented artist who passed down her granola lifestyle and rent-controlled loft to her son. To keep her memory alive, Adam nurtures a house plant with sprawling vines that nearly cover the entire wall of his kitchen. Apparently, it's the very same plant he gifted to her when he was seven years old. The precious memento all comes to a crashing halt when Seema opens the window for a late-night smoke and accidentally pushes it off the ledge. She thinks that killing the plant that Adam literally refers to as 'my mother' would mean that their relationship is donezo. But every time Seema pushes, Adam pulls her back in. After she ignores all of his calls, he chases her self-sabotaging ass down at her office, where he presents to her the salvaged and potted clippings from the felled plant. If that plant can survive a fall, then so can their relationship.
Last but certainly not least, Miranda isn't dealing with mommy issues as much as she's dealing with grandmommy issues. Yep. That's right. They're making Miranda a grandmother. Brady drops the bomb over dinner with Steve and Miranda, revealing that he knocked up a girl he casually hooked up with who may or may not be named Mia. Steve reacts like he's about to go into cardiac arrest while Miranda puts her undercover hat on to investigate. Bringing Charlotte as her accomplice, she heads to the hair salon where Mia works to meet the mother of her future granddaughter or grandson or grandthey/them. As Mia shampoos Miranda's hair, we learn a few essential things about her: she uses astrology to make major life decisions and casually drops phrases like 'a fucking vibe' in conversation. In other words, she might just be Miranda's worst nightmare. When Miranda asks how Mia could possibly know who the father is, Mia sniffs out her ulterior motives. Miranda senses that she's been caught and meekly reveals her identity. In return, Mia waterboards her. 'You have to be a Taurus,' Mia says, repulsed. As Miranda continues to ride cloud nine with Joy, it's nice to see her challenged in a whole new way that doesn't just involve romantic struggles. And if this grandbaby subplot means getting more Steve cameos this season? I definitely won't say no to that.
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