Latest news with #AJLT
Buzz Feed
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
23 Bad TV Character Storylines
We recently asked the members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what storyline completely ruined a TV character's growth. Here's what they said: When Ginny became more like her mother on Ginny & Georgia. "Ginny started off kind and a bit unsuspecting. She was always headstrong and had issues, but had a likable vulnerability. Then she became almost menacing. She started to treat Maxine (her supposed best friend) terribly, lied to her dad over and over, manipulated Simone, blackmailed Cynthia, hated Paul without knowing the whole story, and although Gil was an abuser, setting him up as a murderer was just diabolical because he really did love Austin. Poor Austin was just a ploy in her web of lies. Even Georgia realized that she was becoming different. Ginny was becoming Georgia."—vibrantshield91 When Miranda cheated on Steve in And Just Like That. "On SATC, Miranda was the anti-romantic who fell in and out of love with Steve. Her being a lawyer and his being a bartender and later bar owner were worlds apart, yet in real life, love doesn't know anything but love. In the first movie, Steve confessed to cheating, which ruined Carrie and Big's initial wedding day. Continuing with AJLT, Miranda cheated on Steve with Che, Carrie's boss. Seeing Miranda as a person who disrespected her marriage with cheating and chasing Che made her look desperate and whiny, not to mention a hypocrite. Miranda is so cringe now, I can't stand her. The fun, sarcastic Miranda is gone and replaced by someone else. I wonder if, at some point, Miranda had a lobotomy."—Anonymous When Eric cheated on Adam in Sex Education. "He effed up their whole relationship, which will never fail to infuriate me."—famousphone424 When Fiona let Liam get into her drugs, which almost killed him on Shameless. "I was done with her and the show after that."—creepster When Michael turned out to be alive on Jane the Virgin, but had amnesia. "It just absolutely ruined his character. I'm not over." —emwren When Olivia Pope became head of B613 on Scandal. "She was always a strong, independent woman who did what was right (well, most of the time). She spent three seasons trying to end B613, and in the last season, she became the head of B613 and became everything that she hated."—itsmeshahbano When Quinn was obsessed with getting Beth back in Glee. "Everything about it was so wrong. Also, PUCK HOOKING UP WITH RACHEL'S (AND BETH'S) MOM was horrible. That whole part of the season just ruined so many characters."—Anonymous When Topanga turned down a scholarship to Yale so she could be with Cory in Boy Meets World. —sf4581 When Haley got back together with Dylan on Modern Family. "Haley going back to Dylan was definitely one of the worst because she had grown so much."—rbd89 When Spike attempted to rape Buffy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "That was a very bad decision."—matdyjames When Debbie tricked her boyfriend into getting her pregnant at 15 on Shameless. "She was doing so well before that, then she just became trash."—A_Panda When Rory dropped out of Yale on Gilmore Girls. "She stole a boat, dropped out of Yale, lived with her grandmother, and ignored Lorelai for months because one guy told her she didn't have what it took to be a journalist. That's something you do when you're 15, not when you're 20."—s463b03bd4 When Jaime left Brienne for Cersei in Season 8 of Game of Thrones. "When he said he did everything for Cersei, it didn't make sense because it was established in previous seasons that he did what he did for the people and saved millions of lives. It completely ruined his character arc and I pretend the last two seasons never happened."—districtrue When Andy sailed away on the boat without Erin on The Office. "I have no idea why they took his character in that direction. I can't believe how he treated Erin by leaving her to be on the boat and all the lying he did to Robert California to cover his own ass. The whole series he was portrayed as caring (if sometimes incompetent) to his coworkers and then he randomly did that. He did have an anger issue when his job was stolen, but it made sense because a total stranger stole his job! They just randomly turned him into this selfish person for no reason who only cared about himself."—irwhite1993 When Danny's regressed to a sexist jerk on The Mindy Project. "He was always super supportive of Mindy and proud of her work as a doctor but then as soon as they had the baby, he started gaslighting her, tried to trick her into getting pregnant again and generally shaming her for wanting to keep her job!"—sunshine193 Everything Sabrina Spellman did in Seasons 3 and 4 of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. "She used to be a smart, ambitious, independent and likeable character in the beginning. She even defied her father, the devil, by refusing to rule Hell with him. In Season 3, she became OBSESSED with ruling Hell and made the most selfish decisions, like creating a cheap clone of herself to rule Hell, no matter who she hurt in the process."—a402635290 When Anya started doing coke on Degrassi: The Next Generation. "I quit watching Degrassi (after YEARS) immediately after the shot of Anya doing coke at a club. Anya? ANYA? Student Council Anya? Cheerleader Anya? Anya who had a HUGE falling out with Holly J. because Holly J. was always forcing her into bad situations and getting them in trouble? LARPer Anya?? Nope, NOPE, do not buy it."—chelseajack When Toby leaked classified information on The West Wing. "He leaked classified information on a military space program so the US would be forced to send help to some stranded astronauts. It was so out of character for him and it was heavily implied that he was covering for someone else like CJ. Not only did it completely blow up his storyline by forcing him out of the White House, but he turned into a total ass afterward."—annpricot When Guzman became a classist jerk again on Season 4 of Elite. "The show had him go from a dumb jerk to a better man to make his growth part of his journey. Alas, they erased said growth by making him a dumb jerk again to make the Guzman, Ari, and Samu love triangle work."—superkay When Schmidt cheated on Cece and Elizabeth by dating them both at the same time. "I couldn't get past it."—kthomas8836 When Cordelia slept with Angel's son Connor on Angel. "From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Angel we watched her go from a spoiled teenage girl to a wonderful strong, caring young woman, only for her to turn evil and sleep with Angel's son. She got 'pregnant' by Connor, went into a coma and died. It was an unforgivable character assassination. Cordelia deserved better!"—itsspeltpauline And finally, wjem Alex Karev left Jo and Meredith to get back together with Izzie on Grey's Anatomy. "Alex Karev's departure from Grey's Anatomy was utter, utter rubbish. Look, I understand that the actor wanted to leave to pursue other projects, fair enough. However, they didn't have to ruin his character in the process, but my god, did they ruin all of that wonderful character development and growth and then some."—ravenbard"Why create one of the best character developments in TV HISTORY only to have him backtrack and exit the show how he did."—Anonymous"It ruined 16 seasons of character development."—Anonymous What's a storyline that ruined a TV character? Tell us in the comments or use the anonymous form below.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
And Just Like That recap: Silly sex, big decisions and a time ‘pre-Lena Dunham'
After watching them chat at work, I'm not quite sure I see it. What I do see is him going to town on a papaya, which feels like both a bit from a classic Sex and the City episode and a dangerous lunch option considering they're sitting on expensive editing gear. By the end of the episode, LTW's gone from having a sex dream about Marion to confirming there's a mutual attraction. She turned down his invite to see a movie then flip-flopped, then flipped back and ended up pitching her project to the Obamas' producer from the grocery store. Is it bad that I really want to watch her blow up her life and have an affair with Marion? Everyone's rolling around in bed this episode. Seema and Adam the gardener have fun, silly sex and we see the most gorgeous skin ever captured on film. Everything works and feels easy-breezy, until they go to dinner, and she's annoyed by every single thing about him. Namely: he uses crystal deodorant and his last name is Karma. Honestly, I get it. No amount of banter and orgasms can cure such a severe case of The Ick once it sets in. We get a fun gallery plotline with Charlotte this episode – and an appearance from her boss, Mark Kasabian (Victor Garber). Char and her gallerinas are installing a Tracey Emin-style artwork 'from a time pre-Lena Dunham'. While setting up My Bed, Char gets vertigo, of course. These women are falling apart at the seams! It's all an elaborate set-up for her to collapse on a prop condom while shouting for Miranda not to chance a sip of champagne at the gallery opening. Turns out Joy is so fun and chill she forgets her girlfriend is sober and wants to leave a bottle of her favourite gin at Miranda's place. Wanting to be just as cool and sexy as Joy, Miranda wonders if maybe she's just 'alcohol-ish', and doesn't need that sobriety after all. For the first time since Harry told Charlotte he had cancer, I was genuinely affected by a scene in AJLT this week, when Miranda goes to the pantry for her choccie biccies while she works (and watches Bi Bingo) late at night, and tests her resolve against the bottle of gin. She takes it out, puts it back. She opens it. She thinks. Sniffs. Pours a shot. Tips it out. Just when I exhaled, she went back for it. Oh no. But she didn't even trust the rubbish bin where her infamous slice of cake still got a look-in in season four of SATC. No, the bottle goes down the trash chute, which she doesn't close until she hears it smash. Seems dangerous, but I won't judge. For once.
The Age
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
And Just Like That recap: Silly sex, big decisions and a time ‘pre-Lena Dunham'
After watching them chat at work, I'm not quite sure I see it. What I do see is him going to town on a papaya, which feels like both a bit from a classic Sex and the City episode and a dangerous lunch option considering they're sitting on expensive editing gear. By the end of the episode, LTW's gone from having a sex dream about Marion to confirming there's a mutual attraction. She turned down his invite to see a movie then flip-flopped, then flipped back and ended up pitching her project to the Obamas' producer from the grocery store. Is it bad that I really want to watch her blow up her life and have an affair with Marion? Everyone's rolling around in bed this episode. Seema and Adam the gardener have fun, silly sex and we see the most gorgeous skin ever captured on film. Everything works and feels easy-breezy, until they go to dinner, and she's annoyed by every single thing about him. Namely: he uses crystal deodorant and his last name is Karma. Honestly, I get it. No amount of banter and orgasms can cure such a severe case of The Ick once it sets in. We get a fun gallery plotline with Charlotte this episode – and an appearance from her boss, Mark Kasabian (Victor Garber). Char and her gallerinas are installing a Tracey Emin-style artwork 'from a time pre-Lena Dunham'. While setting up My Bed, Char gets vertigo, of course. These women are falling apart at the seams! It's all an elaborate set-up for her to collapse on a prop condom while shouting for Miranda not to chance a sip of champagne at the gallery opening. Turns out Joy is so fun and chill she forgets her girlfriend is sober and wants to leave a bottle of her favourite gin at Miranda's place. Wanting to be just as cool and sexy as Joy, Miranda wonders if maybe she's just 'alcohol-ish', and doesn't need that sobriety after all. For the first time since Harry told Charlotte he had cancer, I was genuinely affected by a scene in AJLT this week, when Miranda goes to the pantry for her choccie biccies while she works (and watches Bi Bingo) late at night, and tests her resolve against the bottle of gin. She takes it out, puts it back. She opens it. She thinks. Sniffs. Pours a shot. Tips it out. Just when I exhaled, she went back for it. Oh no. But she didn't even trust the rubbish bin where her infamous slice of cake still got a look-in in season four of SATC. No, the bottle goes down the trash chute, which she doesn't close until she hears it smash. Seems dangerous, but I won't judge. For once.
Time Magazine
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
Now 'AJLT' Is Just Gaslighting Us About Carrie's Awful Novel
For those of us who have stopped worrying and learned to love And Just Like That, the absurdity of the Sex and the City sequel is part of the fun. Over the course of three seasons, we've guffawed our way through Mr. Big's death by Peloton, basked in the pure cringe of Miranda's romance with Che Diaz, and stanned Charlotte and Harry's dorky The Americans standom. Just a few episodes ago, we indulged shoe-maven-slash-ankle-masochist Carrie's refusal to remove her stilettos at home after incurring the wrath of her downstairs-neighbor-slash-inevitable-love-interest, Duncan Reeves. But in Thursday's seventh episode of Season 3, AJLT crossed the fine line separating the willing suspension of belief from full-on gaslighting. All season, Carrie—a recovering sex columnist, erstwhile podcaster, and sometime memoirist—has been dabbling in historical fiction. Episodes are often framed by Sarah Jessica Parker's voiceover, in a callback to SATC's quippy narration, reading snippets of the novel that mirror her character's own life. They are bad. Which isn't necessarily a problem; as the 'I couldn't help but wonder' meme demonstrates, we all know Carrie is a hack. No, what finally finished me on this subplot was this week's exchange of manuscripts with Duncan, a highbrow biographer. His rhapsodic response to her pages destroys any illusion we might've had that Carrie's stilted prose is an inside joke between the show's writers and its audience. Apparently, we're supposed to believe the novel is good. The episode opens with a distressed Carrie showing up at Duncan's door. 'I hate you,' she tells him. 'Your first chapter is thrilling. It's polished and it's ready to publish and how am I supposed to hand you my work-in-progress now?' But, of course, she finds the courage. And by the time she visits him again, to deliver a (rude) last-minute party invitation, he's devoured it. The verdict: 'It's brilliant.' (I mean, sure, it may well be publishable, given the success of language manglers like Colleen Hoover and E.L. James. Brilliant, though?) 'The opening sentence: 'The woman wondered what she had gotten herself into.' It just stopped me dead in my tracks.' (Same. But only because it reminded me of every formulaic 'attention-grabbing' intro from every undergrad creative writing workshop since the beginning of time.) As for the plot? 'The way it flows is so propulsive.' (We wouldn't know; AJLT only gives us the vibey, introspective passages.) Now, maybe Duncan is trying to flatter his way into Carrie's conveniently nearby bed. He seems too prideful for that, though. (That said, his whole deal makes little sense to me. He comes to one of the most expensive, not to mention distracting, cities in the world just because he doesn't know anyone there, to hole up in an overpriced basement and write about Margaret Thatcher? Has this man never heard of renting a cabin in the woods?) Besides, the idea that he'd be lying feels like the kind of 4D-chess plot AJLT typically avoids. So let's assume he's genuine. Could he possibly be correct? We all know art is subjective, after all. So we owe it to Carrie to take a closer look at the most substantial chunks of the novel AJLT has provided to date. Consider the passage we watched her type out in her back garden, during a work session that was soon interrupted by a cavalcade of rats: Sitting in the sunlight, the woman felt the fog of the last few nights lift. She realized her tossing and turning and insecurities were remnants of another time. This is a new house, she reminded herself. A new life. This wasn't her past… It was the present. May, 1846. Here we have several classic elements of bad writing. There's an overreliance on weather as a metaphor for the mood of a protagonist who is, pretentiously, only ever identified as 'the woman.' The thoughts to which Carrie's close third-person narration gives us access are rote exposition masquerading as an internal monologue—one so shallow, it suggests that our nameless heroine is very stupid. Who has to 'remind herself' that her house is new or that, good lord, she's living in not the past but the present? Alas, in the absence of time machines, everyone who's ever walked the earth has been doomed to live in what is, to them, the present. Also: surely there are more eloquent ways to inform the reader that your story is set in May, 1846. Episode 5 featured an even longer excerpt: The woman threw open her windows to let the city in. She could hear the horses coming and going with their carriages, each one bringing an exciting possibility. The unexpected cool breeze on this hot afternoon reminded her that each day need not be an echo of the one before. There are endless adventures to be taken, if she simply dared to decide to take them. Putting one foot in front of the other, she stepped off the expected path and vowed to go wherever a day might take her. So. Another weather metaphor, this one a veritable non sequitur; what does a summer breeze have to do with spontaneity or repetition? For that matter, is a carriage horse more likely to be 'bringing an exciting possibility' than it is to be ferrying mundane deliveries or facilitating neighbors' quotidian routines? Poetic license must be granted to figurative language, but that doesn't mean an analogy can be fully nonsensical. Meanwhile, the final two sentences are painfully inspirational therapy-speak—which would be cringe-worthy enough in a contemporary novel but sound jarringly anachronistic in the context of a 19th century period piece. (To really be pedantic, there's also a verb-tense misalignment that would give a copyeditor nightmares: 'There are endless adventures to be taken, if she simply dared to decide to take them.') I'm going to resist the temptation to dissect every bit of prose we've heard so far. Believe it or not, I am indeed aware that close reading a fictional work of fiction by a fictional writer is a ridiculous way to spend one's limited time in a world with an unlimited supply of real problems. I also realize that Carrie's novel is being used as a framing device, and thus—however shoddy the execution—the unnamed heroine and inapt metaphors exist more to give us access to Carrie's state of mind than to function as an actual story that a person might want to read. And yet, a viewer who is also a reader can only withstand so much literary gaslighting. This week's episode ends with another meaning-free affirmation from the book: 'The woman held on to what she knew to be true,' Parker intones as we see Carrie cradling her cat (do pets have truth values?). Well, if there's one thing this woman knows to be true, it's that Carrie Bradshaw is no great novelist.
Elle
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
Patti LuPone Arrives to 'And Just Like That' Speaking Fluent Italian
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Spoilers below. In last week's episode of And Just Like That..., Lisa learned that her father died. Although the episode featured a whole funeral and a narrative on her grief, it turns out she mentioned all the way back in season 1 that her dad had already passed. And then in season 2, he appeared on screen in the flesh portrayed by Billy Dee Williams. A source connected to the show then clarified that Lisa was actually referring to her stepfather in the first season. The fan reactions to the whole commotion are, like the show, all over the place. Some criticized the series for the mistake, but others say: What the heck, go all-in on the nonsensical camp. There are already so many silly little quirks in this show—why try to fix them? As Rebecca Alter wrote in Vulture this week, 'You can view AJLT as an often accidental work of art that challenges the accepted timelines and borders of life and death. And isn't that more fun?' I agree. In fact, that is the beautifully strange allure to the show. It's not just hate-watching; it's abandoning all time, reason, and sense. It can be freeing, actually. So when Patti LuPone shows up as someone's Italian-speaking mother from Buffalo, New York; or a virgin lesbian nun loses her virginity to Miranda; or yes, a character is revived only to be killed off again, that's just because AJLT exists in an entirely different reality. We just get to visit once a week. On our latest trip, the aforementioned LuPone makes her entrance speaking fluent Italian the moment she steps through the door. She's playing Gia, the glamorous but judgy mother of Anthony's boyfriend, Giuseppe. She's here to visit Hot Fellas bakery, and her first impression of Anthony is less than ideal. He insults her while not realizing she's right beside him, and she notices makeup on his neck covering a huge hickey. Miranda also notices something: Charlotte is acting strange. On the walk home, Carrie mentions that they'll have to go all-out for Charlotte's upcoming birthday party, which further heightens Miranda's suspicions. What's going on? To keep Harry's cancer diagnosis a secret, Carrie covers it up with something else: She says Richard Burton, Charlotte's dog, is terminally ill with cancer. Miranda is horrified and agrees to go above and beyond with the birthday festivities. Before they party, Carrie meets with Gia. (They surprisingly hit it off!) Over lunch, they discuss Carrie's writing and their respective dating lives. Gia reveals that Giuseppe's father, Alessandro, was the last man she fell in love with—albeit she was 21 and he was 50 when they started out. She recalls chafing with his teenage kids at the time, which resonates with Carrie. (She's still figuring out how to warm up to Aidan's son Wyatt.) When she asks for advice, Gia tells her, 'Don't waste years trying to be who you think they'll accept.' Carrie also puts a good word in for Anthony during their heart-to-heart. Meanwhile, Charlotte runs into Harry and another woman in Bergdorf's. However, she's not a mistress; she's his personal shopper. But it turns out that she also knows about Harry's prostate cancer diagnosis. Charlotte freaks out—weren't they not supposed to tell anyone?! Harry apologizes, but it was agonizing to keep such big news a secret. Charlotte, of course, knows this feeling; she already confided in Carrie in last week's episode, but her husband doesn't know that yet. Right now though, Carrie is amused by the unexpected sight in her kitchen: her gardener, Adam, plucking an eyelash from Seema's cheek and blowing on it in an ever-so-flirtatious manner. Now that Seema is on a budget, she got her lashes done in a no-fuss salon with a lash tech whose nails were like talons. As a result, she was left with a deflated set of lashes and a scar. Adam considers this an excuse to swoop in. Carrie gets flattered too. Her neighbor and writer friend Duncan stops by to say he's read the pages of her novel that she shared with him for feedback. He says it's 'brilliant' and 'propulsive.' He's floored by the opening sentence: 'The woman wondered what she had gotten herself into.' (Doesn't seem groundbreaking to me, but okay???) Soon, Carrie's apartment turns into a party venue for Charlotte's birthday. Miranda arrives equipped with a metallic jumpsuit, confetti-filled balloons, and a karaoke machine. Lisa's son Henry (Alexander Bello—Theater Camp fans are familiar with this young king!) is delighted by the props. He calls out the 'Geardon Pro With Touch Screen Karaoke' with glee, in a line of very thinly veiled product placement. (In case you were curious, the machine retails for $600 on Amazon, but it's marked down to $479 thanks to Prime Day.) Henry hogs the mic with renditions of 'I Dreamed a Dream,' 'Hopelessly Devoted to You,' and 'Copacabana.' Honestly he should've kept going, but Miranda would rather open gifts. Gia tries to make conversation with Anthony, but it's more of an accusation. She believes that he's 'selling sex' at his bakery, because the staff wear tiny jumpsuit uniforms that show off their bulges. (She's not entirely wrong.) But Anthony thinks it's just fun. Later, Gia gets to the core of her concern with Anthony. It's 'tragic when someone older lusts over someone younger,' she says, not noting her hypocrisy as someone who married a much older man. While Carrie and Duncan are talking on the terrace—and Kimberly Akimbo star and Tony winner Bonnie Milligan is belting her heart out at karaoke—Miranda tries to comfort Harry. She tells him that when the time comes, Charlotte will be 'devastated by the loss, but we'll be there for her.' She's, of course, referring to Richard Burton, but Harry thinks she's referring to himself. Did Charlotte let the cat out of the bag? He talks to his wife, who talks to Carrie, who comes clean about the dog cover-up. 'That's almost worse!' Charlotte gasps. Harry decides to clear the air and tell Charlotte's friends about his diagnosis, but he assures them not to worry as he is getting treatment at an early stage. It's a twisted birthday gift for Charlotte: Now she won't have to keep a secret from her best friends. Seema, by the way, is elsewhere wearing a freaking Louis Vuitton leather eyepatch, which she crafted from an old fanny pack. But that does not deter Adam, whose flirtations have not ceased. In fact, he mentions that he is no longer with his yoga teacher girlfriend. 'I ended things with her when I smelled your perfume for the first time,' he adds. (BOLD!) Seema is breathless. But he doesn't stop there; he begins to serenade her with 'Bette Davis Eye' (notably not eyes because, again, Seema is wearing an eyepatch) at karaoke. Though Adam makes inexplicable noises into the mic (I think he believes this is 'singing'), Seema is a fan. They leave together and make out on the taxi ride home. When the party's over, Miranda and Carrie debrief in the kitchen. They both fawn over Miranda's girlfriend, Joy; Carrie is so happy to see Miranda in a healthy and effortless relationship. Miranda playfully points out that Carrie had fun with Duncan too, but Carrie takes offense to that. 'I'm in a relationship,' she snaps. Miranda is apologetic, but she notes that Carrie is in a weird place with Aidan; she puts so much work into their relationship, but she rarely gets to have fun. Carrie gets defensive here. She and Aidan have been together for 20-some years, while Miranda and Joy are only a month in—what does she know? Miranda confesses she got the idea from glancing at Carrie's book draft, the part about the woman who didn't know 'what she got herself into.' Carrie insists it's a fictional story set in 1846; it's not about her. Miranda believes her and backs off. Though they end things amicably, it's clear that Miranda's comments struck a chord with Carrie. We viewers know from her narrations that her writing is somewhat autobiographical. So when she tells Miranda that she's not romantically confused, she's not only lying to her friend, but also to herself. Or maybe in the And Just Like That... universe, the concept of truth is a little skewed too.
