WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for And Just Like That season 3, episode 12, “Party of One”.
WhileAnd Just Like Thatwas a polarizing show, most of its originalSex and the Citycharacters got great endings — except one. TheSATCsequel series came to an end on Thursday after showrunner Michael Patrick King delivered a surprise announcement thatAnd Just Like Thatseason 3 would be its last.
It’s the end of an era for Carrie Bradshaw and her friends, who captured the hearts of millions almost 30 years ago whenSex and the Citypremiered. While manySATCfans faithfully tuned intoAnd Just Like That, the prevailing consensus is that the spinoff utterly pales in comparison to the original series and makes a mockery of its iconic characters.
Still, theAnd Just Like Thatseries finalesaw many fairytale conclusions for Carrie Bradshaw and co. Carrie got her perfect ending while realizing she is happy “on her own,” while Charlotte had a happy post-coital Thanksgiving dinner with her family, and Miranda enjoyed a quiet moment with Joy. ButAJLTabsolutely bungled Anthony’s ending, and the problems with his character started inSex and the City.
Anthony Deserved Way Better Than A Pie In The Face In The And Just Like That Finale
Like most ofAnd Just Like That,the series finale barely factored Anthony in at all. The only scenes he was in were when he received the pie from Carrie, and then when he received it in the face from Giuseppe in the show’s closing montage.
AJLTtotally wasted its legacySATCcharacter in Anthonyby finally giving him a real storyline in the penultimate episode — he’s having second thoughts about marrying Giuseppe — and failing to deliver on it in the finale. The fact that we never got to see Anthony initiate this difficult conversation, and only seeGiuseppe’s reaction of pieing him, is insulting and a waste of Mario Cantone’s talent.
It would have made so much more sense for Giuseppe to have proposed to Anthony at the start ofAnd Just Like Thatseason 3. Then, the stakes for Anthony to prove himself to Gia, Giuseppe’s mother, would have been higher and more complex when Anthony realized his doubts. Instead, theAnd Just Like Thatcharacterwas shunted to the side and made to play the fool.
Sex And The City Treated Anthony Like A Cartoon Character
Anthony Marentino is introduced inSex and the Cityseason 3, episode 11, “Running with Scissors,” as Charlotte’s wedding planner when she was engaged to Trey. From there, he stuck around as a recurring character for a total of 12 episodes.
While Anthony freshened up every scene he was in,his character never evolved past Charlotte’s cartoonish “gay” best friend. He was always on hand to dole out raunchy love and sex advice, but never got any real storylines of his own. At least Stanford got compelling romantic subplots, even if he was never part of the core four.
TheSex and the Citymoviestreated Anthony even worse when they forced him and Stanford together despite them hating each otherfor most of the HBO series. These two have nothing in common except for a few mutual friends and the fact that they’re both gay.
It would have been fine if the movies had organically given Anthony and Stanford an enemies-to-lovers plot, but that never happened, and it felt like they were lumping the franchise’s only (at the time) two LGBTQ+ together to get two gay storylines for the price of one. Here’s hoping that if some form ofAnd Just Like Thatever does come back, it treats Anthony better.
And Just Like That…
Cast
And Just Like That is a continuation of the beloved franchise Sex and the City, chronicling the experiences of Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte as they transition from the complexities of life and friendships in their 30s to those in their 50s.
Sex and the City
Sex in the City follows Carrie Bradshaw, a New York writer who finds inspiration for her column from the genuine, emotional, and often humorous exploits of life in the city. Joined by best friends Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York, and Samantha Jones, Sex and the City follows the ups and downs of the characters' romantic relationships, being single, sex, and friendship as 30-something women.
