Warning: spoilers are ahead for the series finale of And Just Like That..., called "Party of One" and available streaming now with an HBO Max subscription.
Until recently, the Season 3 finale of And Just Like That... was expected to be just that: the end of the third season. After the announcement that the Sex and the City sequel series would end in the 2025 TV schedule after filming had already wrapped, however, there were big questions about how "Party of One" would close out the stories of Carrie Bradshaw and Co.
Well, unsurprisingly, fan reactions are mixed about whether or not it was a worthy ending to the saga, and I can't help but wonder if creator Michael Patrick King's comments about why he knew it was time to end will change any viewers' minds.
Fans React To The And Just Like That... Series Finale
Considering the six seasons of Sex and the City and two feature films that released before And Just Like That... premiered, "Party of One" wasn't the first time that longtime fans had to say a potentially permanent goodbye to the characters. The three seasons of the HBO Max sequel have had lovers and haters, with some of those haters being particularly vocal online with criticism.
So, it's not especially surprising that viewers wasted no time flooding the comment section of the show's Instagram post about the finale with their takes. Just take a look at some of the many (edited for clarity), which I selected to show off the extremes of some of the reactions:
- @moira081999: "The worst series finale I’ve ever seen! The shit coming up from toilet was completely disgusting. I'm speechless."
- @cabradshawquotes: "God, I’m gonna miss my carrie so much."
- @julenruiz55: "I just finished it and idk how to feel. I honestly loved this episode so much, and her finally being completely ok with being on her own makes perfect sense. I am just sad. I want to cry! ❤️ I love my girls. I hope we get to see them again in some way to get one final ending."
And here I thought I was being petty for still being annoyed about the show's title! In the And Just Like That... comments, there's love, there's hate, and there's just the hope that this Season 3 finale won't be the last time that Carrie Bradshaw and her crew grace the screen. Of course, Charlotte wasn't actually in a whole lot of the episode, which was a bit of a bummer. I doubt anybody was expecting another cameo from Kim Cattrall's Samantha, but more of the other three as a trio would have been nice for a series finale.
Why It Was Time For The Creator To End And Just Like That...
Speaking with Deadline about the series finale, And Just Like That... creator Michael Patrick King confirmed that this was the ending that he wanted and he "wouldn't have stopped" otherwise. Notably, King has been involved in the franchise going back to the original run of the series on HBO. He went on:
The ending told us to stop when we were writing, and that sentence, the woman realized she was not alone. She was on her own. It was so important for me to hear, and it just sort of appeared. I was like, well, that’s the ending, especially since it is a response and a callback to Carrie at the end of Sex and the City when she says, 'the most significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And then if you find someone to love, love you, love, that’s fabulous.' She’s saying that voiceover while Mr. Big is calling to say, 'I’m coming to town.'
Mr. Big himself of course didn't appear in the series finale after he was killed off early in Season 1, which was "really sad" for Sarah Jessica Parker and resulted in a reaction from Peloton. But it's fitting for the creator to shout out Chris Noth's impactful character if this episode truly is the end of the road for the Sex and the City universe! King continued:
So the growth and the evolution and the resonance of her saying a new version of that when maybe no one is coming is the most significant addition we could add to this whole Carrie Bradshaw universe. I knew then that I wanted her to stop there because I believe that’s her message to everyone who’s been watching for many, many years. It’s for the women who have someone or the people who have someone. More importantly, it’s for the people who don’t have someone. If you can feel good about the life you create, it’s great.
King continued to share that the leading lady was on board with the decision, saying that he "went to Sarah Jessica and said, 'I think this is it. This is where we stopped for Carrie.' She responded by saying "then we stop," and the creator credited HBO Max for letting the team end it where they did. It remains to be seen if the And Just Like That... finale truly is the end of Carrie Bradshaw's time on screen, with the creator saying that he "closed the book," but didn't quite commit to never revisiting this world again.
If you're in the mood to revisit the saga from the start, every episode of And Just Like That... is available streaming on Max now, as well as all six seasons of Sex and the City. The original show is always available streaming with a Netflix subscription.
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