The Worst Idea Of All Time - The Show is Carrie and We Are Aidan

Episode Date: July 16, 2025

Life's a party and so is this episode 7th episode of AJLT season 3. We've got the three great Cs of any party - cake, Carrie Bradshaw and caraoke. Zooming out though, Guy has uncovered this season's most compelling piece of meta-text available - that the relationship between And Just Like That... and its audience, is mirrored by Carrie and Aidan's relationship. We are grateful to our streaming platform overlords who have really done a number on the concept of television itself. Miranda is at her maximum while trying to cheer up Charlotte under the false understanding that her dog has cancer and Tim is in perfect alignment with every decision Harry makes.Watch and support us at twioat.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi everyone, it's Tim and Guy here and we've watched another episode of Just Like That Season 3. This was episode 8? 7. One day we'll get it, right? I know. What do you mean we? Of what?

How many episodes? It's like, you know, if you're a fan of something, you know where you are. Yes. You can orient yourself around it. For you to say. I guess that is the, I mean, it's a good litmus test, isn't it? Am I a fan of this show?

No, don't know what episode I'm watching. Is Guy a fan of this show? Yes, correcting me constantly on what episode we're watching. Can I ask you actually, it's a great place to start. The beginning. Are you a fan of this show? No. Are you a fan of this episode?

Uh, that. Now, that's a more interesting question. Also, no. But closer to yes. Are you a fan of this episode? Uh, that now that's a more interesting question. Also no, but closer to years. It's a less decisive note on the curve of how much this, uh, season of this television show has sort of annoyed me. This one was definitely, uh, the side of the bell curve towards less annoying. Yeah. Fascinating.

Isn't it? Why do you think towards less annoying. Yeah. Fascinating. Isn't it? Why do you think that is? Without... Bitsy? Yeah. Bitsy Von Mufflin? Oh, you like that she got a moment to shine. She was doing her job.

She had a lot of moments to shine and she was doing her job, I think, in this episode. In a previous episode where we were dealing very front and center with Harry's cancer, she kept getting in the way of a new big storyline and it was like, Bitsy, come on now, I would love to see you in 45 minutes. Right now I'm dealing with Charlotte's husband's prostate cancer. It is an apropos title, isn't it, for her? Because it made the show feel Bitsy. Even the weightier things, you know, they were sort of von Muffling their way through. There's also a little bit of a connection, you know, as a father of a three-year-old,

I'm reading a lot of a three year old, I'm reading a lot of Harry McCleary at the moment, not for Remy, just for my own distress and decompress a little bit. And there is a... Remy's reading Dostoyevsky, isn't he? Correct. Yeah. He's a big fan of huge Russian literature. He's a big fan of huge Russian literature. Ah, Bitsy Von Mufflin seems to be a portmanteau of two characters from Harry McCleary. Bitsy Von Crumb?

There's Bitsy Malone. Yeah. Wait. Bitsy... Slinky... All Skinny and Bones. Bitsy... And someone Von Crumb with a very low tongue.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not even reading these books. I'm just remembering from when I was a boy. And there's Muffin McClay, like a bundle of hay. So it's all kind of like this amalgamation of children's storybook dogs. Lindley Dodd? Yeah, sounds right to me. Lindley Dodd, the Dodd estate. Yeah. Get that money. 100%. One of the, she's not central, one of the garnishes, one of the side dishes, one of the many pots on the stove. I would say she was crucial to this episode because once again, we're dealing with, we're dealing with a reasonable amount, a reasonable amount of pots and pans this episode.

Well, what I- Few less than normal. I think, do you know what? But Bitsy is a trivial, you know what? See is a trivial. You know, but of catching a coach from on the and that makes me happy to see the reason that this episode almost scored a pass in your book. Yeah. And the reason it felt it was still incredibly unfocused and insane.

But the reason it felt at least like it was approaching more of a cohesive dish is because they did one of the most brilliant things you can do when you feel like you've got a bit much on and you just need to check in with everyone in a show, which is they threw a party. They did. And so they consolidated, you know, almost all of the bits and pieces. Charlotte's colleagues who we forgot existed, who were welcome. We got Joys there.

You know, it's the first time Carrie's met Joys at the party. Crazy. I Duncan's come up because the noise is too much from downstairs. I have to say. I watched the episode with Chelsea, who, as the show started, said. said, do I need to know anything? Oh, the episode you made. So she's been dropped in at this episode? Yes.

Okay. For the entire show. Okay. Did you say the experiment requires you to not have context of the previous episode? No. I said, I paused it and I gave, I said, basically Carrie and Aidan can't figure it out. He's in Virginia.

She's writing what I think is going to be a pretty, I don't know if the show has the guts to do it, but I think objectively from the data that has been shared with us, the audience, what is going to be an objectively bad romantasy book. She's got a downstairs neighbor who's sort of a Walter Isaacson figure writing a very weighty biography of Margaret Thatcher. You've got Charlotte, who is looking after her two sort of more grownup children,

and Harry has got cancer. And I said, Harry's still there. And I said, we're hanging out for Harry. I said, Miranda is a lesbian. She's with a woman called Joy. Get used to it Chelsea. Yeah and she said isn't she really gay? Like talking about Cynthia Nixon and I said yeah, she's super gay and that made me laugh. super gay and that made me laugh. Then I said Samantha Jones no longer exists. We have Seema, she does kind of. She exists as a ghost in the machine.

She is an SMS text message spirit that occasionally graces Carrie's iPhone. For context it was easier just to assume that she would not be texted or referred to and tell Chelsea she no longer exists. Sure. I said, Seema is Carrie's side piece who's meant to fill the void. She's being humbled by the show as she loses power of a real estate company. And I said, and then there's Lisa Todd Wexley. Yes.

And she said, is that, is that her? Why did you give her a full name? Why does everyone else only have one name? And I said, I cannot tell you. We are playing by the rules of the show. And she is, I said, she's a powerful black woman making a powerful documentary about the unsung heroes of, you know, black woman through history, which felt like important context.

And that was all I did. Did you mention Herbert? I said, I said her husband is running for city control. I said, they're a power couple. Yes. And you know, then the, look, the, the, you know, we, we got into the work of watching the episode and to watch someone enter at this point and just see the rate at which new things and characters are being introduced to

see how genuinely dizzying and disorienting an experience this show is. When introduced to like an intelligent you know person was mind-boggling. She was genuinely like spinning out at the rate at which people were being picked up and put down and paraded across the screen. She said, this is like a child trying to tell you, like trying to play with you and they get onto a track and you're like, okay, this is a fun track. And they go, and now they're here. And I just slammed them down. And I think your instinct is to want to, you know, to just stay a little bit longer with the character who they've sort of developed for us in a playing. And that is not that is not what it's done here. But

they do they get closer because they do put everyone in a room and the party itself, I've got to say just as an assessment of a party. Yeah, the lighting is way off. Yeah, the light was way off. It's so bright. There is no, unless the karaoke machine's on, there is no music playing. Someone should have commented on it because I believe Carrie in her big house, which always to me feels quite empty. Despite the fact that she's so focused on, you know, she's a visual person. She's a fashionista. I would have thought that her interior design muscles would have been flexed in this mansion to kind of make it her own.

But it still feels like she's living in this big empty house. The only room that is full is the wardrobe. Everything else is still, and it must be a creative decision, is still visibly sparse. Maybe they ran out of money. And I will say this for the show's creator. I've only just, here's a brand new thought I've had. I would like to commend this show for paying so many actors. Think about it.

All shows being made today by the streamers, everyone's going for efficiency. We're picking up existing IP so you can spend less on the marketing campaign. You don't have to introduce a brand new entity to an audience. We're trying to squeeze the last bit of orange juice out of that very fucking dehydrated little citrus fruit that is Marvel by bashing out three more seasons of some fucking ancillary character.

Can I just pause your train of thought here and say, are you suggesting this show is not doing exactly that? Well, it is banking on another IP, but, but it is, it is both trading on historic IP without having introduced the characters and squeezing the evil shit out of the citric fruit. Being wildly inefficient in terms of production. Like there's so many people, there's so many people to pay. They're all, they all got their fucking sad cards. Yeah.

Yeah. This is a union operation, baby. There's no way they'd be caught with their pants down and get some non-union members on the crew. There's a lot of people being paid. And if there is one positive thing I can say for it, and just like that, a lot of people collected a cheque on this show. And that's good. That is good. It is. I mean, it is also I thought this episode was again, like it was really how much I was enjoying it. The oscillator, if you were to follow like my heart, a heart monitor representing pleasure, it was all over the show. It was I was I was having some sort of episode where I was like, I really believed in it.

And then I didn't believe in it. And then I was really enjoying it. And I think once we actually got into the guts of the party, once Morant, like I did not like the fun and games in quotation marks set up of Carrie saying to Miranda, uh, Richard Burton, Charlotte's dog has cancer. Miranda sort of weaseling out of, Charlotte's confiding Carrie about Harry's cancer. She said, I'm not going to tell anyone. Miranda's on the trail and she goes, the Richard Burton has cancer and then it's like

You know that the setup of all of that. Yes was not I don't have a trust relationship with the show Yeah, so it was not fun to watch them building that I don't like you guys messing around with Harry's Precarious but once once we'd sort of whip the scab off and we're at the party Miranda's trying to force fun is I was like this Miranda was really making me laugh when she was at the party and she kicked off Lisa and Herbert's like showtune son who did three consecutive songs on the car which is also a funny but yeah and Miranda's starting to do girls just want to have fun and they were seeing her trying to corral the gals was so good. And I, I was, I don't know, it felt very real

to me. I was like, I know this check. And it's like, I don't hate it, but there is a desperation to the attempt to rally the troops around an idea that isn't working, which I've seen in real life so many times. And it is very funny to observe and beyond as long as you're not like included either as the person who's trying to make something happen or one of the people who's being like shepherded in. It's a very funny thing to stand back and watch something that is not good and not a good idea being forced uphill.

I know and it felt very real. In the interest of the party it did ultimately kind of work. Like I think the energy of the party. It did ultimately kind of work. Like I think the energy of the party by then was one of a successful party. I'd also like to go back to Charlotte's colleagues from the art gallery. And I just say one thing. Yes. Just before we dive right, right, right in. I had a pretty old school absorption of this episode, which might have helped me to have bit one off when I went to bed last night, did the next one in the morning. And in addition to that,

none of us can figure out Zoe's password to the neon. Zoe can't figure it out. I can't figure it out. It's saved on this TV, but I was in bed so I had to purchase another subscription. And I got, cause I'm like doing it just to watch this one episode of this one show. I got the one with ads. You can get one with ads. There's an ad supported tier now of the subscription here in New Zealand that carries and just like that.

And so I think that helped to have constant interruptions of both asleep betwixt the first and second halves and even in between those two halves, I had an ad break. It was inevitable but it absolutely it is congratulations to NEON and other streaming services for discovering free-to-air television. And charging us for each channel effectively now it's so good. It's amazing. What you've done with the place. It's perfect. Well I love how streamers mean that I can watch whatever I want Whenever I want wherever I want as long as you remember Zoe's password that includes paying for multiple streaming services And then finding out the movie I want to watch is on one of them and guess what not only do I pay for the service

I now have the right to rent or buy the movie from them in addition to whatever the fuck I'm paying them every month It is like and they're losing money Situation where we're paying for multiple streaming platforms. I for some reason and paying for two versions of neon. It's ad-supported Which is crazy Like you say they're then like also give us more money if you'd like to watch a movie and you have A 48-hour window to do that Yeah, it's somehow still we are burning through cash fucking figure it out guys

It's crazy they get it out the television industry was operating for a long ass time More or less doing its thing they they figured out Bads in the middle of the ad break and everyone was somewhat happy with it Everyone was making out like bandits Everyone involved was making a shitload of money Silicon Valley man. They got a lot to answer for these assholes Oh, yeah, we'll fix that just give us the entire market share and we'll fix that don't worry about that Yeah, yeah fucking hell it's happening everywhere and it's not what this podcast is about. Back to the task at hand. We are at the party. Okay. You just want to talk about the party, huh? Not entirely.

You haven't even mentioned Anthony's mother. I mean, sorry, mother. Well, future mother-in-law Giuseppe's mother, Gina. Gia. Gia. I could never figure out what's up. It's like there's almost a CH and a G. It's like halfway between the two because everyone was going so hard on the G. G I've got, I've got it as G I A like an Italian G. Yeah. Yup. Um, we'll get to her. Don't worry about that. Cause she also comes to the party and I just think it was, it was enjoyable to have a viewing companion. It was.

Who was, I guess not as watching the show, but watching me. And I was watching the show and watching her and I love her. And when we were at the party and Charlotte's call, I did one of the other things I gave in my sort of, you know, minute long recap, which I thought, you know, for all the stories we've followed to get here, I was like, this is, it's remarkable that this is all the key information you need. Uh, as I said, Charlotte's gone back to the art gallery. Is it just a note on that?

You're right. Because so much has been introduced, but none of it sticks. None of it. Lisa Todd Wexley's father was the entire plot of the last episode. Lisa's not really in this episode and that doesn't matter. There's an investigative joke. Like, I mean, yeah, we obviously, as everyone did, found out that there's the second death of Lisa Tobiaski's dad. Yeah,

which is the first time your dad dies. That's the second time. Fast. Yeah. Yeah. Cass Stevens wrote a song about it. It's called the first cut is the deepest and that didn't really like, it was, it's a funny detail, but I'm not like, it doesn't shock me or it doesn't tip the apple cart in any direction. Cause I'm like, well, yeah, what do you expect? And also who remembers that fight? Like who is, who is scribing? You know, obviously we're documenting our experience with it, but I'm not going back

over my homework. I love the show, but it's disposable. The blog is loved that little tidbit, but it's like, I don't think you guys are really watching. If that's really set you off, I don't think you're in the show. And so we're at the part and I said, Shard's back at work and just having some trouble with the, with feeling older, her and Harry are. And it still kills me that Harry didn't put the photo of himself like looking cool with

his pissy pants on Instagram. We took the photo. It's on a fucking fine. That is one of the like, one of the funniest subplots you could set up. It's like Harry wanting to be big on social media and taking a cool photo while he pusses his pants. And they take that and they go, and now he's got cancer. And exactly. It's like, you've done all the work. You're setting up a joke and then the punchline is,

and now you've got cancer. It's the exact same thing with Lisa Todd Wexley in the hot edited Mary. And it's like tension, tension, tension, tension. And they're going to kiss. And they're going to get caught out. Guess what? Third option. Your dad's dead. Again. It's the most 80 day fucking storytelling I've seen in a TV show.

And so but we're at the party and like, you know, I'm sort of having fun watching it with Charleston, seeing her react to everything. And then there's this shot to the three people who work with Charlotte the party and like, you know, I'm sort of having fun watching it with Charles and seeing her react to everything. And then there's these, there's a shot to the three people who work with Charlotte. And they're all just like, they've had a breakout conversation. They're all talking to each other. And I'm like, I swear to God, without the context of someone else who we've spent more time with being in frame, this is the first time the show has ever shown us these three colleagues, existing independent of the main storyline.

We're sure they're at a party for Charlotte, But guess what? We're going to spend time with them watching them. I was like, you can't fucking do that. You actually can't fucking do that. You actually can't take three characters who have walked through screen before and then put them all in one shot talking to each other. Like that's normal. I loved that. It was such a sweet, I really relate to those three women who work at the art gallery with Charlotte. Like there is a, they're not with these gals. They're on a different buzz. They're living a real life. They've, you know, they've got these big New York City bills to pay. They're struggling with their rent, but they're just constantly getting fucking drunk. And it's just there's something very nice and great about those characters.

They're like they are Lena Dutton. They grew up on girls, you know, they did not grow up on Sex and the City. But they exist in this universe as well. And so they're talking and like, I don't know if girls is the perfect but you know, but like, you know, in terms of generational, yeah. They're of that generation character. But I said to Chels, there's some, before the episode started, I said, there's someone, cause I can't remember how I knew.

I said, Oh, I just said in case it came out, I said, look, there's someone who works with Charlotte, who we've seen live. And I told you about this. And it's, and as soon as Chels, she said, I know her, where have I seen her? It's the colleague with the hair who gives the gift of a song. We didn't see her in life. You didn't see her live. Oh, Chelsea and I did. Oh, okay. Great. And Kimberly at Kimbo. And she was a scene stealer. And when she was introduced in season two, I remember being like, fucking get your money. I'm so pumped up to see you.

She is so good. And she like the three friends who we shot at the art only one of those board again. Have you got any? I got I'm gonna you keep talking. I just think they get her a kid. One of them is like, I don't buy gifts for people who own property in New York. And then the other one's like, I got her a $40 candle. And the friend who said I have no gift policy said, great, put my name on that. And the kid I thought they stole a candle from Carrie's house as well. No, no, it was it was it was a $40 candle. And then so the two friends give the candle and the Broadway star says, My gift is a song and sings Valley Deep Mountain High. Is that the right? Is that

the... Tina Turner. And like, absolutely fucking like, finally, they, they, they acknowledge the talent that someone they have hired to be on the show has and just absolutely uncork it on the entire episode. And it was outstanding and so gratifying and satisfying. And I'm so happy for that actor. What is their name? I can find it. I'll be able to find it faster than you.

Why do you say that? I mean, you're right, but Why do you say that? I mean you're right but why do you say that? Because I know how to give the Google the things that it needs. Yeah yeah. Honestly trying to go through like an... Bonnie Milligan. Nice one that was quick. It is crazy that I mean you're trying to set yourself a challenge going through the IMDB cast page I mean just like that you are fucking wading through the ocean with a single panel on your kayak Good lord, I could you know like a needle in a haystack material. If ever you feel nostalgic for the phone book Just open the IMDB page You just want to read a long list of names to put yourself to sleep open up the IMDB page for and just like that and enjoy

The avalanche of names that you will now have access to they are not Alphabetized don't worry about it. They are long and strong Giuseppe's mom's here and is it is actually quite a major part of this episode at times Yes Giuseppe's mom so Anthony like at the start of the episode Anthony is given like a vintage Anthony storyline And I'm talking Canon from Sex and the City to Ford's to Sex and the City the movie to and just like that where he is Parading around he's bought in a bit. He's go fuck, you know, there's goddamn flower market You know like he's just complaining and he says is Anthony I just see his mother's coming here the Italian shrink

He's decorating the place with like olive branches or something. It's a kind of a weird choice, but he's trying to zhuzh the place up and he's yelling at his staff to say, get that, get the kitchen clean. And he does it like a throwaway line where he's like a shrink, you know, I hate therapy as if I need someone telling me, you know. I took therapy once, she gave me all these insights. And then he wince it. Who needs that?

So to backs him up on that. And I'm like, I mean guys there's two candidates but anyway who am I to judge then he's parading around he comes out and he's sort of he's yelling at someone he's going I need some before this goddamn Italian shrink gets here from behind his you know bouquet olive branches and then she guess what she's here she's right in front of him she doesn't like him guess what they've set up tension for the episode. And it is funny when she sees like one of the hot buff, hot fellas walk up, parading around.

And she's like, you must be looking at you. You must be Anthony. And it's like, oh, this is a, this is going to be a funny disappointment for the mom. That was good. The mom warms to all of the girls, as we all do, and immediately dismisses Anthony out of hand. Can I just say, cause I will forget this

in about two seconds, that was the other moment. So the Lisa Todd Wexley, dead, dying, twice thing is one example of the show sort of forgetting something that it's set up previously. I kind of thought, because they didn't do anything with it, that that happened twice, but within this episode involving Gia, do you know what I'm talking about? So later

at the end of the episode she's talking to Antoni and she says something like I find it pathetic watching old people lust over younger lovers because there's a duet happening when Giuseppe's been pulled up by Bitsy, which also is so good. Yeah, they're doing shallows. And I mean, Bitsy, come on, this is the gayest guy at the party. You're barking up the wrong tree there, Lindley Dodd. So she says that, but previously in this episode, and she's been given that much backstory, but she's established that she was in her early 20s when she had Giuseppe to a 50 year old man. So she's describing her own situation that gave her her beloved son.

So you would think that she's a psychiatrist. So you would think that something would be made of that, she'd have some self reflection on that. But she doesn't. I'm like, I think they forgot the thing she said No, no, no, I think this is a pick a path because that they are like I hope you like the actor playing Gia because she's gonna stick around. Well, look, this is what we assume Don't hate it and the pantheon of demigods that we're dealing with now and the great halls have been just like that Not a bad one.

Not benevolent, but at least another episode because she's sort of, look, she, she is out with Carrie and she's given Carrie her backstory and they're talking about, she's going, look, I, you know, I was with this older guy and the step kids didn't like me and Carrie goes, I'm having trouble with step kids as well. And she goes, just be yourself. She said something which I actually thought was quite nice, which is an authentic people never win. Yeah. Like, yeah, it was something to do with, you know, like it's better to not be liked for She said something which I actually thought was quite nice, which is inauthentic people never win.

Yeah. It was something to do with, you know, like it's better to not be liked for who you authentically are than to put on a mask basically to try and curry favor when, you know, everyone can see through inauthenticity. And I thought, I genuinely thought there was what there was distilled to ascendance. And I was like, it was a great line. And you would think the show would do something with that notion. Absolutely. Did it? But it did.

It did. And I'll tell you who did it. Okay. Anthony. Well, yeah, but then like give it to Carrie because she said it to Carrie. Anthony was there. No, but you don't have to give it to Carrie because Anthony does it. And that might be a turning point.

So here's my, here's my interpretation with Gia. I'd love to hear it. Anthony like is trying to impress her kind of publicly. He's sort of saying it out loud and she's just like, is very also publicly being an absolute bitch to him. It's absolutely fucking fantastic. That's great. And he keeps, he keeps working, working, working. And then she's like, eventually he kind of snaps and he's like, well, whatever, you don't like me. And that's, you know, that's whatever. I almost don't care.

And then there's the turning point where I think she goes to Giuseppe, I want to stay here. She's like, I want to leave the party. I want to stay here for another week. And so there's a pick a path where either she is going to continue to test Anthony and like, just really try and bury the relationship. Yeah. Can we get a check on aisle three on that H in Anthony? Yeah.

Yeah. Can actually someone please research that for us. Or seeing that authentic version of him bubble up to the surface is going to mean that they form, like that their relationship goes the other way. You're going to get your heartbroken guy. You're putting so much faith at the show again, at being able to tell a good story. So here's our pick a part. You are pursuing, she's going to try and run that relationship into the ground. I think-

I don't think we'll ever see her again. I think the show will forget she exists and soon we're going to meet Giuseppe's dad. And there'll be no mention that Gia is even in New York City. That's what I think is going to happen. And that is absolutely, I can see how you've found yourself in this position. I can totally understand why you believe that. I'm sorry to not play in the, in the field that you've set up, but there is like certain, certain experiential life history I'm

bringing to bear here on my decision-making. I framed it as though there were only two paths on the picker path absolutely there is a third neon lit like a travelator which you can step on and it's usher you to whatever the fuck Michael Patras wants to put on the menu. Let's save time, let's combine some names. It's, you know, that is an escalator that is well trodden. It's not an unfamiliar. Other features of the episode that I, there's sort of one actually, maybe I'll get into this

because I think this is, this was my takeaway from the episode and I'd love to see if it checks out with your theories. So we have, what's the author's name? The British? Duncan from downstairs. The episode starts with Carrie saying, I hate you. Your book is brilliant. It's so great. And I hate you in almost like a six year old, we'll walk up to another six year old in the playground and go, I hate you. Yeah. Yeah. It's a very transparent sort of flirtatious, but also professionally respectful hate where it's like,

this is what you've written is your Margaret Thatcher book. Can I tell you something? I'm not surprised to hear that. This guy has been working really hard. Yeah. We see the work he's putting into it. And he's got a storied career of many successes. That's right.

Of biographies. And now I feel sort of nervous because I have to give you this. Now the show doesn't have the courage to make Carrie's book shit. Yeah. And they've done it once before. It's not like they slated her in Sex and the City 2. I do do. The New Yorker. Yeah, yeah. The New Yorker put and rightly so, because at this point,

who in their right mind would be taking marriage advice from Carrie Bradshaw? Oh, come on now. They've got tape over her mouth in the New Yorker article. If you don't believe me, check it out. You're going to have a great time. You just got to get to about an hour and 50 minutes for the girls going to the United Arab Emirates. And look, it's a long journey. And there's some questionable treatment of the locals. And I can't give you a time code. But if you've got to spare two hours and 30 minutes, the option's on the table.

I'm not going to tell you. There are better ways to spend your time, or worse ways to spend your time. It's by the by. I believe that the book is going to be bad. She gives the manuscript to him. Later on, he comes up. First chapter.

Duncan's got the first chapter. Sort of first draft, first chapter. Yeah. They're vibing. And he comes up, and he's like, guess what? It's fantastic. And I'm like, guess what? I've lost all respect.

I do not respect your critical faculty as a character. This is like that it's not quite a philosophical quandary, but it's like a riddle where there's two people standing in front of the doors and one of them's lying. And you got to figure out like where the gold is behind which door by asking just one question of one of them. I now no longer think as the show is presenting it that we're dealing with two authors who have created two great books.

I now suddenly think we're dealing with two authors who have created two bad books because he thinks Carrie's first chapter is excellent. I still think he could be writing a great book. And look, this sounds gendered, but I sincerely believe the treatment of work and the seriousness of what they're doing and the snippets of the book that have been drip-fed to us across.

So he specifically quotes her opening line, which is the woman wondered what she got herself into. And so does Miranda. And cites it as, yeah, Miranda doesn't. So this is real. Yeah, Miranda doesn't do it as like a critical review. She's like challenging where Carrie stands in her life. He does it as like, what an opening sentence.

And I'm like. He does say that, he does. He's like, what an opening sentence. I couldn't believe what I thought. This is one of the most, like anyone can scroll this sentence down. What she does with it, maybe is interesting. I don't believe that. It felt like the show laughing at us, to be quite honest with you, to say like,

I cannot believe because when you're going to do something like that, the sensible thing is to not say what the line is, because it's you've really set yourself up for a fall. They didn't go there. Tell us what the line is, because it's, you've really set yourself up for a fall. But then tell us what the line is and it's not that great. He then describes the first chapter as propulsive and they're out on the deck. And so what the show wants you to focus on is their flirtation. What it wants you to notice, which is what anyone with a pulse, including Miranda at the party would notice, is that these two are vibing hard. What you cannot help but get swept up in is the way this guy is describing

like literature and the way he is talking about story is it's fucking like chat GPT generated level. And I'm sorry, but he is describing a Mel's and Boone novelette. Yeah. And from every, and I'm saying that as someone who's spent a lot of time with Carrie, obviously not from Sex and the City because that isn't canon. She's a writer who we's spent a lot of time with Carrie, obviously not from Sex in the City because that isn't canon. She's a writer who we have spent a lot of time with. And as you mentioned, Guy, we've even got first hand knowledge of some of the contents

of this book now. It's not reading like a fucking page turner to me. But look, this is all like, it's kind of ancillary to the broader point I tried to raise at the start of this conversation. So this is just like saying that the sort of the critical faculties of Duncan and now under question. I don't, I don't think his books got thin because the case, why do I think his, because I think people can be fantastic at the thing, but the thing, but their tastes can diverge from what necessarily constitutes something good. You know, people can make brilliant things and enjoy bad things.

You got to have good taste to make a good thing. Yeah, yes and no. Look, I just, maybe he's writing a dog shit book. I mean, he's writing a biography about Margaret Thatcher, who is a fascinating historic figure. It wouldn't surprise me if it is championing everything that she did. I know I do get that sense as well. I'm like, what's the perspective on the Iron Lady? What redoing doing Margaret Thatcher here exactly? I think it would be I would actually I would love it if they just revealed

that he was this kind of, you know, erudite pipe smoking, but secretly hardcore'm caught or a good dude who was just writing this big piece to guess up. The show is like the show's efforts to consistently remain apolitical. It's like for how much money they have furnished, like burnished these characters with it is impossible. The shows insane efforts to remain apolitical are in themselves. This is politicized. I normally would be aggravated by that fact. I honestly am happy about it. And that's for a few reasons.

I think number one, why do I care about this? It gives it a timelessness. Like I think it does. Oh yeah. There's this theoretically you could watch this season of this show, maybe in five years, if we haven't killed ourselves by the end. Because there's like, there's watch this season of this show maybe in five years if we haven't killed ourselves by then because there's like there's not a lot of tech that's one thing that dates um there's not a lot of politics in it except for the sort of you know

inferred uh political standards of people living their lives. Yeah but they're not that no one in the show discusses politics all of it exists purely in the background. Gruel is timeless. You know, bad porridge. You ate it in the seventies, you ate it in the 1930s. I could have it tomorrow morning. 100%. So it's got that quality to it. All of this is still building to the point, which is, and it felt like a revelation. And I'll be interested if you agree or not.

But so the flirtation between Duncan and Kerry is strong and coming on stronger. And it is observable across the party. The boundaries or parameters of carrying Aidan's relationship, which is still a source of sort of frustration to me is like that they've become slightly more elasticized. There is the possibility thing inside of what the conversation they had in the last episode that maybe, you know, you could, you could fuck around. I think so. But so anyway, Miranda sort of challenges that it doesn't come up. But what, what I think what I've learned because I've found it so chat that I, I believe sincerely.

Carrie and Aidan's relationship is a metaphor for the viewer experience with, and just like that and relationship to the source material, the non canonical sex in the city. So I think Carrie and Aidan's relationship and the frustration and their ability to let each other go. Yeah. Is like an exact mirror for the experience of people watching this show and being like, because Miranda keeps at like that.

She's describing it as like, fuck, I didn't write anything down, but she's, she's, you know, it's like the, the inability for them to commit to each other, but just to keep it going and this sort of, uh, shapeless. I think the only thing she says directly is it looks hard. Yes. And it, I like it, but it is hard. I genuinely, I thought it was such a powerful observation and look, we might not be able to unpack it, you know, with the intensity that I forecast, but I really believe Carrie and Aidan's relationship is a map for the audience

relationship with the text we are watching. I love this. Which is to say it is frustrating. Yes. It is occasionally a lot of fun, but ultimately deeply unsatisfying. And for the good of everyone, they must break up. Yeah. It's not healthy. I don't think it's a nourishing relationship for either party. We're off wandering, you know, sometimes we're

out and we're off wandering, trying to find ourselves a Cathy because we feel bad at what the show's doing. Sometimes we're Carrie where we just are in a deep sense of frustration and sort of lash out at our friends because we're watching the show. And it's not an intellectually nourishing activity. I think you've stumbled upon a beautiful bit of meta text within and just like that. I mean, the meta text, it just keeps on giving. It's so rich and layered. What about this?

Seema and the gardener. Adam. Adam. From the garden. They're like the Bible. Like this show does continue to humble Seema in ways that even when I guess it would happen a couple of episodes ago, I did not realize they would treat her

with this level of kind of. It's like, oh fuck, what's his name in Always Sunny? Who by like, he's their enemy. Cricket? Yeah, cricket. But like, he just, as you keep watching the show, he's just like homeless, lost all his teeth. I think he gets addicted to meth.

Seema's downfall as a precipitous. Yeah. And so, but her flirtation with Adam the Gardener is sort of threaded throughout the episode. And at one point, they're kind of portrayed as either stoned or drunk and they're sitting on the steps of the party. They've sort of paired off and having this moment together at the party. And he's describing like the experience of, she's listing types of public transport or transport that normal people use and describing all of them as unsexy. And he's sort of offering counter arguments by being like, what about this or that? And the thing he's describing is like, I think a push bike cab experience that you can get

around the tourist years, like in Times Square. And he's like, you know, Jay-Z's empire state of mind is blasting off a cheap Bluetooth speaker. And I was like, fucking look me in the eyes when you were talking to me, bro. That is like that, you know, to continually reach through the screen and say, Hey, Tim and Guy, we know what you've been up to. We know you're with us. Like look, look me in the eyes if you're going to fuck me like that.

You think the show is talking to you? Consistently and in different ways and like never for long enough through one medium That we can latch on to it and be like I knew it like you know They did the podcast and they put it down they did the stand-up comedy. They put it down bright You know Brady's around they're picking him up. They're putting him down. Guess what? Jay-z and Alicia Keys Empire state State of Mind, which fucking scored the opening of the most intense relationship we've formed with any of these characters, which is the opening credits of, and like even hearing him say, I cannot hear that song, even hearing

him say that I had Carrie's monologue of like the origins of Manhattan. I just was like, fuck you know, like have some fucking respect for me. If you're going to do me like that. Good Lord. There's even rat stuff in this season, which was a bit of us. That's right. My shining light. So glad you asked. Um, it was the bread phone.

Oh my God. The phone was a lot of fun. How good was that? Yeah. The bread phone, which Anthony has in Hot Guys. Is it what the name of his bakery? Yeah. Hot Fellas.

Hot Fellas. God. Good Fellas. Right, that makes sense. Good Guys. I guess that makes it. That makes as much sense as anything else in the show. It almost does, shouldn't it? And just like that, it almost makes sense.

There is a phone in the shape of a baguette. And what I like about it is it doesn't have like a receiver like you would get with a comical Garfield phone for example, you just pop it on a flat surface and it hangs itself up as well. We've got laughs, we've got beautiful engineering, it's great. You don't get a lot of landlines full stop these days to get a novelty phone back in the mix. Beautiful. Loved it. Loved it. That's a great shining light. I'm just frantically cycling through what I saw because I didn't, I didn't spotlight one. I'm not here to give you one, but the Tina Turner rendition was pretty outstanding.

Fantastic. Already given, what's your name again? Yeah, I know, it's bad. I forgot as well. Already given Bonnie Milligan her flowers. Bonnie Milligan rocks. Like every moment. She's, she's a great Oasis. The three of them are cool.

I love hanging out with the three of them. It's, it's a Bonnie energy. Oh, undoubtedly. When we saw Kimberly Akimbo, like, and that was, I think it was the year it won the Tony. Uh, she stopped, she was like, I'm just so happy to see things. Isn't it amazing how you do it. You can get some people who are just like, just that charismatic on the screen, that magnetic. Absolutely.

And it is, uh, it's interesting to cast a show with a thousand people and just put one of those in there. Yeah. Just to kind of go, Hey, we still are aware that these people exist. It's interesting to cast a show with a thousand people and just put one of those in there. Just to kind of go, Hey, we still are aware that these people exist. In the realm, I mean, number one, Brady got given a couple of lines at the end. He's really grown into such a great young man. He is like, he's cleaning up after the party. He's a lovely guy. Not dragging his feet.

Well, he's also cleaning up like he's cleaning up in a way that is productive and helpful. Harry, did you know what Brady is? Sorry to interrupt you, but Brady is a young man who is superseding his mum. Miranda fucks me off so much. Really? She is so grating to me and I don't know exactly what was it in this one. I mean, it was, I did, you know, she got so mirandery that it came full circle where I sort of had an appreciation

for her desperately trying to, because she thought she was trying to cheer Charlotte up because her dog had cancer, which was not true. So she's trying to get the gals back together like back in the day when they used to go and do karaoke together. She's like, she's pushing shit uphill. But there is a desperation about the woman

that is just so antithetical to the type of human being I would want to spend any time with in my life. I actively like, you know, try to not have these sorts of energies in my fucking zone. She was channeling the Miranda of Abu Dhabi doo, you know, and leaning out the window and yelling. Just like it's... But Brady is the antithesis and yelling. Just like it's. But Brady is the antithesis of this. Well, he's a lovely guy.

But he's so confident, comfortable in himself. He's helpful. Yeah. Great guy. Well, he was doing that. No wonder the rats are getting in behind him, you know. He's a... talk about Riz. Yeah.

Actually. He's got rat Riz. Interesting. He was putting the bins outside. He was putting the rubbish outside. Like I had noticed. He's out in the was putting the bins outside. It was putting the, he was putting the rubbish outside. He's out in the garden where the rats were. Adam's working hard to like, you know, landscape this place and keep it rent free. Brady's down there probably like taking all the cheese out of the rubbish and just

peppering it around the place. Yes. He's trying to repopulate. He's like, Hey, happy to help out. Can I wash my hands? They're really sticky with cheese. Because Carrie, meanwhile, has got a dry tea towel and is wiping up crumbs on her bench for all of like, who?

It's crap. Who are you kidding? I mean, like, you have to have an action. Fine, do it, I guess. Look. I want to meet Carrie as a cleaner. This is all by the by. Also, before I get in my shining light,

I've got to acknowledge some significant story moments. OK. The lie about Richard Burton, Charlotte, and Harry's dog cleaner. This is all by the by. Also, before I get to my shining light, I've got to acknowledge some significant story moments. Okay. The lie about Richard Burton, Charlotte and Harry's dog having cancer has played for laughs to the point that it sort of bubbles up to a head at the party when eventually Harry takes all of the girls aside into the kitchen. He says, look, it's not fair. I told Charlotte to keep this to herself. I have cancer.

And Charlotte says that is a fantastic birthday present. And it is, it is, I was really happy for it. Cause I did think it was actually unfair that Charlotte was carrying this around. Harry has, I've been so there every step of the way. I'm like, I can see myself dealing with this in the exact way that Harry is. So interesting. So that was brilliant.

Seema and Adam hook up in a taxi cab and that would have been enough. Also she's got an eye patch half this episode. It's kind of funny. Yeah, the show continues to humble her. She got a cheap lash job done. And then he put his finger in her eye to take out a lash, and it gets infected.

Which is unlikely, I would say. But anyway, they're hooking up in a taxi, which would have been enough, because that communicates to us that she is finding her new place and comfortability and broadening her horizons. But then she breaks from ho hooking up being like, maybe a taxi can be sexy. I was like, fucking trust us.

Don't tell me to make toast and come and check that I've put the fucking toaster down. I like that this is in your list of critical story elements you go on. Well, I think Harry publicizing his cancer is the big one, but I did want to close the loop that they are now hooking up. So that is something that may or may not come up in

future episodes. Yes. Um, I think my shining light will have to be Lisa and Lisa Todd Wexley and Herbert Sun, um, going back to back to back on the karaoke machine with like a remarkable zest for life and also disregard for like party settings or a lack of self-awareness, which was genuinely really funny. Uh, we've all met those 14 year old theater kids. The Todd Wexley's had a great episode. They weren't given a lot.

Yeah. Lisa's not allowed to be grieving anymore. Herbert's not running for city comptroller for one episode. They're at a party. They are absolutely ancillary to the action. They are like, they are given the same treatment as Charlotte's colleagues, basically, which is like they're at the party and occasionally watch a breakout chat. I know we're closing this off, but they're the only ones, especially professionally with like some really some big shit going on. Like Harry's got a book

just simmering on the boil every now and then she reminds us she's writing. Miranda is in a confusing position where she's doing the media, but she is like the head of this charitable organization that's helping some international something something. Charlotte is sort of part time at the art gallery, which is sweet, but we don't spend a lot of time there. But Lisa Dot Wexley is making a fucking documentary series and Herbert is running for comptroller of New York City. Yeah. And we spent like big stuff and no one is really concentrating on them.

Absolutely not. I'd also like to say I'm interested in the Michelle Obama sort of narrative of, you know, Chekhov's Michelle Obama, because this episode, I was like, this is an unserious show in a way that, you know, I wonder if Michelle Obama was to appear on something like this. We would say I need to read all of the scripts to be across. No, I know. That's not what I've heard about how those sorts of things go.

There was a piece of news that happened in the last few days, which has actually made me believe you a little bit more about this. And that's that the Obamas are teaming up with Larry David to make a American history comedy series. They're on like a soft publicity trail at the moment. And this feels very much of the world and would probably have been like calculated and timed out to align with the release of something. I think so.

Their calendars, I'd say are booked at least 18 months. They know what everything's happening in the future. So this would time out well with what is going on. But yeah, the- Are you looking forward to seeing Michelle Obama or are you just looking forward to being right? The second one, absolutely. I don't care.

So that's interesting. Yeah, Shining Light was their kid. The Todd Wexleys were a lot of fun. Sort of Miscellania from Chelsea who was such a fantastic viewing partner is, uh, she is a firm believer that Kristin Davis's performance is, is possibly like, is waning as an actor. Joy was getting flowers all episode. The Todd Wexley's stars. Joy was my second shining light. She is such a naturalistic actor. So great. Um, and also New York city

improv watch for an episode with so many people, it was remarkable how few of them sort of got walk through improv moments. They needed to have a bartender at the party or something for that. Adam Scott from Party Down. But I did think number one, potentially, the Hotfellas worker who is mistaken for Anthony and also arguably, but they feel more like actors to me, not Bonnie Milligan, but the two other colleagues of Charlotte's who have a branch at Conversation.

They've been introduced. They're part of the world. They weren't there just for today. They've been at the Art Gallery. They were in the episode where Harry pissed his pants, took a photo of it, and we never saw the photo. The show... Release the files!

The show opens. Release the files. The show opens. Release the files. With the way that those three had a conversation at the party, it was the show was like, I don't even think this was another pot on the element from like, it was like opening another door. Oh, there was something in the microwave now. Yeah, opening another door and being like, oh, and by the way, there's some more stuff that people-

I've actually got a fondue. Yeah, people are cooking more food through in here. Anyhow, uh, look, a really interesting and kind of like playing us hot and cold style episode. And it represents us advancing and the show advancing towards sort of like, how many of these loose ends, I'm talking to you now, Michael, do you remember laying out? And how many can you remember to tie up? Because I'm not coming down to the lounge

and putting all your stuff away again. So it's up to you. I'm happy for you to take out all your toys, show them to us, play with them as much as you want. But when playtime's over and it's bedtime, I wanna see you remember where all of those toys go. Okay? I don't want to see any toys left out on the table. That's for you. I'm going to go to bed. Good night. Good night. Good night.

Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night.

Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night.

Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night.