This post contains spoilers from And Just Like That season 3 episode 12 from this point forward.
Goodbye, Carrie Bradshaw! After 30 years, two movies, and three seasons of And Just Like That, the iconic character's story has come to an end... at least for now. The sequel series' final episode continues the rumination on whether she will rewrite the ending of her novel or stick to her guns, a decision that directly mirrors what she's going through in her own personal life.
In the penultimate episode of And Just Like That, Carrie considered making the unexpected decision to end up alone rather than continuing to chase true love and romance. After her rocky rekindled relationship with Aidan and having a brief, creatively passionate fling with Duncan, Carrie wondered what was worth working toward in her life and if she'd already lived it all.
The final episode of And Just Like That takes place on Thanksgiving, a holiday known for sharing quality time with loved ones. Carrie spends part of her day delivering pies to her friends before landing at Miranda's apartment for dinner. To her utter surprise, Charlotte tries to set her up with Mark (Victor Garber), but an overflowing clogged toilet prevents any sparks from taking off.
Carrie ends up alone in And Just Like That
Ultimately, Carrie chooses not to change the ending of her book in the epilogue, allowing her main character to remain on her own. She deletes the sentence about her character receiving an invitation from a handsome widower. Carrie also accepts where she is in life. When she returns home from Miranda's, she turns on "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" by Barry White and dances around her house — with her heels on! — while eating leftover pie. She's free and having fun.
Honestly, it's not the worst ending for Carrie Bradshaw or And Just Like That. It makes sense and it's a choice that was earned over the course of the season. The arc of Carrie's story was bending toward her discovering an independence (which came from Aidan ditching her) and a self-respect (which came from Aidan not trusting her) that made her more comfortable with herself. I think everyone expects Carrie to have this romantic ending, but what's more romantic than loving yourself?
Still, the ending of the series simply fell flat, not only because it was predictable that she would end up alone (that was basically spoon-fed to us in episode 11) but because the episode didn't feel like a series finale. Michael Patrick King revealed that he decided to end And Just Like That while writing the last two episodes because he felt it was a "wonderful place to stop." Well, it was really only a wonderful place to stop for Carrie and a "good enough" place to stop overall.
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Charlotte spends a peaceful holiday with her family, Lisa recommits herself to Herbert after a brief workplace crush, Seema finds happiness with Adam, Anthony and Giuseppe are also happy, and Miranda's relationship with Joy looks like it's ready for the long haul. These all sound like endings fit for a series finale, but they're really just periods at the end of a sentence rather than a period on the last page. Besides Carrie completing an emotional arc, the stories unfortunately feel unfinished.
And that diminishes the success of Carrie's decision. It's less powerful when it's the only storyline that commands our attention. It's tugging on our heartstrings for dear life, but as sad as we are to say goodbye to Carrie Bradshaw after 30 years, the denouement doesn't hit nearly as hard as it should because the other stories are an afterthought. The whole ending feels like an afterthought. Not even a flash forward? See, it's just too simple of a series finale for what this franchise deserves.
To be fair, I have long been a champion of And Just Like That. In a sea of hate watchers, I've been in the vocal minority of viewers who relished in the imperfect, chaotic nature of this continuation series experiment. Again, I love Carrie's ending and appreciate the care that was taken in representing the important and delicate place where she lands. But like a lot of fans, I believe And Just Like That had the potential to be really great instead of just "good enough."
Watch And Just Like That only on HBO Max.