In the fourth episode of And Just Like That, the show tried something different. In addition to traveling all the way from New York to Virginia, where Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) extended her stay with Aidan (John Corbett), fans also got to see the complicated inner workings of a whole new family.
In the episode, Carrie tries to bond with Aidan’s three kids; his youngest Wyatt (Logan Souza), his middle son Homer (Corbin Drew Ross) and his oldest Tate (Jason Schmidt), who’s only in town for his birthday.
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From the get-go, tensions are high. While Homer does his best to welcome Carrie into their home, Wyatt seems less than enthused with the visit and goes out of his way not to talk or participate in any of their group activities. At one point, Carrie asks Wyatt, who is the reason Aidan proposed their 5-year break with Carrie at the end of season 2, what he’d like to do. When Carrie agrees to take him to a Virtual Reality lounge, Wyatt lights up, but things come crashing down again when he seemingly accidentally hits Carrie on the head.
John Corbett, Logan Souza & Corbin Drew Ross.
At dinnertime, where they’re joined by Tate, Aidan’s ex Kathy (Rosemarie DeWitt) and her boyfriend Bob (Tony Crane), things only continue to escalate. During a harmless card game, Wyatt gets frustrated and lashes out. As he storms out of the room, Kathy starts arguing with Aidan about why Wyatt should be back on Adderall for ADHD to prevent these types of outbursts. But as they start bickering, Wyatt, who’s clearly had enough, throws a branch and smashes the dining room window.
Looking back at the episode, series creator Michael Patrick King is proud of the dysfunctional yet believable dynamic they’ve created.
“We wanted to make sure we pay tribute to the complication of having a family,” King told Glamour. “We were constantly reflecting [on] the single life when it was single, and now the married life and divorced life with kids.”
King then went on to explain that creating Aidan’s family was a meticulous task. “We did a lot of work in the writing and in the casting of Aidan and Kathy’s family, because you have to believe it’s real in order for us to understand why Aidan’s there,” he said. “The complication of having a challenged [child], or as Kathy calls him in season two, ‘the puzzle of Wyatt,’ was really important to me as the director of that episode and writer, to make sure that it reflects people’s real reality.”
At the end of the episode, Carrie and Aidan have a heart-to-heart. While some viewers might’ve taken Wyatt’s attitude as a sign to leave Aidan’s family alone, Carrie does the opposite. She explains to Aidan that she finally “gets it.” She’s finally understood why Aidan couldn’t move to New York to be with her.
“When you said that you needed to be down here and without me, I didn’t believe you. I let you think that, but I didn’t really believe you needed to be here,” she said. “But now I do. You need to be here. And without me.”
John Corbett & Sarah Jessica Parker.
She then hands Aidan a key to her Gramercy Park home, telling him that he can go at any time, but without the pressure she put on him before.
“My favorite thing about the writing in this episode is that Carrie says to Aidan at the end, ‘I didn’t believe you. Now I do,’” King said. “That line gives us more grace for Carrie and Aidan to continue.”
“But also, when he says, ‘Are you breaking up with me?’ and the fact that she doesn’t and instead gives him a key…it just feels complicated and grown-up and uncharted,” King said. “It was a big risk to create a family.”
Not only have Carrie and Aidan reached a new phase in their relationship, with Carrie now fully understanding Aidan’s family and his decision to stay, but the episode certainly shined a light on dysfunctional, flawed families. After all, life’s far from being all about high heels and luxury Park Avenue apartments, right?
Before you go, click here to see a full timeline of Carrie and Aidan’s relationship.
Sarah Jessica Parker & John Corbett as Carrie & Aidan in And Just Like That…
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