24 August 2023 , 17:25
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It was billed as TV’s hottest reunion, the return of the iconic Sex and the City glam-pack, but Kim Cattrall’s cameo in last night’s finale of And Just Like That… fell flatter than a faux-pas at fashion week.
After more than a decade of rumoured feuds between the castmates, fans have been longing for the return of sex bomb PR queen Samantha Jones for the entire season of the SATC reboot after the news of her secret cameo was leaked.
The bad blood between Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie Bradshaw) has been in showbiz headlines for years, with open sparring between the women on Twitter and repeated jibes in interviews, with Cattrall flat-out refusing to join the revival when it launched in December 2021.
In one viral interview with Piers Morgan, Cattrall revealed the girl squad were ‘never friends’ and that Parker ‘could have been nicer’. And Just Like That… dealt with the absence with admirable sass, with Samantha in London ‘for work’ and not returning Carrie’s calls, how rude!
And Just Like That's Samantha and Carrie reunion was an embarrassing abomination (HBO/Sky Screen Grab)So after two seasons of shade thrown at this estranged clique-member, with Samantha only reaching out to Carrie via the odd strained text, last night’s cameo on Sky Comedy was potentially bigger even than Big. But after months of hype, there was no screeching reunion brunch for the iconic quartet, no tearful hugs over Cosmopolitans, no big display of the bonds of female friendship.
Major And Just Like That teaser shows Carrie snogging her ex after Big's death
Instead, the two-minute scene was an embarrassing, clunky abomination that only confirmed that any reported feud must be far from over. Samantha’s return happened straight away - in the form of a stilted phone call to Carrie. ‘Hello London, what’s shakin’ lady?’ said Carrie, in the acting test of her life.
In the back of a taxi, glamorous as ever in cerise dress and gold jacket, Samantha whined: ‘My flight is three hours delayed Carrie, I won’t be able to make it there in time.’
Cattrall practically choked out the line, which couldn’t have sounded less sincere. She explained that Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) had told her all about Carrie’s Last Supper in her newly-sold apartment and planned to surprise her.
Samantha cooed, with far too much enthusiasm: ‘The fog finally lifted but the crew maxed out. Oh I am f***ing furious.’ 'We’ll just see you tomorrow,’ sighed Carrie, offering a glimmer of hope for more. But Samantha delivered the final blow: ‘Honey, I just left Heathrow. I was flying back on the first flight in the morning.’
Samantha reappeared in the season finale (DAILY MIRROR)‘You were flying all the way back to New York for an overnight?’ asked Carrie. ‘Well it is your apartment and I have to pay my respects,’ replied Samantha, insisting that Carrie put her on speaker to the apartment. Samantha gushed: ‘Thank you for everything you f***ing fabulous, fabulous flat’, after which Carrie mocked her British accent.
In a throwback reference, Sam replied: ‘Who’s Samantha? This is Annabelle Bronstein, I’m from Injah! Ta and cheerio and have a great night.’ No mention of falling out and Samantha has suddenly turned into Mary Poppins.
Carrie said ‘Ta, bye’, while Samantha clutched her phone to her heart, thus concluding the most unnatural, excruciating exchange in TV history. It made for uncomfortable viewing, with Cattrall quite literally phoning in her performance. The reunion felt about as genuine as a knock-off pair of Manolos.
TV insiders reported that Cattrall shot her single scene without seeing or speaking to Parker. With zero chemistry, it does seem likely the phone call was recorded in separate takes. Bradshaw may as well have been talking to a pair of Birkenstocks - and we know how she hates flats.
Producers shouldn’t have bothered bringing her back. Samantha should have eloped with a 20-something hunk to the Maldives never to be seen again - the show, with several new cast members, has moved on.
After a season of the usual navel-gazing, sex problems, cocktails, fabulous (ridiculous) fashion and enough emotional baggage to fill Carrie’s walk-in wardrobe, a cheesy montage saw Charlotte, Miranda and newcomers Seema, Nya, Lisa and Che all living their best lives.
Sam Smith teases And Just Like That role as they're 'up to something unholy'
Carrie held a self-indulgent dinner party, made a speech, gained a kitten called Shoe and was part-dumped by Aidan (John Corbett) who told her to ‘wait five years’. (Carrie complied as women everywhere slammed their faces into their hands).
In a depressing finale - that was supposed to be uplifting - Carrie and Seema, both now girlfriends-in-waiting, licked their wounds in Greece on holiday. What is this Shirley Valentine?
The show has already been renewed for a third season, but don’t expect Cattrall to return and it will be all the better for it. ‘I can’t handle any more drama,’ said Carrie after THAT phone call. She speaks for us all.