Being left money by your ex when he dies is probably quite awkward if his widower starts stalking you and asking why he did it. But when Natasha tells Carrie to give the $1million Big left her in his will to charity in And Just Like That it reminded us of something that has often been brushed over: The characters in this show are absurdly wealthy.
Now, considering Sex And The City pivoted around Carrie’s love for Manolo Blahnik shoes, this might seem like an obvious observation. But Sex And The City used to also be about the hustle. Carrie lived off the income of writing one column each week. She famously claimed: ‘When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more.’ And her rent was $700.
Although Carrie loved clothes and spending money, the cash never felt limitless. In season four of SATC when she wants to buy her apartment back from her ex-fiancé Aiden, Miranda tells her it’s impossible because she’s already wasted $40,000 of her income on her shoe obsession. Panic ensues.
Later, in the final season, when Carrie visits the stock market on Wall Street she decides: ‘I like my money right where I can see it—hanging in my closet.’ No matter the tribulation, the girls found a way of bouncing their money back while still having fun. But, sometimes, they were taking serious risks and just about scraping by.
In And Just Like That, the show is so saturated with cash that Natasha refusing to accept Big’s $1million out of principle is presented as a rational decision. But at home we know otherwise: ‘Man, I don’t care what Big did! You just don’t turn down a million dollars,’ one fan Tweeted in disbelief. ‘It’s not $1000 it’s $1,000,000,000. Come on Natasha!!!’
Money is everywhere. From Carrie’s handbags (Fendi, Gucci, Louboutin), to her home (high ceilings, a large kitchen, a high-end oven), and the Peloton that inadvertently kills her husband. You’d think there’d be at least a sweeping reference to the contrast between Carrie’s current wealth and the times when she claimed she couldn’t afford to eat.
These characters, who are in their mid-50s, have earned their money and the right to spend it. But, still, it’s bizarre that the ever-present affluence is barely referenced at all. In Successionand White Lotus, which have also centred around the 1%, the shows are in and of themselves about the money. Here, it’s ignored.
After public outcry, the producers thankfully focussed on cast diversity in the Sex And The City reboot. Yet, this did not extend to wealth. Of the newcomers, Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) is a documentarian, Dr. Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman) is a Columbia professor, Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) is a famous comedian with a Netflix special, and Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury) is a real estate broker.
And Just Like That relies upon wealth to facilitate the activities and lifestyles Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte and their new friends use to define their lives—without certain financial status they wouldn’t all run in the same circles.
We’re not asking Carrie Bradshaw to become Shiv Roy. It’s a good thing the And Just Like That plot has stuck to Sex And The City’s themes of friendship and romance. But when $1million is hanging in the balance, the deep pockets in each character’s haute couture outfits are worth a mention.
READ MORE: Is Natasha More Likeable Than Carrie In And Just Like That?