The Sex and the City reboot -And Just Like That - has began shooting in earnest, and we're being treated to daily glimpses of the cast. Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis have been seen filming on the streets of Carrie's beloved Manhattan. But as we have devoured every sighting we could get, there has also been some sadness as we have come to terms with the fact that not everyone will be returning. And we're not just talking about Samantha.
Yesterday, new images of Kristin - who plays the slightly prudish but generally kind-hearted Charlotte - sees her in character, dressed in Balenciaga, her trademark brown hair beautifully coiffed, a gorgeous custom bag on her arm and a Burberry dog poo bag dispenser in her hand. All in all, it's classic Charlotte. But there's a change. Look at the animal on the end of her lead and you'll realise that that is no Cavalier King Charles spaniel. That's right: Elizabeth Taylor, Charlotte's beloved show dog, does not seem to be part of And Just Like That, and has been replaced with a British bulldog.
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Some internet users rushed to say 'um, where's Elizabeth Taylor!?' We're afraid that we have some bad news for those people. Elizabeth Taylor - both the Oscar-winning actress and the dog who bore her name - are dead.
Well, that hasn't officially been announced, but let's be real, shall we? Elizabeth Taylor made her debut in Season 6 episode Out Of The Frying Pan. She offered Charlotte a new hobby by becoming a dog show champion - even if she did menstruate at the worst possible moment - before breeding with a non pedigree dog. For shame!
This first episode and Elizabeth Taylor's resulting arc aired in 2004. She was not a newborn puppy at her debut, but let's assume for now that she was only a few months old. If she was seen in And Just Like That, presumably in 2022, then that would make her 17, a very old age for any dog. But dogs of this breed, on average, do not see their teens. The average lifespan of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is ten, as they are beset with a variety of health problems stemming from years of breeding. It would be an actual canine miracle for one to reach 14, although it's not impossible. But 17? While we hate to say it, there's no way Elizabeth Taylor is alive.
It makes us a bit sad, obviously, even if we should have seen it coming. We were pretty gutted when Dowton Abbey had to write out Isis, the family's beloved dog, when the show's timeline got to the point that prolonging their life to an absurd extent. We still can't watch Marley and Me without weeping. And the idea that any dog seen in film and television before, say, 2005 (Bruiser in Legally Blonde, Beethoven, the animal cast of Homeward Bound and all 101 Dalmatians) are all in Doggy Heaven is enough to make us want to call in sick for emotional reasons. But you know what, at least they enriched generations through their screen work.
So, Elizabeth Taylor is dead. Poor thing. We wonder if her passing will be acknowledged in the show. Perhaps Miranda could reference the death of her beloved Magda (actress Lynn Cohen died in 2020. If you're upset about the dog then that news will crush you) and Charlotte could interject with an 'oh honey I know how you feel, I lost someone too...' Cut to a knowing look between Miranda and Carrie.
Perhaps the opening scene could be set at a funeral which, we would at first assume, is that of Samantha Jones. But then the camera could zoom out to show an elaborate mausoleum for the dog. A pawsoleum, if you will.
Who knows. It's pure speculation at this point. But as we await the return of Carrie, Big et al and enjoy ever moment and sighting, we will still feel a twinge of sadness at the absences too. Goodbye Samantha. Goodbye Magda. And goodbye Elizabeth Taylor. Thanks for the memories.
READ MORE: Stanford And Anthony Are Returning For The Sex And The City Reboot. I Hope They've Divorced.