When I learned that the “Sex and the City” franchise would continue with another series, I was skeptical, like so many other SATC fans. Then, when I learned that they would incorporate characters of color, including two Black women, I was intrigued but also wary that the new diversity and inclusion initiative might come off as simply pandering. But to my delight, I like the show. While some twists and turns in these characters’ lives have thrown me for a loop, all of it seems plausible. And I’m still very invested in where these characters end up.
Thankfully, the women of color who have been added to the cast are a welcomed addition, particularly the two Black women: Dr. Nya Wallace, played by Karen Pittman, and Lisa Todd Wexley, played by Nicole Ari Parker.
Lisa Todd Wexley
Lisa, nicknamed LTW, is a documentarian, wife, mother of three, and a private school mom. Her biggest battle is balancing work, passion, and duties as a wife and mother. She often puts her wants and needs on the back burner to make space for her husband’s dreams—but we can see that she’s working on establishing new patterns.
After last season, we watched as Lisa started to get all types of career opportunities. She’s speaking on a panel. PBS wants to turn her doc into a 10-part series. Then she learns that she’s expecting…again. And she’s not happy about it. In addition to her career taking off, she was already stretched thin at home with the children, her man, and his ill-advised political campaign. It’s too much. And in a tearful scene, she tells Charlotte, “Goddammit, I thought it was finally my time.”
Lisa and Herbert, her husband, acknowledged that she couldn’t have an abortion despite being grateful for the option. Tellingly, she also scolds Herbert for failing to get the vasectomy they discussed. Later in the episode, Lisa miscarries. She wonders if she willed the end of the pregnancy with her thoughts.
What We Want for Her
Miss Girl is going through a lot. Except for Seema Patel, she’s one of the more affluent and layered new additions to the show. As viewers, we can’t help but want her to win. So, I’d like her to lean into her independence and sassiness for the next season.
I want Lisa to recognize and identify how she can support her husband without sacrificing herself. In a scene that had me shaking my head, she told her family that Herbert was running for office to protect his reputation. Meanwhile, Herbert lets his mother get away with entirely too much disrespect aimed at his wife. I want Lisa to tell Herbert that while he might be improving, he needs to do more. He can start by checking his mother and getting that damn vasectomy
We often see the sacrifices Lisa makes for her husband and sons. Yet when it comes to her daughter, the little girl is often shooed away—expected to take a backseat to the men in the family. I don’t think it’s an accident. Lisa is teaching her daughter what she’s likely been trained to do. But I’d love to see the bond between a Black mother and daughter in the next season, even if it’s been a bit fractured. Also, I need Lisa to prioritize herself and her own pleasure. Outside of work, family, and fashion, what does Lisa enjoy?
Dr. Nya Wallace
Dr. Nya Wallace may not recognize it, but she is an “it” girl. She is a professor at Columbia Law School, where she meets Miranda Bailey. In the first season, we watched her very loving relationship with Andre Rashad, her long-time love and husband. The two were trying to have a child. But all to avail. After the last failed attempt, Dr. Wallace feels relief. In fact, she doesn’t know that she wants to try anymore. She decides that she doesn’t want children. That’s a dealbreaker for Andre, and the two abruptly separate in a way that felt very jarring. Either way, Dr. Wallace picks up the pieces of her life and explores who she is without the man. She enjoys one night stands for the first time, moves in with Miranda, and is elected to the American Law Institute. She learns Andre has already gotten a new love interest, a young white woman, pregnant. And it hurts her feelings. He sends her an invitation to the baby shower (tacky). But at the end, Michelin star, ultra fine chef Toussaint Feldman serves Dr. Wallace dinner, which appears to be the start of something sexy.
What We Want for Her
I want more from Dr. Wallace. Starting with the closure of her relationship with Andre. I don’t want them to get back together. But I do want closure. As an audience, we didn’t even see a conversation between the two about their decision to split. The same loving energy in their relationship should have been present in the breakup. Perhaps Andre was hurt. But hopefully, in the next season, he’ll circle back and right his wrongs, including apologizing for that baby shower invite without a conversation first. He knows what they’ve been through.
Then there’s Mr. Toussaint. Let’s just be honest; he is who the people want to see. We want to see two beautiful Black people in lust and eventually love with one another. I want to see how they interact with one another, which problems arise in their relationship, and how Nya grows because of him. And to be completely frank, I want Andre Rashad to be jealous.
Of all the new characters in “And Just Like That,” it feels like Nya is the least developed. It’s a shame because the writers have so much to mine from her story. We need to find out how or why she got into law. We didn’t know her family or any other people in her life before she met Miranda. Her scenes often feel like filler to more robust storylines. And I don’t like that. I understand she’s working on defining her identity and developing her self confidence. I want to see that play out on screen.