POPSUGAR UK

Here's How Samantha Returned in the "And Just Like That" Season Finale

25/08/2023 - 09:55 AM

Kim Cattrall as Samantha in And Just Like That

And just like that [1], Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall [2]) has returned to our TV screens. After being notably absent from the first season of "Sex and the City [3]" revival series "And Just Like That", Cattrall returned for a brief cameo in the season two finale. Variety [4] broke the news of her cameo on 31 May, and Cattrall herself confirmed it was happening the next day. "Happy Pride," she captioned a screenshot of the article on Instagram [5], adding rainbow and Pride flag emoji.

Cattrall spoke about her return to the world of "Sex and the City [6]" during a June interview on "Today," [7] telling hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, "People will be so happy," regarding her "short scene" in "And Just Like That" season two. Of revisiting Samantha, she said, "It felt like dipping my toe back in time and having a wonderful afternoon, and then a great martini."

Cattrall said her cameo in "And Just Like That" is "as far as I'll go" in being part of the franchise again, so fans shouldn't expect to see her again in season three [8]. However, the actor did add that she'll always appreciate the opportunity she had to play Samantha. "I don't think I'll ever say goodbye to Samantha," Cattrall shared. "She's like a lot of other characters that I've done over the years. I get very emotionally attached and protective of my characters. She gave me so much and I'm so appreciative of her."

In the first season of the revival series, things picked up [9] right where Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker [10]), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) left off following the end of "Sex and the City 2." [11] While the fabulous fan-favourite foursome had become a trio because of Cattrall's decision to pull out of the franchise [12], the series did ultimately reveal what Cattrall's beloved character is up to.

Now that Samantha has made a (somewhat) big return to the "Sex and the City" world, read ahead for everything we know about Samantha's fictional life, her big cameo, and what the cast have said about Cattrall's "Sex and the City" comeback.

Where Is Samantha in "And Just Like That" Season 1?

It turns out in season one of the revival, public-relations maven Samantha has moved to London for work and no longer speaks with her former besties. This is all because Carrie wanted to end her professional relationship with Samantha, her longtime book publicist, because of how much the book publishing industry had evolved.

Writer, director, and showrunner Michael Patrick King explained at the red carpet premiere of season one in 2021 that addressing Samantha's absence had a lot of "emotional qualities" in the series. "I love Samantha. We love Samantha. We know the fans love Samantha," King told Vanity Fair [13]. "So when Kim didn't want to do the show and didn't want to play Samantha anymore because of her own reasons, I had to find a way through the storytelling to respect what the fans felt about Samantha — rather than ignore her, we still made her part of the story — and to honour Samantha."

Samantha does pop up in some form throughout season one. When Carrie's husband, Mr. Big, dies, Samantha sends a floral arrangement to the funeral. And in the first season finale, she and Carrie exchange texts and plan to have a full conversation in the future.

Why Wasn't Kim Cattrall in "And Just Like That" Season 1?

Cattrall told The Daily Mail [14] in July 2019 that she would never return to the role of Samantha. "You learn lessons in life and my lesson is to do work with good people and try and make it fun," she said. It seems now that Cattrall's had a change of heart despite Davis telling The Telegraph [15] in June 2023 that there was still tension among the cast. The actor also said the cast hadn't kept in touch with Cattrall.

Still, ahead of the "And Just Like That" season one premiere, Parker claimed that there was no ill will between her and Cattrall in the comments section of a 10 Jan., 2021, Instagram post about the reboot. "No. I don't dislike her. I've never said that. Never would," she wrote, "Entertainment Tonight" reported [16]. "Samantha isn't part of this story. But she will always be part of us. No matter where we are or what we do."

At the time, Davis seemed to have the same respect for what Cattrall brought to the world of "Sex and the City." [17] "We love Samantha," she said during a 7 Dec., 2021, appearance on the "Today" show [18]. "Samantha is never not going to be a part in some way, so there is respect for Samantha. It's part of the story. We'd never disrespect Samantha."

Cast-member drama didn't affect Cattrall's "And Just Like That" participation. Though Samantha was absent in season one, Variety reported that Cattrall filmed her season two appearance solo back in March and didn't interact with Parker or King. Original "Sex and the City" costume designer Patricia Field dressed Cattrall for the scene, the outlet added.

What Happens in Samantha's "And Just Like That" Cameo?

At the end of season two, Carrie is having a "last supper" for her old apartment, which she's moving out of so she can live elsewhere with Aidan (John Corbett). At the beginning of the season finale, Samantha calls Carrie, only to report her flight from London has been "three hours delayed." Miranda and Charlotte had coordinated with her so she could surprise Carrie at the last supper. She has Carrie put her on speaker so she can pay "her respects" to the apartment. "Thank you for everything, you f*cking fabulous, fabulous flat," she says. Carrie also jokes that Samantha has adopted a slight British accent. During the scene, Samantha is in the back of a car, driving through the streets of London.

What Have the "And Just Like That" Cast Said About Kim Cattrall's Return?

Apparently, Cattrall's return was reported earlier than the "And Just Like That" cast would've liked, as Nixon told USA Today [19] in an interview published on 20 June, "We're all so bummed that word got out. Now it's going to be like, 'That's what all the fuss was about?'"

"My goal was for everybody's heads to blow off at home, out of surprise," King told USA Today. "But I guess the fact that we were able to keep Big's death a secret ― maybe you only get one 'universe protecting you from a leak' in your career, and I had it."

Still, despite the leak, Davis told Entertainment Weekly [20] that the cast and crew "had a conversation" about Samantha's return in season two and "decided that it was right for the fans." "The fans miss Samantha. The fans love Samantha. Samantha's a fantastic character," Davis said. "We get it." She added, "Sometimes people aren't in your life every day, but that doesn't mean that you're not connected. I can't give anything else away about the story, 'cause we're trying to keep what secrets are left secret, but it makes sense for the circumstance that it's in."


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/entertainment/and-just-like-that-where-is-samantha-48642922