It’s a Post-Aidan World and We’re Loving Every Minute

But no time to dilly-dally, Miranda has work to do. Specifically, she has detective work to do. After learning which salon Mia works at, she shows up to get her hair shampooed by her not-really-daughter-in-law. Immediately she learns that Mia “was gonna get an abortion until [she] realized the baby was gonna be a double Libra, which is gonna be such a fucking vibe.” Not only is that an incredible line, but this show has introduced an incredible foil to Miranda-by-the-books-Hobbes. I’m looking forward to what Mia names this child and how that will specifically torture Miranda.  

Speaking of mothers…Seema finds herself face to face with Hot Gardener Adam’s mom. Except his mom is long dead, and her spirit now lives in a houseplant. Yes, this means we actually get to see Adam’s apartment, and unlike my prediction the other week that it’d be a dingy, roach-infested loft, it’s an exceptionally bright, rent-controlled dream apartment he’s lived in since childhood. One part of his childhood that remains is this houseplant he once gifted his mother, which, since her death, has flourished in the sun-drenched apartment. It’s corny, it’s touching, and it causes Carrie to joke that dead families are better than living families—a jab at Aidan’s sons, who, I guess, she wishes were dead?

Naturally, Seema accidentally knocks the plant out the window while smoking a cigarette, essentially re-killing Adam’s mother. But to her (and my!) surprise, Adam is shockingly OK with this re-death, manages to salvage it, and gifts some clippings to Seema. We’re in deep with potential mommy-issues, but so far, so good (I type hesitantly).

While Miranda is stalking a young woman around Brooklyn, Seema is killing reincarnations of her boyfriend’s mom, and Charlotte is participating in Zoom energy cleansing sessions, Lisa’s husband Herbert has his comptroller election. He loses. Perhaps this is because not a single one of the women, or men for that matter, votes for him. Or votes at all. If they do, it’s not shown or mentioned. If I had a close friend or a spouse of a close friend running for comptroller, I’d shoot them a “good luck, bud!” text. I’d probably also go vote in the election. The only two people with a good excuse for missing the election are Anthony and Giuseppe, who are dealing with a building gas leak (Anthony’s apartment) and a not-so-asexual roommate jacking off to hand-carved marionettes of Giuseppe (in Giuseppe’s apartment). Everyone else is really slacking off.

There is a bit of a time jump between this episode and the last. It’s now autumn, and Aidan is firmly in the past. In part, I’m glad we don’t have to waste any airtime mourning that relationship, but I’m never not in awe of Carrie’s capacity to put her blinders on and march forward after a relationship. Lest we ever forget, this show kicked off with her husband, the romancer of her life, dying. It’s a fact very rarely mentioned!

But, with Aidan firmly in the rearview mirror, Carrie has ample time to focus on her writing, which means she has ample time to focus on her writing sessions with Duncan. Duncan has transformed from a grumpy downstairs nuisance to an astoundingly chipper neighbor. He is almost laughably a different character from when we first met him. When he gushes over Carrie’s chapters of historical fiction, it almost feels like he’s mocking her. Is Carrie going to be Carrie’d (1976, dir. by Stephen King)? No. The writers just sort of abandoned Duncan’s trademark qualities to make it very obvious he has a crush on our leading lady. 

While Carrie spends a good chunk of the episode loitering in how do I feel about him? land, she ultimately chases him back to his front door for a steamy under-the-stoop make-out session. Impulsive horny decisions? Showing up to literary networking events in cleavage couture? Mixing work and pleasure? Even though Duncan’s defining attributes are MIA, we are soooo back. All it took was Miranda becoming a Gir-and-ma (sorry, had to use that twice) and Carrie dumping Aidan for good.

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