Life can change in an instant. Carrie Bradshaw knows that first-hand. The Sex and the City revival, And Just Like That…, debuted on December 9 with two new episodes. The first episode ends with a devastating twist: Big dies.
Carrie goes to Lily’s concert recital, while Big stayed behind. Carrie and Big had initially planned to go to the Hamptons together, but Carrie decides to support Charlotte and Lily. Big tells Carrie that he’s going to stay home and take a Peloton class.
Big Dies
Big is in the midst of a Peloton power ride as Lily wows at her recital. He texts Carrie that they should go to the Hamptons that night when she gets back. As he heads to take a shower after his workout, he feels a pain in his chest. He drops his phone and collapses as the water runs. Big’s phone is just out of reach.
After getting Big’s text, Carrie doesn’t go out with her friends for a drink. She comes back to her apartment and finds it eerily quiet. She calls out for John.
When Carrie walks into their bathroom, she finds Big on the floor. It was almost as if he wanted to get one more look at her before he died. Carrie screams John’s name and runs to his side. She cradles Big in her arms and cried as he passes, her beloved Manolo Blahnik’s getting ruined in the shower. “And just like that, Big died,” Carrie says in the voiceover.
In the second episode, Carrie grieves the loss of Big. She immediately calls Miranda, who rushes to be by Carrie’s side. Miranda arrives just as Big’s body is being removed. “What do I do now?” a broken Carrie asks. Miranda holds Carrie that night in bed. When Carrie closed her eyes, she remembers the first time she saw Big all those years ago.
Charlotte helps Carrie plan Big’s funeral. Charlotte breaks down in tears at the funeral home and admits that she feels guilty for making Carrie go to the concert. Carrie tells Charlotte that Big died of a heart attack, and this is not her fault at all.
Samantha Sends Her Love
Carrie arrives at Big’s funeral before everyone else. She notices flowers on the casket, something she explicitly said she didn’t want. The funeral directors say they wanted Carrie to make a game-time decision and hand Carrie the card that accompanied the flowers. “Love, Samantha,” the card read. Samantha had a falling out with the girls and now lives in London, but she still sends her love to Carrie when she needs it the most. Carrie decides to keep the flowers.
Miranda says a few words at Big’s funeral, along with Big’s older brother. Big’s brother says that Big had just told him that he’d “never been happier in his life.” Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me” plays during the service.
Later, Carrie texts Samantha to thank her for the flowers. She then receives Big’s ashes at her apartment, and she calls Miranda and Stanford to help her deal. Miranda, Stanford, and Charlotte have been taking turns staying with Carrie. When Charlotte shows up to bring magazines to Carrie, she realizes that Carrie didn’t call her right away. A hurt Charlotte walks away, and Carrie begs Charlotte not to make this about her.
Charlotte confesses that she still feels so guilty about the concert. Charlotte tells Carrie that there’s “no reason” she would call Stanford over her unless she was mad. Carrie admits that she didn’t call because Charlotte gets so emotional. Charlotte says that Carrie seems so mad, and Carrie doesn’t deny it. She’s mad at herself. “I should have gone to the Hamptons with Big on Wednesday night like I wanted to!” Carrie screams.
Charlotte tells Carrie that she can’t blame herself for what happened to Big. That night, Carrie struggles to fall asleep. She asks Miranda for a sleeping pill, but she can’t take one for another 5 hours. Carrie stays awake for the next 5 hours as her world finds its new axis. Big is gone and he’s never coming back. Carrie’s life was on one route, and now that route is unpaved. The future looks a lot lonelier. New episodes of And Just Like That will premiere Thursdays on HBO Max.