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Carrie Bradshaw fell in love with Aidan Shaw in ‘Sex and the City’ and so did fians. Now that he returned, he seems differnt. Is he really, though?
And Just Like That… has been heavily criticized since its premiere in 2021. While Season 2 and Season 3 have gotten closer to the light, airy, and provocative nature of Sex and the City, viewers still have some significant complaints. Every change since season 1 hasn’t been perfect either. In the show’s most recent season, fans appear to be taking issue with the writing team “ruining” Aidan Shaw. Looking back, Aidan might not have ever been that great. In fact, we think And Just Like That… season 3 is simply reminding us that we might have been too quick to romanticize Carrie Bradshaw’s other big love.
‘Sex and the City’ fans despise Aidan Shaw right now
Before Sex and the City fans reconnected with Aidan Shaw in season 2 of And Just Like That…, they remembered him as a kind and gentle man. While he wasn’t the right fit for Carrie at the time, fans largely believed he was a solid choice, and any woman would have been happy to be with him. Decades later, after Carrie and Aidan reconnect, she seems more smitten with him than she ever was. Fans, however, couldn’t hate him more.
The Aidan we see now is self-important, selfish, and rigid. The turquoise-loving furniture designer Samantha Jones, once described as “granola,” has lost any semblance of zen. He is doing truly strange things, like masturbating in a field and forcing his son to paint a house that doesn’t need to be painted, as well. He’s acting out, leading Carrie on, and treating everyone around him terribly. While we might want to blame the writing team for this one, our memories might have been faulty. We might be romanticizing the Aidan of the past.
Looking back, though, he was never really that great
It seems like Aidan Shaw lost the last of his fans last week. His subpar parenting, his tantrum at his ex-wife and her new partner, and his dismissive behavior towards Carrie certainly didn’t get him any fans. Looking back, though, we couldn’t help but wonder if there were signs there all along. A review of the original series indicates that what we saw of Aidan last week is actually nothing new. Sure, he’s flipping out at different situations, but Aidan always tended to overreact and get worked up. He also had a habit of dismissing Carrie’s needs.
In the original series, Aidan dismissed the fact that his partner had no desire to spend time in the country with him. He basically forced her into a trip to Suffern, New York. Once there, he grew angry when it became clear she didn’t enjoy rural living. Aidan also tried to push her into setting a wedding date when it was apparent she was struggling with the idea of that level of commitment.
Aidan also lost it over small things, too. He lost his temper over expired milk. Aidan accused Carrie of overreacting after his dog ruined her shoes, and even grew irritated when Carrie wanted to go out instead of staying home.
The furniture designer might have been Carrie’s other “great love.” Still, he wasn’t always the romantic gentleman we remember him as. Aidan in Sex and the City is just as flawed as the Aidan we are seeing in And Just Like That…, just in a different way.
