And Just Like Crap

Why do we hate-watch "And Just Like That"? And why can't we stop?

Every week, I open HBO Max, take a deep breath, and watch And Just Like That. And every week, I ask myself: Why the hell am I doing this?

It’s not fun. It’s not smart. It’s definitely not good. Carrie is insufferable, Aiden is exhausting, Miranda is unrecognizable, and Charlotte is one step away from being a literal Disney character. And yet, I keep watching. Like clockwork. Like a woman sipping a Cosmo in 2001, believing love would never let her down.

Recently, I posted on Instagram about how much I hate AJLT but I can’t stop watching, and over 100 people replied with some version of, “OMG SAME.” We’re all watching a show we dislike. We’re hate-watching. We’re hate-bonding. We’re hate-laughing. We’re united in our mutual disdain.

Carrie Bradshaw is the worst. Yes, her hair is perfect, but beneath her impeccable highlights is a narcissist so out of touch with reality she couldn’t remove her stilettos so the guy downstairs could finish his book. And she’s a writer too; she should understand! Her poor neighbor just wanted a little peace and quiet and instead got heels on hardwood over and over and over again. Carrie is an asshole. An asshole with great hair, but still an asshole.

Aiden is one long whimper. He used to be rugged and likable, but now he just shows up to emotionally burden us. “I can’t go back into that apartment, Carrie. It holds too many memories!” Boo fucking hoo. Build something and shut the fuck up.

This jacket is aggressively unattractive.

As for Miranda, who even is she now? She used to be smart and cynical, but now she’s floundering and uncool. What could’ve been a powerful, late-in-life sexual awakening has instead become a cautionary tale for any woman over 40 who’s thinking of coming out. Don’t… or you could end up like Miranda.

I would’ve punched Miranda if she ate my last yogurt and then acted like I had no business asking her about it.

Charlotte is a cartoon character. She gasps and shrieks and overreacts in every. single. scene. Her face is in a constant state of pearl-clutch.

As for the new characters, I really wanted to like Seema, but she went from “powerhouse real estate queen with a Birkin” to broke because her business partner bailed. She’s taking the subway now? Really? Did she store all her wealth in a shared checking account? Meanwhile, Lisa Todd Wexley’s father has died twice. No one caught this in editing?

But still, we watch.

Is it the clothes? The glamour? The remnants of nostalgia for a show that meant so much to us when we were younger?

Maybe.

Or maybe it’s that, in a world spinning off its axis, we like to gather around a steaming pile of garbage and yell into the void together. Hate-watching is community. It’s therapy. It’s something to collectively roll our eyes at while everything else feels like it’s on fire. It also gives us a smug sense of superiority. The comforting illusion that, at the very least, we know better. Because honestly? We do.

So, will I keep watching?

Yes.

And will I hate myself for it?

A little.

But am I alone?

Absolutely fucking not.

And just like that…we’ll hate-watch again.

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Do you watch And Just Like That and hate it too? What other shows do you hate-watch? Share in the comments!