Kanika Kumar
The ‘Sex and the City’ reboot ‘And Just Like That…’ revolves around the iconic New York City-based trio comprising Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte York-Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis). Now in their 50s, the three friends explore new avenues and try to navigate their romantic, professional, and social lives in a radical and rapidly changing world.
The HBO Max limited series — spearheaded by Michael Patrick King and others — dives deeper than ever before into the lives of these three fantastically fashionable middle-aged women and looks closely at their complex issues, opinions, and desires. In particular, we see a lot of drastic changes in the life of Miranda, who is considered to be the most practical one in the group. However, it soon becomes obvious that her relationship with alcohol isn’t exactly normal. So, is Miranda an alcoholic? Let’s find out. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is Miranda an Alcoholic?
In the first episode of the reboot, we notice that Miranda decides to get a drink to calm her nerves before her very first class. As fans must be aware, Miranda has quit corporate law and is instead pursuing a Master’s degree in Human Rights, which will complement her Harvard law degree. At this point, her drinking doesn’t seem out of place because she’s clearly nervous about facing a younger crowd at school.
Soon, however, it becomes obvious that Miranda turns to alcohol more quickly and frequently than her friends. In episode 3, whilst looking for a phone charger, Charlotte comes across three small bottles of vodka in Miranda’s bag. She immediately becomes concerned about her friend’s well-being and tells Carrie about the situation. However, Carrie dismisses the issue because she’s still mourning Mr. Big’s death and isn’t exactly paying attention to others; she claims that they all have been in need of a few drinks lately.
In episode 4, Charlotte stops Miranda from ordering a bottle of wine during lunch; clearly, the former is worried that the latter is too comfortable with the act of drinking in the middle of the day. In episode 5, Charlotte again stops Miranda from getting a bottle of champagne when the trio goes out with Anthony for lunch. Later, at home, Miranda receives a package with a book titled ‘Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed With Alcohol.’
Whilst at the hospital with Carrie for her hip surgery, Miranda talks about how Charlotte sent her a self-help book on how to quit alcohol. She also points out that she has noticed how Charlotte keeps an eye on her drinking habits; clearly, Miranda is annoyed. Later, when Miranda is at Carrie’s place to take care of her post-surgery, Che drops by with a bottle of tequila as a gift for her podcast companion. Since Carrie is asleep due to the painkillers, Miranda suggests that she can do shots with Che instead.
Soon, Che and Miranda get drunk in Carrie’s kitchen and have a passionate sexual encounter. Carrie wakes up due to the noise and sees — in the mirror — her friend hooking up with her boss. Afterward, a dazed and upset Miranda comes to Carrie to change the sheets the latter accidentally soiled whilst trying to pee on her own. We notice that the bedridden Carrie feels hurt by the fact that her friend was drinking and having sex instead of taking care of her like she was supposed to.
Carrie then confronts Miranda and asks her why she was doing shots in the afternoon. When Miranda refuses to take the situation seriously, Carrie says that maybe Charlotte was right about her having a drinking problem. Miranda gets defensive, stating that she doesn’t have a drinking problem just because she got a little “carried away.” “You’re married, and you just had sex in my kitchen,” retorts Carrie, highlighting how abnormal Miranda’s behavior has become.
Finally, Miranda admits that things aren’t right with her. “I’m unhappy,” she says, pointing out that she feels “trapped” and hates her marriage and life. “I am drinking too much, yes,” she confesses. “We all were [drinking] in the pandemic, and I guess I just kept going.” However, she still refuses to admit that she might be an alcoholic. “If I really thought I had a problem, I would quit instantly,” she states, emphasizing that she doesn’t need a book from Charlotte to take care of herself.
Later, we see Miranda making herself a Classic Negroni at home. Soon, she receives an email that asks her if she liked her purchase of ‘Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed With Alcohol.’ It becomes apparent that it was Miranda who ordered the book and not Charlotte. In fact, Miranda even wonders what else she ordered when she was drunk; it seems as though she has difficulty remembering past events and decisions.
Thus, it’s obvious that Miranda has become an alcoholic because she’s unhappy in her marriage and with her life. Her relationship with her husband, Steve, is platonic at this point; they have no romantic interactions and function on different schedules. Her son, Brady, is too busy with his girlfriend Luisa to pay his mother any mind. Understandably, Miranda doesn’t want to be the person she is; she wishes to be “something more” and is craving change. This, additionally, explains to some extent her alcohol-and-marijuana-fueled romantic adventure with Che as well.
We then see Miranda pouring the contents of all of her alcohol bottles down the drain. It’s clear that she has accepted her drinking problem and is trying to find a solution to it. Miranda will probably talk to both Carrie and Charlotte about her issues in the near future; the two friends will definitely be by her side as she tries to kick alcohol to the curb. However, it is likely that Miranda’s new habits and desires will strain her relationship with Steve.
