Kanika Kumar
What would a ‘Sex and the City’ reboot be without some interpersonal drama? ‘And Just Like That…’ posits Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte York-Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis), and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) against the backdrop of a post-pandemic New York City. The women, now in their mid-50s, navigate their personal, social, romantic, and professional lives whilst trying to understand the sociopolitical environment around them that focuses on questions relating to race, sex, and gender. In the process, the trio meets an array of diverse and interesting personalities.
Although the limited revival series, spearheaded by Michael Patrick King, transforms the source material, it does stick to all the elements that make the OG show a classic hit. Thus, we see characters new and old frequently crop up in Carrie and the girls’ lives, reminding us of the gang’s romantic history. One such character is Natasha Naginsky (Bridget Moynahan), whose presence in the reboot immediately makes fans curious. The fact that she’s mentioned in Mr. Big’s will throws many for a loop. So, who is Natasha? And why is her name cited in Carrie’s late husband’s will? Let’s find out. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Who is Natasha Naginsky?
Natasha Naginsky is the ex-wife of Mr. Big (whose actual name is John James Preston). She was his wife after Barbara and before Carrie. We first meet her in season 2 of the original show just as we begin to witness a messy love triangle brewing between Natasha, Mr. Big, and Carrie. However, Mr. Big ends up choosing Natasha, in a heartbreaking moment most of us remember too well.
In season 3, despite being a married man, Mr. Big cheats on Natasha with Carrie, for whom he’s always had feelings. We see how Carrie juggles her feelings of insecurity as she essentially becomes Mr. Big’s mistress. Later, Natasha catches her husband and Carrie having an affair; it eventually leads to their divorce. We realize that Natasha knew all along that her husband was in love with another woman.
It also becomes obvious that Natasha is not a good match for Mr. Big, a finance mogul, who gets along extremely well with Carrie, an author. Although Mr. Big and Carrie have a rocky start to their romance, their relationship eventually stabilizes over the years. In fact, at the beginning of ‘And Just Like That…,’ Mr. Big and Carrie seem to be the perfect couple, with their cute dinner and music rituals. Thus, Mr. Big’s death comes as a huge shock, as now Carrie is left without the love of her life.
Why Is Natasha Naginsky Mentioned in Mr. Big’s Will?
In episode 3 of the reboot, Gloria, Carrie, and Miranda go to a lawyer to complete the formalities pertaining to Mr. Big’s will. All three women appear shocked when it is revealed that Carrie’s late husband is leaving $1 million to Natasha. Mr. Big’s decision is quite surprising — even Gloria, who knows him better than most, was unable to predict Natasha’s inclusion in the will.
Carrie, who is bothered not by the massive amount of money but the fact that her husband continued to think about his ex-wife, stays up for several days, questioning the complexities of her marriage. Up until this point, although still unable to sleep and eat, Carrie was considering Mr. Big’s death to be “a happy sad ending” because the couple was the happiest they had ever been before Mr. Big died. Now, she is unsure about their marriage. Was Mr. Big secretly regretful about choosing Carrie over Natasha? Was Natasha secretly having an affair with Mr. Big to get back at Carrie for what she did to her years ago?
The questions are too much for Carrie to bear and she reaches out to Natasha, who works at Mina Minetti, through email. When she doesn’t get a response, Carrie messages Natasha on Instagram. After Natasha blocks Carrie on the social media platform, our protagonist decides to go to her workplace and confront her there. Carrie also stalks Natasha and gathers pertinent information about the latter, such as her address.
Thus, Carrie goes to Mina Minetti to talk to Natasha about Mr. Big. However, Natasha’s assistant very obviously lies and tells Carrie that Natasha is in Rome. Later, in a massively awkward moment, Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda make eye contact with Natasha, who is looking out of the window in her office.
Later, just when it seems as though Carrie is giving up hopes of ever being able to talk to Natasha, she runs into Natasha in the washroom of an upscale cafe. Panicking, Carrie drops hot coffee all over her hands whilst Natasha storms out of the washroom. However, Natasha stops to accuse Carrie of stalking her and says that she doesn’t wish to think about her.
Then, Natasha sits down from across Carrie. It is revealed that she has two sons when she offers Carrie some ice for her burned hands. Afterward, Natasha herself says that she is not going to accept the will and that the money meant for her can be given to a charity. She also reveals that she hasn’t been in touch with Mr. Big since their divorce many years ago. She is thus unsure about why her ex-husband has left her money.
However, Carrie realizes why Mr. Big decided to include Natasha in his will. She comes to the conclusion that the money is her late husband’s way of making amends with his ex-wife; Natasha suffered a lot emotionally due to his cheating. The two women share a moment of empathy and understanding, as they both loved Mr. Big and were hurt by him at different points in time. Now that Natasha is stable in life and Carrie has experienced the joy of true love, the two women understand the toxicity of their previous rivalry.
Before parting ways, Natasha and Carrie both apologize to each other for everything that has happened. “I think the money was his way of saying that he was sorry. You know, he was a finance guy, he’s not — wasn’t — great with words. And I’m sorry as well, for everything,” Carrie confesses. Although Natasha says it’s best if they don’t stay in touch on social media, it is apparent that the two women bear no more ill will towards each other. Thus, Mr. Big’s monetary apology actually ends up solving a toxic and complicated relationship between Carrie and Natasha. However, the entire incident reminds us of how much control Mr. Big continues to have over Carrie’s life despite being dead.
Read More: Who Are Gloria and Susan Sharon in And Just Like That…? What Happened Between Susan and Carrie?
