Samantha Jones makes a (very short) return to and just like that …

Samantha Jones She has returned, or almost. In the fifth episode of the third season of And just like that …the spin-off series of Sex and the Citythe iconic character played by Kim Cattralill makes his return … by message. A cameo via SMS in the middle of a scene was enough to unleash a wave of enthusiasm among the fans. Moreover, Samantha does not need to be on the screen to steal the scene: to bring to mind the most famous Manhattan hedonist are enough a few well -chosen words.

In the episode in question, entitled Under the tableSarah Jessica Parker, aka Carrie, tries to survive her new neighbor, an English biographer a little too sensitive to the sound of stiletto heels. And since everything that has to do even vaguely with the publishing inevitably think of Samantha Jones (now stationed in London), Carrie sends her a message to ask her if she knows the famous Duncan Reeves (Jonathan Cake). The answer is as short as it is mischievous: «They say it’s very fun. Why?”. Then, when Carrie explains that she lives under her, Samantha replies: “Maybe she was under me.” The very essence of the character: a mix of audacity and malice, all in one joke.

A very expensive phone call

But this is not the first time that Samantha reappears in the series. His real return had taken place in the final of the second season, in the form of a surprise phone call to Carrie Bradshaw. In a highly anticipated sequence (and paid one million dollars for just under two minutes on the screen), Samantha announced that he could not participate in the farewell party in the Carrie apartment for lack of available flights. In the car, returning from the airport, thanked the friend (and the famous apartment) for everything, with her usual frankness and an ironic nod to her alter ego British Annabelle Brastein. A lightning apparition, shot separately by Sarah Jessica Parker, due to the well -known tensions between the two actresses.

The latter cameo via message is in line with the will of the authors to keep Samantha’s character alive, without however pushing Kim Catrall to completely resume the role. Michael Patrick Kingshowrunner of the series, explained to Cosmopolitan: «In our mind, Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte always write to Samantha. Making her appear through a message was natural: a man from London moves under Carrie, of course he asks Samantha if he knows it ». And to underline the nostalgic hint, the creators have discreetly inserted some notes of the original theme of Sex and the City in the background. The kind of detail that makes the most faithful fans go to visible.

The irreplaceable Samantha

But why does a simple text message arouse so much enthusiasm? Because Samantha Jones, beyond his sharp humor and his iconic jokes, embodies an era, a freedom and a tone that the current series struggles to find. Fearly business woman, loyal friend and feminist ante litteram At the same time, Samantha represented a healthy counterweight to Carrie’s romantic neuroses and Charlotte’s good manners. He did not need a man to exist, he was not afraid of desire, he embraced female sexuality with pride and self -irony.

His disappearance from And just like that … He left a void. From the first season, his absence is justified by a professional disagreement (Carrie would have fired her as a press officer, Samantha would have gone to live in London), but there is no real involvement. Exchanges of messages, implicit apologies, bouquets of flowers sent to Big’s funeral … it all seems a little too formal, too warm. And the audience is not wrong: without Samantha, the series loses flavor.