We need to talk about the Aidan Shaw lick in And Just Like That. Because I can’t unsee it.
Aidan Shaw – once the flannel-wrapped, furniture-building, emotionally available foil to Mr. Big – was in a pickup truck, on a phone call with Carrie Bradshaw, moaning, fumbling with his jeans, and yes, licking his hand before masturbating. Somewhere in rural Virginia. While accidentally honking the horn. And then, in perhaps the least seductive moment in And Just Like That history, declaring: “I think I might’ve shit my pants a little.”
It was cringe comedy with a side of softcore, and somehow, none of it felt true to the man we thought we knew.
What Happened To Aiden In And Just Like That?
“The trick was to keep them distant and yet connected,” said series creator Michael Patrick King, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about the challenge of keeping Aidan in Carrie’s life. “A lot of people have feelings about what they’re owed in a relationship. That’s all very fertile for writing.”
Fertile ground, yes. But did it really require spit?
This isn’t just about shock value. The scene strains emotional credibility. Aidan – who told Carrie not to contact him so he could focus on fatherhood – is now calling her up for a midnight fantasy session and casually offering up bowel-related commentary? It’s not sexy. It’s the worst kind of ick.
“I always trust Michael’s instincts – even if they leave me bereft,” Sarah Jessica Parker said of the storyline. “I had a feeling there would be attempts at maintaining this sabbatical… I knew it would never be as simple to honour as both parties thought it would be.”
Still, the disconnect between Aidan’s earnest, soulful history and this new, sexed-up rural trucker energy is jarring. His chemistry with Carrie has always felt tender and nostalgic. But somewhere between “I ache for you” and that infamous hand-lick, the mood collapsed.
Naturally, the internet had thoughts:
“Aidan spitting on his hand was the worst moment of television I’ve ever seen.”
“I almost threw up at ‘I ache for you.’”
“Would a woman like Carrie really waste her time on a man like that?”
So yes, Aidan licking his hand – and mumbling about possibly shitting himself – may well be the ick heard around the world. But if the writers are listening, let’s hope it also marks the end of a storyline that’s veered far, far from home.
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- Aidan Is Back: Carrie & Aidan’s Full Relationship Timeline
