The Sex And The City reboot hasn’t been short on drama. From Big’s shock death in episode one to Miranda’s alcoholism, we’ve been thrown through a loop trying to keep up with the ever-changing lives of Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte. While love interests historically dominated the show, we haven’t seen as much of it this time around, given that most people are married (or in Carrie’s case, grieving).
The one couple we were all rooting for was Steve and Miranda, who, despite the odds, always seemed to find their way back to each other. Steve Brady was undoubtedly a fan favourite, with the humble and sweet bar owner managing to melt the heart of the frosty, ambitious Miranda. However, And Just Like That is gearing up for a relationship breakdown between the pair, with fans sensing trouble on the horizon since the introduction of Che Diaz, the non-binary comedian and Carrie’s boss.
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Throughout the season, Miranda finds herself becoming infatuated with Che, and after having sex in Carrie’s kitchen, she admits that she’s been unhappy with her life since “forever.” She says that she doesn’t feel fulfilled in her relationship with Steve, and every time his character has appeared on-screen, he’s been painted in a less-than-flattering light.
While we understand that things change (and people change), fans have been critical of the show’s portrayal of Steve. Not only has he taken a backseat to his wife’s affair, but his entire personality has been altered. He’s either absent entirely, or appears to be angry, talking nonsense, or unable to please Miranda sexually.
“On ‘And Just Like That’, do they hate the actor who plays Steve? They have given his character not one good scene. He just walks around yelling uttering absolute nonsense. It’s bizarre. He was so lovely,” one user wrote on Twitter.
“They are making steve terrible so I think we judge miranda less for being so into che, but like … people just grow apart and it’s fine. he can be a friend and a parent alongside her, without romance, and that’s real life. we really did not need him loudly yelling ab pickles,” said another.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, two of the show’s writers Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky (who also wrote the original SATC), defended Steve’s storyline in the reboot.
They argued that Steve’s character is partially deaf, because the actor who plays him (David Eigenberg) is battling hearing loss in real life. This was then built into his character, and might explain why he always seems to be yelling.
“Everyone on the show, every single person, loves David Eigenberg as a human being.. We love him as an actor. We love Steve. We are really invested in the Steve-ness of him. He’s so full of life, and the Steves out there are good guys,” Zuritsky responded, when asked why it felt as though Steve was being attacked this season.
As for Miranda’s storyline, Rotternberg explained that they felt it was true to the experiences that many women go through in their later years.
“Miranda’s journey is representing another reality out there, which a lot of people go through—the reevaluations and transitions in life. Grown couples grow apart, and people come to epiphanies about what their spouse is or isn’t fulfilling for them. Miranda’s story was very representative of a certain path that a lot of women find themselves on.”
As for whether or not Miranda and Steve will have a conversation about her infidelity and sexual confusion, the writers assured us that we’re coming to it.
“You’re going to get that scene,” they said.
