Features Editor Jenny Proudfoot explains why no, Mr Big was not a big mistake, and suggesting that he was is an insult to SATC fans everywhere.
And Just Like That's second season is well underway, and as the ninth episode airs, I have thoughts, and some serious bones to pick.
The Sex and the City spin-off had a ropey first season without fan-favourite Samantha Jones at the helm. But with its three remaining leads Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda joined by incredible new additions Seema Choudhury and Lisa Todd Wexley, the show is finding its feet. Special mention also goes to Dr Nya Wallace, but HBO seriously needs to flesh out her character, and fast - all she has done so far this season is bake a chocolate soufflé.
Yes, we viewers have found ourselves coming around to And Just Like That. And with the return of Anthony Marentino, Bitsy von Muffling and Carrie's Vogue editor Enid, the distinct Sex and the City feel that we've all been missing is finally being restored this season.
And then just like that, Aidan Shaw - Carrie's carpenter ex-fiancé from SATC reappeared. And following the death of "Mr Big", her long-standing love interest turned husband, Carrie and Aidan have rekindled their relationship, picking up from where they left off.
Aidan's return has been controversial from the beginning, with his belted Belstaff jacket and corny banter about pepper mills giving viewers the ick the world over.
Personally, I don't mind the cheese around Aidan's return or their rekindled relationship so much. And if Carrie wants to jump in with both Manolo-clad feet, she can be my guest.
My problem instead is with the narrative around their reunion, with AJLT writers spinning it as Carrie finally finding her true love - and just two episodes into Aidan's return.
"I think maybe I was always holding a piece of myself back because of Big," Carrie confided in Miranda in AJLT's most recent episode. "Like I couldn't or wouldn't allow myself to fully go there. I'm just wondering, was it always there and I just didn't want to accept it?"
Then she delivered the kicker: "I've been asking myself, was Big a big mistake?"
As a die hard SATC fan, that pissed me off. Carrie's epic love story with Mr Big has been integral to the show since its 1998 debut. And the move to erase it and reduce Big to an error so early into her and Aidan's revival has left many of us feeling pretty cheated.
Don't get me wrong, I have always been a fan of Aidan. And despite his past flaws - combusting their relationship by pushing Carrie too hard on marriage in season four, I've always felt that he deserved better.
As the SATC plot progressed however it became clear that Aidan and Carrie weren't right for each other. She was destined for "bigger" things with banker John James Preston. And after living through post-it note break ups and the whole Aleksandr Petrovsky fiasco, we finally saw Big tell our girl: "Carrie, you're the one".
Big was (and still is) considered by most SATC viewers, the cast and characters to be Carrie's great love, and we happily invested in 94 episodes of the sitcom and two spin-off films to see them be "end game".
Of course it's wonderful that Carrie has found love again after Big's shock passing, and it's lovely that that person is Aidan - particularly with time and maturity resolving their previous issues. But did they need to rewrite him as the real love of Carrie's life two episodes into his return?
The character of Mr Big was certainly problematic, and perhaps the pivot looks to hook in a more contemporary audience. But he was also integral to the show, with viewers programmed to root for their long-standing love story. To denounce their relationship now after six seasons, two films and a spin-off series, feels like an insult to the show's history, and as a result us viewers.
I'm sure the story will evolve, particularly judging by Miranda's dumbfounded reaction - we don't know what to say either girl. And I'll wait for the season to close before I make my final judgment. But right now, I'm not impressed, and having committed to the series for over two decades, I feel like we deserve more.
