Recap of Season 2, Episode 5 of ‘And Just Like That…’

I have eagerly awaited this moment, but now I find myself unsure of where to begin analyzing the Miranda-Che relationship. (Kudos to freelancer Emma Flint for discussing Che Diaz here.) In every episode, Che engages in a push-pull dynamic with Miranda that greatly frustrates me. Their relationship lacks stability, causing concern. Therefore, when Che’s sitcom received negative feedback from the test group, I knew it would spell trouble for the Miranda-Che relationship. As expected, Che becomes irritable when discussing the show with Miranda. Despite Miranda’s best efforts to be supportive, Che responds rudely. While I understand that receiving bad news can lead to resentment, Che unfairly directed it towards Miranda. Frankly, this behavior was unsurprising but unfair. I must commend the writer for the clever self-referential line in “AJLT,” where a viewer from Brooklyn criticizes Che’s persona as a walking Boomer joke, a fake, performative, cheesy representation of the non-binary experience. Whoever wrote that line deserves recognition.

This meta storyline serves as a reminder that the ongoing discourse about Che as a character has no relation to Sara Ramirez’s exceptional acting abilities. The speech delivered by Che about feeling confident in their identity, only to have it shattered by the negative test group experience, gave me chills. Despite Che’s flaws, I appreciate seeing their vulnerable side this season. Nevertheless, I question whether Che and Miranda can salvage their relationship from here. Watching Che channel all their frustrations about the sitcom’s failure towards Miranda was truly painful, especially considering Miranda’s persistent efforts to support them. At this point, what is left for Miranda in this unbalanced arrangement?

Regarding self-references, the focus group participant’s comment that sitcom Che “would not be able to afford an apartment in Bushwick that big!” felt like a tongue-in-cheek joke. It parallels the commentary on the original “SATC,” where it is deemed unrealistic for Carrie to afford her Upper East Side lifestyle while writing just one column a week.

We discuss this issue weekly, but Che has consistently been depicted as a parody of the writers’ perception of such a character, rather than a believable human being. This entire sitcom plotline only emphasizes this lack of authenticity. I wonder if Che and Miranda’s impending breakup could serve as an opportunity for the show to reset Che’s character.

— Marina