"And Just Like That ..." Makes the Subway Sexy ... and Confusing

The long awaited Sex and the City follow up series, And Just Like That, has hit HBO Max, and like the good New Yorker and yenta that I really am at heart, I've watched the first two episodes and look forward to the rest of them (and yes, I'm aware of the big twist in the first episode but I shan't reveal it here for those who haven't seen it yet).

But we gotta talk about the subway.

Unlike the original series that existed in an NYC Wonderland, where people were magically transported about the city either in cabs or on their fancily-clad, Manolo Blahnik-ed feet, in this "woke" update, the characters actually ride the subway. In fact, there's more subway scenes than sex scenes in this reboot -- or, put another way, they're going down differently in this new series than in the first one.

Most surprisingly of all, the subway stop that's visited the most (so far) is the 116th Street stop on the 1 train. Let's just say that this is a subway stop that I know VERY well. So imagine my surprise, and continued bewilderment, that the 116th Street station in And Just Like That is ... not the REAL 116th street station! It's either a set or another subway stop dressed up as the 116th street station.

And here's what's extra confusing -- the REAL 116th street station is beautiful (or as beautiful as a subway station in NYC can be) while the fake one on And Just Like That is grungy and scary and smaller than the real one.

This is confusing -- for a show that's all about glamour, about beauty, about a  fantasy version of NYC, why would they make this particular subway station so wretched when the real subway stop isn't wretched at all? Was the order from the producers, "Hey, make the subway scary for dramatic effect!"? Strange.

Anyway, go ahead and enjoy the station but, just remember, that ain't the real 116th street subway stop.