Why ‘And Just Like That’ Ended With a Toilet Shot and Carrie Alone: Showrunner Speaks Out
Jordan Collins here, and yes, I’ll walk you through this so you don’t have to pretend you understood HBO’s finale logic.
I guess I can simplify this for you: “And Just Like That” showrunner Michael Patrick King publicly defended the controversial finale image of a toilet overflowing with feces and Carrie Bradshaw ending the series single, explaining the choices as intentional tonal contrast and narrative response to criticism of the original Sex and the City ending. King spoke with Variety and his remarks quickly reignited online fury after fans called the toilet scene “disgusting” and said it made them physically ill.
Let’s get the facts straight. The show wrapped after three seasons, with the finale airing Thursday night. In the episode, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) attends a fraught dinner party where a toilet backs up and the camera lingers on excrement. Viewers flooded social platforms with anger, describing the moment as insulting to the character and unnecessary shock value. King told Variety that the toilet moment was deliberate: “For the gorgeousness of Carrie’s pink, sparkly top and tulle skirt — that’s the high — the low is a toilet filled up with s–t.” He framed the image as comedy blended with drama and romance, a counterpunch to fantasy.
If you were wondering whether this was carelessness or a thought-out thematic beat, King argued the latter. He said the scene represents the “s–t” of being single and of relationships, a metaphorical low to balance Carrie’s glamorous high points. He also connected Carrie’s solitary ending to a deliberate response to critiques leveled at Sex and the City’s 2004 finale, which famously concluded with the four women romantically coupled. King recalled that in the original finale he purposely avoided having all four married to preserve the show’s anarchy, and he used Samantha’s unmarried status as a “loophole.”
King pointed out that in the SATC closing speech, Carrie endorsed the idea of the relationship with yourself as the most significant one, ironically while Big called in the background. In contrast, the new show ends with Carrie alone, dancing in her apartment and apparently content. King described this as “the real, real, this-is-now Carrie,” matured by deaths and heartbreaks, having built a magnificent life for herself. He told Variety the resolution aims to console viewers who feel bad about not having a partner, to show that being single can still be fabulous.
Production notes add context: HBO did not announce Season 3 as the final season before it premiered. King and Sarah Jessica Parker revealed the show’s end on social media on August 1, only two weeks ahead of the finale. King explained the secrecy was intentional; labeling a season “final” can change audience investment and the reception of storylines such as Carrie’s relationships and other character arcs. He said revealing finality early would have prompted questions about how things end and could have skewed emotional responses, for example by making Harry’s prostate cancer seem conclusively terminal.
King also disclosed that a pivotal line—Carrie writing in her novel that “The woman realized she was not alone — she was on her own”—was penned mid-production, and once it landed, it set the tonal course toward an ending that felt “profound.” He emphasized the desire to leave some openness for fans to imagine what comes next, rather than delivering a tidy closure.
Critics and viewers will debate whether a literal toilet shot was the right vehicle for King’s metaphor. Social reactions included disgust and accusations of cheap provocation, while defenders say the jarring image underscores a thematic truth about adulthood and imperfection. Either way, King insists the creative choices were purposeful, aimed at balancing glamour with grit and honoring Carrie’s growth into self-contained fulfillment.
So there you have it. The toilet was symbolic, the loneliness intentional, and the secrecy strategic. You can be outraged, amused, or both—but now you at least have the showrunner’s explanation and the facts to back it up.
Well, now you finally understand!
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Variety, New York Post
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
