If you’ve been watching And Just Like That, you’re probably like us in asking…why the hell have they done this to Steve?
One of the best-loved boyfriends in the Sex and the City series, bar owner Steve worshipped Miranda; while the pair had a very on-again-off-again romance, the pair realised they were meant to be when they were taking shared responsibility bringing up their son, Brady – and we’ve been rooting for them ever since.
There was a slight hiccup in the first Sex and the City film when Steve had a one-off fling when their marriage hit a dry spell, but as always, the couple figured it out and became stronger than ever.
But in And Just Like That, Steve has seemingly had a personality transplant. Long gone are the days of the boyish, yet charming and suave bar keep that served Miranda “two orgasms straight-up” – he has now been replaced by a bumbling, incompetent idiot who struggles to hear absolutely anything and can’t satisfy Miranda either intellectually or sexually.
It's little wonder that Miranda has gone looking elsewhere for adventure, copping off with Che Diaz, Carrie's boss.
While many fans have been left disappointed with Steve’s supposed change, the writers for And Just Like That have since explained why Steve has changed – and it’s down to actor David Eigenberg, who plays the character.
“When [showrunner] Michael Patrick [King] reconnected with David Eigenberg about the show, the very first thing that David said was, ‘I got hearing aids.’ It was literally what he led with,” writer Elisa Zuritsky told Vanity Fair. “That actually wound up being Steve’s tone about his aging [in the show].”
Zuritsky was also quick to clarify that the writers don’t “hate” Steve’s character: “Everyone on the show, every single person, loves David Eigenberg as a human being,” she said.
“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.”
Co-writer Julie Rottenberg added that they were keen to show how Miranda’s life has just moved to another direction in the series.
“Miranda’s journey is representing another reality out there, which a lot of people go through—the reevaluations and transitions in life,”she said.
“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.”
And Just Like That continues Thursdays on Sky Comedy and NOW.
Featured Image Credit: HBOTopics: TV And Film
Kimberley Bond