Column: ‘Sex and the City’ is proof that comadres are found in all cultures
On Dec. 9, HBO Max will premiere “And Just Like That…,” the long-awaited sequel series to “Sex and the City,” the popular show about four serious comadres.
The comadres in question are not actually comadres — not really. Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte, the characters of the show that put a spotlight on dating in the late 1990s, probably never used the word comadre. They certainly didn’t on screen; they didn’t even indicate they would have a clue what language a Spanish-only speaker would be speaking. Sara Ramirez has a role in “And Just Like That…,” but other than that and a few other guest appearances, there is little evidence that Latinos even exist in the SATC world.
But any Latina who was a fan of the show could tell you that those girls were definitely comadres, despite what role they played in the lives of each others’ kids. They had each other’s backs, they stuck up for one another, they made sure the other knew they would never be standing alone. Under that criteria, this was definitely a show about what is expected from a good comadre.
“I don’t know,” my own Comadrita said when we talked about trying to catch the new show. “I can’t relate to that show. I never lived in New York City, never lived in a brownstone that was within walking distance of my workplace, never had the money to buy shoes that cost hundreds of dollars. I just can’t relate, and I don’t think a lot of people around here could.”
Fair enough. This show took place in a different world than where we come from. It might have been a hit, but in the case of a lot of us, it didn’t tell our story. Not really.
Of course, if this show had taken place in, say, South Texas, things might have been different. Carrie — whose full name would have been Carolina — might have spent her days carving out a fashionable image at a mix of The Shops at La Cantera, Ross Dress for Less and Bussey’s Flea Market. Miranda might have had to miss the tamalada because of her work obligations. And Charlotte would have been torn between sending holiday greeting cards in English or en español. And the guys? Most would have been licenciados, and all would have been novela handsome.
Maybe those of us who liked “Sex and the City” did so because it was like a novela. There were tough lessons to be learned, there were chulotes everywhere and there was fashion, fashion, fashion. It was fun to look forward to the next episode and we hated to see los ultimos capitulos. In that spirit, it’s going to be neat to see how our old friends are doing now that they— and we — are a little more rukitas.
We might not be able to relate to everything we see on the screen, but the friendships are familiar to everyone with good friends. We might be drinking chocolate de La Abuelita instead of Cosmopolitans, but we’re going to be watching.
