Throughout the season, Miranda finds herself romantically involved with Che, and after having sex in Carrie’s kitchen, she admits that she has been unhappy with his life since “always”. She says she doesn’t feel fulfilled in her relationship with Steve, and every time her character has appeared on screen, he’s been painted in an unflattering light.
While we understand that things change (and people change), fans have been critical of Steve’s portrayal on the show. Not only did he take over his wife’s business, but her whole personality was altered. He is either totally absent, or appears to be angry, talks nonsense, or is unable to please Miranda sexually.
“On ‘And Just Like That’, do they hate the actor who plays Steve? They didn’t give his character a single good scene. He just walks around screaming saying absolute nonsense. It’s weird. He was so adorable,” one user wrote on Twitter.
“They make steve terrible, so I think we judge Miranda less because she loves che so much, but like… people break up and that’s fine. He can be a friend and a relative by his side, without romance, and this is real life . we really didn’t need him screaming pickles out loud,” another said.
In a recent interview with vanity lounge, two of the shows writers Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky (who also wrote the original SATC), defended Steve’s storyline in the reboot.
They argued that Steve’s character is partially deaf, because the actor who plays him (David Eigenberg) battles hearing loss in real life. This was later baked into his character and could explain why he always seems to be screaming.
“Everybody on the show, every person, loves David Eigenberg as a human being. We love him as an actor. We love Steve. We’re really invested in the Steve-ness of him. He’s so full of life, and the Steves there are good guys,” Zuritsky replied, when asked why he felt like Steve was under attack this season.
As for Miranda’s script, Rotternberg explained that they felt it was true to the experiences of many women in their later years.
“Miranda’s journey represents another reality, which many people go through: reassessments and life transitions. Adult couples break up and people realize what their spouse is or is not fulfilling for them. Miranda’s story was very representative of a certain path that many women find themselves on.
As for whether or not Miranda and Steve will have a conversation about her infidelity and sexual confusion, the writers have assured us that we will get there.
“You’re going to have this scene,” they said.