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Aidan Shaw is set to return for season 2 of And Just Like That…, The Max reboot of Sex and the City. In the final moments of episode 6, fans saw Carrie send off an email to Aidan, hoping to reconnect with her long-ago love. The preview for the upcoming episode shows Aidan walking back into Carrie’s life. While it’s nice to see an old face return to the reboot, we can’t forget what happened between Carrie and Aidan. Carrie’s critics largely blame the sex columnist for her failed engagement to Aidan, but was she really all to blame? We think it might have been at least partly Aidan’s fault. 

Carrie and Aidan got engaged in season 4 of ‘Sex and the City’ 

Carrie and Aidan first met during season 3 of Sex and the City. The couple were awfully cute together until Carrie started an affair with Mr. Big. Her decision to disclose her indiscretions ended Carrie and Aidan’s relationship. The breakup wouldn’t be forever, though. 

In season 4, the duo rekindled their love, and although there were bumps along the way, they seemed to flow together. Then, Aidan asked Carrie to marry him. Initially, she threw up when she found a ring hidden in his gym bag. Later, with a new ring presented to her in the middle of a deserted New York City street, she accepted his proposal. The engagement would never make it to the wedding planning phase. Carrie and Aidan ended their love story at the end of season 4. 

They both married other people and seemingly moved on, but some Aidan fans have never forgiven Carrie for breaking Aidan’s heart for a second time by ending the engagement. Were Aidan’s intentions all that pure, though? 

We aren’t so sure Aidan’s intentions were completely pure, though

Aidan might have been partly to blame for the end of his relationship with Carrie because he proposed for a reason other than pure love. Aidan admitted, as the relationship ended that he wanted to get married because he “needed” it. Carrie quickly recognized that Aidan hadn’t proposed because he loved her, but he proposed because he remained insecure about her earlier cheating. 

John Corbett and Sarah Jessica Parker sitting on a staircase for a scene in 'Sex and the City'
John Corbett and Sarah Jessica Parker on ‘Sex and the City’ | Getty Images / Handout
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Aidan’s feelings about Mr. Big were completely understandable. Still, in order for the couple to have a completely healthy relationship, he would have had to let go of those feelings and start fresh with Carrie. While she didn’t exactly help him feel secure, his decision to try to force her down the aisle was a bit toxic. 

Aidan pushed Carrie a bit harder than necessary 

Aidan’s less-than-romantic reasoning behind the engagement would be almost forgivable if he hadn’t been so pushy at the end of the relationship. Carrie wasn’t looking for a way out. Frankly, she seemed perfectly content with Aidan and the prospect of their future. 

Things worsened when he truly pushed the marriage idea, claiming he “needed” it. Yes, Aidan is completely in the right for wanting to take things to the next level, but Carrie was right for wanting to slow the pace of their relationship down a bit, too. Aidan’s pushiness ultimately led to the end of the engagement just as much as Carrie’s reluctance to walk down the aisle. 

So, was Aidan more in the wrong than Carrie? No. Both Aidan and Carrie were equally responsible for the end of their engagement. Simply put, the timing just was not right for the pair. Could the timing be right in season 2 of And Just Like That…? It seems the writers think so, but we’ll have to wait and see how the romance truly plays out. 

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