'And Just Like That' S3 E01 recap: Will Carrie and Miranda change 'For Good'?

And just like that… We're back!

Editor's note: This article contains spoilers for episode 1, "Outlook Good," of And Just Like That… season 3.

The ladies of And Just Like That… are back for a third season, and the first episode is already a doozy. We open on Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) living her idyllic Gramercy Park life in a ginormous townhouse as she sends her long-distance lover, Aidan Shaw (John Corbett), a postcard.

For those who may not remember season 2, a quick recap: Carrie and Aidan had the reunion of a lifetime, but after his teenage son — Wyatt — got into a bad accident, Aidan determined that he should focus on raising his kids. So, instead of living with Carrie in New York City with his two sons, Aidan committed to being back home to raise his youngest child… At least until Wyatt is off to college in about five years.

Carrie and Aidan maintain a long-distance relationship through plenty of communication over phone calls and text messages. To add a bit of romance to the distance between them, the couple also started sending each other postcards — which is sweet, though borderline saccharine.

Of all the early reviews of And Just Like That… season 3, Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson hit the nail on the head: Viewers must accept that Carrie, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) live in an alternate universe, which is fine. After two clunky and wobbly seasons of seeing our favorite on-screen women finding their footing in a Sex and the City reboot set almost two decades after the original HBO series, this is a new world that includes many changes. This season, AJLT has found what it was missing — kind of.

After almost two years without new episodes of And Just Like That on our screens, we are thrust right back into the lives of these three women — while solidifying Seema (Sarita Choudhury) and Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) as essential parts of this core cast. These characters are more assured and funnier than in the first two seasons. The jokes come faster and more frequently, and these women lean on each other in ways that fans would expect them to: Navigating the luxurious, uncomfortable, and tricky parts of living a high-life in New York City.

While there's so much to love in this first episode (the fashion, the city, the friendships!), we have a few strong opinions to share, too.

Carrie and Aidan having phone sex: We don't need to see that!

The season 3 premiere of And Just Like That… includes a scene in which Aidan calls Carrie from his truck, parked outside of his house, after having a few too many drinks. Aidan tells Carrie that he misses her, and that he "aches" for her, which immediately started to cringe me out. Why are Aidan and Carrie having phone sex as if it's still 2001? FaceTime is a thing!

While they're going at it sonically, Carrie tries to be as present as possible despite her cat, Shoe, watching (judging). It's puzzling to see Carrie getting distracted to the point of letting Aidan to finish by himself and pretending that her heart's still in it. The whole scene is just uncomfortable to watch (and hear). In the words of Valerie Cherish on The Comeback, "I don't need to see that!"

Rosie O'Donnell, the queen that you are. Cast Rosie in more things, now!

A few of us in the Out team share this opinion: Put Rosie O'Donnell in more things, immediately! In the new season of And Just Like That…, Rosie plays a nervous but charming woman, Mary, that Miranda picks up at a local lesbian bar after a failed flirtation with her son's ex-babysitter.

That quick exchange turns into a hotel hookup. As Miranda wakes up next to her new love interest, Mary praises her "electric" performance, and tells Miranda that she made losing her virginity very special.

Miranda asks if Mary meant first time with a woman. "This is my first time with anyone," Mary replies. "I'm a nun." 10s across the board for O'Donnell's deadpan delivery, which makes the entire scene that much funnier.

Later, Miranda recaps the events to Carrie, who tries to decide if it's worse that Mary is a nun or a tourist. "So you deflowered the Virgin Mary?" Carrie asks, teasing.

Miranda has gone through many awkward parts of this sexual awakening taking place later in late, and she doesn't want to go through it all over again. She first attempts to politely ghost the nun, but changes her tune toward the end of the episode and chooses to break things off in person.

The best part of this entire episode is Miranda meeting Mary in Times Square after Mary has just seen Wicked on Broadway. Miranda kindly tells Mary they should go their separate ways. Mary (doing her best Glinda impression) awkwardly sings the pivotal 11 o'clock number "For Good" to Miranda while gently holding her hands.

A cameo from O'Donnell was something I didn't know I needed, but now I'm itching for more.

Anthony wasn't mean. Assertive? Yes! But not mean.

If you're going to be in a long-distance entanglement (hard to call it a relationship at this point), clear lines need to be drawn. Otherwise, there's just too much room for confusion.

In this episode, Carrie talks about Aidan being out of town, and Anthony Marentino (Mario Cantone) — her gay best friend — asks how long Aidan will be gone for. Carrie says she doesn't know. Confused, Anthony asks her to clarify. "He's doing his thing; I'm doing my thing. We'll figure it out," she replies. Anthony asks, "Figure what all out?" Carrie recoils at the question and dismisses it. Anthony later shares his opinion about Carrie's relationship with Aidan, and she feels like her gay BFF's words sting. By the end of the episode, Anthony apologizes to Carrie.

Anthony hasn't been a go-with-the-flow type in this universe — he often gives Leo energy, and I appreciate that! But Carrie and Aidan have known each other for decades. Between them, there's a history that includes Aidan's ex-wife, as well as three kids. For everyone's sake, some sort of structure is needed.

Ultimately, Anthony doesn't want to see his best friend left in her fantastical Gramercy Park oasis all by herself if things don't work between them. Sometimes, it doesn't hurt have an opinionated but lovable gay best friend who will fiercely protect you, and here's to hoping that Carrie knows that.

And Just Like That… season 3 drops new episodes every Thursday on Max / HBO Max.