From 'Sex and the City' to 'And Just Like That': Look Back at Carrie Bradshaw and Aidan Shaw's Romance

He was one of Carrie Bradshaw's two great loves and now that Mr. Big is out of the picture thanks to an ill-timed piano recital (thanks a lot, Lily) and an intense spin class (thanks a lot, Peloton), Ms. Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) was looking for love in all the same places. Enter: Aidan Shaw (John Corbett). 

The furniture designer with a heart of gold returned for season 2 of the Sex and the City Max spinoff,And Just Like That to mixed reactions. 

Carrie and Aidan had a seemingly drama-free romance before a car accident with Aidan's youngest son, Wyatt, seemed to derail the couple in the season 2 finale. Aidan declares to Carrie that he has to return to Virginia, and that she can't visit him for fear of distraction. The pair leave things in a strange limbo where Aidan asks Carrie to wait for him for the next five years while he finishes out Wyatt's troubling teenage years. 

Showrunner Michael Patrick King previously spoke with ET about the return of Aidan. 

"I did start season 2 with one word — Aidan. I thought it was interesting to bring someone from her past who the audience feels was right for her, correction, half the audience feels was right for her, half the audience feels it was Mr. Big," he shared prior to the season airing. 

Max

 Though time will tell if they can make things work for good, take a trip down memory lane for a look back at where Carrie and Aidan's love story began, the highs and lows, and how the two ended things. 

First Meeting

Though he played a major role in Carrie's romantic history, Aidan didn't appear on Sex and the City until the season 3 episode, "No Ifs Ands or Butts." 

Carrie attends an event at Aidan's furniture store and his dog, Pete (we'll get to him later), runs up and humps Carrie's leg. Thankfully, Aidan removes Pete from the equation, but he has instant chemistry with the sex columnist. 

Unfortunately, there are some red flags from Ms. Bradshaw from the get-go. She's quick to lie to her new man about her smoking addiction, telling him she plans to quit, only to keep up the habit. Foreshadowing, thy name is Bradshaw. 

Paramount Pictures/Newsmakers

Aidan's Perfection

Carrie self-sabotages her seemingly perfect romance with Aidan, at first refusing to meet his parents. But when she runs into Mr. Big, she's reminded of just how good she's got it. Unfortunately, the two can't live in their love bubble forever. 

Mr. Big's Interference 

On a tension-filled boat ride, Mr. Big is desperate to see Carrie and isn't bothered by the fact that he's married or she's in a relationship. Carrie and Big start a torrid affair, that ends with Big's wife, Natasha (Bridget Moynahan), falling down the stairs and losing a tooth and Carrie coming clean to Aidan about the fact that she cheated on him. 

Paramount Pictures/Newsmakers

Aidan's Goodbye

On the day of Charlotte's wedding to Trey, Aidan officially ends things with Carrie in a tearful moment. He says he knows himself and that he won't be able to get over the betrayal. 

HBO

The Reunion

In season 4, Carrie runs into Aidan at the opening of Steve's bar, Scout. She tries to win him back by making the grand gesture and reaching out only to have him shout, "You broke my heart!" at her on the street in front of his brownstone. 

But clearly Aidan didn't know how to quit her because he showed up tossing pebbles at her window later that night and the two were back on. 

Romance 2.0

The couple give their relationship another try, with Carrie really doing her best (she goes to his cabin in the country!). But Mr. Big is still an unwanted presence in their relationship. As they move past insecurities and hurdles, Aidan moves in. And despite Pete gnawing on her very expensive heels, the two seem to make things work. Aidan pops the question in the street while on a walk with Pete. And while he is ready to get married right away, Carrie feels completely unready for the commitment. And though he says he's willing to wait, later in that episode, he pushes Carrie to tie the knot that very night. When she presses him for a reason, it's clear that Aidan wants to claim his turf to Mr. Big and the world. 

The two call things off and Carrie is left with the financial strain of having to figure out whether or not she wants to buy her apartment or be evicted. Carrie turns to Mr. Big for financial advice. He offered her the money for her down payment, but she rips up the check. Eventually, Charlotte offers her the loan by giving Carrie her engagement ring from Trey after their failed marriage. 

Chance Encounter

In the season 6 premiere, Carrie crosses paths with Aidan again, this time with a baby strapped to his chest. He tells her that he's had his son, Tate, with another furniture designer, Cathy. 

Abu Dhabi

Years later, while walking around a spice market in Abu Dhabi in the movie Sex and the City 2, Carrie has another unexpected run-in with Aidan. It happens after Mr. Big says he wants to have some nights where Carrie stays at her old apartment, and she feels like her husband is pushing her away from him. So naturally, she does something reckless, and locks lips with her ex. Unfortunately, he's still married and has three sons. Mr. Big forgives her but buys her a black diamond ring that he requires her to wear despite the fashionista not being a fan of that particular marriage custom. 

Warner Bros.

And Just Like That

Ever since Mr. Big died in the show's first season, Carrie has been on a journey with her grief. In the show's second season, it looks like Ms. Bradshaw is finally ready to move on. So she reaches out to Aidan via email with the opener "Hey Stranger." And, of course, Aidan got back to her immediately, setting up a romantic reunion for the exes. 

And though things go well at first, Aidan is thrown by the fact that Carrie never moved out of her old apartment -- the apartment that held so many painful memories for the furniture designer. Just when fans think he's going to walk, he decides to get a hotel room and wrap his former love in a passionate embrace. 

Craig Blankenhorn/Max

Love Bubble

The two rekindle their romance in a big way with Carrie deciding to sell her apartment and upgrade to a Manhattan mansion with enough room for the Aidan and his boys. They ignore any and all warnings from the outside world and eventually, Aidan's youngest son, Wyatt, gets into a bad car accident, turning Aidan's world upside down.

Goodbye? 

Aidan tells Carrie he has to return to Virginia to be with his kids, and doesn't seem to think that her visiting him there is the best idea. He says he wants to be there for the rest of Wyatt's teenage years, which will be another five years. Carrie is worried while Aidan seems to think this will be a breeze for the fraught couple. 

All episodes of And Just Like That seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Max. 

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