Sometimes I can only mark time through the culture I consume. I spent most of the last Venus Retrograde—which was in Capricorn, my 4th house of home, family and upbringing—cooped up in my apartment, watching Sex and the City from start to finish. I was 32 and so is Carrie Bradshaw when the series begins. It felt fitting for me, a forever contrary Aquarius moon, to meet SATC not in a space of projection or fascination with what could be, but where we both were at.
As I binged episode after episode in early 2022, Venus and Mars were playing a game of cat and mouse in the sky. That astrological weather was reflected in the show itself through both the whiplash gender politics of having a group of cis straight women written as cis gay men, and the show’s general theme of “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.” I also couldn’t believe that “He’s Just Not That Into You”—a line that somehow defined how heterosexual women approached dating in the 00’s—is just…a line from the show, spoken by Jack Berger of all people (No disrespect to Ron Livingston). It makes me wonder if every television show is also a palimpsest. The astrologer in me also has so much to say about the deeply poignant 4th season where Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte each turn 35 and go through a dark night of the soul. 35 is a notoriously difficult year astrology-wise that’s defined by endings before the promise of rebirth and a new cycle at 36. Television shows often do this: reflect the astrology without even trying. It’s almost like astrology is a tool that reflects something deeply ingrained in all of us as humans whether we know the technicalities or not.
That all being said, though I watched it during a Venus retrograde, Sex and the City itself is not a Venus retrograde show. But! Its follow up series And Just Like That… absolutely is. For those who don’t subject themselves to the smooth brain lobotomy that is the reboot, AJLT is a (mostly) Samantha Jones-less “where are they now” for the SATC ladies that takes place in a still quixotic and fantastical (yet somehow COVID acknowledging!) present day NYC. The girls are as out of touch as ever, but while the original show (plus the two movies!) had dialogue and plot lines that ranged from politically cringe to offensive to downright racist and transphobic, the update tries to course correct through tackling delicate social issues and adding a diverse ensemble to the main cast. Though it’s still the same serialized rom com in “form,” the over-corrected social awareness of the show often leaves it feeling like a surrealist after school special. The affect is somewhere between campy cult horror film and fever dream. If the original series is Venus incarnate then the reboot is a perfect case study for Venus retrograde.
And Just Like That… premiered on December 9, 2021 as Venus was stationing retrograde in Capricorn. And Just Like That… is an exercise in flipping the Venusian (romance, beauty, art and women themselves!!!) on its head, revisiting the past, and considering if and why we even like something. It’s a show that’s not quite “so bad it’s good,” but it definitely doesn’t leave a sweet taste in your mouth. It should ruin SATC for the viewer, but somehow it’s managed to take its own shape. There’s also the Capricorn and Saturnian motifs that pervade Season 1 (most literally exemplified by Miranda deciding to ditch her red hair and go grey). The log line seems to be: Everyone is older. (Audience included) Now what? Season 1 feels like a proof of concept, checking the structural integrity of the Carrie Bradshaw IP. I’m not sure it passed the review—literally everything in the show is clunky including the title itself featuring an ellipsis?!—but it was renewed for Season 2.
The second season of AJLT premiered on June 22, 2023 just as Venus entered her pre-retrograde shadow (and just as some of us were scheduling alternate lobotomies). With Season 2, the show is once again treading that familiar path and flipping the Venusian on its head in the process. But this time Venus retrograde is in Leo so we’re dealing with the solar rather than the Saturnian. Season 1 opens with the gang meeting up for lunch still in the midst of COVID restrictions, wearing masks and fumbling through getting a table at a restaurant. Before the episode ends, someone dies. Season 2, on the other hand, opens with a montage of the entire ensemble getting laid underscored by Elton John and Britney Spears’ “Hold Me Closer.” While early reviews of Season 1 called the show “sexless,” Season 2 reviews had headlines like “The sex is back on Sex and the City.” Season 2 will also feature a return of the show’s prodigal Leo, Kim Cattrall, who turned down appearing in Season 1 and put up some solid Saturnian boundaries. (“I don’t want to be in a situation for even an hour where I’m not enjoying myself.”) This go-round though she’s happy to be back in the spotlight, and even made sure SATC’s original costume designer Patricia Field was on set to keep her looking her Leo best.
I think there’s a good lesson in AJLT on what Venus Retrograde is really about. Just because we’re flipping the script doesn’t mean that we’re getting the answers. Often these underworld journeys lead only to more questions.
There’s also the glow up between the two seasons of AJLT and also between these two Venus retrogrades. Winter 2021-22’s Venus retrograde in Capricorn stationed conjunct Pluto, the lord of the underworld. Things back then were cold and heavy and concerned with Plutonian themes like death and rebirth, composting, difficult transformations. This summer’s Venus retrograde in Leo (which kicks off tomorrow, July 22) stations square to Uranus and Jupiter. This retrograde asks us to branch out (Jupiter) in unexpected ways (Uranus). Just like the girlies are on AJLT. Cycles repeat and series are renewed, but it’s never the same story. With Venus retrograde, we’re invited to experiment, test our proof of concept and even fall flat on our face. That doesn’t mean we won’t have fun.
With all that said, I can’t help but wonder, what if AJLT was the real form of divination all along?