And Just Like That… Season 3 Episode 4 “Apples to Apples” finally lets Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) see just how bad the situation is with Aidan (John Corbett) and his youngest son Wyatt (Logan Souza). Carrie spends the entire episode of the MAX show at Aidan’s farm in Virginia and witnesses the teenaged boy’s mood swings first hand. What’s strange, though, is that Carrie seems more attuned to Wyatt’s struggles than his parents are. She attempts to meet the boy halfway, playing laser tag with him and politely shrugging off his outbursts. Meanwhile, Aidan and his ex-wife Kathy (Rosemarie DeWitt) are locked in a bitter battle over Wyatt’s treatment — a fight in which Carrie ultimately takes Aidan’s side, even though I’m not sure she should?
**Spoilers for And Just Like That… Season 3 Episode 4 “Apples to Apples,” now streaming on MAX**
It’s only revealed towards the end of And Just Like That… Season 3 Episode 4 “Apples to Apples” that Aidan doesn’t want Wyatt to take his prescribed Adderall. You know, the same Adderall his ex-wife asked Carrie to acquire on the Upper East Side blackmarket. Aidan is against it!
Even though Wyatt has been medically diagnosed with ADHD and clearly struggles with abrupt, almost violent, mood swings, Aidan believes the kid just needs, uh, fresh air and discipline. Like, he literally has the kid painting houses and doing country chores. As soon as I realized what was really going on with Aidan and Wyatt in And Just Like That…, I wanted to reach through my screen, shake Carrie, and tell her to run!
In case you forgot, And Just Like That… Season 2 featured the long-awaited reunion of Carrie and Aidan. Carrie Bradshaw had many lovers over the years on Sex and the City, but fans were always divided when it came to which boyfriend was really her soul mate. Was it the debonair Big (Chris Noth) or sensitive Aidan? In And Just Like That… Season 2, Carrie finally decided that it was Aidan and, with him newly single, they could finally be together forever.
Just as Carrie thinks she’s finally getting her happily ever after, Aidan’s youngest son Wyatt gets drunk, steals a car, and nearly dies crashing it into a tree. Aidan naturally blames himself for this incident because he was cavorting with Carrie in New York when he should have been keeping his son in line! He tells Carrie that they can’t be together until Wyatt is mature enough to be out of the house on his own. Carrie accepts all this even though it’s sort of insane?
In And Just Like That… Season 3, Aidan almost immediately backpedals on his insistence that they maintain close to no contact for the next four years or so. In fact, he apologizes for being too rigid with his initial demands. Which is why he invites Carrie to stay with him in Virginia for a week, offering her the opportunity to meet his easy-going middle son Homer (Corbin Drew Ross) and that pesky troublemaker Wyatt.
It’s only towards the end of the episode that Carrie discovers that Aidan and Kathy vehemently disagree about how to handle Wyatt and his ADHD. Kathy believes he should be medicated. Aidan is 100% against it.
Aidan’s parenting philosophy sort of makes sense from the perspective that he is choosing to spend more time with his son over plying him with pharmaceuticals. My issue, however, is that Aidan doesn’t seem to be listening to Wyatt. This kid is constantly acting out because he’s screaming to be heard by his parents. He doesn’t want to be painting houses and hanging out in the country. He wants his opinions and interests validated. Aidan’s not doing any of that, ergo I feel like Aidan might be in the wrong here?
Not only that, but Aidan’s decision to ignore medical advice in favor of uprooting his own life to manage Wyatt on the farm has the ripple effect of stymying Carrie’s chance at happiness. Basically the big hindrance to Aidan and Carrie’s happily ever after is Aidan’s reluctance to give his son Adderall!?! And to be frank, I agree with Kathy. The kid seems like he needs it?
Much like Carrie, I found myself watching these tense family fights with a mix of sorrow and horror. I also picked up on the fact that Wyatt is continually being treated not as a person, but a problem. No wonder he’s acting out. His family can’t even humor his Apples to Apples picks once in a while!
I would have more sympathy for Aidan if it seemed farm work was having a positive effect on Wyatt. In fact, the kid seems to hate the farm. It almost makes you wonder if what Wyatt really needs isn’t a hoe and paintbrush, but a weekend staying at Carrie’s Gramercy pad, exploring the city, and taking some Upper East Side-sourced Adderall.
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