“I devote every moment I’m awake to scrolling, swiping, and texting, and it’s all simply damaging or pointless.”
During a brief outpouring of emotion over a few Gimlets in a bustling Manhattan bar, And Just Like That… Season 3 critiques romance in 2025. In episode 2, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) reconnects with her ex-neighbor Lisette (Katerina Tannenbaum) at a trendy New York venue, where Lisette shares her irritation with technology’s overwhelming influence on her dating experiences.
“It’s genuinely not about him, it’s about this,” she states, gesturing to her iPhone. “My phone is my relationship…I’m completely over it, I’m finished.” To illustrate her frustration, Lisette inadvertently tosses her phone across the bar, striking an attractive stranger who subsequently buys them both Gimlets, setting events into motion. The takeaway is evident: genuine interactions in real life are essential.
Lisette represents the exhaustion with dating apps.
“Is it surprising that 79 percent of Gen Z daters and 80 percent of millennial daters feel exhausted by dating apps, according to a 2024 survey by Forbes Health?” notes Mashable’s Rachel Thompson in her book, The Love Fix.
“This is predictable given that these apps are designed to keep users engaged for the longest time possible. To the apps, your value peaks when you’re an active user — ensnared in the endless cycle of swiping, matching, chatting. What incentive do these apps have to improve, to let their most valuable users escape?”
Lisette even reflects on assumptions regarding single women “having it easier” in the 19th century — a notion that resurfaces every time a new season of Bridgerton debuts. When Carrie mentions her Gramercy home built in the 1840s and her fondness for imagining the women who resided there before her, Lisette expresses her frustrations about dating in 2025, recounting being stood up by a psychiatrist whose texts are condescending.
“It must have been significantly simpler to be single back then,” Lisette remarks. “I mean, it’s such a chaotic time to be dating.”
“It’s no surprise that singles have become disillusioned with dating apps recently,” Mashable’s Anna Iovine observes. “Users are complaining that apps are mirroring each other with similar features and promoting negative behaviors like ghosting, and they’re attempting to engage in IRL activities instead (even dungeon sound baths).”
Sex and the City has consistently been cautious regarding technology and romance.
Sex and the City and And Just Like That… have continuously examined the interplay between intimacy, dating, relationships, and technology, although the former concluded in 2004 prior to the dating app explosion of the 2010s. Sex and the City touched upon online dating in Season 2, episode 12, when Carrie’s close friend Stanford (Willie Garson) connected with user “Bigtool4u” in a chatroom as “Rick9+” then met in person at a bar.
And Just Like That… delved into dating app discussions in Season 1. In episode 7, Carrie, who has always been skeptical of technology, ventures into dating apps for the first time following her husband’s passing (her publisher Amanda (Ashlie Atkinson) urges her to go on a date to provide her readers with “some element of hope” at the conclusion of her book on grief). Encouraged by Seema (Sarita Choudhury) to join an ambiguous dating platform, she sifts through a few profiles before matching with 53-year-old widower Peter (Jon Tenney) and enjoys a reasonably pleasant date with him (even if it results in them both throwing up in the street, it’s still enjoyable).
In this instance, And Just Like That… overlooked a chance to resonate with the reality of contemporary dating, as Carrie’s experience fails to encapsulate the genuine dating app exhaustion that users may relate to. Scrolling through numerous profiles has become synonymous with dating apps, with some platforms like Tinder implementing swiping caps and others like Bumble liable to shut you off if they perceive you’re swiping excessively. As Thompson notes in her book, “Dating, particularly online dating, frequently resembles a numbers game — with emphasis on ‘game.'”
Fortunately for Carrie, her journey doesn’t involve the intricate “talking stage,” the pressure to meet IRL, or the potential for being ghosted, cloaked, or stood up. It’s relatively smooth sailing until they both end up vomiting in the gutter.
Despite disregarding authentic dating struggles of 2025, Season 3 of And Just Like That… appears to be actively rejecting all types of digital connection at every opportunity. In the inaugural episode, Seema literally sets her apartment ablaze while waiting for a video call with her long-distance partner. However, dating IRL