And Just Like That…set out to show us Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon)as they navigate their 50s. Naturally, as they aged, so did their children, and we were also able to watch the kids we saw born in bothSex and the Cityand its two movies now grown and with more personality. Among the children are Miranda’s son Brady (Niall Cunningham) and Charlotte’s children Lily (Cathy Ang) and Rock (Alexa Swinton). Rock comes out as non-binary to Charlotte and Harry (Evan Handler) inthe first season of the sequel series, but they’re not the only non-binary character in the show. There’s also the infamous Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) who has had a bad rep since their very first scene. While fans are very vocal about their dislike for Che’s character and often call them cringey, the same isn’t said about Rock. Granted, they’re also a child, but the show just seems to handle Rock’s storyline a lot better than it does Che’s.
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Rock Is Better Written Than Che on ‘And Just Like That’
A huge focus ofAnd Just Like That’s first season was the children, one of them being Rock Goldenblatt, the child of Charlotte and Harry who was born in the first film. From the get-go, the difference between Rock and their sister Lily is stark. Lily is a mini Charlotte, whereas Rock is all Harry — so quirky, goofy, and free-spirited. Their outfits are eccentric and unique, with one episode even focusing around their distinct style and difference from their mother. When Charlotte wants Rock to wear a pretty Oscar de la Renta to Lily’s recital, Rock reluctantly agrees but styles the dress with a t-shirt and a beanie — effectively making it their own (and getting a nod of approval from Carrie). They’re such a lovable and sweet character, and when they come out to Charlotte and Harry as non-binary in Season 1, we can’t help but love them more. They’re so confident and proud, and it’s handled so delicately and successfully by the show — even if Harry and Charlotte don’t completely know what it means or how to react.
Rather than being overly dramatic or used as a way to shoe-horn in some much-needed representation, it’s actually done very authentically. Charlotte finds out through a meeting with some fellow moms at the school that Rock has been using they/them pronouns. When she asks Rock about it, Rock reveals to both Charlotte and Harry that they recently posted a coming-out video on TikTok. The TikTok is a quirky little video of Rock rapping and announcing the name they’ll now be going by. Rock’s actress Alexa Swintonspoke to Insiderabout both the coming-out scene and Rock’s character as a whole. “I know that a lot of my friends also had a lot of experiences with that and that they were really scared. So I think it’s great that we also have people who are very comfortable with that being represented,” she said. “It’s not forcibly sad, and it’s just kind of like they’re themselves and they don’t have to be upset about that.” Rock’s journey is exactly what this storyline should always be — not sad or played for drama, but simply an authentic and happy moment of a character becoming their true self.
In one especially poignant scenein the Season 1 finale, Rock says: “I don’t want to be labeled as anything. Not as a girl, or boy, nonbinary, a Jew, Christian, Muslim, not even as a New Yorker. I’m only 13, can’t I just be me?” It’s a beautiful moment when Rock finally finds the words to just take their time and figure things out as they go without pressure, which is really all anybody wants. Though Rock (and really all of the children) has become more of a background character in Season 2, we do still see glimpses of them around, and they have a prominent storyline in Episode 5. Here’s hoping the show will remember Rock’s character more often — we want to see their journey!
But the question still remains: how did a show that handled Rock’s storyline so perfectly, fail so miserably with Che Diaz, despite them already being out? There was no “labeling” to be had or poignant coming out scenes to film, so why does Che’s character and story feel so tone-deaf in comparison? Even in the show’s second season, Che is still being called out for being cringey and performative. It just feels unfair that Che gets so much flack when there’s really no need for it.And Just Like Thatneeds to forget the overly woke perception of what Che’s character “needs” to be, and just let them bethemlike Rock.
Che and Rock Should Have Scenes Together
Unfortunately, now there’s really no coming back from the hole the show has dug Che into —fans have made up their mind about the character, and nothing tends to change that. But it could still try. There was plenty the show could’ve (and should’ve) done from the get-go and could still do to really join these storylines together. Rather than shoehorning in about a million “woke” storylines onto Che, the show should’ve instead opted to have them be a sort of mentor to Rock and guide them through this new chapter in their life. As Rock said, they want to just be themselves without labels, but perhaps a chat with Che about their own experience with gender would be beneficial. It could provide some really helpful insight to Rock, who is still so young, and also be rewarding for Che, who they themselves have said spent so long trying to figure out who they are.
Che being Rock’s guiding light would be such a wholesome addition to the show and a natural one at that. It wouldn’t be such a stretch to have the characters connect and chat, with Che’s ties to Miranda and all, so it’s honestly a wonder why the show hasn’t taken advantage of that yet. More screen time for Rock would be time well-spent, and honestly, we wouldn’t mind seeing the morenatural and vulnerable side of Che that we recently saw. Fingers crossed!
