SPOILERS AHEAD for the series premiere of the Sex and the City follow up, And Just Like That...Look away now if you’re not caught up!
Fans have been waiting for more tales from Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and the rest of the Sex and the City gang since right after the last movie debuted in 2010, and now, the crew is back (yes, in their 50s) for And Just Like That... on HBO Max. But, those who tuned in to the premiere on Thursday night got quite the surprise when a character failed to make it out of the debut alive, and now that shocking Sex and the City death has sparked a response from Peloton.
Who Died On And Just Like That… And Why Does Peloton Care?
OK, guys, brace yourselves. Things went rather smoothly throughout pretty much all of the And Just Like That… premiere (with the exception of all the awkwardness surrounding Samantha’s absence) until the final moments of the episode. Carrie had joined her friends and their assorted partners and children at a piano recital that Charlotte’s daughter, Lily, was performing at, and left Big at home to get in his workout. During that recital, though, we go back and forth between Lily’s playing and Big on his Peloton, and when he finishes, he texts Carrie, but then falls down clutching his chest. When Carrie returns, she finds Big on the floor, and he dies.
As you might imagine, the good people at the exercise equipment giant wanted to make sure folks fully understood this AJLT Peloton-adjacent death, and a member of the company’s health and wellness advisory council, preventative cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, gave a statement to the Los Angeles Times about it, noting:
Mr. Big lived what many would call an extravagant lifestyle — including cocktails, cigars, and big steaks — and was at serious risk as he had a previous cardiac event in Season 6. These lifestyle choices and perhaps even his family history, which often is a significant factor, were the likely cause of his death. Riding his Peloton Bike may have even helped delay his cardiac event.
Way to rebound quickly, Peloton. Of course, what Dr. Steinbaum said about Big is certainly true. He did favor a rather “extravagant lifestyle,” and was actually shown smoking a cigar not long before he began his exercise routine. He did also have to have an angioplasty during Season 6, Episode 11 (“The Domino Effect”) after doctors found a blockage in his heart, so it’s not necessarily true that Pelotoning his night away was directly related to Big dying by the end of the And Just Like That… premiere.
Dr. Steinbaum continued, taking the opportunity to give people some cardiac-related death stats, and noting that the Peloton will track your heart rate for you, so that you can always do it within whatever limits are healthy for you. And, that’s good to hear, but knowing Big as we do, does anyone else think he would maybe not concern himself with such a feature on a regular basis? So long, Big. Thanks for all the good times!
The second episode of And Just Like That… is already available on HBO Max, and the show will continue weekly. For more to watch right now, check out our 2021 fall TV schedule, and our Christmas movies and TV schedule!
