Miranda Hobbes has been going through it recently in And Just Like That… She caved into her same-sex desires in episode 5 by sleeping with the very irritating Che. She was ghosted by Che in episode 6. In Episode 7, Miranda confesses she’s in love with Che after running into her at a party, putting up with Che’s excuses, and sleeping with her. Is Miranda in love with Che or is she getting good sex for the first time in her life?
Miranda is renowned for being the tough feminist who doesn’t put up with ill treatment but, in the process of coming out, she’s blinded by the gay awakening. While it’s hard to watch, it’s not entirely removed from reality. Many lesbians see the subject of their lesbian epiphany as a life raft they must hold onto. This is especially true of later-in-life lesbians, who assumed sex was bland until they have their first lady experience. Phyllis Kroll off The L Word, anyone?
Miranda is no different. She admits to Carrie that sex with Che was the most “transcendent” of her life and she is scared it will never happen again. Miranda is naive to the ways in which she and Che are not compatible. There are other women out there, ones Miranda will resonate with. Miranda has recently committed to sobriety as well, and Che epitomizes the party animal trope.
Is Miranda’s change in personality a result of the decades-long closet peaking at a mental health crisis? Or have the show’s producers missed the mark? Fans are perplexed.
Che’s The Worst
Either way, Che Diaz is copping a lot of flack at the moment. The NY Post even labelled the character the “most hated on TV.” Che is annoying. I don’t think AJLT could employ a more stereotypically “queer” character (vaping weed in public? Really?). The fuck boi antics are also a lot. But Che does represent the sex-positive, choicey-choice, feminist-but-not, very annoying nonbinary Poster “Queer.” I’m glad AJLT portrayed everything that’s wrong with the LGBT right now, even if Che was supposed to be a woke addition.
Che is a caricature but the character isn’t too far off 2022’s garden variety queer-identified nonbinary. “From using the ‘Woke Moment’ button on their godawful podcast to using online lingo in verbal conversations, Che seems like they are a manifestation of an overzealous conservative who thinks nonbinary people are a particularly irritating Twitter account come to life,” Atif Riaz said, according to NY Post. Actor Sara Ramirez is nonbinary, however. The overly-performative, chronically-online personality isn’t a figment of the far-right’s imagination but a sign of the times.
This isn’t the first time Sara Ramirez (Che) has played a character who’s uncomfortable when a woman falls in love after having sex. In Grey’s Anatomy, Erica Hahn–arguably the hottest character for the measly three seasons she was on the show –confessed she was seeing in HD after sleeping with Calle Torres (Ramirez). Callie wasn’t impressed.
Straight friends can also be The Worst
Miranda’s straight friends Carrie and Charlotte haven’t been the most sensitive about Miranda coming out, either. Besides encouraging her to try to “make it work” with Steve, which clearly cannot and should not happen, Charlotte also questioned how good “one finger” during sex could be. On one hand, sure, straight people might make some harmlessly stupid comments when you come out. On the other, the show isn’t allergic to gay characters and you’d expect the friends to be a little more supportive.
It feels like Carrie and Charlotte are blaming Miranda’s lesbian awakening on her recent excessive alcohol use. This is just another party hobby. Rather than conceiving how alcohol might be medicating the isolating and confronting process of coming to terms with your sexual orientation at a later age, the friends are hellbent on making sure Miranda stays with the husband she continually describes as more like a roommate.
Will Miranda keep chasing Che? Will she stay with Steve, condemning herself to a life void of passion? Or will she do what she should: divorce Steve, ghost Che, and find a woman she’s compatible with!
