Warning: Major spoilers ahead

Carrie has got her mojo back – she has started sleeping with her podcast producer, Franklyn, and has landed a ticket to the Met Ball, inviting Seema as her plus one, with Charlotte and Lisa going too. This year’s theme? Veiled Beauty.

When Charlotte meets Franklyn as he leaves her apartment, Carrie is eager to affirm that it’s just an ‘every Thursday’ sexual relationship and urges her friend not to get too excited.

She then meets up with her Carrie’s podcast co-host Jackie, whose wife Smoke is designing her Met Gala dress - hoping it will be a massive break for her dreams as a designer. Carrie is sure she’s talented and has faith she will give her something amazing.

At work, Carrie gets a caller that asks her how to know if a person you’re having casual sex with would be open to something more. She tells them to wait for a signal where they break their pattern and make it clear it’s more than just sex. After the recording, Franklyn invites her to join him at the launch of his friend's bourbon line.

She agrees, but she recognises it as a signal that he may want more, so calls Che to see what he’s like. Carrie admits she’s content with their regular hook-up and doesn’t want more than that so soon after losing Big.

At lunch, Carrie meets with Charlotte, Seema and Anthony to get their perspectives. Anthony believes Franklyn will understand.

On the morning of the Met Ball, Jackie and Smoke arrive at her apartment and immediately set off alarm bells when Smoke reveals her seamstress had the flu and the dress isn’t finished. When she tries it on, it’s way too small, leaving her trapped in a tube made out of cloth. With six hours to go, Smoke tries to get to work on the outfit herself.

While she waits, Carrie calls Franklyn and admits she’s not ready to be in more of a “relationship place” with him. He accepts that.

When the dress completely fails, Smoke is massively apologetic and asks if there’s something she can pull out of her closet. Turns out there is –the Vivienne Westwood bridal gown that Big stood her up in. Deciding it was time the dress deserves to be part of a happy memory, she puts on the dress with Smoke’s cape, and heads to the gala.

Seema and Zed seem to be getting serious when he asks her to meet his son, who is visiting New York for a couple of days. However, she’s left torn when she realises their dinner is the same day as the Met Ball.

She shares her worries with the girls and Anthony over lunch and decides there’s too much on the line with her relationship to miss it, so decides to skip the Ball.

At lunch with Zed, his son and his ex-wife, Victoire, Seema seems to be getting on well with them – until Victoire reveals Zed is still living with her in her house, which is why she’s never been to his place. Seema immediately bolts for the door, calling Carrie to tell her she can make it to the Met after all.

Zed catches her as she’s leaving and tries to argue that they split the home they share, but Seema believes it’s too much of a messy situation and “she’s not missing the Met for a mess”. With that, their relationship comes to an end.

While everyone else is in New York, Miranda is with Che in Los Angeles – and at the start of the episode their sex life is as strong as ever, getting steamy in their swimming pool.

Miranda tries to get into the LA lifestyle, even trying a sensory deprivation tank when Che gets caught up in a costume fitting for her sitcom pilot – though it’s not as relaxing as she hoped it would be. Meanwhile Che finds themselves being pushed out of their own show as writer BD insists on putting their mark on it.

Back at home, Miranda and Che continue to experiment, with Che buying Miranda a harness and strap-on to try out. Miranda isn’t sure about it but gives it a go. When Carrie calls, Miranda overhears Che asserts that some relationships are based around sex and that’s OK, which gives her pause for thought, becoming insecure that’s all she and Che are. Che doesn’t help things when they shut down Miranda’s suggestion they go to dinner.

Despite Che asking her not to, Miranda goes to watch Che's new stand-up set and surprises them with a hug afterwards, which Che noticeably recoils from. The next day, Miranda tries to initiate sex and Che rebuffs her, causing her to ask what’s going on. Che admits they’ve started a diet and are now insecure about their stomach because of comments made by the costume department and are angry at themselves for letting it get to them. Miranda assures Che she finds her beautiful, and they have a moment together.

Lisa and Herbert are still as loved up as ever – with life just as hectic. In demand with both work and getting the kids to school, she’s eager to impress a group offering a grant so she can finish up her documentary. She gets annoyed when Herbert offers her the money in front of their daughter, believing she needs to set an example that she can achieve her own things without relying on his cash.

She later vents her frustrations to Charlotte and Anthony at a fitting for the Met Ball. However, even that gets cut short and she has to go home when her nanny calls in sick and one of the kids needs her.

As she prepares to get ready for the Met, she discovers that an entire day’s work on her documentary is lost because of the edit crashing. Herbert comforts her, but things go from bad to worse as she realises she forgot to book a van. So together they turn New York into a catwalk and walk the 10 blocks.

Nya is officially estranged from her partner, Andre, and is now spending nights in alone and watching TV.

When calling to check in, Miranda urges her to get out of the house and go somewhere people won’t know her, but Nya is hesitant, having been with Andre for so long.

Heading to a bar and reading a book, she sparks conversation with a handsome stranger named Toussaint. However, she panics and cuts him off, telling him she’s married. He apologises and walks away.

Proceeding to get drunk, she FaceTimes Andre and tries to initiate phone sex, only to see him in a hotel room with a young female guitarist. He insists it’s ‘not like that’ – and to his credit she’s fully dressed with a guitar on her lap – but she angrily hangs up on him.

Charlotte is still as loved up with Harry as ever as we catch up with her at the start of the season. Excited to also be attending the Met Ball, she runs into Franklyn at Carrie’s apartment as they exchange ideas for what to wear.

With Charlotte’s dress sorted and being made, she returns home to discover via Lily and Rock that Harry thinks he’s going with her to the Ball. He’s even gone out of his way to get a special outfit for the event.

She tells Anthony that he can’t be her plus one to the Gala, but thankfully with Carrie having an extra ticket it still works out.

However, once Harry realises that he won’t be walking the famous carpet, and won’t be able to get a picture with Rihanna, he questions why he’s going, and Anthony is back in.

Episode 2 – ‘The Real Deal’ >