An abundance of blessings has been bestowed onto fans of And Just Like That this week. Not only did the the long-awaited trailer for Season 2 of the Sex and the City spinoff series, returning on June 22, drop on Thursday morning, but just hours earlier, it was announced that Kim Cattrall would be making her triumphant return to the franchise as Samantha Jones, Manhattan’s most fabulous and sex-positive PR maven.
According to a report by Variety, Cattrall will be appearing as Samantha in just one scene for Season 2, which she shot in March in New York City, “without seeing or speaking with the stars of the series, including Sarah Jessica Parker, or with And Just Like That showrunner Michael Patrick King.” Cattrall seemingly confirmed the report on Thursday by posting a screenshot of the article to her Instagram, cheekily captioning the post, “Happy Pride.” Cattrall isn’t the only one returning to the franchise either; the report also noted that Patricia Field, the legendary costume designer who created SATC‘s most memorable looks but opted out of coming on board AJLT to work on Netflix’s Emily in Paris, also returned just to dress Cattrall for her scene.
Read more: Sex and the City Is Nothing Without Samantha Jones
The news about Cattrall—who will also be starring in the Netflix series Glamorous, set to premiere, curiously, on the same day as And Just Like That‘s new season—was greeted with fanfare online. It was also met with joyful disbelief due to her rumored longtime feud with Parker and other members of the SATC cast. Rumblings about the notorious beef began surfacing as early as 2004, the final season of SATC, when Cattrall wasn’t seated by her cast mates at the Emmys; later, some speculated that the alleged tension was the reason why a third SATC movie never happened. In recent years, the buzz surrounding this contentious relationship has escalated even further, with both Cattrall and Parker separately addressing the rumors in interviews and Cattrall even taking to social media to voice her criticisms of Parker.
The real-life rift even factored into a major storyline on-screen in the first season of AJLT; in the show, Samantha has moved to London and ceased contact with Carrie and the girls after a falling out, but a reconciliation is hinted at in the Season 1 finale. Now, with Cattrall’s return—though it may be just one scene—viewers will finally get a chance to be reunited with Samantha. While Cattrall’s cameo didn’t make the cut for the show’s trailer, that didn’t stop invested parties on TIME’s staff from indulging in some wild speculation about how she might make her much-heralded return to our television screens. Here, we offer our best guesses at how Samantha Jones will enter the world of And Just Like That.
She’s there to work her PR magic
As the most dynamic PR professional in New York City, we could envision Samantha swooping in as a consultant for the likes of Carrie’s former podcast co-host and Miranda’s romantic partner Che Diaz, who may need help boosting their image after a bout of bad press.
She’ll make an appearance on Carrie’s podcast
In the Season 1 finale of AJLT, Carrie begins hosting her own podcast, where she answers live calls and gives romantic and life advice. We could easily see Carrie calling on her old pal Samantha, New York’s most fabulous single woman, to be a guest on the pod to share her infinite wisdom about sex and dating.
Read more: We Couldn’t Help But Wonder What Should Happen in And Just Like That Season 2
She’ll be the object of Brady’s affections
In season 1 of AJLT, Miranda’s son Brady is a sex-crazed teenager about to leave for college; it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that he could have the hots for Samantha and in typical Gen Z fashion, send her a series of inappropriate photos; she, in turn, would obviously chastise him, while educating him on the proper etiquette for sending a nude.
She comforts Steve
Like Samantha, Miranda’s hapless husband Steve has been one of the original SATC characters most maligned by the AJLT writers’ room. In our fantasies for Season 2, we’d be delighted if Samantha’s cameo involved her giving Steve a pep talk to encourage him that he’s better off without Miranda and the rest of the girls, just like her.
Read more: And Just Like That: A Postmortem for a Sequel That Was Dead on Arrival
She’ll bring Aidan back into the picture
One of the biggest teases of Season 2 has been the return of Aidan, Carrie’s furniture-building ex, played by John Corbett. We could envision a world in which Samantha alerts Carrie that Aidan is back in the dating pool, encouraging her to reach out to her former flame.
She warns Seema to get out!
Of all the new friendships introduced on AJLT to seemingly fill the void that Samantha’s absence has left, Carrie’s realtor-turned-friend Seema Patel, a fiercely independent woman with a penchant for animal-print ensembles and dashingly handsome men, may skew closest to the legacy of Samantha. Which is why we think it’s perfectly reasonable that Samantha may return just to warn Seema that she should steer clear of Carrie’s solipsism and bask in her own fabulousness.
Read more: What And Just Like That Gets Right About Parenting a Nonbinary Child, According to an Expert
She’ll reconcile with Carrie and the girls
Though it may seem obvious, a reconciliation between Samantha, Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte would be a satisfying point of closure for the show, whose biggest challenge has been addressing Samantha’s absence. The core theme of SATC was always the power of female friendships; Samantha’s return could provide a cathartic opportunity to bring the magic of the original series to the spinoff.
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Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com