Lucas Jackson/Reuters
And Just Like That hasn’t felt quite the same without Willie Garson playing the beloved Stanford Blatch. Carrie’s best friend and power-clashing ally appeared in cameos during Season 1, but Garson passed away months before the show’s premiere. This week, however, the series gave the character the loving farewell he deserves—albeit in an unexpected way.
Speaking on the Max podcast And Just Like That… The Writers Room, showrunner Michael Patrick King explained Stanford’s surprising decision to become a monk.
Although we haven’t heard much about Garson’s character this season, we did already know that he remained alive in the show; a few weeks ago, he sent Carrie a kimono from Japan. As we learned this week, he’s decided to give up all his worldly possessions and live there full-time as a Shinto monk—or, as his shocked ex-husband Anthony puts it, “God’s concierge.”