Is ‘And Just Like That’s “Hot” Teen MILF List Scandalous, or Harmless Fun?

And Just Like That... Season 2 Episode 3 “Chapter Three” flirts with controversy in a way that will upset some 2023 viewers, but would have probably made Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) proud. Max‘s Sex and the City sequel series gets back into knotty sexual politics of the original series with the introduction of the “MILF list.” Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) are flattered into defending a student’s ranking of the hottest moms at the fictional Arbor School when they appear in second and third place, respectively. However, the fun the moms have might go a little too far when the moms learn that the MILF list’s author is Milo H (Wes Williams), whom they openly lust after in the halls of Arbor.

The Arbor School’s principal (Tim Bagley) rightfully calls the moms out for their behavior, but is it such a big deal? Did And Just Like That‘s MILF list storyline cross a huge ethical boundary? And did the Max show handle the storyline with the care it deserved? Or is it really just a silly farcical subplot that we shouldn’t put too much thought into?

Let’s put on our discourse-trudging shoes and spelunk into the problematic netherworld of And Just Like That…

What Is the MILF List in And Just Like That? Are Charlotte and Lisa On It?

One of the subplots in And Just Like That… Season 2 Episode 3 “Chapter Three” follows Charlotte and Lisa’s obsession with a MILF list that an anonymous Arbor student has made. In it, they rank the hottest moms associated with the school. Hence the name MILF, or “Mothers I’d Like to Fuck”, list. The principal reveals the list’s existence with a great deal of shame, saying, like a fire and brimstone preacher, it puts the whole community at risk. Naturally, Lisa immediately whispers to Charlotte that they have to get the list.

While Lisa and Charlotte attempt to feign being scandalized, it’s clear that they love the whole idea of the MILF list… Especially after they obtain it and learn they are both in the Top 3. When the moms at school joke about the author being IDed as Milo H, noting that the “nerds are always the pervs,” Charlotte lets it be known she’s not comfortable talking this way about “a little boy.” That is…until she sees Milo H.

When Milo H. emerges from the office, he is a hottie with swagger. He stares smolderingly at the moms as he confidently struts past them. And it’s not just the moms who are swooning. A teen girl literally drops her notebook when she sees him. The other moms openly lust after him, while Charlotte merely gapes and Lisa simply says, “Why do I feel like Blanche DuBois?”

In the next scene the principal, Greg, says Arbor School needs to send a message that there is zero tolerance for misogyny of any kind. Therefore, Milo’s breach of conduct will go on his permanent record and all future college applications. Charlotte thinks this is too harsh and Lisa agrees. When a mom scoffs, “You’re just saying that because you’re two and three on the list,” Charlotte and Lisa echo in dumb sing-song, “Are we?” Then when Greg gets a damning report that some Arbor moms were objectifying a male student on school grounds, Charlotte and Lisa once again echo, “Were they?“

And that’s that. That’s the MILF storyline in And Just Like That… So how bad is it? Well, first, let’s clear one thing up. If Milo looked too old to be a high schooler, that’s because he is…

Who Plays Milo, the MILF List Kid, in And Just Like That? Meet Wes Williams

Sure, he has no lines of dialogue, but Milo H. certainly makes an impression in his quick appearance in And Just Like That. Milo is played by Wes Williams, an actor who has appeared in regional NY theater productions. According to his CV, he has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Coastal Carolina University. Williams is a college graduate, ergo not a high schooler, but a full-grown adult.

How Creepy is the MILF List Storyline in And Just Like That?

If you’re someone who demands that every television show adheres to strict moral codes of ethics, you might have felt a little creeped out by this storyline. As Greg, the principal, points out, a MILF list is inherently misogynistic, ranking women according to their looks, and it is gross for moms to wolf whistle at a teenager in a high school hallway. It should also be noted that neither Lisa nor Charlotte verbally objectifies Milo, but they are clearly wrestling with their surprise at his appearance.

To be frank, when I was initially watching this episode, the MILF list storyline didn’t really upset me. That’s mostly because I know And Just Like That… is a work of fiction. None of this is real. Plus, the storyline follows a grand Sex and the City tradition of dramatizing the grey areas of modern sexual politics. On paper, this storyline breaks all sorts of lines of consent, but the mothers seem collectively amused, not abused by the list. We don’t know if Milo is okay, but the show clearly hired an adult actor to underscore the character’s maturity and agency. What are we supposed to make of it? Especially the light comic tone of the whole situation?

I think the slight creep factor, as verbalized by Principal Greg, mixed with the light tone is supposed to show that this is one of those morally grey situations real people could find themselves in. Lisa and Charlotte’s actions exist between the hyper-ethical Greg and the way too aggressively horny moms. They interpret the MILF list as the harmless sexual expression of a teenage boy transitioning into adulthood, but they also keep their mouths shut in the corridors of the school.

However you feel about the MILF list storyline in And Just Like That… is really just up to you. Be a Greg and loathe it, be a horny mom and want more of it, or be like me, Charlotte, and Lisa and sort of laugh at everyone’s folly over a relatively benign expression of adolescent hormones.