And Just Like That… Season 2 Episode 10 “The Last Supper Part One: Appetizer” on Max confirms that Anthony (Mario Cantone) and Giuseppe (Sebastiano Rigazzi) have taken their flirtation to the next level. We see them in bed together as a prelude to a small lovers’ spat. You see, Anthony comes from an older generation of gay men who define themselves as the “man” or “woman” in the relationship, whereas Giuseppe is used to switching things up in the bedroom. So when Anthony refuses to be a bottom for him, Giuseppe is confused. He doesn’t understand why Anthony wouldn’t want to experience all assets of sex or love. “Why would you be afraid of more love?” the Italian poet asks.

Of course, opening yourself up to the possibility of being on the receiving end of anal sex is a bit more complicated than Giuseppe is making it sound. It is an extremely intimate experience that Anthony has hitherto never explored. As Harry (Evan Handler) brusquely puts it in the promo for next week’s Season 2 finale, it would mean literally “losing his ass virginity.” Anthony’s conundrum is one that weaves together anxiety about emotional and physical intimacy while also illustrating a generational divide amongst some gay men.

Or, as And Just Like That… showrunner Michael Patrick King so elegantly puts it in this week’s edition of the official writers’ podcast: “What we have in this scene is that Anthony has finally let Giuseppe in, but not in. He’s let him in the apartment, but not into his ass.” 

King has made it clear that Giuseppe is there to push Anthony out of his comfort zone in more ways than one. Giuseppe is more emotionally vulnerable than Anthony is. Ergo he’s inviting the fast-talking, quick-witted New Yorker to soften his approach to relationships. However he’s also imploring Anthony to rethink his whole understanding of his own sexuality.

“The reality is they have a discussion on what sexuality means to a gay couple,” King goes on to say.

King also revealed that Anthony’s hangups were inspired by years of questions that he and his gay friends would get from straight friends.

“I believe that heterosexual people believe that penetration is a done deal or the only thing that happens in gay relationships. And how many times people have said, ‘Who’s the woman?’ God, to any gay couple, men couple,” King says. ” As Anthony says, ‘Men of a certain generation see things differently.’”

As a straight woman, I can’t speak to King’s experiences or whether or not what Giuseppe is asking is all that revolutionary. However, as a long-time Sex and the City fan, I can say that this specific And Just Like That… storyline takes me back to an aspect of the original HBO show that did feel revolutionary: frank debates about sex and relationships.

Michael Patrick King sees it in a similar light, comparing the whole situation to the famous “up-the-butt” storyline in Sex and the City Season 1 Episode 4 “Valley of the Twenty-Something Guys.” In that episode, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is convinced she’s found the perfect boyfriend until he asks her if they can have anal sex. Flustered, Charlotte asks Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) for advice, who in turn, picks up Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) for a hilarious taxi cab crisis center.

After all that stress, Charlotte admits to the guy she’s not sure if she wants to have anal because she doesn’t want to be “up-the-butt-girl,” but she also reveals that if she doesn’t agree to it, he’ll dump her. In a sweet turn, the guy simply asks if they can just have sex the regular way to Charlotte’s delight.

Whatever Anthony decides to do with Giuseppe, I hope that Giuseppe handles the news with as much grace. That said, I hope Anthony does give up his “ass virginity” to this veritable Prince Charming. There’s a gentleness to Giuseppe that suggests he would be tender in his approach despite his infamously large penis. And as the writers have made abundantly clear, Anthony’s new romance isn’t just about sex, but the evolution of Anthony. Trying something new — even if it turns out not to be his thing — would prove Anthony’s grown.

Regardless of the storyline’s outcome, I’m glad that And Just Like That… has continued Sex and the City‘s tradition of dramatizing real life sticky sexual situations. As Michael Patrick King jested on the podcast,“It’s like, ‘Read more about it!’ If you’d like to know about penetration, read more about it on And Just Like That...”