21 Years Before ‘Leanne,’ Kristen Johnston Took a Deadly Dive in This Infamous ‘Sex and the City’ Episode
Netflix’s newest sitcom, Leanne, only just dropped a few days ago, but it has already gained a large fan base and is taking the streaming service by storm. Starring comedian Leanne Morgan, Leanne follows a woman named Leanne whose husband of 33 years, Bill (Ryan Stiles), suddenly leaves her for another woman. Leanne then tries to figure out what her life looks like now without Bill, with the help of her fiercely loyal and loudly opinionated sister, Carol (Kristen Johnston). The duo of Leanne and Carol is definitely the highlight of Leanne, and Morgan and Johnston play off of each other very well.
In ‘Sex and the City’s “Splat!,” Kristen Johnston’s Lexi Takes an Unfortunate Fall
“Splat!” is the last episode of Sex and the City before its two-part finale, and in it, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) starts to get serious with Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov). After an uncomfortable dinner with Carrie’s friends and their partners where Petrovsky refuses to make an effort, Carrie and Petrovsky attend a party hosted by Carrie’s editor, Enid (Candice Bergen). At the same time, Carrie is considering taking a major step and moving to Paris with Petrovsky. While at the party, Carrie runs into Lexi Featherston, a wild party girl whom she used to see a lot more at various parties and events. Lexi struggles to fit in at the party, and she winds up doing cocaine in the bathroom, where she briefly reflects to Carrie about the fact that she’s aging but hasn’t changed at all. Later, Lexi tries to smoke a cigarette, but she doesn’t have a lighter. This is when things start to escalate.
“Splat!” Is Still One of the Most Controversial ‘Sex and the City’ Episodes
Now over two decades later, Lexi Featherston’s death is still one of the most iconic and hilariously bizarre moments in Sex and the City, right up there with Carrie’s failed attempt to change Big’s mind before he moved to Paris (complete with a beret), and Berger’s (Jack Livingston) breakup note for Carrie. Johnston played Lexi so well, that she is still such a memorable character, both for her hilarious death and her bold personality. Lexi also seemed to be stuck in the past, so her death was a little sad as well, thanks also to the nuance in Johnston’s performance. Ultimately, though, Lexi’s death is a wake-up call for Carrie. Carrie spends the whole episode torn about whether to move to Paris with Petrovsky. After seeing Lexi die suddenly and alone, Carrie decides to take the leap, which sets the stage for the series finale.
Netflix’s newest sitcom, Leanne, only just dropped a few days ago, but it has already gained a large fan base and is taking the streaming service by storm. Starring comedian Leanne Morgan, Leanne follows a woman named Leanne whose husband of 33 years, Bill (Ryan Stiles), suddenly leaves her for another woman. Leanne then tries to figure out what her life looks like now without Bill, with the help of her fiercely loyal and loudly opinionated sister, Carol (Kristen Johnston). The duo of Leanne and Carol is definitely the highlight of Leanne, and Morgan and Johnston play off of each other very well.
“Splat!” Is Still One of the Most Controversial ‘Sex and the City’ Episodes
Now over two decades later, Lexi Featherston’s death is still one of the most iconic and hilariously bizarre moments in Sex and the City, right up there with Carrie’s failed attempt to change Big’s mind before he moved to Paris (complete with a beret), and Berger’s (Jack Livingston) breakup note for Carrie. Johnston played Lexi so well, that she is still such a memorable character, both for her hilarious death and her bold personality. Lexi also seemed to be stuck in the past, so her death was a little sad as well, thanks also to the nuance in Johnston’s performance. Ultimately, though, Lexi’s death is a wake-up call for Carrie. Carrie spends the whole episode torn about whether to move to Paris with Petrovsky. After seeing Lexi die suddenly and alone, Carrie decides to take the leap, which sets the stage for the series finale.
Lexi’s funeral, too, is very fitting for such a distinct and bold character. Her death makes the papers, and her funeral is, quite literally, “the event of the season,” attended by a number of celebrities. “Splat!” is still one of Sex and the City‘s funniest and most memorable episodes, but it is also still a hot topic of debate amongst fans of the show, due to Lexi’s bizarre death and Carrie’s unlikely yet very in-character way of finding meaning in it and making it about herself. Lexi’s death is very on the nose, particularly with her last words, which is why it’s also still so hilarious. In a 2021 interview with Today, Johnston even spoke about Lexi’s iconic appearance on the show, and revealed that people are always quoting the monologue to her. She added, “I’m totally okay with that, if that is my legacy, Lexi Featherston.” Leanne‘s Carol is a very different character than Lexi, but both of them are very funny, loud, and unafraid to share their opinions. As such, Sex and the City fans will enjoy seeing Johnston in a sitcom again, especially for much longer than Lexi’s short but impactful time on the show.
