Patti LuPone Adds Even More Crazy to ‘And Just Like That’ as Gia, Giuseppe’s Italian Mom from Buffalo

Just when you thought And Just Like That… couldn’t get any more bonkers, this week’s episode of the HBO MAX hit introduces Italian stallion Giuseppe’s (Sebastiano Pigazzi) mom and she’s played by Patti LuPone. Casting the Broadway legend as an imperious Italian mother might seem like clutch casting, but there’s a twist. Sure, Gia is Italian, and yes, she speaks with a comical Italian accent, but she’s not actually from Italy. Oh, no, Giuseppe’s mom is actually from Buffalo, New York! It’s a tidbit that simultaneously makes LuPone’s performance all the more camp, and And Just Like That… all the more confounding.

**Spoilers for And Just Like That… Season 3 Episode 7 “They Wanna Have Fun,” now streaming on HBO MAX**

There’s no denying the fact that And Just Like That… is an incredibly divisive show. You either love, hate, or love to hate watch Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) gallivanting around Manhattan in insanely large hats, Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) mourning her twice-dead dad, and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) bouncing from Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) to Rosie O’Donnell’s virgin nun to Dolly Well’s sweet Joy. And Just Like That… is a show that exists on its own strange frequency. Which is why it sort of makes perfect sense that the HBO MAX show would cast the imperious (and recently embattled) diva Patti LuPone as Giuseppe’s mother. It also sort of explains the character’s insane accent paired with an even crazier backstory.

We first meet Giuseppe’s mother, who warmly tells Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) to call her “Gia,” when Giuseppe brings her to Hotfellas to meet his man. Anthony (Mario Cantone) is already nervous to meet her and makes the mistake of cursing about a floral arrangement right in front of her. Not only that, but Gia is under the misapprehension that her hunky son must also be dating a hunk. She greets Anthony with utter disdain, mocking first his stature, and later, his age.

On one hand, Gia’s skepticism over Anthony is understandable. Remember, the two love birds only got together because Anthony wanted to pimp the poet out as the face and body of Hotfellas. However, that never factors into Gia’s calculations. Instead, she’s blissfully unaware of this backstory. She’s just sneering at Anthony in the here and now. He’s too old for her son. He’s not romantic enough, not hot enough, and not good enough.

What’s wild is that by Gia’s own admission to Carrie, she fell in love with Giuseppe’s father when she was a super young 22 and he was already a 50-something parent. She shrugs over lunch, saying the age gap wasn’t as big a deal in Italy, but she still reveals through her later words and deeds that Anthony and Giuseppe’s similar situation is worthy of scorn.

Gia’s hypocrisy is essentially the root of the drama here. As she’s sticking around for at least another week, I expect her and Anthony eventually to come to some sort of resolution wherein they can finally relate to one another. On most shows, that would be enough. That would be what Patti LuPone was hired to do. However, And Just Like That… lets LuPone milk every moment onscreen whether or not it works for the scene.

I can’t stress enough how stupidly hilarious it is to learn that Gia isn’t Italian, and yet she insists on speaking with a forced Italian accent. It’s one of those decisions that would normally reveal something about the character, but here, I wonder if it reveals something about the actor. The controversial Patti LuPone profile wherein she slammed former costar Audra McDonald as “not a friend” occurred during the actress’s work on the HBO MAX series. It’s a piece that captures a woman fully embracing her id and opting for an over-the-top accent seems in line with that mentality.

Of course, And Just Like That… goes the extra mile in making it weird. For some reason, Miranda is convinced that Carrie’s lavish birthday party for Charlotte needs a karaoke machine. Because Carrie and her pals are the least-likely New Yorkers to belt it out for fun, Lisa and Herbert’s (Christopher Jackson) theater nerd son Henry (Alexander Bello) takes it over, singing one ballad after the other. His first pick? Fantine’s “I Dreamed a Dream.” A song and role LuPone originated on Broadway.

Now, is Ms. LuPone there for this kid’s performance? No. Do we think she knew about it? Sure. Is it weird that And Just Like That… did all this? Yes, but no. And Just Like That... lives for the weird, awkward, campy, and inscrutable.

Patti LuPone’s bonkers turn on And Just Like That… is simply the latest “AJLT” thing this idiosyncratic show has pulled. Love it, hate it, or love to hate watch it, this show is never going to change.