And Just Like That: Sara Ramirez, EP Talk Miranda And Che's Turning Point

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Thursday's And Just Like That...

Miranda has been caught up in a whirlwind romance with Che Diaz for two seasons now on And Just Like That..., and that whirlwind has now officially died down.

Thursday's episode saw Miranda and Che decide to split up, with Che still despondent over their TV pilot getting scrapped and Miranda not being able to help them. "From where we are now, this probably isn't going to get better," Che said, and Miranda agreed — although it meant she's now going through two breakups, since she finally decided to go through with divorcing Steve.

It was a bit of a surprise that a romance as hot and heavy as Miranda and Che's could end with such a whimper. But Sara Ramirez, who plays Che on the Max comedy, says the end didn't come out of nowhere.

"I think for Che, there's an incremental ego death process that is occurring over time, with the failure of the pilot, with all of the projections that they internalized during that process, with all the questioning they've been doing," Ramirez tells TVLine in the video above. "I don't think they have the capacity to keep the wheels on the car any longer. They don't have the capacity to continue this fantasy of a bubble of love and friendship and affirmation."

Che did have "something very real with Miranda," Ramirez insists, "and it's heartbreaking for them, after this rollercoaster of emotions, to admit that something isn't working. So I think they have a very adult, grown moment where they're quite grounded and centered in letting her know, like, 'What are we doing? This really isn't working.'" The breakup is "almost about self-preservation, and I think it's also out of respect and love for Miranda."

Miranda and Che's relationship was a case of "opposites attract," executive producer Michael Patrick King says, "and Miranda was completely engulfed by the feelings that she had that Che brought up." For the first time, Miranda "was not living with her head. She was living with her libido, or her heart... So when there's a passionate thing like that, what always happens is reality comes in."

Their up-and-down romance "was by design a dance," King adds, and "they still have something, but it almost doesn't work in the real world."

But the breakup doesn't mean Miranda and Che are out of each other's lives forever. In fact, Ramirez hints that "there is a point where Miranda and Che are in the same room again, and they have to kind of confront one another" because "Miranda has seen a comedy act of Che's when Che decides to try comedy again, and it doesn't go well for Miranda."

Note: This interview took place before SAG-AFTRA officially announced a strike on July 13.

Got thoughts on Miranda and Che's breakup and the rest of this week's episode? Grab a cocktail and join us in the comments.