belated SATC comments

1. Big didn't look or sound like himself. His skin was pulled tight; his eyebrows were, in both senses, drawn; his face, like Gest's, looked plastic, denied plasticity. And then, his lines, esp. the ones to curry favor Carrie's friends: "A guy's only lucky to come in fourth." The mechanical delivery convinced me Big had finally solved his Carrie problems by sending to NYC and Paris a Big doppelganger, code name "John."

2. Did anyone else notice that the Charlotte hick was Becky from "Roseanne"? Becky, what did you do to yourself?

3. People on the SATC message boards are not people I care to meet. A sampling of posts from the boards:

Marleneemm - 2/21/04 9:12PM PST Re: Ask HBO

BIGluvsKID: Depends upon what happens to the characters~~~ Would love to see Harry & Charoltte find out she's pregnant,Sam & Smith become engaged ,and her be cancer free,Miranda &Steve have another baby and of course BIG go and find Carrie and him bring her home to NYC.And then aske her to marry him!

Marleneemm - 2/22/04 9:40AM PST
Re: Ask HBO

When it was announced that SJP wanted to end the show I asked why not either put the show into a different city/state/country or just change the lead.This may/maynot have worked, would be interesting idea.

Marleneemm - 2/22/04 4:16PM PST
Re: Ask HBO

HBOAdmin7/Seven: To The Group: Everyone chins up, NO tears if it can be helped!!!!Be brave and strong!!

bigLOVAH - 2/24/04 6:17PM PST
Re: Re:

>
> tripping Biglovah and falling down in hysterical
> laughter - LOL
>

lol, that was soooo great!

neneree - 2/24/04 6:49PM PST
Re: Re:

The reason they never said his name was because he was so withdrawn Carrie could never really know him, so when he finally came around, they could tell everyone his name because he was for the first time really there!

bobhoop - 2/23/04 5:31AM PST
Offended?

As a parent of an adopted child from Guatemala, I couldn't help but cringe when I heard the comment about "2 gay guys buying a Guatemalan baby for $100". I found this to be insensitive, inaccurate and in extremely poor taste. I'm sure there are many more folks offended by this comment and I just lost a lot of respect for Michael Patrick King. There is a continual misconception that the majority of adoptions from Guatelama are illegal and unethical and comments like this just perpetuate the falsehood. Needless to say, I am not only offended and disappointed but can only wonder what this type of imagery does to a child's psyche.

A disappointed viewer.

Momtothree - 2/23/04 5:53AM PST
Re: Offended?

I too am very offended. It is sad that such a hurtful line was allowed in the dialogue. It just was not needed. I have a beautiful child adopted from Guatemala and it is sad that HBO tried to diminish her worth.

Adoptions from Guatemala are not handled in the way portrayed on the show last night. They are legal....take many months....and require the US approval of said adoption before the child can even enter the US. Needless to say you cannot simply walk into a store and pick one up for a hundred bucks. Sad, very sad indeed.

I will no longer be a fan of this show or HBO at all.

oxfordms1fan - 2/23/04 10:49AM PST
Re: Ask HBO

Can you give me the names of a few of the bars and restaurants the "girls" frequented over the last season or two?? Am coming to NYC this weekend, and I wanted to try one or two places out...

Thanks,
Excited in Oxford, Misssissippi

moyl - 2/24/04 8:02PM PST
Re:

I have really learned a lot about myself with this show even though some may say it was only a fictional show but it touched realistic chords. I too had high expectations like Charlotte and Miranda, never thinking that a regular guy with all his faults and warts was someone to consider. I let one go for that and live to regret it to this day.

itscoldinhere - 2/25/04 1:22PM PST
No More 'Sex' ::sob, sniff::

I personally can't wait for the movie (if there is one). I'm looking for Carrie & John's wedding hijinx. We could have a beautiful proposal as the opening scene of the movie and then hilarity ensues. I wonder if it would be too out of character for Carrie to marry John? (BtW I love that Big's name is John. It's very NY...someone said before that they thought of JFK Jr. when they saw it...as did I.)

carly57 - 2/24/04 9:49PM PST
A review I wrote on the finale

I wrote ths review for a class - I'd love to know what you think!!

Last Sunday, millions of women around the country bid farewell to the “Sex and the City”, the groundbreaking HBO series that redefined the modern single woman. Throughout six seasons of watching Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha rely on each other while they made their way through the men of New York, viewers reluctantly said goodbye to the foursome in the poignant and appropriate ending of the series.

The finale begins with Carrie meeting up for lunch with her beau Aleksandr Petrovsky’s ex-wife Juliet. Alek bails from joining them at the last minute, citing problems with work yet again. Carrie’s uncomfortable meeting with Juliet teaches her a key lesson, though – Alek’s passion is clearly his work, with his significant others falling in a distance second. Carrie is left alone by Alek again shortly afterward and falls back into her lonely existence of gorging herself out of boredom, walking solo around Paris, and taking up smoking again since it’s one of the few ways she can feel like she’s fitting in while in Paris. Carrie’s desolate existence and unhappiness are a sharp contrast to the striking city set in the background.

Meanwhile, Charlotte reassures her favorite gay friend Anthony that he’ll always be in her life even after her and Harry adopt a baby. Later, Harry and Charlotte go through yet another heartbreak when a couple that they were supposed to adopt a baby from change their minds. Charlotte reassures Harry that their baby is still coming and Harry replies with, “I’m beginning to think that God lost our address.” The two find additional strength in their marriage as they work through the disappointment.

Smith and Samantha discuss her reduced sex drive, which is a particular sore spot for her since she’s always prided herself on that aspect of her life. She tells him to feel free to have sex while he’s on location for his new movie – her reasoning being that she’s trying to keep him instead of push him away because she knows how important sex is and she doesn’t want him to suffer simply because she’s not in the mood. Smith comes back with, “it’s like winter, just because the trees are barren doesn’t mean they’re dead. Along comes spring, and then, bam!”

While on location, Smith sends Samantha flowers with a card saying, “looking forward to spring”. She is immediately touched and calls him to say she’s changed her mind – she doesn’t want him to have sex with anyone else. For a woman who’s used to keeping men at arm’s length emotionally, Samantha’s clear indication of caring for Smith is an important step for her.

Miranda and Steve deal with one of their first challenges as a married couple when Steve’s mother has a small stroke and become disoriented and confused. Typically cynical Miranda’s tough exterior melts and she rises to the situation. When Steve talks about hiring a nurse or maid, Miranda kindly offers for his mother to live with them. It might not be the sexiest, most exciting lifestyle she would’ve imagined for herself, but Miranda realizes how she deeply loves Steve when she puts her own feelings aside to make room for his mother in their lives.

A few days later, Steve’s mom wanders off and Miranda chases her down the street to find her eating pizza out of the garbage. Rather than feeling resentful of the new role she has to play as part of the sandwich generation, Miranda’s true loving nature comes out as she cares for her mother-in-law.
“What you did, that is love,” Magda, the babysitter, says to her after seeing how she helps Steve’s mother. “You love.”

Miranda replies with, “Let’s not make a big deal of it to Steve, it’d just upset him.” Throughout the show, Miranda’s sturdy exterior has often kept men at a distance. She might still try to keep a bit of the hardness to show that she hasn’t gone soft, although we can tell that deep down she truly loves.

In Paris, Carrie’s spirits are lifted briefly when she finds a few fans of her book that offer to throw her a party. Alek is happy for her, even though can’t make it because of his show’s unveiling at the museum. His good thoughts for her change when he flips out right before his show and selfishly begs Carrie to come with him to the opening, even though it means she’ll miss her party. The instant he arrives at the museum, he drops her hand – literally and figuratively – to go off with his colleagues.
While sitting along waiting for him, Carrie finds her lost “Carrie” necklace in a hole in the lining of her purse and it finally clicks – she’s not meant to be there. In a flurry of excitement with French hip-hop music playing in the background, she rushes off to attend the party her fans are throwing for her.

During her frantic search for a taxi, a car driving Big pulls up alongside her – instantly making viewers around the world shriek – although the car pulls away before the former lovers notice each other.
Carrie finally makes it to her party that’s already over and returns to Alek to discuss her unhappiness. He shoots back by saying that his work comes first and she always knew this. Carrie tells him that she’s important, too. “I am someone who is looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t live without each other love. And I don’t think that love is here in this expensive suite in this lovely hotel in Paris. It’s not your fault. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have come here,” she tells him. During the exchange, Alek accidentally slaps Carrie and she leaves to head to the lobby to get another room. As the front desk clerk searches for an open room, Carrie runs Big in the lobby and tells him about the breakup and the slap. Furious, Big runs up six flights of stairs, planning to teach Alek a lesson. Carrie follows him says she doesn’t need him to rescue her. She finally resorts to tripping him and they end up laughing in hysterics on the floor – something Carrie clearly hasn’t done in ages.

Back in New York, Harry and Charlotte realize that God did remember their address when they hear they’re getting a baby from China. Charlotte says, “That’s our baby. I know it. That’s really our baby.”

At Samantha’s apartment, Smith flies back in the middle of the night to surprise her. “Hey babe. I flew back. I forgot to tell you something on the phone. I love you,” he tells her.

A tear escapes Samantha’s eye as she finally hears the words she never realized she wanted to her. “You have meant more to me than any man I have ever known,” she tells her younger boyfriend. As they kiss, we begin to see the flowers on Smith’s plant blossom.

Meanwhile in Paris, Big tells Carrie, “It took me a really long time to get here, but I’m here. Carrie, you’re the one.” They share a kiss and Carrie admits that she misses New York, and asks Big to take her home.

When Big’s car drops her off in New York, Carries asks if he wants to come up. “Absofuckinglutely,” he replies, using the now infamous line he said in the first episode.

The episode ends with the four girls at the coffee shop, chatting and hugging. We see Carrie typing on her computer and realize that everything has come full circle – Carrie is back in New York where she belongs and back to her true passion of writing. Harry and Charlotte are happy with their dogs and excited about their baby, Miranda and Steve are settling into their version of domestic bliss with all its challenges, and Samantha and Smith’s last scene is of them having sex as Samantha’s plant hits full bloom – an appropriate send-off for Samantha. And for Carrie, we finally learn Big’s name, John, as he calls to tell her that he’s moving back to New York – her dream come true.

With few exceptions, the finale was a dynamic and fulfilling ending. One of the few aspects missing in the finale was the interaction between the friends that is such a strong part of the show. In almost every other show, there’s significant interaction between the two or more of the women, whereas in this show the only interaction we got was a brief interaction with Miranda and Charlotte. I would’ve liked to have seen another conversation between Carrie and Miranda on the phone, or perhaps between Samantha and another woman about her uneasiness with Smith.

Another aspect the show could’ve done without was the slap. Carrie had clearly made up her mind to leave Alek already and the slap seemed like it was forcing the audience to hate him even further. I believe that the scene would’ve been stronger had Carrie simply left on her own. The only purpose it served was to give Big a reason to chase after Alek, which wasn’t a necessary plot point.

Apart from these minor flaws, the series finale providing a satisfying ending for Sex and the City fans. Throughout the show, Big has remained as Carrie’s one true love. Even when she was with former boyfriends Aidan or Jack or Alek, Big kept coming up in her life and viewers always realized that they were meant to be, even though their relationship might not have been perfect. She needed him to tell her that she was the one – not just an affair, not just a convenience – and she finally got what she needed in the final episode.

It was fitting that they didn’t have either Samantha or Carrie end up engaged or married – neither woman has ever seemed to want marriage, and it was fitting that they didn’t change the tone of the show to give viewers a Hollywood ending. Samantha might’ve slept with dozens of men throughout the show’s six seasons, but we realize with Smith’s heartfelt words that what she truly wants is a man who cares about her – faults and all – and someone with whom she can have a great sex life. We saw with Carrie and Aidan’s relationship that she wasn’t ready to get married – partly because she was scared of commitment, partly because perhaps she was thinking of Big in the back of her mind. Therefore, to have her end up with Big – but also not jumping into marriage – is a particularly appropriate ending.

Charlotte ended up getting the husband she’s always wanted, even if he wasn’t with the rich, handsome guy she grew up thinking she’d end up with. And with the addition of the baby they’re due to receive, her fantasy truly is coming true.

Miranda ended up being content and happy with Steve even thought she’d never originally thought that she’d end up married and with a kid. She had always pushed men away in the past, but once she realized that she couldn’t push Steve away and they were meant to be together, she was able to settle into a satisfying life.

Although viewers throughout the country may have a difficult time watching their favorite New Yorkers’ adventures end, they can always find solace in “Sex and the City” reruns and DVDs to help them get over the hump of missing girls’ nights out, shoe sales, and nonstop Cosmopolitans.


MrBigWhereItCounts - 2/25/04 12:13AM PST
Re:

As a man, all I can say is this: THANK GOD for women who are as emotionally unbalanced as Carrie Bradshaw. It is MUCH easier to bang a crazy chick after the first few dates, than it is a sane one....and fortunately for us guys, there are many more of the former than the latter.

In reality, a good-looking & successful guy like Big...regardless of how co-dependent he is, would never marry...or for that matter even look twice at , an old butter-face looking hag like Carrie Bradshaw. Rather, he would be banging cute young hotties who still have the ability to lubricate naturally.

Sorry ladies, but I am just keeping it real!