So I was watching Sex and the City for about the 30th time through (no lie, I’m not even exaggerating) and I got to thinking about the reboot. Ok, a little bit of background. When I first moved to the metro, I really didn’t have money to be going out on the town or whatever. A lot of the things I did were free. I managed to have a lot of fun and see a lot of things. Nightlife was a bit non-existent, instead I spent my time with friends or at home, watching the entire six seasons of Sex and the City, followed by the two movies, over and over, thanks to my Kristen. She owned all six seasons on DVD and I took them over. I still have them. (oops) I lived vicariously through Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. I fell in love with New York over and over, just from the time I spent watching them live their fabulous, albeit unrealistic lives around the city. It was how I went out, without having to go out.
There were many times of loneliness (my wife and bestie Kristen was working nights and not always available), and I would just settle in after Brianna went to bed and be entertained by the four best friends that anyone could have. The synopsis of this show is very clever, as each of the girls represents ALL of us. We all have a bit of each of them in our personalities. You could even argue that they were one and the same woman if you wanted to. Of course times have changed and some of the issues were approached in a way that they would never be tackled today. There are a few moments where I cringe with the political incorrectness or the decidedly misogynistic tone in reference to women, or the generalization of the LGBTQ+ community, but over all, AT THE TIME, this show was way ahead. They truly did try and break down barriers and knock down the expectations placed on women, they really did try and be inclusive toward LGBTQ+. We really do have to keep in mind that it has been just about 24 years since the premier of season 1!
The main character is Carrie Bradshaw, who is a writer for the (fictional) New York Star. She has a column dedicated to sex, singledom, relationships, friendships and more as a single gal living in the city. Granted, she lives in an apartment that if this were real life, she couldn’t afford based on the going rate for columnists at the time and even now. Remember, this is a tv show, so it’s not going to be all that realistic. Instead we get to see her little apartment on the second floor of a building that is decidedly a brownstone. Yes, THOSE beautiful brownstones. Anyway, she ponders life in her 30’s and we get to hear her thoughts via her column. Carrie is fun, witty, selfish, generous, happy-go-lucky, sometimes obsessive, but always at the right parties, the best places in the city, where she meets all the right people. I can’t tell you how many meet-cutes she has, but they’re fun and entertaining. She is the side of us that maybe spends money foolishly, the side that wants the romance, she wears the fun decidedly “girly” outfits (I hate that I’m even saying that) and she is never without her pick of men. However, they aren’t “the right” men, and so we relate to her dating disasters, her real belief that love is out there, and her poor choices. Somehow we forgive her each time, because we’ve all been there. Sarah Jessica Parker IS Carrie. I simply cannot imagine anyone else being able to make us like such a train wreck of a girl, and cheer her on in spite of some of her bad decision making.
Samantha Jones is Carrie’s non-judgmental, sexual goddess friend, who goes through life wearing her independence like a badge of honor. No one can hold this woman down, and she resents any man who tries, or any woman who judges her enjoyment of her sexual freedom. Samantha is that side of us we wish we could be, or maybe we once were but stopped due to the judgment we received because of it. Maybe she’s the side of us we are afraid of, the side of us that isn’t always accepted by society. Perhaps we long to be her, and we live out our fantasies by watching her live out hers. Maybe we judge women like her, and if we do, we really need to stop. Samantha may seem like a woman who we don’t understand, but ladies, she is a WOMAN’S woman!! She never judged other women like her, she felt that women should embrace their sexuality and have lots of sex whenever they want to. She was the OG “women uplifting women” woman. Plus, her escapades on Sex and the City are often times hilarious, and I admire Kim Cattrall’s ability to laugh at herself and be comfortable with the sexual character she was chosen to play.
Charlotte York is the side of us our pearl clutching mothers would be pleased to know. Charlotte is tasteful, she is classy, she is void of ill will - she wears pastels for crying out loud. Charlotte is the one who reminds the others that “there are children around, we can’t talk like this”, she is also the one who believes in marriage and wants to have the husband, the kids, and the lifestyle that would look like it was a shot from a high end magazine cover. Charlotte is good, and kind, and has a positive outlook on life where true love is paramount and can be as lovely as a Chanel suit. We are all a bit of Charlotte when we start out. Innocent, expecting the best in people, looking for the good in every situation. Kristin Davis’ Charlotte is endearing instead of unbearably naive, she’s lovely instead of high maintenance, and most of all, she helps us believe in love.
Last, but definitely not least, is Miranda Hobbes. When I first started watching this series, 7 years ago, Miranda was not my favorite character. She was too direct, too pessimistic, and extremely rigid. Although I liked her, I couldn’t really relate to her. Yet. Now that I am almost 50, I find that she is my absolute favorite. I laugh because we are really so much alike. Except for that lawyer bit. Miranda is a partner at a law firm, and she is also very independent like Samantha, but work is her focus, not men. She is the realist in her friendship with the ladies, and she is always there to bring things around with a very blunt dose of truth whenever the situation calls for it. She expects the worst out of people, and over the years we see her soften a bit and grow, as a result of being the one out of the four who becomes a single mom unexpectedly. We watch Miranda find true love, which she never really believed in from the start, and we watch her lose true love. We watch and hope that she finds true love again, and we understand as she doesn’t know what she has until it’s gone. Cynthia Nixon, like Sarah Jessica Parker, got her start on Broadway and she’s got the acting chops to play Miranda like no one else could. We believe in Miranda. We’re glad for her down to earth opinions.
There are other regularly featured characters, one of whom is Mr. Big. We don’t even know Mr. Big’s name until the final episode of the final season. He is the object of Carrie’s affections and often times her downfall. They are on and off throughout the show, and although in hindsight I suppose women around the world think he was the worst, Chris Noth took a despicable character and made us be charmed by him. He had many good qualities really, but the timing wasn’t ever right and his affinity for bachelor living kept getting in the way. He was Carrie’s one true love, and like I said, today people are pretty unforgiving of him, but I kind of understood him and I’m happy that he will be featured in some capacity on the reboot.
Anyway, back to the four women. Each of them find themselves in different circumstances that we’ve all been in, and even if they are living in New York City, we can still relate because the city is just geography. Unplanned pregnancies, lost love, unrequited love, being stood up, funny sexual situations, steamy sexual situations, career highs and lows, being dumped, running away from relationships, being in a financial bind, experiencing fun restaurants or clubs, discussing women’s issues, questioning relationship behavior… that happens everywhere.
I like to think of myself as a reasonable person. I understand that times have changed and we need to change the narrative with the times. I also appreciate shows that tried to do that waaaaay back when no one else was pushing the envelope. I appreciate the effort. Now when I see woke people today criticizing the show, I get a bit annoyed only because change doesn’t happen over night and we don’t get it right from the beginning. We go through growing pains. I give HBO and the writers so much credit for really trying to jump ahead.
I’m writing this blog because Sex and the City is getting a reboot. It’s been 18 years since the last episode of the final Season 6 aired. There were two movies, (the second one being actually really bad and I don’t like to say that, but it was) but over all, it’s been some time.
The first episode of “And Just Like That” will air December 9, 2021. I will be unavailable to the world that night. I will be watching the continuing story of the ladies, who are now in their 50’s. Samantha Jones is the only main character who will not be returning, and although I’m very sad about that, I’m still going to watch and try to embrace the new characters they’ll be introducing. Times have changed, and we will get to see how much our girls have changed as well. Now that I’m approaching my 50’s, I’m so excited to see the things I may relate to, or look forward to, or dread even.
“And Just Like That” is a take away from the original Sex and the City, where Carrie often used that line in her writing, along with “I couldn’t help but wonder”. I’ve seen the trailer, I’ve watched the casting come into place, I’ve cried waiting for this. You see, Sex and the City was the show that was there for me, no matter what I was going through, that show was always there, making me laugh, making me forget my problems, bringing a smile to my face. I went through two very painful breakups during the time I started watching Sex and the City, and I swear to you- those girls were there for me every night. I know that sounds a bit melodramatic, but it’s totally true. I could count on them to invite me into their world, and for a while I could forget the things going on in my world.
A few years ago, we took a trip to New York. We had many sights to see, and at the top of my list was 66 Perry Street. This was the address of the famous brownstone that was the entrance to Carrie’s apartment. I watched Big pick her up and drop her off countless times. I remember her dresses as she came bouncing down the steps and went off on her night. Seeing it in person had me in my feelings for sure, because it’s just hard to explain years of watching and rewatching a show and feeling like you got to know the characters on a personal level, so much so that you considered them friends. It’s all very silly, but it is true. I even brought one of my favorite shoes, a very “Carrie” shoe, and left it on the steps of her brownstone. Who knows what happened to that shoe, but I don’t even care. It was a moment for me and I’ll never forget it.
So, this December 9, I’ll be busy. My phone will be off. Please don’t try and text me or call me. I’ll be watching “And Just Like That”, hoping it is just as good, if not better than the original Sex and the City. Hey, I might even have a cosmopolitan while watching!
I would like to leave you with some of my favorite quotes from Sex and the City. Enjoy!