Keep in mind when I write this that I am probably one of the shows biggest fan. Hell, on a trip to NYC where my friend Tiffani and I took the official SATC Tour....I was actually told by the tour guide that I was the only person that had ever gotten one of the trivia questions she asked. (the question was the explanation for Carrie's gift to Steve & Aidan on the opening of their bar....who out there knows the answer??????)
So....here I go.
Let's start with Sex & the City, the phenomenon.
So every women in the country is planning on seeing it opening weekend. So there are sponsored parties at bars and clubs all over the country. So what? How is this any different from every male oriented saga movie that has ever come out? Or children's movies? (Hello....Harry Potter). The only reason people think its weird is that these are women going nuts over a movie.....not dorky guys who live with their mothers. I'm sure we are going to see on the news groups of girls dressed the part going to the theater..........much like the storm troopers you saw with every Star Wars movie. Or the Spock ears with every Star Trek flick. Do I even need to mention the ridiculous costumes that our wizard-wannabe friend friends wore to Harry's adventures?
The crazy Carrie-obsessed fans will be out in droves, and I say more power to them.....its about time a women's film was taken as seriously and as high promoted as this.
So...the next question....Why? What was it about 4 single, slutty (I'm using this word very loosely...but even though not that there's anything wrong with it, they did have a lot of sex), wealthy, and stylish women in their late thirties that keep people watching?
The answer: It was something that no one had ever see before on T.V.
Honestly, I think that there is actually a moment where you can look back and say that television (or at least women's interest television) was different after Sex and the City came along.
List of Reasons....
1. The reality of the show itself.
It started in the very late 90s...I believe 98 to be exact. However, it didn't get popular until the end of 1999. It was the first show to come along that honored the city of New York. Not only was it supposed to take place in New York, it was actually filmed in New York. The only others shows that were filmed in New York before (and actually there were not many) were always showing the seedy or scary side of it. (Law & Order, Taxi; The Equalizer; The Sopranos were starting at this time) The story lines were very specific to the city, and something about every episode had a new york feel about.
Even the lives of the characters made it seem very real. The producers got a lot of flack for the characters lives not really being accurate to their income. I completely disagree. The girls had money. They had well paying jobs.They lived a New York life equivalent to their income. I want to point out a few things about the characters that I think shows they live on New York incomes. This was a big issue for me, because I hated when I would hear people say that there was no way they could live so expensively on what they made....wrong....we are forgetting that the girls had good money....not like the Friends characters who I think loved beyond their means....their apartment was enormous....the SATC girls did not have big apartments like that. O.K., since this is a hot button for me, I am going to go through each one's specific situation.
Miranda.
She was a partner in a big time law firm. She had graduated at the top of her class from Harvard law school. Can I point out that she still only lived in a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment? When the show had her move...she couldn't afford a bigger house in Manhattan, so she and Steve moved to Brooklyn. If anything, they had Miranda living under her means. I guess she spent a lot of money on those Hermes and Prada briefcases the show always had her carrying!
Samantha.
She was the owner of a very successful PR company. She lived in a loft in the meatpacking district, that I estimate couldn't have been more that 1200 or 1300 square feet. She only have a area with her bed, a small kitchen and a great room. Yeah, it had high ceilings, and was pretty modern, but not really that big. Also, they even mention in an episode that her mortgage was $4000 a month. Up to New York standards, but also I think in her price range. She had important clients, and I think she made serious money.
Charlotte.
No one could say they exaggerated her money. She came from a wealthy family from Connecticut. Before she met Trey, she was living in a very small one bedroom apartment that she rented. Post Trey, the apartment she got in the divorce was huge, (by Manhattan standards....may I point out that it still only had 2 bedrooms!) Then she marries a wealthy lawyer, and they still stay in the same apartment.
Carrie.
Her finances are interesting. She is a columnist. I bet that she made about $80,000 a year. (that is before Vogue and the book. She made more after that). The apartment is a bit of a dump. Its small, the coolest thing about it is the closet. Its a studio, its not air conditioned, and it only has one old bathroom. Plus, they mention many times that it is a rent controlled apartment where she only pays $750 a month. That's not a lot. Also, there are entire episodes dedicated to her lack of good financial sense. Plus, she has a shopping problem...and I think they make a good argument for Carrie being one of those girls who makes a lot but also spends a lot. We found out in season four that even though she was not in debt, she was about 2 paychecks away from being broke, but she still had the best and most expensive clothes and shoes, and still went to the fanciest restaurants. That's not an uncommon place to be in this country. Has anyone heard of the book "Young Fabulous, and Broke"? I always thought that Carrie Bradshaw could be on the cover.
2. The characters didn't live in an isolated world, where whatever decisions they made were the right ones. The writers of the show had them make a lot of mistakes, and not the kind of mistakes that were solved in 30 minutes. Real, life altering, worthy of judgement mistakes. Often times with messy consequences.
3. The show really celebrated being single, and when they did let the girls fall in love, it was a surprise to even the characters themselves. I would even go as far as to say that the foursome were suspicious and cynical about love and relationship. Can you get more real than that? What 37 year old single women is not a little cynical about love. Man, I'm only 33 and I may not be cynically (I still believe in Love...cheesy love, actually) but I would say that I am suspicious.
4. It is the most quotable show I have ever seen. I think there is a line for every situation one could encounter. I have actually used convos from this show as ways to express things or feeling I have had. So relateable.
O.K. Enough analysis.....here are my 3 favorite moments of the show, in no particular order.
1. Last scene of Season 2 finale. When Carrie has just left talking to Mr. Big after his engagement party with Natasha, and she says that fantastic line from "The Way we Were". My favorite line is actually the one that is voiced over just after that..."Some horses are meant to be tamed, while others are meant to run free until they find someone just as wild to run with." Fantastic.
2. Season 6: Berger had just broken up with Carrie by leaving a Post-it Note on her computer that said "I'm sorry. I Can't. Don't hate me." Carrie reads the note, then looks at the flowers he had given her, and very dramatically knocks them over vase, water et al. Then the camera just shows her staring. It's the only episode in the series where there is not a witty voice over by Carrie at the end. And I agree with the silence. My take is that the director knew, that there was just nothing else to say.
3. Season 4: Carrie and Miranda are sitting on the front stoop chatting. Carrie had just been told by a mentor at Vogue that maybe the reason that Carrie is always searching for and has never found the right guy has to do with the fact that her father left her and her mother when she was 5, and she has never seen him since. The interesting line here is the question and answer that Carrie and Miranda share. Transcript:
Carrie: "Is it really as easy as 'my father left me, and therefore I will always be mixed up about men"
Miranda: "My father came home at 6:00 PM every night, and I don't have a clue either!"
Carrie: "I guess its a crapshoot."
I always loved that convo. Probably because I have never been a fan of, or believed in the "your parents mess you up permanently" bullshit pop psychologist stuff. Every girl is a little messed up about men, no matter what happen to them in life. Though who say they aren't are just fooling themselves.
O.K. That's all I can take of talking about my fav group of fictious friends....go see the movie. It opens tomorrow.
