I always enjoyed Sex and the City, but even though I was a single working girl in Manhattan when it premiered in 1998, I never really related to it. My lifestyle wasn’t — and still isn’t — anywhere near fabulous.
But cut to last night: It’s 10 years later. I’m now in my early 30s, still single, and watching a repeat of the Season 2 episode "Four Women and a Funeral." It’s the one where Miranda (Cynthia Nixon, pictured) buys her own apartment, chokes while eating takeout and has to give herself the Heimlich maneuver on a moving box. Recovered but still somewhat hysterical, she phones Carrie, who’s all, "Why didn’t you call me?" (Perhaps because she couldn’t speak, Carrie.) Later, the fear that she’ll die alone and only be discovered after her cat has eaten half her face overwhelms Miranda, and she has a panic attack that sends her to the ER — where Carrie agrees to replace Miranda’s out-of-state parents as her emergency contact. I don’t want to get too personal here, but let me just say that the moment that episode ended, I dialed my friend Eva, who lives on the opposite coast, and left her a rambling message about how we need to come up with some kind of code that I’ll tap out on the phone if I can’t speak, and she’ll know that it means I need her to call an ambulance or the police.
Your turn. What Sex and the City moment finally got you? And does that moment make you more excited for the upcoming SATC movie?
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Sadly, the episode with Brady’s first birthday party relates most strongly to me. Not making a love confession to my soulmate (like Miranda), not struggling with a miscarrigae (like Charlotte)…no, I can related to Samantha’s experience with “Bozo Bush.” And that’s all I’m going to say about this…
VERY vivid memory of when this happened to me:
I was driving down the 10 freeway talking to my (fabulous gay) friend Brian about my new boyfriend. I was like “he’s nice, but there’s no za za zsu!” I was then frightened because I had quoted SATC without realizing it, and was in fact living out an episode.
oooh…I love Brady’s birthday party too – I relate to Miranda when she calls Carrie and says something like, “I thought when I found the right guy, all my BS would just settle down, but it seems to just make it worse.” So true, so true. I am a Miranda. I even have the red hair.
Carrie’s affair with Big was exactly like my life. I cheated on my current boyfriend with a past boyfriend. We were caught. A lot of pain (on all sides) ensued. We ended up together in the end and now we’re happily engaged. The most “real” scene for me was when Carrie felt that she needed to apologize to Natasha, only to realize that apologizing to her was just another selfish act. That was a serious lightbulb moment for me!! I loved it.
Wow, Liz Lemon lied to me.
Really the only time I could relate to SATC is when Burger came over to Carrie’s in what seemed like a “let’s work it all out and it’s happily ever after” but then leaves a break-up post-it for Carrie. I never got a post-it, but that big gesture that says we’re going to make it after all followed by ‘oh man, what have I done’ rings very true.
Dang it, I just realized I only related to a man on the whole series.
I had a boyfriend dump me in an email once, and every time I mention it to someone has to say, “It’s like that Sex and the City episode where Carrie gets dumped by Post-It!”
And what did Carrie do when she saw the ring from Aidan? She threw up. How did I know I wasn’t ready to move in with my boyfriend? I threw up. The parallels were really weird, actually.
Definitely the episode when Miranda’s mother passed away, and she was made to feel guilty for not having a significant other. Having recently lost someone, it was my friends, like Carrie for Miranda, who helped me through it.
That was when I actually started watching the show on a regular basis, as it was from that point that the show became more about real life than sex and shoes. (Although there’s nothing wrong with the latter).
Even though I NEVER related to the fabulousness of their social lives and closets, I almost always related to their life/relationship issues -with the exception of Samantha – and could see myself in each of the three other characters. That’s what made this show so great – the perfect marriage of fantasy and realism. As for the actual episode – season 1 where they go to the suburbs to attend the baby shower.
The one where Carrie turns 35 and everybody misses her birthday party at the restaurant. I haven’t had a b.d. party since I was 16.
My wife (girlfriend at the time) used to tell me, “I’m not going to be the up-the-butt girl”, courtesy of Charlotte. I never asked her to be.
and
An old college girlfriend once found a spanking videotape I had (just like Miranda in Season 1) under my bed. The only difference is that it turned her on (thank goodness!) and she gave me a good ol’ fashioned over-the-knee spanking!
To Meghan: I hear ya, sis.
Many, many parallels with Carrie/Big and me/my ex. But we won’t go into that.
My big moment of connection: when I really clicked with a guy who turned out to have a girlfriend (unfortunately, this has happened to me more than once). I immediately thought of the episode where the same thing happened to Carrie with Berger, and she says to herself at the end, “Maybe there’s just something to knowing they’re out there.”
My friends and I now have a theory that there is a Sex and the City episode/quote for every occasion. It’s true!
Definitely when Miranda was obsessed with cake to replace sex and called Carrie to tell her that she thought she was going to have to check in to the Betty Crocker clinic!
It was the Big relationship. I have/had my own Big and it’s just as frustrating, exhilerating and everything else as that one. Except this one ended more than twice.
Can’t wait for the movie! And Jennifer Hudson is just icing on the cake for me.
I never watch the show, but I am a 30 year old single girl who lives alone in an apartment with a cat. I just died inside a little.
I can definitely relate to the episode where Miranda ate the giant cookie that said “I Love You” because it freaked her out and if she ate it all, then it never really happened. I had a boyfriend who did something similar. He brought me three cupcakes with I on one, on the other, and U on the third. Instead of going all swoony, I panicked and inhaled the heart cupcake as if this would somehow magically take the words back. My reaction surprised me but in the end made a lot of sense.
I’ve had many…but the episode I relate to the most is in Season 4 when Aiden moves in with Carrie, they are completely crammed into her place, and end up having an argument about his/her junk. “Who needs three speedstick deoderants?!?!”…classic! And then at the end of the episode she asks him for one hour of alone time, and he gives it to her with no complaints, but then she can’t resist talking to him…Oh how I can relate…
Actually, that is the moment I related to – as a single woman with cats, and no immediate family in the same province, let alone city.
When my father died, I related again to Miranda by not having a SO by my side through the whole ordeal. Thank goodness for my friends!
The one where Carrie goes to Big after his engagement party… Your girl is lovely, Hubble. Yeah, I have my own Big… still waiting for him to divorce his girl. But the relatable part… *I* am the curly haired girl… “Some women can’t be tamed”. Yeah, that is so me! Can’t WAIT for the movie!
As a gay man in Houston. . .lol i know im young but i have related to quit a few moments. Most of them are SAMANTHA’s story lines. . .so ill just leave it at that!!!!
In general, I relate most to Charlotte, but my two big moments are Miranda-related.
In the chocolate-replaces-sex episode, when Miranda throws out the cake and proceeds to squirt dishwashing liquid on it – I had done that more than once. It’s actually quite sickening, since it implies that, without the soap, I would have continued eating out of the garbage can.
Also, the episode where Miranda snaps at the other three, screaming about why the only topic of conversation seems to be men – I was cheering her on.
I’ve had a few but since this is not one of “those” kind of sites, I’ll leave my SATC relating moment to shopping for new shoes. Prada baby, Prada!
I was a single gal living in NYC during much of the show’s reign, so I had quite a few – though sadly I can’t seem to think of a specific one! At the time, I mostly related to Carrie and a little bit of Samantha. Now, as a married woman living in the ‘burbs, I relate more to Charlotte and Miranda.
Miranda’s moments relate with me a lot although I’m a (gay) man. Like when I was moving into my last apartment and everyone (the realtor, the landlord, the movers) asked, “It’s just you.” And I kept having to answer, “It’s just me.” Like they were sad that no one was going to be living with me. I though, “didn’t this happen to Miranda?”
The episode described is mine too. I’ve nearly choked on a cracker and had that same insane fear of what if I really choked…how long until they would find my body??? Being single isn’t all that bad – that is until you let the crazy thoughts invade!
I think most of us have a Mr. Big in our lives that we love and hate and treats us bad. And of course that makes us want them all the more. In S1 when Carrie and Samantha were dating 20-somethings, I too was doing the same thing. And when Carrie woke up in his 20-something apartment, I did the same thing. It didn’t last but it sure was fun.
And my sister and I have a date on opening day of the movie! I can’t wait. I will actually go to a theater for this one!
The episode where Miranda pretends she’s gay for a firm function, the theory being that her firm would approve of her more if she’s in a gay relationship (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) than if she’s just a single woman. There are a lot of Miranda moments, but that one jumped out at me.
While I enjoy the show immensely (even in its current butchered state late night on TBS), I’ve never had a SATC moment. Though Miranda is definitely the one I can relate to the most…
The Aidan move in was prob the most- the one about “please just shut up” and “all your sh*%”. CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE MOVIE- This moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiV_HcNTL-Q
As a male, I can’t say I watched the show all that regularly. Or (ducks) even liked it when I did.
But, the episode about “shoe shaming”, where Carrie goes to see her married with children friend, Tatum O’Neal, who shames her about buying expensive shoes, when she can’t because she spends all of her money on her family and kids.
I can’t tell you how often I’ve thought of that scene, when talking with married friends who try to guilt you for being single and spending money.