Sex and the City was a huge part of my twenties...like pretty much every other girl I knew in NYC. I was able to find the Carrie, the Charlotte, the Miranda, and the Samantha within my group of girlfriends, had a Mr. Big in my life that no matter how unavailable he was, just couldn't shake, and an Aidan who even though he was the "perfect guy", wasn't the one for me. I may have even met an older man, a la Aleksander Petrovsky,...but that's a whole other story :). I resurrected my 8th grade nameplate, sipped Cosmopolitans (yuck), rocked a Fendi Baguette and a pair of Manolos. The only thing I was never able to relate to was that huge rent controlled studio that had an enormous closet and a bathroom with 2 doors.
Now that the show is on in marathon-style blocks, I am falling in love with SATC all over again. Although I could sit and watch all 6 seasons consecutively, there are some episodes that shine brighter than others. Here are KING's top 10 Sex and the City Episodes:
1. Sex and the City (Season 1, Episode 1)
In the pilot episode, the audience is introduced to Carrie Bradshaw, who is the narrator of the show and writer of the relationship column, Sex and the City. We also get to meet her 3 girlfriends, Charlotte York, an Art Dealer who lives on Park Avenue; Miranda Hobbes, an Upper West Side lawyer; and Samantha Jones, a publicist who originally resided on the Upper East Side (but later moved to the Meat Packing District to reflect her sassy personality). We are also introduced to Mr. Big, the mysterious tycoon who Carrie literally bumps into on the streets on NYC.
2. La Douleur Exquise (Season 2, Episode 12)
La Douleur Exquise translates to "the exquisite pain of loving someone unattainable". The second season finds Carrie and Big back together, even though her friends warned her that she is playing with fire. After months of dating, Carrie is devastated when Mr. Big casually tells her he is moving to Paris and she realizes that Big was never able to factor her into his life, the way that she was able to include him in hers.
Now, I love a new pair of shoes just like the next girl... but, this is one of the creepiest things I have EVER seen...
3. Easy Come, Easy Go (Season 3, Episode 9)
In this episode, all 4 characters have extremely strong story lines. The now married Mr. Big tells Carrie he is leaving his wife and wants her back, Miranda's ex-boyfriend Steve finally moves on - before even moving out of her apartment, Charlotte somehow proposes to herself, and in what might be the funniest storyline in the entire series, Samantha dates a guy with "Funky Spunk".
3. Cock-a-Doodle-Doo (Season 3, Episode 18)
Carrie runs into Aidan for the first time after their break up only to learn that he has moved on...ironically, Mr. Big calls her as well and they decide to meet up. For the first time, Carrie sees things clearly when it comes to Mr. Big and realizes that she has moved on as well. Meanwhile, both Carrie and Samantha have trouble sleeping due to noisy "neighbors".
4. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda (Season 4, Episode 11)
Miranda finds out she is pregnant after a "mercy fuck" with ex-boyfriend and cancer survivor, Steve. Meanwhile, Charlotte who has been trying to get pregnant since she got married, finds out she has only a 15% chance of conceiving. Miranda decides to have an abortion, which gets all of the girls talking about their past and Carrie finds herself lying to Aidan about the abortion she had in her 20s. In the end, Miranda decides to keep the baby and Carrie comes clean with Aidan. This is also the episode where viewers are introduced to the exclusive Hermes "Birkin" Bag and Carrie and Aidan have one of the funniest exchanges in her bathroom while a clueless Steve waits outside.
5. The Good Fight (Season 4, Episode 13)
Carrie and Aidan decide to move in together, but when Aidan asks her to make room for his things by cleaning out her closet...she starts to feel the pressure of no longer having her own space and she and Aidan have their first real fight. Meanwhile, these days, Charlotte and Trey are at each other's throats The only one who makes love, not war in this episode is Samantha, who finally opens her heart up to her playboy boyfriend Richard. This is one of the few episodes that doesn't end with the SATC theme song, but instead leaves you with Sade's, "By Your Side".
6. I Heart NY (Season 4, Episode 18)
Mr. Big shocks Carrie with the news that he is moving to Napa, CA. They decide to have one last New York City night, and Carrie and the girls ponder whether she should sleep with him one last time. Meanwhile, Samantha thinks that Richard is cheating on her, so she decides to follow him and finds out that her sneaking suspicion is true. Carrie and Big's date is cut short when Miranda goes into labor. The next morning, Carrie goes to say a final farewell, only to find an empty apartment and an open ended airline ticket.
7. The Post-It Always Sticks Twice (Season 6, Episode 7)
Berger breaks up with Carrie on a post-it note that reads, "I'm Sorry...I Can't...Don't Hate Me". In order to cheer her up, the girls decide to take her out to the new club, "Bed". They run into Berger's friends and although she tries to take the high road, she ends up embarrassing herself and the girls quickly leave and head to a dive bar. There, they get a hold of a joint and while Carrie is smoking it, she gets caught by the police. She shows them the Post-It, and it becomes her "get out of jail free" card.
8. One (Season 6, Episode 12)
Carrie meets an older man, artist Aleksandr Petrovsky, and he intrigues her with his old-school romantic style. Charlotte finds out she is pregnant but soon miscarries and falls into a depression. Miranda's boyfriend Robert says, "I love you"...on a cookie... and this makes her realize that she still loves Steve. At Brady's first birthday, Miranda and Steve share a kiss and end up back together.
Meanwhile, Samantha has an unfortunate incident with an at home dye job.
10. An American Girl in Paris, Part Une and Part Deux (Season 6, Episodes 19 and 20)
Aleksandr asks Carrie to move to Paris with him (which is a huge sign for her, being that Paris was the straw that broke the camel's back with her and Big). Before leaving, she has a "last supper" with the girls and also gets a surprise visit from Mr. Big. For the first time, she is able to stand up for him, call him out on his shit, and walk away.
When Carrie arrives in Paris, things aren't all they are cracked up to be and she ends up spending most of her time exploring the city on her own and waiting around for Aleksandr to come home.
She loses her "Carrie" necklace, and in turn feels as though she has lost herself. She calls home and confides in Miranda that she has been thinking of Big, but quickly dismisses it as her being homesick.
Back in New York, the girls have lunch with Big, and he asks them if Carrie is happy. When he sees the look on Miranda's face, he races off to Paris to bring Carrie home.
Meanwhile, in Paris, Aleksandr once again, leaves Carrie to fend for her self as he is praised for his new exhibit. While waiting for him, she finds the necklace and races off.
Carrie and Big reunite and come back to New York together. The final scene of the series shows Carrie surprising her friends at the Coffee Shop, where we have shared many memories with them, both good and bad. As they walk out to go their own way, we see how each character has grown and changed throughout the series...and we finally learn the name of the elusive Mr. Big :).
