Happy 25th Birthday to Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, Miranda Hobbs, and Charlotte York Goldenblatt. Our favorite foursome celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sex and the City. Debuting June 6, 1998, the Emmy awarding comedy became a cultural zeitgeist spanning two movies, a prequel, and a sequel. That sequel, And Just Like That, might have just been the most polarizing, talked about series last year. People magazine just looked back on the show that celebrates female friendships calling it “a buzzy, beloved hit for six seasons…it inspired some of Hollywood’s most creative stars in powerful ways that shape the culture today.”
The weekly magazine also asked celebrities what the show meant to them.Insecurecreator Issa Rae said, “It was the first show I had ever seen that really showcased women’s sexual habits explicitly. It influenced me to be raw in my representation of my friends and women.”CBS This Morning host Gayle King commented, “It made being single cool.”Bros star Billy Eichner championed the queer representation explaining,
“You did not see many shows at that point that had scenes at gay bars, let alone with guys standing in their underwear for Underwear night. I immediately knew, because I’d been there several times, that it was shot at Barracuda, an actual gay bar in Chelsea in New York.”
Whether you were Team Big or Aiden, team Burger or Team Petrovsky, as stated above the show was more about the friendships than the dudes. As Kristin Davis says in the episode where everyone is late for Carrie’s birthday dinner, “maybe we can be each other’s soulmates. And then we can let men just be these great, nice guys to have funs with.”
On this special anniversary we here at Instinct (ok just me) chose five of our favorite episodes that we (ok, me) have watched and quoted over and over. We are not saying these are the five BEST just five GREAT episodes that we might watch again today. It’s a celebration!
THE BABY SHOWER – Season 1, episode 10
Ok, so we LOVE the other baby shower episode when Carrie was shoe shamed by Tatum O’Neal after Carrie’s Manolo Blahniks were somehow taken at said party. But there was another baby shower way back in season one. First seasons are notoriously bumpy and SATC was no different – remember when Carrie talked directly to the camera? They got rid of that something quick.
This episode solidifies the four actresses as a solid foursome. There’s a road trip – to the suburbs of Connecticut, a pregnancy scare, and a stolen baby name. Shayla. The ladies go up north to visit Laney, a kinda reformed party girl. (Laney also shows up in another episode getting married.) No one knows how to drive their rental car and Charlotte shows up with THE gift – the Bellini Baby Basket. With this episode, we knew we were hooked.
The creators of Sex and the City writing that one episode where the girls go to Connecticut for a baby shower: pic.twitter.com/SjtBlUzllg
THEY SHOOT SINGLE PEOPLE, DON’T THEY? – season 2, episode 2
I seriously thought this episode was called Single and Fabulous, Exclamation point. All our gals are single at the same time and stay out way too late – the day before Carrie has a photo shoot entitled Single and Fabulous. Girlfriend oversleeps, is late for the shoot, and doesn’t look her best.
Of course, they use the worst photo possible and put her on the cover reading Single and Fabulous – but with a question mark. “Question mark, they never said question mark I never would have done the shoot.” In other developments, Charlotte gives it a go with a hot platonic friend of hers and Miranda fakes her orgasms again with Josh the marathon runner.
Sex and the City. I think that’s the go to when someone wants to feel single and fabulous.
This classic episode combines the laughs with the tears as one of the women gets pregnant. No, it’s not Charlotte who has been trying, unsuccessfully, for months. It’s Miranda, giving the newly single-balled Steve a mercy fuck, “I guess the other one was purely ornamental.” This accidental pregnancy starts a fight between Charlotte and Miranda and starts a discussion on abortion. Samantha’s had two. Carrie had one…with the waiter from TGIFridays, aka the Saloon. Carrie initially lies to Aidan about having one and by the end of the episode Miranda decides to keep the baby with Charlotte exclaiming, “We’re having a baby!”
Favorite line of the episode – “and even though she never looked back once, Charlotte knew Miranda was behind her.” Plus we have Lucy Liu and her Birkin bag.
The other day my mom asked me if I knew anyone who was pregnant, and I truly believed I did because Miranda on Sex and the City was pregnant 😅😅 https://t.co/ryKas6HJnF
THE POST IT ALWAYS STICKS TWICE – season 6, episode 7
This might be my all-time favorite episode. I was a huge fan of Burger. Then we went loco. Couldn’t handle Carrie’s success. After he runs away to his Hamptons house for a week to “think,” he shows up at Carries apartment, arms full of carnations wanting to work it out. The two spend the night together and Carrie wakes up to a message. On a post it note.
“I’m sorry. I can’t. Don’t hate me.”
To shake any memory of Burger away the fab four hit the town starting at the new club, Bed. They wind up at a dive bar looking to buy pot and Carrie almost gets arrested for smoking a doobie. The night ends as all night should, stoned sharing a banana split sundae.
photo via Elle.comphoto via fandomcity.com
BOY INTERRUPTED – Season 6, episode 10
Wait, this might be my all-time favorite episode. Two words: Annabelle Bronstein. Connie and Carla actor David Duchovny shows up as Carrie’s high school boyfriend, Jeremy. He’s on the East Coast and wants to meet for dinner. Things quickly heat up and after they sleep together he says, “There’s something I have to tell you.” NEVER A GOOD THING TO HEAR. Seems Jeremy is at a facility. A mental facility. By choice though, so it’s not all that bad.
Another storyline finds the group swimming at the Soho House after Samantha found a lost membership card, hence the Annabelle Bronstein. Stanford and Marcus break up after Anthony gives Charlotte a copy of an old Honcho magazine, at Chelsea mainstay Cafeteria. Marcus put himself through dance school working as an escort. “Paul, worst escort name ever!” The happy couple reunite under the dance floor because as Carrie says, “Anything can happen. It’s New York City.”
Favorite line: “Ironically, it was the sanest breakup I ever had.”
list of good looking men on Sex and the city/satc:
1. smith jarrod
2. marcus (stanford’s partner)
3. dr robert leeds
Honorable mention: Splat! Kirsten Johnson’s party-girl Lexi Featherstone falls out a window to her death after saying “New York is OVER. O.V.E.R. over. I’m so bored I could die.”
The second season of And Just Like That premieres June 22 on Max.
(**this post is solely the opinion of this contributing writer and may not reflect the opinion of other writers, staff or owners of Instinct Magazine.)
