So much of the original Sex and the City TV series feels dated, but I think people still enjoy it and enjoy talking about it because of A) the characters’ friendships and B) the core romantic relationship holds up, the one between Big and Carrie. Even though SATC was an absurd fantasy in so many ways, there was a “realness” to the mess between Big and Carrie. He treated her like sh-t. He cheated on his wife with her. He gave her enough to keep her coming back. She only wanted to show him the superficial/fake side of herself. And on and on. I always liked the Aidan character, but I thought/knew he was completely wrong for Carrie. And Sarah Jessica Parker knows it too. She was asked again about Big and Aidan and all of that:
Sarah Jessica Parker finally reveals her true feelings about Carrie Bradshaw’s choice in men. Her “Sex and the City” character famously dated Aidan (John Corbett) during Season 3 when she cheated on him with her on-again-off-again love interest John Preston, a.k.a. Mr. Big (Chris Noth). Bradshaw ultimately married Big, but kissed Aiden after a chance meeting in Abu Dhabi in the second film.
“As you can imagine, this puts me in a terrible position,” Parker said when she was asked which guy she would’ve chosen for Carrie on “The Bradshaw Boys” podcast, where she was invited to speak about her new wine, Invivo X. “There is a very quick and simple answer. You have to be Team Big…I guess, only because you can’t tell a story that long and not in the most conventional way kind of root for that ending. And I love Chris Noth so much, and it felt wonderfully and skillfully written by Michael Patrick [King].”
However, the 54-year-old actress still thinks any girl would be lucky to have Aidan.
“I love John Corbett so much and I loved Aidan. I loved his Aidan,” she said. “The best of both worlds is in fact having your cake and eating it too. So I feel like I got both teams.” She added conclusively, “Ultimately, Carrie should have ended up with Big, but it was a delight to mess around before she arrived at that.”
As I get older, my feelings on all of these characters change, honestly. Aidan was the guy who would have made Carrie a better person, who would have challenged her and made her grow (up). But ultimately, she didn’t want that – she wanted Big, she wanted the fantasy, she wanted the guy who would be “withholding” and play games with her. But yes, at a story level, of course Carrie had to end up with Big. That’s the only thing that would have made sense. And frankly, Big and Carrie deserved each other.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid and HBO.
I am a huge SATC fan, no so much the movies, but the series YES! And yes, Aidan was way too f**king good for Carrie! I remember at the time, I was so pissed when they broke up, but yes she ultimately is a very selfish character and she and Big are better suited for one another – and I don’t mean that in a good way LOL! Yes of course Big is charismatic, handsome and rich etc. But he played with her for the entire series – withholding his affection! Sure, go for it girl! I feel like the writers made him much more likable in the movies, but again, the movies were not good. Aidan is a much better choice, but definitely not for Carrie!
I don’t think Aidan was right for Carrie, but I don’t think it was realistic for her to end up with Big. I’ve never seen a couple with a consistent, major power imbalance like that become equal partners. She should’ve ended up with a third guy- a Berger type, but without all the insecurities.
I hated Berger. Thanks: I couldn’t remember his name.
Even as a teenager I had very strong views in this!
1. Aiden was too good for Carrie and much better off without her. (I ignore the travesty of a second film in which they butchered his character.)
2. Someone like Big would NEVER. Realise he really loved her and settle down with her. That simply doesn’t happen. At most he would give up the models and settle down with a younger version of her. Darren Star – who created the show and these characters – has said that he would never have ended the show with them together. MPK was SJP’s puppet and made a stupid ending that has a terrible message for women to stick it out and wait on shitty guys.
3. Carrie should have ended up single but content.
How about four women in their mid 30s early 40s doing everything together? That’s as unrealistic as a j*rk suddenly falling in love with the woman he’s been putting down for almost a decade.
Aiden represented family and “the things that really matter”…Big represented the materialism that was popular in the 80s & made a comeback in 2000 or so. I was super sucked into the show but conflicted that Carrie was too superficial for Aiden. Also her shoe addiction that disabled financial independence…bleccch. I see now Big was premised on trump & the whole cast is a white mess. I’m ashamed I was so unWoke & gullible to that whole thing. #teamAiden
For God’s sake — this woman is trapped in 1999.
The more she keeps this up, the more she makes it look like her career has nowhere to go.
We all loved SATC. It’s over. Move on.
Thank you.
PREACH
that’s kind of how I felt too – like is this all she has to talk about it? Kind of sad
You’re absolutely right. Also, I feel the same about Friends. It’s over. Move on
Friends is actually experiencing a huge renaissance of sorts with the current generation of teenagers, Gen Z. So it’s not going anywhere, whether we like it or not.
My 13 year old and her friends LOVE “Friends.” She will tell me plot twists and she is shocked I already know. “Ummm….sweetie, I saw all of it the first go around.”
…. She was on a podcast titled “The Bradshaw Boys” and was asked this question. Would you prefer she refuse to answer?
Right, good point
Was she not supposed to answer the question? She didn’t bring it up. Someone else asked her.
Personally, I’d really like to see a SATC remake, but in current time 2020!! Maybe different cast, but New York probably. It was a favorite show of mine, definitely, but it’s dated now and I don’t watch the old shows. I still like the IDEA behind the show and the friendship between these women. I’m not sure how we could get characters again to match those in the old show, but I think it would be great if someone produced it!!!
The Bold Type is good, just younger characters. And way more current in every way.
Of course she is, that relationship was all about the drama and the toxicity and Carrie was all about that. Sex and the City is DONE, it’s over, let it die and quit upholding these relationship “ideals” that do nothing to set a example for women these days. I swear, the more SJP talks these days, the less and less I like her.
I was a huge fan of SATC and SJP has totally ruined that in the last few years. The more she talks and the more we hear about the behind the scenes drama the more obnoxious she gets. I realize that was her dream role, she had creative control, all the fashion she wanted and plot lines with gorgeous men chasing after her. But it’s over. And I dislike SJP so much now that I can’t even go back and look at the old episodes.
@minx it’s funny you said that as I feel the same.I loved this series. I thought it was great but the more I’ve heard about the drama Behind the scenes. Her dislike of Kim and we can kind of see that in the way Kim is portrayed as the series progresses is just tawdry & cheap.
Often times I’ll see a marathon on E and I think I’ll tune in & then I stop. In the end, Carrie was a really crappy person & friend.
Snappyfish, if you want a laugh…google Carrie Bradshaw bad friend, Carrie Bradshaw terrible person, Selfish Carrie Bradshaw, etc. Seeing all her bad traits enumerated, yikes.
We are in so much of an “aware” (woke?) culture. The “I’m so Carey” is so cringe. Shoe addiction? (made from Korean dog farms) Financial dependence on a man? (noooo) Chasing a man who wants a younger woman? (noooo) and the big grose weddings with the big tacky rings. We all grew up an our culture evolved?
Big was the worst, but Carrie wasn’t much better, so they totally deserved each other.
I will say that I was watching a marathon of old SATC episodes, and some of them still hold up. But I was much more interested in the other three women’s story lines over Carrie’s.
Yes I much rather enjoyed the other ladies stories. I actually tear up a bit thinking about when Charlotte finally reconnects with Harry and that really touch scene where Miranda is washing Steve’s mum after she’d gone missing. Even though it sometimes got silly there were some really great moments and that show meant a lot to a lot of fans at the time. I remember having a ‘finale’ party at my house with my girlfriends in 2004, we wore heels and had cosmos. Where has the time gone?
Yes @OriginalRose I agree! Charlotte and Miranda and Samatha’s storylines in the series were much more touching and fulfilling to me! Charlotte with her adoption with Harry, Miranda with her marriage to Steve and taking in his ailing mother, and even Sam admitting she loved Smith. They all grew up and matured. Carrie? Not so much LOL
Yes, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte were all much more interesting and their characters grew a lot more. I remember Miranda’s struggles trying to balance work and personal life, Samantha’s sheer confidence and how hard it was at times to show her vulnerability, Charlotte finding her voice as more than a pampered society wife, etc.
Carrie was the least interesting out of the group. She and Big deserved each other.
I miss the days of the cosmos.
Looking back, it seemed like Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte all grew and changed in some way.
But up until the very end, Carrie was wandering the streets of Paris whining about men and Big. She never changed.
Yes, the other 3 were always more interesting.
Aidan was way too good for Carrie. I disliked Big the whole time, but really that’s who she deserved.
I don’t mind her talking about the show a bit, it still is her most famous role and all, but I do hope she’s given up on another movie. The way she handled all that with Kim was disgraceful.
Yes, Carrie is the messy but lovable in small doses friend/side character, or at least she should’ve been. She didn’t make a very good main character because she’s so emotionally stunted and hard to root for that you just want to slap her sometimes.
I did a complete rewatch recently and was struck by how sexist, misogynist, racist, and decidedly un-woke the whole thing is, especially for something that was meant to be this super empowering, groundbreaking show that centered on real women and showing their actual thoughts, desires, relationships, and careers. I found myself cringing at a lot of things and feeling very uncomfortable.
It’s definitely a product of its time. It was empowering then to a point. However I remember when it first aired thinking how stunted she was regarding sexuality and she was supposed to be a sex columnist.
I thought the only redeemable character was Samantha, and not because she was so nice or relatable but because she was the most honest about who she was. I enjoyed her spirit. The stories were entertaining but the other three were kinda awful humans.
Carrie and Big were both horrible, and yes they definitely deserved each other.
I came here to replicate what I said on the TATBILB 2 post: I can’t believe Dr. Covey is Aidan!!! I also freaked out when I finally recognized Mr Big in The Good Wife, after several years of watching it. Dumb past me is Dumb!
Of course she does, because with Big comes the fantasy life, wealth, closets, shoes, but Aidan comes with real life, real work. Of all the characters, I feel Carrie was the most flawed and but somehow we were supposed to think that cute, relatable or aspirational.
Right? She blew her mortgage on uncomfortable designer shoes, but it’s so FUNNY? The thought would CHOKE me today. Did she have an STD? Why big? He was a fat greasy misogynist republican. Ugh.
Team Kim.
#TeamKimForever
Justice for Kim. SJP is so tiresome
I haven’t caught an episode of SATC in a while but have seen all the episodes multiple times and it always struck me how different i would interpret a show based on what was happening in my personal life. Whether it was a long term bf, single, newly dating…its a testament to its writing that the show can swing like that…Of course it was Big! We all have a Big in our lives.. and maybe some of us ended up with Big or we moved on …
I had a Big in my life. And just like Big, he used to always seem to know when I was moving on with someone new and getting my life back together after he’d destroy it. He was the worst.. And sadly the best at times lol.
I ❤❤ Big.
I liked the he was a loner like me.
I also liked that he was direct, he pulled no punches. Didn’t take Carries’ crap.
But then I’m attracted to alphas🤷♀️🤷♀️
Can we call a serial cheater “direct”? He cheated on his first wife with her best friend, and his second wife with Carrie. Then he leaves Carrie at the altar (although they tried to walk that back). This is not a man who knows himself.
Let’s state the obvious. HIs character was based on the fat greasy republican trump.
Big is based on the man Candace Bushnell dated in the book- a publishing exec at Condé Nast named Ron Gallotti. Remember as well that Trump was a Democrat back then.
Which is complicated because a writer, dating a publishing exec…
I liked Aidan but Carrie didn’t deserve him. He had a lot of wonderful qualities that she seemed to resent the longer they were together. I always expected Carrie to end up with Big. I still wish they hadn’t made either SATC movie.
I was so pissed back then when she dissed Aiden for Big! Grrr. Aiden was too good for her. But I kind of also got Carrie. At that time in my life, I was picking the bad boys over the good guys cuz I was stupid and naive, I was also in my 20’s. At Carrie’s age at that point of the show her dumb ass really should have known better.
SJP trying to keep SATC relevant is the same as Gretchen trying to make fetch happen.
Also Big and Carrie are perfect for each other since both are equally selfish and self involved fuckboi/girl.
P.S. Wouldn’t kick Mr. Big out of my bed though, it’s complicated lol.
I agree that Carrie belonged with Big because Aidan was too good for her. It’s so funny, when I was younger I thought Carrie was amazing. I remember all young women wanting to identify as “a Carrie” but as I’ve gotten older, I can’t believe I didn’t see how utterly self-centered Carrie was. Every episode involved her friends having real life problems that she didn’t want to be bothered with and showed her turning the conversation into being about her and her self inflicted problems that were all caused by her selfish behavior and bad choices.
So yeah, the woman who threw a fit because her rich friend wouldn’t give her money to buy her apartment while she proudly lived well beyond her means buying couture labels bc she was so materialistic definitely deserved to end up with the dude who repeatedly dumped her for other women. He left her at the altar. That is not romantic.
When I watch now, I wish the show focused more on the relationships between the other women because they were so much more supportive to each other and mature than Carrie. Pregnant Miranda walking behind Charlotte in a showing of support when she found out she was infertile is one of the absolute most beautiful friendship moments I’ve ever seen portrayed on screen.
I found that I had a little bit of all of them in me lol. Like fashion-wise, I was sort of in between Carrie and Charlotte. I didn’t like Carrie’s extreme looks or Charlotte’s ultra conservative outfit sat times. Personality wise, I was more a Miranda. Honest, rational and a lil cynical lol. I could be Carrie whining about the Big in my life at the time, though. But now that I’m older, I’ve rewatch at times and I find I see things in each episode in different ways than I did.
In real life, the other women would’ve ditched Carrie or never been friends with her in the first place. She was the worst, but I didn’t see it at the time either.
Yes – the storyline with Carrie asking you borrow money from Charlotte and holding it against her for not loaning it to her drove my crazy. Since when is borrowing money from a friend ever a good idea? And saying NO to a friend wanting a loan is not selfish – it’s just sensible.
I had the DVDs with commentary, and I remember it said that they had Carrie with the perfect guy (Aiden), but had to find a way to break them up as the show had to have her single again. It was so sad when they broke up.
I mean, how would you not choose Aiden? He was such a great guy, and she seemed happy with him.
Also, Candace Bushnell didn’t end up with Big in real life, and that type of committment avoidant guy isn’t going to just magically wake up and change one day.
Nope. It’s wildly unrealistic for someone like Big to have an epiphany and realize the neurotic, needy woman he’d treated like a doormat for six years was “the one.” They should’ve ended the series with her being single. The scene where she screams at Big in the car before heading to Paris was great. That should’ve been it.
Guess it was a pre #metoo phase of entertainment. No one had the words to identify power imbalance, or white washing etc. All four women got self-esteem from male attention…but some characters grew & evolved. Carey? Not so much.
Ummm. The podcast she was on was literally called The Bradshaw Boys…what were people expecting to be the topic?
Kaiser yes to everything you said about Carrie with Aidan vs Carrie with Big. Ultimately Aidan was too good for Carrie. As I’ve gotten older my views on the show have changes as well. Miranda is still my fave. But what I have come to really understand even more now is how utterly shallow and self-absorbed and selfish Carrie was. Big provided a fantasy and that’s why she never did well in any other relationship. Especially Aidan because he did challenge her. This is of course minus Burger who was just an insecure a-hole.
I hated the Burger year. I still laugh at Big asking Carrie how her relationship with “hotdog” is going.
I also loved Miranda, my fave.
I was in my 20s and didn’t have hbo when this was on the air. The women I worked with were in their 30s and were obsessed with SATC. Trying to relate to them, I fo ally caught an episode and thought Carrie was self obsessed, that all the characters were on dimensional, that the gay characters were too stereotypes (and we worked with a flamboyant gay guy too) and that Big treated Carrie like crap, yet we as the audience were supposed to love him. I just didn’t get it and still don’t.
Would you like a medal or….?
Sorry – this comment really bugged me. Perhaps I’m taking it the wrong way. Hope so.
NOPE! I don’t think that it was a thing of Aidan being too good for Carrie…or Big being awful…I adored the show in its first run…and I actually do like the movies and the reruns still hold up for me…because I’ve seen SO MANY of Carrie’s actions replicated regarding people in my own life…and…to be wholly honest…I saw a LOT of Carrie in me…from an emotional/psychological standpoint….Big was her dream bought to life…he was “Big Daddy”…and that was ALWAYS a huge thing regarding Carrie…he was older…more sophisticated…successful…mysterious…a prize to chase….but with Aidan…who is the ONLY MAN I SAW CARRIE’S CHARACTER HAVE CONSISTENT HEAT WITH….that was the relationship where she actually grew…because they were both pretty much at the same level and there was room to grow…but Carrie was addicted to emotional drama just as much as she was addicted to those shoes and clothes….and LAWD KNOWS I OVERSTAND THAT…I also understand at 53..that THAT is exhausting…THAT can be stultifying…and even in the second movie…I STILL saw that she should have been with Aidan…though, I do like how they fleshed out Big’s part also…where he used his emotional intellect more regarding Carrie…and THAT is what made Aidan better for Carrie than Big…Aidan had the emotional intellect to deal with someone like Carrie…from day one…who is emotionally ALL OVA THE PLACE….Big had the ability to disrupt her….CONSTANTLY…it’s the moth to the flame syndrome….man, when I realized that watching the show first run…it made me make some SERIOUS changes regarding how I dealt with intimate relationships…because I too have known to be that moth addicted to that flame…This moth now prefers the comfort of nature…LOL! I enjoy her talking about the show…it WAS a cultural phenomenon and it’s good to revisit….
I think SJP, Brad and Jen and the cast of Friends should hang out and wax nostalgia.
I get it though, I do. The 90s and early aughts mark the last time we, as a collective, experienced life. Radio stations, television programming, news, all of it. Life now is custom created by us for us. We watch what we want when we want. By the time we hear a story, there’s already backlash. And we all know what happens during stressful and troubling times, yeah, we revisit the past lol. And don’t forget that with everything from every year being readily available for consumption, a new generation is discovering and appreciating our past like never before. Reminds me of an old 80s song, “You spin me right round, baby, right round like a record, baby, right round round round.”
SJP and Matthew Broderick are co-starring in a revival of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite. It opens pre-Broadway here in Boston in two weeks so expect lots of press from SJP in the next few months, she has a big play to promote.
A revival of “Plaza Suite” sounds WONDERFUL! And it will be good to see SJP and Broderick back home on stage!
I have tickets for the second week here. I’m excited. The three week run here is pretty much sold out so lots of people are interested in it. Not sure when the Broadway opening is but it can’t be extended here because another play is booked to start the next week.
Wait. Did I miss something? Is it 2003?
Of course she’s a Big proponent. That’s what the majority of the fans wanted. She’s gonna stick to the endgame line.
Always felt like Carrie was too immature for her age but watched for the other characters with their more interesting story lines. One thing I just can’t get past is SJP’s real life best-friendship with toxic pig Andy Cohen. Same with Anderson Cooper, he lost all credibility with me after finding out he and Cohen are so tight.
I never watched the show. Saw the movies and coped with the weirdness of that.
As for Big, perhaps the mystery with him was that he was an undercover detective all that time? (Wink, wink)
Lol. I do miss Law & Order.
Good lord, Chris Noth was handsome….
That’s all I’ve got.
I don’t get that. Is there something wrong with me? Everyone thinks he’s so attractive physically if not personality-wise, but I find him very average and he turns me off. Something about his chin/jaw, it seems weak. And I don’t love his eyebrows. Or hairstyle. Or body.
Oh honey, that boob job does not suit you in the least. Tacky. Team Aiden, you didn’t deserve him, Carrie.
looks like a baby’s ass coming up out of the front. horror
We all know someone like this – right? Continually talking about the same bad boy, no matter how terrible he treats her. That old saying about the definition of insanity – that fit’s Carrie to a tee.
I never liked Aidan but I can’t tell if it was the actor I didn’t like or the character. He just annoyed me. I don’t remember the details of their storyline b/c it’s been like 70 years since the show ended but wasn’t he kind of emotionally manipulative and/or whiny? I definitely felt the draw towards Big, but like someone said above, I’m attracted to alphas too (and married one, and yes it’s always very dramatic and tiring sometimes but I think I would be bored with an Aidan).
Yes, Aiden was manipulative. He thought he was a great guy who needed to get everything he wanted in a partner. He seemed like he thought of himself as a “finished product,” and just needed to find someone who would suit and complement him completely. Rather than find a partner who suited him, he tried to mold Carrie into someone she wasn’t. He very rarely changed anything about himself to accommodate her. He always expected her to accommodate him. He was a nice guy, I guess, he wasn’t a total jerk and didn’t have any major abusive flaws or red flags, he would be a fine husband and dad to the right person, but he was very rigid about what he wanted and tried to mold Carrie into that rather than just finding someone who already ticked his boxes and wanted the same things he wanted. Their relationship didn’t make sense to me.
@Amy Too
How did he try to “mold” Carrie though? I think Aidan was honest about his boundaries with Carrie from the beginning, and it was she who tried to change herself into what she thought he wanted, and when she realized she couldn’t she lied (Ex. the smoking) and cheated on him because she felt insecure. When she got with Aidan she was still not over Big, that’s why anytime Aidan tried to move to the next step in the relationship, she was hesitant and created arguments because she just wasn’t ready, but she kept pretending she was (ex. She said yes to marrying him) and that she wanted to move forward, when she didn’t (ex. She kept hiding the ring as a necklace while still lying to him about being happy to be engaged) and then blamed him for putting pressure on her.
But for example, when he bought her a ring she didn’t like, she pretended to like it while complaining about it to her friends and then making it seem like he was so wrong cause it meant he “didn’t know her”, but then he made the effort and went and changed the ring into something that was more “her,” but still he had to wait for Miranda (or was it charlotte?) to communicate that to him.
Another example, he never tried to stop her from partying in clubs, he just wasn’t the type that wanted to go to those things, and she knew that, but then she tried to find fault in him for that—she would do things like that all the time. he was a guy that just wanted simple things and intimacy, and she wasn’t and she kept confusing him with her intentions cause she kept lying about wanting the same things but then pushing him away and not communicating with him and then acting like he was the problem.
I got a flash of potential abuse from him when he slapped the nicotine strip on her…a little moment but telling…
Same. I always remember the scene where they’re walking down the street, and he says, “Let’s get you a donut.” Did she say she WANTED a donut? Get yourself a damn donut if you want one. That scene drove me crazy.
And the scene where he trying to make Carrie jealous by playing jacks with the female bartender…”what do you call two? TWOSIES!!” … gave me secondhand embarrassment.
For years it was my favorite background noise for crafting, so I’ve at least heard the whole thing many times.
@Sue Denim
Yeah that was a bad moment, i’m not gonna justify him doing that, he was pissed off and took it out on her and that was messed up. But i feel like some people wanna make it bigger than it was, and like he was just being angry for no reason and they seem to forget that just before that Carrie was being patronizing and acting all fake cutesy trying to avoid a conversation about Big calling her and leaving her a voicemail her “baby.” Wasn’t that also the same episode where, even though he was stressed with work, he volunteered to take time to go help Miranda so that Carrie wouldn’t have to miss her meeting with her editor, and at the end of the ep he even told Carrie he was pissed she still talks to Big and asks her for ONE thing—to stop talking to him, and she refused and then demanded he forgive her. Aiden was the one always making the compromises, and Carrie had been manipulating his feelings and misrepresenting herself since the beginning.
Lol, glad to know I’m not the only one who found Aiden’s character to be annoying. I agree with people who found him manipulative and controlling. He tried to come across as the quintessential nice, easy going guy but it felt like there was a lot of neediness and passive aggressive shit going on under the surface. There were moments where I actually felt downright hostile towards him. Even just the way he spoke often rubbed me the wrong way. Just too much “aww shucks, I’m just a humble country boy” shtick for my taste.
Fun fact: I met John Corbett back in 2003 at a trendy little neighborhood cafe. He was in my city shooting a movie. I only realized it was him when I heard his unmistakable voice. I was too shy to talk to him (and he was surrounded by fawning admirers) so when I went to the washroom my BF approached him and asked for an autograph for me. On my way to the john I had to squeeze past JC and he gave me a flirty grin. When I returned JC brought me his autograph, signed on a playing card , and gave me a wink and a big warm smile. All so lovely. But then a short while later a loud argument broke out in his group. He started screaming at a woman, calling her a piece of shit and other vicious insults and said she was too much of a lowlife to even speak to him, on and on. He went to great lengths to embarrass and humiliate her. I found out later from someone in the group that the woman was a coke dealer and JC was trying to score. But the woman apparently made what JC considered to be a disparaging comment about his acting career and he totally snapped. So much for my Mr Nice Guy impression.
I remember him as whiny too. And just all-around irritating (although now Carrie’s tied or surpassed him in that category). They never made sense as a couple.
While I completely get why Carrie chose big, I’ll ALWAYS love Aiden. Always…..
I know I’m in the minority but I didn’t like Aiden. I found him controlling and manipulative in a subtle, I’m such a nice guy I’ll sand your floors kind of way. I’ve been with guys like him and it sneaks up on you, how much you have to do things their way or somehow you’re a bad person. It was when he slapped on the nicotine patch that I actually thought he wasn’t so nice. And then pushing her into marriage, breaking down the wall, etc. I also didn’t trust Harry, given how tough he was in business as a lawyer, and also how he was so insensitive to Charlotte when she made that big sabbath dinner for him. And I thought Steve was way too immature and unsophisticated for Miranda. If I had a guy moving into my space watching Scooby Doo all day, I’d scream. My favorite was always Smith, who I think was often underestimated because he was so young and handsome, but when he waited for Sam after she went up w Richard at the hotel party, and when he shaved his head, I thought he was the sweetest, most self-less of all the characters. As for Big, I liked him, I’ve been w guys like him too and get the appeal, but yeah, after a certain point chasing the emotionally unavailable is not healthy.
And yes…I’ve clearly thought way too much about these “people”!!
Yes! Thanks for the reminders. I knew something rubbed me the wrong way about Aidan and those examples were right on. He just pushed his needs/wants on her when she wasn’t ready and kind of had a holier than thou attitude when she resisted. He wasn’t a bad guy at all, and maybe he would have been perfect for like a Charlotte emotional type (not Charlotte b/c she wanted status) but he definitely wasn’t right for Carrie.
Yes, I loved Smith! The best looking and sweetest of all the men.
I wonder if SJP realizes how much Carrie was/is disliked. She might be one of the worst TV characters of all time. I wish they would have made Aiden a side character after their breakup so we could see him dating his presumably sweet future wife. She would have been like the antithesis of Carrie and that would have been an interesting angle. I hated Big. He was toxic and I agree with others here that he and Carrie really deserved each other. I also just have to add that her thoughts she would ponder on each episode are especially unnerving when watching old reruns. Carrie thought she was so clever but she was shallow as a puddle lol
She thinks Carrie is a wonderful character.
She was on Jonathan Ross show in the UK years ago, and they were talking about playing the ‘which SATC girl are you’ game that everyone used to play.
SJP was shocked when the host said that Carrie was way too neurotic and selfish.
She then got quite pissy and defensive.
It was hilarious. She genuinely thought everyone loved Carrie and would identify as her.
Btw I just remember the WORST thing Carrie did. After Big’s wife lost a tooth chasing her out of her apartment and down the stairs, Carrie insisted on jumping in the cab with her to take her to hospital.
And then, even though Natasha made it v clear she didn’t want to talk to her, she showed up at the restaurant wearing the tightest showiest dress possible to ‘explain herself’ and drank her water!!!!!
Yes, Natasha telling her off at the restaurant was glorious, though!
I don’t understand how people are saying Aidan was manipulative (and Big was not!?? And Carrie was not!??). Aidan did nothing but be himself, while Carrie just took and took and messed with his good will. The only time we saw a semi-flawed side of Aidan was when he was being all pissy and petty after he took Carrie back, and she was right to call him on it, but let’s not forget Carrie also refused to stop contacting Big, the man she cheated on Aidan with, and even used Aidan’s good nature to guilt trip him into letting Big visit them at his cabin, just cause Carrie was bored and too selfish to even try to enjoy something that was important to Aidan. He even understood and recognized time in the woods wasn’t her thing,
And he just wanted to show her a side of himself, and still she was too self-centered to even try to understand and recognize that.
I love SATC but I don’t put to much thought into it most of the time.
What sticks with me is Carrie’s backstory. I’m thinking (and I could totally be wrong/mixing up with another character/show) is that didn’t her father abandon her family??
She grew up in small town America and couldn’t wait to arrive in the big city?
To me she was just going after what she wanted. She never made it a secret that shoes, fashion and Mr Big were what she wanted.
She never really wanted a family life (white picket fence/children)
I don’t recall her being jealous of Miranda and her new family life.
I know SJP is ranked on because Carrie is so shallow but she did give the approval for the others to have a more in depth character development.
In a group of friends it takes all kinds. The girls seemed well aware of Carrie’s flaws and accepted her anyway.
They had fights over it. Remember Miranda’s reaction to Carrie taking up with Big again. She walked out of the clothing store.
Charlotte was rather judgmental of Samantha. Remember how she reacted to Sam and her brother getting together.
I think in a way to minimize Carrie’s value as a friend is to minimize the choices the ladies made.
They stuck with her so they must have gotten something from the relationship. She didn’t have more money or status so it had to have been ‘her’ they liked.
IDK I guess I have given this more thought than I realized…LOL
Good day Ladies of Celebitchy
LOL I am giving SATC much thought today.
As for Carrie and Aidan it would have never worked.
No shame in it — Carrie was a city girl and Aidan was basically a country boy.
She liked city life- clubbing, fashion shows, the vibe
He liked simple quiet times– his workshop, weekends in the country, two hooties about fashion.
They were different people and the things they would have compromised on to stay together would have eventually broken them apart.
I think Carrie wanted to ‘want’ the calm quiet life Aidan lived but it wasn’t who she was.
Some people are quite content to be ‘quiet’ and some are not.
Recognizing that both are choices and can’t say which is right and which is wrong.
Good day ladies of celebitchy
Am I the only woman who grew to really dislike the Aiden character? I found him too needy and clingy, too invasive, too insecure, too jocular and goofy, too passive aggressive. He respected Carrie’s heartfelt plea to give her ample space and time on the marriage issue for what…. two seconds? And when she stood her ground he dumped her in a big sulk. It was clear he pushed for marriage because of his jealousy over Big. Perhaps understandable given Carrie’s and Big’s affair but still, is that a good reason to pressure someone into a lifelong commitment? And I suspect that had she married him his next move would have been to pressure her into kids….constantly. And maybe to abandon her career. He seemed like easy going Mr Nice Guy on the surface, but domineering, willful control freak on the inside.
Of course, I thought Carrie could be a real asshole and did not treat Aiden very well at times. Her whole hysterical reaction to Aiden’s cute cabin in the country made me want to slap her stupid.
I wrote about this above. I totally agree. Nice to meet a fellow traveler, Nightsky, because I think we’re in the minority, but truly ladies, if I guy tries to push you into doing something you know isn’t right for you — getting married, breaking down walls, etc. — pay attention. That’s controlling behavior, and the initially sweet generous too good to be true guy can turn. I said it above too — when he slapped the nicotine patch on her — no matter his reasons, even justified anger or frustration or whatever, RUN… Also mean spirited was when he tried to make her jealous at the bar w the two-sies thing, as someone above said. That’s not to say I liked Big better, but I don’t think he was controlling or had a mean streak, he could be a jerk because of who he was but I don’t think it was intentional, and maybe that’s why she ended up w him.
Carrie was the worst and always treated Aiden like crap-when he was trying to take her to get her computer fixed and she snapped at him in front of the tech that he was ’embarrassing her’. When she insisted that he allow her ex-whom she cheated on him with-to come intrude on their weekend in the country. When she got annoyed at him for having the nerve to TALK to her when she arrived home in the evening. Honestly when they met up in the second movie, I was baffled by why Aiden would ever want to kiss her.
She was awful to her friends too. Such an unlikable protagonist.
I am team Big
never liked Aidan
I always wondered tho, what if Aidan was played by some attractive actor, like David Duchovny
maybe I never took seriously Carrie and Aidan together, because Aidan was not attractive. He was a cute fat good guy girls suppose to “settle” for. He was not a real competition for Big
He looked good the 2nd time around, when he cut off that god-awful hair. But yeah, I’m Team Big too. I hated that they brought Aiden back in the 2nd movie. All of that was resolved many moons ago. There was no need to drudge up the past again.
Does anyone remember Justin Theroux playing 2 different characters in seasons 1&2? We watched last night because of this thread.
Big and Carrie deserved each other. Don’t really have a team.
I do. They literally could not give him more annoying characters. 🙂
Her character always annoyed me but her behavior in the Paris episodes in the last season was laughable. OMG, you have to walk around Paris in 5000$ worts of outfits because your boyfriend has to work. Poor thing. I was 19 at that time and even at that age, I realized how incredibly childish and self-centered she is.
I’ve always preferred other ladies and their storylines and honestly, Samantha was an amazing friend.
Aidan was too good for her. Burger was Carrie in the male form, Big was an asshole. Perhaps, Petrovski was the best choice for her considering how they are both pricks but that scene in which so-called “slapped” her was so cringy that I blocked the whole thing in my mind.
I rewatched that episode where they got back together. Um, she literally stalked him? !
As viewers most of us would pick Aiden for ourselves. He was loving, emotionally available and mature. But for Carrie, I would pick Big because they deserve one another. I do hate that Carrie and Big getting together in the end feeds into the narrative that you’ll somehow be the exception and “change” a man if you play the long game.
I never understood why anyone would even want Carrie and Aiden together. He deserved so much better. She treated him so badly! Cheating on him many times with Big, lying, then forcing Aiden to accept Big in her life as her friend, accepting a marriage proposal when she knew she didn’t want to marry him. Ugh. And to think Carrie was in her mid-thirties when all this went down.
I started watching the show when I was 31, thinking it aimed at presenting Carrie as a sort of modern-day female anti-hero. As a very young woman who was also struggling with my love life, I perceived Carrie as an unconventionally beautiful, honest, basically nice and talented woman, who was also unabashedly self-centered, shallow and immature. I didn’t approve of most Carrie’s life choices, but I could relate to her imperfections and vulnerability. How they were portrayed and her interaction with Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda was IMO what elevated the show above fluffy and gave a so-much needed hint of realness to the OTT fashion & men craze that permeated its concept and storyline.
So reading these comments, I’m surprised most watchers felt the show expected them to ‘like’ Carrie or think she was ‘above’ her friends. For me, even if Carrie was the main character as the narrator, the show was as much about how Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda came to terms with their life plans faster and more effectively than Carrie. And how about how positive a proactive relationship (the kind who provides love and support, but also takes no BS and does not nurture wrongs) can be for a person’s growth.
Looking back, the show is terribly dated in some aspects: almost zero diversity, mockery of mental illnesses or conditions, stereotypical representation of gay people… (Just to name a few). But it was groundbreaking in terms of open discussion of inusual topics and how aspiring to a professionall recognition AND a fulfilling love life is not necessarily a crossroad.
I personally enjoy rewatches,
Re: Big vs Aidan I don’t think there was a ‘right’ choice. She obviously found comfort in Aidan, but she really loved Big. I think -as I’ve seen happening in real life- it was all about the timing.