Inquisitionist

OK, the writers guilted Charlotte into it. :-) It was still a Deus Ex Carrie that didn't sit well with me. I don't think anyone here "just" wants to do anything. There are strong feelings about Carrie, but hearing other viewpoints is always fun and occasionally instructive!

Everything you write here is probably accurate to the letter, and yet... I can't help feeling that there was a lot of manipulation going on by the writers, if not by Carrie herself. And the end of it all, the result is that Carrie guilts Charlotte into loaning her money for a downpayment that was still not going to be sufficient for Carrie to finance that co-op purchase, Carrie doesn't sell any of her silly shoes or otherwise have any noticeable change in lifestyle, and though we see Carrie promising to pay Charlotte back, we never get any closure on whether and how this actually happens. It all felt too neat and tidy, with Carrie once again being rescued from her own foolishness by overly accommodating friends (and writers). I think that's what stick in many craws around here. Possibly, but why should we have to guess about this? A little more realism about Carrie's financial realities would have bought the character substantial goodwill, IMO.

I have no recollection of this! Was it a story Miranda told the others?

Well, she did get Vogue to offer her $4 a word --- and then proceeded to write one article.

That's what I assumed as well, but that wasn't really on Nina. Stan worked that out without informing her, as I recall.

Taking the Nina discussion to her character thread.

From the episode thread for The Echo. kikaha, could you clarify who you are referring to above?

According to the spoilers I have read, it's doubtful you'll get your wish.

Even cooler would have been Melissa Leo, but she probably doesn't have time.

Do you the older first season guy? I wasn't sure that Nina even knew he was being framed at the time. That all seemed to be on Stan, who instructed Nina to steal a document, any document, without telling her why.

LOL, I didn't mean to imply that, but it's a pretty funny image. :-) But I do think that the first glimpse of his bride in her dress is an emotional moment for many grooms, and that this dress might give pause even to Mr. Big.

Well, she did limit herself to a $5 cab ride in getting over to Charlotte's. ::eyeroll:: The sense of entitlement was galling, and frankly, I hated that the writers waved a magic wand for her to stay in that apartment. To be fair, I don't think Carrie was expecting this -- she seemed very surprised that MIranda and Samantha would offer her the money (or that they'd even have it to offer). Otherwise, I thought BookWoman56's post was spot on! P.S. I'd never offer a friend that kind of money in front of other friends. Sheesh, talk about making an awkward situation worse.

Carrie (or Pat Fields) took the hat issue to a whole new level with the Vivienne Westwood wedding dress and veil. I honestly do not understand how anyone could find this look attractive. The bottom of the wedding dress isn't too awful (though the fabric reminds me of a parachute), but the severity of the bodice cut combined with the severity of Carrie's hairstyle just don't do her any favors, IMO. What groom would see this and honestly say she looks beautiful, stunning, etc -- the words one usually applies to a bride? I think she looks soooooo much better in the vintage suit. I'm just wondering what thought process led to thinking that was an appropriate dress to wear when stalking her ex-boyfriend's ex-wife. Especially after all her angst about finding a dress to impress Natasha at the Women in the Arts luncheon a year earlier. I can't find a photo of it right now, but I think it was downright "demure" in comparison.

Ack! Why'd you have to remind me? ;-)

I know the first season was rather compressed (only 12 episodes) but I agree that this all felt very rushed and premature.

I DVR B99 and watch it when my husband and I can find time together, so when it airs doesn't really matter to me. But, yeah, that does seem like a weird time slot for this show.

Which has become notorious for chopping up BBC productions to fit PBS's scheduling constraints. Hope that doesn't happen here.

I just love the name Jean Ralphio. Whoever thought that up is a genius.

I haven't seen the episode for a while, but I found the closing scene on youtube. Mr. Big should have run away screaming.

Thank you! I will set my DVR this evening.

Mad Men operates within a more restricted palate on AMC than it would on HBO, and for this I say "Thank goodness!"

NY Times obit for James Garner. He was always a class act. A too-short slide show accompanies the article. One of my favorite Garner roles was F. Ross Johnson of RJR/Nabisco in HBO's Barbarians at the Gate. He made Johnson much more likable than the man had a right to be while still capturing the underbelly edge of the buy-out shenanigans.

Carrie lied to Aidan on the day they met about the extent of her smoking. He was quite clear that he couldn't date a smoker (it was always a deal-breaker for me, too); Carrie made it sound like she only smoked a little and could stop any time she wanted. She later indicated she was serious about quitting, and Aidan supported her in that effort. I thought he simply wanted her to experience some of the activities he enjoyed, just as he tried out things she enjoyed. But I'll admit, I thought the writing throughout this sequence was pretty contrived. And frankly, I never understood why Aidan would think Carrie was a good long-term prospect.

At the end of the day, though, I think Aidan was right: Carrie was never going to really commit to him, not in the way he wanted (and what he wanted is a pretty standard way of going about your life, IMO). She wasn't even willing to talk about a timeframe for getting married, even though setting a date is implied by the act of accepting a proposal. I think Carried wanted to have her cake and eat it, too, WRT Aidan. He was much better off getting the hell away from her!

In what ways did you find Aidan to be needy? I thought he gave Carrie a lot of personal space and didn't really "demand" much from her. He was considerate of her friendships and her interests. She knew when she went after Aidan the second time that he was interested in settling down and having a family; she accepted his marriage proposal knowing this; she accepted his offer to buy her place knowing this. I don't think it's "needy" of Aidan to expect her to follow through on her professed commitment to her, but maybe you have something else in mind.