Maysie

Point taken, and apologies for offending you. Yes, it has become a derogatory term, and that’s not how I meant it. I began noticing when I was about early forties that middle aged white women have a certain look that made it hard for me to tell them apart. I was working in an office and struggling to remember the name of the woman who stopped in one day, and while mentally working through the list of candidates of women who matched that description, (white, middle age, blondish, around chin length hair) I realized that I too was that woman. (I’ve never had the type of Karen hair that Toodleloo posted above. Probably, a longer version of Miss Ellie on Dallas is more what I’m thinking. I see A LOT of that.) I haven’t seen the show so I can’t comment on Kristin Davis’s midsection, but I just read something in the New York Times about how that is very common after menopause. You can diet, exercise and do all the right things, but often, women naturally move from pear to apple shaped and it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s what she’s dealing with too. We also get to deal with what Amy Schumer referred to as turkey leg upper arms. I have to say, even if the show itself isn’t bringing up some of these points directly, it has indirectly contributed to some discussion about what aging looks like and how we want to treat it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! As a woman in this age group I can tell you that’s exactly how I feel. I look at cute clothes, beautiful high heels - in the store, online and in my own closet - and admire them but I also recognize that I can’t pull them off anymore. In fact, I’ve really downsized my wardrobe and am trying to figure out what kind of style I want (I tried stitch fix for a while but they seemed to decide that I was a “bohemian grandma” so that didn’t work for me). And it’s the same with my hair; I was blonde for 30 years but now I’m trying to figure out what works that’s attractive yet not too Karen or too young, but is appropriately flattering. It’s a first world problem, but it’s a real thing among my demographic and there are a shitload of women going through the same thing, regardless of race, income, sexual orientation/identity. All I get from reading these boards is we have three women who are clinging to their youth, which is pathetic. It sounds as though the Miranda we knew has been destroyed. In reading the posts, if I had someone in my life that I cared about that showed such a dramatic change in personality, I’d get them to a doctor because, from what I’ve read, there can be medical reasons for drastic personality changes (such as mini strokes, medication and dementia). However, given the show’s track record, it sounds like more shitty writing. I am so glad I passed on this! Thank you all for doing the hard work of actually watching.

I am not a lawyer but I don’t know that a prenup would have made much of a difference financially to Carrie with Big’s death. I think it’s the will or trust that would matter. I believe the prenup is about whether the marriage ends via divorce. Estate planning at the main characters’ ages and income levels should be a given. It’s unfathomable to me that Carrie wouldn’t have a good understanding of what the situation would be and if she didn’t, that tells me that her relationship with Big was never really a partnership or relationship of equals. It’s basic respect to clue your partner in on the future financial plans in one’s absence. As well, how about living wills etc? Or do the people in this universe not have to worry about incapacitation or terminal illness? I suppose Big might have had a prenup when they married, but for all his flaws I never got that he was stingy or retaliatory. I can see where he would have made sure Carrie was taken care of even if they’d divorced.

The storyline I would be interested in seeing with Miranda and Steve would have been kind of two-fold. First, Steve has a bar - or at least he did - so how did he get through the pandemic? How is that not a financial struggle for them in some way? Even if they’re set financially from Miranda’s career, there’s still some financial burden to maintaining a shuttered business. And if that had been combined with Miranda questioning her career or life choices, that would have been plenty of drama that didn’t entail her cheating on Steve, but instead a natural questioning of “my life is more than half over and this huge event (pandemic) is happening so really, how do I want to spend the next 20-30 years? It wouldn’t have to focus on the pandemic, but I think it would be realistic to acknowledge the fallout from it through such a story (people are leaving their jobs in record numbers and small businesses are struggling to stay afloat). I know people want to escape from the pandemic, but to use a realistic situation that many people find themselves in might make the story more relatable. Plus, it would also serve as a backdrop for how NYC has changed since the show went off the air. But they would have to sacrifice a sexual/gender orientation storyline and god knows we can’t have that because there’s lost time to make up for… I posted a link in the media thread to a New York Times story today that basically refers to them as Rip Van Winkle. The story noted there’s nothing about menopause, or the male counterpart, andropause, and that the age-related stuff is clunky and a bit cringey. From what I’ve been reading, it seems like the show has a major shortcoming of being out of touch or unrelatable; it sounds like the writers know they’re supposed to have a certain viewpoint but they don’t know why and so they don’t know how to write for it.

The New York Times has a piece that echos the many criticisms on the board. Middle Age Doesn’t Happen Just Like That I don’t know if it’s behind a paywall but here’s a snippet that sums it up well: Or at least that appears to be the perspective of AJLT, which depicts a world of middle-aged characters suspended in perpetual astonishment and discomfort about everything they encounter, from commonplace political and social phenomena to their own bodies. (Warning: spoilers ahead.) “It’s as if its characters must have been asleep for 20 years and awakened utterly gob-smacked to find themselves encountering such things as Black professors, nonbinary children and queer longings,” said Joy Castro, 54, a writer and professor of English and ethnic studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The characters do seem Rip Van Winkle-like, as they stumble upon and blink in amazement at very unsurprising things. “Wow! Instagram? Podcasts?” marvels Miranda at some of Carrie’s latest endeavors, as if these were edgy new enterprises. Rip Van Winkle indeed!

We loved he finale and thought it was hilarious-so many great lines. And I’m satisfied that it ended as it began, which is someone ending up in someone else’s pool because they’re where they shouldn’t be. I don’t expect closure from Curb; it’s not an average sitcom. If there’s a season 12 I kind of expect they’ll start with something new and at best, Young Larry will get a throwaway line. Consider Larry’s Lattes and the restaurant; it’s a seasonal plot line show and I’m fine with that. And Susie’s wardrobe gets crazier by the season and I’m all in for that. The knit jumpsuit or tracksuit or whatever she was wearing was damned amazing. I’d love to dress as her for Halloween.

From that article linked above: Parker, 56, was particularly upset by the claims against the man who played Carrie Bradshaw’s longtime love interest and eventual husband. “She is fiercely protective of Carrie Bradshaw and livid that she and everyone else at the show has been put into this position,” an insider recently told Us. “It is not about the money, but rather her legacy. Carrie was all about helping women and now, under her watch, women are saying that they have been hurt.” On the page before, ifionlyknew mentioned that the lines between Carrie and SJP are a little blurry, and the quote above seems to make that line fuzzier. It’s like the character and the actress are interchangeable, and if this is a real quote, I think that’s weird and a little creepy. I understand it is poorly worded, but still, whose money and legacy are they talking about and who was all about helping women? I figure they’re actually referring to SJP, but it reads like Carrie which almost implies they’re one in the same. It occurs to me that in a way, the Chris Noth mess is kind of giving them an out. I get the feeling that they’re going to use that as an excuse for tepid fan response and criticism of the show. Even though I’m not watching, I hope the show isn’t picked up for a second season. I don’t see how they could rescue the mess they’ve made of the franchise and another season would only make SJP and MPK think that they’re really onto something. This thing just needs to go away for good; let HBO pour money into something worth watching and let the actors try to salvage their legacies with something different.

You know, if that’s the case, they could have done as KC did and say “thanks but no thanks.” Life is short but this thing will live forever. Maybe I’m weird, but I’d have taken a pass on the money and producer credit and stuck with the legacy of the original series. I think this is how they really see life, which is kind of sad and disturbing. But honestly, when wealth and fane allow you to live a life that 90+ percent of the population really can’t relate to, this is what happens. I’d bet that this what MPK, SJP et al think aging is. And maybe it’s real to them but it’s nothing I can relate to.

I’ve only been reading the forums and basic recaps, but holy hell this thing sounds like a hot mess! I liked the original series, but felt it was time to go by the last season or two. I felt like they kind of destroyed Baryshnikov’s character to prop up Big and Carrie and it annoyed me. Between that and the trajectory of the movies, I had little faith in the writers to resurrect the series. In reading all this, I’m happy I haven’t given the reboot the time and energy to watch. Look, I wasn’t a massive Steve and Miranda fan, but they came together in the original series in a way that at least made sense (even though Steve’s character was really dumbed down and kind of infantilized in the process). And I understand that as time passes that people change and grow apart, but unless I’m misunderstanding it, it sounds like Miranda is acting as though the entire time with Steve was a waste. From what I’ve been reading, it sounds as though the writers/producers had a list of things they wanted to accomplish, such as racial and gender diversity, aging issues, substance abuse, etc. Instead of sitting down and looking at how the women would be navigating this pandemic/BLM/me too/gender identity/income inequality era we are all living in, it seems like they’re just throwing junk together, like cramming a whole bunch of stuff into a confined space to make stories happen, just like that. We are all living through these times, and we’re all trying to learn what the new normals are. We’re all getting older in the process and dealing with the regular stuff that comes with it. The fact that the writers and producers can’t seem to come up with an interesting and compelling way to fold in normal life for 2021 for established characters tells me they’re either woefully out of touch or just aren’t that talented.

It sounds as though there’s been nothing said about Charlotte and Harry trying to give their adopted daughter some sense of her ancestry, and that’s a bit of a shame because that could have been a somewhat organic storyline to look at cultural issues. If one daughter is questioning gender identity then the other would be of an age to start questioning her background and her cultural heritage. Maybe they are doing that, or maybe they’re planning to do so, (I’m not watching the show) but I haven’t seen reference to it in recaps. But if not, it’s kind of a missed opportunity. Instead it sounds like Charlotte’s character is checking off one of the “Black friend” storyline boxes.

Thank you! Larry’s walk has been the subject of some discussion in our house and both my husband and I will occasionally try to emulate it when we’re out and about and in the mood. He seems to think there’s a hip sway in there and I disagree and see the lean-back. It’s a casual, relaxed gait that does project some confidence. I noticed it a few years ago, and if I remember correctly, he does move his arms a bit, but not big wide swings. It’s odd because I can’t think of anyone else on the show that I’ve noticed their stride, but Larry’s has stood out to me for a good while. Really when I think of it, Larry has a rather languid way of being-the way he sits, the way he stands during golf-he seems quite comfortable in his own skin.

I read the statement as a “we have to say something and show support for other women but also try to stay neutral” kind of thing. It was a safe, generic statement, imo. And honestly, I can’t fault them for that if they don’t have any negative experience with Noth, and I’m willing to bet they don’t. My guess is if he did what he’s accused of (and I have no reason to believe he didn’t), he’s smart enough to not shit where he eats (forgive my crudeness). I figure he knows well enough to not pull that shit onset, especially on a show that is so women-centered. It’s not like he was Harvey Weinstein and had a whole system set up to do damage control. He’s likely just one of those assholes who knows he’s famous, charismatic and uses it to get - or take - what he wants. So, until I hear/see otherwise, I’m willing to believe that TPTB on Sex and the City didn’t know about Noth’s behavior or at worst, only heard unsubstantiated rumors. I hope that’s the case because if otherwise, this group is even worse than I thought. Eta: I think acknowledging the difficulty in coming forward doesn’t necessarily imply belief. Whatever happens with the claims, true or false, the women making them are in for oppressive scrutiny, which is why (imo) women often stay silent. They knew that Noth wasn’t going to admit what he’s been accused of and everyone can pretty much guess how he’s going to respond and what that means for the women. About the only scenario that it would be hard to support the women coming forward would be if there was an obvious conspiracy of some sort, so I think that’s a pretty safe statement.

It seems Cynthia Nixon gets ample work; I don’t know about the rest of the cast because I’m not as dialed into pop culture as I used to be. I grew to hate Carrie the character because I thought she was so self absorbed and selfish, beyond what normal people are, but I tried to remember that was a character and not the actor. I will say that I haven’t been overly impressed with SJP’s range-there seems to be a bit of the cute, creative ingenue in many of her old roles that I see in Carrie, and when I tried to watch Divorce, it just seemed a bit like a riff on Carrie (note: I gave up on that show really early so it may have gotten better and my assessment could be wayyyy off). I think it’s hard to be anything but young in Hollywood, and so maybe the actors felt that at least it was work??? I can see SJP’s motivation because the show is centered around her character (unflattering as it is, though she may not see it) and it appears that she has some creative control in all this, and as an executive producer she is probably getting some good money out of it. But for the life of me, I don’t understand why Cynthia Nixon signed off on it because she doesn’t seem to lack for work that’s better than this. Out of curiosity I googled the salaries they’re pulling for this, and depending on who you believe it ranges between $650k and one million per episode for each of them. So I guess that explains it.

I think the revisionist history about Miranda and Steve’s marriage has been covered well. I also take exception to the above by MPK. Miranda was the least successful at dating? By whose yardstick? Because she often put her career first? Because she got pregnant when she wasn’t planning to? Because she didn’t score a swanky apartment in a breakup, or have a boyfriend in the loony bin, or have a boyfriend break up with her on a post it, or berate a man because he wasn’t physically in her league? I could go on because Charlotte and Carrie aren’t what I envision when I think of “successful dating,” and I didn’t see either of them passing time with their infant and Blair Underwood. And “most angry at society”? Is he kidding? Because she wants to have a serious career and not sit around talking about boys all day she’s the most angry at society??? What exactly did she do in the past to indicate she had any anger at society? I did pick up a vibe that she got frustrated at wanting to be taken seriously on her own and didn’t see why she needed a man to define her happiness and success-that’s a far cry from “angry at society.” I guess he thinks anyone in Me Too and BLM are anarchistic radicals. What a fucking tool. An elitist white male tool. Any chance of me watching this just went out the window. And shame on the actors for going along with this bullshit. Did they need the paycheck that badly? Boy, I wonder if this nonsense is what kept KC out of the picture. Regardless I have a lot more respect for her now and my respect for SJP has plummeted because she’s right there with MPK in all this.

I think that’s fair to ask, and I have no idea. I read about three reviews of the show and I came away thinking I’d take a pass because the gist of what I read was that there were some good things in the show, but that it seemed to force some storylines to be relevant or politically correct or something along those lines. I think asides in reference to the pandemic would be sufficient to “address” it. I only asked about it because I’ve seen some shows where it’s like it never happened, and I am totally on board with that. The beauty of tv is it can provide an escape, and I am here for that! I’m just saying that if they are going to address some of changes that come with aging, the pandemic is a realistic, organic way to segue into some of it, such as physical/appearance maintenance and the loss of the ability to socialize; maybe it will come up. I wonder if they felt pressure to diversify the cast given everything that’s happened in race and gender issues since the show has gone off the air (and the criticism they received because of the lack of diversity in the franchise in the past). And you can only take on so much at once. I believe it’s really really tough to do a series reboot, even under the best of circumstances, because times change and people change and to recapture what worked well on the first run can be difficult, if not impossible, the second time around. I will say that when any actor chooses to do a reunion show or series, I half think they’re brave and half think they’re nuts because in our society the first impulse is to judge how they look. It’s not for the faint of heart.