S01.E09: No Strings Attached

[Surrealist]

4 hours ago, mstar1125 said:

I couldn't help but wonder...is this the Carrie we could have gotten to know in the OG series if she hadn't been chasing after/fawning over/commiserating about Big for 6 seasons? It's like Big died, a veil was lifted, and she became a likeable person. 

Nail on the head. 💯

[violet and green]

I'm not committed enough to go back and check this out, but it seems like the frizzy/crimped wig Miranda wears when she's squawking around Che is longer than the sleeker wigs she wears. It really bothers me.

(PS: Justice for Steve! She only wears flat wigs for Steve!)

[Shermie]

Curious how so many have already seen this episode. Doesn’t it air tonight?

Quote

Finally, let’s get to the bleeding.  First, it’s not that hard to put on a tampon.  Charlottes’s right, there’s really only one place it can go.  If you can’t find that place, then you’re really sheltered and need to maybe become more familiar with your own body.  And no mom is going to go in the bathroom with the kid, they don’t want you in there, that was unrealistic.  Maybe shout through the door.  And she lost the string?  That’s not a thing, is it?  Unless you lose the whole thing up there, or the string breaks off or something?  That seemed like it was just something they put in to make Lily seem more whiny than usual.  Did a female writer write that?  Did it happen to her?  Where did the string go?   I have questions.  
 

As for Charlotte, you could see that coming a mile away when she was so smug and then wore the white pantsuit.  But everyone knows that you’re not officially in menopause until you’ve missed a whole year, not four months.  Why did she think she was done?  I get that that was part of her smugness, but really, why didn’t anyone at the lunch correct her and say “actually, you’re not done until it’s been twelve months, so maybe don’t get ahead of yourself?”  And every perimenopausal woman knows to carry stuff in your purse at all times because the periods are unpredictable.  I’ve never heard it called a “flash period,” though, but I’ve definitely been surprised by one. 

Re: tampon strings. Yes, they can disappear. If you use O.B. brand and you’re tired or had a few, you might insert it backwards (string first). Or it just gets scrunched up in there and you can’t find it. It happens. And I can see some people, especially teen first-timers, being nervous about tampons. In my generation, or maybe my culture, tampons weren’t discussed. You got your period, you were presented with a giant box of thick Kotex pads. 

As for Charlotte, she also wore white pants when she crapped her pants in Mexico. I guess Charlotte shouldn’t wear white pants. I’ve never heard calling it a flash period, but maybe “flash-flood period” would be more correct during peri-menopause. 

[ifionlyknew]

11 minutes ago, Shermie said:

Curious how so many have already seen this episode. Doesn’t it air tonight?

New episodes drop early Thursday mornings.

 

[chitowngirl]

I doubt if the string on the tampon that Lily couldn’t find was from the original tampon. She would have bled through that after a day and a half. It was most likely just the current tampon.

I, too, didn’t have any menopause symptoms. Cycle was off and on for a while and then just stopped. It happens. 
 

Where is everyone in the Hobbs/Brady family living???

[Harvey]

Can't Andre and Nya just adopt? Or use a surrogate? What is the issue?

[Readingallnight]

4 hours ago, Cementhead said:

 

Is this what Cynthia Nixon thinks is cute?  Does she think she's being sexy?  Charming?  Whatever the hell it is, it is not working, dude.  Publicly, we all know that she is one hell of a good actress.  Unfortunately, thanks to her weaving her way into Miranda's story, we also now know that privately, she is a giant asshole.  We already know her asshole ways with the ex-husband.  And now we can also surmise that this is how she is/was with her then-girlfriend/now wife.  And it ain't cute. 

Quote

   4 HOURS AGO,  IFIONLYKNEW SAID: 

Gotta admit this has me perplexed.  Cynthia Nixon's acting has been off throughout this series.  And I can't decide if it's because she is playing Miranda as being very far out of her comfort zone or if she is playing her as Miranda is a lovesick school girl.  The only time she plays her like the Miranda I remember is when she is with Charlotte and Carrie and they are talking about something that isn't related to Steve or Che.

Quote

   4 HOURS AGO,  CONOTOCARIOUS SAID: 

This made me laugh. It’s so true. Why is Miranda so loud and shrill? Why is she constantly babbling? Is this Cynthia Nixon’s attempt to show Miranda as a nervous newbie because she really, really likes someone? Because it comes off as frankly insane. It makes me jittery and uncomfortable. Is that what I’m supposed to be feeling?

I noticed last week when Miranda and Carrie were leaving lunch, before Carrie bought the brownies (blondies) they walked past a place and Miranda said something about the store that used to be there was gone.  Carrie said no it's still there we passed it a while ago, and Miranda shrugged it off.  As I watched this episode as Miranda babbled and yelled in the stairwell with Che I decided, in my mind at least, Miranda has some sort of organic brain disease.  That's why she's loud and shrill and can't shut up and acts so strangely and why her personality has changed so drastically.  I know that's a huge jump from misplacing one store in a throw away line but I need to rationalize her cruelty to Steve in some way!

[Trillian]

30 minutes ago, ifionlyknew said:

New episodes drop early Thursday mornings.

 

In Canada, it airs on tv Thursday evening, hence the confusion. 

43 minutes ago, Shermie said:

Curious how so many have already seen this episode. Doesn’t it air tonight?

 

[tennisgurl]

In what bizarre parallel universe am I living in where Carrie is the most likable character on this show and Miranda is the least? I just have no idea what CN is doing, not only has she taken over the show to turn it into her own personal autobiography, but she's acting like some kind of manic coke addled preteen, is this her take on "in love"? She's so over the top annoying and weird that even Che, a character who is less of a character and more of a string of buzzwords that the writers saw on Twitter, looks like the relatable one next to her. I know that this show wants us to be on Team Miranda, but i have no idea how we are supposed to be on her side in this. I am so mad that they didn't show us the aftermath of Miranda leaving Steve, what a load of crap. I guess showing Brady being told that his mom was leaving his dad just wasn't as interesting as watching Che meet random fans who want to talk about all the people that Che has boned across the country, or might make us think that Miranda isn't just being an awesome hero and champion of queer women everywhere, but is actually hurting people she is supposed to love. We didn't even see her run off to Cleveland! I was hoping that we would get something between her and Brady when he blew her off at the charity paint, that he was pissed at her for leaving his dad, but Brady isn't allowed to do anything in this show other then bang his girlfriend and be a bit moody.

Now that I think about it, since Miranda flew off to Cleveland right away after she dumped Steve, did Steve have to tell Brady alone about the impending divorce? That sounds awful, the poor guy. The best scene of the episode, and one of the best so far on the show, was definitely Steve and Carrie, it was a surprisingly sweet and heartfelt few scenes, especially as I don't think we have seen the two of them interact a lot, although we do know that Carrie likes Steve. He's just such a great idea, and its so sad watching how hurt he is while Miranda is blithely giggling like a ten year old with a crush about her shiny new relationship. I hope that Steve takes Carrie's advice (a sentence I never imagined typing) and starts looking for someone who appreciates him.

Charlotte awkwardly teaching Lilly about how to use tampons was funny until it got super gross. Charlotte getting a massive period stain on her white outfit very much reminded me of when they made Charlotte crap herself in the first movie, its just gross and feels rather mean spirited. 

I have been pretty meh on the idea of Carrie dating again, it still feels like its pretty soon, but I really like the teacher and his scene with Carrie was really good. When Carrie had to take a second when he talked about still listening to his deceased wife's last message to him, I really felt that.

Edited January 27, 2022 by tennisgurl

[ifionlyknew]

26 minutes ago, Readingallnight said:

Miranda has some sort of organic brain disease.

On another show that would be entirely plausible.

I'm trying to think of any other show that so radically changed a character.

[T Summer]

5 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

Choudhry is a masterpiece (loved her since she was Saul's wife on Homeland).

I haven't seen Homeland but I was surprised when I looked at her IMBD  by the fact that she was in Mississippi Marsala  with Denzel Washington  in 1991! I'm going to have to rewatch that as I can barely remember it now.

[chitowngirl]

If Charlotte’s flow was that heavy to leave that big of a stain…you’d feel it!

Rock could have done a better job with the tampon. Hell, Anthony could have done a better job. If ever there was a need for Samantha!! 

[Rebecca berkowit]

I think the creators of this reboot needed for the ladies to be single again, because the plots are more interesting that way.   Miranda and Steve being married with a kid, while absolutely lovely for them, isn’t exactly compelling.  Same with Carrie and Big being happily married.  Remember, these were the happy ENDINGS.  There wasn’t supposed to be a story after that.  I mean, sure, you could maybe make a comedy out of some of the family/home stuff, but it wouldn’t be anything like the funny situations they got into in the original series, just in terms of the sheer number of weird people and situations dating lends itself to.  And anyway, when they want to do funny mom stuff, they have Charlotte and her family for that.  So my guess is they decided to make Carrie and Miranda single again and introduce another single character to replace Samantha.  For Carrie, they killed off Big, because they had the idea from the aborted third movie.  (A lot of people didn’t like her with him, anyway.) For Miranda, my guess is that Cynthia Nixon, Executive Producer, brought them the brilliant idea to have Miranda leave Steve for a woman, much like her own life.  (When they hired a non-binary person to play the role, this changed, and I don’t think the writers really knew how to write the Che character authentically; they also probably salivated at the idea that this could score them their coveted diversity points, and both of these things account for some of the preachiness/awkward dialogue people have noted with the character.).  Anyway, the whole arc of Miranda discovering a new sexuality in midlife could have been done with some subtlety.  They could’ve had Miranda doubt herself and even avoid Che/focus on her marriage for a few episodes, as I am sure someone would do if they suddenly found their sexuality changing from the way they’d always known it to be.  They could have had her struggle with the decision to leave her marriage.  They could have remembered that Steve was a super likeable character from original series.  They did not.  They had Miranda just jump into Che’s arms right away, probably because they wanted to get on with the storylines they had for Miranda as a single person.  Just my take.

Edited January 27, 2022 by Rebecca berkowit

[TheBride]

Ok, I'm settling down to watch this train wreck and I only hope that they veered off to another story line away from Che and lunatic (gotten-so-stupid) Miranda!!

[TheBride]

Has some total nincompoop killed Miranda and taken over her body?

[chitowngirl]

6 minutes ago, TheBride said:

Has some total nincompoop killed Miranda and taken over her body?

Yes

[Conotocarious]

6 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Yes

Her name is Cynthia Nixon.

I suppose Miranda will be running for Mayor if there’s a season 2.

[TheBride]

I have to fast forward when Charlotte is talking. She's now a completely annoying idiot.

[chitowngirl]

Why can’t Charlotte a)talk like a normal person and not in that baby-talk way and b)walk normally? She’s a runner and has done modern dance. She knows how to move. It’s like she’s on her tippy toes all the time.

[TheBride]

In the midst of this horribly written TV series...David Eigenberg (Steve) is so good. He doesn't exaggerate his character (like the rest of them do) and he just delivers the best acting in the entire series. He's very believable when all the others are like characatures.

2 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Why can’t Charlotte a)talk like a normal person and not in that baby-talk way and b)walk normally? She’s a runner and has done modern dance. She knows how to move. It’s like she’s on her tippy toes all the time.

Her problem is that she's trying to BE the Charlotte of 25 years ago and the director of this series seems to have forgotten that these women might have learned something over those years. Charlotte is acting like a complete idiot.

[WendyCR72]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:56 AM, Evie said:

I could have done without the story, but I'm sure not all teenagers want to use tampons. I didn't. I had it in my head that it would hurt and knew of someone who had gotten toxic shock syndrome. I was a senior when I finally gave in. My sister showed me how, and it did not go well. I was tense, which made it difficult.

I never used tampons. Still don't. All I ever use are pads. (My mother was wonderful, but she was also the anxious type, worrying about toxic shock with tampons when I had begun my cycle which, in turn, made ME wary. So...pads. It's embarrassing to say, but if someone gave me a tampon - and I am approaching 50! - I wouldn't necessarily know how to use it, although I WOULD know where...)

[Lethallyfab]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

I just have no idea what CN is doing, not only has she taken over the show to it into her own personal autobiography, but she's acting like some kind of manic coke addled preteen, is this her take on "in love"?

The teens from ‘Euphoria’ called - sorry, texted - and even they are saying that Nixon is doing way, way too much.

I know Che has their “comedy concert” (again, not a thing, it’s called a stand-up special) but they’re primarily known from podcasts, a non-visual medium, and yet they still have stans?  Like, I literally could not identify Terry Gross and Michael Barbaro in a line-up and they’re legitimately NPR famous.  And it seems like Che has a boy and/or girl and/or non-binary person in every port, which (a) good luck, Miranda and (b) Carrie tried to warn you about this and (c) Che themself told you that they’re non-traditional!

 I’m still hoping that Miranda will fall flat on her face, because play stupid games, win stupid prizes, but given the writing, I’m sure we’ll end up with Miranda living the Meg Ryan fantasy.

Anthony’s “GET OUT!” to his date was the first and only time that I legitimately laughed out loud - a full cackle! - during this series.

This episode teased the Infinity War meet-up of having Nya, LTW and Seema finally meeting up, and dishing together, only to have it not happen.  I would absolutely watch THAT episode.

David Eigenberg might be the best male actor on the entire series.  (Which, back in the day, was perfect as Nixon was the best actress in the series - not so much anymore!) Those scenes with Carrie were wrenching.

I can’t remember which thread it was in but I FULLY PREDICTED Rock’s non-binary mitzvah!

I am not a vagina-haver and so confess ignorance but all I could think of during the TWENTY MINUTES (like, no other storylines needed attention!?) they devoted to Lily learning to use a tampon and Charlotte’s accident was Mean Girls’s “but I can’t help it if I have a heavy-flow and a wide-set vagina.”  They also missed a real “kids today” moment by not including a Diva Cup attempt.  

For that matter, how old is Lily supposed to be?  Wouldn’t Charlotte have gone over this prior to now?

[yellowjacket]

2 minutes ago, Lethallyfab said:

 

Anthony’s “GET OUT!” to his date was the first and only time that I legitimately laughed out loud - a full cackle! - during this series.

Me too, I scared myself.  Mario Cantone rules.

I got a little annoyed at the crowded sets, I mean we were still supposed to mask last summer.

I had to have a conversation once like Carrie and Steve.  My friend left her husband for a woman, broke him because he had no idea she was gay, he thought they were in love and happy, and he wanted to know if I had known what was going on (I did).  It was brutal.  The show did this part right, but there would be a WHOLE LOT of other damages.

[Cementhead]

Cynthia Nixon proudly claimed in an interview that they were able to save what was so great about the original and fix what was not so great.  I bet you 10 bucks that these geniuses considered having Charlotte bleed in her pants to be a part of 'what was so great about the original' because it was a throwback to when she shit herself.  Because this is the quality of writers we are dealing with here.  I can almost see them all sitting there patting themselves on the back in the writer's room and congratulating themselves for the idea.  An idea that's been done a hundred times before.  And better.  But hey, this is the dignified way we are going to deal with the ladies being in their 50s.  Maybe they can keep going back to the well and have Charlotte shop for some Depends next season. 

Edited January 27, 2022 by Cementhead

[RedHawk]

Can't wait for someone to do a parody of this episode where we see Peter 53's text response to Carrie: 
I can't. I'm sorry. Don't hate me. (with a couple of emoji)

And in the seemingly inevitable Season 2, when Charlotte drags her to another kids' school event, I hope we see Carrie bump into Peter 53 with his financée, who is 38 years old. 

Again Carrie with the inappropriate heels. Who paints in open-toed high heels? Sometimes we actually don't sacrifice for fashion.

You can paint AND write a big check, Carrie. 

When can we gather to erect a statue of Saint Steve the Loyal in Brooklyn?

What I took from the ending is that Steve truly loves Miranda and Carrie is like, "Hey, I'm ready to move on!" And Carrie is going clubbin' in Brooklyn now. Oh how the mighty gal about town has fallen. 

Edited January 30, 2022 by RedHawk

[EllenB]

I have a friend who had a Miranda situation. In Friend's case, she agonized for months over ending her marriage, and she and her husband had many tearful but loving conversations. She has been with her new partner for many years now, but she and her ex are still supportive friends and awesome co-parents to their now-adult children. The contrast between Friend and Miranda makes me loathe Miranda.

On the other hand, maybe Miranda is still drinking heavily with the loud brash behavior and confusion about locations. Or she's in the first stages of early-onset dementia, which would be ironic since, until this episode, Steve was portrayed as the one who'd lost his cognitive abilities. Oh, the Schadenfreude!

[burghgal]

I actually sorta liked this episode (and yes, I am wondering why I still give it a chance).    Carrie was cool, I related to the Charlotte/Lily storyline, felt for Steve and genuinely liked the episode (except for Miranda).

As someone whose Mom made me use a tampon for my sports as soon as I got my period -- back in the 80s (oh the blasted cardboard applicator) --- I remember the trauma as a 13 year-old, and the trial/error well.   Charlotte handled it kinda like my mom did (do not get me wrong, I thank and love my mom for all her help with the awkwardness of it all).  

Edited January 28, 2022 by burghgal

[Lethallyfab]

37 minutes ago, Cementhead said:

.  I bet you 10 bucks that these geniuses considered having Charlotte bleed in her pants to be a part of 'what was so great about the original' because it was a throwback to when she shit herself. 

I actually don’t mind that, in theory.  The original series dealt with a lot of bodily humor, for a lot of punchlines — Miranda literally takes a load to her face during a tantric sex workshop, Miranda’s over-eater over ate her, Charlotte got addicted to Mister Pussy, the oral sex maestro, Samantha’s Mr Funky Spunk, et .

The problem is that the show no longer knows how to properly deliver a punchline because it’s all delivered amongst the seriousness of everything else - I’m a widow and can’t have any sexual fun.  I’ve destroying my marriage and you should applaud me for it.  I’m going to knock you over on the tennis court and you should also applaud me for it.

It’s a matter of tone, I guess.  But the original series managed to walk a very fine line between being humorous dusted with serious topics.  AJLT wants to flip the script and be super serious and important but yet where are the jokes?  

They have so many scenes that contain the content for a joke and the rhythm for a joke, but, in my opinion, they just don’t land.  Is it the actresses?  The writers?  Both?  I don’t want something that is a joke “in theory” or is a joke “on the page.”  I want a real, actual joke.

[Mar]

10 hours ago, T Summer said:

Is Steve's jaw wired shut? WHY is he talking like that?

It is driving me CRAZY!

[RedHawk]

13 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

It did look like Brady wasn't thrilled with his mom.  He is Team Steve all the way IMO.

What is this show's fascination with bodily functions? Was this supposed to be funny?  I felt bad for the actress playing Lily having to act out putting a tampon in.

They finally deal with one of (if not the biggest) biggest things women in their 50s deal with, menopause, and this is how they deal with it.  Why am I not surprised?

 I did like the note of contempt in Brady's voice but I couldn't tell if he intended it or if he was just being Brady. 

Ridiculous waste of time on the tampon story. Yes, we get it, Charlotte is dealing with menopause and her daughter is dealing with getting her period! Wow, no one ever thought to explore that before 

13 hours ago, Rebecca berkowit said:

As for Charlotte, you could see that coming a mile away when she was so smug and then wore the white pantsuit.  But everyone knows that you’re not officially in menopause until you’ve missed a whole year, not four months.  Why did she think she was done?  I get that that was part of her smugness, but really, why didn’t anyone at the lunch correct her and say “actually, you’re not done until it’s been twelve months, so maybe don’t get ahead of yourself?”  And every perimenopausal woman knows to carry stuff in your purse at all times because the periods are unpredictable.  I’ve never heard it called a “flash period,” though, but I’ve definitely been surprised by one.   How old are the writers?  They can’t have gone through this.  There’s definitely a show to be written about the whole transition process, it has its funny and sad moments.  This isn’t that show, alas.  I think a lot of the audience would like it to be.  Or maybe just me?  

I am not at all surprised that these writers (a few of whom are women over 50) don't understand the actual definition of menopause. Carrie and Miranda of SATC -- who apparently now have passed the 12 months -- would not have hesitated to check Smug Charlotte by telling her "it ain't over 'til it's over!" Having women friends who are several years younger than me, I did have to explain perimenopause, which took them a bit by surprise in their late 40s. But they quickly did their research and understood the process. I do realize there are women who experience few hot flashes or other problems and act kind of superior "Oh, it's been no big deal for me!" when their friends are frantically fanning and dealing with periods that go on for two weeks. I can see Charlotte being one of those women, but no, this is not the "menopause story line" we hoped to see.

12 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

He was actually the Prada salesman from season 5! Carrie brought Berger and tried to get him to buy a red shirt that she later picked up with her big advance from France. Carrie actually tried to set that guy up with Charlotte during the time she was apart from Harry.

Anyway, since they chose not to acknowledge this (a la Justin Thoreaux), I tell myself this guy got out of high-end retail and opened a club.

Brady has zero reactions to these developments in his life? Mom and Dad not together, Mom now queer (or at least experimenting, I hate to put a label on it right now because it's new), and dating someone new who's non-binary - but he's just going along as if nothing happened. That's not fucking realistic, I do not care how "woke" they think they've set up Brady to be. He'd have at least some comment. 

Last week Steve said he was too old to rally for them again, and now he won't ever remove his wedding ring? Ok, not buying it. Sure he's not ready, but Carrie basically told him he's deserving of someone way better than the alien who invaded his wife's body, and I hope we see that in the finale.

ETA: Carrie's scene with the teacher was rough on me. I still have every old voicemail from my mom, who passed in April 2020. I will never delete them, and will in fact avoid ever getting a new phone for fear of losing them. My heart broke for both of them. Letting go is hard; there is no timeline.

Agree with all @thesupremediva1 wrote and especially about Steve not wanting to "rally" again to save the marriage but now he's saying " 'til death do us part". Whaaa? He needs to befriend Peter 53 and get some tips on whatever dating site that guy uses. Steve needs a good friend. Where is Aiden, by the way?

Why have the same actor come back if not to play a character who has moved from selling luxury goods to owning(?) a club? I mean, no, Seema's dad wasn't going to have been the busboy Samantha kissed but this one seems kinda natural and a fun callback, especially if he and Carrie recognized each other. 

Also, I think you can download voicemails from your phone. Not sure how to do it and can't Google right now, but there should be a way to save them. I'm sorry about your mom. I know how you feel, I have a voicemail from my uncle who is now gone and was so happy when I found that I had saved it.

9 hours ago, luna1122 said:

Why would Steve feel this undying devotion to a woman who apparently never really felt he was good enough for her and blithely cheated on him and left him without a backwards glance? Is it just the good Catholic boy thing? Fucking throw the ring down the toilet, Steve.

Okay, Lily. WTF is with all the drama? It’s weird to me that she was so opposed to tampons, but whatever, people are different.  But she was so over the top and clingy and needy. I got my period when I was 9 and started wearing tampons right away and definitely never asked my mom to help me out with any of it, and Lily is a smart and savvy FIFTEEN year old. It just all felt inauthentic and strange.

What kind of freak would walk into a Jewish family’s home and announce there was no holocaust? Well, the kind of freak who is a Holocaust denier, I guess. Anthony’s reaction was the only one to have.

I  thought Brady seemed fairly dismissive of Miranda, but it was hard to tell if it had anything to do with the divorce or if that’s just…Brady.

I am ready for Steve's big blowup and for him to go OFF on Miranda, remembering how badly she treated him when he had a one-night stand and admitted it. Of course, we are not going to see this.

I don't think Lily is getting her first period at 15. Seems like she has been wearing pads and the problem is that she will likely have her period when there's a swim party next month, hence the need to wear a tampon. Wow, they took that story line right from the old commercials I saw as a teenager. Want to go to the swim party, teenage girl? Learn to wear this thing called a tampon! I thought when I heard the scream that it was Rock who got her period. That would have been more realistic (age wise) and the story could have been about her mixed/confused feelings about her changing female body.
 

5 hours ago, Lethallyfab said:

Anthony’s “GET OUT!” to his date was the first and only time that I legitimately laughed out loud - a full cackle! - during this series.

I can’t remember which thread it was in but I FULLY PREDICTED Rock’s non-binary mitzvah!

@Lethallyfab Yes, you totally predicted the nonbinary mitzvah, and I remembered you did as soon as I saw that scene! 

For me Anthony's "GET OUT!" reaction was slightly funny but also the only reaction one could have. His date turning out to be Mr. Aryan Holocaust Denier was not an amusing setup and left me asking "Why???" Who had that on their "check the box" of social issues Bingo card? Also, a poster above noted that today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Wow, tasteless bad timing, Show.

Edited January 28, 2022 by RedHawk
Spelling

[slowpoked]

I really like that scene of Steve getting Big's ring out of the pipe and giving it back to Carrie. That there were barely any words in that scene makes it even more priceless. There's a subtle message there - that Steve has always been this dependable guy, who's always just been there, whether or not anyone notices, whether or not anyone needs him, he's just always been there.

I'll be honest. I didn't like Steve the first time he and Miranda dated, especially the way he broke up with her and then squatted in her place afterwards. He's kind of like Berger in that way, where they cannot handle women more successful than them. But then Steve eventually changed and grew. That's why I really like the progression of their relationship. It was given space and time to grow, and not rushed or hurried. He, Aidan, Harry and Smith were the true good guys of SATC. 

It's just bad writing that the writers didn't deal with the fallout with Brady. What is he, chopped liver?! If they're not going to deal with him about his mother leaving them for another person, I wished he had been shipped off to some faraway college so at least they have an excuse not to deal with him. 

Carrie has been much better since Anthony gave her an ultimatum on using "My husband died." That moment with her neighbor was also sweet too, albeit awkward at the end for her well-meaning neighbor. 

I'm liking Seema a lot. It seems obvious that she's the replacement for Samantha, but they haven't been too in-your-face with it. Her and Carrie's friendship makes sense - they're both single gals, so it's only natural they would have more time to spend with each other, and can both do single gal things. 

[Mar]

9 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

Choudhry is a masterpiece (loved her since she was Saul's wife on Homeland).

Ohhhhh, right! Best show ever.

[T Summer]

21 minutes ago, Mar said:

It is driving me CRAZY!

He had a New York accent (Queens?) in the original series. He DID NOT speak like he had a speech impediment!

 

 

[Mar]

9 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

Cynthia and Kristen cannot act anymore

I agree 100%. I am a bit perplexed because I think Cynthia is an excellent actress and was very good in Sex and the City as well as other things she has done. However, she is on the new HBO show The Gilded Age and I think her acting is terrible in that.

[Mar]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Che, a character who is less of a character and more of a string of buzzwords that the writers saw on Twitter

I can’t stop laughing at this😂😂 

and this… 

I hope that Steve takes Carrie's advice (a sentence I never imaginedtyping) and starts looking for someone who appreciates him.

Edited January 28, 2022 by Mar
Add

[Mar]

1 hour ago, RedHawk said:

When can we gather to erect a statue of Saint Steve the Loyal in Brooklyn?

😂❤️😂❤️

[Baltimore Betty]

6 hours ago, Quinzee said:

I’m a (younger) widow of almost two years and I wear my wedding rings on my right hand now. Is that not a thing?

Russians wear their wedding rings on their right hand.

I am so sorry for your loss.

[27bored]

15 hours ago, Jillybean said:

Hey, the guy from the Prada store owns a club in Brooklyn now!

I knew I recognized him from somewhere! It's been like fifteen years and he barely looks like he's aged.

14 hours ago, ivygirl said:

Oh, Steve. 💕

That little scene was the first really moving moment of the show for me. Though I do still like the teacher. And Seemantha. And Dr. Nya  and Andre. I’m glad there was some likability somewhere in this morass.

But then we still had Che and the cookies and the additional set of ADORING fans… and the guy who shows up to dinner and just ANNOUNCES his holocaust-denying self as like the third thing he says… like who DOES that, Show? Neither of those scenarios resonated with truth for me. 

OMG WHY DIDN'T I EVER PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER?!

14 hours ago, Aulty said:

The story with Charlotte and her menopause/flash period did feel like a SATC-Charlotte plot, I'll give them that, even though I didn't get all the fuss about using tampons.

Yeeeeeah. Charlotte may wanna start wearing a Depend. It seems like if she gets too worked up bodily fluids just start raining out of her ass. Outside. In public.

10 hours ago, mstar1125 said:

I couldn't help but wonder...is this the Carrie we could have gotten to know in the OG series if she hadn't been chasing after/fawning over/commiserating about Big for 6 seasons? It's like Big died, a veil was lifted, and she became a likeable person. 

Great commentary. It's crazy how likable Carrie has been this season. Every now and then she'll do something, uh, stupid -- why are you wearing heels to paint? Why are you wearing Big's ring around your finger when it's obviously too big and could slide off...why not around your neck like when you were going to marry Aiden out of politeness?.

34 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

I really like that scene of Steve getting Big's ring out of the pipe and giving it back to Carrie. That there were barely any words in that scene makes it even more priceless. There's a subtle message there - that Steve has always been this dependable guy, who's always just been there, whether or not anyone notices, whether or not anyone needs him, he's just always been there.

I'll be honest. I didn't like Steve the first time he and Miranda dated, especially the way he broke up with her and then squatted in her place afterwards. He's kind of like Berger in that way, where they cannot handle women more successful than them. But then Steve eventually changed and grew. That's why I really like the progression of their relationship. It was given space and time to grow, and not rushed or hurried. He, Aidan, Harry and Smith were the true good guys of SATC. 

It's just bad writing that the writers didn't deal with the fallout with Brady. What is he, chopped liver?! If they're not going to deal with him about his mother leaving them for another person, I wished he had been shipped off to some faraway college so at least they have an excuse not to deal with him. 

Carrie has been much better since Anthony gave her an ultimatum on using "My husband died." That moment with her neighbor was also sweet too, albeit awkward at the end for her well-meaning neighbor. 

I'm liking Seema a lot. It seems obvious that she's the replacement for Samantha, but they haven't been too in-your-face with it. Her and Carrie's friendship makes sense - they're both single gals, so it's only natural they would have more time to spend with each other, and can both do single gal things. 

I think the Steve squatting at Miranda's place was the second time they started dating and she broke up with him. And he was like Berger, except Steve had sense enough to break up with Miranda because he felt he wasn't good enough. Berger was just a wounded dick.

6 hours ago, luna1122 said:

Okay, first, to get it out of the way: I hated everything having to do with Miranda, so there’s that. I have absolutely no idea what Che sees in her. She acts so incredibly flaky and weird and shrill with Che, there is nothing charming about this Miranda. I do not understand CN’s acting choices here, so I have to assume that this is maybe how she really behaved in her real life situation, and I do not know how her real life wife didn’t screaming from her. I don’t hate Che, tho they are kind of a cliché (ha cliCHE) of a character,  but sadly I sure don’t like Miranda anymore, and I don’t know why Che does.

I loved the Steve/Carrie scenes, they felt real, and Steve looked hot, and felt more like Steve than he has in any previous episode. EXCEPT for the wedding ring thing. How much Miranda/CN propping do we need, for the love of jeezus ? When my husband cheated and I kicked him out, I took off my ring immediately, and later, on a girl’s trip to Chicago, I threw it into Lake Michigan. Why would Steve feel this undying devotion to a woman who apparently never really felt he was good enough for her and blithely cheated on him and left him without a backwards glance? Is it just the good Catholic boy thing? Fucking throw the ring down the toilet, Steve.

And the wedding ring stuff with Carrie made me cry, I will not lie. Like many have posted, it’s baffling to me how much I like Carrie here. I almost love her, honestly. I FELT her pain, and her panic over losing the ring down the sink. The scene with the new date guy was poignant to me, though I feel like maybe he shouldn’t accept her last date offer. Maybe the ship has sailed. But  he was the one to first mention the 3rd strike, so I guess he’s up for it.

I liked her scenes with Seema too. I like Seema, and the hot Prada/club guy. You get yours, Seema. I loved most of Seema and Carrie’s outfits here (except for Carrie’s platform 5 inch heels to paint in, which: stupid). Carrie is definitely looking pretty again. I half expected Carrie to start shrieking ‘You’re just a doorman! Doorman! Doorman!’ outside that club, since they winkingly referenced the movie scenes regarding this situation, and she DOES kind of look like Leslie Mann.

Okay, Lily. WTF is with all the drama? It’s weird to me that she was so opposed to tampons, but whatever, people are different.  But she was so over the top and clingy and needy. I got my period when I was 9 and started wearing tampons right away and definitely never asked my mom to help me out with any of it, and Lily is a smart and savvy FIFTEEN year old. It just all felt inauthentic and strange.

What kind of freak would walk into a Jewish family’s home and announce there was no holocaust? Well, the kind of freak who is a Holocaust denier, I guess. Anthony’s reaction was the only one to have.

Not to be smug Charlotte, but I never had a single hot flash or any other real menopause symptoms either. At least I never bled out on a public Brooklyn street wearing all white, either.

I  thought Brady seemed fairly dismissive of Miranda, but it was hard to tell if it had anything to do with the divorce or if that’s just…Brady.

First off, I agree that Steve is kinda too good-looking for Miranda now. It's funny how that works. And your story about throwing your wedding ring into Lake Michigan was savage. And I mean that as a total compliment. I want to disrupt you having dinner and have your dinner date take our picture then tell them about how you slept with two of my friends. I'm such a fan!

I agree with you about Brady. I don't think he's taking it well at all. That whole "I'm painting with Louisa" thing seemed salty. Maybe they'll explore that next episode.

And I don't know anything about periods and tampons, but...do girls still talk to their moms about that kind of stuff? I would think a girl would just get a box of Tampons and do what they did, which is watch a YouTube video. Insted of having your mom coach you through it. Before you all have company. With...Holocaust deniers.

Edited January 28, 2022 by 27bored

[Baltimore Betty]

Watching this season has made me wonder if I really did like SATC as much as I thought I did.  

I felt for Charlotte getting her period in her white outfit, my first period came when I was wearing white painters pants, actually off white, it was New Years Eve and I was going to a sleep over party, my mother packed a huge bag of pads for me, back in the day the pads were the size of Pampers but thicker, lol and the box of them was roughly the size of a refrigerator, well maybe a mini fridge.

 

[Dream Boy]

Steve, she's not nearly worth it and you deserve so much better.

I'm saddened that there are no consequences for Miranda's callousness. I was really hoping for Che to pull some shit on her ass. If she gets a happily ever after after this, I just....no words.

Who knew that Carrie would end up one of the least obnoxious characters after all of these years? This season could have just been her, Charlotte, Nya, and Seema. Speaking of which, more of Seema and the club owner please.

[slowpoked]

1 minute ago, 27bored said:

I think the Steve squatting at Miranda's place was the second time they started dating and she broke up with him. And he was like Berger, except Steve had sense enough to break up with Miranda because he felt he wasn't good enough. Berger was just a wounded dick.

Hmm...thanks for reminding me. I may have to rewatch those episodes again. My recollection was that their first break-up was over a suit that Steve couldn't afford. I may have conflated that second break-up with the first one then. Wow, I can't believe how many times they actually dated on and off on SATC if that's the case. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

3 hours ago, TheBride said:

I have to fast forward when Charlotte is talking. She's now a completely annoying idiot.

I feel for Richard Burton Goldenblatt… 🥺

[shouldbedancing]

That Miranda scene was so… just like Che I didn’t know ever was going on. How come we heard nothing about what happened in Cleveland? Did we?

[Lethallyfab]

1 hour ago, 27bored said:

Why are you wearing Big's ring around your finger when it's obviously too big and could slide off...why not around your neck like when you were going to marry Aiden out of politeness

That was some of the biggest B.S. that Carrie ever pulled in her relationship with Aiden — which is saying A LOT, considering the level of B.S. she put him through.  “Oh, I’m wearing it this way so it’s closer to my heart.”  Really?  It’s not because you’re totally ambivalent about marriage to a guy you cheated on?  

I think that the episode where Miranda and Steve break up over the suit is the same episode where Charlotte dismisses him as (whispers) “working-class” and then says when the others disagree that that’s a problem that they all pretend like they live in a classless society but (looks down at the Asian manicurists doing their nails and whispers) they don’t.  Definitely one of the less woke moments in the original series.  I think that Samantha dated a guy with an actual servant in that episode?

I don’t think Steve was wrong for being uncomfortable with Miranda spending hundreds of dollars for a suit for him to wear to a single event.  But he did grow and change and became much less neurotic about Miranda being the breadwinner/alpha in the relationship.

There was a big push a few years ago by the diamond industry for independent, non-married women to buy themselves a “right-hand ring” to signal that could buy their own jewelry, without a man.  

[Trillian]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Charlotte awkwardly teaching Lilly about how to use tampons was funny until it got super gross. Charlotte getting a massive period stain on her white outfit very much reminded me of when they made Charlotte crap herself in the first movie, its just gross and feels rather mean spirited. 

 

1 hour ago, RedHawk said:

Ridiculous waste of time on the tampon story. Yes, we get it, Charlotte is dealing with menopause and her daughter is dealing with getting her period! Wow, no one ever thought to explore that before 

11 hours ago, Rebecca berkowit said:

As for Charlotte, you could see that coming a mile away when she was so smug and then wore the white pantsuit.  But everyone knows that you’re not officially in menopause until you’ve missed a whole year, not four months.  Why did she think she was done?  I get that that was part of her smugness, but really, why didn’t anyone at the lunch correct her and say “actually, you’re not done until it’s been twelve months, so maybe don’t get ahead of yourself?”  And every perimenopausal woman knows to carry stuff in your purse at all times because the periods are unpredictable.  I’ve never heard it called a “flash period,” though, but I’ve definitely been surprised by one.   How old are the writers?  They can’t have gone through this.  There’s definitely a show to be written about the whole transition process, it has its funny and sad moments.  This isn’t that show, alas.  I think a lot of the audience would like it to be.  Or maybe just me?  

Expand  

I am not at all surprised that these writers (a few of whom are women over 50) don't understand the actual definition of menopause. Carrie and Miranda of SATC -- who apparently now have passed the 12 months -- would not have hesitated to check Smug Charlotte by telling her "it ain't over 'til it's over!" Having women friends who are several years younger than me, I did have to explain perimenopause, which took them a bit by surprise in their late 40s. But they quickly did their research and understood the process. I do realize there are women who experience few hot flashes or other problems and act kind superior "Oh, it's been no big deal for me!" when their friends are frantically fanning and dealing with periods that go on for two weeks. I can see Charlotte being one of those women, but no, this is not the "menopause story line" we hoped to see.

10 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

The whole subplot was totally pointless. I thought, at first, that it was going to be about that lovely trick Mother Nature plays on women - that many of us go through menopause while our daughters are entering puberty (although the men in our lives may very well claim it’s a trick played on them, as they weather the hormone storm in their home. )  Then, I realized that Lily is too old to be just starting. And, ok, it’s not as easy using a tampon for everyone, but the hysterics?  Played for cheap laughs - and it wasn’t even funny.  And Charlotte feels nothing about the end of her (technically) fertile years?  The nuns in Agnes of God had a harder time of it than she. Lalala, no big deal.

And, yeah, how does Charlotte not have a freaking clue about what to expect, and that it doesn’t just turn off like a faucet.  I remember trading notes with the other middle-aged women in my office - women I didn’t necessarily know well (or even particularly like), but we were in the same age bracket and noticed the signs (like my secretary laughing hysterically at me when I would return from lunch, in the dead of a Canadian winter, carrying my coat and stripping off any other extraneous clothing and exclaiming “it’s so hot in here!) and we shared our experiences and warnings and emergency supplies of tampons and pads.  And that’s co-workers, not friends of thirty years who see each other at least several times a week and tell each other everything.  There were some real stories about women aging - and the camaraderie among women - that the show didn’t bother with.  What a waste. 

[TV is my friend]

4 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

If Charlotte’s flow was that heavy to leave that big of a stain…you’d feel it!

Not necessarily.  I bled through a white dress when I was fourteen, and I didn't feel it.  My classmates had to tell me.  I should have known that my period was coming, but I wasn't wearing a pad.  Back in my day, pads were called sanitary napkins.

I started wearing tampons when I was eighteen, but only because a friend told me that if I didn't, she wouldn't speak to me again.  I don't know why she cared so much.  It took me an hour to insert it.  My friend told me that her first tampon took her an hour, too.  It never occurred to me to ask my mother for help, but I'm sure she would have tried to help me if I had asked her.

I knew that the four months that Charlotte had gone without menstruating meant nothing.  As mentioned upthread, I knew that you have to wait a year after your last period to say that you're in menopause.  I had a period nine months after it appeared that I had stopped, so the year of waiting started all over again.  I never had perimenopause or hot flashes, but I know that that's not typical.

I don't know why Lily was so afraid of using tampons.  And I don't know why she couldn't have waited until after their dinner guests had gone home to ask her mother for help.  What was the rush?

[lexiexx]

I think the idea behind the completely different Miranda is that she's so blown away by Che that she's basically chasing them around like a puppy dog when the old Miranda would have thrown up walls and gotten bitchy, sarcastic and probably even insulting when she heard something she didn't like or couldn't figure out where they stood.   I just don't think it translates because there's really no storyline to explain why.   Even Carrie said that it was specifically being with Che that motivated Miranda but all we have seen is sexual attraction and Che being 'funny' if you want to call it that.   

 

 

 

[violet and green]

7 minutes ago, TV is my friend said:

And I don't know why she couldn't have waited until after their dinner guests had gone home to ask her mother for help.  What was the rush?

As my father used to say, in these moments, It was in the script. The tone-deaf, hamfisted script. The bullet-point checking of experiences of older women the writers themselves have not had.

Charlotte is too polite and considerate of others to have behaved in this way. The whole tampon 'story', from the unearthly scream earlier on, the delaying of dinner/ignoring of guests, and then the portaloo lost string 'subplot', complete with loud screeching and wailing and whining was so on the nose. It wasn't even timely - they'd have been going on about mooncups or something if that was the case.

OMG, I've just realised 'lost string' is a soundalike for 'lost ring'...

 

[chitowngirl]

I can’t wait until The Primetimer awards. Have never voted, but Che is getting my vote for worst character and I’m sure there’s going to be some category that I can put pod person Miranda

[meligator]

10 hours ago, Evie said:

I could have done without the story, but I'm sure not all teenagers want to use tampons. I didn't. I had it in my head that it would hurt and knew of someone who had gotten toxic shock syndrome. I was a senior when I finally gave in. My sister showed me how, and it did not go well. I was tense, which made it difficult.

I tried to talk my daughter through it when she was 14 - she is anxious - it did not go well.  It's been more than a year and I don't know which decade she'll try again.