S02.E08: A Hundred Years Ago

[Sarahsmile416]

Admittedly, I did not watch S1…I was a Big fan and when they killed him off and in other ways, pretty much killed off all the other characters (at least metaphorically), I was glad I didn’t watch it.  Aidan coming back was what brought me back but now in watching it, I realize why I never liked him.  He might be a nice guy in general but in terms of the apartment mishigas, he is just behaving like an emotional terrorist, as put so eloquently by a recap podcast I listen to.  I was willing to watch and even root for a Carrie/Aidan reunion, but after the Big erasure, I am over it.  

Yes, I know, Chris Noth is in many ways, problematic but Big is a character…I can’t help but be angry that MPK has so little respect for the viewers that he thinks we can’t differentiate between the two. 

What kills me is that in the right hands, with the right writers, I think this show could be okay, because it has some really amazing moments (like the Seema/Carrie scene) but it just veers into so much crap along the way that you start to forget about the good little nuggets because there IS so much shit to plow through 

[T Summer]

@Sarahsmile416 Let me give you this one viewer's overview of S1 now that it's in the rearview. Carrie was completely shattered by Big's death and Miranda, Charlotte and Stanford came over to the apartment and helped her through the lonely despair filled nights. They held her up figuratively and at times literally getting through the memorial service and  the after period. This took up so many episodes  that we the audience (at least this member) felt like we went through it with her.

 Other than that I vaguely remember Carrie doing a podcast with Che and two other people. I think Che met Miranda when Brady was outside the memorial service  getting high and Miranda lit into the two of them.

Then Carrie had hip surgery and again Miranda was there to nurse her through that, but she fell down on the job when the charismatic Che came by. They had a tryst in Carrie's kitchen which rocked Miranda's world and she ended up telling Carrie and later Steve that she wasn't happy in her marriage and wanted out.

Miranda  left her human rights law studies and took off to California(Che's home base)  and I think during that time Che wouldn't even return her calls... for like months! Of course later they got together.

We met The Wexleys and the now separated Nya and Charlotte's child Rose became Rock.

If you remember Carrie's mood in shitty movie #1 when Big left Carrie  at the alter and she had to be spoon fed?  take that down  several more depths of despair and that's what we watched the beginning and pretty deep into S1. I think she might have gone  on one date at the end and decided it was too soon or something.

 

So it's pretty damned insulting to us (the audience) to  have Carrie cavalierly toss off she thinks Big and their 10 year involvement and 15 year marriage was a big mistake!!!!

[Yeah No]

15 hours ago, Rebecca berkowit said:

I get why he is upset.  But my problem with it is that just “never entering the apartment” is not going to fix the problem.  It’s not that simple.  It’s not the apartment.  It’s that he can’t forget what she did to him in the apartment.  Avoiding the apartment is not going to make him suddenly forget.  And if it DOES somehow make him forget, well then, he’s forgetting a HUGE issue in their relationship, and so that’s never going to work.  It will resurface in some other way.  The problems which led to the apartment conflict will still be there.  Even if he never enters the apartment, she still did all that to him.  They’re just papering over the issue, and avoiding it, by staying in hotels/Che’s place. Maybe that’s what the show is trying to say with this plot.  It’s trying to show that they are papering over problems which are still there.  But, I just don’t think real people would DO that, so the plot is not believable and thus the point is lost.    As soon as he realized she was still living in the apartment, and he couldn’t go in there, he needed to realize the relationship wouldn’t work.  Or, he needed to move on.  But instead, he decides it will work as long as he just never goes to the apartment?  No.  Nobody would decide that.  Nobody over the age of 12.  They’re making these characters incredibly dumb.  That worked when they were younger, maybe.  But these are mature people who are experienced with relationships.  We can see the problems a mile away, why can’t they?  Why are they buying kitchen equipment?  

Yes, they are making these characters incredibly dumb, but how else would the show bring Aidan back for more than one episode if they didn't do that?    Make them dumb and milk a few episodes out of Aidan's character to draw in the Aidan fans who still want to see him and Carrie back together.  Also because they have no one new for Carrie to pursue.  Actually they did, they already introduced a couple of promising new men for her that she threw away for a couple of weak-ish reasons because she wasn't ready to move on from Big's memory yet.  Also for the show's purposes, probably to make room for the bigger draw of Aidan, at least on a temporary basis.  Perhaps when she gets Aidan out of her system she might run into one of them again when she's over her rebound stage from Big.  She's obviously still getting over Big's death and not ready for "the real thing" yet, so of course she would jump into a not-so-advisable fling with an old BF to escape all of that.  Of course she could have done that with either of the other two men but they weren't the bigger audience draw that Aidan is.

So they have to make them act like teenagers "playing house" with each other and show them picking out kitchen equipment rather than face the reality that they still have deal breaking issues standing in the way of a mature relationship.

That's my take on it, anyway.

[T Summer]

@Sarahsmile416Oh, I left out  meeting  Seema who took Carrie through an extensive apartment search and the buying of an unsuitably modern unit, the sale of same and her decision to move back to  her old apartment she loved.

..but those were the broad strokes.

[Rebecca berkowit]

8 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

I'm sure Big had others managing said money. If someone embezzled and left Carrie broke, I think it would be great.

I never cared for the character BEFORE the money, but since she is now wealthy and only seemed interested in Aidan once she realized he now had money, Carrie just screams gold digger. I'd love for her to be left as she started. With tons of shoes and living check to check, even as she pretended otherwise.

Carrie was  my least favorite character.  She always did things that didn’t make sense, and she dressed so bizarrely.  My favorite was Samantha.  

5 hours ago, realityplease said:

I agree that Miranda's long-term experience (didn't she make partner at her firm?) no matter what type of practice - trumps an intern's experience, who may have the book learning but not yet seen or know how things work in practice. 

Law schools teach legal principles for various subject areas, but not everything. Interns may be able to research the law, check citations, spot issues, or even write about the law that goes into briefs or memos.  But interns may not know the mechanics - how to draft a persuasive brief or memo, take a deposition, try a case or prepare it for trial.  What goes into a contract or settlement agreement. etc, etc. Typically, law schools don't teach practicalities - they teach law in general. Experience (or other attorneys) will teach them that.  Law school's only the jumping off point. So Miranda has it all over the interns. 

I don't agree, however, that attorneys "get trained to do everything" or "litigation is litigation" - that's the biggest reason dabblers who try to do a little of everything step into it & bring on malpractice lawsuits against themselves or their firm. They don't catch problems or conflicts of interest - don't know where to look for them. Or bring lawsuits in an area they're unfamiliar with - maybe don't know a statute requires an expert be designated in a required topic by a required time frame - & the case dismissed before it ever gets to trial - so the client has to sue the attorney for screwing up the case if there's ever to be a recovery - from the attorney's hide as the actual perpetrator was able to skip out on a technicality.  

Law firms may handle one certain area of law or specialize within departments, depending on their size. But generally, you're either a litigator & in court, or a transactional attorney who rarely or never sees the inside of a courtroom.  Attorneys may practice in more than one area, but usually related ones. A criminal defense attorney may do civil rights work.  One who drafts trusts & wills or does estate planning may also litigate disputes of those.  But rare, for example, to see a family law attorney take on corporate work or mergers & acquisitions. If they know their limits. With malpractice insurance premiums high, who wants the risk?

As for Miranda's new insecurity & shy acceptance of challenges - Who IS this person??  And what a gut punch when Carrie questioned whether Big was a mistake.  Whaaaaat??!! After 20 years??  I'm really hating where the writers are taking this show.  I hated it last season, but really confounded this season.

I agree.  I think litigation/civil practice has skills that are transferable to other types of civil suits.  Criminal, transactional, real estate, no.  But suing people in civil?  You can pick up a new area.  When you do general civil litigation, you get all kinds of suits-  breach of contract, slip and fall, negligence, etc.  Some stuff like medical malpractice or insurance is more specialized because of the procedural and statutory requirements involved.  Not sure what Miranda did before.  If she did pure transactional mergers and acquisitions/drafting contracts stuff, then actual litigation/lawsuits/trials would be a completely different area.  But if she did some kind of civil litigation, even on behalf of corporations, (sometimes I think that’s what TV writers think “corporate law” is), she would be familiar with discovery, depositions, civil procedure, trials, etc.  She could probably translate that to bringing suits under the Civil Rights Act or something.  I must confess, I’m not sure what Human Rights Watch does, or what exactly Human Rights Law is, or why you’d need to go back to school for that rather than just try to transfer your skills to working for a nonprofit/NGO (not sure MPK/CN are either).  It may be some kind of international law practice which would be a steep learning curve.  Still, if it’s writing reports, white papers, making recommendations, lobbying Congress or working on behalf of NGO’s, her writing skills and legal analysis skills with regard to interpreting the relevant statutes or international laws/treaties could be helpful.  

Edited August 5, 2023 by Rebecca berkowit

[ChlcGirl]

8 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

thought Aidan was renting. He owned the cabin but was waiting to be married/engaged to buy his primary residence. He bough Carrie’s apartment and the one next door to make a home for them because she loved living there and agreed to marry him. 

Aidan 100% owned his place.  In the episode Just Say Yes where Carrie gets notified that the building is going co-op Aidan tells her to buy it. She says that she's in no position to buy.  He says that he is - that he can sell his place and buy hers and the one next door for them to live in together. She calls him moneybags and asks if he has a girlfriend.  

For the record, I hate myself for knowing this.

[TakomaSnark]

11 hours ago, RedHawk said:

Seemed to me like it was because Charlotte was an "older woman" and, in that girl's eyes, fat. That's why she brought out the horrid blacks shapeless dresses that Charlotte ordered away, calling them "muumuus".

As someone pointed out, not a great way to act if you're working for commissions. And Charlotte isn't fat. 

A smart saleswoman would have brought out the same dress Charlotte wanted one size bigger and smoothed it over with, 'These are running very small, try this one.'

[Blackie]

OMG that was brutally boring

[Scarlett45]

3 hours ago, ChlcGirl said:

Aidan 100% owned his place.  In the episode Just Say Yes where Carrie gets notified that the building is going co-op Aidan tells her to buy it. She says that she's in no position to buy.  He says that he is - that he can sell his place and buy hers and the one next door for them to live in together. She calls him moneybags and asks if he has a girlfriend.  

For the record, I hate myself for knowing this.

Thank you!

1 hour ago, TakomaSnark said:

A smart saleswoman would have brought out the same dress Charlotte wanted one size bigger and smoothed it over with, 'These are running very small, try this one.'

Yes. Because that’s how clothing normally works (women’s sizing is not consistent), but then there would be no drama. 

[Yeah No]

14 hours ago, RedHawk said:

Seemed to me like it was because Charlotte was an "older woman" and, in that girl's eyes, fat. That's why she brought out the horrid blacks shapeless dresses that Charlotte ordered away, calling them "muumuus".

As someone pointed out, not a great way to act if you're working for commissions. And Charlotte isn't fat. 

I agree 100%.  I think this and the way the interns acted over Miranda was an in-reference to anyone over a certain age about how we at times can feel put down, mistreated and disrespected by younger people that are either our coworkers, subordinates or in service positions that we have to deal with in stores, restaurants, etc.  Of course this is presented in stark contrast to the way people over a certain age were taught to view and treat people older than them.

The message is that some younger women are insecure and threatened by older women that are potentially more attractive, intelligent, capable, and more qualified than they are and want to squelch it if they can to put themselves up.  Like how dare an older woman try to continue to wear flattering clothing!  Like we should wear the mumu to hide our figures so we can't compete with THEM.

ETA:  I also think these two vignettes were an example of the show getting back to one of the things it always did best: speak to the sometimes unfair reality of real women's experience, in this case older women.

Edited August 5, 2023 by Yeah No

[SnapHappy]

On 8/3/2023 at 8:51 PM, Scarlett45 said:

I thought Charlotte's storyline was realistic. For the record I always thought Kristen Davis/Charlotte had a lovely figure and they dressed her so well, and I think now Kristen Davis is still so pretty and has a great body. But I think anyone, no matter how attractive they are may feel a certain way if their body changes. I would've suggested buying a new pink belt that was a little bigger to give the look  she was going for but to be more comfortable. 

Leather stretches when it gets damp.  Every woman knows that.  Char could have taken the belt to a shoe repair shop and had them stretch it up to about 2 inches in 10 minutes. OR they could have punched 2 new holes on both sides to lengthen the belt.  I did a freeze-frame, it was doable on that style.

I HATE stupid plot lines like this one.  Just like the one with Carrie & the dress for the Met Gala. 

INFURIATING to me.  

[Scarlett45]

3 minutes ago, SnapHappy said:

Leather stretches when it gets damp.  Every woman knows that.  Char could have taken the belt to a shoe repair shop and had them stretch it up to about 2 inches in 10 minutes. OR they could have punched 2 new holes on both sides to lengthen the belt.  I did a freeze-frame, it was doable on that style.

I HATE stupid plot lines like this one.  Just like the one with Carrie & the dress for the Met Gala. 

INFURIATING to me.  

I did not know this! I don’t wear leather (outside of shoes). Thanks for the tidbit!

[SnapHappy]

1 hour ago, SnapHappy said:

Leather stretches when it gets damp.  Every woman Lots of people know that. Char could have taken the belt to a shoe repair shop and had them stretch it up to about 2 inches in 10 minutes. OR they could have punched 2 new holes on both sides to lengthen the belt.  I did a freeze-frame, it was doable on that style.

I HATE stupid plot lines like this one.  Just like the one with Carrie & the dress for the Met Gala. 

INFURIATING to me.  

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by SnapHappy

[Emmybean]

This has been bothering me since it was first mentioned. Aidan sold his company to West Elm for big bucks? I refuse to believe this. Tell me that Aidan has a big workshop in North Carolina and an Aidan Shaw original is a must-have in the Hamptons and in Jackson Hole. Tell me he has a piece in MoMA. But that an artist like SATC Aidan sold out to West Elm? No. And this narrative choice was made just so Aidan could be rich, though the idea of Aidan living off Big’s money through Carrie might have given some good material.

I think Aidan-Carrie is a disaster but obviously the writers don’t. 

I loved See a’s conversation with Carrie. Shockingly good writing for this show. And yet another reminder that Carrie is a lousy friend when she has a boyfriend

Edited August 5, 2023 by Emmybean

[Hanahope]

the dress shop Charlotte was in made it look like there was only one of that dress, and there were no other sizes.  but yes, she could have adjusted the belt easily if that was her problem.  

[RedHawk]

5 hours ago, Emmybean said:

This has been bothering me since it was first mentioned. Aidan sold his company to West Elm for big bucks? I refuse to believe this. Tell me that Aidan has a big workshop in North Carolina and an Aidan Shaw original is a must-have in the Hamptons and in Jackson Hole. Tell me he has a piece in MoMA. But that an artist like SATC Aidan sold out to West Elm? No. And this narrative choice was made just so Aidan could be rich, though the idea of Aidan living off Big’s money through Carrie might have given some good material.

I think Aidan-Carrie is a disaster but obviously the writers don’t. 

I loved See a’s conversation with Carrie. Shockingly good writing for this show. And yet another reminder that Carrie is a lousy friend when she has a boyfriend

I know! Why can't Aidan have made money as AIDAN, not as some sellout we know Original Recipe Aidan would not have been. 

Sarita Choudhury has so much acting talent. I'm glad she finally got dialogue and a scene worthy of her. She even elevated SJP's acting, which overall was better than it has been in this episode.

[Surrealist]

5 hours ago, Emmybean said:

 I loved Seema’s conversation with Carrie. Shockingly good writing for this show. And yet another reminder that Carrie is a lousy friend when she has a boyfriend

She truly is. She's self-absorbed to the 1000%.

I should like Aidan, but I just don't. I don't have the exact words for why he bothers me, but I agree with the "emotional terrorist" observation upthread. 

Edited August 5, 2023 by Surrealist

[marybennet]

I agree with everyone that the storyline featuring Carrie and Seema was great, as was the scene in which Carrie and Miranda were walking and talking.  And I really loved Seema’s umbrella. 
 

Charlotte’s dress was Prada. That makes me wonder if there would have been a bigger size. Designer lines aren’t always so good about larger sizes, and stores featuring them aren’t always so good about that either. I don’t have the budget to know whether that’s true of Prada. 
 

The fictional shop assistant needs to learn to make a dress recommendation without making the client feel bad. 

[Norma Desmond]

I'm enjoying this season, which, unlike season 1, isn't a complete horror show. I loved this episode, it did make sense and Aidan and Carrie felt organic. That said, "Big was a big mistake"?? Wtf? Why does MPK feel the need to shit on everything viewers and fans loved about the original series? Is it because of Chris Noth's problems? That felt ugly, petty and wrong.

I can't get over how great John Corbett looks. In fact, he looks better this time around than he did 20 years ago.

Charlotte and Miranda's storylines were good too. I am actually looking forward to the next episode!

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by Norma Desmond

[Norma Desmond]

On 8/3/2023 at 8:30 AM, Spartan Girl said:

So what was that look Aidan gave Seema when she walked into the restaurant? If he was a cartoon character his eyes would be bugging out and his heart would be visibly thumping out of his chest. I hope that was just an odd acting choice on Corbett's part and not a preview of an upcoming plot but you never know with these writers.

I thought the same thing. So weird. It's probably just an weird acting choice though.

[bluegirl147]

8 minutes ago, Norma Desmond said:

Wtf? Why does MPK feel the need to shit on everything viewers and fans loved about the original series? Is it because of Chris Noth's problems? That felt ugly, petty and wrong.

 

I think MPK wants this to be his show.  SATC was originally Darren Star's show and I think MPK always felt like he wasn't as respected in the industry the way Star was. So yeah I think he is that petty. For every tiny morsel he throws fans he ruins something else.

[txhorns79]

4 hours ago, RedHawk said:

Sarita Choudhury has so much acting talent. I'm glad she finally got dialogue and a scene worthy of her. She even elevated SJP's acting, which overall was better than it has been in this episode.

I like Seema, and think she is the best addition to the show.  She has some of Samantha's qualities, but she doesn't feel like a replacement for that character.

 

4 hours ago, Norma Desmond said:

That said, "Big was a big mistake"?? Wtf? Why does MPK feel the need to shit on everything viewers and fans loved about the original series? Is it because of Chris Noth's problems? That felt ugly, petty and wrong.

I really just saw that as Carrie finding herself so happy with Aidan that she was wondering if it should have been him all along.  It's just a "road not taken" moment.  I don't think it was meant as some bold statement to undermine the first show and movies.      

[Norma Desmond]

4 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

SATC was originally Darren Star's show and I think MPK always felt like he wasn't as respected in the industry the way Star was.

Was SATC viewed as Star's show, though? I think he was only involved in the first season. From then on it became MPK's signature show. He wrote the best Carrie/Big episodes (as a big Carrie/Big shipper, I know, believe me).

By the way, what is the portmanteau name of the Carrie/Big pairing? Barrie? Cig?

I'm partial to Cig ;)

Edited August 6, 2023 by Norma Desmond

[Surrealist]

4 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

I think MPK wants this to be his show.  SATC was originally Darren Star's show and I think MPK always felt like he wasn't as respected in the industry the way Star was. So yeah I think he is that petty. For every tiny morsel he throws fans he ruins something else.

Darren Star is responsible for my other favorite guilty pleasures: Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place. 👍🏻😂

[TakomaSnark]

10 hours ago, Norma Desmond said:

Was SATC viewed as Star's show, though? I think he was only involved in the first season. From then on it became MPK's signature show. He wrote the best Carrie/Big episodes (as a big Carrie/Big shipper, I know, believe me).

By the way, what is the portmanteau name of the Carrie/Big pairing? Barrie? Cig?

I'm partial to Cig ;)

Darren Star was the show runner for seasons 1-3.

[bluegirl147]

5 hours ago, TakomaSnark said:

Darren Star was the show runner for seasons 1-3.

And if I'm not mistaken Darren Star was always listed as creator even after he left.

15 hours ago, Surrealist said:

Darren Star is responsible for my other favorite guilty pleasures: Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place. 👍🏻😂

He also has Emily in Paris.  It's fluff with great fashion so it's fun to watch.

[TakomaSnark]

3 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

And if I'm not mistaken Darren Star was always listed as creator even after he left.

He also has Emily in Paris.  It's fluff with great fashion so it's fun to watch.

Creator credit can't be taken away, even if the creator leaves the show.

[bluegirl147]

21 minutes ago, TakomaSnark said:

Creator credit can't be taken away, even if the creator leaves the show.

What I meant was viewers saw Star's name as much as MPK. I never liked MPK.  Star worked with Aaron Spelling and learned what viewers wanted.  I've always thought MPK thought he knew better than viewers about what they wanted. 

[Roccos Brother]

I don't like how they resolved the conflict between Seema and Carrie without anything actually happening in between. As "petty" as Seema's reasoning for wanting space may be, I actually thought it was probably one of the realest moments in this reboot thus far. It's not always easy to be happy for your friends despite your best intentions.

[rlc]

On 8/4/2023 at 12:42 PM, RedHawk said:

Aidan barely "apologized" for stocking Che's kitchen. I mean, I'm sure Che expects the Nespresso machine will stay when they finally stop "visiting" and Che clearly can't afford to stock their kitchen (although, uh, what was Che using in their previous apartment?) so sure, Che is happy to get the nice, upscale stuff. But Aidan's "privilege" was sure showing when he said "hope you don't mind" so casually, like he wasn't aware that he and Carrie should have asked for minimal permission and told Che they would of course let them keep everything they purchased. They're encroaching and it didn't bug Che but it kinda bugged me. 

I read this completely differently. Che neither cooks nor uses their kitchen, much like the Carrie of yore. Aiden and Carrie (who we have recently been shown now tries to cook) purchased some items to make Che's apartment/ Airbnb more comfortable for themselves, and others that stay there in the future. 

I don't hate the Carrie/Aiden relationship, nor do I think her wondering if she had made a mistake changes anything about her relationship with Big. She was immature when she cheated on Aiden. Big was glamorous, and someone she considered less attainable. Aiden was clear in his intentions and available to her. She wasn't the first person to want what she couldn't really have. I am older, and have revisited friendships with former partners who didn't work out for various reasons. Ther are always moments of doubt about decisions we have made in the past.

The only thing that really bothered me about this episode was Charlotte throwing away $300+ worth of Spanx!

[Cosmocrush]

On 8/3/2023 at 8:32 PM, Lethallyfab said:

Literally LOLs on my part when they suggested that Carrie would actually care about Aidan’s kids.  The series emphasized *multiple times* how much Carrie didn’t want kids.  

I don't think not wanting to be a parent means you don't care about kids, or don't like them.  Sometimes it just means not wanting the responsibility/having your life upended  by a child.  

Besides there is a big difference between having bonus kids who are teens/young adults (with their own mother) and raising a baby.

[bichonblitz]

On 8/4/2023 at 11:24 PM, partofme said:

I confess to not having been a regular viewer of the original show, but did they really claim that Aiden had a log cabin in Suffern, NY

Yes, that was made pretty clear. In fact, Carrie made a crack about suffering in Suffern. Typical Carrie. 

[Scarlett45]

47 minutes ago, Cosmocrush said:

I don't think not wanting to be a parent means you don't care about kids, or don't like them.  Sometimes it just means not wanting the responsibility/having your life upended  by a child.  

Besides there is a big difference between having bonus kids who are teens/young adults (with their own mother) and raising a baby.

Totally. I think Carrie has shown to be involved with Lily (she gave her that cataloging job) and doesn’t mind teenagers. Being someone’s mother is vastly different than being someone’s friend or “aunt” figure. Especially given Aidan’s kids are teenagers to young adults like you said. 

I see Aidan and Carrie continuing to be incompatible but not because of his sons. 

[realityplease]

50 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

I see Aidan and Carrie continuing to be incompatible but not because of his sons. 

I see this too - continuing incompatibility.  Despite their current love bubble. Practically skipping through home goods shops, unphased by packing & re-packing to go to Che's mundane apartment, & cooing over a pepper mill.  How easily pleased these two - and how boring for the rest of us.  So cutesy.

They were never a good fit & never will be a good fit.  Their clothes speak the volumes they never get to say.  Aiden's dumb quasi-futuristic jacket, which he's now wearing with the collar turned down, makes me stabby.  Carrie still dresses like a bag lady - with money.  Money from Big - who now, apparently, has fallen so much in her comparison of him to Aiden that she wonders if he was a mistake.  Big had issues, for sure, but -- we're almost being told that our "investment" in the entire series & two so-so movies was for nothing. Grrrgh.

I'm amazed how annoying I find Carrie in this entire reboot, how much I miss Samantha's wit, how Charlotte seems old & prissy (instead of young & prissy) & a pushover mom, and how Miranda, who used to have drive & purpose, is now a giggling insecure mess. I don't like these characters anymore.  There's glimmers, but then, no, it's just not the same. The sparkle is gone. 

So no doubt the writers are going to cram down the Carrie/Aiden relationship on the viewers -- they clearly want to make this happen. Because they're too lazy or lack the originality to come up with a new match & situation. I keep hoping for something more satisfying to happen, but really, I'm just waiting for the season to end - with VERY low expectations that anything fun, new or original will happen.   Please writers - surprise me.  Make this not as stupid as I already think it is.

[Glade]

Big was a mistake.  Personally, at the end of season 1 I hoped we would never see that stereotypically emotionally unavailable, older rich guy again and Carrie would move on to be with someone better.  I resented the fact that he kept coming back. 

But even if you leave aside whether dating/marrying Big at all was a mistake, cheating on Aidan with a married Big (after the ahole told her he wasn't the marrying type) was obviously a mistake. 

[EllenB]

On 8/5/2023 at 11:54 AM, Emmybean said:

This has been bothering me since it was first mentioned. Aidan sold his company to West Elm for big bucks? I refuse to believe this. Tell me that Aidan has a big workshop in North Carolina and an Aidan Shaw original is a must-have in the Hamptons and in Jackson Hole. Tell me he has a piece in MoMA. But that an artist like SATC Aidan sold out to West Elm? No. And this narrative choice was made just so Aidan could be rich, though the idea of Aidan living off Big’s money through Carrie might have given some good material.

I think Aidan-Carrie is a disaster but obviously the writers don’t. 

I loved See a’s conversation with Carrie. Shockingly good writing for this show. And yet another reminder that Carrie is a lousy friend when she has a boyfriend

Oh, I dunno. I knew some hippies in the late 60s-early 70s who went from tree hugging peaceniks to money-grubbing conservatives in two decades. If Aiden sold out (his soul, not just his company), that would definitely appeal to Ms. Shallow McMoneybags.

[Scarlett45]

3 hours ago, Glade said:

Big was a mistake.  Personally, at the end of season 1 I hoped we would never see that stereotypically emotionally unavailable, older rich guy again and Carrie would move on to be with someone better.  I resented the fact that he kept coming back. 

But even if you leave aside whether dating/marrying Big at all was a mistake, cheating on Aidan with a married Big (after the ahole told her he wasn't the marrying type) was obviously a mistake. 

IMO Big wasn’t a mistake he was a CHOICE, a choice Carrie made over and over again! Even after he left her at the alter in her wedding gown. 
 

Carrie and Big deserved each other, the mistake was stringing Aidan along as long as she did. 

[CeeBeeGee]

On 8/3/2023 at 5:00 AM, TakomaSnark said:

Stray Thoughts While Watching

Carrie mostly cares that the property in Virginia is acceptably upscale, right? Even then, we know she's not leaving New York for Norfolk, Virgina (I can already hear some cheesy 'New York/Nor-folk' pun grinding in MPK's head).

How could Che still afford to own that apartment? I would think that would have been the first thing they'd have unloaded (not just AirBNB'ing) for an influx of cash.

Why does Carrie care what anyone, let alone building randos, think of her & Aidan using an AirBNB to the point of using fake names? 

Is Aidan pronouncing it correctly? In Virginia it's pronounced Naw-f'ck, with a non-rhotic R.

There's no way Che owns that apartment. They never would've been approved for a mortgage--not anywhere, much less in NYC where closing can take up to six months. So they're stuck with an expensive lease.

Because nicer buildings have policies against AirBNB. They don't want a bunch of random partying strangers running in and out of the building--it's not safe. It's likely a violation of Che's lease, so Carrie wants to pretend they're there legitimately.

 

On 8/3/2023 at 5:22 AM, T Summer said:

I've been feeling resentful that  MPK and his team of typists and the E.P.'s seem set on shitting on Big. Having Carrie already dating by the end of last  season and having a regular Thursday FWB's thing and even entertaining  the cyclist guy if he hadn't had boundry issues with his business partner. That's pretty quick to be so over someone you have a 10 year involvement with that  lead to  a 10-15 year marriage? I know everyone grieves differently, but come on!

...

And now this? Carrie wonders aloud to Miranda if Big was a big mistake? She absolutely declares to Che that she made a mistake, when Che asked why this didn't work out the first time. It sure feels like if they could scrub every single frame and scene with Big from the whole franchise, they would!...

 

See my comment at the bottom of this post.

 

On 8/3/2023 at 11:36 AM, SHD said:

I took her "I made a mistake" to that specific question from Che as referring to her cheating on Aiden with Big. Not that in general she made a mistake in choosing Big (though I know she brought that up in an "I wonder if..." discussion with Miranda earlier in the episode). Just my interpretation.

I will say, I really like vet employee Che a lot better than stand-up Che.

Yes. See my comment at the end of this post.

 

On 8/3/2023 at 6:32 PM, maggiegil said:

(this is going to be a rant based off my personal experience, I have very strong feelings feel free to ignore)

The whole Airbnb stuff in this episode made me so mad. I have a lot of feelings about this after living next door to an illegal Airbnb that took almost 2 years to get shut down. If we're supposed to believe that Che is a good person and is concerned about being woke then Airbnbing is the exact opposite of how you portray someone like that. 

Yes to ALL of this. AirBNB is terrible. The company destroys housing markets. It is hard enough to find affordable housing in NYC and now we have people renting apartments they can't afford (like Che), because they figure they can count on AirBNB income. Which just incentivizes landlords to raise rents even higher, and withhold apartments from the market because they want to reserve them for AirBNB. Not to mention the insane greed on the part of the rentees, who have gone crazy the last year or so, adding on ridiculous cleaning fees that double or triple your total bill. To say nothing of the many chores--including cleaning--a renter is expected to do. I've never used the company (or Vrbo or any of them) but I've been watching them suspiciously because affordable living costs is important to me, and to most New Yorkers. Che is Not a Good Person here.

 

On 8/3/2023 at 8:06 PM, AKimbo said:

I liked this episode. I thought that everyone who has previously been highly annoying was at least toned down. Miranda and Che are both more likeable when they are separate--Che comes off as warm and supportive at the vet office, and I felt for Miranda and those interns. (I get why they were peeved at her presence, but obviously texting about someone in front of them is stupid, mean, and immature.)  And I thought the scene with Seema and Carrie outside the salon was beautifully written and acted. I really believed them as good friends in that moment, and I loved Seema's authenticity. I think Carrie's "I made a mistake" line was more about the infidelity, and I can also see her saying that when she's still in the haze of this new relationship. 

YES. I'm starting to warm up to Miranda again, she's back in super-competent mode and has lost that cheesy hopeful grin ("I was cravin' me some Che" VOMIT) she always had around them. And Che when not around Miranda or in ONSTAGE mode, is quite likeable.

And yes, the scene between Seema and Carrie was wonderfully written and acted.

 

 

On 8/4/2023 at 5:50 AM, Rebecca berkowit said:

Miranda- why couldn’t the other pissy interns understand the fact that she’s got 30 years’ experience - as a practicing lawyer - on them and so is much better qualified to do more sophisticated work?  Why does that make her “privileged?”  

Seema- ...And, of course, the new client is going to be her new love interest.   (Is he supposed to be Indian?  Would MPK do that, because he’s so awkward with the whole diversity thing he thinks he has to find someone for her who is also Indian? 

Because they're in their twenties. Yes, the in-front-of-Miranda texting was pissy and petty. But they're in their twenties. It's in the water at that age.

 

On 8/4/2023 at 3:48 PM, marybennet said:

The dismissal of Big seems unhealthy on Carrie’s part.  Casting her life and time with him as a mistake seems like a way for her of eliminating the grief that I don’t believe is yet gone. I can’t help thinking that the writers have in mind some moment when she breaks down a little, when the bubble of “Aiden: Take 3” bursts and she has to acknowledge the force of her life with Big.  I suspect the writers know that and will make it happen, whether things go forward for Carrie and Aiden or not.

I guess I'm a little surprised that everyone has taken Carrie's one utterance--and asking, not stating, "Was Big a mistake?"--as the harbinger of Big erasure via MPK. Yes, MPK sucks; yes, he tried to erase Steve-randa. (Ugh. Okay, I tried.) But a big part of that was Cynthia Nixon writing herself into the SATC universe, trying to make her fantasies canon. (Sure hope her wife was onboard...)

Yes, Noth likely sucks. But Big doesn't (IMO). The character of Big had matured, had grown, had become the ideal husband in many ways by the time he died. Carrie asking that question is clearly another example of Carrie flailing, reeling, in the wake of her reunion with Aidan. He's there, the sex is good, they're in this idyllic fantasy environment. For the past 1-2 years Carrie has been in terrible pain. Aidan shows up and she can push the pain away for a bit. 

I really don't think Carrie is going to try to shut the door completely on her love for Big, or erase that history, or negate it. Her "I made a mistake" (and I loved that hug between them) I think was deliberately vague, and referred to her cheating.

[Rebecca berkowit]

I live in a neighborhood that has a real problem with air bnb and is always trying to ban short-term rentals.  Some buildings are even being purpose-built as places for people to buy “investment properties” to rent out as an air bnb.  It’s marketed that way, and they sell it as something you can use for vacation, but also rent out when you’re not using it.    The result looks like a hotel, but with a million individual owners for each individual room.  Usually there is no “front desk”, manager, housekeeping, security, or any type of central organization to the building, like a hotel would have.   There’s no requirement that a manager even be on-site.  The city is unsuccessfully trying to ban such buildings, but currently there is no restriction on building them for that purpose.  Recently, I stayed in an apartment building in another city that I rented for two weeks through air bnb.  (So, yes, I’m part of the problem, I realize, but I needed something for a long-term stay.). The building seemed to be full of air bnb guests, we didn’t see any real tenants. Everyone was always coming and going with suitcases, and there was no security at all at the entrance, so you never knew who you might be letting in when you opened the door for yourself.    You could tell the building had been originally built as a nice condo, it had a gym and some common areas and a desk for security at the entrance, but all of this had been abandoned.  The whole vibe of the building was one of extreme disrepair and absentee ownership.  That’s why nice buildings don’t want it.  You’re better off renting an actual vacation home or staying in an apartment-hotel or corporate housing that offers long-term stays but is operated by a single entity in the hospitality business that knows how to do that.    

Edited August 8, 2023 by Rebecca berkowit

[Rebecca berkowit]

I always thought the original series went wrong when it doubled down and went all - in on Big and Carrie as the endgame, and this happened fairly early on.  The series, and the column on which it was based, was conceived as a being about how you could be a single woman and have fun dating and working in the city, and how marriage didn’t need to be your goal, now or ever.  They had these guy of the week stories, and they were frank about sex, not just “ romance.”  And then it went and effed that up with her chasing after Big.  By the end, everyone was paired up in the same  fairy-tale ending that has been sold to women since time immemorial.  Blech.  Still, Chris Noth may be an alleged offender personally, but there is no reason to erase him or retcon Big from the series.  Big was a big deal for Carrie.  She was a total dick to Aidan because of him.  

[bluegirl147]

9 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

IMO Big wasn’t a mistake he was a CHOICE, a choice Carrie made over and over again! Even after he left her at the alter in her wedding gown. 
 

Carrie and Big deserved each other, the mistake was stringing Aidan along as long as she did. 

This.  Nobody made Carrie choose Big.  He did the push pull with her but she let it continue.  If Big hadn't died she wouldn't asking if he was a mistake and reaching out to Aidan. 

10 hours ago, EllenB said:

If Aiden sold out (his soul, not just his company), that would definitely appeal to Ms. Shallow McMoneybags.

I agree with this.  Aidan having money (even though Carrie has her own  Big's money) makes him more appealing now.

8 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

AirBNB is terrible.

For how woke this show pretends to be the fact they don't know this or don't care shows me their "wokeness" is just performative.  How hard would it have been for Che to say she is Air BnBing her apartment and have someone say oh no don't do that, they are terrible? But instead they frame it as people in the building not liking it were wrong for not liking it.

 

[RedDelicious]

I am firmly Team Seema. I would have been very upset if I had been planning an adult single girl summer at a beautiful beach house and my friend suddenly coupled up with an old flame and wanted to bring her "boyfriend" along. That line of "he wouldn't be there that much" never in the history of ever, holds up. We have been putting up with Carrie and her boyfriendboyfriendmyboyfriend attachment style for 25 years. I'm overrr it. I definitely would have needed some space after that incident. It's always the same with Carrie, a man comes along and she drops everyone and everything. Once you get to be a certain age and it's happened to you enough times, you have absolutely NO time for it.

I've been waiting for 20 years for my friends with kids to get to a point where we can take a real girls trip and I finally had to accept its never going to happen. There's always something else that's more important. And it's never us. I would kill to have a friend like Seema.

I'm indifferent towards Aidan. To me the only thing he's guilty of is just being a regular guy. There's nothing terribly exciting about him, and we know Carrie does not do slow and steady, not even when Big settled down and wanted a quieter life. She had to go to Abu Dhabi and screw up.

West Elm doesn't track. If they told us Design Within Reach which carries actual designer furniture, I'd have believed it. But West Elm is like every overpriced mass market furniture store out there. It's all inspired pieces of veneer and engineered wood. Not hand made pieces of solid reclaimed wood like Aidan produced. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by RedDelicious

[RedDelicious]

I totally agree about the AirBnB thing being terrible - we see that a TON where I live. I'm in a historic tourist town and investors tried to cash in i.e., people with money from out of state who don't live in or stay at their properties, renting out to hooligans. The city cracked down on that thankfully. 

One use model where AirBnB is actually a good thing - I work in healthcare construction and our guys spend several weeks at a time at jobsites all around the country. It's more economical and more comfortable for them to rent an AirBnB while they're onsite than to stay in a hotel. They're at work all day and crash at night and they can shop/eat their own food and not be stuck in a hotel room. It works out really well for us and them. If you're a roadie, it's really nice to be able to buy the things you like and not have to subsist on fast food or restaurant food every single day. 

I loved the scene of Che walking through Carrie's bathroom/closet and being all wtf. 

[bluegirl147]

42 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

I've been waiting for 20 years for my friends with kids to get to a point where we can take a real girls trip and I finally had to accept its never going to happen. There's always something else that's more important. And it's never us. I would kill to have a friend like Seema.

When I became single in my 40s my son was older and out of the house so I thought great now I can do things with my female friends.  Nope.  They were either busy with their husbands, the kids still at home or their grandkids.  I did  have one female friend who was free.  Until she got a boyfriend.  I'm in my 50s now and I have lunch or dinner with two friends once a season.  One is younger never married no kids and the other is older raising two grandkids so she is anxious to get out of the house.  

46 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

That line of "he wouldn't be there that much" never in the history of ever, holds up

The fact that he was going to be there at all was the problem and Carrie is way too self involved to understand that.  

 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

2 hours ago, RedDelicious said:

I loved the scene of Che walking through Carrie's bathroom/closet and being all wtf. 

I wonder what she would think of Lisa Todd Wesley's closet.  I almost expected Che to pull out a purse or something as a contrasting call-back to Wesley Jr's girlfriend's actions.

Edited August 8, 2023 by ItCouldBeWorse

[RedHawk]

5 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

For how woke this show pretends to be the fact they don't know this or don't care shows me their "wokeness" is just performative.  How hard would it have been for Che to say she is Air BnBing her apartment and have someone say oh no don't do that, they are terrible? But instead they frame it as people in the building not liking it were wrong for not liking it.

Similar to what I posted previously: Che could have told Carrie the plan to AirBnB their place and go sleep on their grandma's couch. Carrie could say something about "oh no, you don't want to do that for xyz reasons" maybe including "you'll get in trouble with your building management". She wouldn't have to say anything negative about AirBnB, just "Oh geez, that sounds awful!" and in a lightbulb moment offer to switch apartments as well as pay for the use of Che's when Aidan was in town. Instead it came off as actually promoting AirBnB, despite Che mentioning the annoying AirBnB guests.

1 hour ago, RedDelicious said:

I loved the scene of Che walking through Carrie's bathroom/closet and being all wtf. 

That was a fun scene I wanted to go on longer! Maybe Che could have opened Carrie's oven and laughed at the stack of sweaters stored in it. Just Che's reactions to some of Carrie's outfits hanging in the closet would have been funny. ;-)

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

The fact that he was going to be there at all was the problem and Carrie is way too self involved to understand that.  

Exactly! Seema proposed renting the Hamptons house (at huge expense) for a single gal-friends summer. Carrie saying "He wouldn't be there that much" without even the courtesy of asking Seema if he could be there or considering how it would be an imposition on Seema's space was typical Carrie.

I imagine that if Carrie or Seema met someone in the Hamptons, each would have been ok with the other having a man over from time to time. Seema doesn't want Carrie to not have a guy, it's just Carrie's glowing "love of her life" behavior about Aidan and totally forgetting her plans with Seema that was so very bad.

Edited August 8, 2023 by RedHawk

[bluegirl147]

2 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

Seema doesn't want Carrie to not have a guy, it's just Carrie's glowing "love of her life" behavior about Aidan and totally forgetting her plans with Seema that was so very bad.

It's always about what Carrie wants and her feelings.  I mean Carrie gets dumped by post it on the same day Charlotte gets engaged and it becomes all about Carrie.  

4 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

Carrie saying "He wouldn't be there that much" without even the courtesy of asking Seema if he could be there or considering how it would be an imposition on Seema's space was typical Carrie.

And for all we know Aidan might have brought his kids. Seema was expecting a girl centric summer and it could have quickly turned into a family summer.  

[RedDelicious]

59 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

That was a fun scene I wanted to go on longer! Maybe Che could have opened Carrie's oven and laughed at the stack of sweaters stored in it. Just Che's reactions to some of Carrie's outfits hanging in the closet would have been funny. ;-)

Exactly! Seema proposed renting the Hamptons house (at huge expense) for a single gal-friends summer. Carrie saying "He wouldn't be there that much" without even the courtesy of asking Seema if he could be there or considering how it would be an imposition on Seema's space was typical Carrie.

I imagine that if Carrie or Seema met someone in the Hamptons, each would have been ok with the other having a man over from time to time. Seema doesn't want Carrie to not have a guy, it's just Carrie's glowing "love of her life" behavior about Aidan and totally forgetting her plans with Seema that was so very bad.

Totally! I've said it before, Sara Ramirez is great with facial expressions and subtleties and Che, who is more of a minimalist from what we've seen, reacting to all of Carrie's frippery would have been hilarious.

I saw the Eiffel tower bag and was afraid there was going to be an accident with whatever was left of Big inside. Which is pretty macabre but would be on brand for the writers doing Che dirty.

As a side note to the mention of Seema's space and their summer plans, yeahhh my friends from college who all have husbands and families hint from time to time of coming to stay at my house for a "girls trip" because I live near the ocean and it's always been a firm no from me. I work from home and it wouldn't be any kind of vacation if I have to do all the shopping, cleaning and airport shuttling. We've never been able to take a trip because of their lifestyles. I'm not hosting 6 adult women because I'm able to on account of my lifestyle. I used to feel guilty about this but I don't anymore. /endrant hehe

Edited August 8, 2023 by RedDelicious

[Scarlett45]

6 hours ago, RedDelicious said:

I've been waiting for 20 years for my friends with kids to get to a point where we can take a real girls trip and I finally had to accept its never going to happen. There's always something else that's more important. And it's never us. I would kill to have a friend like Seema.

 

((((Hugs)))) 

 

I am right there with you- and I know I’m lucky that my friends DO make childfree time for me (we just did Vegas with the elderly parents and it was amazing).

I know how Seema felt. I don’t mind hanging out with couples as much as the typical single person, but please don’t bring your child with you. However it’s no fun planning something and then having your plans changed because someone’s significant other wanted xyz. 

3 hours ago, RedDelicious said:

As a side note to the mention of Seema's space and their summer plans, yeahhh my friends from college who all have husbands and families hint from time to time of coming to stay at my house for a "girls trip" because I live near the ocean and it's always been a firm no from me. I work from home and it wouldn't be any kind of vacation if I have to do all the shopping, cleaning and airport shuttling. We've never been able to take a trip because of their lifestyles. I'm not hosting 6 adult women because I'm able to on account of my lifestyle. I used to feel guilty about this but I don't anymore. /endrant hehe

Good for you. I’m glad Seema kept it real like you have done with you friend group. We need representation. 

[GiveMeSpace]

Yeah, if I was a writer for this show, I would have Che coming to Carrie's apartment with a frozen pizza pizza because she's broke. She preheats the oven starting a sweater fire that burns down the apartment. 

 ETA: Then Carrie shows up to view the charred remains and says "It smells like curry in here".

Edited August 9, 2023 by GiveMeSpace