Samantha

[Bella]

This thread is just about naked. But it doesn't have to stay that way.

[LemonSoda]

Chattygal, Thank You for touching on MPK's hypocrisy! I've said it for years and been flamed over it.

I've always felt no one else could've played Samantha. The way Kim took an almost caricature of a character and gave her substance. Samantha was very self aware about what she wanted out of life. I know the other girls were supposed to be more centered. But to me Samantha was the most grounded, self aware, and successful of the four.

I know it's silly to go so in depth about a character on a tv show but I hate when shes written off as just "the promiscuous" one because Kim brought so much more to the character.

[Bella]

LemonSoda, you and I just about share a brain when it comes to this show. 

 

Prior to this show, I had Kim lodged in my mind as one of those actresses whose potential would never be realized. I thought she did herself a disservice by taking on so many sexpot roles, but that's what she could get, and Hollywood is a difficult place to work. 

 

Then she became Samantha, and it was as if this justified her entire career. As you note, she made so much more out of this character, way beyond what was scripted.

 

Then, after it was all done, her Who Do You Think You Are? search for her grandfather was another jaw dropper, in a completely different sense.

 

But anyway, yeah, I can't imagine anyone else doing the role.

[LemonSoda]

I wish I could remember the exact quote but during the scramble to make the movie happen she was hesitant to participate. Something about the quality of work. I like that she was hesitant. I like that she wanted more for her character.

I had the great privilege to see Kim do theater a few times. People in the audience came to see "Samantha" and were blown away. Wow! Samantha can act?

I've always wondered why she took so many sexpot roles. Bad management? When you go from Preminger to Porky's I question management lol

The Who Do You Think You Are? Episode was heartbreaking and a great example that truth can be strander than fiction. Her natural accent around relatives is adorable.

[ShellSeeker]

I found KC's acting to be rather one-note much of the time, but she did have some scenes that were beautifully acted. The scene with her and Carrie in the taxi on the way to Miranda's wedding, where she told Carrie she had cancer was one. Another was her last scene in the series, when Smith came back to tell her he loved her. Also, the scene where she had to leave Richard's office before she started crying when he told her why he wouldn't hire her the first time (her reputation) was another good one.

 

Character-wise, I found Samantha to be the most tiresome of the 4 women. I've had friends like her -- the ones where everything is somehow some sort of sexual innuendo -- and they are exhausting. Yes, I love gossiping and giggling over off-color humor as much as the next girl, but there are other things to talk about. My least favorite storyline of hers was when she tried to seduce the priest. 

 

The one thing I loved about her character was that she was a great business woman, and was very successful in a hugely competitive business. One of the many reasons I despised the second movie was because of how they completely harpooned this aspect of her character. The Samantha from the show would never have let her raging libido get in the way of a lucrative business deal.

[Scarlett45]

Queasy-Bo- AMEN! Samantha would've never let sex stop her from making money, not ever. That's my big issue with the second movie.

[Bella]

This is really about Kim Cattrall.

 

There's a brief article in the front section of this week's New Yorker about Kim and a friend of hers. (I'm not linking to it because it's locked for non-subscribers.)

 

It turns out that her best friend is a French performance/installation artist named Sophie Calle who just installed a piece in New York about her mother's death. Calle's mother kept diaries for many years, and part of the installation is Cattrall reading selected passages at a whisper. There's a bit more, including that she's a star and producer for a new Canadian series. 

[Princess Sparkle]

Character-wise, I found Samantha to be the most tiresome of the 4 women. I've had friends like her -- the ones where everything is somehow some sort of sexual innuendo -- and they are exhausting. Yes, I love gossiping and giggling over off-color humor as much as the next girl, but there are other things to talk about. My least favorite storyline of hers was when she tried to seduce the priest.

The one thing I loved about her character was that she was a great business woman, and was very successful in a hugely competitive business. One of the many reasons I despised the second movie was because of how they completely harpooned this aspect of her character. The Samantha from the show would never have let her raging libido get in the way of a lucrative business deal.

 

 

AMEN!  And here's the thing - I actually like Samantha for most of the series, because while she could be selfish, it's nice to have a non-judgmental friend.  But I swear, sometimes they made her into such a joke.  The priest seduction episode was just distasteful, because even Samantha would know better.  I think it's a testament to Kim Cattrall's acting that Samantha didn't tip into being just a one-note joke and actually had some heart.  And don't even get me started on the Samantha of the movies - no wonder Kim Cattrall held out for so long if those were the storylines they proposed for her.

 

I will say, while I thought Cynthia Nixon was, by far, the best actress of the bunch, I think Kim Cattrall had the best comedic timing (though, I'll give credit where credit is due - SJP is no slouch either).  One of my favorite lines in the entire series is when she's indignant for Kira not paying for Carrie's shoes and says "That's ridiculous!  If you had a baby, and someone asked you to leave it in the hallway and it was taken, you'd better believe someone would pay!"

[MaryHedwig]

Then, after it was all done, her Who Do You Think You Are? search for her grandfather was another jaw dropper, in a completely different sense.

I loved getting to know the real Kim in this episode.  I agree that Catrall brought more class to the role of Samantha than the writers deserved.  My favorite line of hers is after Carrie reveals her affair with Big and asks Samantha if she is judging her.  Samantha says, "Not my style" in a way that was so honest and believable.   I think of her saying that line when I am trying to be non-judgmental about something someone I love is choosing to do (like a tattoo on your forehead?....don't get me started!)

[Maherjunkie]

I thought the line from the pilot about her having deluded self confidence was cruel.  Sam is just as pretty as a model and could take on Big!

[Ms Blue Jay]

I just nearly rewatched the entire series and almost everything Samantha did made me completely gleeful.  God I love Kim Cattrall.  I take so much pleasure in this character.  It's hard for me to even articulate.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[Woopah]

Same as above having re watched the series I think Samantha was the funniest of all

[psychoticstate]

For me, Samantha brought the humor and lightened the show up (at least until the cancer storyline).   She was more the "everywoman" to me, excepting her number of partners.   Other than Miranda, she was the most loyal in my book and she was indeed the only one who didn't judge the others.

 

She may have come across as selfish at times (especially when Miranda had Brady but I also think that was more discomfort and not feeling comfortable around babies) but if you caught your boyfriend cheating on you, Sam would be the one to help hang up signs about the cheater all over town.

[Woopah]

Defo I agree

I loved Samantha's boldness I really like her with Smith it was a shame they split but understand why

I didn't like Maria at all too possessive

[Maherjunkie]

Whose is Maria?

[ktwo]

Maria was the artist with whom Sam had the lesbian relationship in season 2 or maybe 3.

[Maherjunkie]

Right, sorry.  I wanted to see her convert the yoga teacher.

[SlovakPrincess]

I didn't like the Samantha/Maria relationship, but it worked as story because I think that was the point - they wanted very, very different things and it was never going to work.  

 

I do enjoy Samantha and Maria's last big fight, when Maria goes "you call this a relationship?" and Sam goes "well, it's tedious and the sex is nearly nonexistent, so from what I've heard, yes."  And then Maria breaks all her plates.  It was over the top, but the actresses made it a fun scene.  And I ended up feeling badly for both of them when it ended.  

[Inquisitionist]

Kim Cattrall doesn't find the 50 Shades guy sexy.  Perhaps the feeling is mutual.

 

Is it just me, of does this article seem obsessed with Cattrall's age?  It first mentions that she is 58, then says she'll turn 60 next year, and later couches that as entering her 7th decade.  All true, but geez, how many male actors get that treatment?

[Bella]

Not many would. Often, age isn't even mentioned.

 

And an older woman can still gauge whether a man is attractive without needing to be attractive to him. 

 

KC is not the only 50-something who found Dornan unattractive. Or, to quote one of my Facebook friends, "He's creepy-looking and I hate his mouth! Ick!"

[EarlGreyTea]

I really love Kim. She's so soft-spoken in real life, and you can hear the hint of a British accent there sometimes, especially when she's among her relatives, like in the Who Do You Think You Are? episode.

 

The Charlotte/Samantha dynamic was an interesting one. I loved the episode where they hung out with heightened versions of themselves, and realized they were more like one another than they thought. I wish they'd explored their relationship more, but I've noticed no subgroup is allowed to exist on this show that doesn't include Carrie.

 

My favorite Sam moment was her crying at Miranda's mother's funeral. What a sweet moment, and it showed how much she did care about the other girls.

 

I must say, the SJP/Kim dynamic reminds me a lot of the Bea Arthur/Betty White relationship. Disliked each other, but their respective shows made their careers, so they kept it professional. I've always admired that, especially since SJP and Kim shared so many scenes together. Reminds me of Vivian Vance's early assessment of Lucille Ball: "This is the biggest thing to ever happen to my career, so I'll learn to love that bitch [Lucy] even if it kills me!"

Edited October 2, 2015 by EarlGreyTea

[Cquen82]

Samantha had so much more depth than her reputation gave her credit for. She might have been promiscuous, but that was only because she was so confident in what she wanted out of life and that she was going to get it for herself.

 

She also cared very deeply for her friends as mentioned above. She has shown on multiple occasions to be a very loyal friend to Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda. Her friendship with Charlotte was always very sweet to me, even though both of them judged each other for their lifestyle choices more than once.

Or maybe I just like seeing the ins and outs of relationships that have nothing to do with Carrie.

[Bb78]

On 02/06/2014 at 2:16 AM, Chattygal said:

Whenever I play that "which character am I?" game (yes, I still play it now and then, ten years later), I usually end up with 24-24-24% (Carrie-Charlotte-Miranda) and 28% Samantha. Even though she was often the butt of jokes under the guise of showing "empowerment" (I have issues with MPK's hypocrisy on certain things), I think it is all owing to Kim Cattrall that the character never was demeaned by some of the situations the writers forced her into. Cattrall took everything they threw at Samantha - including a ridiculous, fairytale pairing off at the end - and made you believe she'd planned it like that all along. I always thought Samantha, more than Miranda, was the most grounded of the three friends because she was always open and honest with what she did and didn't want.

I disagree. Samantha changed her partners as often as socks so in that respect she wasn't grounded.  

On 02/06/2014 at 2:57 AM, LemonSoda said:

Chattygal, Thank You for touching on MPK's hypocrisy! I've said it for years and been flamed over it.

I've always felt no one else could've played Samantha. The way Kim took an almost caricature of a character and gave her substance. Samantha was very self aware about what she wanted out of life. I know the other girls were supposed to be more centered. But to me Samantha was the most grounded, self aware, and successful of the four.

I know it's silly to go so in depth about a character on a tv show but I hate when shes written off as just "the promiscuous" one because Kim brought so much more to the character.

On 02/06/2014 at 2:57 AM, LemonSoda said:

Chattygal, Thank You for touching on MPK's hypocrisy! I've said it for years and been flamed over it.

I've always felt no one else could've played Samantha. The way Kim took an almost caricature of a character and gave her substance. Samantha was very self aware about what she wanted out of life. I know the other girls were supposed to be more centered. But to me Samantha was the most grounded, self aware, and successful of the four.

I know it's silly to go so in depth about a character on a tv show but I hate when shes written off as just "the promiscuous" one because Kim brought so much more to the character.

Its hard to see what else Samantha brought to the show because she Was in bed 24\7. 

[Bb78]

On 02/06/2014 at 1:15 PM, Bella said:

LemonSoda, you and I just about share a brain when it comes to this show. 

 

Prior to this show, I had Kim lodged in my mind as one of those actresses whose potential would never be realized. I thought she did herself a disservice by taking on so many sexpot roles, but that's what she could get, and Hollywood is a difficult place to work. 

 

Then she became Samantha, and it was as if this justified her entire career. As you note, she made so much more out of this character, way beyond what was scripted.

 

Then, after it was all done, her Who Do You Think You Are? search for her grandfather was another jaw dropper, in a completely different sense.

 

But anyway, yeah, I can't imagine anyone else doing the role.

Samantha played her role really well. I enjoyed her sense of humour, vivaciousness. I also liked how she threw caution to the wind and just lived her life and didn't care what other people thought. 

[Bb78]

On 03/06/2014 at 4:58 AM, ShellSeeker said:

I found KC's acting to be rather one-note much of the time, but she did have some scenes that were beautifully acted. The scene with her and Carrie in the taxi on the way to Miranda's wedding, where she told Carrie she had cancer was one. Another was her last scene in the series, when Smith came back to tell her he loved her. Also, the scene where she had to leave Richard's office before she started crying when he told her why he wouldn't hire her the first time (her reputation) was another good one.

 

Character-wise, I found Samantha to be the most tiresome of the 4 women. I've had friends like her -- the ones where everything is somehow some sort of sexual innuendo -- and they are exhausting. Yes, I love gossiping and giggling over off-color humor as much as the next girl, but there are other things to talk about. My least favorite storyline of hers was when she tried to seduce the priest. 

 

The one thing I loved about her character was that she was a great business woman, and was very successful in a hugely competitive business. One of the many reasons I despised the second movie was because of how they completely harpooned this aspect of her character. The Samantha from the show would never have let her raging libido get in the way of a lucrative business deal.

Samantha is my second favorite character. Purely because she is outgoing and doesn't give a damn. She's also very funny and looks great. 

 

The I loved the story line where he boyfriend cutboff his hair to support her when she had chemo. That was really touching. 

 

I take it back when I said Sam did only one note story lines. She was a great business woman very savvy. 

On 02/06/2014 at 1:45 PM, LemonSoda said:

I wish I could remember the exact quote but during the scramble to make the movie happen she was hesitant to participate. Something about the quality of work. I like that she was hesitant. I like that she wanted more for her character.

I had the great privilege to see Kim do theater a few times. People in the audience came to see "Samantha" and were blown away. Wow! Samantha can act?

I've always wondered why she took so many sexpot roles. Bad management? When you go from Preminger to Porky's I question management lol

The Who Do You Think You Are? Episode was heartbreaking and a great example that truth can be strander than fiction. Her natural accent around relatives is adorable.

Good for her. She's worth more than playing one note roles. 

[Bb78]

On 20/06/2014 at 3:20 PM, Princess Sparkle said:

 

AMEN!  And here's the thing - I actually like Samantha for most of the series, because while she could be selfish, it's nice to have a non-judgmental friend.  But I swear, sometimes they made her into such a joke.  The priest seduction episode was just distasteful, because even Samantha would know better.  I think it's a testament to Kim Cattrall's acting that Samantha didn't tip into being just a one-note joke and actually had some heart.  And don't even get me started on the Samantha of the movies - no wonder Kim Cattrall held out for so long if those were the storylines they proposed for her.

 

I will say, while I thought Cynthia Nixon was, by far, the best actress of the bunch, I think Kim Cattrall had the best comedic timing (though, I'll give credit where credit is due - SJP is no slouch either).  One of my favorite lines in the entire series is when she's indignant for Kira not paying for Carrie's shoes and says "That's ridiculous!  If you had a baby, and someone asked you to leave it in the hallway and it was taken, you'd better believe someone would pay!"

Cynthia was the better actress but she was annoying. Always complaining. I liked Sam. She brought humkur and was a breath of fresh air. I liked how she was non judgmental.

[psychoticstate]

Kim had fantastic comedic timing as Samantha.  She was doing the mic drop moments before there were such things and some of her deliveries were absolutely flawless.  In my mind, Kim Cattrall WAS Samantha, plain and simple.  As others have pointed out, she took what was a very basic, stereotypical character and made something out of it.  Sure, she might have been outrageous at times but look at Carrie's wardrobe for much of the series.

While the writers gave Samantha some of the best lines of the series, they also did her the greatest injustice at times.  They made her choices the butt of jokes for others and had her acting completely out of character (the Friar Fuck episode comes to mind.)  Sam was a sexual extrovert but she was certainly smart enough to not run around after someone in the church or act with an astoundingly horrific lack of decorum as she did in the second movie.  I also don't think a successful, professional woman like Samantha would have given the overnight delivery guy a hummer in the office, where anyone could have walked in, as Carrie did, or even gone for a skin peel the day before, or day of, Carrie's book event. 

It definitely goes to professionalism and talent that both Kim and SJP could have wonderful chemistry and camaraderie on screen while not particularly caring for each other off. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Great post, @psychoticstate

[WendyCR72]

Whoops, wrong thread.  :-) 

[Mu Shu]

The whole Sam character got tired for me, though I agree KC fought hard for it.  A woman who bases her life on sexual conquests is as sad as a man who does the same, especially in middle age and beyond.

Would have been more relatable if Sam was not constantly talking about sex like a 16yo in a teen comedy from the 80’s.  Women just don’t constantly talk about sex in that age group.  Maybe men do, but it’s usually the arrested development types.  

[Melancholy]

I don't think series!Samantha was just about sexual conquests. The show wisely gave Samantha true emotional long-term relationships starting in S4. In her relationships with Richard and Smith, Samantha wasn't just motivated by sexual conquests. Samantha wasn't actively searching for TRUE LOVE like her friends but if true love came up and surprised series!Samantha, she'd absolutely pick it over sexual conquests. As opposed to someone like Richard. Sam's version of true love was smuttier and more broadly comedic and hard-charging professional than her friends but it deserved as much respect. 

Even before S4, it's fascinating how Samantha tries to work around Jame's tiny dick and Maria's lack of a dick because she emotionally cares for them. These would be HUGE deal breakers for a slut who just wants to be pounded. Samantha will dump some hot stud who's hung like a horse without a second thought but she tried to work through a relationship with people who were incredibly sexually incompatible with her because they reached her emotionally where the studs didn't. That's fascinating to me. 

The movies were a betrayal of this side of Samantha. I agree that Samantha became as pathetic as older men who base their lives on sexual conquests and clinging onto the appearance of youth. Because that's Samantha's life in the movies.  

[Banshee]

On 6/29/2014 at 5:03 PM, MaryHedwig said:

I loved getting to know the real Kim in this episode.  I agree that Catrall brought more class to the role of Samantha than the writers deserved.  My favorite line of hers is after Carrie reveals her affair with Big and asks Samantha if she is judging her.  Samantha says, "Not my style" in a way that was so honest and believable.   I think of her saying that line when I am trying to be non-judgmental about something someone I love is choosing to do (like a tattoo on your forehead?....don't get me started!)

Oh my God! That's the line that gets me too! It sounded so natural.

But I laugh when she says the most outrageous things with such panache: "No smoking in bars? Next thing, there'll be no fucking in bars!"