SEX AND THE CITY (2004)

Before the films made it embarrassing to like Sex and the City, oh how I loved it. A Carrie with Miranda tendencies, I couldn’t relate to the fashions or the lifestyle. What really resonated was the central role that friendships played in these women’s lives, even as romantic partners came and went (in one case, with only a Post-It note for a goodbye).

The end of the show was not simply a TV event for me; it felt like something that was happening to me. The series finale, An American Girl in Paris, aired in two parts (Part Une and Part Deux). It saw Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) leave New York to be with The Russian, Aleksandr Petrovksy (Mikhail Baryshnikov) in Paris, where he was opening an art show.

I was a puddle during Carrie’s final New York dinner with Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kirstin Davis). “Today I had a thought,” Carrie says. “What if I had never met you?” With Carrie the glue in the foursome, what would become of these friendships after her bon voyage? But ah, the voyage turns out not to be so bon. In Paris, Carrie sees Petrovsky for what he is: a selfish narcissist who will never put her first. Without bothering to say goodbye, she leaves his exhibit to belatedly join a group of fans at a restaurant. But she is too late. They have left, and left her book behind on the table, stained.

Then, Big shows up. Carrie’s big love, off and on, since Season 1.

I would have preferred to see Carrie leave The Russian and Paris on her own, to continue her life in New York (or wherever) with new adventures we viewers would only be able to imagine. Carrie didn’t need a Prince Charming to rescue her. The episode’s final scene sees Carrie disappear into the show’s other main character, New York. And, nice touch, reveals Big’s real name, thanks to Carrie’s flip phone.

That finale aired nearly 20 (gulp) years ago. I still at times listen to MC Solaar’s La Belle et le Bad Boy, the song that played in the pivotal scene when Carrie leaves Petrovksy at the gallery. The song reminds me of that time of life when SATC was a revelation and such good company; a time of life when we could make mistakes and know that our girlfriends were just a phone call away to help fix them. Or just listen.