Monday, February 23, 2004

I had some major issues with the last 3 episodes of Sex and the City, and sadly those problems weren't really resolved last night. I'm happy Carrie left Aleksandr Petrovsky as he was a presumptive arrogant jerk from the beginning. It's also sweet that she ended up with Big (or shall we call him John) in the end. However Standard Deviance is of the opinion that the story line of the last 3 episodes basically undermines the point of the entire series.

CBS's Sunday Morning had an opinion piece on the end of SATC that compared Carrie to Mary Tyler Moore to show Carrie's new path. Mary Tyler Moore had a great job, great friends, and sometimes she would have a boyfriend but it wasn't that important. She was fine on her own. However, Carrie of recent weeks has acted as if she is not fine on her own. The only fate possible for her if she continues to be single is that of Lexi Featherston, the 49 year old party girl who falls out a window after declaring "I'm so bored I could die."

She is so afraid of becoming like Lexi that she leaves her career, her friends, and her city to move to Paris with her "lovah" so she won't grow old and alone. Finally she determines she's not happy in Paris and tells the Russian that she wants to be "in love" with someone. She leaves and runs into Big and they go home and live happily ever after.

I am sorry, but this is a sad and pathetic end to the show. The most important theme throughout the series has been the friendship of the 4 women. Why was Sex and the City revolutionary? Because it said it's okay, it's even a good thing to be single in the city and for your friends to be your family. Men are nice to have around but they are not necessary and do not define you. However, this entire storyline of Carrie having to find a man to complete her life, whether it be Big or Petrovsky is lame. It undermines the point of the entire six seasons, which was the strength of the friendships. The final shot of Sex and the City should not have been Carrie walking down the street answering a call from John. It should have been the four of them together eating, walking, whatever.

You can argue that this idea of life is false. You can argue that women do need men to be happy, that they need to have a family outside of their girl friends, that Big should be the most important person to Carrie. Fine. But that's not what SATC is about. The show has always been about affirming a single life as a real, viable, good option for a woman, and for all of those who have been inspired by that message, this story line was a stab in the back.

Don't get Standard Deviance wrong, I still love Sex and the City. I'm happy Carrie and Big got together and that the rest of the girls seem to be working out their problems. But it would have been nicer for us loyal and faithful fans who always believed in the original message of Sex and the City if we hadn't been insulted in the final three episodes.

By the way... What the hell were Alanis Morissette and Star Jones doing commentating on the retrospective? Like I care what they think!