Wednesday, February 25, 2004
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Wednesday, February 25, 2004 |
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Samantha and Charlotte and Miranda and Carrie By LINDSAY BIANCHI Sarah Jessica Parker aka Carrie Bradshaw has closed the book on sex and the city of Manhattan. Along with her three cohorts, she rethought the idea of what it means to be a modern woman in the modern world. On Sunday night, HBO ran the €nal episode of “Sex and the City.” In just under an hour, the loose ends of these four women’s lives were neatly tied into a pretty bow. For a show that has been misconstrued as shallow and vulgar, the lovey-dovey denouement capped what has turned out to be an honest look at life and love. Sure they said the f-word every five minutes, if not sooner (and much more besides), but underneath the rough language exterior beat a heart as true as New York City. If you just happened to tune in one night and were put off by the antics these ladies engaged in and said, “That’s all I need to see,” then you may have missed the boat on this one. When characters get under your skin like these got under mine, you can’t help but get involved in their world. After all, it’s a lot like our world too. Single adults do exist and have just as meaningful lives as everyone else. They date, have friends and sometimes they even have sex. There were a lot of taboos broken on this show. I don’t think I need to get specific here, but let’s just say there isn’t much left to reveal about the boudoir after six years of Carrie Bradshaw’s kinky column. As uncomfortable as Americans are with that part of the house, tearing down the wall between the mens’ room and the ladies’ room has been liberating for both genders. There is a kind of latent Victorianism in this country which says it’s ok to titillate and tease the public with the wholesome display of bikini-clad models. Yet, the line is drawn at the point where the lbido enters the picture. Just look at the latest Victoria’s secret commercials or reruns of “Baywatch.” Advertisers have been draping beautiful women over cars and other emblems of success for years and nobody bats an eye. That was one of the great things about “Sex and the City.” It was a smart, sexy, gorgeous show that got in your face and made you laugh, made you care and made people see that we all have the same thought floating around in our heads. Maybe we don’t always acknowledge them, but we certainly recognize them when they pop up. All that seriousness aside, there were other more important things to consider like what was up with Sarah Jessica Parker’s wardrobe? Sometimes she looked really cute in her “get-ups” and then other times it seemed like her fashion gene had gotten a little frumpy. “What is she wearing?” became the common remark when Carrie strolled on screen. I kept thinking she would pick up some tips from Kristen Davis who played Charlotte on the show. Her classy demeanor led one fellow cast member to call her “Audrey Hepburn-owitz.” I never expected too much from Miranda, Cynthia Nixon, although I enjoyed the honesty of her character the most. She may not have been the hottest trend setter on the program, but she was the most down to earth. As for Samantha, well, there isn’t much Kim Cattrall’s wardrobe lacked. She was flashy and flaunted her sexuality more than the rest of the cast combined. At first it made me uncomfortable to witness the no-holds-barred approach her character took to life. Gradually I began to like her spunk and as it turned out, she was a great lady under that hot exterior. She made her biggest contribution to the show when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and demonstrated there’s more to chemo than wigs. Fabulous, but flawed. That was the equation by which these four women worked their magic. They all ended up getting the man they deserved. Too many times it seems they met someone really great who was perfect for them. Eventually everyone could see the writing on the wall. Carrie was meant to be with Big, after a string of guys who one way or another didn’t measure up. Charlotte converted to Judaism and found her true love. Miranda had a fling with a handsome doctor, but it was Steve who finally won her heart. As for Samantha, she had to go through a lot of eye-opening experiences before she could see that Smith was every bit a man as she was a woman. As Carrie Bradshaw would type each episode on her laptop, “Is having your cake and eating it too possible for a girl who’s watching her figure?” The answer, after so many delicious episodes, seems to be, “Absolutely!”
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