Sex and the City redux

I rewatched the first three seasons of Sex and the City while on my treadmill this winter. (The conclusion of the reboot—And Just Like That—prompted me to go back and relive some of the original.)

Now that treadmill season is thankfully over (we can walk outside here now), here are my random observations on the old show:

The women never ever reference their mothers. It’s like they didn’t have mothers.

Donald Trump is mentioned in the very first episode (which originally aired in 1998) and I decided to carry on rewatching it anyways.

Carrie had a zen teacher. (I had a zen teacher.)

Carrie and Charlotte did partner yoga. (I tried partner yoga once in the 90s and hated it. It put me off all yoga for years.)

When the women go to Connecticut for a baby shower, suburbia is like an uncomfortable foreign land to them with baffling things like “Invisible Fence.” (That one made me laugh, because we got both a dog and an Invisible Fence when we left the city.)

There was reference to having baby names picked out before you were even married or pregnant and “reserving” them with your friends. This was funny because I specifically remember my friend Gail reserving “Justine” when we were teenagers. Also, my friend Susan and I were pregnant at the same time and had a negotiation over the name “Henry” which we both liked. I “gave” it to her because it was her deceased father’s name. (It was also my deceased maternal grandfather’s name, so my son got it for his middle name.) For some reason, it was very important for GenX friends to not give their babies the same names.

There were pre-plane crash references to JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette, which was interesting because I’m pretty sure Sarah Jessica Parker dated JFK Jr at one point, although I don’t think that was mentioned in Love Story.

That feeling of taking pregnancy tests when you didn’t want to be pregnant—remember that?

Palm Pilots – such a big deal at the time

Smoking cigarettes – aaah

And when the worst thing about Rudy Giuliani was that he cracked down on smoking in NYC…

The guest stars:

Bradley Cooper (played a single, straight smoker)

Will Arnette

Jon Bonjovi

Alanis Morrisette

Vince Vaughn (adorable)

Matthew McConaughy (still no)

Hugh Hefner (soooo creepy, but so mainstream and acceptable in the 90s)

Carrie Fisher (RIP Carrie. Loved her.)

There was definitely some dated and cringy stuff, especially around socio-economic class. But let’s face it, all of that inequality has just gotten worse.

Maybe I’ll go back and watch seasons 4-6 next winter. Or maybe not.

And Just Like That

Predictably, I was a fan of Sex and the City and have eagerly watched all three seasons of the reboot—And Just Like That. (I saw both of the Sex and the City movies too.) We now know that this will be the final season of And Just Like That, so fans are getting ready to bid goodbye to Carrie Bradshaw forever.

My obvious connection to the show has been that I am the same generation as the main characters. Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis are my age exactly—sixty. They are among the group of actresses born in 1965 that I tend to keep tabs on.

I know there are plenty of haters out there, based on very legitimate criticisms of the show, but for me Sex and the City was like an alternate reality. By the time the show first aired in 1998, I was married with a three-year old, living in a somewhat dilapidated antique house in suburbia. What if I hadn’t gone that route? What if I had had the gumption to leave Boston for the real city in my twenties, like several of my friends? Would I be dashing around Manhattan in a tulle skirt, going to art openings and brunch?

The 60-year old versions of the characters in the reboot, still living in Manhattan in fabulous clothes, have been dealing with some relatable GenX problems from bouts of vertigo to ageism at work. Still, they’ve kept it mostly light and escapist. Even when Carrie’s husband (Mr. Big) drops dead in the shower, I wasn’t exactly heartbroken. The female friendships are still central. New York City is still central.

We’ll see what the final two episodes bring. How will my life in an alternate universe turn out?

SJP as Carrie Bradshaw in Season One of Sex and the City (1998)
Me hosting a rather cramped birthday party in our living room in 1998