One of my favorite series turns 22 years old today. I have so many good memories of my early 20s watching this show with my best friend.
Drinking cosmos, looking for Mr. Big, and taking spontaneous trips to New York was what Sex and the City was all about for us. Channeling our inner Carrie’s, Miranda’s, Samantha’s, and Charlotte’s were one of the best parts of those years.
With the 22nd anniversary approaching, I decided to re-watch again. I have to admit it was a very different take being the same age as the main character this time and also still single at 36.
Back when I watch in my 20s I was all about being a Samatha, now I’m kind of more like Carrie with a little splash o Miranda (the sarcastic, no filter and stubborn part). Also, I used to think Mr. Big was the perfect man, that is far from the truth and maybe now I understand why I’m still single at this point.
After binge-watching what I found out is that most of the series content didn’t stand right now, a lot like other tv shows from the ’90s like Friends for example.
What is never going to change is that single women still have the same problems, society still thinks that we are weirdos for not having kids at 35, Our Mr. Big still an asshole and we still like that way.
But the most important thing that truly stands this day is that every girl needs girlfriends to walk along with, to vent, to laugh, to cry, to hold your hand when a man broke your heart, to push you when you feel that you are not enough and to remind you what you are and who you are when you start doubting yourself.
Your Girlfriends are the family that you choose and to quote Charlotte “Maybe you are each other soulmates and then we can let men be just these great nice guys to have fun with”.
To celebrate 22 years of this iconic series, here are 22 of my favorite episodes to re-watch is you love Sex and The City as much as my friends and I do.
1. Sex and the City
Season 1: Episode 1 / Air date: June, 6 1998
Of course, I need to start with the one that started it all. Carrie introduces herself and her search to find love in the cold and complicated city of New York.
2. Secret Sex
Season 1, Episode 6 / Air date: July 12, 1998
This is one of my favorite episodes because it shows how paranoid women are when we like someone.
This was the episode where Carrie thought Big was ashamed of her because he kept taking her to the same restaurant and didn’t introduce her to a friend. After Carrie confronts Big he explains that he didn’t introduce her because he didn’t remember the name of the guy and that he keeps going to the same place because he liked the food.
This actitud ring any bells?? Yes I’m talking to you reading this.
3. The Turtle and the Hare
Season 1, Episode 9 / Air date: July 12, 1998
Samantha takes a project and Carrie learns Mr. Big was married and he’s not planning on doing it again.
This one for me is very important because it sets Mr. Big’s character, and was one of the many Big red flags Carrie choose to ignore.
4. The Man, the Myth, the Viagra
Season 2, Episode 8 / Air date: July 25, 1999
Miranda meets Steve after Carrie commits the worst crime a friend can make, ditching her to stay with Big. Samatha dates a very old millionaire and the President of the United States makes a cameo appearance. What else can you ask for in a 25-minute episode??
5.The Caste System
Season 2, Episode 10 / Air date: August 8, 1999
Carrie says I Love You and pressures Big to say it back. Steve dumbs Miranda just because he can’t afford a suit to go with her to a party that her firm is throwing.
This is one of the episodes that didn’t age well, if it was aired today, HBO would have protests and boycott letter and for sure the actors, the writers, and the Network would have to issue an apology.
Charlotte refers to Steve as a second class citizen, Since when the working class in second class?? May I said this was while getting pedicures insinuating that the hard-working ladies doing the pedis are second class citizens too.
Ironically Carrie starts to feel like a second class citizen when it comes to Big’s high-class society friends.
The thing that I like about this episode is that it shows how society works. If a man dates a less successful woman is ok, but if a woman is more successful there is a problem. That’s why I know so many career-oriented single women, men are intimidated by success and power and these episodes gots that well.
22 years later society women like Charlotte still judge we the normal people who work for a living, men still are intimidated by success and power and if you a dating a Man of the high society you are still going to be judged for not going to an ivy league or come from a wealthy family.
6. Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women
Season 2, Episode 17 / Air date: September 26, 1999
The girls rent a house for the summer in the Hamptons, Charlotte lies about her age and Carrie finds out Big is dating Natasha a much younger girl he meet in Paris.
Every woman wants to be younger and none of us wants to run to the love of your life and find out he’s dating a much younger woman. This episode and the one after, are one the best of the whole series and needed to be on this list. Which takes me to the next one.
7. Ex and the City
Season 2, Episode 18 / Air date: October 3, 1999
Carrie makes an effort to be friends with Big thinking his relationship with Natasha is not serious, only to find out he’s engaged. Which causes a very public embarrassing scene in a restaurant.
This is very normal because the same guy told her, he was never going to get married again. On the bright side, Miranda gets back with Steve, perfect contrast of how one is this nice, wonderful perfect guy, while the other is a douchebag.
8. No Ifs, Ands or Butts
Season 3, Episode 5 / Air date: July 9, 2000
This episode is about what we are willing to do for love as only Sex and City can do it.
Carrie is not going to let smoking get in the way of her relationship with Aidan.
At the end we learn that Aidan is totally worth it, Charlotte decides to move on to the next one after trying everything that was on her power, Samantha learns while she might be willing to ignore the sister the boyfriend is not ready to let the most important woman in his life down and Miranda was there for Steve when he wasn’t able to make the 1 million dollar shot.
This episode is prove that when it comes to love everything is worth trying.
9. Are We Sluts?
Season 3, Episode 6 / Air date: July 16, 2000
But are we?? Once you reach a certain age you wonder how much is too much and that’s exactly why I like this episode.
Carrie thinks Aiden doesn’t like her because he doesn’t want to sleep with her, only to find out they are only dating for a week and the man is just a gentleman. Miranda has to confront the ghost of sexual past when she discovers she has a sexually transmitted disease. Samantha is being attacked and judged by her neighbors when a thief enters the building at 2 am after she opens the door to the man of the evening.
10. Drama Queens
Season 3, Episode 7 / Air date: July 23, 2000
Carries has been dating Aidan for a month when suddenly she realizes everything in the relationship is perfect. Aiden is the total opposite of Big, he wants her to meet the parents, he’s giving her keys to his house, as every girl in the world she sees this as something most be wrong. She asks for space and time apart from each other. When Aiden does exactly that she suddenly feels like she wants what they have before. We, women, are terrible people sometimes.
This one is not particularly one of my favorite episodes but is on the list just because we do these two things that happen in this episode often.
- We sabotage the great guy just because we like drama.
- When the guy ignores us and gives exactly what we ask for we suddenly want him back.
Another thing that hasn’t change in 22 years.
11. Easy Come, Easy Go
Season 3, Episode 9 / Air date: August 6, 2000
As soon as Big starts finding problems in his marriage he runs back to Carrie to crumble everything she built with Aiden. Finally hearing Big said all the things she wants to hear, the famous affair started.
As I pointed out very common ways women behave in relation, men also do this. Many men act exactly like Big, they wait to see the girl happy to start saying all the things they should have said when they were together.
Sounds familiar?
12. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Season 3, Episode 12 / Air date: September 3, 2000
Charlotte is finally gets married, and Carrie decides to finally tell the truth to Aiden after she ended the affair with Big.
This episode is on the list because I found that the decision that Carrie made was brave. After facing how much she hurt Natasha, and how toxic her relationship with Big was. Making an effort not to hurt another innocent person for her bad decision, she choose to come clean to Aidan about the affair. She could easily stay silent and continue life with the perfect man.
She surely picks the worst time to come clean, but who we are to judge the moment when you finally dare to admit that what you did was wrong to move on with your life with a clean slate.
13.The Agony of An Ex’tacy
Season 4, Episode 1 / Air date: June 3, 2001
This episode is all about Friendship. Carrie and Miranda run into Aidan and Steve on a double date. Also, its Carries 36 birthday and everybody has some inconvenience that kept them from getting to the party. Carrie has to face being alone in a restaurant on her birthday living the fear that every single woman has, going through life without a man.
Once again the girls come to the rescue and Charlotte comes up with one of the best theories and best quotes of the show “Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with.”.
That sentence sums everything the show was all about. It may be called Sex and the City but what it was about is the friendship that these four women built.
14. Belles of the Balls
Season 4, Episode 10 / Air date: July 29, 2001
Carrie is doing great being friends with an Ex, now is time her present makes friends with him too. She pushes Big to befriend Aiden is he wants to stay in her life.
A weekend in the country, a superhero inspire fight, plus Aiden proving he’s one the best male characters on tv it’s what makes this episode one of my favorites.
15. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
Season 4, Episode 11 / Air date: August 5, 2001
This one is about life choices. Should we be ashamed of the decisions that we made in the past? Should we be ashamed if the decisions that we make affect other peoples feeling when we have no control over other people’s problems? Should we use certain power to gain what we have in life??
All of these questions are asked during the episode, Miranda learns she’s pregnant and Charlotte discover the slim chances of getting pregnant. Does Miranda is a bad person for considering abortion while her friend struggles to have a baby?.
Carries lies to Aiden about having an abortion, while re-visiting her past and wonder is she made the right choice at the time. While Samantha uses a famous client to get that purse she desperately wants.
Should we overthink every decision or act as we think right at the moment and forget about The Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda?
16. Change of a Dress
Season 4, Episode 15 / Air date: January 20, 2002
Emotions, emotions, emotions… As Aidan press for a Wedding date, Carrie realizes she’s maybe not the marrying kind when a dress gave her allergies. Miranda doesn’t seem to be excited about having a boy and Charlotte want not to feel emotions about her failed marriage.m
Do every women need to react the same way, when it comes to marriage or baby or divorce?
I don’t think so. Every woman has the right to her own feeling about certain things, while society wants to react to some things a certain way doesn’t mean you have too.
The dress was a way for Carrie to know she didn’t want to marry Aidan, Miranda has the right to take her time to process she’s having a boy and Charlotte is entitled to feel sad and angry about her divorce.
Emotions get the best of us, but sometimes they make us realize things we don’t want to see even when they are there.
17. Anchors Away
Season 5, Episode 1 / Air date: July 21, 2002
This one is up for discussion, Charlotte has a theory that everyone in life has only two great loves.
Fleet Week kicks off in New York City and Carrie, Samantha and Charlotte begin to adjust to Miranda’s new life with baby Brady. Samantha is finding it hard to adjust to cleaning up her act in front of Brady, especially since she’s still seething over Richard’s infidelity, newly single Charlotte is ready to find her next great love, whereas Carrie wonders if, after Big and Aidan, she’s all out of great loves.
18. The Big Journey
Season 5, Episode 7 / Air date: September 1, 2002
It took Big for Carrie to publish a book with her best columns for him to realizes how much he hurt her.
Carrie who was desperately waiting for a booty call ignores this by saying it was all in the past. But was it?? Aren’t many of her life decisions provoke by what this man has put her through?
So as Carrie says in all the episodes, I couldn’t help but wonder. Are women really forgive and forget or we just choose to ignore everything hoping that the person we love the most will change at some point?
That’s why this episode is one of my favorites. Just watching Big feeling guilty for a chance was worth watching more than once.
19. Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little
Season 6, Episode 4 / Air date: July 13, 2003
I love this episode! Beger explains to Miranda how male species work. If he doesn’t call or makes an excuse or simply doesn’t bother to get your attention is as simple as He’s Just Not That Into You. This episode inspires a book that later turned into one of my favorite movies.
Maybe we should stop making excuses and just accept that if he doesn’t call He’s Just Not That Into You.
20. Hop, Skip and a Week
Season 6, Episode 6 / Air date: July 27, 2003
The breaking up on a post It episode needed to be here. Mainly because I find it funny and creative of the writers to come up with this way for Berger brake up with Carrie. If this episode aired today Berger would have probably chosen a text instead of a post-it.
If you are a true fan of Sex and the City for sure you’ll remember this episode and is one of your favorites wants too.
21. Splat!
Season 6, Episode 18 / Air date: January 11, 2004
I have to admit I’m not a big fan of the Aleksandr – Carrie storyline. I don’t begin to understand how Carrie likes him, he is cold, treats her friends horribly and is just a boring billionaire that was pretty obvious he only cared about himself and his work.
That and so much more is shown in this episode when he hosts a dinner for the girls and their significant others that is as awkward and uncomfortable as it can be. Also, he decides to confirmed Carrie is moving to Paris with him without even asking her if she was going and knowing they don’t know anything about that possibility.
The idea of Carrie, finally ignoring Big’s calls, quitting her column, and leaving her friends for this guy didn’t make sense at all. She had the perfect guy on Aiden and didn’t do half of these things to try to make it work, I don’t understand how she would choose to do that for the man that was not for her.
This episode is here because I think it is important for the ending of the show, even thou it didn’t make sense to me why. Finally, Carrie Is open to the possibility to find her way without Big.
22. An American Girl in Paris (Part Une)
Season 6, Episode 19 / Air date: February 15, 2004
To finish my list of favorite episodes, the beginning of the end of Sex and The City: The Series.
Carrie finally tells Big she is over him hurting her and trying to ruin her happiness. She goes to Paris with Aleksandr and it didn’t take long to miss what she left behind. Things are not looking as perfect as Carrie imagines it would be her life in Paris.
Once again the girls come to her rescue sending Big to Paris to get her back. That scene with Big and the girls is one of my favorite moments of the whole series.
Did I have your favorite episode on the list? Do you enjoy these episodes as much as I do?.
Choosing 22 of my favorite episodes, wasn’t easy. 22 years later these are the ones that I could come up with. I have the best time getting together again the ladies of Sex and The City. Some things were perfect, some things they didn’t get right, and some things would never have happened if the show was made today.
What it’s clear is that 22 years later, Sex and the City still one of my favorite series, one that I can look back and still have a great watching it all over again.
