Sex and the City

[Neurochick]

The issue with the all characters is that it feels that they were plucked from 1999 to 2021 and suddenly had to adjust. In reality the changes would seem more organic.

BTW, I don't think the writers are treating me like an idiot, because IRL the very people you never thought would do something impulsive, do. I've been surprised by people too many times to think what's happening to Miranda is strange.

ETA: Miranda and the Black Doctor. I think the issue was the WRITERS probably didn't want to have an interracial relationship in the story for fear they'd fuck it up. So Miranda conveniently ended up with Steve, though I never really felt them together as a couple.

[Ginger]

I don't think Blair Underwood was supposed to be around for the long term. I always felt that relationship was supposed to show that even though he was a hot, successful dreamboat who adored Miranda and was perfect in every way on paper, that he couldn't replace the relationship she'd formed with the not-perfect guy that she loved anyway.

Even though Miranda was always incredibly judgy about Steve being of a lesser caste than her, there was never really anything wrong with him. Miranda assumed he had no ambition, but he became a bar owner not long after they met. Owning a bar in NYC is a pretty big achievement. And Steve's fun and easygoing nature was definitely needed to counterbalance Miranda's really extreme level of Type-A rigidness.

[dragonflie]

I feel the writers are treating me like an idiot- or they are idiots:
exhibit A: Miranda's - oh so subtle "drinking problem". I put it in quotations because they beat us over the head with it- then magically solved it in one second. She dumped all the booze, and now her love of Che has solved that problem!
exhibit B: Miranda has turned into an idiot. Yes, people change and even make impulsive decisions. They don't change personalities and suddenly become idiots who bumble around
exhibit C: Carrie's "hip problem"- but she can still wear heels. Oh- and the doctors, and everyone else thinks she's FABULOUS!! (excpet for Big, seeing as she killed him- but- oh well- she's still fabulous!!) I will concede - this isn't a new gripe- they kinda always treated Carrie this way.
exhibit D: all of the characters are soooo olddddd. (except they're not- but the writers don't know how to write nuance and interesting stories about getting older- so they treat 55 like 85)
exhibit E: Miranda goes to school- and they act as though that is sooo crazy, she will be sooo out of place. Oh, and she doesn't know how to interact with anyone anymore- that does go back to point B though- Miranda is now an idiot.
exhibit F: treating all of the new characters as convenient place holders to fill a void of "non-binary character", "POC character", "questioning sexuality" storyline. None of them feel earned- thus they come across as dismissive.
exhibit G: a show about strong women has absolutely zero women who actually have jobs in the original cast. They all live off of their spouses. (maybe not Miranda anymore- we'll see??)
exhibit H: Charlotte is perfectly fine with Miranda cheating on Steve, then throwing away her marriage for some affair she is having with an a$$hole. (remember in the og series when Charlotte was devastated to learn Carrie was cheating with Big... or just how seriously she takes marriage and vows... but that was old Charlotte- it's 15 years later- people change!! - umm- what??)

If ANY of this felt earned I might feel differently. None of it has been though. They could have (if they were good writers) explored: Miranda coming to terms with her life and feelings of sexuality... recognizing she has a drinking problem (or not recognizing it and spiralling)... Carrie trying to cope with Big's death- even maybe with the fact that she panicked and didn't call 911 when she should have. Charlotte coping with raising two teens, one of which is working through their own issues themselves, and navigating family life when your children are growing up and what that could mean for her.

Instead we get a whole bunch of things that show no growth, or are completely out of character: Carrie gets over Big in like a week (and they do a time jump- like- why even have Big in it at all? They shoulda just had him die offscreen before the show started- but... coulda shoulda woulda). But she's still a self obsessed terrible person and friend. Miranda is not into any exploration or growth, just grinning like a moron and solving alcoholism in 1 night- then falling in love with a narcissistic bully who is the shows representation of non-binary people. Charlotte runs around traumatized by the nuances of race relations and having enough POC friends. Now that is quality writing folks!

[jynni]

#notmymiranda seems to be the new #notmyluke

That said, while I definitely agree that show is terribly written, I've seen first hand IRL how people can change in 10-15 years, so nothing Miranda is doing seems like it could be out of the realm of possibility for her. We've been away from these characters almost as long as we knew them. It's more jarring here since we didn't see Miranda's experience in the interim years. I mean if a fortune teller told SATC S1, E1 Miranda that in 10 years she'd be married with a kid to a bar owner who cheated on her she'd have laughed in their face.

Though I guess I was never onboard the Steve/Miranda train from the beginning and would've assumed they'd have divorced long ago. Charlotte, Carrie, and even the unseen Samantha don't seem to have deviated too much off how they were by the end of SATC2 so I guess it makes sense that one of the 4 would have some sort of mid-life crisis.

[dragonflie]

While I appreciate what you've said jynni- I think it also points to exactly why I don't like what they've done. They haven't earned it, explored it, lead up to it. There has been a gap of 10-15 years, sure... but good writing would still be able to explore these dynamics- of how people change.

And for sure- the Miranda -and the Charlotte in some ways- of season 1 would be shocked at where they ended up at the end of the series. But the reason the viewers aren't is: we were given the good, the bad, and the ugly of the progression. People do change- and that can be examined/explored. The progression was earned.

In this show that's not happening. A drinking problem is solved in 30 seconds. A new relationship, exploration of sexual identity, and dissolution of a 20 year marriage occurs in the span of a few weeks and 2 episodes. The logical, often closed off, intelligent, and independent Miranda is replaced with a moron- with no explanation or reasoning. That's why it's not only jarring and feels odd- it IS out of character- because we have not been given anything of substance for this change of character. It also feels like a cop out for lazy writing. Hey: this character isn't really acting at all like she used to- like - remember this episode where she already said X, or that episode where she did y... none of her new actions jive with what we know of her. The writers: well, she's changed! It's been 15 years! Ok- cool- but maybe do the job of a writer and explain to us, even just a teensy bit- how this shift occurred. Or just be lazy and don't.

I'll stop now though ;p I'm over taking this thread- and I stopped watching weeks ago and am only reading a few recaps because the show gave me no joy and only offended and exhausted me. I HAVE found the convo here stimulating though!

[jynni]

Jan 21, 2022 22:43:30 GMT -4 dragonflie said:

While I appreciate what you've said jynni- I think it also points to exactly why I don't like what they've done. They haven't earned it, explored it, lead up to it. There has been a gap of 10-15 years, sure... but good writing would still be able to explore these dynamics- of how people change.

And for sure- the Miranda -and the Charlotte in some ways- of season 1 would be shocked at where they ended up at the end of the series. But the reason the viewers aren't is: we were given the good, the bad, and the ugly of the progression. People do change- and that can be examined/explored. The progression was earned.

In this show that's not happening. A drinking problem is solved in 30 seconds. A new relationship, exploration of sexual identity, and dissolution of a 20 year marriage occurs in the span of a few weeks and 2 episodes. The logical, often closed off, intelligent, and independent Miranda is replaced with a moron- with no explanation or reasoning. That's why it's not only jarring and feels odd- it IS out of character- because we have not been given anything of substance for this change of character. It also feels like a cop out for lazy writing. Hey: this character isn't really acting at all like she used to- like - remember this episode where she already said X, or that episode where she did y... none of her new actions jive with what we know of her. The writers: well, she's changed! It's been 15 years! Ok- cool- but maybe do the job of a writer and explain to us, even just a teensy bit- how this shift occurred. Or just be lazy and don't.

I'll stop now though ;p I'm over taking this thread- and I stopped watching weeks ago and am only reading a few recaps because the show gave me no joy and only offended and exhausted me. I HAVE found the convo here stimulating though!

I very much agree, especially with the bolded. It's lazy writing. The audience shouldn't have to fill in the blanks. I guess the gap in progression is probably an innate pitfall of revisiting characters years after we've seen them, but that's something of which writers should be aware they need to address when approaching the script.

[tiggertoo]

I can’t stand this Miranda.

In the latest episode, she says she had to end her marriage because it’s not fair to Che…..and Steve. Like Steve is the afterthought.

Her pain and anger when she found out that Steve cheated on her. A moment’s reflection on what she’s doing to him would be nice. Has anyone even mentioned that in passing? She seems to feel no guilt about cheating on her husband. Even when Che brings it up in the open marriage discussion, Miranda makes it all about her.

Checking to make sure that Che likes her before going ahead and dumping Steve. If the marriage is dead, it’s dead, right?

The whole dumping scene. I can’t believe after that she jumps in a car and says Steve just wants me to be happy. What about Brady? Did she take a moment to tell him.

I did enjoy Carrie and Charlotte this week. And Lily.

[peaches130]

I hate this trend of reboots that ruin a character’s endgame. Miranda and Steve were the one couple I rooted for in this stupid show. I guess you could say them not working out in the long term is realistic, but no more so than Carrie and Big, and they apparently lived a fairy tale only ended by death. I feel like Miranda’s big growth arc over the course of the show was to overcome her classist issues and accept Steve’s love, just like Charlotte gave up on the JFK jr princess fantasy and found love where she never expected with Harry, and Samantha discovered that love could coexist with sex. But now Miranda is just an asshole again. Maybe some things should stay in the past.

[Beyle]

I think those writing for this show aren't qualified to write for this show.

The main cast are Gen Xers, and the writers are younger than them. So, they have yet to go through the middle stages of life that the main characters are going through (perimenopause, etc.). They don't have a concept of what being in one's 50's, let alone 40's, is like.

That's why, in my opinion, the writing is uneven. Is it difficult to find fiftysomething women writers for for show?

[eveschmeve]

I thought the same thing about the writers and looked them up. To my surprise, most of them are 40-50 years old. Younger than the cast, but not by much. Not quite sure what’s going on there, but it’s definitely not a cast of writers in their mid-twenties.