big

See? That is worth being fat for. I'm sorry, it's just worth it.

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Episode Four: cover girl

This whole thing with Carrie judging Samantha for giving Joe Tuesdays & Thursdays a blow job, I think, is symptomatic of what I perceive as a rivalry between SJP and Kim Catrall.

Let me make very clear that I believe the show owes its success as much to Kim Catrall as to SJP. Kim Catrall does all the wacky shit, and SJP won’t take her bra off. People might argue “She can’t go topless, she’s the Heart of the show!” (just like her character in State and Main), but to them I say lots of shows have heart; the reason SATC got the ratings was because of the T & A.

This whole plot line basically says Carrie is better than Samantha and it pisses me off. I’m tempted to believe that the whole thing was orchestrated by SJP to remind Kim Catrall who was the star of the show. That’s how it went down in my head, anyway. “It’s time for ladies my age to cover it up,” she tells her. And Samantha didn’t even judge her when she had the affair with Big – she just said “not my style.”

There’s the whole thing about Kim Catrall holding out on the movie because she wanted the same money as SJP. That’s probably where I’m getting this whole elaborate conspiracy theory.

The guy who plays “Tom Big Boned” was on the radio in Austin last week. He does impressions. His name is Craig Gass.

Yes, I have a question: this Mister Big character, does he have a real name?

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Episode Seven: the big journey

I don’t know if it was just me (and my hangover), but the four girls all look really ugly in this episode. And then S and C get on the train and complain about how ugly everybody in real America is.

They probably sent Samantha to SanFran alone with Carrie so the two actresses could work out their issues while filming together. That’s what I say, any way.

Carrie has her laptop set up on a different desk in this episode. It’s in front of a mirror that I had never noticed before until they did a close up of it earlier this season, so I’m thinking it’s a new prop for Carrie’s apartment that they were really proud of.

Carrie tells Mr. Big “What happened in New York was all my fault – I didn’t read the signs.” Well, there’s the first three seasons of the show explained away, easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Oh please, there are depressed women all over New York doing the exact same thing as her and not calling it art.

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Episode Twelve: one

MPK and I have differing views on why this episode is called “One,” which is unsettling because he wrote the episode. He says: only one man for you, the baby is one, the first of the Petrovsky episodes. I say: yes, the baby is one, but also Samantha finds one gray hair and Carrie meets Petrovsky at 1 a.m.

I saw an interview with the SATC girls and Oprah where SJP tells how Michail Baryshnikov came to be a part of the show. She said she had the idea while she was washing her hair, then she mimed hair-washing, then she repeated herself while everyone else just kind of stared at her. It wasn’t funny, and I think she was trying to be. Anyway, MPK repeats the hair-washing antecdote in the commentary. Is there some connection between Baryshnikov and shampoo that I’m not aware of?

Also, how can Brady be one year old? He was born two seasons ago.

Charlotte gets the best ever “damn, girl” moment on this show, when she walks out of the building in her Elizabeth Taylor get up. So pretty. I always thought she looked like an older, slightly more substantial Katie Holmes.

MPK says they have come to rely less on the voice over in later seasons. I hadn’t noticed.

I also totally spaced on the story with Miranda, how she expects her bullshit to fall away when she meets the right guy so she can say “I love you,” and then that’s exactly what happens with Steve in the laundry room. I just never made the connection. Whoops.

Aleksandr is supposed to shake up Carrie’s world, to give it a more arty, European sensibility, says MPK, and he really does serve to show how limited her world view has been until now. But I think the best thing he does is out-bigs Big, if that makes sense. The trouble with Big and Carrie is that he was so much older, so much wealthier, and, at times, belonged to a different social class. And you thought she was really reaching to be with him. Now we see Carrie (who we’re supposed to think is perfect now, since it she was the sane one in the Berger relationship) really straining to make things happen with the Russian, and suddenly Big doesn’t look so unattainable.

Go get our girl.

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Episode Seven: an american girl in paris (part une)

It’s cheesy, and I don’t care. I love Paris, I love how the show treated Carrie’s expectations of Paris, and I love, more than anything, the scene where Carrie steps out on to the balcony and squeals at la Tour Eiffel. It’s just the Parisienne rooftops in the background and the sunlight and even the air looking European. Sigh.

Also, I’ve always thought that Petrovsky’s daughter was a nod to Paul and Stella McCartney. I think the girl looks like Stella, and the fact that Stella used to design for Chloe and the girl’s name is Chloe… Just another stylish girl with a famous father.

Ha. Samantha’s a cougar. I just realized that.

Ouch. Carrie left her laptop.

MPK does this really funny thing on the commentary when Big walks into the coffee shop. He says Big has to answer to her…and her…and her, as the camera pans past each of the girls.

I like how the wife of Alek’s best friend holds her own in the conversation with the boys instead of just making small talk with Carrie.

Chanel-lo!

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Episode Eight: an american girl in paris (part deux)

I’m writing about these last two episodes in real time because I watched them one time through without writing anything down, and now I’ve got two screens open on my desktop and I’m typing while watching and now I’m wishing I had been doing this all along. Damn.

Smith’s hair looks stupid after he dyes it.

Ah, the return of the cigarettes. She’s even eating at the patissier and smoking between bites. MPK says the giant dog smelled like a barn.

I’m guessing the tourist that’s filming her from the boat is …swedish?

aww, she sees her book in the shop. Too bad she completely screws those people over. I hate that.

Oh, the couple from Charlotte. Why would Charlotte and Harry serve them lox? That’s not really a very democratic offering, especially knowing that they’re hillbillies. “Is that the fish?” B just told me “lox” is also a rap group out of NYC that includes DMX and Eve.

My sister tells me that I really liked the french rap song (DJ Solar) that’s playing in the background while Carrie is running around Paris and Miranda is running around Brooklyn. I don’t remember saying that, but I’m proud of myself if I did.

Magda gets prettier in every episode. I hope I look like her when I’m old.

I love that when Big finally finds Carrie, she’s squatting in her nouveau-tutu looking for diamonds.

She says “this is so surreal.” I hate that word, ever since a fellow bookstore employee described our work environment as surreal. Fatuous statement, here and then.

Ah, Big’s name. That was my achilles heel. I didn’t like Big, but in arguing with a Big proponent, I conceded that Carrie was allowed to end up with Big IF we learned his real name. And we did, so she did.

“And if you find someone to love the you you love, well, that’s just fabulous.” Okay, I get it now.