I’ve been watching old episodes of Sex and the City for the past two weeks. And over the weekend, I watched seasons 2 and 3.
I don’t know what you think of this stuff but I get really involved with it, ‘it’ being Carrie’s relationship with the here-and-not-here-again unattainable Mr. Big.
Big is the kind of guy that would sweep you off your feet but would also snatch the rug from under your feet. Carrie would always find her face pasted and her dignity splattered across the floor.
Needless to say, she was so in love with Big. She’d always think about him and try to make their relationship happy and satisfying enough to keep him. But he was true to who he was – unattainable.
Big can’t introduce her as his girlfriend. Big can’t take her to his mom. Big couldn’t tell her where he was. Big couldn’t help looking at other girls. Big dropped her like a hot potato whenever he wanted. Big makes her feel so imperfect. Big was going away to Paris without including her.
Carrie was heartbroken to know he could leave without consulting her or thinking about what would happen to their relationship. So there, he left. Big just couldn’t include her in his life.
After 5 months, in the season ender, Big comes home to Manhattan. They bump to each other. He was with a beautiful and younger woman. Her heart was crushed.
Not sure what to do and how to cope with the news of Big’s new girlfriend, Carrie invited him for lunch and proposed if they could at least be friends. She told him he can talk about his new relationship if it gets serious.
Big: It is serious. Carrie, we’re engaged.
Carrie: Engaged?! (puts her head on her hands) I have a splitting headache. How can you be engaged? You have problems with commitment, remember?
And Carrie storms out of the restaurant dejected and crushed even more. After a few days, she got an invitation to the engagement brunch party.
The day of the brunch, she chose to have brunch with her friends. She was whining about how Big can do what he did to her – why despite her love for him he did not choose to be engaged with her.
Miranda: One word. Hubell.
Carrie: Oh! Hubell. That’s right.
Charlotte: Oh Hubell!!!
Samantha: What are you talking about?
Then the other girls explained to her that Hubell is Robert Redford’s role in The Way We Were. And Barbra Streisand played Katie. They were in love. Were. Because Hubell chose to marry another girl.
Miranda: He didn’t choose Katie because she was a little bit complicated and she has this really curly hair.
Carrie: Hello? C-cu-cu-cu-curly! (pointing to her hair)
Miranda: While this other girl had straight hair and was simple.
The girls recounted the day of the wedding...
Katie: Your girl is perfect, Hubell. (and she walked away)
… and sang Memory.
“Can it be that it was all so simple then or has time rewritten every line? If we had the chance to do it all again, tell me would we…”
Carrie: Could we?
Carrie went to the posh Plaza to swing by the ‘brunch’. She saw Big and her bride-to-be getting in the car. Big saw her and approached her.
She had one question for Big. "Why wasn't it me?"
Big: Oh Carrie...
Carrie: I really want to know. Please.
Big: (after a moment's hesitation) It just got so hard. And she's....
Carrie: I know.
And she touched his face and said “Your girl is perfect, Hubell.”
Big: I don’t get it.
Carrie: And you never did.
And Carrie walked away.
I needed to blow my nose.