236: On Sex and the City: Frenemies

Summary

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Every Outfit Podcast Ep. 236: On Sex and the City: Frenemies (Aired August 29, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni return to their beloved "Sex and the City" monthly rewatch, focusing on the fan-favorite (but subtle) season three episode "Frenemies." Having spent the summer covering "And Just Like That," the hosts take a "healing" break to revel in the classic dynamics of female friendship, fashion, and sexual politics. This discussion explores how the frenemiships—both within the main group and elsewhere—shape the episode’s themes, highlighting the blend of biting humor, culture references, and emotional insights that "Sex and the City" does so well.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance and Placement of "Frenemies"

• The episode picked as a "slightly deeper cut" from SATC, sandwiched between three all-time greats (the two LA episodes and "Hot Child in the City"). Lauren argues it’s underrated, while Chelsea feels only season one and five dip into truly obscure territory.
  • Lauren: “I voted to do Frenemies because ... it really focused on the girls' friendship and showed that even when they have disagreements, they are each other's loves of their lives.” (01:34)
  • Chelsea: “We're coming off of a season of And Just Like That where there was a lot of tension between Carrie and Miranda, and there's tension between Miranda and Carrie in this episode as well.” (01:47)

Quick Narrative Setup & Iconic SATC Openings

• The episode’s opening efficiently situates all four leads in their current states:
  • Carrie working alone at home.
  • Samantha having wild sex on a bed with wheels and pillar candles.
  • Charlotte stuck in a sexless marriage, trying nautical metaphors to spice things up with Trey.
  • Miranda in a new dress, eating takeout, and waiting for a date who never arrives.
• Noted for its economic storytelling and instantly recognizable pashmina reference (“places it in a very specific time period"). (02:00–02:21)

SATC’s Blend of Realism and Surreal Satire

• The hosts love how much the show reflects NYC-specific romantic delusions—i.e., finding love in line at Starbucks or the bank—prompted by Miranda's failed date setup.
  • Lauren: “I realized this might have been the specific episode that deluded me into thinking that if I moved to New York, I was just going to meet prospective dates in line at the bank or Starbucks or just walking the street.” (05:11)
• They juxtapose the aspirational sex of Samantha's lifestyle with the comedic frustration of Charlotte and Trey.

Miranda’s Ghost Date (And the Comedy of Death)

• Miranda’s date, Will O’Connor, is a no-show—because he died. (06:18)
• She ends up going to his wake, prompting some darkly comedic moments with Carrie:
  • Carrie: “They're dying on us.” (06:35)
  • Miranda: “We're at my date's wake.” (17:33)

The Learning Annex Disaster

• Carrie’s “Where to Meet Men” seminar at the Learning Annex falls flat, with women in the audience demanding actual, useful advice rather than Bradshaw-isms.
  • Carrie (in seminar): “So the next time you step out in the morning with your shoes and your tote and your traveling cappuccino, take a look around, because... our little metropolis, it is stacked with men.” (13:23)
  • Audience: “I've been there. All the men are married.” (14:23)
• The lack of practical guidance leads to a spiral in Carrie’s typical self-questioning monologue.
  • Carrie: “…wasn't our single status a neon sign that we couldn't get it right? What if all these years in New York have only made us older, more confused, or dead? Are we getting wiser or just older?” (16:08)

Friendship Rifts: Charlotte vs. Samantha

• At brunch, Charlotte slut-shames Samantha for her casual flings, causing Samantha to fire back with equal hurtfulness (“she needs the stick out of her ass and a dick in her coochie pronto”). (24:23)
• Chelsea: “There's nothing wrong with the way that [Samantha] is talking about her own sex life, but she should consider the fact that her friend is in a sexless marriage and does not want to be in one.” (24:36)
• Lauren: “But I think we can agree the Mrs. Softy comment was a bridge too far.” (26:17)
• The hosts weigh both women's perspectives, emphasizing how real friendship sometimes means a cooling-off period after harsh words.

The 'Frenemies' Theme in Action

• The episode thematically weaves “frenemy” dynamics not just among the core four but also through:
  • Samantha’s instant camaraderie—and then estrangement—with fellow “spunky” southern character Claire Ann, who blows a guy at dinner (“Claire Ann's muffled voice, as if she's talking to Samantha while actively blowing the guy... sent me over the edge.” (37:03))
  • Charlotte’s failed attempt to confess her sex life woes to her even-more-WASPy sorority sisters, only to be judged herself.
• Chelsea: “This episode is a great example of how Sex and the City is able to identify a theme... and we see that played out in all these different ways.” (43:17)

Character Apparel & Fashion Commentary

• The hosts geek out intensely on fashion details:
  • Carrie’s vintage phase, Fendi baguette, and the iconic Kenneth J Lane butterfly necklace.
  • Miranda’s folkloric-Lilith-Faire-meets-Tibetan Freedom Concert looks.
  • Charlotte’s transformation from buttoned-up WASP to “call girl meets Park Avenue”—culminating in a seductive (and period-perfect) burnout velvet negligee.

Notable Side Characters and Zingers

• The character Claire Ann, Samantha’s “Wario,” stands out for her over-the-top Southern charm and sexual audacity.
  • Chelsea: “But I vibe with her. It's nice to have the Southern woman on the show. She's one of the all-time, great side characters.” (49:41)
  • Lauren: “She came, she drank, she blew her way through the city.” (49:47)

Relationship Etiquette & Boundaries

• Miranda’s choice to date Carrie’s ex sparks a discussion of friendship codes:
  • Chelsea: “I think it's fucked up of Miranda.” (27:41)
  • Lauren: “But it is eight years ago... That's why you and I can be friends. There'll never be an overlap.” (27:43/27:55)
• Both agree Miranda inviting Carrie to her date with Jim to “make things okay” is especially awkward.

Episode Structure & Classic SATC Elements

• The episode is lauded for its double brunch scenes, efficient storytelling, and deft weaving of comedic discomfort with moments of genuine warmth.
• The ending recaps the show’s core belief: even as dating gets messier with age, the women's greatest loves are each other.
  • Lauren: “...what Sex and the City was all about, which is it doesn't matter how many bad dates that these women and can go on. They have each other.” (40:45)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What's the matter, Morty? Coral? The Sting turn to mind our little dress. Floral. The Sting. Great gowns. Beautiful gowns.” — Lauren, quipping about fashion and referencing a running Instagram joke. (00:07)
• “Carrie's opening voiceover: ‘In a city where cynicism is as prevalent as pashmina.’ So good. It's the Carrie Bradshaw vernacular.” — Chelsea (02:00)
• "His schooner made it into her Rebecca." — Chelsea, on Trey and Charlotte's intimate breakthrough (46:27)
• "Her yachting metaphors—he can’t get into the dock, bring her into the harbor..." — Lauren, on the surreal, repressed sex chat between Charlotte and Trey (04:42)
• "That girl needs the stick out of her ass and a dick in her coochie pronto." — Samantha (24:23)
• “Because I can.” — Samantha, when asked why she always talks about sex that way. (24:00)
• "You're such an asshole." — Charlotte, responding to Jim at dinner (39:37)
• “Great dialogue. When Miranda admits that she's going to this guy's wake up, I think it's Charlotte or Samantha goes, you don't even know him. And Carrie goes, and it's safe to say she never will.” — Lauren on Jenny Bix’s wit (06:59)
• “Carrie is in her iconic Kenneth J. Lane butterfly necklace.” — Chelsea (38:26)
• "But as Carrie says, she matches, which are really predicated on smoking. If this were a few years later, Carrie has no game at all." — Lauren (48:29)

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Important Episode Timestamps

• 00:39–01:47: Introduction and argument about Frenemies' role in the canon, themes of friendship.
• 02:00–03:31: Recap of each character’s intro in "Frenemies," fashion details and pashmina moment.
• 05:11–06:10: Miranda’s disastrous date framing and New York dating realities.
• 06:18–06:45: Miranda learns her date is dead—dark comedy ensues.
• 13:23–14:47: Carrie’s Learning Annex seminar and audience pushback.
• 17:33: "We're at my date's wake." — Miranda’s withering dry wit.
• 24:23: “That girl needs the stick out of her ass and a dick in her coochie pronto.” — Samantha
• 37:03: Claire Ann’s (comedic) fellatio moment and Southern energy.
• 38:09–39:58: Three-way (bad) date with Carrie, Miranda, and Jim.
• 43:17: Hosts articulate how the episode perfectly uses the “frenemies” motif.
• 46:05: Charlotte’s push for sexual authenticity in her marriage, leading to breakthrough/negligee scene.
• 49:41–50:03: MVPs, side characters, and who should be "voted off Manhattan."
• 52:11–53:44: Biggest triggers from the episode.

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Episode MVPs / Awards

• MVP: Samantha, for being a bold friend and for her dialogue, despite escalating tension.
• Best Side Character: Claire Ann ("She came, she drank, she blew her way through the city" – Lauren)
• Voted Off the Island: Consensus leans toward Charlotte’s sorority sisters and Trey for their negative energy.
• Best Dressed: Charlotte’s negligee; Miranda's “funeral Diane Keaton look;” tie for Charlotte and Carrie at the lingerie store.
• Best Line: “You can forget Samba.” — Samantha (49:49)
• Biggest Trigger: “A dick in her coochie” line (Lauren, 52:11); Trey’s refusal to pleasure Charlotte in any way (Chelsea).
• Hottest Take: Both critique Miranda for dating Carrie’s ex—"I do think that Miranda did carry dirty by dating Jim" (Chelsea, 52:55).

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Final Reflections

The episode receives 8–9 "Manolos" out of 10. Both hosts celebrate Jenny Bix’s writing and the episode’s deft handling of complicated friendship dynamics, with plenty of fashion geekery, cultural nostalgia, and biting humor. Revisiting "Frenemies" is declared both "fun" and "healing" for hosts and listeners alike.

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For listeners new and old: this episode is a love letter to the nuanced, occasionally outrageous friendships at the heart of Sex and the City—and a reminder that, frenemies or not, the women always come back together.

Transcript

[Charlotte]

I spent $40,000 on shoes.

[Lauren Garrone]

What's the matter, Morty? Coral? The Sting turn to mind our little dress. Floral. The Sting. Great gowns. Beautiful gowns.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Fashion has changed. No, it hasn't.

[Lauren Garrone]

Hi, I'm Lauren Garrone.

[Chelsea Fairless]

And I'm Chelsea Fairless.

[Lauren Garrone]

And welcome back to the Every Outfit podcast. We are back doing our Sex and the City Monthly rewatch episode. We've been off the entire summer because we've been covering and just like that. But here we are.

[Chelsea Fairless]

It feels good.

[Lauren Garrone]

This was healing. I agree.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Frenemies is a great episode and it also follows three of our favorite episodes, which is the two LA episodes and then Hot Child in the City, which.

[Lauren Garrone]

We have all done as rewatch episodes. And we really felt that it was important to do an all time great Sex and the City episode. As we return to these rewatch episodes and we put our heads together, we asked you the fuckettes. And even though this is one of the best Sex of the City episodes, I feel like it's a little more of a deeper cut.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I have to disagree about that because I think the only deep cut episodes that's season one in season five. Everything else is fairly mainstream. No.

[Lauren Garrone]

All right, fair enough. But I voted to do Frenemies because I felt like coming off of and just like that. And I promise to keep the end just like that. References to a minimum. Uh huh.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Right.

[Lauren Garrone]

To do an episode that really focused on the girls friendship and showed that even when they have disagreements, they are each other's loves of their lives, that they can disagree and come back together for sure.

[Chelsea Fairless]

And we're coming off of a season of and just like that where there was a lot of tension between Carrie and Miranda and there's tension between Miranda and Carrie in this episode as well.

[Lauren Garrone]

We'll get into it. So. So where to begin?

[Chelsea Fairless]

Perhaps Carrie's opening voiceover in a city where cynicism is as prevalent as pashmina. So good. It's the Carrie Bradshaw vernacular. And of course the pashmina reference places it in a very specific time period.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah, you're like, this has to take place between 1998 and the year 2000.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I love a pashmina. Although I think they're kind of like politically incorrect now. There's something unethical about the way that the wool is sourced or something.

[Lauren Garrone]

Of course. All right, I'm gonna try to not do it.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Don't do it. Don't do it. Can't we just get away from the things that oppress us and move towards the light?

[Lauren Garrone]

Okay. But I did notice that this was a more economic storytelling. In, like, the first three minutes of this episode, we've got Carrie's voiceover, and we immediately see where all of the different girls are.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Carrie is holed up in her apartment, working. Samantha is getting fucked by a guy named Sebastian in his apartment on some sort of bed with wheels on it that also has pillar candles on it.

[Lauren Garrone]

That's her. I believe that is her packing district apartment. Yeah. Her bed has wheels on it.

[Chelsea Fairless]

How am I only now realizing this? That's insane.

[Lauren Garrone]

By the way, I have no idea why Samantha has chosen in her studio apartment, which we haven't gotten into. Samantha moved to a studio apartment. It's very chic, but there is no bedroom. And I want more for Samantha. But, yes, she has chosen a bed that has wheels on it.

[Chelsea Fairless]

This, to me, is very aspirational sex. I don't know why. Maybe just because all parties are hot and the apartment looks nice.

[Lauren Garrone]

Also, I feel like a bed moving is referenced several times throughout this episode. Samantha's literally doing it, and Charlotte invokes it later in the episode.

[Chelsea Fairless]

But you would think that the bed moving would actually not benefit the sex. You know what I mean? Wouldn't it be better to have this against a wall? Just saying.

[Lauren Garrone]

I don't know what this says about my own love life, but I've never had bed moving sex. But mostly because I've just had very heavy beds.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Okay, so Trey and Charlotte are trying to fuck. It's depressing. He can't get it up.

[Lauren Garrone]

Well, it also made me realize that we're coming off of them in couples therapy because they're using the. They don't exactly refer to it as schooner, but they are using the nautical metaphorical language to try to have sex.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, we're in a weird place where Charlotte knows that Trey isn't, like, fully impotent. She knows he masturbates. She did that weird thing with the stamps on his dick that one time when he was sleeping. But he still can't stick the landing.

[Lauren Garrone]

Even though schooner sails are up. He can't get into the dock, bring.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Her into the harbor.

[Lauren Garrone]

And then we have Miranda, who is sitting in a new dress that she got from Barney's eating out of plastic, waiting for a first date. And unfortunately, she's been stood up.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I couldn't find a fashion credit for this, but it does very much remind me of the DKNY dresses of the era, where it's kind of made to look like multiple layered pieces, but it is, in fact, one piece.

[Lauren Garrone]

I can see that. So Miranda is waiting for Will o', Connor, a smart and cute urban planner that she met in line at Starbucks. I realized this might have been the specific episode that deluded me into thinking that if I moved to New York, I was just going to meet prospective dates in line at the bank or Starbucks or just walking the street.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Well, that's how the women of Sex and the City meet most of their boyfriends. Occasionally it's at a party or something, but for the most part, it's out in the wild.

[Lauren Garrone]

So Miranda calls Carrie, who is. Yes, has she's been inside working to lament about how she's been stood up by her date. Which made me realize I've had many bad dates, many awkward interactions over the years. I've never been stood up. I have been left in the middle of a date, but I've never been stood up before.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, I think everyone's had a date cancel at the last minute also. But to be fully ghosted like this. No, I haven't experienced that either.

[Lauren Garrone]

And as we learn, Miranda's date had a good reason to ghost her. Because he himself is a ghost.

[Chelsea Fairless]

He has died. And Miranda realizes this when she calls him and his mother picks up the phone. And then she somehow ends up agreeing to go to his wake.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yes. At a conversation we don't see. In her panic, she agrees to go to this man, who she's only met once, to his wake.

[Chelsea Fairless]

And it immediately cuts to the diner and. And she's like, they're dying on us.

[Lauren Garrone]

Witch, 35, a little young. He died of a heart attack at the gym.

[Chelsea Fairless]

A little young. No shit.

[Lauren Garrone]

We should say that. This episode was written by Jenny Bix, who has written some of our favorite episodes. She wrote the LA episodes, season three, and Jenny Bix, just perfection.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah.

[Lauren Garrone]

Great dialogue. When Miranda admits that she's going to the sky's wake up, I think it's Charlotte. Or Samantha goes, you don't even know him. And Kerry goes, and it's safe to say she never will.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Samantha then pivots to her reservation at Samba.

[Lauren Garrone]

Okay, is it Sushi Samba?

[Chelsea Fairless]

No. I think in the world of Sex in the City, there is samba and then there is sushi Samba. I looked into it. I could not find an actual restaurant called Samba in New York.

[Lauren Garrone]

I do wonder if. Because Sex and the City is famous for creating fake restaurants. I mean, they feature real restaurants, but they also were great at coming up with fake restaurant names. If they came up with Samba as a great fake restaurant name. And then Sushi Samba opened up.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Very possible. It's so sad that that Sushi Samba isn't in New York anymore. And I, I looked it up, I was like, are there still Sushi Sambas? Yes, they're everywhere. There's one in Vegas, there's one in London, there's one in Dubai, there's one in Singapore. Like they're literally everywhere but New York City.

[Lauren Garrone]

Wow. That was a mistake on our part when we were in London for the live shows. Not. Not going to Sushi Samba.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Did you ever actually go to the Sushi Samba in New York?

[Lauren Garrone]

I don't think so. It was on Park Avenue South.

[Chelsea Fairless]

No, it was like West Village.

[Lauren Garrone]

Interesting.

[Chelsea Fairless]

It had that style of decor, that 90s modernist style of decor that I also associate with rice to riches.

[Lauren Garrone]

The Rice pudding establishment.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah. Where it's like a restaurant that was obviously built in the 90s, but it had this sort of 60s futuristic feel to it. I feel like it's only a matter of time before that comes back into fashion. It's been so out for so long that I feel like we could be on the verge of a renaissance.

[Lauren Garrone]

Which is super sad if that interior design comes back. Because if only. The standard West Hollywood could have held on for a few more years.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I know another restaurant in that style is.

[Lauren Garrone]

Fuck.

[Chelsea Fairless]

What's it called in Paris that Carrie goes to with Petrovsky's ex wife.

[Lauren Garrone]

Oh, I don't know.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Anyway.

[Lauren Garrone]

And I wouldn't dare try to pronounce it. Anyway, we're pretty sure that this is a fake restaurant within the world of Sex of the City. I do find it funny. This is the first of many mentions from Samantha that she has a reservation for specifically four people and had then prompt Samantha to ask Charlotte, do you think Trey would mind if he doesn't come to this dinner? Which felt very un Samantha to invite a significant other. But I guess if it's a spouse, it's slightly different. We have a new sponsor today. Lola Blankets. Lola is the world's number one blanket. Crafted with ultra soft luxury vegan faux fur and a signature four way stretch that sets it apart. But I'm not doing this ad read alone today because I am joined by someone who considers herself a blanket person. I, Chelsea Fairless Chell, can you take me through what makes for a good blanket?

[Chelsea Fairless]

Okay, well, first of all, I am a faux fur blanket person. I know that people are all about like a wool throw or whatever, but I'm sorry, you can't compete with the comfort level that a faux fur blanket can give I have tried a lot of faux fur blankets in my day, and this is the one. The thickness. Lauren, you would not believe or actually, you know you have one.

[Lauren Garrone]

I do indeed. What I was going to say is that what I love about Lola blanket is that it comes in a range of sizes, sizes and colors. We each have the large blanket, but I've had my eye on the extra large size. I have mine in the sky blue color, yours in toasted almond. I've been enjoying mine while I cuddle on the couch watching Frasier after we put Morty to bed. But you've taught me that being a blanket person is so much more than cuddling on the couch. Being a blanket person is really a lifestyle.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I think I know what you're getting at. One of the weirder things about me is that I bring blankets to movie theaters. I always have my blanket in a tote bag. I know that this is insane, but I'm sorry, movie theaters are too cold. And also, it's one of those things where when I'm in the theater, people look at me like I'm a freak, but they're also jealous of me because I'm so cozy. I feel like this also happens when I'm on planes and people are jealous of my setup and my Lolo blanket.

[Lauren Garrone]

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[Chelsea Fairless]

That is truly heartwarming. What a noble endeavor.

[Lauren Garrone]

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[Chelsea Fairless]

So Charlotte then brings up her sexual issues with Trey. It's really genius dialogue because she's saying, we've been trying to fuck, but it's just not big and hard. Getting big and hard. Close.

[Lauren Garrone]

What is this? Dirty Mad Libs.

[Chelsea Fairless]

So great.

[Lauren Garrone]

And Samantha posits that Trey has a Madonna whore complex, which Samantha, in this episode, she's giving Better love and sex advice than the actual sex columnist at the table, Carrie Bradshaw.

[Chelsea Fairless]

True. Cut to Carrie's first gig at the Learning Annex.

[Lauren Garrone]

I was shocked when Carrie was discussing the fact that she's been staying in working the. But the work was this Learning Annex, which is a. It is a dating seminar. It's not even a dating seminar. It's a seminar about where to meet men, specifically.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Right, and the Learning Annex is a thing in New York. There's always pamphlets for the Learning Annex everywhere. And they're usually advertising classes about how to get rich, things of that nature.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yes. And even though Carrie has boasted about how much time she spent preparing for this, I don't know if that's true. Hello.

[Charlotte]

Gosh, I'm flattered that so many of you ladies showed up to hear me talk. Well, the fact is, I have had a lot of experience with men. Some of it good, some of it bad, and some of it very, very ugly. Well, there are 2 million single men in the city. I have dated about a million of them. And all these men are right outside your door. So the next time you step out in the morning with your shoes and your tote and your traveling cappuccino, take a look around, because I'm telling you, our little metropolis, it is stacked with men. You never know who you're gonna run into. You can turn a corner and boom, bright light, state city.

[Lauren Garrone]

This is my favorite. Carrie is when Carrie does her Kerry schtick and no one falls for it.

[Chelsea Fairless]

So immediately these women are like, okay, bitch, can you give us some actual advice? Where are we meeting men?

[Lauren Garrone]

And she says samba, which, according to Samantha, is a very difficult reservation to get. Samba, sports bars, Mickey Mantles, specifically. To which one woman in the crowd goes, I've been there. All the men are married. Which is always my counter to the. Like, we'll just go to a sports bar. When a sports game is going on to meet a guy, it's like they're not interested in talking to you.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Or better yet, go somewhere where guys that don't like sports hang out. Because do you really want to be signing up for a lifetime of football games and baseball games and shit like that?

[Lauren Garrone]

Just look at Kylie Jenner. She used the Samantha sound when she was going with Timothee Chalamet to the Knicks games. Her sex life was tied to the fact that if the Knicks don't win, she isn't getting laid. Do you want that for you? I don't think so. Okay. We also get a bit of lore from Carrie, which is that she once met a guy on the Hamptons Jitney, but he was only on it because he couldn't drive because he was in some sort of parole program, which is a boyfriend of the week. I really wish we could have seen.

[Chelsea Fairless]

True.

[Lauren Garrone]

How exactly did Carrie think this was going to work? Because it seems like she just prepared that really pithy intro and then nothing else.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I love that for her.

[Lauren Garrone]

So it starts out not great for Carrie and only gets worse because the crowd almost immediately turns on her and they start asking, well, are you married? And when she says no, she's like, look, ladies, I actually don't know that much about men. I just write about them in my article. To which the audience correctly asks, then why did we pay to hear you speak?

[Chelsea Fairless]

And this leads us into the. I couldn't help but wonder, if you.

[Charlotte]

Stay single in New York long enough, you're supposed to get wiser about dating. What men to pick, where to meet them. But what really made any of us experts, wasn't our single status a neon sign that we couldn't get it right? What if all these years in New York have only made us older, more confused, or dead? Are we getting wiser or just older?

[Chelsea Fairless]

We're not just getting older. I think the more you date, the better you get at dating. And by better, I mean more discerning, which makes you more likely to be single. It's kind of a catch 22.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah. I was gonna say the answer is both you are getting wiser and older, but I don't think that they are equal.

[Chelsea Fairless]

What do you mean?

[Lauren Garrone]

You are definitely getting older, but I don't think how old you're getting is proportional to how wise you're getting.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Right.

[Lauren Garrone]

Which is to your point that, yes, you become more discerning, and you can sort of more immediately sort of pick out like, well, this isn't gonna work with this person. And you are correct. You end up more single.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yep.

[Lauren Garrone]

And then we have Carrie and Miranda at the wake. Carrie actually being a good friend, accompanying her friend to not even her date a would be date funeral.

[Chelsea Fairless]

She's bitching about her Learning Annex experience.

[Lauren Garrone]

She's still Carrie. She does have to make it about herself.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Of course, I love the line where she's like, I swear to God, if they had been holding tomatoes instead of Louis Vuitton clutches, I'd be a dead woman. So good.

[Lauren Garrone]

I also love the line, do you know that there are no available men out there? And Miranda goes, we're at my date's wake.

[Chelsea Fairless]

So, yes, this scene is so genius because neither of these women know the deceased and they're having a very inappropriate conversation given the circumstances I've been so preoccupied with and just like that that I've forgotten that there was a time in Sex in the City where the humor in the show was a little bit more like Seinfeld or difficult people in the fact that they're presenting these very self centered characters that are acting inappropriately in public and say things like.

[Lauren Garrone]

When Carrie sees that it's an open casket and looks at the corpse, she goes, he's cute. And Miranda goes, was.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, they phased out this kind of humor by the time the films came around.

[Lauren Garrone]

Oh, of course.

[Chelsea Fairless]

So there's an after party for the wake and they run into Carrie's ex, what is his name?

[Lauren Garrone]

Jim. And he and Carrie dated eight years ago. So 1992. Which made me wonder, was this the era where Miranda and Carrie lived together in that apartment on Bank Street? This is also where we get the introduction of the phrase frenemy, which is the title of the episode. Because Jim knew the deceased, Will o'. Connor. They went to college together and they were always competing. And wouldn't you know it, he even beat him at death. And so Carrie says, oh, he was your frenemy. Which kind of shoehorning in the phrase, but sure, why not? I'll take it. So Miranda and Jim, there's obvious chemistry between them. When he goes to get Miranda a drink, Carrie confesses that this guy was a total asshole to Carrie. And what I love about this is it introduces something that we never again, which is the idea that there is overlap between the men that these women date. Yeah, the idea that someone Carrie dated would be friends with someone that Miranda dated. Now, to be fair, Aiden and Steve become friends. But to my knowledge, at the end of this season, we see them having beers together, but prior to that we never see them hanging out. It just sort of implied that somewhere in between episodes, Aiden and Steve met and became friendly. Right.

[Chelsea Fairless]

So despite Carrie's warning, Miranda is receptive to Jim asking her out. And she's like, here's my card. My email address is on the back and my cell. Imagine someone emailing you for a date.

[Lauren Garrone]

It was the year 2000. Imagine getting asked out on a date via your AOL email address. Wild. Waiting for that dial up to connect. Like if you think waiting for a text messages bad from a potential date, imagine waiting for the AOL dial up to connect you and checking your inbox.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Also, I don't think that a lot of young people Realize that we didn't always have Gmail. Like, that was the thing that happened when I was in college.

[Lauren Garrone]

It went from AOL that I had a Hotmail.

[Chelsea Fairless]

We all had Hotmail.

[Lauren Garrone]

Then I had a Gmail. Do you remember your AOL username? No. You don't?

[Chelsea Fairless]

I have no recollection at all.

[Lauren Garrone]

Mine was Rock Angel 21.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Is that some Buffy the Vampire thing that I don't understand? Understand?

[Lauren Garrone]

No, I just think for whatever reason, I liked rock and I like the idea of angels and I was born on the 21st.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Well, there you go.

[Lauren Garrone]

And I guess there were rock angels 1 through 20. They were already taken. Okay. In Miranda's defense, because it is kind of a dick move to go on a date or flirt with a guy that your friend is like, I dated this person and he is an asshole. But as Miranda says later in the episode, I panicked because my date died on me.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, Miranda has a justification for this scary behavior. Still, it feels wrong to me that she made this particular call.

[Lauren Garrone]

Then we get a brief scene of Samantha getting railed, which is juxtaposed between Charlotte being sexually frustrated and we get a second brunch scene. Say goodbye to sticky notes and calendar confusion with Skylight. The Skylight calendar is here to keep your family organized. This beautifully designed digital display syncs with your existing calendars, making it effortless to track events, appointments and reminders in one easy to see place. The people at Skylight were kind enough to send me one of their calendars and I am obsessed. And I know what you're thinking, Lauren. I have Google Calendar or I have Apple Calendars or I use Outlook. Why would I need Skylight? Well, do you have a husband who's constantly asking you what's going on for the day? Despite sharing a digital calendar together, it turns out having an easy to see place for all your appointments will save your marriage. And I have a lot going on right now. There's every outfit, work, family obligations, my obligations, Paul's obligations, and of course, the endless subs being scheduled for our never ending home renovation. So having an all in one smart calendar that can seamlessly sync with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, and that can be color coordinated keeps me from having a nervous breakdown. In addition to the calendar, you can keep track of chores, grocery lists, even meal plan. Your happiness is Skylight's happiness. So if in 120 days you are not 100% thrilled with your purchase, you can return it for a full refund, no questions asked. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch calendars by going to myskylight.com outfit. Go to myskylight.com outfit for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. That is M Y S K Y L I G H T.com outfit I.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Love a two brunch scene. Episode doesn't happen as much as I would like.

[Lauren Garrone]

So good.

[Chelsea Fairless]

So Samantha is giving the girls all the juicy details about her sex with Sebastian.

[Lauren Garrone]

I believe it's Miranda who asks, well, what does he do? And Samantha's like, I haven't the vaguest idea. And then this interaction happens.

[Charlotte]

How can you not know anything about him? You slept with him.

[Lauren Garrone]

I fucked him. He made me come six times. It's good enough for me.

[Charlotte]

Stop it. Why do you always have to talk about sex like that?

[Lauren Garrone]

Because I can.

[Charlotte]

Okay, girl, simmer down. Mommy hasn't had her caffeine yet. I can't take this anymore. Oh, hey, frittatas. Sex is something special that's supposed to happen between two people who love each other.

[Lauren Garrone]

Or two people who love sex.

[Charlotte]

Oh, my God, you're such a.

[Lauren Garrone]

A what?

[Chelsea Fairless]

What am I?

[Charlotte]

Charlotte, when are you gonna learn that you can't just sleep with everything that comes along?

[Lauren Garrone]

Hey, Mrs. Softie, at least I'm getting laid. And you can forget Samba. That girl needs the stick out of her ass and a dick in her coochie pronto.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Am I right?

[Lauren Garrone]

So who's right?

[Chelsea Fairless]

Samantha's obviously right. However, she should be more sensitive to Charlotte's situation. There's nothing wrong with the way that she is talking about her own sex sex life, but she should consider the fact that her friend is in a sexless marriage and does not want to be in one.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah, I was gonna say it's valid for someone to want to have hot, anonymous sex, but it's also valid that someone would want sex to be special. And in life, sometimes you want the former and other times you want the latter. Obviously, Charlotte is in a very sensitive place with her own marriage. But you cannot apply wanting to have great sex within your marriage to, like, meeting a person and wanting to have a strictly hot, sexual, sexual dynamic with that person.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Wait. Why not?

[Lauren Garrone]

I just feel like Charlotte is applying a married dynamic to having. Basically just hooking up with someone. Like they're not the same things.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Well, also, Charlotte isn't willing to just say, hey, Samantha, hearing you talk about this guy that you're fucking. All the great sex that you're having makes me feel like shit about myself. But she's. She doesn't want to say that. So she just kind of slut shames Samantha instead.

[Lauren Garrone]

To be fair, Samantha is. This is whorish behavior and that is a compliment. But I feel like the far more appropriate criticism from Samantha would be the fact that Charlotte did marry this man without knowing him. And I suppose, yeah, at this point it's come out that she never him before they got married.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah. And who was telling her how fucked up that was? Samantha. Samantha tried to warn her well in advance of this situation transpiring.

[Lauren Garrone]

But I think we can agree the Mrs. Softy comment was a bridge too far. And I also think Samantha is in the wrong for demanding that Carrie and Miranda immediately take her side. And when they don't, she takes away that samba reservation for them as well.

[Chelsea Fairless]

It's just so funny. The she needs the stick out of her ass and a dick in her coochie pronto. Like that's incredible. That's why I love this woman, you know?

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah, we don't really say coochie anymore, do we?

[Chelsea Fairless]

I never said coochie to be fair.

[Lauren Garrone]

So then we get a Miranda and Carrie walk and talk and this is beside the point, but my heart fluttered when I saw someone walk by with a pearl paint plastic bag.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Aw, diva down.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah. What would have really put me over the edge is if I then saw someone with a canal plastics bag walk by as well.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Canal plastics is still there. Oh, look. We may have lost pearl paint, but we have happier grocery there now.

[Lauren Garrone]

The Erewhan of Soho.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Exactly.

[Lauren Garrone]

So Miranda and Carrie agree that this is a long time coming between Samantha and Charlotte. If you have two friends in your friend group that are like oil and vinegar, this is invariably going to happen at some point for sure. And then this is when Miranda asked Carrie if she would mind if she went on a date with Jim. What do we think? What, what's the. What's the etiquette on this one?

[Chelsea Fairless]

I think it's fucked up of Miranda.

[Lauren Garrone]

But it is eight years ago. It's not like the Yankees pitcher asked Miranda out a year later.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Still, she said he was an asshole.

[Lauren Garrone]

Fair enough. That's why you and I can be friends. There'll never be an overlap between people we've dated.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Nope.

[Lauren Garrone]

Again, another brilliant bit of Jenny Bix dialogue. You know what they say, One woman's asshole is another woman's a hole.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Also a great casual Miranda outfit. In this scene she's wearing some sort of like sage colored khakis with some sort of mesh vaguely tribal looking tank top.

[Lauren Garrone]

This is a very Lilith Faire adjacent Banana Republic era for Miranda.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, we've talked about this before. I would describe it as more of like, yes, Lilith Faire, but also Tibetan Freedom Concert.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yes.

[Chelsea Fairless]

But also a bit of Gaultier as well.

[Lauren Garrone]

Well, yeah, you need to have a little designer element. And there's something about the back half of season three, and specifically this episode, where Carrie is really leaning into more of her vintage collection in these episodes.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, I think she mostly wears vintage in this episode.

[Lauren Garrone]

And of course, the Fendi baguette, which we see in the next scene, which is Charlotte and Carrie going lingerie shopping. Now, is this the Patricia Field store?

[Chelsea Fairless]

I have no idea where this is. I don't think so, no. I mean, it kind of looks like it could be the old one, but I feel like they just went to one of those sex shops. Although it's not one that I recognize. It's not where they got the rabbit. It's not like fantasy world or something.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah, it's something in between a Patricia Field store. And you're right, a pleasure world of some sort because it's lingerie. But it's definitely on the.

[Chelsea Fairless]

It's definitely somewhere in the West Village. That I can guarantee.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yes. It's not lingerie you would associate with Charlotte because as she tells Carrie, she doesn't want to be herself. She wants to be someone else.

[Chelsea Fairless]

And Carrie seems genuinely grossed out by Charlotte's sexuality.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah, I couldn't tell if she was grossed out by Charlotte's sexuality or the. The level of polyester in the lingerie or something. I love that Charlotte has a theme for this look. She. She. She calls it, I want to be a call girl meets Park Avenue.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Great.

[Lauren Garrone]

Which a sex worker on Park Avenue. Wouldn't that just be La Perla?

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, one would think.

[Lauren Garrone]

Also, specifically the styling of Carrie and Charlotte. In this scene, Charlotte is wearing a crop top, which I don't think we've ever seen her in before. And then you have Carrie in the tube top and this vintage skirt with, like, a leopard applique. And, of course, as I said, the Fendi baguette. We haven't really touched on the Are you a Charlotte Podcast? And specifically the Chloe Maul episode. But my favorite thing in the are you with Charlotte? Podcast is when Kristen constantly blows up Sarah Jessica Parker's spot. Because in the Chloe Maul episode, she makes reference to the fact that Sarah Jessica Parker had. Has hundreds, or had at the time, hundreds of Manolo Blahnik shoes, which, when Sarah Jessica Parker was on, she was like, you know, I. I got four, and I could barely afford them. And Sarah Jessica Parker on her episode also talked about how, like, well, you know, we had to be so careful with what they lent us and we immediately had to give the stuff back. Like the Fendi baguettes. And then during the Chloe Moll episode, Kristen Davis was like, oh, yeah, Fendi would send Sarah Jessica, like hundreds of baguette bags.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, that was a good episode. I liked that one.

[Lauren Garrone]

To your point that Carrie is deeply uncomfortable in this scene, she does point out that this is much more of a Samantha job than a Carrie Bradshaw job. And Charlotte discusses the fact that she needs a break from her. Carrie points out that there were two people ruining the breakfast. And then this is where Charlotte goes, you know what? I have enough problems in my life right now. I really don't need any lectures. I feel like this is so poignant and true to friendships. When you are in a larger friend dynamic, invariably there are times where you don't fuck with one person in the friend group and need to cool off. And I think with what Samantha said to Charlotte, that's a like, I don't know, if you said that to me, I'd be like, you know what? Friendship not over. But like, maybe we don't talk to each other for a week. Maybe there's just like a cooling off period.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, I understand why Charlotte would be hurt, of course.

[Lauren Garrone]

And it also puts a lot of pressure on the other friends in the dynamic. Like, I do feel for Carrie of like, when do I step in? When do I try to foster a connection or a reconciliation between these two people? And Carrie is correct. This is a Samantha job. Because if you remember, in season six, Carrie will go with Samantha to La Perla when she is having bedroom problems with Berger. In Charlotte's defense, if I was having bedroom problems with my WASPy husband, I don't know if I would want Samantha's commentary about it.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Well, I think the bigger problem, and we've discussed this before, is that Trey refuses to sexually service his wife in any way. It's not just about his dick not getting hard. Like, he's not going down on her. He's not doing one thing.

[Lauren Garrone]

He's not using his fingers.

[Chelsea Fairless]

He's like, not into it.

[Lauren Garrone]

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[Chelsea Fairless]

So meanwhile, Samantha is shopping at some department store shopping for scarves. A pashmina, perhaps?

[Lauren Garrone]

I was gonna say, would we consider this a pashmina?

[Chelsea Fairless]

Could be a pashmina. It's just kind of a genius scene where this other woman is pulling on the other side of the scarf. And that woman, of course, is Claire Anne.

[Lauren Garrone]

Of course, if Samantha had a Wario, it would be a Southern woman.

[Chelsea Fairless]

This character is so good. She's like, you're spunky. I like spunky women. We're a dying breed.

[Lauren Garrone]

Sorry. When she said spunky, I just immediately went to funky day six. Spunk.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I also like. Maybe I've just been watching too much Hunting Wives. But like, I was just so happy to see a sassy southern woman with a sense of humor.

[Lauren Garrone]

Clair Ann let Samantha have the pashmina that they are both vying over if Samantha takes her to a dark bar for a stiff drink.

[Chelsea Fairless]

A hard drink in a dark bar, I believe.

[Lauren Garrone]

There you go. And they are boozing it up based on a singular conversation. Samantha's like, you know what? I Have this Samba reservation later in the week. And you seem pretty cool. But now I have a second person to go to Samba with. But as I've previously stated, it's four of four top. Wherever will we find two more people? And just at that moment, they see two handsome question mark guys in a booth.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Those are scary looking guys to me.

[Lauren Garrone]

Not attractive.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Not attractive to me. Anyway, so they join their table. It's very fun and flirty until Claire Ann literally starts blowing one of them.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yes. In Carrie's voiceover, she says Samantha couldn't believe how much fun she was having. She had finally found a woman who was as open about her sexuality as she was. Except, look, Samantha will blow the Worldwide Express guy in the privacy of her own office. But blowing someone publicly in a restaurant, that is a bridge too far. And fair enough. I believe Claire Ann's behavior would put you on the sex offender registry list.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I mean, to be fair, Samantha's behavior in past episodes would also. Samantha would be down to blow him. Like in the back alley, in the service elevator, in the bathroom, maybe somewhere around the kitchen potentially, but definitely not out in public in a restaurant.

[Lauren Garrone]

I mean, I don't know how they do things where Claire Ann is from, but you take that to the bathroom.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I love when she's just like, Claire Ann. I'm going, I don't know why I did that. In a Southern accent, the detail of.

[Lauren Garrone]

Claire Anne's muffled voice, as if she's talking to Samantha while actively blowing the guy that sent me over the edge.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Samantha understandably decides to leave. Things have gotten really creepy. Claire and is blowing this guy. And the other guy is now trying to get her to blow him.

[Lauren Garrone]

And look, Samantha has a line that she will not cross. She's not gonna catch a public indecency charge.

[Chelsea Fairless]

So she leaves. And then we get the incredible line. And you can forget about Samba.

[Lauren Garrone]

Samba better be the best restaurant in the world. What kind of cuisine do we think samba is, by the way, if it is not sushi Samba?

[Chelsea Fairless]

Well, given the fact that it's called samba, I would imagine Brazilian, but who knows? Some sort of Brazilian fusion.

[Lauren Garrone]

Do you think all the waiters wear the Adidas Sambas?

[Chelsea Fairless]

I like to think it's a classier joint than that.

[Lauren Garrone]

Then we have Carrie's voiceover. That night, Samantha learned she had a little Charlotte in her. Just like Charlotte, she had a line that could be crossed. Hers was just a little more to the left.

[Chelsea Fairless]

So Carrie and Miranda are on a weird date with Jim.

[Lauren Garrone]

So somehow for Miranda to feel like it's kosher for her to date Jim. She thinks the best way to solve this awkwardness is for Carrie to come on the second date with her.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Super weird. Carrie is in her iconic Kenneth J. Lane butterfly necklace.

[Lauren Garrone]

And to be fair, it is going well initially, until Jim comments on the fact that he's surprised that Carrie has a successful column about sex because she didn't know much about it at the time that they were dating.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, he's a real asshole.

[Lauren Garrone]

He blames this on just bad timing. He's not like, that's a bad joke. He's like, I just have bad timing, but I don't know if there's a good time to joke that your ex is bad in bed.

[Chelsea Fairless]

But what does he say that actually leads them to storm out? I know I just watched this, but I completely forget.

[Lauren Garrone]

Well, Miranda tries to get things back on track, and she says, oh, Carrie, did you ever see Jim in his band? Because they dated in 1992, and of course he had a band. And she said, oh, no, I never did. And Jim goes, oh, you know, because she was always shoe shopping. And Carrie goes, oh, I do love my shoes. And that's when Jim says, they come in handy when you're walking all over people. Is he trying to say that Carrie's a social climber?

[Chelsea Fairless]

No, I don't. I think he's just an asshole.

[Lauren Garrone]

And then we get this hilarious exchange about everyone being an asshole. Well, maybe that's because you're an asshole.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I'm an asshole. She's the asshole. She never called me once after we broke up.

[Charlotte]

That's because you're an asshole.

[Chelsea Fairless]

She's the asshole.

[Charlotte]

She's not an asshole. Thank you, sweetie.

[Lauren Garrone]

You know what? Never call me again.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Oh, you're breaking up with me?

[Lauren Garrone]

Oh, yeah.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Ooh, the fancy lawyer lady's breaking up with me. Like I give a shit.

[Charlotte]

Jim hadn't gotten older or wiser. Once dumped, he would still dump on everyone else.

[Chelsea Fairless]

You are such assholes.

[Lauren Garrone]

I think the only asshole is Jim. Him.

[Chelsea Fairless]

And to be fair, this is really over the top. It's even for Sex and the City.

[Lauren Garrone]

It sort of dives into friends territory. Like the way that he says, oh, the fancy lawyers breaking up with me. Reminds me of when Ben Stiller is the angry guy in that episode that he dates Jennifer Aniston's character, Right? Yeah, and I don't want that for Miranda. Like, his energy reminds me of the lawyer that makes partner that ultimately gives Miranda chlamydia.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, for sure.

[Lauren Garrone]

She needs a sweet guy. She needs Steve, there's so many guys.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Like that on Sex and the City, though. That's like who these girls date.

[Lauren Garrone]

You know who Jim would be perfect for? He's a Samantha boyfriend.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, they're definitely more well suited for each other.

[Lauren Garrone]

I have to say that the post bad date walk and talk between Miranda and Carrie I found so heartwarming. It really gets to the heart of what Sex and the City was all about, which is it doesn't matter how many bad dates that these women and can go on. They have each other. And I don't know if you noticed this, but Miranda and Carrie are holding hands.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Very cute.

[Lauren Garrone]

And Carrie gets vindicated because she gets to say, I told you so.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Meanwhile, Charlotte has decided to reconnect with her sorority sisters. Of course this bitch was in a sorority.

[Lauren Garrone]

Although, according to the IMDb trivia, because Charlotte has gone to Smith, there's no Greek life in Smith, so there aren't actually any sororities at the Smith college. Although if anyone was going to start a sorority at Smith, it would be Charlotte.

[Chelsea Fairless]

And I love Charlotte's look in this scene. She has the cardigan tied over her shoulders. Classic WASP shit.

[Lauren Garrone]

And we've found three women who are waspier than Charlotte.

[Chelsea Fairless]

This poor girl tries to have an honest moment with her friends about her marriage and this is what happens.

[Charlotte]

My husband can't get it up. Perhaps it would have been wiser for Charlotte to have had a cappa. Cappa Cappuccino instead of that third martini. I'm so frustrated, Charlotte. I mean, don't you ever just want.

[Lauren Garrone]

To be really pounded hard?

[Charlotte]

You know, like when the bed is moving all around and it's all sweaty and your head is knocking up against the headboard and you feel like it might just blow off. Damn it. I just really want to be, you know, just really. The only heads blowing off were those of Kappa Kappa Grandma. Charlotte, this is really inappropriate.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah, we're eating.

[Charlotte]

What's wrong with you, Charlotte? You're such a.

[Chelsea Fairless]

What?

[Charlotte]

What am I?

[Chelsea Fairless]

Sydney?

[Lauren Garrone]

The way that Kristen Davis delivers. What, what am I? For a second, I saw her as her character from Melrose Place.

[Chelsea Fairless]

It's so good. It's such a good scene.

[Lauren Garrone]

And this is the brilliance of Sex and the City, right? These characters are not. While they are heightened, they're not caricatures yet. Because they exist in degrees and not in extremes. So while Charlotte is the Pollyanna of her friend group, you can have Charlotte in a different context. This. This being her sorority sister, where she becomes the Samantha of this dynamic.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Also this episode is a great example of how Sex and the City is able to identify a theme for the episode. In this case, frenemies, obviously. And we see that played out in all these different ways. Charlotte has beef with her sorority sisters. She has beef with Samantha. Samantha has beef with Clair Ann. Carrie has beef with Miranda. It's just such a foolproof structure for the show.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah. And I think this Charlotte storyline highlights something that we've noticed in these RE watches, which Charlotte has a very sizable sexual appetite compared to. Certainly, Carrie has a pretty diverse and fairly transgressive sex life. It's funny that she is painted as this character who is very buttoned up, because really, when you look at it, that's more Carrie, actually.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah.

[Lauren Garrone]

When you put the numbers up.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Well, also, once we get into. And just like that territory, Charlotte is much more free about sex. She's having sex with an earshot of her own daughter, for God's sake.

[Lauren Garrone]

I thought we weren't gonna reference in just like.

[Chelsea Fairless]

You're right. We're not. We're not. I'm sorry. That was bad of me. Okay, so now that Charlotte has found her inner Samantha, it's time to seduce her husband.

[Lauren Garrone]

And it doesn't go great. At least initially, I mean.

[Chelsea Fairless]

What do you mean? She looks incredibly hot.

[Lauren Garrone]

Well, yes, she is in a piece of lingerie that I seriously doubt was from that West Village sex shop that we saw her in previously.

[Chelsea Fairless]

No, she's in a long, sort of burgundy colored burnout velvet negligee. If you live through the 90s, I can't emphasize enough how important burnout velvet was in a certain period of time. I always associate this style of clothing with the television show Veronica's Closet, but it was very much a thing in fashion. We had Blumerine and Anna Molinari. We had Lolita Lempicka. We had Betsey Johnson, of course, which is how burnout velvet entered into my life.

[Lauren Garrone]

Same as mine. Yes.

[Chelsea Fairless]

You also see this impractical magic. Of course.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah. Charlotte is wearing something that I imagine Nicole Kidman would have worn to seduce Goran Vinik in that film for sure. Because it's. It's a see through dress with also a matching burnout velvet thong, which I find very impressive. Yeah, but do you know who's not impressed? Trey.

[Chelsea Fairless]

He's not initially impressed. He's like, charlotte, what are you doing? And then she gives her whole TED Talk like, I'm not a Madonna. I'm not a whore. I'm your wife, and I'm sexual.

[Lauren Garrone]

And do you know how I'm gonna show you I'm sexual. I'm gonna start masturbating in front of you.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I'm gonna rub one out right now.

[Lauren Garrone]

And you know, that does something to his John Thomas.

[Chelsea Fairless]

And he successfully fucks his wife for a minute and a half before the.

[Lauren Garrone]

Wind died down, which she then calls Samantha and presents it that she did have sex with her husband, which. Which I guess is technically true.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah.

[Lauren Garrone]

His schooner made it into her Rebecca.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I think this shows progress, certainly. So Charlotte and Samantha mend fences.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yes. As Carrie says in her voiceover, having spent time with their frenemies, Samantha and Charlotte forgot that they were enemies and went back to being friends. And it's like, whoa, whoa, whoa. I don't think they were enemies.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Well, I think when you have beef with a friend, they're your enemy for a set period of time.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah. I don't know if I would ever get over the Mr. Softy moniker or Mrs. Softie moniker.

[Chelsea Fairless]

True.

[Lauren Garrone]

And one of the reasons that I wanted to do this episode is I think it's a great Samantha as a Friend episode. And certainly. And I know I just scolded you for referencing it just like that, but certainly one of the main things that was missing from that show was not only Samantha, but also the portrayal of Samantha as not a good friend. And Samantha is someone who, yes, gives harsh but truthful criticism to her friends, but she is someone that forgives and certainly forgets. And we know that she's forgiven. And she's forgotten about this because she reminds Charlotte of the Samba reservation. That's how we know everybody is good.

[Chelsea Fairless]

With each other, although we never see them go to Samba.

[Lauren Garrone]

I guess this episode was too expensive. They were like, we cannot construct another fake restaurant.

[Chelsea Fairless]

This episode concludes with Carrie's final class at the Learning Annex. The crowd has dwindled down significantly. There's only a few women in the audience. And so she's basically like, come on, ladies, we're not going to meet men sitting in here. Let's go to some horrifying looking bar and just hit on random guys.

[Lauren Garrone]

I assume it's Mickey Mantles. We forgot to mention that Carrie is being paid $300.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Wasn't it 500?

[Lauren Garrone]

It's 300 per seminar that she does. So I guess at point she's made.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Like $600, which was a lot of money then.

[Lauren Garrone]

Okay, I had the same question, so I put it into the inflation calculator. It's about 500 bucks.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Huh?

[Lauren Garrone]

So she netted about a thousand. Although we do learn that Some people after the first seminar asked for refunds, which. Fair enough. So Cari takes $300 and takes the smattering of women who stay to a bar, which is probably the correct venue if you're teaching a seminar of where to meet men. And as she says, she matches, which are really predicated on smoking. If this were a few years later, Carrie has no game at all.

[Chelsea Fairless]

So how does this episode end?

[Lauren Garrone]

We get a Carrie voiceover. She says, that night I made three matches. I didn't look for myself. After all, I tried not to date while at work. So I guess the old and wise adage is true. Those who can do, teach. Those who can teach, do.

[Chelsea Fairless]

And there you have it. How many Manolos are we giving this episode?

[Lauren Garrone]

I'm gonna say nine.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I was gonna give it eight.

[Lauren Garrone]

All right, shall we get into our exit survey?

[Chelsea Fairless]

Who is the mvp?

[Lauren Garrone]

Samantha.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, I think so, too.

[Lauren Garrone]

Look, Samantha came in with that samba reservation.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Although Claire Anne.

[Lauren Garrone]

Claire Ann, the woman who is probably parallel to this episode, sitting in jail for public indecency. Okay.

[Chelsea Fairless]

But I vibe with her. It's nice to have the Southern woman on the show. She's one of the all time guys, great side characters.

[Lauren Garrone]

She came, she drank, she blew her way through the city.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Who are you voting off the island of Manhattan?

[Lauren Garrone]

Claire Ann?

[Chelsea Fairless]

No, you're crazy. Charlotte's cunty sorority sisters. That's my nightmare friend group.

[Lauren Garrone]

That's your nightmare Blunt rotation?

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, I think.

[Lauren Garrone]

No, I think Trey. Even though he does accept his wife sexually, I get. Yes. We don't actually see him do that on screen. His attitude towards us when she comes out in the lingerie is. Is always. It's never sat right with me.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Who is the best dressed.

[Lauren Garrone]

For me, it's. It's a deep cut. And it's a tie between Charlotte and Carrie in the West Village sex shop. They're both in casual looks. We've kind of never seen them in before. Charlotte's at a crop top, and I think some, like, plaid or tartan capris and. Yeah, just Carrie and vintage. So good. What about you?

[Chelsea Fairless]

Well, Charlotte had a couple of really great moments. The negligee is amazing. The sorority sister's look is great. It's quite heightened costuming. But I have to give props to Miranda. We did not talk about her funeral outfit, which was very Diane Keaton. Remember the size of that belt that she wore?

[Lauren Garrone]

Giant belt.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Giant belt. And we got a couple of really good casual looks from her in this episode as well. So I'm gonna say Miranda.

[Lauren Garrone]

All right. So who are you in this episode? Claire Ann?

[Chelsea Fairless]

I wish. I'm Carrie, I think.

[Lauren Garrone]

Interesting. And I gotta say that I'm Miranda. If anyone out of the two of us would have a prospective date die on her, it would be me. I would somehow find myself invited to the wake that I can't say no to. And out of desperation, I would probably go on a date with. With a guy that my friend dated who said he was an. It's not a good look for me, I will admit.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Okay. Best line.

[Lauren Garrone]

Oh. Oh, we're. We're putting this back in.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Well, we took it out for end just like that. But I'm going with the obvious. You can forget Samba, you can copy mine. It's fine.

[Lauren Garrone]

No, no, no. I'll go with Carrie's line during the Learning Annex. Her. Her pithy intro where there are 2 million men in Manhattan and I've dated a million of them. It's a good line. Funny joke.

[Chelsea Fairless]

What is your biggest trigger?

[Lauren Garrone]

Okay, so my biggest trigger is a line of dialogue in this episode, which is when Samantha says a dick in her coochie. It just has never sat right with me.

[Chelsea Fairless]

It just gives you the ick.

[Lauren Garrone]

Yeah, there's something about coochie that just is upsetting to me.

[Chelsea Fairless]

My biggest trigger is Trey refusing to sexually service Charlotte. It in any other way.

[Lauren Garrone]

He just can't do it. He's that repressed.

[Chelsea Fairless]

What is your hottest take?

[Lauren Garrone]

My hottest take is that I think Samantha went too far. Honestly, I don't think a somber reservation would save the friendship with Samantha. If I were Charlotte, I think I would need a little more time to cool off.

[Chelsea Fairless]

This isn't the hottest of takes, but I do think that Miranda did carry dirty by dating Jim. I think that is a betrayal. I don't think that the amount of time is relevant. I think that Miranda should take her word for it. And it would be one thing if they had come into each other's lives in some other way and had this crazy connection. But that wasn't the case. They had a two second interaction and Miranda decided to betray her best friend.

[Lauren Garrone]

I think the first date is fine. I think it's absolutely crazy that in order to make this okay, she invites Carrie on basically her second date. Right. She's like, well, now I actually do like this guy and would want to date him. So in order to order to make myself feel better, I'm going to force Carrie to go on a date with this guy.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Yeah, it's all up.

[Lauren Garrone]

But it's a great episode.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Great episode. Props to Jenny Bix. No one does it like her.

[Lauren Garrone]

I miss her. Maybe she knew something.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Anyway, this has been fun. This has been healing.

[Lauren Garrone]

Until next month.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Until next month.

[Lauren Garrone]

All right. Bye, guys. We'll be back next week. Bye. It, Sam.