Top 10 Sex and the City Moments That We Hate Watch

Our favorite red-headed lawyer Miranda Hobbes never misses a chance to display her brutal lack of self-awareness. In the show’s first season, Miranda scores a date with a sports doctor named Ted. After spending the night in Ted’s apartment, she waits until he leaves for an out-of-town conference and ransacks his place. We’ve all had the feeling that someone is too good to be true, but this gross invasion of privacy might have been a step too far. When she finds an NSFW video tape, Miranda worries that Ted has a spanking fetish. The fact that this could be a dealbreaker for her highlights her misunderstanding of what a healthy and consensual adult relationship looks like. Predictably, theirs doesn’t survive this episode.

After having a fight with Carrie over the phone, Miranda rudely orders another glass of wine from an incredibly charming bartender named Steve. When he reminds her that the word “please” exists, Miranda almost enters full Karen-mode by asking if he’s allowed to say that. His further attempts to flirt are met with more iciness, until he disarms her with a cheeky reference to her fight with Carrie. We can’t help but notice the obvious chemistry between these two as Miranda accepts his invitation to stay at the bar and chat a bit more. And we all know how that turned out. This scene would probably be unwatchable if it wasn’t so disgustingly cute.

Desperate to gain favors with a senior partner at her firm, Miranda pretends to be queer in hopes that it’ll help her get promoted. After agreeing to a blind date, Miranda finds herself paired with another woman at her company’s softball game. She’s initially uneasy by the thought of being mistaken for a lesbian, but her tone changes when the senior partner, Chip, has a newfound interest in her company. When Miranda finally comes clean to Chip, he’s disappointed because his wife was looking to include a lesbian couple in their circle of friends. While equally hilarious, the entire scenario is somewhat contentious since it seems to characterize queer folks merely as aesthetics for their straight counterparts.

Carrie Bradshaw has a unique talent for getting herself in tight situations, often revolving around her love life. This time, it’s of the financial variety. After a rough breakup with Aiden, Carrie has to come up with $30,000 to keep her apartment. She gets a loan from Mr. Big, but her friends dissuade her from taking it, and offer to lend her the money instead. That is, except Charlotte. Carrie refuses their offer, but later storms over to Charlotte’s Park Avenue apartment, demanding to know why she didn’t offer a helping hand. The besties then trade verbal blows about financial independence and responsibility. Although Charlotte eventually bails her out, Carrie’s entitlement to her friend’s resources is still pretty shocking.

This episode explores Carrie’s short-lived relationship with Sean, a twenty-something bisexual guy. After Sean casually comes out to her, Carrie brings up his sexuality with her friends. The ensuing discussion is loaded with bi-erasure, which is pretty shocking for a self-proclaimed sex expert. Although Carrie tries to stick it out with Sean, it only takes an awkward kiss with a woman at a party for her to decide to end things with him. This decision seems to be rooted in her own insecurities. Is she no longer young and desirable enough to attract a heterosexual partner? By today’s standards, this question seems utterly bizarre. The episode serves as a time capsule that captures the cultural conversation around bisexuality during that era.

At some point, we all need to be reminded that the earth doesn’t revolve around us. When she’s robbed at knife-point, Carrie sees it as karmic fallout from her affair with Big. She then tries to offset her guilt by donning her iconic newspaper dress and ambushing Natasha at lunch. Her superficial apology is met with stiff resistance from Natasha, who responds with a succinct monologue that shows her willingness to hold a grudge. We can’t help but cheer Natasha on, as she gives Carrie a verbal lashing for the history books, reminding her of her completely narcissistic behavior. This scene perfectly highlights how people handle betrayal, especially when it involves a person who caused you to chip a tooth.

The drama and tension between the four ladies of “Sex and the City” can be equally entertaining and difficult to watch. When Carrie walks in on Samantha being extra-friendly with a delivery man, her disapproval is a little too obvious. She then spends practically the rest of the episode judging her sex-positive friend. Things come to a head when Samantha tries to help Carrie find the best outfit for her book cover. The two get into an argument about Carrie’s judgmental antics, leading her to blurt out that she could never be in Samantha’s shoes. While the other “Sex and the City” ladies love making jokes about Samantha’s sexually liberated lifestyle, it’s always satisfying to watch her defend herself against their self-righteous opinions.

Due to its over-the-top and extravagantly opulent setting, “Sex and the City 2” is a fever dream of epic proportions. The film takes the women of New York on a lavish vacation to Abu Dhabi paid for by Carrie’s Arab sheik client. The overindulgence on display here is both mesmerizing and cringe-worthy, and all four women seem to have lost touch with reality. As if that isn’t bad enough, the film is peppered with culturally insensitive scenes, such as when they disguise themselves in niqābs. For all these reasons, it justifiably earned scathing reviews from critics and multiple Golden Raspberry awards. Nevertheless, the luxurious experiences and absurd storylines all add to this movie’s appeal as the guiltiest of pleasures.

It’s easy to let obsession take over when we fall for that perfect someone. In Carrie’s case, that meant wearing a big hat and spying on her newest fling while at church with his mother. When she becomes threatened by some mystery woman spending time with Big, Carrie calls on Miranda to do some sleuthing. They’re able to remain unseen until the former accidentally drops a bible in the middle of the church’s service. To add insult to injury, Carrie is unimpressed when Big introduces her as his friend. The inability to respect each other’s boundaries should be enough to call the relationship quits. But the couple decide to get back together, despite Big’s commitment issues.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Carrie’s Choice, “An American Girl In Paris, Part Une”
Carrie Regrets Her Impulsive Decision to Move to France with Her Weird Boyfriend

The Cardboard Baby, “The Good Fight”
Trey & Charlotte Fight Over a Tasteless Joke That Jabs at Their Inability to Conceive a Child

The Baby Shower, “A ‘Vogue’ Idea”
During Her Baby Shower, Miranda Tosses a Baby Aside When She Receives a Gift

The perfect man may not exist in our world. But for fans of the show, Aidan epitomized what a lot of women look for in the ideal partner. That made Carrie’s decision to cheat on him with Big a polarizing moment. While some find her behavior reprehensible, others may be able to relate to Carrie’s desire to follow her heart. When she demands Aidan’s forgiveness, we don’t see someone who’s heartbroken. Instead, we see an entitled narcissist with boundary issues. Even more shocking was her behavior in the infidelity’s aftermath. The idea to invite the two men to share some awkward conversation in a remote cabin was arguably the worst way to resolve things.