Sex In the City

It is my opinion that every woman (and most men) should watch every episode of HBO's "Sex in the City".

Now, most men probably just ran panicked from this essay (if they even clicked on it in the first place) just from that first sentence. Well, it's ok, for those of you with a penis who stayed, BREATHE. I don't think you should watch it all at once (unless you want to... and I do highly recommend.)

That seems like a rather strong opinion though, so I'm going to tell you why.

First of all, if you're on this site you probably like sex. And although this isn't a "Oh, I'm so hot, I'm going to masturbate while I'm watching" kind of thing (although, my brother might disagree cuz he thinks that a couple of those women are damn sexy with their clothes off), it has many situations that you may recognize from your own life. That and you will probably be able to identify with at least one of the characters. My friends and I think that we make up the entire quartet - and our lives follow shockingly similar storylines to the ones on screen (For those of you who are wondering, I'm Miranda with a little dash of Samantha thrown in - except with weddings when I become Charlotte at her worst. Thank God, I am almost never Carrie.).

The show is sexy and funny, and it's so easy to get wrapped up in the lives of the characters. They go through almost every sexual experience imaginable, and arrive with shock at each new thing, giving the most interesting observations and conversations about the topic.

There's just good old fashion sex, and lots of it, all through the show. There's lesbians, and two attempts at a threesome. Some have relationships, some just have sex. One of my favorite parts about Samantha is when she IS in a relationship because it's so different from her usual sexual relationships. There's entire episodes focusing on the lack of sex in their lives (something I'm sure we're all VERY familiar with), and they have some of the funniest observations about it ever. There's constantly new boyfriends and girlfriends and new ways to embarrass yourself. Running into ex's causes immediate trauma (and often hysterical get-away scenes.).

There's also some of the kinkier stuff - a bossy man who's created a dungeon in his closet, a politician who wants to take a golden shower, a shoe fetish and a foot fetish meeting, and trying out the lingus of the anus. It's fun, and so many of the situations are so real that you can constantly be like, "Oh my god! That's so me and _________." (Fill in the blank).

One of the best parts about watching it now is that all the episodes are out, it's over and it's all on DVD already, so you don't even have to wait.

So many breakups and bad sex and good sex and cheating and fun... it's just ridiculous girl time fun. Although most of the guys that have been "forced" to watch end up staying for a couple of episodes and laughing their asses off. Afterwards they'll complain the next time it's put on, but you notice that they aren't leaving the room... and they shut up as soon as the show starts. Now, some of this might have to do with the fact that there's a naked lady in almost every episode, but that doesn't explain everything.

In fact, in a particular episode that's filled with naked women in a sauna the guys were not too happy about some of the women in there... but they didn't stop watching.

Brief synopsis of the characters (hoping to get you interested):

Carrie is a fairly dysfunctional female who writes a newspaper column called "Sex in the City" which tends to have most of her sexual exploits in them in one way or another. She's a little crazy, fairly dumb when it comes to relationships, and hopefully there aren't too many people too like her out in the world.

Charlotte is the romantic prude, has rules for every part of dating, and never wants to do anything experimental - until she finally gets married anyway. She's desperate for a husband and children.

Samantha doesn't do relationships (except a few times)... kinky, open, she'll try anything once, she's not a slut - she's a female playboy. And she does some stuff to her ex's that most girls only WISH they had the balls to do.

Miranda is cynical, pushy and not sure she believes in romance and happy endings. But she likes the mens.

One of the coolest things about the show is that you'll see some places in New York that you never knew were there... and when you go to visit you'll be able to stop by. Sex in the City only shows restaurants and clubs that actually exist... my friends and I can't wait to visit a restaurant called "The Exquisite Pain" which is a BDSM restaurant. It gives you a great look at some of the more hidden away places that you might want to try out the next time you're in the city.

My only warning is that it can become extremely addictive... my friends and I are right now trying to figure out a day when we can have a Sex in the City marathon and watch all the episodes all in a row while eating Chinese food.

Final note: the first season is a pilot season so the rest of it isn't the same... I like the first season but I also recognize that it gets better after it. Still, you should watch it so that you're not totally confused for the rest of the series... lots of important stuff happens. And it's fun and cute even though it's different from the rest of the series.