Sex And The City: 10 Favorite Storylines, According To Reddit

Content Warning: This article contains discussion of mental health, child loss, abortion and fertility.

The dating lives of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda on

Sex and the City

provide an endless supply of laughter, tears, and heartfelt moments. Many of the storylines became an iconic part of television history and the show's candor surrounding women's private lives was seen as fresh and innovative.

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Often what ended up resonating with fans the most were plot points about real issues, especially about motherhood, death, abortion, and other complicated topics. Redditors have discussed many of their favorite storylines in detail, proving that a show about sex and fashion could be treated as a nucleus of poignant human expression.

When Carrie Dated Jeremy

Carrie had both good and bad boyfriends in the series

, but some of her suitors stand out, even if they're only featured in one episode. In season 6, she starts rekindling a relationship with her high school boyfriend, Jeremy, a voluntary inpatient staying at a psychiatric facility outside of New York City, and it starts an important dialogue about mental health.

Redditor

DavideWernstrung

acknowledged that while the relationship isn't received with tact by Carrie's friends (who use insensitive terms to talk about Jeremy), "at no point does he act horribly, go "crazy" or otherwise embarrass himself," showing how it might not always be outwardly obvious that someone is receiving treatment for a psychiatric disorder or has a mental health condition, and his situation is an attempt to lift the stigma surrounding treatment.

When Charlotte Learns That True Love Looks Different Than Expected

Charlotte's traditional values often gave her unrealistic expectations, and even when she was married to someone as conceivably perfect as Trey, she found out that a fairytale marriage doesn't always end happily ever after and

even perfect couples have the best reasons to break up

. Through her divorce, she met her true Prince Charming in an unlikely package -- her carefree divorce lawyer, Harry.

Nemo987

was moved by Charlotte's storyline falling for Harry and then "fighting for her relationship" with him because it proved that while love could be messy and unconventional, it could still be true and committed. Charlotte came to find out that in order to find happiness after the altar, she needed to alter her expectations.

Charlotte's Fertility Odyssey

Charlotte's quest to have the perfect marriage was anything but, and her journey to make the picture-perfect family is also less than typical. Her fertility odyssey highlights what some would-be mothers go through trying to conceive children.

Her efforts to become a mother coincide with Miranda getting pregnant and

Bohonerd789

loved that although their relationship gets rocky, "they're still there for each other." Charlotte knows that while getting pregnant was easier for Miranda, motherhood isn't.

One of the saddest things in Charlotte's life

happens before Brady's first birthday, but she still attends for Miranda's sake, and when she eventually has children, her relationship with Miranda is stronger for having bonded over the issue.

When Miranda Loses Her Mother

While the series doesn't extensively explore the girls' families that often, a poignant storyline involving the death of Miranda's mother is a central part of her growth as a character as well as the rest of her friends. She flies home for the funeral thinking she'll have to do it alone and is then accompanied by not only her friends but Steve, despite being broken up.

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campfire_pickle

touches on the moment where she breaks down in a dressing room after acknowledging she'll never fight with her mother again, heralding it as the most "emotional episode in the entire show." It's not just a touching moment in Miranda's life - her mother's death allows each of her friends to come to terms with loss, so they can realize what's most important in their lives: each other.

Miranda Contemplating Abortion

When Miranda finds out that she's unexpectedly pregnant despite having "lazy" reproductive organs, she's not sure if she wants to go through with the pregnancy. True to form,

Miranda says exactly what everyone's thinking

about the controversial topic of abortion. This prompts continuous discussion among the girls about their own abortions, and how society views something so personal as bodily autonomy and a woman's right to choose through an arbitrary lens.

Redditor

premier-cat-arena

finds that the nuance inherent to Miranda's uncertainty is refreshing, as is Carrie and Samantha's candor about their past experience, given that other series were presenting it as “the hardest choice a woman can make/the worst thing that can happen to a woman,” making

Sex and the City

groundbreaking in its analysis.

Carrie Defending Her Right To Not Have Kids

While the rest of her friends deal with the prospect of motherhood in various ways, Carrie knows that she doesn't want to be a mother at all. When Charlotte asks her, "Why would you sacrifice having a child for someone you hardly know?" She responds with, "Why would I sacrifice this whole life with a man for a child I hardly know I want?

offering a counterpoint that might get overlooked as the women approach their 40s and feel societal pressure to start families.

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In the season 6 episode, "A Woman's Right To Shoes," a young mother tries to make Carrie feel guilty for caring about her shoes, forcing her to bring up that while she may not have children, she's spent enough money on baby shower gifts for people who turn around and criticize her for what's important in her life. One Redditor named

__Naya_

asserts that Carrie's decision not to be "influenced by the social norms which indicate that a woman is incomplete if she doesn't become a mother" is refreshing.

Samantha Realizing She Has True Feelings For Smith

Samantha is the one to pursue Smith Jerrod first, and when she secures him a burgeoning acting career, he remains loyal to her.

Though fans loved Smith for Samantha

, she often had to balance her need for independence and self-sufficiency with the need to consider her partner's feelings and occasionally compromise.

Even someone as confident as Samantha can feel insecure, and while at a party full of young Smith fans, she feels too old for him at the same time she's realizing she has real feelings for him. When she sees her ex-lover Richard, she decides to leave Smith and sleep with him because she thinks someone like him is who she wants. Redditor

Jbro16

points out, she realizes, after the fact, that she hurt Smith the same way she was hurt by Richard (who still just uses her for sex), and Smith waits for her when she's done because he knows "she self-sabotaged by having sex with Richard" to push him away before he could leave her.

Samantha's Cancer Journey

The series often vacillated between realistic storylines and pure fantasy

, but one of the most difficult arrived in season 6 when the unstoppable Samantha discovered that she had breast cancer and fans worried right alongside their favorite character as she bravely underwent chemotherapy and wondered what her future held.

Redditor

QuentinQuarantino234

applauded the series for focusing on such a powerful story, acknowledging that it was the highlight of Kim Catrall's career. Her cancer journey was in quite a contrast to the cartoon character she had become to some fans by season 5, and it was nice they "really got to see Kim truly perform."

Miranda Taking Care Of Steve's Mother

Miranda grew a lot from season 1 to the last season

, when she not only moved from her beloved Manhattan but let Steve's mother come live with them. He'd flown to Philadelphia to be by her side when her mother passed away, and when she realized how cognitively impaired his mother had become, Miranda showed true compassion.

Redditor

birdsofwar1

noted, watching Miranda -- someone known for being fiercely independent and distant -- frantically search for Steve's lost mother and then "find her and give her a bath" showed her deep capacity for love, revealing a warm side to her that fans didn't often get to see.

Big Coming To Carrie's Rescue In Paris

While Big might not always have displayed his commitment to Carrie with words, his actions conveyed that he was a man dedicated to the woman he loved. Therefore it wasn't surprising when he flew from New York City to Paris to find Carrie and rescue her from an emotionally damaging -and physically abusive- relationship with Petrovsky.

Redditor

liveyourlifepls

believes Petrovsky had to be "even more toxic than Big" so that when Big swoops in and rescues her it's the ultimate romantic gesture and gives the series a stronger ending. Like many fans, they feel "Carrie and Big were destined to be together" after dancing around each other's hearts for so many years.

10 Storylines Dropped In Sex And The City

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