Editing Sex and the City (section)

==Premise==

===Season 1 (1998)===
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Carrie Bradshaw lives in Manhattan and writes a column titled "Sex and the City." At a birthday party for Miranda, Carrie and her friends discuss the idea of having sex "like men", meaning without emotional attachment. She decides to test this theory by sleeping with a man who had previously broken her heart. This time, however, she treats him with the same detachment he once showed her, and she discovers that he seems eager to see her again when they next meet. Carrie openly discusses her relationships with her best friend Stanford Blatch, who is gay and perpetually searching for love.

Carrie has several chance encounters with a handsome businessman whom Samantha dubs "Mr. Big." They begin dating, but Carrie is dismayed to learn that he is still seeing other people. Although he eventually agrees to exclusivity, he does not introduce Carrie to his mother and avoids referring to her as "the one." Frustrated by his lack of commitment, Carrie decides to break off their relationship rather than go on a planned vacation with him.

Carrie sets up Miranda with her friend Skipper. Miranda and Skipper date intermittently, with their contrasting personalities—Miranda being more assertive and Skipper more laid back—causing tension. After they break up, Miranda sees him with another woman and feels compelled to resume their relationship, but they break up again when he seeks exclusivity, and she does not.

Charlotte dates a marriage-minded man, but they clash over china patterns. She also declines to have [[anal sex]] with another boyfriend and consents to pose nude for a famous painter.

Samantha has a series of brief sexual encounters, including one with an artist who videotapes his partners, with Charlotte's doorman, with a married couple, and others. When she meets James, who initially seems perfect for her, Samantha is heartbroken to discover that he has an extremely small penis.

===Season 2 (1999)===
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Carrie dates a baseball player on the rebound but ends the relationship when she realizes she's not over Big. She then dates a filmmaker who has compromised his artistic integrity, a shoplifter, and a nice guy whom she inadvertently scares away by snooping. Eventually, she rekindles her relationship with Big, initially keeping it a secret from her friends. Their relationship remains tumultuous, and when Big reveals that he may have to move to Paris for a year but does not explicitly invite Carrie to join him, they break up for a second time. Carrie then unsuccessfully tries to turn a friend-with-benefits into something more, dates a writer with a great family but who is consistently "early" in bed, and then a recovering alcoholic who uses Carrie as a replacement for his previous addiction. She later encounters Big again, who has returned from Paris with his new 20-something fiancée, Natasha (played by [[Bridget Moynahan]]).

Charlotte encounters a range of suitors, including a legendary expert in cunnilingus, a handy actor who lives next door, a widower looking for a relationship, a man who undergoes adult circumcision, a famous actor, a pastry chef with effeminate tendencies, a shoe salesman with a foot fetish, and a 20-something who gives her crabs.

Miranda dates a man who enjoys dirty talk, fakes it with an ophthalmologist, and tries to adapt to a guy who likes to watch porn during sex. By the time she meets Steve, a bartender, she is skeptical of his niceness. Although they begin dating, differences in their schedules and finances eventually lead to a breakup. They reconnect and end up in bed together again, but not before Miranda dates a man who wants to get caught cheating, a Peeping Tom in the next building, and a divorced father.

After a brief attempt at couples therapy, Samantha ends her relationship with James. She then has encounters with a litigator, a salsa dancer, her personal trainer, a sports fan whose sexual performance depends on his team's success, and Charlotte's brother. She also meets a man whose anatomy is too large even for her.

The end of season two also marks the end of characters' [[Fourth wall|talking directly to the camera]].

===Season 3 (2000)===
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Carrie starts off dating a politician, followed by a [[Bisexuality|bisexual]] man. Meanwhile, Big marries Natasha, and Carrie meets Aidan, a furniture maker. Carrie and Aidan have a seemingly flawless relationship until Carrie and Big begin an affair. When Natasha catches Carrie in her and Big's apartment, both the affair and Carrie's relationship with Aidan come to an end, as does Big's marriage to Natasha.

Charlotte, in her quest for a husband, dates an investment banker with anger management issues, a photographer who encourages her to wear menswear, a bad kisser, and a man who calls out names during climax. She eventually meets Trey MacDougal; despite an awkward proposal, Trey's low libido, and conflicts with his domineering mother, the two marry. Their marriage begins with a sexless honeymoon, and as sexual issues persist, they ultimately decide to separate.

Miranda and Steve move in together. Steve expresses a desire to have a baby, but a decision to get a puppy instead highlights the maturity differences between them. Steve moves out, and Miranda makes partner at her law firm. She also dates a series of men, including a phone sex enthusiast, a fake ER doctor, a man who doesn't swallow his food, and a police detective.

Samantha engages in a series of relationships, including with a firefighter, a short man, her assistant, a black man whose sister disapproves, a recreational [[Viagra]] user, a man who tastes bad, Trey's Scottish cousin, a [[dildo]] model, and a college-aged virgin. She also faces a [[menopause]] scare, gets tested for [[HIV]], and buys a new apartment in the [[Meatpacking District, Manhattan|Meatpacking District]], where she eventually makes peace with the [[transgender women]] on her street.

After her breakups with Big and Aidan, Carrie dates a man who still lives at home, teaches a class at the [[The Learning Annex|Learning Annex]] on how to meet men, gets mugged, and tries to apologize to Natasha. She and Big also attempt to establish a friendship.

===Season 4 (2001–02)===
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After a chance meeting with Aidan at the opening of a bar he co-owns, Carrie convinces him to restart their relationship. Aidan eventually moves into her apartment after purchasing it when her building goes [[co-op]] and later proposes. Despite her initial misgivings, Carrie accepts the proposal but soon realizes she is not ready for marriage. Although Aidan initially agrees to give her more time, he soon begins to pressure her into marriage, revealing his lingering mistrust due to her past affair with Big. They ultimately break up, and Aidan moves out. Carrie buys her apartment with the down payment lent to her by Charlotte, who gives Carrie her engagement ring from Trey. At the end of season 4, Carrie discovers that Big has sold his apartment and is moving to [[Napa, California]].

Charlotte and Trey, though living apart, continue to have marital relations. They eventually reconcile, and Charlotte moves back into their shared apartment. They decide to try for a baby but discover that Charlotte is reproductively challenged. After [[fertility]] treatments and considering adoption, their marriage falls apart under the strain, and they decide to divorce.

Miranda supports Steve through his battle with [[testicular cancer]] and surgery. Later, when Steve feels emasculated by the surgery, they have sex, and Miranda becomes pregnant. She initially considers an abortion, a decision that is particularly distressing to Charlotte, who is struggling with her own fertility issues. However, Miranda ultimately decides to keep the baby.

Samantha flirts with a priest, has nude photos taken, attempts a relationship with a lesbian, and sleeps with various partners, including a man who engages in baby talk, a wrestling coach, and a farmer. She then lands a major PR account with hotel magnate Richard Wright, who is resolutely single. Their relationship begins as purely sexual but gradually deepens into something more, leading them to attempt [[monogamy]]. However, Samantha eventually catches Richard cheating, leading to their breakup.

===Season 5 (2002)===
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Carrie spends time focusing on herself, initially fearing that this might lead to her being fired from writing her sex column. Instead, a publisher expresses interest in turning her columns into a book. A book tour takes her to San Francisco, where she briefly reunites with Big. Back in New York, she meets Jack Berger, a fellow author with whom she feels an immediate connection, but he is already in a relationship.

Charlotte has a confrontation with her former mother-in-law over the legalities of the apartment she shared with Trey and hires Harry Goldenblatt as her divorce attorney. Despite his physical shortcomings, she finds herself attracted to him, and they begin a sexual relationship. As she develops real feelings for Harry, he reveals that he must marry within his Jewish faith, prompting Charlotte to seriously consider conversion.

Miranda, now a mother to her son Brady, struggles to balance work, dating, and her previous lifestyle. Steve remains supportive, and one afternoon they end up in bed together, leading Miranda to question her feelings for him.

Samantha attempts to rekindle her relationship with Richard but finds herself constantly paranoid and unable to trust him. During a trip to Atlantic City with Richard and the girls, she realizes she cannot overcome her lack of trust and decides to end the relationship for good.

===Season 6 (2003–04)===
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Carrie begins dating Jack Berger, who is considered her best "mental match" among all her relationships. However, Berger's struggles as an author, combined with Carrie's success with her upcoming book, create tension between them, leading to their breakup. Big returns to New York for an [[angioplasty]], and Carrie realizes she still has feelings for him; however, she also recognizes that he still cannot fully commit. After Big returns to Napa, Carrie meets Aleksandr Petrovsky, a famous Russian artist. Aleksandr appears to be attentive to Carrie in ways that Big never was, and he invites her to accompany him to Paris. She agrees but quickly realizes how inattentive he becomes when focused on his work. Carrie ends the relationship just as Big arrives in Paris, ready to finally commit to her as "the one."

Charlotte decides that life with Harry, who accepts her fertility challenges, is worth converting to Judaism. After completing the conversion process, she pressures Harry to "set the date" in a way that he finds insulting, leading him to break up with her. However, they encounter each other at a mixer, and after Charlotte offers a tearful apology, they rekindle their relationship and eventually marry. When fertility treatments fail, they decide to adopt and later receive approval to adopt a child from [[China]].

After realizing she is still in love with Steve, Miranda discovers that he has begun a serious relationship with another woman, Debbie, prompting her to start a relationship with Robert (played by [[Blair Underwood]]). However, at their son Brady's first birthday party, Miranda and Steve confess their feelings for each other and renew their relationship. Miranda proposes to Steve, and they marry in a community park. With their growing family, Miranda agrees to move to [[Brooklyn]], where they purchase a brownstone. After Steve's mother, Mary (played by [[Anne Meara]]), suffers a stroke and subsequent memory loss, she moves in with the couple.

Samantha begins a relationship with Jerry Jerrod, a much younger waiter who is also a struggling actor. Using her PR expertise, she helps boost his career, even rebranding him as Smith Jerrod. Although Samantha initially tries to keep their relationship casual, she develops genuine feelings for him. Smith stands by Samantha after she is diagnosed with [[breast cancer]], shaving his head in solidarity when she loses her hair due to [[chemotherapy]]. He also remains patient and supportive when her treatment affects her sex drive. When Smith flies back from a movie shoot just to tell her that he loves her, Samantha replies, "You have meant more to me than any man I've ever known."

The season and the series concludes with the four women reunited in New York City, and with Carrie receiving a phone call from Big (finally revealing his first name, John), telling her that his Napa house is up for sale, and he is headed back to New York. Carrie's final voiceover states: "The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you ''you'' love, well, that's just fabulous."