by elizaligon
I am no angel. Over the past year, I’ve subjected myself to a lot of bad TV… I mean, a lot. HBO Max kinda wrecked my shit– I can now say that I have seen most of Friends and the reunion. But all of the godless creations, like Curb Your Enthusiasm, pale in comparison to one of the greatest comedic commentaries of our generation (or perhaps, the previous generation).
Sex and the City is a creative feat, and far more complicated than it is given credit for. Aside from SATC, I’ve been watching a boatload of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from both Sex and the City and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, it’s that you have to watch it as a commentary on the way that these people live their lives, not as praise for this way of life. If you try to watch it as a serious show, you will hate it. These characters were not meant to be taken seriously.
Both shows follow a friend group well into and beyond their thirties, a time when many people have mellowed out. These people have yet to mellow, still acting like children well into middle age. Much like It’s Always Sunny, you have to accept that you’re gonna hate all of the characters from Sex and the City.
First and formost, Carrie is annoying as Fuck, she is the true villain. Carrie is only mildly hot, yet her hotness is played up. Conversely, Sweet Dee can literally get it any day or time, but she’s used as the butt of jokes regarding appearances. We might also consider that both of them are hotter than any of the men they have ever been paired with for this show. Still, for both, validation of their hotness is one of the most important features of the characters. Both of these characters beg for attention and validation. They turn into horrifying squawking birds when denied approval by their peers.
Miranda is one of those characters who is always right, but also has to be a bitch about it. We might compare Miranda to Mac, who always thinks he is right and takes every measure to assure that the rest of the Gang knows his thoughts. Neither of them was capable of sustaining a relationship for a long time, as they both become insufferable the second you disagree with them. Neither of them knows the term “subtlety.”
Charlotte is a stuck up snob who has never thought outside of her picket fence brain. Dennis may have come to mind straight away, as Dennis has also never seen beyond his own ways and world. Both of these characters insist that their ways of life are superior. I would honestly be so curious to see these two characters in a room together. Do you think they would fuck? I think there’s a good chance. Nightmare.
Samantha is the only one worth caring about, but even she is steeped in sexism and homophobia in the way that everyone seemed to be in the 1990’s. Charlie and Frank, though delightfully wild, sometimes (or often) say ignorant things because, as much as we love them, they’re stupid fucks. Truthfully, Samantha could be compared to either a Charlie or a Frank-like character; these people enjoy living outside of the boundaries of societal norms. They purposefully circumvent expectations. That is what makes these characters our wildcards. You’re gonna hate-watch each and every one of the characters as they make horrifying decisions; they will take every wrong turn and wander down every dark alley. You will suffer for it. So, with this in mind, Sex and the City is like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but they cater to different audiences. While Sex and the City is made for moms and gays, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is for straights, especially immature teenagers (…and now perhaps you understand why I’ve seen both.)
Categories: claire fagan, eliza ligon, nov. 9, vol 25