‘Sex and the City’: 1 Awkward Detail You Forgot About the Pilot Episode
It’s been decades since the Sex and the City pilot dropped in 1998, but fans are still enamored by the story. Many storylines and jokes are questionable by today’s standards. However, the fashion is timeless. So are the friendships between Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis).
The show evolved into a national obsession. That’s what makes it difficult to remember the awkwardness of the Sex and the City pilot, which is a far cry from the polished glamour of the series finale. Here are some of the major differences.
Carrie Bradshaw originally broke the fourth wall in ‘Sex and the City’
Good television transports viewers to a different time and place. But believing that fantasy becomes trickier when the actor “breaks the fourth wall” by addressing the camera. Some Sex and the City fans may not remember that Carrie did that in the pilot of the series. It makes it even weirder that she does it many times throughout that first episode.
Director Michael Patrick King didn’t love the tactic. He said, “I want to believe this. I believe her. I think she’s the real thing. But whenever she turns to the camera, I no longer believe this. Can we stop that?”
Carrie Bradshaw’s hair and apartment look totally different
The Sex and the City pilot provided plenty of setup for the seasons to come. But there were a couple of things that changed dramatically from that initial episode.
First, Carrie’s hair is very short, dark, and curly in the pilot episode compared to later installments. She does change her mane frequently over the years, alternating between short and long, plus straight and curly. However, her hair looks much different in the pilot than at any other point.
The star’s apartment also has a makeover after the pilot. Perceptive fans will notice that her residence looks totally off in that first episode with her bed in a different spot and no sign of a closet.
Samantha pursues Mr. Big before Carrie on ‘Sex and the City’
All four women exemplify different types of strong, independent, single people in New York City. Samantha isn’t as sexually adventurous in that first episode as she later becomes. But she does pursue Mr. Big, calling him, “the next Donald Trump, except he’s younger and much better looking.” This was obviously prior to the 2016 election when Trump became president in real life.
Samantha never calls dibs or seems particularly upset when Carrie starts dating Mr. Big instead. But it is interesting that she was originally interested in the man who will cause Carrie so much heartache over the course of the series.
Between the constant smoking and the lack of diversity, Sex and the City would be a vastly different show if it was made in modern times. But it remains one of the most progressive efforts to come out of the late 90s and early 00s.
