‘Sex and the City’: Fans Notice That Aidan Shaw Seemed To Move on Really Quickly
Love him or hate him, Aidan Shaw was an important part of Carrie Bradshaw’s life. Their love story spanned two seasons of Sex and the City, and for some fans, Aidan will always be the one that got away. While he only made a single appearance after season 4 it was an important one and one that still baffles fans. Aidan showed up in season 6 married with a child, but if the show’s timeline is correct, he would have had to have moved his next relationship at warp speed to make the timing work.
Aidan and Carrie ran into each other in season 6
If Aidan was crushed by the end of his relationship, he certainly moved on quickly. Carrie and Aidan ended their engagement in “Change of a Dress,” the 16th episode of the fourth season. The breakup appeared to happen in the summer. A few episodes later, as fall rolled into New York, Miranda Hobbes gave birth to her baby, Brady Hobbes. That’s all fans heard of Aidan until Carrie asked Steve Brady about him several months later. While he admitted that Aidan took the breakup hard, he never mentioned him being involved with someone else.
By the first episode of season 6, Aidan was settled into married life with another furniture designer. He mentioned her name was Kathy but offered no other details, like how they met, when they got married or how he managed to have a baby in the roughly year since they ended their engagement. To be fair, Carrie didn’t ask any questions either and didn’t seem particularly shocked that Aidan was hanging around Manhattan with a baby. She was a little wrapped up in heading to her first date with Jack Berger, so perhaps she just didn’t stop to think about the odd timing of things.
The timeline for Aidan’s domestic life doesn’t make much sense.
Aidan would have had to get his wife pregnant almost immediately after ending things with Carrie for the timeline to make any sense. Season 5 was cut short to accommodate Sarah Jessica Parker’s real-life pregnancy, and the show’s timeline was seemingly condensed, too. Overall, season 5 appeared to take place over six to nine months. Carrie ran into Aidan in the first episode of season 6, 12 episodes before Brady turned one. In the encounter, Aidan had a baby in a carrier who appeared to be about three months old. If Brady was between six and nine months old when season 6 opened, it could be assumed that only about 12 to 15 months had passed between Carrie and Aidan’s breakup. In short, Aidan wouldn’t have had a whole lot of time to date, marry, and have a baby with someone.
There are more holes in the storyline, too. For someone who was so desperate to be with Carrie, one would think Aidan would have taken a lot more time off from dating. One Reddit user also pointed out that Steve, who was Aidan’s business partner, never bothered to mention that Aidan had gotten married or had a baby. The two would have, presumably, talked about it, since Steve was a new father himself. So, did Aidan get married fast, or did he hook up with someone before his relationship with Carrie was officially done? Several years later, Aidan was still married, and Carrie ended up with Mr. Big, but the massive plot hole still bothers fans.
Was Aidan ever right for Carrie?
When it comes to Sex and the City, fans tend to fall into one of two teams. They either strongly believe Carrie belonged with Mr. Big, or they think she should have never let Aidan get away. Aidan was supposed to be the antithesis of Mr. Big. He was open, loving, and wanted to get married and settle into life with Carrie. Mr. Big was cold, distant, and far more worldly than Carrie’s other big love. So, was Aidan right for Carrie?
At the end of season 6, it would have been difficult to say if they would have made a good pair in the longterm. By the end of the second movie, when Carrie had felt downtrodden by Mr. Big’s desire to take things easy, it’s safe to say that Aidan was never right for the sex columnist. Aidan was a man who enjoyed spending his nights at home, while Carrie preferred to be out and about. Aidan was a family man, and Carrie never seemed particularly desperate to experience motherhood, although she wasn’t blatantly opposed to it, either. In the end, Aidan was far too set in his goals while Carrie was far too wishy-washy. The couple probably would have never worked, even if they had made it down the aisle.
