‘Sex and the City’: How Long Was Carrie and Aidan’s Relationship?
Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big were the endgame couple of Sex and the City. Their relationship took center stage during almost the entirety of the series, both movies and season 1 of And Just Like That…, the divisive HBO Max reboot. Mr. Big wasn’t the only important relationship Carrie had, though. She was also engaged to Aidan Shaw during season 4. Do you know how long Carrie and Aidan were together, though? We did the math, and they were a couple for between a year and a half and two years.
Carrie and Aidan met during season 3 of ‘Sex and the City’
Aidan first appeared in the season 3 episode, “No Ifs, Ands or Butts.” In the episode, Stanford Blatch asked Carrie to accompany him to a furniture store. She agreed but was offended that Stanford assumed she’d go just to “ogle” the craftsman. Aidan, the furniture designer in question, asked Carrie on a date. Their relationship got off to a rocky start when Aidan revealed he couldn’t date a smoker. She quit. Later, Carrie freaked out when Aidan didn’t try to sleep with her immediately and again when he wanted to introduce her to his parents.
Eventually, they fall into a comfortable pattern until Mr. Big appears again. While Big was still married to Natasha, he and Carrie began an affair. The tryst lasted several weeks. Carrie only told Aidan about it after it was over. Aidan opted to break up with Carrie.
The couple got back together in season 4
Carrie and Aidan’s relationship appeared doomed after the cheating scandal. It mostly was, and the pair went their separate ways for quite a while. Eventually, Carrie and Aidan rekindled their romance after she convinced him to meet up for a group date.
The couple’s second attempt at a relationship was marred with controversy. First, Carrie assumed Aidan would cheat to get back at her. Later, Aidan admitted he “needed” them to get married for his own security. Aidan never got over Carrie cheating on him, and Carrie did little to assuage his fears. If anything, she worsened things by continuing to see Mr. Big platonically. Carrie and Aidan broke up for the last time after moving in together and getting engaged.
How long were Carrie and Aidan actually in a relationship?
While Carrie and Aidan’s relationship was an intense one, it didn’t last all that long. At least, not compared to other important relationships featured on Sex and the City. For example, Carrie and Mr. Big were together for a total of 17 years. They knew each other much longer. Miranda Hobbes and Steve Brady were together for decades, too. Even the commitment-phobic Samantha Jones had a longer relationship. She spent five years with Smith Jerrod.
In total, Carrie and Aidan only spent less than two years in a relationship. During their first attempt at a romance, the couple dated for approximately six months. While the show’s writers gave no hard dates for their romance, you can ascertain roughly six months elapsed between their first date and their first breakup when you consider the events surrounding their romance. They began hooking up a couple of months before Charlotte York met Trey MacDougal. Carrie admitted to cheating on Aidan at Charlotte’s wedding, which took place just a few months after Trey and Charlotte met.
When they got back together in season 4, they dated for several months before Carrie’s building went co-op, and they moved in together. They were engaged a short time later and began renovating the apartment next door before ultimately calling it quits. While it’s hard to ascertain how long the relationship lasted because the show’s writers specifically left out important holidays, their relationship appeared to last about a year the second time. In total, Carrie and Aidan’s romance lasted between one and a half and two years.
