The 1 ‘Sex and the City’ Love Interest That Doesn’t Get the Credit They Deserve
Over six seasons, Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York, and Samantha Jones had a plethora of love interests. Some were better than others. Fans of Sex and the City largely agree that Smith Jerrod and Harry Goldenblatt were the best of the best. Love interests like Mr. Big, Aidan Shaw, and Steve Brady are more divisive. There is one love interest that we don’t think gets nearly enough credit. Trey MacDougal and Charlotte didn’t work out in the end, and he had plenty of flaws, but he was a good guy at heart.
Charlotte York married Trey MacDougal in season 3 of ‘Sex and the City’
Charlotte York was obsessed with getting married from early on in the series. From season 1 of Sex and the City, she showed serious interest in settling down, noting that she found dating “exhausting.” While she kissed a lot of frogs, she was fairly certain she found her happy ending with Trey MacDougal, a doctor from family money.
Charlotte met Trey when she fell in front of his cab in the season 3 episode, “Drama Queens.” She was sure she wanted to marry Trey within weeks. Charlotte was so confident, in fact, that she sort of proposed to herself. It didn’t matter all that much. Charlotte got the man of her dreams, or so she thought, and the wedding she always wanted.
The duo had marital troubles almost immediately
Sex and the City fans largely dislike Trey MacDougal because of the relationship troubles he and Charlotte ran into almost immediately after they wed. Charlotte avoided having sex with Trey until their wedding night, hoping it would be special. Instead, she found that Trey had erectile dysfunction. They married anyway, but their relationship was rocky almost instantly because of the issue and Trey’s refusal to work through the problem.
Once they worked it out and got back together, they quickly began trying for a baby. That didn’t turn out to be a simple process, either. Trey “denying” Charlotte a baby seemed to cement the character firmly in the “bad partner” category for some Sex and the City fans. Was he a bad guy, though?
Trey MacDougal wasn’t really a bad guy; he just wasn’t the right guy for Charlotte
While Trey ultimately wasn’t a good match for Charlotte, he also wasn’t that bad of a partner. He was merely not what Charlotte needed. Trey did have plenty of moments when he showed great care for Charlotte and her feelings.
When Trey realized Charlotte would never be happy without a baby, he agreed to separate, allowing her to stay in the apartment that was in his family for generations. Later, when the divorce went through, he was the one who put Bunny MacDougal in her place and ensured Charlotte got what she wanted in the settlement. He even showed up for her following their separation to be a part of a photo spread, telling her he wanted to “at least” do something for her.
Trey wasn’t a good fit, but he had a lot of love for Charlotte. He wasn’t a bad guy and wasn’t only out to get what he wanted. He truly cared about Charlotte’s happiness, even when he realized he wouldn’t be the man to make her happy. That alone makes him better than most of her other partners. In fact, the only partner better than Trey for Charlotte was Harry Goldenblatt.
