Unpopular ‘Sex and the City’ Opinion: Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big’s Affair Was the Best Storyline of the Series
Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big’s love is a little controversial. While many Sex and the City fans wanted to see the couple get together, very few were huge fans of how the couple got there. In season 3 of the original series, Carrie and Mr. Big carried on an affair. It led to the end of Mr. Big’s marriage to Natasha and caused Carrie and Aidan Shaw’s breakup. While Sex and the City fans largely disliked the storyline, we can argue that Carrie and Mr. Big’s affair was one of the best storylines of the entire series. At the very least, it was well-developed.
Mr. Big and Carrie Bradshaw’s affair pretty much had to happen
Mr. Big and Carrie’s romance didn’t have a conclusive or satisfying ending in season 2. The couple ended their romance when Mr. Big decided to move to Paris for work, making it clear that he didn’t want Carrie to follow him in the process. Everyone assumed he was still in Paris until he showed up in the Hamptons with a new girlfriend. Because Carrie and Mr. Big never really got a chance to hash things out, it felt as if the relationship was only on pause, even though Mr. Big did marry Natasha.
Carrie’s relationship with Aidan was a little too easy and too stable for our always-neurotic Carrie. When Carrie, who couldn’t accept that sometimes a relationship doesn’t need to be hard, and Mr. Big, a classic example of someone who wants what they can’t have, reconnected, it felt almost inevitable that they would both self-destruct. Carrie and Mr. Big’s affair was nearly a necessity. In a way, it almost felt like it had to happen.
The progression of the affair was realistic
If Sex and the City had opted to have Carrie and Mr. Big sleep together just once, or if they had depicted the affair as always glamorous, we wouldn’t have been on board. One of the reasons we love this Sex and the City storyline is the progression of events.
Mr. Big and Carrie’s affair went from passionate and luxurious to seedy, messy, and painful. For several episodes, fans watched how the former flames’ decisions touched on every aspect of their life. Overall, the progression of the romance was spot on. It was steamy where it needed to be, seedy when required, and a mostly realistic depiction of an extramarital affair.
‘Sex and the City’ writers expertly highlighted the pitfalls of an extramarital affair
While fans largely loved Mr. Big and Carrie together, Sex and the City writers didn’t romanticize the affair. In fact, the team was careful to show all sides of the tryst. Not only did the team capture the highest of highs, but the storyline also showed the low points of carrying such a huge secret and the long-lasting fallout of ruining two different relationships in such an epic way.
Elements of the affair colored the rest of the series, and while some fans might not like it, we actually love how the writing team made sure to show just how far-reaching the effects of their actions were. Even after Carrie and Aidan got back together, the affair was a part of the storyline. All told, the way the show’s writers weaved it seamlessly into the very fabric of Sex and the City makes it one of our absolute favorite storylines from the show’s six-season run. Carrie and Mr. Big’s affair, simply put, made sense.
