‘Sex and the City’: Was Carrie’s Season 6 Rebuff of Mr. Big Cathartic or Too Dramatic?
Sex and the City fans remain divided over Mr. Big, despite the fact that the character was killed off in episode 1 of And Just Like That…, the HBO Max reboot. Some fans believe he was the perfect counterpart to Carrie Bradshaw; others argue that Mr. Big was so awful to Carrie throughout the series that the couple should have never gotten back together in the final moments of the original series. It wasn’t always a sure thing that they would end up together. During the original series finale, Carrie delivered an impassioned speech that proved just how deeply Mr. Big’s behavior had negatively impacted her. Fans are divided on that speech, too. Some believe it was a cathartic moment, while others think the famed sex columnist overreacted. So, was it an empowering moment, or was Carrie unnecessarily cruel to her on-again-off-again beau?
Carrie Bradshaw finally unleashed years of pent-up anger on Mr. Big in season 6
Carrie and Mr. Big’s true romantic relationship seemed to end in season 3 after Carrie, and Mr. Big embarked on an affair that ruined his marriage and her long-term relationship. The former flames flirted with each other mercilessly, had phone sex, and even hooked up once or twice after that, though.
Despite dating several other men, Carrie seemed to hold out hope that Mr. Big would magically return, ready to commit. That was until the final season of Sex and the City. After Carrie met Aleksandr Petrovsky, she stopped taking Mr. Big’s calls, prompting him to fly in just in time to learn that she was moving to Paris.
After he tried one more time to win her back, Carrie snapped. Stood in front of her famed brownstone, she delivered an impassioned speech. She told Mr. Big, “It’s six years of never being different. But this is it; I am done. Don’t call me, ever again. Forget you know my number. In fact, forget you know my name. And you can drive down this street all you want because I don’t live here anymore.”
Some ‘Sex and the City’ fans think Carrie was totally justified
Carrie’s season 6 freakout wasn’t the first one she ever had. Carrie lost her cool with Mr. Big on more than one occasion. She lost her temper when he told her he was moving to Paris and didn’t want her to follow him. She screamed at him in the middle of a crowded restaurant when he revealed that he was marrying Natasha, and she got uptight with him during their sordid affair.
Carrie’s season 6 moment felt different than the rest. By finally telling Mr. Big how he had made her feel for so many years, she gave up the ghost of their relationship. It was a cathartic moment, argue some fans and one that would have been the perfect cap to their relationship. Mr. Big following her to Paris, despite Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha’s blessing, just ruined what could have been the moment Carrie truly took back her power.
Some fans believe she was unnecessarily cruel to Mr. Big
There is a faction of Sex and the City fans who largely believe Carrie’s anger toward Mr. Big was often unwarranted. They argue that Mr. Big never really lied to Carrie. He had made it abundantly clear in words and actions that he was not a man big on commitment. After his second marriage imploded, it was obvious that he wasn’t particularly good at communication or commitment. Carrie was the one who often yelled at him and pushed his boundaries. In many ways, He was far more respectful of her than she was of him.
Assuming that is true, Carrie’s insistence that Mr. Big had jerked her around and strung her along was completely off base. If that ascertain was inaccurate, you could say Carrie was unnecessarily cruel when she yelled at Mr. Big and discarded him just before moving to Paris.
So, was she cruel or just having a cathartic moment?
Carrie and Mr. Big’s relationship was a confusing one. Their off-the-charts chemistry made you want to root for them, but the toxic games and the clear emotional incompatibility made them feel like a total mismatch. So was Carrie cruel or just finally fed up?
Can the answer be both? We think so. While the famed sex columnist didn’t handle her final run-in with Mr. Big well, we can understand why she felt so very defensive. Mr. Big did have a habit of entangling Carrie when things were going reasonably well for her, and it did feel like he was doing it on purpose. Still, she could have handled the ambush with a bit more tact. Letting him know she was moving ahead of time would have been the right thing to do, too.
