Sweet Tea & TV

Ah, not just a classic movie, but a classic scenario for us. One has seen it, the other has not. In this case, I am the Audrey aficionado, Nikki the novice. Together, we will embark on the journey alongside Holly Golightly and Paul Varjak as they navigate their complicated lives and love story.  Will Nikki love it? Hate it? Join us to find out and explore the 1961 film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

As we entered the second hour recording our finale recap, we realized the kind thing to do would be to split it across two podcast episodes. And so we did. Right there on the fly. SURPRISE! This is that second part. 

We did it. The finale was watched. Snacks were had. And more snacks. And more snacks. (And maybe a few more.) Then we talked about it. Post sugar crash, but if we were to put our mind on it - that’s like a pretty good metaphor for the end of Sex and the City. A sugar crash.  You want something. You get it. Is it what you wanted? Let’s talk about it. Part un that is. Part deux coming at you on Thursday. 

Ooh! It was definitely the age un-innocence in the 90s in NYC. And with that opening note, we hereby call to order the Sweet Tea & TV Book Club.  This time, we’re reading Sex and the City – Candace Bushnell’s collection of essays that has inspired three TV series, two feature films, and nearly 30 years of fandom.  We’re discussing its themes, how it compares to the TV series, and of course, the woman who inspired the character of Carrie in the first place: Candace Bushnell.  And, ‘just like that’, we’ll be back next week with our first-ever watch along. That’s right, we’re watching the series finale of SATC: “An American Girl in Paris” Parts Une and Deux. 

“I couldn’t help but wonder” – how many good SATC episodes had we missed in our breakneck season? No need to wonder – the number is 57. There’s no time for that, BUT – we will knock out one final handful of unmissable ones.  And, then, because our time in the Big Apple is almost over, we’ll talk about the series, make sure Nikki’s pre-season questions were answered, revisit our series superlatives, and determine which SATC character we are.  And, ‘just like that’, we’ll be back later this week to talk about the lady and book that started it all. 

We’re rounding out our time in NYC and our time with the SATC universe. Which means it would be totally irresponsible for us to miss the opportunity to talk a little bit about the actors behind the characters.  But you know we can’t do just a strict autobiographical look at each actor - that would be too easy (and too not-competitive!) Instead, we’ll do three things: 1.) Nikki is going to tell Salina a little bit about an actor and we’ll see if she can guess who it is. 2.) Then, she’s going to give Salina insight into a person and Salina will tell us whether it was the character or the actor. And 3.) We’ll expand the universe a bit. We’ve talked a lot about the main characters of the show, but, as we’ve touched on throughout the series, there’s soooooo many more people behind the scenes. Let’s imagine a few scenarios where we are missing these important pieces of the puzzle and predict the “Butterfly Effect” of them missing. If we lose them, what else do we lose from the show? Just stick with us; it’ll make sense. Or, maybe it won’t, but we’ll at least chuckle along the way.

Women, women, women – it’s allllll we ever talk about. Like, when will men get a shot?? Today. They get their shot today.  Who are the men of Sex and the City? And who are the men behind those men? We’ll break it down. Then we’ll give them our “watch party” treatment, followed by their own round of superlatives because it’s really time to figure out…who is the best at being the worst? And, ‘just like that’, we’ll be back later this week to talk about the actors and others behind-the-scenes that brought SATC to life. 

We’ve hinted. We’ve mentioned, but now we must discuss in greater detail – the fashion of SATC. What they wore was more than simply clothing – it showcased who they were as characters, as women in the world. It gave them authenticity as New Yorkers, and it evolved right alongside their lives.  Join as we discuss the woman behind the clothes; the show’s fashion legacy; and a breakdown of each character’s signature style and best looks.

She’s the glue, the anchor, the one who “couldn’t help but wonder.” She’s our eyes into the worlds of Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte. The fashionista, flawed, and utterly fabulous. She is Carrie Bradshaw.  Five episodes. One woman. One discussion. Can we encapsulate everything it means to be arguably one of the most famous fictional New Yorkers of all time?? You gotta tune in to find out. 

The fact of the matter is that TV sets are workplaces and workplaces get messy. But, the messiness factor is a bit magnified on the big screen. This “Extra Sugar” is all about the behind-the-scenes drama on SATC. But, to level set - we’re not fueling the flames of gossipy rumors about drama that seem to follow women’s shows. No, we’re going to focus on a few sources that we consider to be reputable and honest and we’re going to try to stick to the ladies’ words themselves, or of those directly involved in the show; not the words others put into their mouths. Obviously, SATC isn’t the only show in which power, pay and public perception have, at times, gotten complicated. If you zoom out a bit, you can see versions of these same dynamics play out throughout TV history. Sometimes it’s about pay. Sometimes it’s about personality. Sometimes, it’s about public controversy. And sometimes - it’s much ado about nothing. We’ll talk about some other TV shows before we wrap up the segment.