Plot: What’s it about?
Entering quite possibly its most successful season ever, the show is now on its Fifth Season. Of course, the DVD runs a bit behind and the Third Season has now graced the format. The characters are still the same, Charlotte (Kristin Davis), Samantha (Kim Cattrill), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and of course, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker). As most things happen in life, things do change a bit in this latest installment of HBO’s hit series. Charlotte starts out the season looking for a husband and by its end may or may not find one. Miranda and her boyfriend have some hard times, Samantha succomes to the worries of AIDS (an episode that I was glad they presented as she has evidently slept with everyone) and Carrie has a new boyfriend in the name of Aiden (John Corbett, formerly of TV’s "Northern Exposure"), but still has her bouts with Mr. Big. The clothes are better (so says my girlfriend, anyway) and it’s clear that the women have their characters down to a tee. So what’s missing? Essentially nothing, just more of the same here. Odds are that if you’re a fan of the show, and there’s plenty of you out there, then you’ll want to add the pink-colored Season Three to your collection. Below is a paraphrased version of what you can expect to find in the episodes. I’ll try not and give anything away, but if I do…it’s totally by mistake!
Disc One
1. Politically Erect: The ladies venture out to Staten Island as Carrie has been picked as a judge in a Fireman’s Calendar contest. Samantha manages to pick one that she likes and well, you know…Miranda has lasex surgery and finds out how much she really needs someone else with her, but refuses to ask for help. And Charlotte gets drunk and proclaims that she wants to find a man to marry.
2. Attack of the Five Foot Ten Woman: Carrie is upset to see that Mr. Big and his 25 year-old model are getting married. She feels upset and tries to compensate by looking attractive at a party. Miranda has a new housecleaner that tries to inflict moral values on her. Charlotte tries to get over her fear of nudity in public by bearing all at a spa and Samantha wants a little more at the same spa when she hears "good things" about a certain massuse.
3. Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl…: At a gallery opening, Charlotte introduces the gals to a photographer who specializes in taking pictures of drag queens and Carrie is astounded to realize that her new boyfriend has dated on both sides of the fence. Samantha’s new assistant is reluctant to do what he’s told…until she fires him!
4. No Ifs, Ands or Butts: Charlotte’s date needs some kissing lessons and this is the episode where we’re introduced to Aidan (John Corbett) who Carrie finds very attractive. He makes her quit smoking, but it looks as if this will be more of a challenge than he originally thought.
5. Are we Sluts?: Yes. Yes they are! Carrie wonders why Aidan won’t have sex with her and Charlotte’s new boyfriend and her are having sex, but he degrades her as things "progress". Miranda discovers she has the "clap" and has to tell all of her ex-boyfriends about it and Samantha is forced to move out of her building to make her neighbors happy.
6. Drama Queens: Charlotte is continuing her quest to get married and after a set up date with her friends fails, she meets Trey (Kyle McLaughlin) and the two fall head over heels. Carrie feels that everything is too perfect with Aidan and therefore worries. Miranda and Steve are settling into a very domestic lifestyle until she has an "encounter" with his underwear. Samantha has an experience with Viagra…
Disc Two
7. The Big Time: Charlotte and Trey are going along at full speed and Carrie bumps into Big at a party who later tells her he can’t stop thinking about her. Miranda and Steve start having troubles when he mentions a child and Samantha fears that she is getting old when a catalog comes her way.
8. Easy Come, Easy Go: Samantha has a new boyfriend of the week (or day) who leaves a bad taste in her mouth…literally. Carrie bumps into Mr. Big, drunk, at Aidan’s furniture show and he tells her of their woes. Charlotte proposes to Trey whose response to marraige is "Alrighty" and Miranda wonders why she is helping Steve find a new place when he’s already dating other women while still living on her couch!
9. All or Nothing: Samantha hosts a party for her new place of living while Carrie has an affair with Mr. Big while Aidan is out of town for a few days. Miranda meets a lawyer from the Chicago office who turns her onto phone sex. Charlotte is presented with a prenuptial agreement that has her wondering what is what.
10. Running with Scissors: Carrie and Big’s affair enters its third week and she’s starting to feel used. Meanwhile, Miranda has an encounter with a sandwich outside of Blimpie who constantly tells her to "Eat him". Samantha is asked to take an AIDS test as she has never had one. She needs to do this to hook up with the male counterpart of herself.
11. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Miranda tries multiple dating, but soon learns that when she tells of being a lawyer, it’s a turnoff to any man. Charlotte finally ties the knot, but learns that Trey has a problem with "arousal" the night before. Carrie tells Aidan of the affair between her and Big.
Disc Three
12. Escape from New York: The girls head off to Los Angeles, except Charlotte who is on her honeymoon and meet up with a model of sorts. Miranda heads home with him and Carrie meets up with a Hollywood producer (Matthew McConaughey) who wants to make a movie based on her column.
13. Sex and Another City: On week two of their "West Coast Adventure", the girls are getting used to life in LA. Miranda hooks up with one of her old New York friends but is surprised when he has a new outlook on life. Miranda gets the girls thrown out of the Playboy Mansion party when she accuses a Playmate of stealing her bag. Charlotte joins them as she confesses that her marriage isn’t working out due to lack of sex.
14. Hot Child in the City: Miranda has got some new braces and Charlotte and her husband try sex therapy to see if that can remedy their problem. Carrie dates a guy she meets in a comic store, but is busted by his mom when they smoke pot. Samantha is asked to be the PR lead for a bah mitzvah.
15. Frenemies: Miranda’s date, Will, has died (hence his not showing up) and Miranda dates one of Carrie’s ex-boyfriends who turns out to be a real jerk, just as Carrie said. Samantha gives Charlotte some sexual advice that seems to work.
16. What Goes Around Comes Around: Carrie is snubbed by Natasha at a restaurant and Charlotte is on the prowl for some sexual healing. Meanwhile, Miranda is being pursued by a policeman who is on the case of Carrie’s missing shoes. Samantha tells Carrie that Natasha has left Big and she feels even more guilty…
17. Cock a Doodle Do: Carrie is awakened by roosters on her rooftop (hence the name) and Samantha is bothered by the transsexual hookers outside her window. Trey and Charlotte manage to run into another and have no problem with sex like the used to and the girls have their first ever fight!
Video: How does it look?
As with the previous two seasons of Sex and the City, these are presented in their original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. For a series this new, I really think that these could look a bit better. When I see movies and other television shows (like "Friends") that look better, it really boggles my mind. Still, there is some artifacting in some dimly lit shots and for the most part the colors are strong. The flesh tones are accurate, though we see the women in so many different settings it’s hard to tell what they "really" look like! Still, a strong presentation throughout makes for a good viewing. Essentially, expect the same as from the last two seasons.
Audio: How does it sound?
While we have become so used to things being "re-mastered" in Dolby Digital 5.1, we tend to overlook the things that don’t really need that "power" to excel. Sex and the City, as with the two previous seasons, is presented in a basic Dolby Surround track. There are no major flaws here, just the audio as you most likely heard it either on the DVD or when it aired on HBO. Still, it’s not a bad thing as split surrounds or discrete effects couldn’t do a whole lot for our four heroines. The dialogue is witty and presented without a single flaw, and the more "umph" of the tracks takes place during the opening credits, but if it’s a "Saving Private Ryan" track you’re looking for you won’t find it here, just some women looking for some love and we can hear every minute of it in good ‘ol Dolby Surround.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Sex and the City has never been high on extras, and this season isn’t entirely different. We do get four audio commentaries and they aren’t really that bad. They comment on things that make you really think, as I have become spoiled by the commentaries for movies, I found that they’re trying just as hard (maybe even harder) to do things right and that there is just as much thought that goes into a television show as a full-length movie. All of the tracks are informative, but only the true fans will give them a listen. I see (hear, rather) myself listening to them throughout the year as I wait yet another year for Season Four to arrive. Each episode also contains a trailer and some DVD-ROM content is included as well.
