So, like Hermione, I thought to myself: "fear of the name always increases fear of the thing itself" and use it liberally. I love my cunt, I love cunts, and I think it is a grand name for it. I'm taking it back, as it were.
And this whole episode is kind of about that-- but as usual, it backfires for Carrie.
It starts at a new fashionable restaurant that is being held hostage by a mean hostess who refuses to seat people. She is, according to Carrie, the most powerful woman in New York, and I am inclined to agree. That would suck to call ahead weeks in advance for a table for lunch and never get to eat. Carrie and Sam waited 45 minutes and never ended up getting their table! Sam suggests bribery, and Carrie is like I don't have money for that, let's just go somewhere else.
--Carrie's hair looks absolutely amazing in this scene, btw. Shiny, curly and amazing.--
It's funny, I was about to say that Carrie's shoe shopping finally caught up to her and that's why she didn't want to bribe the hostess, but in the next scene, she is happily buying shoes from Dulce and Gabbana-- oh wait, her credit card was declined. OOP!
Is that really a thing for shopkeeps to scissor someone's credit card? I mean, isn't the card super important with phone numbers and things? I don't know, I don't have one. It is a common TV trope, I was just wondering if it had any basis in reality? The shopkeep is interrupted by Another One of Carrie's Friends Guest Starring for a Single Episode. This one is a European woman, named Amalita, bragging about her boytoy and the expensive gifts he bought for her (and apparently Carrie, since the shoes ended up being on him).
This character is also straight out of the book. She is a lot more interesting in the book. She has a little kid in the book and uses men for awhile in order to afford a regular life with the kid. Here she just seems incredibly shallow and self-serving. I guess it works for her, and I guess the men she hangs around get something good out of it. Carrie calls her an international party girl, and one of the other girls calls her a hooker with a passport.. but that is the crux of the episode: "what's the line between professional girlfriend and just plain professional"-- should women be allowed to use their sexuality to take advantage of men?
Sam: Women should be able to use any means in their disposal to gain power.
Miranda: ...short of sleeping their way to the top.
Sam: Not if that's what it takes to compete.
Charlotte: but that's exploitation!
Sam: Of men, which is perfectly legal!
I love these little four-way conversations. :)
Charlotte reveals that a reclusive artist, Neville Morgan, came to the gallery and wants to meet with Charlotte in his upstate house to organize some sort of art sale or something. Charlotte works at an art gallery, I don't know why this artist asking for a house-call is supposed to be strange. Miranda wants her to watch out, but I think that line is just thrown in to tie it into the conversation about men possibly taking advantage of women who use their sexual prowess. The artist just wanted to show his private collection, literally, a collection of privates: dozens of paintings of various women's cunts. He talks about the cunt, about how powerful it is, the source of all life and pleasure. And it's very compelling. He asks if he can paint her cunt. :D
(that is, can she model while he paints her cunt's likeness on canvas)
His wife comes into the studio and says that she bets Charlotte has a beautiful cunt.
Meanwhile, Carrie goes out with Amalita, to the restaurant in the first scene. Carrie is charming and witty and gets along with one of the European men that Amalita surrounds herself with. Gilles. Gilles invites her to show him New York, and they plan for a date for the next day. They are actually kind of cute together. They have a cute little back and forth, course, she ruins it by talking about how poor she is recently. She keeps talking about how poor she is, what happens to this relationship will surprise -no one- but let's continue.
Miranda is annoyed by her young boyfriend, Skipper. She is kinda sorta stringing him along, and he is held in rapture of her sexual power. He and Carrie have a conversation, before she goes out with Gilles, in which Skipper says, among other things, that he is obsessed with Miranda. Carrie advises him to keep her at arms' length and try not to be overwhelmed by her so much and that he has to try. And she holds his hands in support. The conversation ends when Skipper says that he doesn't even shower afterward, he likes to spend the whole day smelling like Miranda, and Carrie removes her hands from his hands and is like.. eww.
lol.
Next scene is the adorable date between Carrie and Gilles. It is whirlwind and really fantastic. The camera work here is pretty great. The scene ends with them making love in his hotel room, then the next scene she wakes up and he is leaving. He assures her that she can stay as long as she wants and to order breakfast and that he'll call.
except.
He never left his phone number, and she never gave him hers.
And there, on the nightstand, is a thousand dollars.
The girls meet up in the hotel room, to chat about what it all means. For better or worse, Carrie just established her going rate for a one night stand.
I know, I always pepper my recaps with Flight of the Concords, but really, this one is appropriate!
You don't have to be a prostitute!
Next, Carrie and Sam have another go at that restaurant from the opening scene. Carrie justifies that she's already been in once, the hostess can't possibly keep her out this time. Despite weeks ago making the lunch appointment. No go. Right before they leave to eat somewhere else, Carrie stops at the bathroom. The hostess is in there and asks Carrie for a tampon, Carrie gives her one and then is allowed to eat in the restaurant. I don't understand this plot. I've never been to a restaurant where I wasn't allowed to eat unless I bribed the hostess. This must be one of those freaky New York City alternate universe type things. Sort of like how Carrie works for like 4 hours a week and still manages to afford her lavish lifestyle.
Charlotte's art show featuring Neville Morgan and the Cunts (what a GREAT name for a band!) goes pretty swimmingly. They try to guess which cunt is Charlotte's and she ends up whispering in their ears which one it is and they stand in front of it, speechless. and it fades to black and the music starts.
--
I have to bring up the contradiction between this episode and the second episode of season 4: "The Real Me." In it, Charlotte says she's never looked at her cunt and thinks it's ugly (which is why it's depressed).
CLEARLY they've ALL seen Charlotte's cunt. AND they've been empowered by looking at it. :nods:
<3
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