When “Sex and the City” premiered on HBO in the 90s, it became an instant hit. The breakout TV show was revolutionary for starting frank, honest discussions and making portrayals of sexual activity less taboo. At that point, the world was more conservative (and less digital), so many viewers were scandalized by episodes, and more than a few got a deeper sex education as adults thanks to this show. Blending humor with this honesty, many of the sexual themes were integrated into hilarious scenes. The perfect recipe of vulgarity, comedy, and friend group chemistry made it one of the most iconic shows to grace TV, even decades later. Here are the craziest SATC moments!
1. A mud fight with hotties
While some scenes in “Sex and the City” do explicitly deal with sex, much of it is in the innuendo. In the episode “Belles of the Balls,” Carrie is dating Aidan but still invites over Mr. Big to Aidan’s house. Big mistake! The drama ensued almost immediately as the men started to argue and testosterone dominated the interaction. It evolves into a chaotic mudfight between the two men which probably mortified Carrie but left the viewers kicking back and enjoying the dirty, flirty display of masculinity taking place on their screens.
2. The slut debate with Charlotte and Carrie
One of the lasting effects of SATC is its ability to ease people’s conversation about sex and pleasure. One example is the episode “We Are Sluts,” where Carrie ruminates over what number of sexual partners would deem a woman a “slut.” Simultaneously, Charlotte is dealing with dating a new man who likes to call her that (amongst other words) and begins to feel concern that he may be right and that her “slutty” identity might prevent her from settling down with the right man. The women ultimately come to the conclusion that their value isn’t tied to what others might say about them, which is an inspirational concept that many people can learn from.
3. Miranda chokes on Chinese food
While most of the craziest moments on this popular show have to do with sex, some of them aren’t very sexy at all (but are still equally memorable.) In the episode “Four Women and a Funeral,” Miranda loses it when she learns that the last person who lived in the apartment passed away and no one found the body for a week because they were single. Prompting an internal crisis for the then-single Miranda, she begins choking on Chinese takeout, and while she saves herself in the end, it was a more serious moment in the naughty comedy that reminded us we could lose one of our favorite characters in the blink of an eye!
5. Lexi fatally falls through a window
Another more serious moment in this show (though infused with classic SATC dark humor) was in the episode “Splat!” When fan-favorite drama queen Lexi Featherstone complains at a party that NYC just wasn’t as fun anymore. Then, Lexi and all the viewers get reminded of just how unpredictable New York can be when Lexi twists an ankle, loses her balance, and plummets from a high-rise window, falling multiple stories to her death. Lexi ironically said that the city was boring her to death, and in a moment of morbid hilarity, that sentiment came true!