DVD
Review | Sex and the City (Season 5)
Written by: Kage
Alan
There was so much time spent waiting for the next
season of “Sex and the City” and then two of the actresses went and
got pregnant. I mean…was that just rude or what? Did they realize
the inconvenience they were causing us by only being able to film 8
episodes? Sheesh…ya’d think they had lives outside of the show or
something. Shame on them. Well, fortunately, they made those 8
episodes count and the end result was still a very satisfying season.
Okay, truth be told, while the writers referred to this as “the season
where the men went away” or “the dark season”, I found myself calling
it “the season I related to a little too much”.
Okay, where did things leave off? Carrie (Sarah
Jessica Parker) was no longer going out with Aidan (he wanted to push
her into marriage) and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) moved to San Francisco,
Samantha (Kim Cattrall) was still getting over/dating/dumping cheating
schmuck Richard (James Remar), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) was still
getting used to being separated from husband Trey (Kyle MacLachlan) and
Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) was attempting to adapt to being a mother while
retaining her friendships and some semblance of her former self. Whew!
Well, some interesting new developments do occur in this season. While
it’s true that the men are sent away, a few do pop up in the most
unusual places.
First and foremost, though, Carrie is delighted to
discover that a publisher wants to publish a book of her essays or
columns. This means FUN STUFF! She not only gets a hand in designing
her own cover (something I wish I had been able to do for my own book),
but she gets to have a huge launch party and then travel, all on her
publisher’s dime. Yeah, I’m quite jealous. Along the way, however, she
does experience a few nightmares every author tends to dread the thought
of and may just be falling for another writer (no, not me). What else?
Samantha goes a little nuts and has a lot of sex, Charlotte faces her
divorce and Miranda continues with her issues as a mother. What?
Miranda STILL has issues? You don’t say. Since there are only 8
episodes, the writers have gone to great lengths to plant the seeds for
Season 6…of which I’ve not seen a single episode of yet.
As I said, I really related to this season and,
more specifically, to Carrie. Book signings are scary things and
sometimes the expectations of the author and the audience are wildly out
of sync. Also, not being a parent, I definitely felt for Miranda and
believe the writers did an excellent job showing the internal struggle
of someone trying to hold on to her old life while being forced to live
their current one. I believe I’d feel the same way. There’s plenty of
heart in this season and plenty of laughs. Samantha’s nickname for the
baby and attitude towards him are a scream, though not exactly
politically correct. Personally, I think it makes it all the funnier.
HBO has released “Sex and the City (Season 5)” in
its original full screen format. Video quality has improved from the
first season and audio quality is quite solid too. I have no complaints
about either. What I do have a problem with is the lack of substantial
extras AGAIN. The studio has had 4 DVD sets to figure out that extras
are a definite plus, only the only thing we’re given again are audio
commentaries (three in this set). Okay, commentaries are nice and
there’s some good information shared, but why aren’t any cast members
involved? There’s also an interactive trivia game and a 21 ½ minute
“Behind the Scenes With Costume Designer Patricia Field.” Not to sound
callous, but who cares about that? Where are the deleted scenes? Gag
reels? Interviews? Behind-the-scenes footage with the cast? There was
a real missed opportunity here with only a 2-disc set to give fans of
the show a little something extra. How disappointing that they didn’t
take advantage of it.
I swear, all I ever needed to learn about New York
has come from “Sex and the City”. Having finally visited there this
past fall, I’m able to pick out some of the places where the show is
shot and I’m totally loving it! It’s sad that there is only one more
season to go because it still feels like these women have got so many
more adventures and journeys to take us on yet. They’ve been a part of
our lives for 5 years now, longer than many marriages last these days,
and I’m going to miss them. Perhaps HBO will make the final season an
extras extravaganza. Ya hear that, HBO???
Season Rating:
A-
DVD Special Features: D+
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