Sex And The City : Seasons 1-6 Shoebox (18 Disc Set) [DVD]

Sex and the City is my all time favourite TV series for so many great reasons. Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte are all so different but all come together because of their strong bond of friendship. What's so great about this TV programme is that it's written by women for women and you can see this in the stories which all have an emotional truth in them. Trying to balance problems at work whilst trying to work out who is the Mr Right boyfriend for you? Carrie and the girls are shown living through the same things. Yes they are New Yorkers and have loads of money, but there is something about them that makes you think that they really would be very special friends to have.

This Jimmy Choo inspired boxset is great because you have literally every episode in order and ad-break free. Beautiful.

It seems from other reviews that my feelings on this boxset are not unique and so I can be brief.

The show itself is outstanding with six seasons of dynamite; witty, intelligent, moving and captivating all at once, it truly is one the finest shows to come out from across the pond in a generation, right up there with Scrubs, Friends, South Park, Family Guy and pre 2000 Simpsons. It also ends on the high and never outstays its welcome.

However the boxset itself is a little bit of a let down. Whilst the packaging is nice, once the DVDs are in he player, things slip. Firstly, there is no 'play all' feature which does get a little annoying but even move so is the lack of chapters. If, half way through and episode, the phone rings, the kitchen explodes, the baby cries or the door goes and you are forced to stop, you have to fast forward through the episode the old-fashioned way to get back to your scene - what is this VHS?

This should not deter you from buy the set though provide that (like me):

1: Picture quality is not important and you couldn't care about the Blue Ray fad.
2: It's the quality of the watch and not the mechanics of the DVD that bother you.
3: Extras are something you maybe watch once if you have nothing better to do.

Personally, the above are not so important to me, but if they matter to you...

The show is brilliant enough to watch over and over again, despite a less than perfect box set for a good price. But if you were expecting some kind of duluxe edition then don't judge this one by its cover and look elsewhere.

Sex and the City is more than a TV show, it's an institution. It was the first show on television to examine how women really think and feel. Yes there is the word 'sex' in its title and sex features a lot in the show, but it is more to do with relationships and female friendship than just 'shagging' the first guy that comes along!

Series One:

The clothes seem a bit dated now but of course that's to be expected and it is now annoying to watch episodes where SJP looks at the camera and the continuous cutting to various extras with their own opinions. Highlights of the first series were 'The Baby Shower' and 'O Come All Ye Faithful'. We are introduced to Mr. Big and develop a love/hate relationship with the man who is never quite there for Carrie.

Series Two:

Is personally my favourite series as the girls are really looking and acting at their best. Carrie is recovering from her break up from Big but manages to rekindle their relationship if only for a brief period. The episode, 'La Doleur Exquise' is probably the most heartwrenching of all the episodes in Sex and the City and the viewer really feels torn as Carrie is literally forced to untangle herself from Big's grasp. Miranda meets Steve and embarks on a brief affair, whereas Charlotte continues her search for Mr. Right and Samantha comes to terms with size being an issue. The final episode of the series, 'Ex and the City' has a fantastic reworking of 'The Way We Were'. I think the highlight of this series was Carrie's impossible relationship with Big.

Series Three:

Once again begins with Carrie recovering from the Big situation and meeting Aidan. Charlotte meets Trey and they become engaged (far too quickly), Miranda tries again with Steve but they separate (another heartbreaking episode)and Samantha is Samantha. The main issue in this series is Carrie's affair with Big which results in her and Aidan separating. The best episodes for me involved Carrie wrestling to give up her affair. It seems so unlike her to have an affair and once again the viewer starts to hate and love Big in equal measure. Charlotte's marriage falls apart as soon as it begins.

Series Four:

Carrie is alone again and in one of the first few episodes she is invited to model in a fashion show. This episode 'The Real Me' is an excellent episode to watch when feeling down about yourself. Carrie's fall is so surprising and tragic you really care for her and admire her for getting up and continuing on. Charlotte and Trey struggle with the reality of being unable to have children, Miranda sleeps with Steve in a mercy act and ends up pregnant while Carrie gets back with Aiden while at the same time trying to remain friends with Big. 'Belles of the Balls' is an excellent episode which my boyfriend says 'really sums up guys' when Aiden and Big fight each other and then start to like each other. Another great episode is 'The Good Fight' which contains the most hilarious fight between Carrie and Aiden and also Charlotte and Trey. Series four ends sadly for all of the girls besides Miranda. Charlotte and Trey separate, Carrie calls off her engagement to Aiden and says goodbye to Big while Samantha gets her heart broken by Richard. The only joy is Miranda's giving birth.

Series Five:

The shortest of the series and generally not the best because of it. Carrie doesn't have a lot to do as she has become cynical about love and chooses the city over love in general, Miranda struggles with her baby weight and the baby in general while Samantha gives Richard another chance only to decide that she loves herself too much to stay with a man who may cheat again. The best episode is 'The Big Journey' where Samantha and Carrie take a train to San Francisco and Charlotte and Harry begin their affair.

Series Six:

Carrie begins seeing the extremely annoying Jack Berger who eventually fails to deal with her success and dumps her on a post-it which actually turns out to provide one of the best episodes of the series, 'The Post-It Always Sticks Twice', the girls go out for a night on the town with hilarious consequences. Charlotte and Harry marry and Samantha dates Smith. The scenes between Samantha and Smith are excellent as Samantha finally opens up to a man. Miranda dates a foxy doctor but soon realises in one of the gorgeous episodes, 'One' that it is Steve who she loves and they get back together. Carrie starts seeing Alexander Petrovsky, a Russian with a bit of an attitude and humour blip. Miranda and Steve marry in 'The Ick Factor' and this tragically coincides with Samantha developing breast cancer which is dealt with in a sensitive way. Carrie's affair with Petrovsky develops so much that she decides to go with him to Paris but Big returns just in time to see her leave and then realises he wants her back. The final episodes of Sex and the City tied up a lot of loose ends. Samantha gets her sex drive back, Miranda accepts Steve's mother, Charlotte and Harry manage to adopt and Carrie ends up with......who else?.....Big. I liked the ending and wouldn't have it any other way.

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