"Where There's Smoke" By: Jami McGuigan

MY THOUGHTS

Out of all episodes I have watched thus far, this episode definitely presents the most anti-feminist forms of thinking yet! With this show I have also noticed a pattern. In several episodes, the story manages to present intense anti-feminist ways of thinking, and then (kind of) corrects itself only to quickly retreat back. For example, in this episode, Charlotte makes the statement “Women just really want to be rescued” (the anti-feminist thinking), which follows up with Miranda wanting to get home from her eye surgery without the help of Steve (the correction). In the end, Steve ends up showing up to help Miranda and she loves him for doing so (canceling out the correction).

RESCUE/FANTASY

While the women in this episode claim they want to be independent and not reliant on a man, they manage to be dependent and reliant on men in the end…

- When Carrie misses the fairy and loses her shoe, Bill pulls up in a BMW to save her

- When Miranda has laser eye surgery, Steve comes to pick her up and take care of her against her wishes

- When a creepy guy is hitting on charlotte at the bar, a handsome man comes to her rescue by punching him to the ground

- Samantha enters a sexual relationship with a fire fighter

INTERESTING QUOTES

Yet again, these women contradict themselves by saying they are independent yet their lives revolve around finding a man...

Carrie: “With no man in sight, I decided to save my ankles from a life of boredom and max out my credit card with too many pairs of Jimmy Choo Shoes”

Miranda: “Well this is good, we’re actually crossing water to meet men”

Charlotte: “Women really just want to be rescued"

Charlotte: “you know what… I’m going to meet the perfect guy and I’m going to get married… you hear that new York I’m getting married this year!”

Carrie: “I got to thinking about fairytales: what if prince charming had never shown up? Would Snow White have slept in that glass coffin forever? Or would she have eventually woke up, spit out the apple, gotten a job, a health care package, and a baby from her local neighborhood sperm bank? I couldn’t help but wonder, inside every confident, single, driven woman, is there a delicate fragile, princess just waiting to be saved? Was Charlotte right? Do women just want to be rescued?
Charlotte: “I’ve been dating since I was 15, I’m exhausted, where is he?!”