Fans of HBO's "Sex and the City" may find that starting the new season with back-to-back episodes after months of watching reruns might inspire something akin to an unfortunate reaction one character has in a scene tomorrow night.
Here's a clue: The scene involves a man who hasn't seen his wife for some time. And it offers an important reminder to pace yourself.
So take a deep breath, grab a Cosmopolitan before the show starts and slowly savor the enjoyment. For the two episodes of "Sex and the City" tomorrow night provide a tantalizing hour of Carrie dithering, Charlotte soul-searching, Miranda whining and oodles of vintage Samantha wit.
Sarah Jessica Parker returns for the fourth season as Carrie Bradshaw, one of America's highest-paid newspaper writers - as evidenced by her ability to splurge on Manolo Blahnik shoes whenever she feels vaguely depressed (or about once per episode).
In Sunday's first episode, titled "The Agony and the `Ex'-tacy," Carrie panics over turning 35, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) struggles over her ailing marriage, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) spouts wry cynicisms and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) goes to the mattresses to bed a sexy priest.
In other words, everything is exactly the same on "Sex and the City." Well, except that Carrie gains a year.
This is not to say that the show isn't fresh or cutting-edge any more. On the contrary, the dialogue remains sharp and the women look as fabulously hip -- thanks to talented stylists Patricia Field and Rebecca Weinberg, who have Carrie dipping into the 1940s for accessories this season.
As for the topics they discuss, well, Carrie and her crew continue to go where many a woman probably wishes she and her friends did as freely.
In one memorable scene the gals discuss the men they think about while, um, spending quality time alone. They discover that George Clooney is a common favorite fantasy, and Carrie dreamily says, "Ahh, Clooney. Clooney's like a Chanel suit. He'll always be in style." To which countless fans will undoubtedly reply: "Amen, sistah!"
The Clooney exchange gets to the crux of the enduring popularity of "Sex and the City."
For three seasons now, women have watched Carrie and friends bravely navigate the perils of today's dating world while doing and saying things viewers wish they had the guts to. And whether its discussing their legions of smugly married girlfriends or sharing ideas on how to extinguish a boyfriend's hankering for a threesome, well, even if we don't want to admit it, many of us have been there.
So the "Amen!" moments throughout the seasons have been plentiful. And Sunday's episodes indicate the new season promises much of the same.
Episode One has the girls realizing that being single isn't getting easier with age and pondering whether everyone has a soul mate in life. Miranda, the flinty attorney, remains the cynic, saying: "Soul mates only exist in the Hallmark aisle in Duane Reade drugs." But the girls press on in their self-discoveries anyhow, complete with a delightful cameo by Chris Noth as Mr. Big, the elusive man in Carrie's life.
In Episode Two, "The Real Me," even more cameos abound. Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, model Heidi Klum and celebrity makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin appear as themselves, and actors Margaret Cho and Alan Cummings provide wildly comic turns as people involved in a charity fashion show.
Carrie has to battle her insecurities when she is invited to be a guest model in the fashion show; Miranda is amazed when a man picks her up at the gym when she's at her least glamorous; Charlotte discovers the beauty of a body part, while Samantha gets busy preserving the beauty of all her body parts by having nude photographs taken.
Sure, there are some critics who argue that the women on the show are getting less real by the season. (Although, if there really is a newspaper sex columnist job out there that pays enough for multiple Manolo Blahniks and countless Fendi baguettes, I happen to have a resume handy.) But one thing rings true about Carrie's crew - they're single, alone and trying to figure out this dating jungle, just like many women out there.
It's a refrain repeated again Sunday night when, after emerging from an excruciating party full of married and engaged women, Miranda whines: "We were the only single people in there." Carrie replies, "Miranda, we're the only single people anywhere."
We say "Amen!" to that feeling. And that's why we're still watching.
`Sex and the City'
When: Sunday at 9 p.m.
Where: HBO
In brief: The show is like a Chanel suit - it'll always be in style.
