I jumped aboard the Sex and the City bandwagon late, only ever watching it on DVD after the final season aired on HBO. I knew the show's stellar reputation, as it frequently appeared on year-end best lists and garnered numerous awards throughout its six-season run. Not subscribing to HBO, though, meant I had no easy access to the show and therefore could not watch it. And before ever seeing a single episode, I simply could not understand the hysteria surrounding Sex and the City, at least not initially. It was well before streaming movies and television series was a thing, after all. Still, the critical hype piqued my interest, increased all the more when one of my good friends, Carrie, highly recommended the show to me.
The question then became, how does one gain access to a premium-channel show without the premium channel or an option to stream? Through DVD, of course. The early 2000s saw the rise of entire seasons of television shows on DVD and even if Netflix has now become synonymous with binge-watching, the modern phenomenon truly started with TV on DVD. So, one year I asked my parents for Sex and the City on DVD for Christmas, ultimately receiving the first two seasons as a gift. That same year I felt a little under the weather at Christmastime, not thinking much of it, especially considering I seemed to feel better within a couple of days. Fast forward a week to New Year's Eve, however, and suddenly it became clear that whatever illness I contracted was not done with me. Before long I felt the sickest I remember ever feeling in my life. What started as a sniffle turned into the worst possible sinus infection one could imagine. I spent New Year's Eve lying in bed, scared to move for fear of throwing up. Even rolling to one side while in bed caused severe nausea. The only way I could manage the dizziness and prevent vomiting was by lying perfectly still, and provided I did so, I actually felt fine. I could eat. I could drink. I could read. I could watch TV. I could play video games. The problem arose when I readjusted my position or needed to use the bathroom, and even sitting up in bed made me ill. I survived the bout of intensely debilitating sickness, clearly, but not without the help of some very generous people. My parents suggested I try eating a banana and drinking some gatorade as a way to restore my potassium balance, replenish my electrolytes, and rehydrate my body, all of which they thought could be culprits. My roommate at the time, Kara, and her new beau, Bailey, made sure I was okay and brought me some bananas and gatorade to try, though I felt as if they were suspicious of my illness--primarily because it was just so strange. After a full day in bed and feeling no better, another of my good friends, Allison, responded to my call for help and drove me to urgent care. Imagine, if you will, being so off-kilter that rolling over in bed caused so much dizziness that the only way your body knew how to react was by throwing up. Then imagine having to get into a car. Allison, my brave friend, managed to get me to urgent care, albeit with my arms wrapped around a bucket for the entire ride to and from the doctor's visit. Luckily enough, I had been so sick over the past 24 hours nothing was left in my digestive system to empty. Turns out I had contracted a very nasty sinus infection, most likely a hold out from the cold I had the week before. My orders were to lay low so as not to upset my equilibrium much, drink lots of water to cure my severe dehydration, take prescription-strength dramamine to help ease the nausea, and let my body take care of the rest. Over my days of recovery, I longed for something to keep my mind off of being sick. My good friends Kara, Bailey, Allison, and Dianna, another life-long friend made during my time at the University of Minnesota Duluth, helped with that by dropping by, hanging out, and checking in on me. With more free time on my hands than my friends had to give, I turned to my newly-acquired Sex and the City DVDs. It did not take long for me to see why the show had earned so many kudos, and soon Kara and I were hooked. Together, we binge-watched the entire series, instantly drawn to the comedy, romance, and drama of it all while also connecting to the power of great friendships as portrayed by the show's main characters, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. We zipped through the first two seasons with lightning speed, and yearning for more, I purchased the remaining seasons on DVD so we could finish what we started. By the very last episode of season six, I knew I had discovered another all-time favorite television show. Filled with humor, romance, drama, and heartbreak, Sex and the City proved immediately engrossing and infinitely watchable. Over the subsequent years, the show quickly became my most-watched, having seen it in its entirety several times. Even now I return to the show every summer, for like the good friends who took care of me while I was at my most sick, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha never let me down.
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I am a self-proclaimed pop culture geek and list enthusiast who is celebrating the big four-zero by counting down the most important, influential, and favorite music, movies, television shows, books, and video games of my life so far. Categories
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