Ms. Linstrom's column on the truncated version of the series "Sex and the City" suffers from the same choppiness that the series seems to suffer from (in the truncated non-cable version at least). By trying to give us her feelings about her own experience of the kinds of discussions the series goes on endlessly about Ms. Linstrom has copied that same rambling what IS the point reaction that I have when I watch the series. Carrie is only pretty to watch because Sarah Jessica Parker IS pretty to watch and so are the other characters. I do like the way Ms. Linstrom went into her thoughts and feelings about each character but I am left confused about just HOW she relates to the topics of discussion presented by "Sex in the city largly because she Over Uses the parenthetical and when she does use it she doesn't seem to use it in a short fashion simply to clarify or to display emotion. I agree with her however that the one character who seems most modern and realistic is the one character who both has a successful career and ends up being a single mom to boot. I don't remember Ever having the kinds of obsessive conversations about finding a man that the Ladies of "Sex and the City" constantly engage in. There just isn't anything engaging about entertaining that level of breathless desperation. What today's women often seem to do just as their mother's before them is discuss with their close girlfriends is problems that come up when we are in relationship. That discussion which sometimes takes the form of wanting the partner to be something they are not by nature seems to be timeless and no doubt EVE in the garden of Eden was discussing how she would like Adam to change IF only her could. But at least Eve had an excuse for looking at her man as one more home improvement project: Adam was the only guy she had to choose from. This is what made the Carrie and Mr. Big subplot work for so long. We got a chance to vicariously enjoy someone esles frustration and angst rather than deal with our own. Maybe the series has helped some of us women make our girlfriends allys in thinking out before we take the leap into just another relationship we set about to fix. Let's reserve that for the relationships we did not choose namely our parents that we have some responsiblity to reconcile with (at least in most religions and ethical systems) and also let's reserve reconciliation for that other relationship where we didn't quite choose the personality of the person we ended up with---our children. I do applaude Ms. Lindstrum in that she sees herself mirrored in the independent not so worried about getting a man character of Miranda. But I won't go into the tendency of "Miranda's" to have "Steve" relationships

OK -real words this time (unlike PL - whuuut??) Too bad PL entered so quickly all those big words. Ms. Linstrum (sic), I'm sure she prefers Ashley, has nothing but provided a quality "blog" type article as is her job. I have followed her columns and reveiws for months now and she does an excellent job, just snarky enough, just entertaining enough. And BTW - there's a litte of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and goodness knows some Samatha in all women! Keep up the good work Ashley!

Purplemee is right. Ashley was simply trying to do her job. And who wouldn't write about how their own personal relationships were seen to be present in a TV show when that's what you are paid to do?

Miranda represents the flip-side to the other girls, yet she never leaves them. If Miranda were truly there to represent the strong, independent woman, wouldn't she have left her friends long ago? The bottom line is, although she is successful, Miranda is still a weak woman.

When Ashley says that without being friends with a "Carrie" or a "Charlotte" means that you would have no friends at all, she contributes to the negative portrayal of women being weak. This doesn't have to mean weak when it comes to men or her family: just weak.

To give up an independent identity to have "friends" is not helping the so-called "plight of women." It's too bad a "progressive" paper such as the Current would publish this. But hey, they publish worse, right?

We'll have to agree to disagree, currentreader. I can see why Miranda might be viewed as weak for continuing to run with the same crowd, but I think she does it — as a lot of us do — because she loves her friends and she's tolerant of worldviews that aren't her own. She embraces people she doesn't necessarily agree with. (I only wish differing religious factions and world cultures could do the same.) Whatever their faults, Carrie and Charlotte genuinely care about her and don't stifle her opinions. Those qualities aren't easy to come by.

The circle of friends also includes Samantha, a character I wasn't able to incorporate into this article, but who is representative of an independent woman who — with the exception of her pals — wasn't out to please anyone but herself.

I've got to say, I love how this show gets women talking. I think everyone's got something valuable to contribute to the conversation.