Part of the Sex and the City Essentials collection, Breakups is a three-episode selection from HBO's Sex and the City series. Naturally enough, all the episodes have some sort of relationship meltdown as part of the story. Is this collection aimed at devoted viewers who haven't coughed up the money for the season sets, or for new viewers who haven't gotten hooked yet? That's a good question, and one that's left hanging by the odd choice of episodes for Breakups.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Season 3, episode 12. This episode feels like an awkward selection, as it directly builds on a story thread from the previous episode, "Running with Scissors," which is included on the Lust DVD rather than here. Carrie deals with the emotional consequences of revealing to her current beau, Aidan, that she's just had a fling with her married ex-boyfriend, Mr. Big. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" tries to be more drama than comedy, and it lacks snap. The Carrie-Aidan plot thread is too soap-opera in style, as is the thread dealing with Charlotte's impending wedding. The one strong point of the episode is Miranda's discovery that masquerading as a stewardess is a good way to get dates.

I Love a Charade: Season 5, episode 8. Another odd choice for a best-of selection, this episode is the finale for Season 5. An acquaintance's wedding is the occasion for Samantha to throw a party in the Hamptons, and all four of the friends have various adventures and misadventures with boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, and would-be boyfriends. It's moderately entertaining (more so than the too-serious "Don't Ask, Don't Tell") but not terribly lively.

The Post-It Always Sticks Twice: Season 6, episode 7. This episode is a reasonably solid one, but it's not an ideal one to choose for a selection like this; as with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," it builds directly on the events from the previous episode in the season ("Hop, Skip, and a Week"), which appears not on this disc, but on the Romance DVD. (The events in Charlotte's life that are mentioned in this episode are also a bit jarring in the context of just having seen "Don't Ask, Don't Tell.") Here, Carrie and the girls decide to go out on the town to help her get over a Post-it note breakup. It's a fun episode with a bit of snap to it, but it's not as funny as it could have been without the dramatic elements.

The DVD

Video

The image quality here is fine; all three episodes appear in their original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, and display a satisfactory image quality. The print is clean, and colors look natural.

Audio

The 5.1 track isn't a lot different from the 2.0 track for this dialogue-driven show, offering a clean and satisfactory listening experience. The dialogue is always distinct and easy to hear, and the musical parts of the track are balanced well with the rest.

Extras

There are no special features on this DVD.

Final thoughts

Sex and the City Essentials: Breakups is a bit of an odd collection. The "breakups" theme guarantees a focus on the more dramatic, long-term aspects of the show's story arc... which are exactly the aspects that don't translate well to isolated episodes that are presented out of context. If you're a fan looking for a "best of" selection, this set isn't complete enough, and if you're a new viewer looking for a sampling of the show, the episode choices feel awkward. I'll say that this is an adequate choice as a rental, since two out of the three episodes are reasonably fun to watch anyway. Rent it.