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Sex and the City - Season Six, Part 1
HBO // Unrated // May 18, 2004
List Price: $49.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Show
This year we've seen the conclusion of several successful television sitcoms, and for several of these shows, the ending was a long, drawn out procedure. Fans of Friends were treated to six weeks of re-runs before the final episodes aired, but that doesn't compared to the nearly four month break which Sex and the City took during the final season. This interruption in programming was the result of the sixth and final season being split into two parts. The first half of this swan song has now come to DVD with the release of Sex and the City: Season Six: Part One.
(SPOILER WARNING!: In order to describe Sex and the CitySeason 6, I must divulge some of the plot-lines for the shows, as well as discuss events from Season 5. So, if you haven't seen Season 5 and want to be surprised by Season 6, read with caution.) On the audio commentary for the "To Market, To Market", Sex and the City executive producer Michael Patrick King explains that having the knowledge that the show was in its final season allowed the writers to focus on specific story arcs for each of the four main characters, and this line of thinking certain shows in the first half of Season Six. As the season opens, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is in a positive mood, as she's excited about her new relationship with fellow writer Jack Berger (Ron Livingston). They have a great deal of chemistry and Carrie feels that he may be true boyfriend potential. Meanwhile, Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) begins seeing a young waiter/actor named Jerry (Jason Lewis), but is shocked to learn that he is looking for a serious relationship -- something Samantha is highly resistant to. Speaking of serious relationships, Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) desperately wants a future with new boyfriend Harry (Evan Handler), but Harry states that they can't get married because Charlotte isn't Jewish. Can Charlotte make this drastic change just to get her man? And finally, Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) must deal with the fact that she's truly in love with Steve (David Eigenberg), with whom she has a child. But, this revelation may have come to late, for after years of being pushed away by Miranda, Steve gets a new girlfriend, forcing Miranda into the arms of her new neighbor, Dr. Robert Leeds (Blair Underwood). As the season progresses, these four women must decide if they are ready to get out of the dating game and finally find the right man.
This first half of Season 6 of Sex and the City shows the program returning to the kind of storylines which made it popular in the first place -- our four main characters all pursuing men and dealing with the turmoil of life. Except the stakes are much higher and the plotlines are much more mature in these episodes. When discussing Sex and the City in the past, I've mentioned that the show couldn't exist without the characters experiencing drama, and these 12 episodes deal in out in spades. Other than laughter, I rarely get emotionally involved in television shows, but I get caught up in the episodes found here. Just as horror movie audiences yell to the on-screen characters to "Pick up the knife!" or "Look out behind you!", I found myself talking back to the screen as the Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha, all began finding ways to sabotage their once-promising relationships. After five years of watching these women deal with both good and bad men, this season offers the chance at truly promising relationships for all of them, and we (the audience) don't want to see them screw it up. But, once again, if they all made good decisions, the show would be offer in three episodes.
I don't mean to imply that the sixth season of Sex and the City is overly dramatic. The show has always had a knack for balancing drama and comedy and does so here. From Carrie's corny one-liners to Charlotte's histrionic lunacy to Samantha's coy jokes, the show delivers laughs consistently. This balance is reflected in the show's excellent writing, and "To Market, To Market" may be one of the best season openers of any show ever. If a newcomer plans to dive into Sex and the City, I always recommend that they start from the beginning. But, Season 6 is also a good starting place (although most of the show won't make any sense), as the quality of the episodes is undeniable.
Video
Sex and the City: Season Six: Part One strolls onto DVD courtesy of HBO Video. This 3-disc set contains all 12 episodes from the first half of Season 6. The shows are all presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. The video here is sharp and clear, showing only mild amounts of grain at times and no overt defects from the source material. The colors are crisp and bold and there is no oversaturation of the hues. There is some noticeable artifacting at times. The most distracting problem occurs sporadically during cuts. At those times, there is obvious stuttering of the image. I found this problem to occur on both a digital and analog television. These problems are unpredictable and don't happen with every cut. This odd defect keep the transfer from being above average.
Audio
The episodes included here contain Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks. These tracks provide clear dialogue and no sign of hissing or distortion. However, other than that, these tracks are very light-weight. The stereo effects are good, but infrequent. The only acknowledgement of surround sound action comes during city-street noise. There is basically no subwoofer action here. As a dialogue-driven comedy, the audio is acceptable, but it feels as if no effort was made to take advantage of the 5.1 mix.
Extras
As with the other Sex and the City DVD sets, Season 6 doesn't contain many extras. Each disc contains promo spots for all 12 episodes and a text overview of the season. Executive producer Michael Patrick King provides audio commentary for four episodes, "To Market, To Market" (Disc 1), "Great Sexpectations" (Disc 1), "Boy, Interrupted" (Disc 3), "One" (Disc 3). As with his past commentaries, these are quite good as he offers insight into the writing process, shooting locations, the activities of the actors, and the overall mood of the show. He's very good about commenting on such details as costuming, story arcs, and how the real world impacts the tone of the show. Finally, Disc 3 contains a segment from "The Museum of TV and Radio Seminar Series". This 33-minute talk was taped on October 1, 2003. The panel includes King, Parker, Cattrall, Nixon, and Davis. The discuss the origins and evolution of the characters, the success of the show, and the freedom of working on HBO. This talk has some interesting comments, but it seems rather short and the introductions alone take nearly 6 minutes.
During its six year run, Sex and the City proved itself to be one of the most original and audacious shows on TV. This Season 6 DVD set offers some classic episodes of the show, and begins the sad countdown to the program's final episodes.
This year we've seen the conclusion of several successful television sitcoms, and for several of these shows, the ending was a long, drawn out procedure. Fans of Friends were treated to six weeks of re-runs before the final episodes aired, but that doesn't compared to the nearly four month break which Sex and the City took during the final season. This interruption in programming was the result of the sixth and final season being split into two parts. The first half of this swan song has now come to DVD with the release of Sex and the City: Season Six: Part One.
(SPOILER WARNING!: In order to describe Sex and the CitySeason 6, I must divulge some of the plot-lines for the shows, as well as discuss events from Season 5. So, if you haven't seen Season 5 and want to be surprised by Season 6, read with caution.) On the audio commentary for the "To Market, To Market", Sex and the City executive producer Michael Patrick King explains that having the knowledge that the show was in its final season allowed the writers to focus on specific story arcs for each of the four main characters, and this line of thinking certain shows in the first half of Season Six. As the season opens, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is in a positive mood, as she's excited about her new relationship with fellow writer Jack Berger (Ron Livingston). They have a great deal of chemistry and Carrie feels that he may be true boyfriend potential. Meanwhile, Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) begins seeing a young waiter/actor named Jerry (Jason Lewis), but is shocked to learn that he is looking for a serious relationship -- something Samantha is highly resistant to. Speaking of serious relationships, Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) desperately wants a future with new boyfriend Harry (Evan Handler), but Harry states that they can't get married because Charlotte isn't Jewish. Can Charlotte make this drastic change just to get her man? And finally, Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) must deal with the fact that she's truly in love with Steve (David Eigenberg), with whom she has a child. But, this revelation may have come to late, for after years of being pushed away by Miranda, Steve gets a new girlfriend, forcing Miranda into the arms of her new neighbor, Dr. Robert Leeds (Blair Underwood). As the season progresses, these four women must decide if they are ready to get out of the dating game and finally find the right man.
This first half of Season 6 of Sex and the City shows the program returning to the kind of storylines which made it popular in the first place -- our four main characters all pursuing men and dealing with the turmoil of life. Except the stakes are much higher and the plotlines are much more mature in these episodes. When discussing Sex and the City in the past, I've mentioned that the show couldn't exist without the characters experiencing drama, and these 12 episodes deal in out in spades. Other than laughter, I rarely get emotionally involved in television shows, but I get caught up in the episodes found here. Just as horror movie audiences yell to the on-screen characters to "Pick up the knife!" or "Look out behind you!", I found myself talking back to the screen as the Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha, all began finding ways to sabotage their once-promising relationships. After five years of watching these women deal with both good and bad men, this season offers the chance at truly promising relationships for all of them, and we (the audience) don't want to see them screw it up. But, once again, if they all made good decisions, the show would be offer in three episodes.
I don't mean to imply that the sixth season of Sex and the City is overly dramatic. The show has always had a knack for balancing drama and comedy and does so here. From Carrie's corny one-liners to Charlotte's histrionic lunacy to Samantha's coy jokes, the show delivers laughs consistently. This balance is reflected in the show's excellent writing, and "To Market, To Market" may be one of the best season openers of any show ever. If a newcomer plans to dive into Sex and the City, I always recommend that they start from the beginning. But, Season 6 is also a good starting place (although most of the show won't make any sense), as the quality of the episodes is undeniable.
Video
Sex and the City: Season Six: Part One strolls onto DVD courtesy of HBO Video. This 3-disc set contains all 12 episodes from the first half of Season 6. The shows are all presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. The video here is sharp and clear, showing only mild amounts of grain at times and no overt defects from the source material. The colors are crisp and bold and there is no oversaturation of the hues. There is some noticeable artifacting at times. The most distracting problem occurs sporadically during cuts. At those times, there is obvious stuttering of the image. I found this problem to occur on both a digital and analog television. These problems are unpredictable and don't happen with every cut. This odd defect keep the transfer from being above average.
Audio
The episodes included here contain Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks. These tracks provide clear dialogue and no sign of hissing or distortion. However, other than that, these tracks are very light-weight. The stereo effects are good, but infrequent. The only acknowledgement of surround sound action comes during city-street noise. There is basically no subwoofer action here. As a dialogue-driven comedy, the audio is acceptable, but it feels as if no effort was made to take advantage of the 5.1 mix.
Extras
As with the other Sex and the City DVD sets, Season 6 doesn't contain many extras. Each disc contains promo spots for all 12 episodes and a text overview of the season. Executive producer Michael Patrick King provides audio commentary for four episodes, "To Market, To Market" (Disc 1), "Great Sexpectations" (Disc 1), "Boy, Interrupted" (Disc 3), "One" (Disc 3). As with his past commentaries, these are quite good as he offers insight into the writing process, shooting locations, the activities of the actors, and the overall mood of the show. He's very good about commenting on such details as costuming, story arcs, and how the real world impacts the tone of the show. Finally, Disc 3 contains a segment from "The Museum of TV and Radio Seminar Series". This 33-minute talk was taped on October 1, 2003. The panel includes King, Parker, Cattrall, Nixon, and Davis. The discuss the origins and evolution of the characters, the success of the show, and the freedom of working on HBO. This talk has some interesting comments, but it seems rather short and the introductions alone take nearly 6 minutes.
During its six year run, Sex and the City proved itself to be one of the most original and audacious shows on TV. This Season 6 DVD set offers some classic episodes of the show, and begins the sad countdown to the program's final episodes.
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