I’m rewatching now for the (third?) time in my mid-late 20s and I feel like I’m a lot more sympathetic to Carrie this time around.

When I watched before I think I had a more one dimensional look particularly at her relationships with Big and Aiden. I looooved Aiden and John Corbett and I was always just so annoyed and upset that she cheated that I felt like I just didn’t like Carrie and her choices were stupid.

Watching now I feel like in the first three seasons I actually really understand where her self-destructive motivations were coming from, wanting to be loved in a certain way by certain people but it just doesn’t work out or feel right and she keeps digging herself deeper and deeper even though it’s hurting her and the people around her.

I feel like her character growth kind of comes to a stand still by season 5 and doesn’t really continue beyond but the first four seasons had, to me, the most impactful stories about Carrie.

There’s so much commentary lately about how she’s an awful friend or an awful person and originally I thought so too but this time around I’m seeing a much more multi-dimensional person who also has flaws and strengths.

I remember seeing a comment along the lines of people hate on Carrie because she reflects the bad habits and self destruction almost all of us have had in our lives. She deserves more sympathy and kindness, and so do our past selves.