Trey is old money wealthy. His family is wealthy, probably from multiple generations of wealth. He went to top schools and got a nice paying job as a doctor.

Big is new money wealthy. He didn't come from wealth (or only modestly wealthy), but went to school and got a very high paying job in NYC.

It's pretty apparent that they were differentiating between old and new money with these two characters.

Anonymous wrote:It is pretty apparent that Carrie comes from a LMC family and a broken home. She is very trashy and crude the likes of which people in the true upper crust would severely look down upon. Its not like she is LMC who went to school and is now a respected doctor in Manhattan. She is a sex columnist and writes about dirty and taboo subjects along with detailed account of her exploits. TRAASSSHYY. Think Miley Cyrus not Kate Middleton.

Big I do not think comes from the UC like Trey. He was probably from a UMC or MC who went to school, studied finance and made it big in the investment banking world. He is too in-your-face about his status to be truly old money and is kind of cheap and theatrical in mannerisms.

Carrie is into big because of $$$$ and status. She LOVES rich powerful men. He would never marry someone with her lowly roots and mannerisms. In the real world, they would never have ended up together.

This is spot on!

It is pretty apparent that Carrie comes from a LMC family and a broken home. She is very trashy and crude the likes of which people in the true upper crust would severely look down upon. Its not like she is LMC who went to school and is now a respected doctor in Manhattan. She is a sex columnist and writes about dirty and taboo subjects along with detailed account of her exploits. TRAASSSHYY. Think Miley Cyrus not Kate Middleton.

Big I do not think comes from the UC like Trey. He was probably from a UMC or MC who went to school, studied finance and made it big in the investment banking world. He is too in-your-face about his status to be truly old money and is kind of cheap and theatrical in mannerisms.

Carrie is into big because of $$$$ and status. She LOVES rich powerful men. He would never marry someone with her lowly roots and mannerisms. In the real world, they would never have ended up together.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apart from being a self absored drama queen with the intellectual capacity of a rubber tree plant, she was also not in Big's social class--and it showed. He didn't really want to marry "down", and that was Natasha.

I always thought it was funny that Big was supposed to be of a higher social class, especially his attendance with Mah-Mah at an Episcopalian church. He looked like any other Manhattan striver out of CCNY or St John's Charlotte's first husband had the patrician manner and air totally missing from Big. I thought he and Carrie looks and acted from the same class.

Yes, I agree (I'm the one who wrote thet comment above), but the writers made a point of it several times. He wasn't as well cast as Charlotte's husband in that sense. But he did still manage to come across as slightly less crass than Carrie.

Hhmm, not sure. Not everyone from a higher social class acts like Trey (Charlotte's husband). Plus, I think of Big's occupation as more UP than Trey's -- wasn't Trey a doctor? That occupation seems more UMC than UC. They did show Trey's mother a lot, whereas we didn't get to know Big's mother.

Trey is a nickname for someone who is a third. John Jacob Jones III would be "Trey," and the nickname is allegedly upper class. Trey's mother also has Locust Valley Lockjaw, but we did not hear a long enough exchange between Carrie and Big's mother to determine if she had the same speech pattern. Big's mother certainly had a more upper crust look and manner than he did.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apart from being a self absored drama queen with the intellectual capacity of a rubber tree plant, she was also not in Big's social class--and it showed. He didn't really want to marry "down", and that was Natasha.

I always thought it was funny that Big was supposed to be of a higher social class, especially his attendance with Mah-Mah at an Episcopalian church. He looked like any other Manhattan striver out of CCNY or St John's Charlotte's first husband had the patrician manner and air totally missing from Big. I thought he and Carrie looks and acted from the same class.

Yes, I agree (I'm the one who wrote the comment above), but the writers made a point of it several times. He wasn't as well cast as Charlotte's husband in that sense. But he did still manage to come across as slightly less crass than Carrie.

+1. I thought big and Carrie were both typical crass NY strivers.

I got the impression that Big didn't have to strive b/c he was well connected, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apart from being a self absored drama queen with the intellectual capacity of a rubber tree plant, she was also not in Big's social class--and it showed. He didn't really want to marry "down", and that was Natasha.

I always thought it was funny that Big was supposed to be of a higher social class, especially his attendance with Mah-Mah at an Episcopalian church. He looked like any other Manhattan striver out of CCNY or St John's Charlotte's first husband had the patrician manner and air totally missing from Big. I thought he and Carrie looks and acted from the same class.

Yes, I agree (I'm the one who wrote the comment above), but the writers made a point of it several times. He wasn't as well cast as Charlotte's husband in that sense. But he did still manage to come across as slightly less crass than Carrie.

Hhmm, not sure. Not everyone from a higher social class acts like Trey (Charlotte's husband). Plus, I think of Big's occupation as more UP than Trey's -- wasn't Trey a doctor? That occupation seems more UMC than UC. They did show Trey's mother a lot, whereas we didn't get to know Big's mother.

*UC (upper class), not UP!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apart from being a self absored drama queen with the intellectual capacity of a rubber tree plant, she was also not in Big's social class--and it showed. He didn't really want to marry "down", and that was Natasha.

I always thought it was funny that Big was supposed to be of a higher social class, especially his attendance with Mah-Mah at an Episcopalian church. He looked like any other Manhattan striver out of CCNY or St John's Charlotte's first husband had the patrician manner and air totally missing from Big. I thought he and Carrie looks and acted from the same class.

Yes, I agree (I'm the one who wrote the comment above), but the writers made a point of it several times. He wasn't as well cast as Charlotte's husband in that sense. But he did still manage to come across as slightly less crass than Carrie.

Hhmm, not sure. Not everyone from a higher social class acts like Trey (Charlotte's husband). Plus, I think of Big's occupation as more UP than Trey's -- wasn't Trey a doctor? That occupation seems more UMC than UC. They did show Trey's mother a lot, whereas we didn't get to know Big's mother.

Anonymous wrote:Because men like Big marry a Natasha, not a Carrie.

+1

Because men like Big marry a Natasha, not a Carrie.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apart from being a self absored drama queen with the intellectual capacity of a rubber tree plant, she was also not in Big's social class--and it showed. He didn't really want to marry "down", and that was Natasha.

I always thought it was funny that Big was supposed to be of a higher social class, especially his attendance with Mah-Mah at an Episcopalian church. He looked like any other Manhattan striver out of CCNY or St John's Charlotte's first husband had the patrician manner and air totally missing from Big. I thought he and Carrie looks and acted from the same class.

Yes, I agree (I'm the one who wrote the comment above), but the writers made a point of it several times. He wasn't as well cast as Charlotte's husband in that sense. But he did still manage to come across as slightly less crass than Carrie.

+1. I thought big and Carrie were both typical crass NY strivers.

Easy: He just wasn't that into her.

Didn't any of you have relationships like this in college?

Anonymous wrote:Carrie was a self-centered, navel-gazing, drama queen who demanded far too much from everyone. She was obviously very good in bed and fun arm candy for entertaining his clients, so he ultimately hit the bullet and settled down...most likely because he realized that his star was fading and it was time to lock in a decent wife to coordinate his medical appointments and caregiver schedules.

So this.

Although the fact that someone like Big would ever commit to someone like Carrie was the most unrealistic part of the show.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He was immature and just wanted a quiet peice of arm candy. Carrie was unique, independent, smart and witty. Characteristics that only a strong and secure man can handle. I never got the crazy vibe and hate when people call women crazy.

But Carrie went through so many men during the show's duration and none of them were "strong and secure" enough to handle her. Like Aidan - he should have been strong and secure enough to accept her friendship with the man she cheated on him with?

If she were really looking for a stable relationship at some point it's time for some self reflection.

Aiden was strong and secure. That was the point of the character. It didn't work out with them because Carrie was and always will be in love with Mr. Big. That's what the writers wanted to show with that relationship. Mr. Big is "the one" for her - the one who got away - and no other man, no matter how perfect, will measure up.

Pretty sure the writers admitted Carrie was never supposed to end up with Big. It was always a disfunctional relationship. But then they wanted to give fans their happy ending. So the storyline will never really be one you can rationally figure out.

She was in love with him but he wasn't with her, or at least not as much, thus making it dysfunctional.

Carrie was hard work, and in the hot/crazy scale the math tipped against her.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He was immature and just wanted a quiet peice of arm candy. Carrie was unique, independent, smart and witty. Characteristics that only a strong and secure man can handle. I never got the crazy vibe and hate when people call women crazy.

But Carrie went through so many men during the show's duration and none of them were "strong and secure" enough to handle her. Like Aidan - he should have been strong and secure enough to accept her friendship with the man she cheated on him with?

If she were really looking for a stable relationship at some point it's time for some self reflection.

Aiden was strong and secure. That was the point of the character. It didn't work out with them because Carrie was and always will be in love with Mr. Big. That's what the writers wanted to show with that relationship. Mr. Big is "the one" for her - the one who got away - and no other man, no matter how perfect, will measure up.

Pretty sure the writers admitted Carrie was never supposed to end up with Big. It was always a disfunctional relationship. But then they wanted to give fans their happy ending. So the storyline will never really be one you can rationally figure out.