“To Market, To Market”

Sex and the City season 6, episode 1
Original air date: June 22, 2003

Carrie's Question of the Week: Why do we keep investing?

And scene:
When last we left the ladies of SATC, they were struggling to manage their new relationships: Carrie's finally gotten it together with Jack Berger, Charlotte has given in to Harry's irresistible Jewish bald guy shtick, and it has dawned on Miranda that she has feelings for Steve.

There are a few flies in the ointment, though. Harry's revealed to Charlotte that he can't get serious about a relationship with anyone who's not Jewish, and Miranda gets snappish with Steve when he asks Brady to "tell Mommy to stop chasing Daddy," and throws him out of her apartment.

Miranda decides to try telling Steve how she feels by taking him out to a very nice dinner. It doesn't work so well, though, since Steve reveals that he's got a new girlfriend. Samantha's found someone new, too - a "Wall Street asshole with money" - Chip Kilkenny. Her stock broker gets himself into a little trouble, though, when he trades stock tips for sex with Samantha.

Charlotte and Harry's relationship takes another surprising turn when she reveals to Harry that she probably can't have children. They're exploring the idea of Charlotte converting to Judaism, and Harry explains that it's important to him that his children be raised Jewish. He tells Charlotte, though, that he doesn't care if they end up adopting children, if they couldn't have kids of their own, and she's so touched that she begins to seriously consider conversion.

Berger also scores big when he asks Carrie out for their first date - dinner and a movie - via the perfect answering machine message, in which he "calculated which times and which theaters would be less crowded, which says 'take charge,' and yet, left the restaurant choice to [her], which says 'flexible!'"

The girls all caution Carrie that she may have too much invested in this relationship with Berger working out, so she goes on a horrible coffee date with a guy she's not at all interested in to take some of the pressure off. She plans and plans for the dinner and a movie with Berger, choosing outfit after outfit, trying to make it perfect. She's on her way home from consoling Miranda, who's devastated about the Steve-girlfriend news, when she bumps into Aidan...with a baby strapped to his chest. Turns out he married another furniture designer and they've got a son, Tate. Carrie's so shaken that she calls Berger on the spot to accelerate their date plans, even though she's completely unprepared and not in any of her perfectly-coordinated outfits. She takes the plunge, and after all the buildup, they have a fantastic time just taking it easy.