Though Sex and the City ended in 2004, the continuation of the franchise made the main characters’ happily ever afters not so happy after all. Two movies and the sequel series And Just Like That… picked up the love lives of Samantha, Charlotte, Miranda, and Carrie — and proved just how much trouble there could be in paradise.
That is, for everybody except for Charlotte and Harry. While the relationships of her friends steadily deteriorated over time, Charlotte and Harry faced their struggles together, with their unity and companionship stronger in the revival than it was in the original series. This makes it clear that Harry is Sex and the City‘s perfect man.
Much of the original series followed the ladies’ romantic pursuits, with their different personalities and ambitions leading to different problems when it came to finding the perfect match. Even once they met their matches, each of the four pairings suffered trials that proved why the men were perfect for each character. Samantha and Miranda both learned that their relationships with Smith and Steve did not compromise their own fiercely independent natures. Carrie learned that while she kept looking for the perfect man with each new date, it was actually her old flame Mr. Big who deserved her heart. And the idealistic Charlotte learned how much more beautiful reality could be than a fantasy with Harry.
Samantha and Smith’s relationship dissolved first over the course of the movies. As Smith’s career took off it threatened Samantha’s sense of independence, to the point that by Sex and the City 2, the two were merely friends. Carrie and Miranda suffered their own marital difficulties during the movies. Steve and Miranda felt trapped in a sexless marriage and Steve ended up cheating on her, while Big was so anxious about he and Carrie’s wedding that he abandoned it altogether. In the end, the relationships survived, but their difficulties persisted in And Just Like That…
Carrie’s relationship tragically ended with Big’s death, but even in death, she found out that Big still kept his own secrets when she discovered his last will and testament left a million dollars to his ex-wife. Steve and Miranda’s problems only grew as Miranda proved so discontent with the tedious routine of their lives that she insisted on a divorce. While their friends were dealing with these issues alone, Charlotte and Harry only ever faced their problems together.
Charlotte and Harry have little more than spats compared to the other plots that put the couples in opposition to each other. When they had an argument in “Sex and the Widow” over a competitive tennis match, they discussed the argument throughout the episode and reached a resolution by the end that felt both happy and healthy. Their open communication, common desires, and sheer compatibility provide the foundation for a lasting long-term relationship — even if it never matches the fiery passion of Samantha’s dalliances or the sweeping romance of Carrie and Big’s fairytale story.
A lot of the relationship’s success is owed to the strength of Harry as a character. Grounded, realistic, and practical without ever sacrificing his optimism or good humor, Harry stands out as the best man from Sex and the City because he is the most realistic. Early conflicts centered on Harry were about his profuse flop sweat or unsavory habits like leaving tea bags around the apartment. Those details only served to further underline his reality and became part of his charm.
As a driven perfectionist, there is no doubt that Charlotte brought all the same verve and enthusiasm to making her marriage work that she brought to the rest of her life. But she realized with her first marriage that she was not necessarily meant for such a charmed life. She needed Harry to bring her back down to Earth, and that’s exactly where she managed to find paradise.
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