Sex and the City (1998-2004)

Critical Condition

Episode 6 of Season 5 (2002-2003)
Originally aired Aug 25, 2002
Running Time: 30 min

One fine night, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is out with Stanford (Willie Garson) when she makes the unexpected acquaintance of one Nina Katz, whom Carrie quickly -- and uncomfortably -- learns is the woman who dated Aidan (John Corbett) after Carrie dumped him. Nina makes it clear that Carrie did quite a number on Aidan, leading Carrie to obsess over the various injuries possibly being done to her reputation at the hands of Nina. Meanwhile, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is obsessed over sleep -- or lack of it -- thanks to Brady's endless crying and screaming. She finally gets relief in the form of a vibrating baby chair given to her by a neighbor, and then additional relief from Samantha (Kim Cattrall), who offers to babysit while Miranda gets her hair cut. Carrie, meanwhile, continues to obsess over her encounter with Nina Katz, something exacerbated by The New York Times review of her book, which is overwhelmingly favorable but mentions that the men in the book are "disposable." Questioning why we focus on the negative rather than the positive, Carrie finally finds some peace after she runs into Steve (David Eigenberg), who tells her that yes, Aidan was devastated following their breakup, but is doing fine now. When she next sees the treacherous Nina Katz, Carrie defends her behavior with Aidan and realizes that she's her own harshest critic. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide