Sept. 3, 2026
Every party has a pooper! with Sean Palmer... (S5 E6 "Critical Condition")
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RSS Feed Nina Katz way to ruin a good time! Kristin compares Nina Katz womp womp to negative comments on social media. We just pay too much attention to them. Plus Heather Graham plays Heather Graham!
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00:00:01
Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Kristen Davis, and I want to know, are you a Charlotte? Hi, everybody.
00:00:11
Speaker 2: We are back for part two with Sean Palmer, who played Marcus, who was Stanford's boyfriend. And he and I are going to rewatch Critical Condition, which is episode 506, aired August 25th.
00:00:25
Speaker 1: 2002. Thanks for joining us.
00:00:29
Speaker 2: So this episode is called Critical Condition, written by Alexa Young, directed by Michael Patrick King.
00:00:37
Speaker 1: How fun.
00:00:37
Speaker 2: Always so much fun to have Michael directing. And this episode I thought was super fascinating. Didn't remember much of it. So it was really, really interesting. And I did laugh numerous times at very unexpected moments.
00:00:50
Speaker 1: Cynthia made me laugh with that baby.
00:00:52
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:00:53
Speaker 1: Couple times. I really love it.
00:00:57
Speaker 2: I forgot that we really did like such a kind of an in-depth story about her not being able to please the baby and her neighbors.
00:01:07
Speaker 1: Oh my God. And, and Lisa Gay Harden's in it. Lisa, Lisa Gay, not Lisa Gay Harden, Lisa Gay Hamilton, who we know and we love. I totally forgot that she plays the neighbor.
00:01:16
Speaker 2: And I think it's so interesting that Miranda doesn't know the neighbor's name. And then the neighbor brings, I had forgotten the whole storyline and I loved it so much.
00:01:25
Speaker 3: Yeah, I dipped in and was like, I forgot that this show goes to these places and does this. Exactly. But they did really like, they put Miranda through hell, basically.
00:01:35
Speaker 1: I know, I know. It's not as much hell as actual motherhood, I will say, but it comes in the area of it, right? It was palatable.
00:01:44
Speaker 2: I do remember Michael being so panicked about having enough mother stories to write. Like he had to kind of like talk to people like, hey, we need more stories about, you know, new mothers. Because we, none of us, you know, really, with the exception of Cynthia, but Cynthia was always like, it's fine.
00:02:02
Speaker 1: Like she was so, you know, Cynthia about it.
00:02:04
Speaker 3: She also did two Broadway shows at once.
00:02:06
Speaker 1: Exactly. Exactly.
00:02:08
Speaker 3: She's like, I can do five shows at once.
00:02:10
Speaker 1: It's fine. Exactly.
00:02:11
Speaker 2: And I do think she could do five shows at once. She did Us and Golden Age at the same time and tried to direct. This was really funny. At a certain point, Melfi had to say like, I'm really sorry. You cannot direct because you have this other television show. And our television show, she's like, what do you mean?
00:02:29
Speaker 1: You got to love her. You got to love her.
00:02:30
Speaker 2: Okay, let's discuss Carrie for a second. What was your general thought on Carrie? Because I generally do not give weight to the Carrie haters out there. But in this particular episode, I was like, oh, I see.
00:02:44
Speaker 3: I think when you watch the show in succession, if you were to sit and binge, you could find her very frustrating. If You do like you do in real life where you come back and you visit someone. So I watched Critical Condition. I took a few days and then I just thought I'll watch all the other episodes that I was in as well just so I can sort of refresh. And she was in such a different place from where I had seen the first episode to where I saw her later on. And Sarah does it so beautifully, right? Yes. So she brings you into the pathos so well, and you're so comfortable sitting in a seat next to the driver, right? Yeah. As opposed to being way outside of it. Right. And I think you're like, I don't really mind where she goes, because I enjoy the process of seeing her work the problem out. We like that. We like the being on the computer, doing it, you know, for the audience. But you know, essentially, I was thinking today, like, It's an existential, it's a sexistential show because she's sitting there having these existential conversations about this stuff, which are really about trying to get the most meaning and value out of her life and experience, not just in New York City, but as a woman, as a person, as a vital spirit. Right, right. And so I think that actually is something I can tolerate a lot of just because she's so brilliant at what she does.
00:04:02
Speaker 1: That's a good point.
00:04:03
Speaker 2: And the central question of this is how come one negative comment, which I think is, this is obviously before social media, so it's like so... land so differently now right the central question is why can one negative comment take over our minds as opposed to all the positive things that people might have said and or thought about us right because she's obsessed because this this woman in the bathroom makes a face at her because she dated Aiden after her which we'll get to in a second but the central question sometimes I don't remember the central questions and then I'm like.
00:04:35
Speaker 1: They're so good they're so good I got.
00:04:38
Speaker 2: To think about this now in my own life you know now today in 2026 right because when I started this podcast, I'm new to podcasting. I thought, oh, I'm going to look at my comments.
00:04:48
Speaker 1: And then like one person was like, she's no podcaster. And I was like, what do they mean? What do they mean? Like, can anybody be a podcaster? Like, what does that mean? Oh my gosh. What do I need to do? What do I need to do? Mind you, all the rest were positive, but then I'm obsessed with that one. It's so true.
00:05:06
Speaker 2: It's a really, really fantastic question. So I, I'm always like My jaw goes on the floor at the brilliance of the writing and at Sarah's acting, as you're saying. She does really take you inside and she is going to mull it over and come out with some kind of an answer. And that does get you a long way with her. And the thing that interested me in this episode is basically all of us are reflecting back to her like that's too far away.
00:05:36
Speaker 1: Like Miranda has a real problem.
00:05:38
Speaker 2: But then there's also the scene she has with Samantha, which I'd fully forgotten about, where she's basically saying to Samantha, our.
00:05:45
Speaker 1: Friend Miranda is really struggling. Could you possibly acknowledge it? And then Samantha gives her a hair appointment and goes to babysit Brady. And it's adorable. It's so sweet.
00:05:56
Speaker 3: It's so unexpected as well.
00:05:58
Speaker 1: Fully shocking. Like shocking. I was like, wait, wait, what's happening?
00:06:01
Speaker 2: I don't remember this. And then, of course, the chair breaks. And as a mother, I was like, oh, no.
00:06:07
Speaker 1: What's she going to do? She going to go out on the street and get help? What's she going to do?
00:06:11
Speaker 2: But, of course, she has her trusty new vibrator that she just bought at Radio Shack or wherever she is.
00:06:17
Speaker 1: It's all, it all works out. Thank God. But it was interesting. And also I do love when Miranda comes back and Samantha's just cool as a cucumber. She's just so cool. Like, of course it was fine. I'm like, Ooh, it's, it's good. It's so good.
00:06:31
Speaker 2: But it's interesting how Carrie can see, she can see with. Samantha and Miranda that Samantha's not, you know, acknowledging where Miranda's at and kind of like blowing it off. But yet she continues to discuss the fact that this woman made a face at her in the bathroom in the face of everyone else's problems.
00:06:49
Speaker 3: Yep.
00:06:50
Speaker 2: And I love how Stanford deals with it when they're at the farmer's market, because I'd totally forgotten about that too.
00:06:56
Speaker 1: He literally says, what do you think of Marcus? And she says, fine or cute. What does she say?
00:07:02
Speaker 3: I can't remember what she says, but she's like, I think it's like fine. Yeah. I think it's fine.
00:07:06
Speaker 1: I know.
00:07:07
Speaker 2: And he's just like, and I love how Willie did it. Cause he doesn't go overboard.
00:07:11
Speaker 1: Right. He's just like, no, that is too much.
00:07:14
Speaker 2: I have been here listening to you for 18 blocks, but also two years talking about Aiden, you know, which is true. And also this is the viewer's experience, right? So it's like super meta. Michael gets meta in this season, like with the book party also, because the book party is, is a lot like our premiere parties.
00:07:34
Speaker 3: Yep. You know, and then there's... Exactly like it. Right? Like felt like the same type of space exactly as well.
00:07:39
Speaker 1: Didn't it? Didn't it?
00:07:40
Speaker 3: Didn't it?
00:07:41
Speaker 1: I agree totally.
00:07:42
Speaker 2: And it was so a little bit tamer, I would say, than our premiere parties, which were like.
00:07:48
Speaker 1: cluster. But um, you know, a lot, right?
00:07:51
Speaker 3: Like, like, like the Met Museum, that one?
00:07:53
Speaker 1: Yes. Oh, my God. So huge.
00:07:55
Speaker 2: I mean, they were wonderful. But like, it felt like it took days to recover. But yet we had to get up in the morning and go work.
00:08:01
Speaker 1: You know what I mean? Yeah, just from the energetics of.
00:08:03
Speaker 3: It of it. I'm with you.
00:08:05
Speaker 1: You know, it was a lot. It was a lot.
00:08:07
Speaker 2: But um, yeah, I like the meta ness because I feel like all of us are going through the experience of the show success. And when we can kind of incorporate also like we know that the critics are saying, oh, you know, Carrie talks too much about herself. Carrie, you know, whatever sits in her feelings, whatever, blah, blah, blah. So he writes it in like it's interesting.
00:08:27
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. And it's beautiful. But I think that's the interesting thing is watching the show now after all this time. There's another show that I do this with, which is absolutely fabulous. I like going back and like seeing how it changes, like with the scope of how everything changed. That was really the case here because I think like all of those, all of those things, I remember them saying it now that you're telling me, but when I watched it this new time with like new fresh eyes, I was like, it was so, her performance is so honest. And when you see Nina's whole thing, Like now the way we've gone through the world with bullying and like me too, and all these different things, like it all sits a little differently. That's true.
00:09:08
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:09:09
Speaker 3: And I had more compassion for everybody.
00:09:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely. I was sort of like, I.
00:09:14
Speaker 3: Was sort of like, well, I can see why Nina ended up being the way she is, because we all know those those people in the business are trying to hold on to their stake. And like, you know, they've got to have the good gossip. They've got to show up and know everything and whatever. So she's in a little bit of a bind for being that kind of person. She's hanging out with Heather Graham, for heaven's sake. And like.
00:09:31
Speaker 1: I know. I love Heather so much.
00:09:33
Speaker 3: Heather's our neighbor. I didn't know I was in an episode with Heather Gray. I know.
00:09:37
Speaker 1: She's so.
00:09:38
Speaker 2: The thing that I love about Heather is that, you know, she's been in the industry forever. She's been in huge movies like Boogie Nights, right? But her personal vibe is so relaxed and chill. But at the same time, she's so incredibly beautiful.
00:09:52
Speaker 1: It's this very interesting... And it's so perfectly encapsulated in that scene she does. Like, she's just hanging out with... the booker from Saturday Night Live makes perfect sense but then she's like yeah in a tube top totally.
00:10:05
Speaker 2: In a tube top looking like just a dream a 90s slash 2000s dream right her hair is super straight and then she goes off with Stanford to get a pretzel so completely believable but also then she's like dancing with the pretzel when she goes back to like it's so Heather and so beautiful and she's such a lovely person and I remember she was so excited she's already been on the podcast she was so excited to just do that tiny thing like what a sweetheart you know Yeah.
00:10:35
Speaker 3: Such a, such a big deal. And I remember like being like, oh yeah, this was like, and I start to remember like conversations around it and it's like, oh, Heather Graham's going to be on sex, you know?
00:10:45
Speaker 1: Totally.
00:10:46
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:10:46
Speaker 1: I remember too.
00:10:47
Speaker 2: But also like, it's just very unique that people would be. so generous, you know, to just come and do a tiny thing like that.
00:10:55
Speaker 1: Like, so, so generous.
00:10:56
Speaker 3: You built up so much merit. I mean, do you know, it's the same thing that happened with the designers from early on, right? Like the show got a little bit of merit and all of a sudden everybody's like, well, yes, please. And I think that's the same thing with the actors. It was like the show reflected New York really beautifully. It did great things for women in conversation. Like you guys were not just a topic because you're pretty and successful in whatever it was about the things that were coming out of your mouth and the kinds of topics and how sharp they were and how relevant they were absolutely all of a sudden that's real merit where everybody's like yes of course i'd love to appear that you know i think the bear is like that now you know it's like everyone's like oh yeah that's an important conversation i would love to be a part of that and i feel like sex in the city was very much.
00:11:38
Speaker 1: That cool at the time yeah.
00:11:51
Speaker 2: I had totally forgotten that Carrie feels all judged by the fact that this girl makes a.
00:11:57
Speaker 1: Face about her in the bathroom.
00:12:00
Speaker 2: And then I did feel towards the end, I hadn't remembered that Carrie really, really, like, makes this, like... deep kind of plea for herself, you know, that breakups are horrible and that she never would have heard Aiden on purpose. And, and then Nina slash Nadia who played her just goes like, okay.
00:12:23
Speaker 1: Which is kind of funny.
00:12:24
Speaker 2: Like I felt watching her that she's like, okay, this is also going to be a good story.
00:12:29
Speaker 1: That's what I thought she was thinking. You know what I mean?
00:12:32
Speaker 3: Yeah. It's very awkward that bit. And I, I remember thinking that it was so brave of her At the food market out, you know, we've all been in those situations in New York City where you're like, do I dare say this? Because people can overhear you everywhere. And she goes ahead and does this thing that you wouldn't normally do in that, first of all, professional setting or with another woman who, you know, like. there's so many reasons why you shouldn't do that.
00:12:56
Speaker 1: I would never do this.
00:12:57
Speaker 3: And I sort of love that she just like, she's like, no, I am. I'm actually going to say the real thing, the honest thing. And I do think that's what we get out of her all the time. Like for as much pathos and trouble as she, she basically, she's the kind of person who puts obstacles in her way and then falls over and then was like, shit, how did I fall over that? But in a way it's because the discovery is so worth it in the end. Like when she does finally have that moment, you're like, oh, well she's, she's willing to go deeper and more honest than, probably anybody.
00:13:24
Speaker 1: That's so true.
00:13:25
Speaker 3: In her writing, right? It's like, it's like when she's with the Bershnikov character, sorry, the name slipped me. But that when they're talking about what she does for a living, and she's like, oh, I write an article, whatever. And they're all kind of dismissive of it. But the fact is, Carrie's using like, like humble words to say really deep things about relationships and experience and how we're taking on experience. And I think that is what is precious about the show. Cause it's like, it wraps it in candy wrapping, but it's not really candy.
00:13:55
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:13:56
Speaker 1: That is so well put. That's so well put.
00:13:58
Speaker 2: And I think also like just the fact that Carrie and thus the show, they're taking an idea and she's turning it over and turning it over and turning it over and turning it over. And that's why she keeps repeating it herself to the friends.
00:14:11
Speaker 3: Right.
00:14:11
Speaker 1: And in this particular episode, we're not very helpful, which.
00:14:15
Speaker 2: You know, I think is also interesting because you're not, you can't always be, you know, super in tune to whatever, you know, level she's on or whatever it is, right?
00:14:24
Speaker 1: And I'm going through my divorce or whatever, you know what I'm saying?
00:14:26
Speaker 2: Like everyone's got stuff going on, but she's going to turn it over, turn it over, turn it.
00:14:32
Speaker 1: Over in her deep way, which we can get into because of the writing. And then there is.
00:14:37
Speaker 2: Always some kind of, She she has the strength and the kind of wisdom to to put it out to whoever it is.
00:14:47
Speaker 3: She acts on. So I like to think of it like she does the articles and everybody like let's say we're in a world of. infotainment, right? People go on the internet and like to learn a lot of things, but we don't integrate it into our bodies. That's an example of Carrie literally doing something like, oh, I'm writing about this, but now I need to like walk the walk. And I really think that you find that over and over in the show. But the other beautiful thing is as she's turning the problem over, the central question over, is that a facet of it applies to each one of her friends. Right. So that you guys are all sort of one great big being where, you know, there's these different facets to think about and stuff. And I think that, like, as the viewer sitting there, it just helps you get so deep into the experience. Definitely. Because it could have been fluff.
00:15:34
Speaker 1: Of course.
00:15:35
Speaker 3: It could have been fluff, and it just didn't turn out that way.
00:15:38
Speaker 1: Definitely. Thank God. But that's Michael Patrick and all of our writers. You know what I'm saying? Just keeping... that depth going, you know, and then we have the shoes on top of it. You know what I'm saying?
00:15:48
Speaker 3: Right. I mean, don't get me started on those costumes and shoes. I mean, everything was amazing.
00:15:52
Speaker 2: I know it was, it was, it was, it was, it was a whole other, it was almost like two worlds simultaneously happening.
00:16:00
Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying?
00:16:01
Speaker 2: Like I had a friend whose mom was a painter and she came to one of our, our, Oh no, I think anyway, I was at a play with her and she said to me, she's older. And she said to me, I really like your show, but I don't know why.
00:16:15
Speaker 1: And I was like, okay, that's cool, whatever. And she goes, I think it's the colors. And I said, sure. Yes, yes, you're a painter. I get that.
00:16:25
Speaker 2: Because it was very visually stimulating, you know, and beautiful.
00:16:30
Speaker 3: The textures and, you know. I also have to say, like, you watch a couple episodes and all of a sudden hair is different. Like, I was so fascinated this time watching it to see how everybody's hair changed. Yeah. In one season. I'm like, wait a minute, is this the same season?
00:16:45
Speaker 1: Oh, it's so true.
00:16:46
Speaker 3: It's so true. It's really lovely because obviously as a woman, you're going and like basically getting to flip through like an L basically. That's a good point. See all these beautiful clothes.
00:16:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely.
00:16:56
Speaker 3: See all these different hairstyles. Definitely.
00:16:58
Speaker 1: That's true. That's true. That's very true.
00:16:59
Speaker 2: I mean, it did crack me up, the Miranda storyline, because she's trying to make her hair look bad so that then when she does get Samantha's hair... appointment it could then look better but i was like man what did we do to cynthia's hair because then she wants to like fake brush it in the mirror and she can't get the brush through it because i think they had to like tease it and spray it to make it like that do you know what i mean yeah yeah like they really went far with that i was like whoa okay really.
00:17:26
Speaker 3: Far cynthia's commitment i love it totally she has no i'll do it i'll do it shake my head fine no problem It's so true.
00:17:31
Speaker 1: And I think she's not wearing makeup. Like she, she, but I love it. I love the commitment. And I love the fact that like, it really does like having a baby. Oh my God. Like you don't have time for a shower. You know what I mean? When people are like, oh yeah. And then you take a shower. When you were talking about meditating, I was like, oh, one day my son's not going to wake me up at six and I could just get up and meditate. I don't know when that will be, but it will happen. It will happen. And he's eight years old. You know what I mean? Like you just lose all the things.
00:17:57
Speaker 3: It's only 10 years away, Kristen.
00:17:59
Speaker 1: Don't worry. No, don't say that. Don't say that. Well, this is what happens.
00:18:05
Speaker 2: The teen years come because my daughters just turned 15. They only want to sleep.
00:18:10
Speaker 1: It's like a very interesting, it just suddenly happens and you're like, okay. So I'm like, that will happen to him. I don't know when it will, it will come.
00:18:18
Speaker 3: It will come.
00:18:19
Speaker 1: Um, and then I will get sleep. I can't wait. Um, Miranda, love it, love it, love it.
00:18:24
Speaker 2: Because one of the things we had just seen was at the end of the episode where the plus one, one, which I think is the book, right?
00:18:32
Speaker 1: The book party. Plus one is the loneliest number.
00:18:35
Speaker 2: And at the end of that episode, we see Miranda kind of with Brady in the most beautiful way where you're kind of feeling like she's surrendering to motherhood really in a way for the first time, you know, like beautifully with him. It's so, so beautifully filmed and acted, of course. So it's interesting now that we're now we're in like the, you know, when like the whole thing of like, what are you trying to tell me?
00:18:59
Speaker 1: I remember this as a new mom. so so vividly because you.
00:19:03
Speaker 2: Just are like what is it like what is it because they don't have any way to communicate except for crying it is bizarre and you really want to please them you're like anything i would do anything like is it jumping up.
00:19:18
Speaker 1: And down for me is it singing.
00:19:20
Speaker 2: Like what is it you're trying everything and you just can't figure it out because you can't read their mind so i thought it was really brilliant brilliantly acted brilliantly written And I'm sure we put.
00:19:29
Speaker 1: That baby through a lot to get all.
00:19:31
Speaker 3: The different things. I had the baby at one point and they had used a branch to like put some lovely shadows and the branch fell on the baby.
00:19:40
Speaker 1: Oh, no.
00:19:41
Speaker 3: That was in the Hamptons. Oh, my God.
00:19:43
Speaker 1: The Hamptons, the fake Hamptons, which I believe was New Jersey.
00:19:46
Speaker 3: New Jersey, I'm pretty sure. Yes, yes, yes.
00:19:48
Speaker 1: Did the baby cry?
00:19:50
Speaker 3: No, the baby was, like, not phased at all. I was completely phased because, you know, the parents were, like, just off camera. And so I was like, oh, my God, like, I had nothing to do with that.
00:19:59
Speaker 1: That's so scary. I was just sitting here with the baby. Oh, my God, that's so scary. That's so scary.
00:20:04
Speaker 2: I remember that because it was very, very hot when we go to the fake Hamptons.
00:20:09
Speaker 1: It was, like, 100 degrees all night long.
00:20:10
Speaker 3: You guys always call it the fake Hamptons. I love that. We do.
00:20:13
Speaker 2: We do.
00:20:13
Speaker 3: We do.
00:20:13
Speaker 1: Because it looks beautiful, but I remember that it... Wasn't quite that beautiful, but we made it look beautiful.
00:20:20
Speaker 3: That's the thing. I'm always like, it doesn't quite look like this.
00:20:25
Speaker 1: I haven't rewatched it yet. I probably will think the same thing. I mean, we just couldn't afford it. We couldn't afford it, you know? Yeah. It was a lot to go out there. It was the heyday, man. I mean, I'm sure it still is, but like.
00:20:35
Speaker 3: It still is, but yeah. Wow.
00:20:37
Speaker 1: It was a lot back then. I remember like there were almost no hotels.
00:20:41
Speaker 2: Like now there's like six or seven hotels, which is, thank God, because like... If you got invited, you were just like, oh, Jesus, what am I going to do? Who am I going to call?
00:20:49
Speaker 1: Which house am I going to sleep on the couch? Anyway, I digress.
00:20:53
Speaker 3: Miranda.
00:20:53
Speaker 2: Miranda loved it so much. I'd totally forgotten about Lisa Gay. It's so cute to see her. She's longtime old friends of Cynthia's. I knew she was on the show, but I could never remember what. like it's it's and then like yeah i.
00:21:07
Speaker 3: Mean that's the thing there's people popping up all the time in the show that you're like oh wait i just.
00:21:12
Speaker 2: Didn't yeah incredible people but also like when miranda is leaving with the baby in the bassinet why.
00:21:18
Speaker 1: Are all the neighbors standing in the lobby like that.
00:21:21
Speaker 3: Isn't it all the mothers but why it's because they all have a gathering and she's not part of it.
00:21:26
Speaker 2: Oh that's so sad but they have a gathering in the lobby that's so odd.
00:21:30
Speaker 3: No I mean, it is, but it does make the point, right?
00:21:35
Speaker 1: It definitely makes the point. But maybe we went a little overboard, I thought.
00:21:39
Speaker 3: The lobby stairs are some of the worst.
00:21:41
Speaker 2: Totally, totally, totally. And also, like, no one helps her with the door. I thought that was harsh, man. Those moms would have been over there helping with the door. But then Lisa Gay brings the.
00:21:50
Speaker 1: the, the vibrating chair or whatever, oscillating chair, which I bought one of those for my daughter. My daughter hated it.
00:21:55
Speaker 2: I have all these really funny pictures of her in it, like frowning, like scowling at me. And I was like, no, no, it's supposed to be wonderful.
00:22:03
Speaker 3: You know? No, no.
00:22:04
Speaker 1: Gemma was not having it, not having it at all. I had to take her out of that thing. Okay.
00:22:09
Speaker 2: Wait, did we, did we, and I, again, that with the Samantha is such a sweet, incredibly sweet thing that she does. And she does it so cutely when she comes over to Miranda's and is just like so like, yes, of course, go to my hair appointment and then takes the baby.
00:22:25
Speaker 1: I was scared, but it all works out.
00:22:28
Speaker 3: I know it is. There's a lot of apprehension in that scene. But I think it's another person that, you know, it's not an easy role that she had. No. And she does it so well to bring nuance to something that could have just been completely one note.
00:22:41
Speaker 2: No, it's true.
00:22:41
Speaker 3: And then all of a sudden you get something like that. And it's like, there's real comedy in it. There's like terrific timing.
00:22:47
Speaker 1: Definitely.
00:22:48
Speaker 3: There's nuance. It just actually feels very satisfying to see Samantha in that because of the way.
00:22:54
Speaker 1: It really is. Yeah. It's so satisfying. I love the scene with Carrie where like Carrie says to her, like.
00:23:11
Speaker 2: You're really not, you know, acknowledging where she's at and you can't quite tell what, what Samantha is going to do. So then it's really, really satisfying how she does it and, and that she does it obviously, but how she does it because she's so easy about it, you know?
00:23:25
Speaker 3: Yeah. And she's like, I don't want to, I also don't want to talk about it cause I'll change my mind. Exactly. Exactly.
00:23:30
Speaker 1: It's adorable. Yeah.
00:23:33
Speaker 3: It's great.
00:23:33
Speaker 2: It's so great. It's so, so great. Anyway, this was really fun. And I am just so happy that I got you.
00:23:39
Speaker 1: And thank you so much for calling me all the way from Ireland. Because people are like, you have to get Sean. So we got you. Yay.
00:23:46
Speaker 3: Thank you for having me.
00:23:48
Speaker 1: It's my pleasure.
00:23:49
Speaker 3: It's an honor.
00:23:49
Speaker 1: I wish you had been in the movies with us.
00:23:51
Speaker 3: Oh, me too. But I'm on the paper.
00:23:56
Speaker 1: We are going to investigate that. Thank you for giving me that tip because I didn't know that. And now we have to get to the bottom of it.
00:24:02
Speaker 2: And I want to know who said that we couldn't have your wedding.
00:24:05
Speaker 1: I'm going to find out.
00:24:07
Speaker 3: I also have to mention that. Michael was in two episodes that I watched. He was on a book cover at the book launch.
00:24:14
Speaker 1: He was?
00:24:15
Speaker 3: He's on one of the book covers.
00:24:16
Speaker 1: No way.
00:24:17
Speaker 3: And he's the person in the David Duchovny episode that escapes the loony bin.
00:24:21
Speaker 1: Oh my God, I do remember that.
00:24:22
Speaker 3: And he comes outside.
00:24:23
Speaker 1: I do remember that.
00:24:24
Speaker 3: And he's like, he's almost acrobatic. He's like flipping himself off. I'm like, I don't even, at the prime of my dancer career, don't know if I could do the things that Michael was doing on that launch.
00:24:33
Speaker 1: Oh, I can't wait. I haven't rewatched that one yet.
00:24:35
Speaker 3: It was remarkable.
00:24:36
Speaker 2: But I do remember that he was in that. I think at that point we were just like, I think we knew we were going to end the show.
00:24:41
Speaker 1: Right. So it was fun for everyone to just do silly things. You know what I mean?
00:24:46
Speaker 3: Yeah. It was beautiful, though. It was just like because it was obviously when you're on the show every day, there's such like. crazy things happening one after the other right it's a tv show so everything has to be a bit crazy yeah and they're just one after the other and eventually you're just like oh it's a madhouse let's just.
00:25:01
Speaker 2: Do it totally totally oh yeah i can't wait to re-watch that one because i have no memory of it no memory which is it's so much fun to watch because i'm like i have no i have no idea what i'm gonna do i have no idea what anyone's gonna do it's really cool i do remember off stage You know, yeah, it's fresh. But like, I remember us all sitting around with Baryshnikov at that very, very long, beautiful dinner party.
00:25:23
Speaker 1: I remember that, you know?
00:25:25
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. I had one line, piano man.
00:25:29
Speaker 2: And, you know, that I think I have to ask Michael Patrick, but Cynthia is a Billy Joel fanatic and was what I felt she would make us listen to Billy Joel almost every day in the makeup trailer, unless it was Gypsy Rose Lee, the old recording of Gypsy Rose Lee.
00:25:49
Speaker 1: What is that musical called? Oh, that.
00:25:53
Speaker 3: Gypsy, the musical Gypsy.
00:25:54
Speaker 1: Gypsy, thank you very much.
00:25:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was either that or Billy Joel, right? Those were her two favorites. So you were just like, okay, okay. And we all got pretty sick of Billy Joel. No offense to Billy Joel. But I'm pretty sure that was why that.
00:26:07
Speaker 1: Was in there. Because also it was very, obviously very funny that, of course, he's like, no. No, I do not play Billy Joel.
00:26:14
Speaker 3: I just remember I was watching that scene and I was sort of like, there's a lot of really famous people at this table. No one's saying anything, but I have to say... Why was that so critical?
00:26:25
Speaker 1: I think it was great. It was great.
00:26:28
Speaker 2: Cause you have to say something and you say it so well, but I also think it is you're, you're almost like, um, uh, the character and being there, you know, there's like a quality of you that is unusual and you're in this beautiful body and face. So it's super interesting where like, we want more, you know, we're like, what's going on with him.
00:26:49
Speaker 1: It's fascinating.
00:26:50
Speaker 2: And also it's so nice that Stanford's like, it's a good, it's a good combo.
00:26:54
Speaker 1: It really works.
00:26:55
Speaker 3: Yeah. He was the loveliest man.
00:26:57
Speaker 1: I know.
00:26:58
Speaker 3: I know.
00:26:59
Speaker 1: You're a joy. Have a wonderful night.
00:27:02
Speaker 3: And you too, when you get to it.
00:27:04
Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for being with us.
00:27:07
Speaker 3: Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Kristen Davis, and I want to know, are you a Charlotte? Hi, everybody.
00:00:11
Speaker 2: We are back for part two with Sean Palmer, who played Marcus, who was Stanford's boyfriend. And he and I are going to rewatch Critical Condition, which is episode 506, aired August 25th.
00:00:25
Speaker 1: 2002. Thanks for joining us.
00:00:29
Speaker 2: So this episode is called Critical Condition, written by Alexa Young, directed by Michael Patrick King.
00:00:37
Speaker 1: How fun.
00:00:37
Speaker 2: Always so much fun to have Michael directing. And this episode I thought was super fascinating. Didn't remember much of it. So it was really, really interesting. And I did laugh numerous times at very unexpected moments.
00:00:50
Speaker 1: Cynthia made me laugh with that baby.
00:00:52
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:00:53
Speaker 1: Couple times. I really love it.
00:00:57
Speaker 2: I forgot that we really did like such a kind of an in-depth story about her not being able to please the baby and her neighbors.
00:01:07
Speaker 1: Oh my God. And, and Lisa Gay Harden's in it. Lisa, Lisa Gay, not Lisa Gay Harden, Lisa Gay Hamilton, who we know and we love. I totally forgot that she plays the neighbor.
00:01:16
Speaker 2: And I think it's so interesting that Miranda doesn't know the neighbor's name. And then the neighbor brings, I had forgotten the whole storyline and I loved it so much.
00:01:25
Speaker 3: Yeah, I dipped in and was like, I forgot that this show goes to these places and does this. Exactly. But they did really like, they put Miranda through hell, basically.
00:01:35
Speaker 1: I know, I know. It's not as much hell as actual motherhood, I will say, but it comes in the area of it, right? It was palatable.
00:01:44
Speaker 2: I do remember Michael being so panicked about having enough mother stories to write. Like he had to kind of like talk to people like, hey, we need more stories about, you know, new mothers. Because we, none of us, you know, really, with the exception of Cynthia, but Cynthia was always like, it's fine.
00:02:02
Speaker 1: Like she was so, you know, Cynthia about it.
00:02:04
Speaker 3: She also did two Broadway shows at once.
00:02:06
Speaker 1: Exactly. Exactly.
00:02:08
Speaker 3: She's like, I can do five shows at once.
00:02:10
Speaker 1: It's fine. Exactly.
00:02:11
Speaker 2: And I do think she could do five shows at once. She did Us and Golden Age at the same time and tried to direct. This was really funny. At a certain point, Melfi had to say like, I'm really sorry. You cannot direct because you have this other television show. And our television show, she's like, what do you mean?
00:02:29
Speaker 1: You got to love her. You got to love her.
00:02:30
Speaker 2: Okay, let's discuss Carrie for a second. What was your general thought on Carrie? Because I generally do not give weight to the Carrie haters out there. But in this particular episode, I was like, oh, I see.
00:02:44
Speaker 3: I think when you watch the show in succession, if you were to sit and binge, you could find her very frustrating. If You do like you do in real life where you come back and you visit someone. So I watched Critical Condition. I took a few days and then I just thought I'll watch all the other episodes that I was in as well just so I can sort of refresh. And she was in such a different place from where I had seen the first episode to where I saw her later on. And Sarah does it so beautifully, right? Yes. So she brings you into the pathos so well, and you're so comfortable sitting in a seat next to the driver, right? Yeah. As opposed to being way outside of it. Right. And I think you're like, I don't really mind where she goes, because I enjoy the process of seeing her work the problem out. We like that. We like the being on the computer, doing it, you know, for the audience. But you know, essentially, I was thinking today, like, It's an existential, it's a sexistential show because she's sitting there having these existential conversations about this stuff, which are really about trying to get the most meaning and value out of her life and experience, not just in New York City, but as a woman, as a person, as a vital spirit. Right, right. And so I think that actually is something I can tolerate a lot of just because she's so brilliant at what she does.
00:04:02
Speaker 1: That's a good point.
00:04:03
Speaker 2: And the central question of this is how come one negative comment, which I think is, this is obviously before social media, so it's like so... land so differently now right the central question is why can one negative comment take over our minds as opposed to all the positive things that people might have said and or thought about us right because she's obsessed because this this woman in the bathroom makes a face at her because she dated Aiden after her which we'll get to in a second but the central question sometimes I don't remember the central questions and then I'm like.
00:04:35
Speaker 1: They're so good they're so good I got.
00:04:38
Speaker 2: To think about this now in my own life you know now today in 2026 right because when I started this podcast, I'm new to podcasting. I thought, oh, I'm going to look at my comments.
00:04:48
Speaker 1: And then like one person was like, she's no podcaster. And I was like, what do they mean? What do they mean? Like, can anybody be a podcaster? Like, what does that mean? Oh my gosh. What do I need to do? What do I need to do? Mind you, all the rest were positive, but then I'm obsessed with that one. It's so true.
00:05:06
Speaker 2: It's a really, really fantastic question. So I, I'm always like My jaw goes on the floor at the brilliance of the writing and at Sarah's acting, as you're saying. She does really take you inside and she is going to mull it over and come out with some kind of an answer. And that does get you a long way with her. And the thing that interested me in this episode is basically all of us are reflecting back to her like that's too far away.
00:05:36
Speaker 1: Like Miranda has a real problem.
00:05:38
Speaker 2: But then there's also the scene she has with Samantha, which I'd fully forgotten about, where she's basically saying to Samantha, our.
00:05:45
Speaker 1: Friend Miranda is really struggling. Could you possibly acknowledge it? And then Samantha gives her a hair appointment and goes to babysit Brady. And it's adorable. It's so sweet.
00:05:56
Speaker 3: It's so unexpected as well.
00:05:58
Speaker 1: Fully shocking. Like shocking. I was like, wait, wait, what's happening?
00:06:01
Speaker 2: I don't remember this. And then, of course, the chair breaks. And as a mother, I was like, oh, no.
00:06:07
Speaker 1: What's she going to do? She going to go out on the street and get help? What's she going to do?
00:06:11
Speaker 2: But, of course, she has her trusty new vibrator that she just bought at Radio Shack or wherever she is.
00:06:17
Speaker 1: It's all, it all works out. Thank God. But it was interesting. And also I do love when Miranda comes back and Samantha's just cool as a cucumber. She's just so cool. Like, of course it was fine. I'm like, Ooh, it's, it's good. It's so good.
00:06:31
Speaker 2: But it's interesting how Carrie can see, she can see with. Samantha and Miranda that Samantha's not, you know, acknowledging where Miranda's at and kind of like blowing it off. But yet she continues to discuss the fact that this woman made a face at her in the bathroom in the face of everyone else's problems.
00:06:49
Speaker 3: Yep.
00:06:50
Speaker 2: And I love how Stanford deals with it when they're at the farmer's market, because I'd totally forgotten about that too.
00:06:56
Speaker 1: He literally says, what do you think of Marcus? And she says, fine or cute. What does she say?
00:07:02
Speaker 3: I can't remember what she says, but she's like, I think it's like fine. Yeah. I think it's fine.
00:07:06
Speaker 1: I know.
00:07:07
Speaker 2: And he's just like, and I love how Willie did it. Cause he doesn't go overboard.
00:07:11
Speaker 1: Right. He's just like, no, that is too much.
00:07:14
Speaker 2: I have been here listening to you for 18 blocks, but also two years talking about Aiden, you know, which is true. And also this is the viewer's experience, right? So it's like super meta. Michael gets meta in this season, like with the book party also, because the book party is, is a lot like our premiere parties.
00:07:34
Speaker 3: Yep. You know, and then there's... Exactly like it. Right? Like felt like the same type of space exactly as well.
00:07:39
Speaker 1: Didn't it? Didn't it?
00:07:40
Speaker 3: Didn't it?
00:07:41
Speaker 1: I agree totally.
00:07:42
Speaker 2: And it was so a little bit tamer, I would say, than our premiere parties, which were like.
00:07:48
Speaker 1: cluster. But um, you know, a lot, right?
00:07:51
Speaker 3: Like, like, like the Met Museum, that one?
00:07:53
Speaker 1: Yes. Oh, my God. So huge.
00:07:55
Speaker 2: I mean, they were wonderful. But like, it felt like it took days to recover. But yet we had to get up in the morning and go work.
00:08:01
Speaker 1: You know what I mean? Yeah, just from the energetics of.
00:08:03
Speaker 3: It of it. I'm with you.
00:08:05
Speaker 1: You know, it was a lot. It was a lot.
00:08:07
Speaker 2: But um, yeah, I like the meta ness because I feel like all of us are going through the experience of the show success. And when we can kind of incorporate also like we know that the critics are saying, oh, you know, Carrie talks too much about herself. Carrie, you know, whatever sits in her feelings, whatever, blah, blah, blah. So he writes it in like it's interesting.
00:08:27
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. And it's beautiful. But I think that's the interesting thing is watching the show now after all this time. There's another show that I do this with, which is absolutely fabulous. I like going back and like seeing how it changes, like with the scope of how everything changed. That was really the case here because I think like all of those, all of those things, I remember them saying it now that you're telling me, but when I watched it this new time with like new fresh eyes, I was like, it was so, her performance is so honest. And when you see Nina's whole thing, Like now the way we've gone through the world with bullying and like me too, and all these different things, like it all sits a little differently. That's true.
00:09:08
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:09:09
Speaker 3: And I had more compassion for everybody.
00:09:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely. I was sort of like, I.
00:09:14
Speaker 3: Was sort of like, well, I can see why Nina ended up being the way she is, because we all know those those people in the business are trying to hold on to their stake. And like, you know, they've got to have the good gossip. They've got to show up and know everything and whatever. So she's in a little bit of a bind for being that kind of person. She's hanging out with Heather Graham, for heaven's sake. And like.
00:09:31
Speaker 1: I know. I love Heather so much.
00:09:33
Speaker 3: Heather's our neighbor. I didn't know I was in an episode with Heather Gray. I know.
00:09:37
Speaker 1: She's so.
00:09:38
Speaker 2: The thing that I love about Heather is that, you know, she's been in the industry forever. She's been in huge movies like Boogie Nights, right? But her personal vibe is so relaxed and chill. But at the same time, she's so incredibly beautiful.
00:09:52
Speaker 1: It's this very interesting... And it's so perfectly encapsulated in that scene she does. Like, she's just hanging out with... the booker from Saturday Night Live makes perfect sense but then she's like yeah in a tube top totally.
00:10:05
Speaker 2: In a tube top looking like just a dream a 90s slash 2000s dream right her hair is super straight and then she goes off with Stanford to get a pretzel so completely believable but also then she's like dancing with the pretzel when she goes back to like it's so Heather and so beautiful and she's such a lovely person and I remember she was so excited she's already been on the podcast she was so excited to just do that tiny thing like what a sweetheart you know Yeah.
00:10:35
Speaker 3: Such a, such a big deal. And I remember like being like, oh yeah, this was like, and I start to remember like conversations around it and it's like, oh, Heather Graham's going to be on sex, you know?
00:10:45
Speaker 1: Totally.
00:10:46
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:10:46
Speaker 1: I remember too.
00:10:47
Speaker 2: But also like, it's just very unique that people would be. so generous, you know, to just come and do a tiny thing like that.
00:10:55
Speaker 1: Like, so, so generous.
00:10:56
Speaker 3: You built up so much merit. I mean, do you know, it's the same thing that happened with the designers from early on, right? Like the show got a little bit of merit and all of a sudden everybody's like, well, yes, please. And I think that's the same thing with the actors. It was like the show reflected New York really beautifully. It did great things for women in conversation. Like you guys were not just a topic because you're pretty and successful in whatever it was about the things that were coming out of your mouth and the kinds of topics and how sharp they were and how relevant they were absolutely all of a sudden that's real merit where everybody's like yes of course i'd love to appear that you know i think the bear is like that now you know it's like everyone's like oh yeah that's an important conversation i would love to be a part of that and i feel like sex in the city was very much.
00:11:38
Speaker 1: That cool at the time yeah.
00:11:51
Speaker 2: I had totally forgotten that Carrie feels all judged by the fact that this girl makes a.
00:11:57
Speaker 1: Face about her in the bathroom.
00:12:00
Speaker 2: And then I did feel towards the end, I hadn't remembered that Carrie really, really, like, makes this, like... deep kind of plea for herself, you know, that breakups are horrible and that she never would have heard Aiden on purpose. And, and then Nina slash Nadia who played her just goes like, okay.
00:12:23
Speaker 1: Which is kind of funny.
00:12:24
Speaker 2: Like I felt watching her that she's like, okay, this is also going to be a good story.
00:12:29
Speaker 1: That's what I thought she was thinking. You know what I mean?
00:12:32
Speaker 3: Yeah. It's very awkward that bit. And I, I remember thinking that it was so brave of her At the food market out, you know, we've all been in those situations in New York City where you're like, do I dare say this? Because people can overhear you everywhere. And she goes ahead and does this thing that you wouldn't normally do in that, first of all, professional setting or with another woman who, you know, like. there's so many reasons why you shouldn't do that.
00:12:56
Speaker 1: I would never do this.
00:12:57
Speaker 3: And I sort of love that she just like, she's like, no, I am. I'm actually going to say the real thing, the honest thing. And I do think that's what we get out of her all the time. Like for as much pathos and trouble as she, she basically, she's the kind of person who puts obstacles in her way and then falls over and then was like, shit, how did I fall over that? But in a way it's because the discovery is so worth it in the end. Like when she does finally have that moment, you're like, oh, well she's, she's willing to go deeper and more honest than, probably anybody.
00:13:24
Speaker 1: That's so true.
00:13:25
Speaker 3: In her writing, right? It's like, it's like when she's with the Bershnikov character, sorry, the name slipped me. But that when they're talking about what she does for a living, and she's like, oh, I write an article, whatever. And they're all kind of dismissive of it. But the fact is, Carrie's using like, like humble words to say really deep things about relationships and experience and how we're taking on experience. And I think that is what is precious about the show. Cause it's like, it wraps it in candy wrapping, but it's not really candy.
00:13:55
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:13:56
Speaker 1: That is so well put. That's so well put.
00:13:58
Speaker 2: And I think also like just the fact that Carrie and thus the show, they're taking an idea and she's turning it over and turning it over and turning it over and turning it over. And that's why she keeps repeating it herself to the friends.
00:14:11
Speaker 3: Right.
00:14:11
Speaker 1: And in this particular episode, we're not very helpful, which.
00:14:15
Speaker 2: You know, I think is also interesting because you're not, you can't always be, you know, super in tune to whatever, you know, level she's on or whatever it is, right?
00:14:24
Speaker 1: And I'm going through my divorce or whatever, you know what I'm saying?
00:14:26
Speaker 2: Like everyone's got stuff going on, but she's going to turn it over, turn it over, turn it.
00:14:32
Speaker 1: Over in her deep way, which we can get into because of the writing. And then there is.
00:14:37
Speaker 2: Always some kind of, She she has the strength and the kind of wisdom to to put it out to whoever it is.
00:14:47
Speaker 3: She acts on. So I like to think of it like she does the articles and everybody like let's say we're in a world of. infotainment, right? People go on the internet and like to learn a lot of things, but we don't integrate it into our bodies. That's an example of Carrie literally doing something like, oh, I'm writing about this, but now I need to like walk the walk. And I really think that you find that over and over in the show. But the other beautiful thing is as she's turning the problem over, the central question over, is that a facet of it applies to each one of her friends. Right. So that you guys are all sort of one great big being where, you know, there's these different facets to think about and stuff. And I think that, like, as the viewer sitting there, it just helps you get so deep into the experience. Definitely. Because it could have been fluff.
00:15:34
Speaker 1: Of course.
00:15:35
Speaker 3: It could have been fluff, and it just didn't turn out that way.
00:15:38
Speaker 1: Definitely. Thank God. But that's Michael Patrick and all of our writers. You know what I'm saying? Just keeping... that depth going, you know, and then we have the shoes on top of it. You know what I'm saying?
00:15:48
Speaker 3: Right. I mean, don't get me started on those costumes and shoes. I mean, everything was amazing.
00:15:52
Speaker 2: I know it was, it was, it was, it was, it was a whole other, it was almost like two worlds simultaneously happening.
00:16:00
Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying?
00:16:01
Speaker 2: Like I had a friend whose mom was a painter and she came to one of our, our, Oh no, I think anyway, I was at a play with her and she said to me, she's older. And she said to me, I really like your show, but I don't know why.
00:16:15
Speaker 1: And I was like, okay, that's cool, whatever. And she goes, I think it's the colors. And I said, sure. Yes, yes, you're a painter. I get that.
00:16:25
Speaker 2: Because it was very visually stimulating, you know, and beautiful.
00:16:30
Speaker 3: The textures and, you know. I also have to say, like, you watch a couple episodes and all of a sudden hair is different. Like, I was so fascinated this time watching it to see how everybody's hair changed. Yeah. In one season. I'm like, wait a minute, is this the same season?
00:16:45
Speaker 1: Oh, it's so true.
00:16:46
Speaker 3: It's so true. It's really lovely because obviously as a woman, you're going and like basically getting to flip through like an L basically. That's a good point. See all these beautiful clothes.
00:16:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely.
00:16:56
Speaker 3: See all these different hairstyles. Definitely.
00:16:58
Speaker 1: That's true. That's true. That's very true.
00:16:59
Speaker 2: I mean, it did crack me up, the Miranda storyline, because she's trying to make her hair look bad so that then when she does get Samantha's hair... appointment it could then look better but i was like man what did we do to cynthia's hair because then she wants to like fake brush it in the mirror and she can't get the brush through it because i think they had to like tease it and spray it to make it like that do you know what i mean yeah yeah like they really went far with that i was like whoa okay really.
00:17:26
Speaker 3: Far cynthia's commitment i love it totally she has no i'll do it i'll do it shake my head fine no problem It's so true.
00:17:31
Speaker 1: And I think she's not wearing makeup. Like she, she, but I love it. I love the commitment. And I love the fact that like, it really does like having a baby. Oh my God. Like you don't have time for a shower. You know what I mean? When people are like, oh yeah. And then you take a shower. When you were talking about meditating, I was like, oh, one day my son's not going to wake me up at six and I could just get up and meditate. I don't know when that will be, but it will happen. It will happen. And he's eight years old. You know what I mean? Like you just lose all the things.
00:17:57
Speaker 3: It's only 10 years away, Kristen.
00:17:59
Speaker 1: Don't worry. No, don't say that. Don't say that. Well, this is what happens.
00:18:05
Speaker 2: The teen years come because my daughters just turned 15. They only want to sleep.
00:18:10
Speaker 1: It's like a very interesting, it just suddenly happens and you're like, okay. So I'm like, that will happen to him. I don't know when it will, it will come.
00:18:18
Speaker 3: It will come.
00:18:19
Speaker 1: Um, and then I will get sleep. I can't wait. Um, Miranda, love it, love it, love it.
00:18:24
Speaker 2: Because one of the things we had just seen was at the end of the episode where the plus one, one, which I think is the book, right?
00:18:32
Speaker 1: The book party. Plus one is the loneliest number.
00:18:35
Speaker 2: And at the end of that episode, we see Miranda kind of with Brady in the most beautiful way where you're kind of feeling like she's surrendering to motherhood really in a way for the first time, you know, like beautifully with him. It's so, so beautifully filmed and acted, of course. So it's interesting now that we're now we're in like the, you know, when like the whole thing of like, what are you trying to tell me?
00:18:59
Speaker 1: I remember this as a new mom. so so vividly because you.
00:19:03
Speaker 2: Just are like what is it like what is it because they don't have any way to communicate except for crying it is bizarre and you really want to please them you're like anything i would do anything like is it jumping up.
00:19:18
Speaker 1: And down for me is it singing.
00:19:20
Speaker 2: Like what is it you're trying everything and you just can't figure it out because you can't read their mind so i thought it was really brilliant brilliantly acted brilliantly written And I'm sure we put.
00:19:29
Speaker 1: That baby through a lot to get all.
00:19:31
Speaker 3: The different things. I had the baby at one point and they had used a branch to like put some lovely shadows and the branch fell on the baby.
00:19:40
Speaker 1: Oh, no.
00:19:41
Speaker 3: That was in the Hamptons. Oh, my God.
00:19:43
Speaker 1: The Hamptons, the fake Hamptons, which I believe was New Jersey.
00:19:46
Speaker 3: New Jersey, I'm pretty sure. Yes, yes, yes.
00:19:48
Speaker 1: Did the baby cry?
00:19:50
Speaker 3: No, the baby was, like, not phased at all. I was completely phased because, you know, the parents were, like, just off camera. And so I was like, oh, my God, like, I had nothing to do with that.
00:19:59
Speaker 1: That's so scary. I was just sitting here with the baby. Oh, my God, that's so scary. That's so scary.
00:20:04
Speaker 2: I remember that because it was very, very hot when we go to the fake Hamptons.
00:20:09
Speaker 1: It was, like, 100 degrees all night long.
00:20:10
Speaker 3: You guys always call it the fake Hamptons. I love that. We do.
00:20:13
Speaker 2: We do.
00:20:13
Speaker 3: We do.
00:20:13
Speaker 1: Because it looks beautiful, but I remember that it... Wasn't quite that beautiful, but we made it look beautiful.
00:20:20
Speaker 3: That's the thing. I'm always like, it doesn't quite look like this.
00:20:25
Speaker 1: I haven't rewatched it yet. I probably will think the same thing. I mean, we just couldn't afford it. We couldn't afford it, you know? Yeah. It was a lot to go out there. It was the heyday, man. I mean, I'm sure it still is, but like.
00:20:35
Speaker 3: It still is, but yeah. Wow.
00:20:37
Speaker 1: It was a lot back then. I remember like there were almost no hotels.
00:20:41
Speaker 2: Like now there's like six or seven hotels, which is, thank God, because like... If you got invited, you were just like, oh, Jesus, what am I going to do? Who am I going to call?
00:20:49
Speaker 1: Which house am I going to sleep on the couch? Anyway, I digress.
00:20:53
Speaker 3: Miranda.
00:20:53
Speaker 2: Miranda loved it so much. I'd totally forgotten about Lisa Gay. It's so cute to see her. She's longtime old friends of Cynthia's. I knew she was on the show, but I could never remember what. like it's it's and then like yeah i.
00:21:07
Speaker 3: Mean that's the thing there's people popping up all the time in the show that you're like oh wait i just.
00:21:12
Speaker 2: Didn't yeah incredible people but also like when miranda is leaving with the baby in the bassinet why.
00:21:18
Speaker 1: Are all the neighbors standing in the lobby like that.
00:21:21
Speaker 3: Isn't it all the mothers but why it's because they all have a gathering and she's not part of it.
00:21:26
Speaker 2: Oh that's so sad but they have a gathering in the lobby that's so odd.
00:21:30
Speaker 3: No I mean, it is, but it does make the point, right?
00:21:35
Speaker 1: It definitely makes the point. But maybe we went a little overboard, I thought.
00:21:39
Speaker 3: The lobby stairs are some of the worst.
00:21:41
Speaker 2: Totally, totally, totally. And also, like, no one helps her with the door. I thought that was harsh, man. Those moms would have been over there helping with the door. But then Lisa Gay brings the.
00:21:50
Speaker 1: the, the vibrating chair or whatever, oscillating chair, which I bought one of those for my daughter. My daughter hated it.
00:21:55
Speaker 2: I have all these really funny pictures of her in it, like frowning, like scowling at me. And I was like, no, no, it's supposed to be wonderful.
00:22:03
Speaker 3: You know? No, no.
00:22:04
Speaker 1: Gemma was not having it, not having it at all. I had to take her out of that thing. Okay.
00:22:09
Speaker 2: Wait, did we, did we, and I, again, that with the Samantha is such a sweet, incredibly sweet thing that she does. And she does it so cutely when she comes over to Miranda's and is just like so like, yes, of course, go to my hair appointment and then takes the baby.
00:22:25
Speaker 1: I was scared, but it all works out.
00:22:28
Speaker 3: I know it is. There's a lot of apprehension in that scene. But I think it's another person that, you know, it's not an easy role that she had. No. And she does it so well to bring nuance to something that could have just been completely one note.
00:22:41
Speaker 2: No, it's true.
00:22:41
Speaker 3: And then all of a sudden you get something like that. And it's like, there's real comedy in it. There's like terrific timing.
00:22:47
Speaker 1: Definitely.
00:22:48
Speaker 3: There's nuance. It just actually feels very satisfying to see Samantha in that because of the way.
00:22:54
Speaker 1: It really is. Yeah. It's so satisfying. I love the scene with Carrie where like Carrie says to her, like.
00:23:11
Speaker 2: You're really not, you know, acknowledging where she's at and you can't quite tell what, what Samantha is going to do. So then it's really, really satisfying how she does it and, and that she does it obviously, but how she does it because she's so easy about it, you know?
00:23:25
Speaker 3: Yeah. And she's like, I don't want to, I also don't want to talk about it cause I'll change my mind. Exactly. Exactly.
00:23:30
Speaker 1: It's adorable. Yeah.
00:23:33
Speaker 3: It's great.
00:23:33
Speaker 2: It's so great. It's so, so great. Anyway, this was really fun. And I am just so happy that I got you.
00:23:39
Speaker 1: And thank you so much for calling me all the way from Ireland. Because people are like, you have to get Sean. So we got you. Yay.
00:23:46
Speaker 3: Thank you for having me.
00:23:48
Speaker 1: It's my pleasure.
00:23:49
Speaker 3: It's an honor.
00:23:49
Speaker 1: I wish you had been in the movies with us.
00:23:51
Speaker 3: Oh, me too. But I'm on the paper.
00:23:56
Speaker 1: We are going to investigate that. Thank you for giving me that tip because I didn't know that. And now we have to get to the bottom of it.
00:24:02
Speaker 2: And I want to know who said that we couldn't have your wedding.
00:24:05
Speaker 1: I'm going to find out.
00:24:07
Speaker 3: I also have to mention that. Michael was in two episodes that I watched. He was on a book cover at the book launch.
00:24:14
Speaker 1: He was?
00:24:15
Speaker 3: He's on one of the book covers.
00:24:16
Speaker 1: No way.
00:24:17
Speaker 3: And he's the person in the David Duchovny episode that escapes the loony bin.
00:24:21
Speaker 1: Oh my God, I do remember that.
00:24:22
Speaker 3: And he comes outside.
00:24:23
Speaker 1: I do remember that.
00:24:24
Speaker 3: And he's like, he's almost acrobatic. He's like flipping himself off. I'm like, I don't even, at the prime of my dancer career, don't know if I could do the things that Michael was doing on that launch.
00:24:33
Speaker 1: Oh, I can't wait. I haven't rewatched that one yet.
00:24:35
Speaker 3: It was remarkable.
00:24:36
Speaker 2: But I do remember that he was in that. I think at that point we were just like, I think we knew we were going to end the show.
00:24:41
Speaker 1: Right. So it was fun for everyone to just do silly things. You know what I mean?
00:24:46
Speaker 3: Yeah. It was beautiful, though. It was just like because it was obviously when you're on the show every day, there's such like. crazy things happening one after the other right it's a tv show so everything has to be a bit crazy yeah and they're just one after the other and eventually you're just like oh it's a madhouse let's just.
00:25:01
Speaker 2: Do it totally totally oh yeah i can't wait to re-watch that one because i have no memory of it no memory which is it's so much fun to watch because i'm like i have no i have no idea what i'm gonna do i have no idea what anyone's gonna do it's really cool i do remember off stage You know, yeah, it's fresh. But like, I remember us all sitting around with Baryshnikov at that very, very long, beautiful dinner party.
00:25:23
Speaker 1: I remember that, you know?
00:25:25
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. I had one line, piano man.
00:25:29
Speaker 2: And, you know, that I think I have to ask Michael Patrick, but Cynthia is a Billy Joel fanatic and was what I felt she would make us listen to Billy Joel almost every day in the makeup trailer, unless it was Gypsy Rose Lee, the old recording of Gypsy Rose Lee.
00:25:49
Speaker 1: What is that musical called? Oh, that.
00:25:53
Speaker 3: Gypsy, the musical Gypsy.
00:25:54
Speaker 1: Gypsy, thank you very much.
00:25:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was either that or Billy Joel, right? Those were her two favorites. So you were just like, okay, okay. And we all got pretty sick of Billy Joel. No offense to Billy Joel. But I'm pretty sure that was why that.
00:26:07
Speaker 1: Was in there. Because also it was very, obviously very funny that, of course, he's like, no. No, I do not play Billy Joel.
00:26:14
Speaker 3: I just remember I was watching that scene and I was sort of like, there's a lot of really famous people at this table. No one's saying anything, but I have to say... Why was that so critical?
00:26:25
Speaker 1: I think it was great. It was great.
00:26:28
Speaker 2: Cause you have to say something and you say it so well, but I also think it is you're, you're almost like, um, uh, the character and being there, you know, there's like a quality of you that is unusual and you're in this beautiful body and face. So it's super interesting where like, we want more, you know, we're like, what's going on with him.
00:26:49
Speaker 1: It's fascinating.
00:26:50
Speaker 2: And also it's so nice that Stanford's like, it's a good, it's a good combo.
00:26:54
Speaker 1: It really works.
00:26:55
Speaker 3: Yeah. He was the loveliest man.
00:26:57
Speaker 1: I know.
00:26:58
Speaker 3: I know.
00:26:59
Speaker 1: You're a joy. Have a wonderful night.
00:27:02
Speaker 3: And you too, when you get to it.
00:27:04
Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for being with us.
00:27:07
Speaker 3: Thanks for having me.