Character assassination

I like to think of myself as someone who does not sit idly by while injustices occur. If I see someone treated unfairly, I would like to think that I'd speak up, even if it means taking the unpopular route.

I would like to say that the treatment of the character Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov) in the final season of Sex and The City was totally unfair!

I only say this now because it wasn't until last month that I watched all of the episodes of S6 in a row and I saw how it panned out. This past weekend the last few eps were replayed again and I fully confirmed in my beliefs. Now, I was a fair to middling fan of SATC but I knew enough to follow which character was a sweetie-pie (Aidan), which was an insecure asshole (Berger) and which was a charming bastard (Big), but I fully believe that Petrovsky didn't misrepresent himself in anyway! Quite frankly, if Carrie were a little more mature, I think what she had going on with Petrovsky was a sweet situation. Lets break down why Petrovsky was an asshole in the view of the show and why I think it was simply blackening of character!

Petrovsky has a child from a previous relationship and doesn't want anymore kids, forcing Carrie to give up any likelihood of herself having any kids.

• Carrie doesn't exactly express her desire to have kids during the show. I think what happens here is a case of wanting what you can't have. Also, where's the acceptance that he had a life before she came along? He's 20 years older - of course there's the possibility he had a kid!
  

Petrovsky ignores her friends, instead deciding to stay in his studio.

• It's his job. If Big were working, it's not as if he could just leave it to entertain her drunk friends.
  

He's insensitive to Carrie's distress when Samantha is diagnosed with breast cancer, saying that he had a friend who died from it.

• Okay, it's important to be positive when friends get diagnosed with life-threatening conditions but it would be downright foolish to not face up to the reality that the chance that they might not pull through. He had experience in this and was trying to warn her that it's always a possibility.
  

Petrovsky decides to go to Paris, forcing Carrie to leave New York if they're to remain a couple.

• I can understand the difficulty in leaving behind a life to follow a partner across the world but I would like to reiterate that Petrovsky had a whole separate life before she came along and being an artist, there's always the chance he might want to leave and go to other arty cities. Also, if she didn't want to go, she didn't have to go...

When she arrives in Paris, she feels neglected because he talks to this friends in French which she doesn't speak fluently and doesn't go to the museums with her. He later forces her to go with him to the gallery instead of allowing her to potentially make friends and then ignores her once they get there.

• Didn't she say she always dreamed of going to Paris? What was she going to do when she got there, speak English? Pffft. How about instead of idling around, going to classes to improve your language skills or lack thereof? Or you know, get a job so you're not bored? Isn't Carrie an independent woman? We're given the impression that she stayed at the gallery for aaaages while he ignored her - how about leaving as soon it's apparent he doesn't need you?
  

He hit her during their last argument.

• That was an accident. He was facing away from her and shaking off her hand. That was no slap!
  

Carrie goes on to give that big speech at the end of An American Girl in Paris Part Deux about how she's searching for crazy, all-consuming love where she comes first.

• Ummm...this guy is paying for you to live in Paris with him. You can go out to Dior on Avenue Montaigne and buy it out. Without holding a job! I'd say he think's youre pretty important to him.
  

(There's more I could say but it's making me angry.)

So after all that, Carrie decides to go back to a guy who screwed her around for six years - someone who was unfaithful, married someone else within months of splitting from her, someone who moved across the continent and didn't intend on telling her, someone who was so immature and insecure that despite being in his 40s he ran away when he realised he loved her. And he did it AGAIN in the movie! (Okay he made it up to her there but they still won't be having kids.) Maybe it's because I have a soft spot for Paris and Russians, but I stand by my assessment. Petrovsky was a pretty good deal!