As a comedy, Sex and the City doesn't get the credit it deserves. Though very much a product of its time, its sense of humor was at the very least progressive. Brusque, candid, and sardonic, the show made even the most hardened viewers laugh. Every one of the four main characters had their own unique sense of humor. Carrie loved her comical observations and puns; Samantha was blunt; Charlotte made everyone laugh with her clueless WASPiness. Then there's Miranda, the red-headed embodiment of self-deprecating wit. Check out these reminders of how funny (and insightful) Miranda can be.
"The least he could do is wait to get to know me before he rejects me."
In Season 3's "Frenemies," Miranda calls Carrie after her date stands her up. She's audibly upset, "eating out of plastic." Like so many of us, Miranda has a tendency to put herself down before anyone else can. And now she's doubting her own dating instincts. Later, Miranda learns her date didn't stand her up — he died. At the funeral, Miranda ends up finding herself another date. Not the best timing or remotely appropriate, but you only live once, right? The guy turns out to be Carrie's ex, someone whom she claims to be a total. Miranda learns the hard way that Carrie's right.
"Your good friend, Miranda Hobbes, has just taken a piece of cake out of the garbage and eaten it."
Miranda is abstaining from sex. And she needs something to distract her in the meantime. So, in Season 4's "What's Sex Got to Do With It?," Miranda eats her feelings. Specifically, chocolate becomes her substitute for sex. Her emotional crutch is a problem, though, when she realizes she can't stop thinking about sex...or chocolate. When she actually eats some cake she's thrown away, Miranda has a rude awakening about her situation. Her confession on Carrie's answering machine is the kind of self-awareness we all strive for.
"I'm a 34-year-old woman with braces, and I'm on a liquid diet. Pain doesn't begin to cover it."
Miranda has been having headaches so severe she needs to see a doctor. To her surprise, the problem stems from her teeth. Apparently, she's a "tongue thruster" who must now wear braces for a year. That is until she can't bear the embarrassment any longer. After a humiliating moment at her job in Season 3's "Hot Child in the City," she has the braces removed. Miranda always makes a pointed joke at her own expense when life doesn't go her way. And while some adults are totally comfortable wearing braces, Miranda Hobbes is not one of them.
"That better be brand new."
Miranda was the first one in the group to have a kid. In Season 5's "Critical Condition," she's struggling to take care of her newborn Brady, and it shows in a frank conversation with the others. Charlotte and Carrie are ive, but Samantha is not following suit — at all. To make things up to Miranda, Samantha offers her services and time. As Miranda takes her hair appointment, Samantha watches over Brady. The vibrating chair that calms Brady, however, breaks just as Miranda leaves. Samantha remedies the situation by using her "personal massager" to soothe Brady. Miranda's response to Samantha's resourcefulness is priceless.
"We're just choosy."
In Season 2's "The Freak Show,". Samantha's bad date invites one of Miranda's scathing critiques of the opposite sex. She points out there has to be something wrong with a man if he's both single and over thirty, to which Carrie asks about single women in their thirties — namely them. Miranda simply answers, "We're just choosy." This is Miranda's way of trying to understand the dynamics between men and women, and how to survive without harm in the confusing dating world.
"I can't have sex with a sandwich...can I?"
Miranda always asks the burning question on everyone's minds. No, but really, in Season 3's "Running with Scissors," Miranda becomes obsessed with a guy who wears a goofy sandwich costume as part of his job. With his costume providing anonymity, the guy "propositions" Miranda with a culinary, risqué double entendre. Miranda is at first offended by the sandwich harasser — then smitten. To say Miranda is having a rough patch is an understatement. She finally gives in and asks the sandwich guy to show her his face. He ends up being pretty cute, but the fantasy is over. She walks away smiling.
"Who is this, and what is she doing in my bedroom?"
In Season 3's "Attack of the 5'10" Woman," Miranda's devout housekeeper Magda takes it upon herself to replace her client's vibrator with a statue of the Virgin Mary. Magda believe that no man will want to marry Miranda if he sees she has a sex toy; he would think she doesn't need him. Miranda is irritated by Magda's prying, and she confronts her like only she can ("I drink coffee, and have sex, and buy pies, and enjoy battery-operated devices"). It may seem like she's overreacting, but Miranda is constantly judged for being single at her age. Let Miranda live, Magda.
"I'm on Valium; everything's okay."
When Miranda has her eyes operated on iin Season 3's "Where There's Smoke..," she needs someone to help her get home. Steve personally offers his help; Miranda says she'll ask Carrie. This understandably throws Steve for a loop. Later, Carrie sends Steve in her place. Miranda is reluctant to accept his help, but she's also high on Valium. Her refusal to let a man "rescue" her is challenged by Steve's earnest brand of kindness. Especially when Miranda's not always the nicest person to him. Nevertheless, Miranda wakes up the next morning with Steve lying next to her, seeing things clearly for the first time.
"We didn't work out; you need to not exist."
Things come to a head for Carrie in Season 2's finale, "Ex and the City." She has a "Big" decision to make. Of course Miranda shares her own refreshing take on how she handles breakups realistically versus ideally. Her straightforward insight isn't easy to hear — especially for Carrie — and it may even make viewers feel sorry for Miranda. But rather than pity her, they should be proud. Miranda's statement is empowering. Not because she's acting like she's above graciously parting ways. No, she's being honest about how she can't break up without resentment. Miranda's humor is her greatest truth.
"He was looking into my eyes, I was looking for the remote."
In the final season's "Catch-38," Miranda is no longer single. And after holding out on marrying Steve, they finally tie the knot. Miranda sounds so relieved to hear from Carrie during her honeymoon, claiming she can't be sarcastic on a romantic getaway. For years, sarcasm was Miranda's defense mechanism. She needed it to keep her stable, and to help her stay emotionally safe when the world was unfair. It might seem like something she would give up now that she has a child and she's married, but Miranda isn't going to ever stop being funny. At first, it's how she survived. Now, it's just who she is.