8 "Carrie, You're The One."

When Mr. Big Finally Chose Carrie

In the series finale, Sex and the City season 6, episode 20, "An American Girl In Paris (Part Deux)," Big (Chris Noth) finally said the magic words. Big captivated Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) for most of the Sex and the City timeline. However, the characters often misunderstood what the other person in the relationship needed, leading to a years-long toxic on-again-off-again-romance. The series ended when Big finally delivered what Carrie needed to hear. Even though the character was about five seasons too late, Carrie accepted the timing as just right.

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Big and Carrie had been dating since Sex and the City season 1. The couple had some of their best relationship moments in the show's first season. However, Carrie withdrew from the relationship because Mr. Big wouldn't tell her she was the one. Carrie's favorite boyfriend in the original series finally delivered the words when he went to find her in Paris, sealing the deal of their future together. While it was one of the more redeeming moments in Carrie and Big's relationship timeline, Carrie called Big "a big mistake" in And Just Like That.

7 The Post-It Note Breakup

When Berger Broke Up With Carrie

Jack Berger (Ron Livingston) infamously broke up with Carrie with a Post-it note in Sex and the City season 6, episode 7, "The Post-It Always Sticks Twice." While Berger was arguably not the worst of Sex and the City, their breakup was one of the worst. Jack wasn't Carrie's worst boyfriend; it was probably Mr. Big. However, how Berger ended things would immortalize his cowardice in the Sex and the City universe forever.

Despite Carrie and Jack's relationship bumps in Sex and the City season 6, the couple decided to work it out after Berger's romantic apology. It was quite a shock when, the following day, Berger left Carrie a farewell Post-it note. While Berger and Carrie had great chemistry in Sex and the City, the couples' relationship insecurities were self-deprecating and hard to watch, making this infamously awful breakup a win for Carrie Bradshaw.

6 The Fashion Runway Fall

When Carrie Became "Fashion Roadkill"

One of the show's most definitive moments was in Sex and the City season 4, episode 2, "The Real Me." In the episode, a friend recruited Carrie to wear Dolce & Gabbana clothing for a fashion show. While initially thrilled to be chosen, Carrie lost self-confidence when she learned that the fashion show's theme was "regular New Yorkers," meaning that she was considered a regular New Yorker and not a model. Carrie assumed she had been chosen for the fashion show because she was model material, which had different standards than modern, more inclusive modeling.

The moment is memorable not just because Carrie falls but because she gets back up.

With the of her friends, Carrie chose to walk the runway. Still, Carrie asked for the tallest heels possible to feel like a "real model," which caused her to slip and fall on the catwalk. Heidi Klum guest-starred in the episode and stepped over Carrie while she lay frozen. While it was the ultimate hard-to-watch moment, it's also one of the series' best. It is memorable not because Carrie falls but because she gets back up, proving that there is grace in vulnerability, despite Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson) exclaiming that his best friend is "fashion roadkill."

5 The Brunch Window Knock

When Carrie's Friends Were Family

While it's a relatively simple and understated moment on its surface, Carrie's window knock in Sex and the City season 2, episode 15, "Shortcomings," truly defined the series. Ask any fan of the series, and they will tell you that Carrie's little gray dress, paired with her permed blonde hair and gold nameplate necklace, is one of Sex in the City, which helps make this scene more iconic.

Carrie tapping on the window to surprise her gal pals was more than a fashionable look. In this episode in Sex and the City season 2, Carrie has just broken up with Vaughn Wysel (Justin Theroux), a fellow writer who couldn't "last" in bed and refused to talk about it. The episode emphasized family, and as Carrie met her friends for brunch, she reflected that her girlfriends were the family she was born into.

4 Brady's Birth

When Miranda Grew Up

Brady's birth was definitive for the series because it caused a shift in the girl group's shared values. While the leading ladies didn't always have the same perspective, a touchstone for the series, their lives grew more serious and mature as SATC marched on. One moment, the girls were going to the latest club opening thanks to their connections with Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) and her public relations firm. Next, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is pregnant with Steve's baby and baby-proofing her home.

Brady is why Miranda and Steve ultimately choose to stay together in the Sex and the City TV series and movies despite their marital issues.

Miranda also had memorable quirks before she became Brady's mom. She was a fierce lawyer who indulged in boxed chocolate cake and TiVo. However, when she took on motherhood, she gave it the same dedication she gave everything else, ending Miranda's solo era. Steve Brady (David Eigenberg) struggled to Miranda, exacerbating her lack of experience outside motherhood. Miranda's values shifted with Brady's birth, and her friends matured with her.

3 The Tacky Wedding Dress Panic Attack

When Miranda's Joke Backfired

In Sex and the City season 4, episode 15, "Change of a Dress," Carrie has a defining moment regarding her relationship with Aidan Shaw (John Corbett). Carrie and Aidan's Sex and the City relationship started after her romance with Mr. Big burnt out. While it looked like the perfect romance at first, it ended with Carrie cheating on Aidan with Mr. Big. Still, Aidan eventually takes Carrie back, but with more ultimatums. Carrie's volatile reactions to the progression of her and Aidan's relationship defined the series.

Carrie's wedding dress panic attack resembled her physical reaction when Aidan almost broke through the wall that separated her apartment from the one they bought to renovate next door.

When Carrie and Aidan reunite, Aidan is insecure about their relationship due to Carrie's affair and alternates between resentment and excitement about their second wind. When Aidan proposed to Carrie, the weight of the engagement crashed down on her after she said yes. Miranda took Carrie to a tacky wedding dress shop to try on dresses and laugh about it, but Miranda's plan backfired. Carrie had a panic attack, breaking out in hives and causing her to rip the dress off.

2 Charlotte's Divorce Settlement

When The Former Mrs. MacDougal Got Her Worth

Charlotte York (Kristin David) settled her divorce in Sex and the City, and it was a defining moment for the more conservative character. Charlotte chased her ideal partner, Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan), without ever really knowing who he was. To Charlotte's extreme frustration, it backfired when the couple couldn't consummate their marriage. Charlotte's marriage with Trey ended their pretensions, and her divorce signified a permanent change in the character.

Charlotte s the Jewish faith to pursue a second marriage to Harry Goldenblatt.

Charlotte is more in touch with her reality during and after her divorce from Trey, with whom she owned a Park Avenue apartment that they inherited from the MacDougals. During her divorce settlement, Charlotte worked with her lawyer and future husband, Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler), to secure the Park Avenue her husband promised, despite her antagonizing former mother-in-law's wish to keep it. Charlotte settling her divorce marked the character reconciling her ideals to build the authentic life she deserved.

1 Sex And The City's Publication

When Carrie Told The World Her Story

One of the series' most defining moments was when Carrie compiled all her best columns into a book in Sex and the City season 5. Her book signified that Carrie's time as a freewheeling sex columnist had evolved into a serious career as an author. After she published Sex and the City, which primarily focused on her romance with Mr. Big, Carrie published several other books in the franchise's timeline, developing her writing career.

Darren Star based Sex and the City on Candace Bushnell's book of the same name. Like Carrie's work, Busnell's Sex and the City was a collection of previously published newspaper columns about relationships.

The publication of Sex and the City was, in many ways, the beginning of the flagship series' end. After publishing her book, Carrie felt she could leave her column behind when she moved with Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov) to Paris. While she eventually left Paris to return to life with Mr. Big and her friends in New York City, Sex and the City's publication moved the character beyond the show's initial premise and set up the following Sex and the City movies to introduce a new era of the series' lead character.