Jumping the Shark with Friends

jump the shark : To undergo a storyline development which is so ridiculous that previous quality is considered to have been lost; references the September 1977 episode of "Happy Days" where Fonzie, wearing swim trunks and his trademark leather jacket, jumps over a confined shark on water skis, answering a challenge to demonstrate his bravery. (Wiktionary/Wikipedia)

Sex and the City: The Movie jumped the shark, in my humble opinion. I found not one of the characters to be sympathetic or in any way likeable. Or humble. They were all two-dimensional and high maintenance at best, as was their fashion sense. Way too over the top for me.

So, here we have Sex and the City 2. Filmed in Egypt? What were they smoking, Camels?  heh  Haven't seen it, don't plan on it. But I have a feeling Carrie and her posse donned Emilio Pucci swimsuits and Manolo Blahnik water skis, grasped eachother's perfectly manicured hands, and proceeded to jump over an entire shiver* of sharks in this one. It's too bad, really, because the HBO series (back when the writers believed in the importance of "the city") was wonderful.

*Yep, a shiver of sharks and not a school. My lifelong fear of and obsession with sharks makes perfect sense for a girl who grew up in Upstate NY.

I'm not losing any sleep over it. In fact, this was really just a passing thought I had Thursday night. We were nibbling on tapas at The Grape while a SATC2 cocktail party was just wrapping up. Threesomes and foursomes of smiling, glamorous women in slinky silver tops and black stilettos filtered out of the bar--wine in-belly and movie tickets in-hand. Three things came to mind as I watched their tipsy silhouettes make their way across cobblestones and over to the theatre on that warm, breezy evening: SATC jumped the shark; single men across America would be doing themselves a (Mr.) Big favor by hanging out in bars that flank theatres later tonight; and man, do I miss my girlfriends.....

Ahh, but then Reality poked Reverie, and I immediately found myself prying AJ's fingers loose from the acoustic player's electical outlet enjoying the monkeys' antics... and another glass of wine.
 
There exists, however, the polar opposite of jumping the shark. I would equate it to the factor of the show "Friends" getting better and better with time. (Humble opinion offering its two cents again.) The audience grew, the storylines became increasingly interesting, and the writers and cast knew when to gracefully make an exit. They had a great ten-year run and left on a high note. Never to return. (Thank God. Because they might've come back with attitudes. And fedoras.)

There are so many events in life that equate this Friends Factor: Singledom meets it the minute perfect love is found; swimming in your favorite backyard pool crosses over to the Friends Factor the moment one dips her toes in the velvety white sand and cerulean waters of the Caribbean; hell, regular cellphone ownership embraces Ross and Rachel the very day a smartphone is purchased.

One of my life's all-time favorite Friends Factor moments came swifly and silently and, for a while, without my knowing.

Before October 22, 2007, I viewed the world and my future through my eyes alone.
 

It's like LensCrafters has a deal with every hospital delivery room. They surreptitiously slip these incredibly beautiful and terrifically complicated invisible glasses onto the bridge of the nose of every new parent at the time of their children's birth. (With all of the medical line items, added to the inebriated and sleep-deprived state new parents are in the day the bills are signed and the babies are taken home, I wouldn't be surprised!) These new glasses come complete with a never-fail guarantee: to always inspire; to quickly lose any and all selfishness one may have had before; to configure safety, the future, every family member's wishes, wants, and needs into every decision; and to add neverending color whenever and wherever possible to your life. Especially when you least expect it...

 
  So much color...

My take-away from moments in time that either jump the shark or redefine friends? Don't force a greater storyline. If it's not organic and doesn't make sense, it just won't work. If it's over the top, way too fussy, created simply to garner a bigger and better audience, it's contrived, and that's anything but real... Real can be really, really great. Life is messy. Sometimes we veer off-course, and that's OK. It's not about hot shoes, idyllic resort spots, and big ratings. It's all about colorful glasses, having wonderful friends to miss, and the little moments, that ultimately end up being the big ones...

Maybe if we had never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love, have babies, or be who we are. After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart... and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away.

~ Carrie Bradshaw