Charlotte is portrayed as the most conservative and traditional of the main cast friend group. She continuously places more emphasis on an emotional connection than a lustful one, however episode-long relationships and her first marriage show the audience sex is still a priority to her. Charlotte is a goal oriented romantic and is on her own personal quest for her "knight in shining armor." Presenting a more straightforward attitude about relationships, usually based upon "The Rules" of love and dating, she often scoffs at the lewder, more libertine antics that the show presents (primarily from Samantha).
Character information
The character of Charlotte first appeared in Candace Bushnell's newspaper column "Sex and the City" as a recurring character and friend of Carrie, where she is introduced as an English journalist.[6]
The television version of Charlotte York is the daughter of Dr. Stephen Foster York[1] and Sandra Whitehead "Muffin" York.[1] She is an art dealer with a Connecticutblue-blooded upbringing. Charlotte graduated from Smith College with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and a minor in Finance; she lived in Haven-Wesley House and was a member of the College Republicans and Kappa Kappa Gamma (although in real life Smith has no sororities).
Marriages
Trey MacDougal
In the show, Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan) is a doctor from an upper-class family with an overbearing, frequently present mother who views Charlotte as a rival for her son's affections. Trey and Charlotte meet after Charlotte has resolved to meet her husband in the coming year. Their initial introduction is one in which he proves her knight in shining armor: having had a horrible date, Charlotte is nearly hit by his taxi. Trey gets out of the taxi to help her, and it is implied that they fell in "love at first sight." Charlotte feels that Trey is an ideal boyfriend/husband-candidate. After only a mere month of dating, Charlotte becomes anxious to receive his proposal. When introduced to the royal MacDougal matriarch, Bunny, Charlotte sees how easily Trey can be manipulated and cannot help noticing his mother's methods. Frustrated with waiting, Charlotte uses Bunny's technique and suggests (at a restaurant) that they should marry, to which Trey casually and characteristically responds, "All righty". Charlotte is furious at this response, because it was hardly the proposal of her dreams—the next day she tells Carrie she proposed to herself. Later, Trey makes up for it by stopping in front of Tiffany & Co. during a walk and suggesting that they look for "the most beautiful engagement ring they have."
Within the show, they decide not to have sex until they are married, but on the day before their wedding, Charlotte gets drunk and visits Trey's apartment to seduce him. Trey is unable to perform, possibly meaning he is impotent. Charlotte addresses her concern to Carrie before she walks down the aisle, but Carrie attempts to comfort her and the marriage takes place. After they are married, Trey continues to be unable to perform in the bedroom. It is implied that his problem is not impotency, as Charlotte catches him masturbating in the bathroom to pornographic magazines. Because of their sexual problems, the two separate. They later get back together when Trey agrees to address the problem, and though he initially has problems, they eventually are able to have regular sex. After some time, Charlotte finds she has not been able to get pregnant, and discovers that she has some fertility problems. The couple starts trying IVF, but Trey, after initially agreeing to it, ultimately decides that he does not feel ready for children. The two divorce because of their different goals in the marriage.
Harry Goldenblatt
In the show, Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler) is Charlotte's divorce lawyer. Although Charlotte is initially put off by Harry's constant sweating, messy eating, shortness, baldness, and hairy body, she ends up sleeping with him when Harry confesses his intense attraction to her. She finds it is the best sex she has ever had. She tries to keep their relationship strictly sexual but soon becomes emotionally attached due to Harry's kindness, cleverness, and obvious love for her. Initially she tries to change him so that he will more closely fit her image of the ideal man, but these attempts cause Harry distress and Charlotte realizes their futility, and gradually accepts Harry for who he is.
Taking inspiration from Elizabeth Taylor, Charlotte converts to Judaism in response to Harry's avowal that he can only marry a Jewish woman, but she soon ends up ruining the relationship in a fit of anger by demanding he set a wedding date and telling him that everyone wonders why a catch like her is bothering with a schlub like him. Hurt at hearing what he believes to be what Charlotte really thinks about him, Harry breaks up with her. But after several weeks of bad blind dates, Charlotte bumps into Harry at the local synagogue singles' night and admits her wrongs, professing her deep love for him and agreeing finally to accept him as he is, rather than molding him to suit her. She says that she does not care if he ever marries her, as long as she can be with him. Harry is touched and proposes to Charlotte on the spot. The pair marry in a traditional Jewish Ceremony, with Carrie, Miranda and Samantha serving as bridesmaids.
The movie begins with Charlotte's life with her daughter Lily and husband Harry and they are perfectly happy living in New York. When Carrie's wedding to Big ends in a mess, Charlotte goes with her (along with Samantha and Miranda) to vacation at her planned honeymoon destination in Mexico. Charlotte is extremely careful in Mexico and refuses to eat any of the food there, instead bringing her own. The full liquid diet turns out to be a bad idea, as she becomes sick and gets diarrhea. Even though she and Harry had given up hoping for another baby, Charlotte unexpectedly discovers she is pregnant, much to her joy. At this moment, it seems that everything Charlotte has ever wanted is finally coming true, and Charlotte becomes "so happy, she's terrified." In the movie it is also revealed that Charlotte always believed Carrie and Big would end up together, and when she sees Big in the street she tells him, "I curse the day you were born." It is then that Charlotte goes into labour, and Big takes her to the hospital and waits until the baby is born. Charlotte and Harry are overjoyed when she gives birth to a baby girl they name Rose. The final scenes of the movie show Harry and Charlotte with their two daughters.
In this movie, Charlotte is a wealthy museum docent with two children and live-in, full-time help. She becomes stressed with motherhood and feels incapable of being a good mother to her children, eventually becoming worried that Harry is sleeping with their nanny. Charlotte later escapes to Abu Dhabi with her friends where she is still unable to ease the stresses of motherhood.
Charlotte's conflicts are resolved when it is revealed that her children's nanny, Erin, is a lesbian, and her stress about motherhood is put to rest after confiding and receiving reassurances from Miranda while the two had a conversation in the private bar of their hotel room. From then on, she uses Carrie's old apartment as an occasional "break" from her family life.
References
^ abcdefNames written in wedding announcement in Season 6 episode 8
^Mentioned in wedding announcement in Season 2 episode 15
