The Most Nuanced Moments of The Carrie Diaries

With series writers that include former Sex and the City veteran Amy Harris and Candace Bushnell herself, it’s no surprise that The Carrie Diaries is as well-thought out and nuanced as the original show about “sexual anthropologist” Carrie Bradshaw. With season one beginning in 1984, the show is rife with precise allusions. Some episodes are even directed by seminal 80s icons like Amy Heckerling and Andrew McCarthy. Below are some of the more memorable details from the series.

Madonna’s The Virgin Tour kicking off in Seattle: One of the few times Madonna ever went to Seattle for anything, it showed attention to detail that Larissa would throw an Interview kickoff party for it and make mention of not understanding why M would choose to go there instead of New York to start the tour.

Walt absorbing pizza grease with a napkin: Walt’s many affectations as a gay man often include food-related quirks. In a scene in which he’s talking to Carrie’s dad on Valentine’s Day, he dabs oh so delicately at the excess grease on a heart-shaped pizza.

AIDS (“There’s a test now”): Daring to tread where few CW shows have gone before, The Carrie Diaries freely addresses the issue of AIDS, which was especially prevalent in 1985 when the first HIV test was introduced after a widespread epidemic.

Tony Hawk: Tony Hawk turned pro in 1982, but Sebastian’s (Carrie’s boyfriend) desire to make skateboarding merchandise “a thing” is distinctly 1985.

Andy Warhol’s wig being hand delivered: You know it happened all the time.

Maggie finding a girl’s name written on a napkin in her boyfriend’s pocket: Because, you know, there’s phones now.

Maggie saying “Excuse me sir, do you have any Grey Poupon?” while in the limo on the way to prom: As one of the biggest ad campaigns of 1985 (and the 80s in general), it only makes sense that Maggie would indulge in saying it.

Walt nervously eating a vegetable at the mention of going back to New York: Again, nervous tics/Walt’s eating habits count as a nuance.

Mouse and West fighting over encyclopedias: A difficult thing to imagine fighting over, even when they were in their prime of use.

Whatever season three and beyond holds for a young Carrie Bradshaw, you can rest assured you’ll continue to be impressed by the cultural accuracy (and Walt’s food issues) with which her life is portrayed.