In the latest episode of And Just Like That, we’re treated to yet another Sex and the City throwback and ex boyfriend mention. Miranda’s infamous, painfully innocent fling Skipper is referenced as an example of her ‘throwing exes away’. She admits to Carrie that the way she treated him still bothers her – and his unearthing also caused us to ask a big question: Was Skipper the original on-screen ick?
When it comes to its use in dating, the term the ‘ick’ is defined by Urban Dictionary as ‘something someone does that is an instant turn-off for you, making you instantly hate the idea of being with them romantically’. Gaining notoriety as a concept after the 2017 series of Love Island, the ‘ick’ is frequently used as a blanket term for when you’re turned off from a romantic interest for sometimes the most petty, superficial and sometimes unexplainable of reasons.
The ‘ick’ is individual to each person, and therefore known to be subjective, but we couldn’t help but wonder… Does Skipper from Sex and the City basically sum it up? We may not have used the term in the 90s and Noughties, but Skipper’s behaviour in his relationship with Miranda, as well as Miranda’s own reaction to Skipper as a romantic and sexual partner, points towards the ‘ick’ in so many ways.
His Sex and the City legacy begins with him being a ‘hopeless romantic’, and repelling Miranda with all of the intense characteristics that can came with that, including appearing more keen than your dating counterpart is.
In a debrief with Carrie after going on date with Miranda, Skipper admits that he’s called Miranda ‘a hundred times’, lamenting the fact that she hasn’t called him back. He also asks if Miranda’s said anything about him, worries that he’s not cute enough for her and ends up calling her voicemail (remember them?) and leaves the following message: ‘I just told her how you won't call me back. So now you have to call me back. You better call me back! No no I'm kidding! I'm joking! But seriously I hope you call me back’.
It’s undoubtedly cringe to watch. The ultimate ‘ick’, for some. Skipper also confides in Carrie that Miranda (and other women)’s reaction to him is his being ‘too nice’ and ‘sensitive’ and ‘not objectifying women’. A self-proclaimed ‘nice guy’ is a personal ick of mine.
Another prime example of an ‘ick’ could be when someone demonstrates evidence of having no backbone. Skipper exemplifies this perfectly when he picks up the phone to Miranda while having sex with another woman (strike one) has a conversation with her (strike two) and breaks up with his girlfriend while still inside said sexual partner (strike three, he’s out). ‘Nice guy’ indeed.
Here’s my overarching theory and caveat when it comes to the ‘ick’, though – you only feel it towards people you’re not interested in seriously anyway. If you’re invested, those little quirks that might usually give you the ‘ick’ don’t hit the same way.
So, the fact that Miranda only felt any form of passion towards Skipper when he was unavailable, and never wanted anything remotely serious with him, proves that his behaviour (and wider personality) was ultimately as an ‘ick’ to her – and is maybe one of the best early examples of the dating phenomenon on TV.