I couldn't help but wonder... what would Carrie Bradshaw have been without her gay best friend?
Stanford Blatch was always sort of living in the shadow of Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte. And while he wasn't invited to their countless lunches or brunches, he was still always there for Carrie.
Stanford provided an archetype in the late '90s — that the gay character can be clumsy, awkward and doofy and still sit with the cool kids. He didn't let any of that get in the way of being ruthlessly bitchy and in the process delivering some of the best one-liners and jokes that ever graced a "Sex and the City" script. Under all that hard exterior was a softness, though. Carrie saw him for what he truly was: a good friend with a heart of gold. If she was Dorothy, he was her Lion.
Stanford and the man who played him made an indelible mark on pop culture, bringing a gay character as center as possible in one of the straightest shows ever and always holding his own. Maybe the queerest thing about him was his wit, and this above all else made him beloved by everyone. Willie Garson, the man who played him, sadly died at the age of 57 on Tuesday.
In honor of him and his legacy on-screen in "Sex and the City," here we rounded up Stanford Blatch's best quotes, moments and episodes.
Best Stanford Blatch quotes
"Monogamy is on its way out again. It had a brief comeback in the '90s, but as the millennium approaches, everyone’s leaving their options open."
“We all judge. That's our hobby. Some people do arts and crafts. We judge."
"A New Yorker who does not take the subway is not a New Yorker you can trust."
"Puberty is a phase. Fifteen years of rejection is a lifestyle."
"Oh my God ... she’s fashion roadkill!"
Best Stanford Blatch episodes
'La Douleur Exquise!'
Episode 12 of season two dives into Stanford's dating life a little more than previously seen, when he begins diving into cyber sex. Posing as "Rick9+" in a chat room, he meets "Bigtool4u" online and decides to meet the mystery man in real life at an after hours gay bar. In order to be admitted, he has to bare all in nothing but his briefs. He ends up meeting a cutie, proving there's more out there if you just face your fears.
'All That Glitters'
In this episode (season four, episode 14) mostly set in a gay club, Stanford gets jealous when Carrie befriends another gay man and seemingly replaces him. "Carrie, don't fall for him. He's just another pretty face," he begs at one point. " He doesn't love you like I love you. I knew this woman when she took the subway and wore Candies."
He adds, "I adored you anyway."
'Cover Girl'
In season five, episode four, we first meet Marcus, a strapping dancer at Radio City Music Hall who ends up being Stanford's love interest for quite some time. Things get so hot and heavy between the two love birds, they can't keep their hands off each other and Samantha walks in on them doing a dirty deed.
'Boy, Interrupted'
Episode 10 of season six is probably where we see Stanford at his most vulnerable, facing his greatest challenge: discovering Marcus once was a sex worker. As Stanford says, it wasn't the act that offended him, it was the fact that Marcus never told him. The episode culminates at a gay prom, something Stanford never got the opportunity to go to when he was a teen. But at this one, in his blue retro tux and Carrie on his arm, he learns to forgive Marcus, and they adorably slow dance into the night together.
The movies
While the "Sex and the City" movies (especially the second one) left much to be desired, Stanford experienced quite the plot twist. Sweetly falling in love with his archnemesis Anthony Marantino after a New Year's Eve kiss in the first film, the unlikely couple get married in the sequel. Carrie donned a fabulous suit as his best woman during the ceremony, which was officiated by gay icon and diva Liza Minnelli.
Best Standford Blatch moments
The menu
Stanford: "I can only stay a few minutes. I’ve got tickets to 'The Vagina Monologues.'"
Carrie: "Why?"
Stanford: "Just because I don’t eat at the restaurant, doesn’t mean I can’t hear the specials."
Related
Therapy
Stanford: "How can you not have a shrink? This is Manhattan. Even the shrinks have shrinks. I have three."
Carrie: "No, you don’t."
Stanford: "Yes, one for when I want to be cuddled, one for when I want tough love and one for when I want to look at a beautiful man."
Carrie: "That’s sick!"
Stanford: "Which is why I see the other two."
Gaydar
Stanford: "Fix me up."
Carrie: "How do you even know he’s gay?"
Stanford: "I’ve seen him roller blading on eighth avenue. That’s enough."
Related
Commitment issues
Carrie: “You wouldn't commit to a nice guy, given the option?"
Stanford: "I can't even commit to a long distance carrier."
Sleeping Beauty
Carrie: "Oh God I love Sleeping Beauty! The music, the sets, the costumes! It's so romantic!"
Stanford: "You only like it because she gets to sleep for a hundred years and she doesn't age."