Carrie: That night, I took Susan Sharon to meet the new male in Charlotte's life. True to form, he was already falling far short of her high expectations.
 

Charlotte: He did it a minute ago.

Carrie: He was inconsistent...

Charlotte: Get the ball, Henry.

Carrie: ...selfishly stubborn¹, and hopelessly codependent.

Charlotte: Isn't he smart?

Susan: We shouldn't stay long. I want to be back at your apartment if Richard calls.

Carrie: Really? Aren't you leaving him?

Susan: I am. But if he calls, I want to be there and tell him I won't talk to him.

Charlotte: That's really passive aggressive. You should only speak to him if you have something specific to say.

Susan: Do you believe I married a prick²?

Carrie: You didn't know he was a prick.

Susan: I just can't believe that prick hasn't called. Although, he does have this sweet side. You know, you just don't know him very well. Do you think I do the right thing, Henry? Or should I give him another chance--

Charlotte: He's a dog, not an oracle³.

Carrie: The next morning, I woke up to an unsettling birthday surprise. Coming. Oh. 

Man: Sign here.

Carrie: Thank you. 

Carrie: My God. 

Samantha: "Best wishes on your birthday." 

Carrie: It's from Big.

Samantha: What kind of flowers?

Carrie: Roses, red. Big. Expensive. What do you think it means?

Miranda: It means rip⁴ up the card.

Samantha: And watch out for the thorns⁵.

Charlotte: No, no, no, this is the grand gesture.

Miranda: The grand gesture?

Charlotte: Yeah. You know, if you break up with someone, and he just disappears from your life altogether, although it wasn't meant to be. But if they make a powerful declaration⁶ of their love, then you really have to reconsider.

Miranda: You think a dozen roses and a card that says "Best wishes" qualifies⁷ as a grand gesture?

Charlotte: Well, yeah, you know men. They can never say, "I was wrong." They just send flowers.

Miranda: Yeah, well, sometimes a rose is just a rose.

Samantha: And jewelry⁸, that's another story.

Charlotte: Henry, no. Henry, no, not the purse.

Carrie: You know, I really don't need this on my birthday. Really, what does this mean, the ball's in my court or something? I don't want to play games.

Charlotte: This is not the grand gesture. This is the vague gesture which is truly worse than no gesture at all.

Carrie: I realized that just because we were no longer together didn't mean I couldn’t be polite. 

Big: Yeah. 

Carrie: Hey, it's me. Carrie.

Big: Hey, how are you doing?

Carrie: Great. Great. Listen, I just wanted to call and thank you for the flowers. That was thoughtful of you.

Big: Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, you know, my, my secretary had it on her calendar, so I, you know...

Carrie: Oh, so your secretary sent them?

Big: Oh, I sent the flowers, my secretary alerted⁹ me to the day.

Carrie: That was very thoughtful of her and you for sending them.

Big: So you're welcome. What are you doing on the big day?

Carrie: Oh, well, er, Stanford's arranged this party down at Layla, you know that Moroccan restaurant. You should come. The instant the words popped out of my mouth, I regretted them.

Big: Er, well, I, I made some plan already.

Carrie: Or not. I mean, just forget it.

Big: I could, maybe stop by later.

Carrie: Oh. Fine. I mean, whatever.

Big: Ah, I may bring someone.

Carrie: Well, yeah. Ah, come and, and bring that person and maybe I'll see you later, and thank you again for the thoughtful flowers. I couldn't believe it. I had just invited my ex and his date to my birthday party. As if getting older wasn't traumatic enough.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Fall short of

这个片语的意思是“不足，达不到，不符合”，例如：His skills fell short of the required standard. 

片段中的fall far short of 则是指“远远达不到”。

2. The ball's in my court

When the ball is in your court, it means the situation is your responsibility, that you are the one who has to make the next move. 意思就是“下一步怎么做由你决断”。

3. Play games

Play games 的本意是“敷衍塞责，欺骗”，例如：Don't play games with me--I want an honest answer.

在这个片段中，play games 是字面上的意思，Carrie 的意思是“我不想玩游戏”。

4. Big day

The “big day” can refer to any day which is important to you personally. 比如生日啦，结婚纪念日啦，等等。

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