The girls hang out at Asia de Cuba ["Oh my God, I've totally eaten there! I'm cool!" -- Wing Chun], waiting for Carrie's "lover de Russia." Sam, in a Foxy Brown afro wig, says that ET's getting gang-banged is "so '80s!" Oh, boy. Carrie's cell phone rings. It's Alek. He can't come. He's sorry. When she hangs up, the waiters bring champagne over. Woo hoo! Now that's attention to detail. Speaking of detail, everyone looks fabulous. Carrie's in pink evening gloves and a beautiful white and silver beaded dress. Mir's in a rust-colored beaded tank, Sam's in a red dress and great long earrings, and Char's in a '70s-looking black halter dress. Lovely! Really pretty all around. The girls are disappointed but understand; Alek's working, he has the big show in Paris coming up, and he couldn't get away. Carrie suggests cracking open the bottle and, when it's done, going over to Alek's studio to meet him: "He's always saying I should be more spontaneous!" Whoops. I smell backfire.

The elevator slides up to Alek's studio. The sound of drunken giggling spills out. Oh, boy. I know that sound. It's the too-much-champers- on-a-Sunday-night sound. It's a lovely noise. Carrie weaves drunkenly over to the studio door, and Sam tells her to wait: "Sister's gotta get ready!" She whips out an afro pick and combs her wig. Wow. Was the purpose of Sam's cancer really just for her to parade around in a bunch of wigs, and for Carrie to learn to listen? If so, mission accomplished. We get it. Wigs and evolution of a character, the end. And I was really hoping Sam could get to do more this season. Oh well. There are three whole episodes left.

Carrie knocks on the studio door, and then knocks again. She should knock three times on the ceiling if she loves him. Twice on the pipes (clang clang) if the answer is noooo. Finally, Alek opens the door, but he isn't happy to see her: "When I say I'm vhorking, I'm vhorking. Sorry, guys, we meet another time." Then he closes the door on Carrie's disappointed face. The tableau of the three friends is great. Sam and Char have those bright, fake smiles on, like, "It's okay your lover shut us out, and closed the door in your face! All is cool!" And Mir is sitting there looking like she wants to punch the guy out. It's so classic. Mir is my hero. She's so blunt and sensible and honest with her emotions, if a little neurotic. I think she's grown the most. Fashion-wise, she has for sure. Remember when she wore ties all the time? She was like Duckie from Pretty in Pink. Then the girls beg out of seeing the apartment. Char offers to share a cab, but Carrie decides to stay at Alek's.