Smith Jerrod, who made his way from shy waiter to Absolut Hunk over the course of Sex and the City's last season, seemed destined to be just another conquest for Samantha Jones. He was young and athletic, with a chill vibe that was more at home on a beach in L.A. than in the urban sprawl of New York City. But his beneath his handsome aesthetic was an intuitive soul who was more than the sum of his looks.
Samantha tried to keep their relationship casual, but Smith wanted their connection to mean something, and refused to let her sabotage it. If viewers were capable of detesting Smith for anything, it was for the instances when he put up with Samantha's fear of commitment in order to champion their love.
FELT BAD FOR HIM: WHEN HE WAS TREATED LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT
Smith first caught Samantha's eye when she and the girls were trying out a hot new raw food restaurant. He was their waiter for the evening, and the combination of his model-looks and shy smile were too beguiling to pass up.
Samantha set out to claim him as another notch on her bedpost, even going so far as to outlast a female rival also waiting until his shift was over to take him home. Smith was objectified with no regard to his feelings, and Samantha would continue to treat them as inconsequential for the majority of their relationship.
HATED HIM: WHEN HE WOULDN'T TAKE CHARGE
For all the ways that Smith's nonchalance and "chill" vibe coaxed a more affectionate side out of Samantha, she still had a thing for men who behaved confidently and took what they wanted.
Smith's laconic charm inevitably made Samantha wonder if she'd made a mistake taking him as a lover when he couldn't "take charge", especially in Season 6 when she used his age and lack of experience to break things off.
FELT BAD FOR HIM: WHEN SAMANTHA CHEATED ON HIM WITH RICHARD
Samantha had a tempestuous relationship with hotel mogul Richard Wright. Though she truly loved him, ultimately Samantha couldn't find him trustworthy. Unfortunately, during an equally rocky period of time between her and Smith, she sought comfort in Richard's arms.
Not only was it crushing to see the look on Smith's face when she got into the elevator with Richard, but also discovering that he'd waited patiently for her in the lobby, knowing what she'd been upstairs doing and still wanting to be sure she got home safe.
HATED HIM: WHEN HE TOOK SAMANTHA BACK
It's difficult to imagine the quagmire of emotions when Smith watched his girlfriend leave him for her ex-boyfriend at the party she made him attend.
He remained downstairs the entire time she had sex, and was accepting and loving when she came back to the lobby. He had every right to be insulted, angry, and hurt, but true to Smith's character, he was open, forgiving, and more concerned about Samantha's feelings than his own. As much as Samantha is a fan-favorite character, many viewers wanted Smith to move on.
FELT BAD FOR HIM: WHEN SAMANTHA WAS EMOTIONALLY DISTANT
As Smith's publicist, Samantha found a way around having to be emotionally invested in him — he should be viewed as single for the positive optics with his fans.
Samantha didn't attend premieres with him, and perhaps most telling of all, refused to hold his hand when he reached out. It took the entire sixth season for Smith to be able to get her to open up to him, and this was most notably because her breast cancer diagnosis made her vulnerable.
HATED HIM: HE NEVER SPENT TIME WITH SAMANTHA'S FRIENDS
Next to someone like Samantha, Smith wasn't the most compelling of characters. He was given a shy, humble, and laid-back personality because making him as conceited as the men Samantha normally dated wouldn't have helped her grow.
As a result, Smith blended into the background, but that didn't mean he couldn't spend time with Samantha's friends. While Big, Steve, and Aidan had flashier personalities, they also spent more time with the girls, and Smith didn't push hard enough to be included in Samantha's life like that.
FELT BAD FOR HIM: WHEN SAMANTHA BROKE UP WITH HIM TO BE A FREE AGENT
The Sex and the City films didn't do right by the vast majority of the men from the series. Both Aidan Shaw and Steve Brady were turned into cheaters, with Big emerged as the unpredictably faithful husband.
Smith, who never became Samantha's husband, was cast out by a wistful Samantha who felt that she'd become too mired in the torpor of domestic bliss. She believed she'd accomplish more of her goals and feel better as a "free agent", much to Smith's heartbreak.
HATED HIM: FOR BEING A BAD ROLEPLAYER
Smith's role demanded that he be shirtless half of the time he was on screen, due both to his film career and the exhausting bedroom antics imposed by Samantha. Early on in Season 6, viewers were the couple engaged in creative bedroom roleplaying.
For a guy wanting to make it as an actor, Smith was painfully unconvincing in these scenarios, and they just made many viewers uncomfortable.
FELT BAD FOR HIM: WHEN SAMANTHA CUT HIM OFF FOR BEING IN AA
While viewers might have initially seen Smith as just a vapid hunk who had more muscles than brain cells, he opened up quickly with Samantha, and revealed parts about himself that spoke to a sensitive soul who was more complex than she gave him credit for.
When he told her he was a recovering alcoholic who was in AA, she viewed him with contempt instead of admiration. She should have been grateful he agreed to represent the Absolut vodka brand, even though he had to participate in an endless parade of triggering parties where he was surrounded by intoxicated and handsy fans.
HATED HIM: FOR BEING TOO PERFECT
All the rest of the men on Sex and the City had glaring idiosyncrasies and character flaws, from Aidan's need to make his partners more like him, to Big's inability to commit, and Steve's passive aggressiveness.
Smith's only handicap was being too perfect. He was gorgeous, loving, and sweet. He had no ego whatsoever, despite his increasing fame, and he was eternally faithful to Samantha. The only thing viewers could find fault with in him was that his perfection made him unrealistic.