On Sunday night, the city lost another single.

That city, of course, is the New York setting of HBO's Sex and the City, and that single, in fact, is Miranda Hobbes. After a five-season on-again, off-again relationship with Steve, the father of her child, the fiercely independent lawyer popped the question, donned a dress -- even if it was of the non-traditional, rust-colored nature -- and walked down the aisle.

The count, my friends, for our four favorite brunch-going, power-shopping Manhattan females?

Married 2, Single 2. With just six episodes to go.

Yes, before the popular series says goodbye for good, its writers will make a decision. Will Samantha and Carrie, the two unmarried members of the foursome, stay independent and free? Or will one (or both) rush to the altar in what would be an unnatural, last-ditch attempt to concur with society's norms and expectations?

Now, let me first offer this disclaimer: I am not saying that marriage is the enemy.

But times change, as SATC has taught its viewers. Thanks in part to Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte, we no longer live in a world where sex talk is taboo -- where women do it but don't discuss it, where females are sexy but not sexual.

And, more importantly, we no longer live in an era in which marriage is the end-all and be-all, a do-or-die objective and unquestioned aspiration for the women of our world.

Just take a look at the Chicago Health and Social Life Survey, the results of which were released late last week and will be expanded upon
in a book -- The Sexual Organization of the City -- this spring. Besides bringing to mind some of the famous words of Carrie from season one ("Married people don't hate singles, they just want us 'figured out.' "), it also provides some serious stats.

Among other things, the study found that, between the ages of 18 and 59, the respondents spent an average of 19 years with no husband, no wife and no steady companion.

What could be the reason? Part of it probably has to do with changing attitudes and priorities, ones that include attention to personal growth and career success. The belief that love and marriage are things that happen -- not things that need to be actively sought after as an all-consuming activity -- is now more widely accepted.

And part of it probably has to do with the growing number of divorces, some of which are most likely born out of that "hurry up and marry because you're supposed to" message the series is in danger of sending.

I sure hope the show doesn't end on that note. Not that SATC has been perfect unto this point.

It has been criticized, and rightly so, for its failure to represent -- or its tendency to misrepresent -- minorities.

And, of course, there's the glorification of consumerism, which brings us to questions of class. Would women, and society in general, be as ready and willing to celebrate the antithesis of couple-dominated culture -- and to embrace the all-the-city-is-our-lustful-playground idea of sexual promiscuity -- if it wasn't all dressed up and walking around in mile-high Monolo Blahnik heels?

If Peg Bundy or Roseanne, for example, had left their husbands and dated their way around their respective towns, would TV viewers have been as accepting of, and enthralled with, their lifestyle choices?

Probably not.

But that's the beauty and the power of SATC, and it's been there from the beginning. It's the creation of the fantastical myth, fueled by upscale surroundings, big bank accounts and other larger-than-life aspects of what is a glamorous dream world.

By setting the sometimes hard to swallow subjects of sex and dating in this fabulous existence, the show has helped erase some of the stigma. Sure, characters like Bridget Jones have tackled the state of singledom before, but it was often in a way that painted the condition as an almost tragic situation -- complete with images of granny panties and tales of lifelong yearning.

Carrie and company, of course, have spiced up that equation.

OK, I admit it. Maybe they have pranced around Manhattan for six seasons in the age-old pursuit of Mr. Right.

But, hey, they sure were having fun doing it, and their strong friendship has shown that they were never lacking in companionship.

What a shame it would be if the final season adds up to one message with the potential to erase all that has come before it. Because, in this show that has become a modern-day fairytale for adult women, we can only hope for an equally modern-day farewell. One progressive last hurrah, if you will.

If there's anything the show has taught us to expect, it's that the happily-ever-after ending does not have to involve a Prince Charming.

Or Vera Wang's latest wedding day creation, for that matter.