The L Word - 1st Season
It’s been an interesting first season on The L Word. Some of it I enjoyed very much. There were some things I didn’t like. Overall – a good blend of drama, relational insight and an opportunity to peek into the lesbian world for people who live on the outside. Here are my thoughts on how the series ended. You may agree or disagree as you wish.
The Jenny-Tim-Robin-Gene-Marina hallelujah twist. Leave it to a bisexual character to steal the thunder from her lesbian cohorts. Jenny has become one of the backbone characters on The L Word. More time has been given to her relationships than any others, with the possible exception of Tina and Bette. Fans either love Jenny or hate her. Emotions run high in both directions. I felt Mia Kirshner played one hell of a spaced out, pity me, erotic, self-centered youngster who solves her problems by sleeping with anyone who pities her, thus creating more problems. It takes a great performance in a role like this to drive viewer’s emotions in so many different directions.
My only question concerning Jenny’s adventures is why Tim keeps her around. It’s almost like he’s learning something about life through his ex’s experiences. He’s caught her having sex (she’s definitely not making love) with three different individuals now, yet he hasn’t asked her to leave the apartment he made for her. Go figure.
The Tina-Bette-Candace triangle. This one leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The show could have given the lesbian world a bit of stability by keeping the Tina/Beth relationship strong and cheat free. Yes, work relationships like Bette’s and Candace’s happen, especially with a person with as much stress in her life as the Bette character has. But I felt there were enough relationship flip-flops on The L Word that they could have allowed Bette fight off Candace’s advances rather than having her succumb. We’re left with Tina moving out and into Alice’s apartment. A sad ending to what could have been a sterling example that lesbian relationships can and DO stay together through love and commitment no matter what the temptations. I know, I know. That's real life and not TV drama. But I feel the baby problem could have brought enough drama to this relationship to maintain interest. To me, what they’ve done with Bette and Tina just underscores the religious right’s point of view that lesbian relationships don’t/can’t work. This disappointed me.
Dana-Lara-Tonya-Alice are playing hide and seek. I really liked the Lara/Dana relationship and was sorry to see it end the way it did – the victim of a closeted individual’s fears. Although Dana and Tonya are still together, a very weak relationship as everyone surmises, Alice seems to have found the perfect way to break up the quick engagement between the twiterpated Dana and her publicity manager. The question remains, is Alice truly interested in Dana or was this a ploy by Alice to get Dana out of a bad relationship before it becomes worse? We’ll see in season two.
The Shane-Cheri game appears to be over. Shane has had her 15 minutes of fame. She’s also proved herself human and as able to be hurt in a relationship as the rest of her girlfriends. It will be interesting in season two to see what effect her fall has on the stainless-steel streetwise Shane. This is another highpoint of the show for me.
Finally there’s the Kit-Ivan tango, another The L Word positive to my way of thinking. I like what’s going on with this relationship. Transsexuals and transvestites are so maligned these days. They are at the top of the hate crime victims list. Ivan is truly kewl and with Kit being straight, who knows where this relationship will lead? This is another good reason to watch the second season. Ivan was so right when she told Kit, “You have no idea what I can do for you.” True of most straights.
Overall, The L Word has been impressive. Some complaints I’ve come across address the issue that all the girls are too beautiful, there are no butch main characters, and they all have too much money. The studio counters by saying that the show is meant to attract straights as well as gays therefore (by TV-Land thinking) the girls have to be beautiful, slim, rich and intelligent. Gag me.
It’s easy to tell the reception to the show has been amazing. It was picked up for a second season after only two shows were aired – a record. There’s been some talk that Marina (Karina Lombard) might not be back. This would be a mistake as just about everyone adores her character. It’s iffy, but the studio claims she’s not out. We’ll see.
I know I’ll be watching in January, along with most of my friends and family. Thank you L Word for a great opening season.
©2004 Marcia Ellen "Happy" Beevre
The Jenny-Tim-Robin-Gene-Marina hallelujah twist. Leave it to a bisexual character to steal the thunder from her lesbian cohorts. Jenny has become one of the backbone characters on The L Word. More time has been given to her relationships than any others, with the possible exception of Tina and Bette. Fans either love Jenny or hate her. Emotions run high in both directions. I felt Mia Kirshner played one hell of a spaced out, pity me, erotic, self-centered youngster who solves her problems by sleeping with anyone who pities her, thus creating more problems. It takes a great performance in a role like this to drive viewer’s emotions in so many different directions.
My only question concerning Jenny’s adventures is why Tim keeps her around. It’s almost like he’s learning something about life through his ex’s experiences. He’s caught her having sex (she’s definitely not making love) with three different individuals now, yet he hasn’t asked her to leave the apartment he made for her. Go figure.
The Tina-Bette-Candace triangle. This one leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The show could have given the lesbian world a bit of stability by keeping the Tina/Beth relationship strong and cheat free. Yes, work relationships like Bette’s and Candace’s happen, especially with a person with as much stress in her life as the Bette character has. But I felt there were enough relationship flip-flops on The L Word that they could have allowed Bette fight off Candace’s advances rather than having her succumb. We’re left with Tina moving out and into Alice’s apartment. A sad ending to what could have been a sterling example that lesbian relationships can and DO stay together through love and commitment no matter what the temptations. I know, I know. That's real life and not TV drama. But I feel the baby problem could have brought enough drama to this relationship to maintain interest. To me, what they’ve done with Bette and Tina just underscores the religious right’s point of view that lesbian relationships don’t/can’t work. This disappointed me.
Dana-Lara-Tonya-Alice are playing hide and seek. I really liked the Lara/Dana relationship and was sorry to see it end the way it did – the victim of a closeted individual’s fears. Although Dana and Tonya are still together, a very weak relationship as everyone surmises, Alice seems to have found the perfect way to break up the quick engagement between the twiterpated Dana and her publicity manager. The question remains, is Alice truly interested in Dana or was this a ploy by Alice to get Dana out of a bad relationship before it becomes worse? We’ll see in season two.
The Shane-Cheri game appears to be over. Shane has had her 15 minutes of fame. She’s also proved herself human and as able to be hurt in a relationship as the rest of her girlfriends. It will be interesting in season two to see what effect her fall has on the stainless-steel streetwise Shane. This is another highpoint of the show for me.
Finally there’s the Kit-Ivan tango, another The L Word positive to my way of thinking. I like what’s going on with this relationship. Transsexuals and transvestites are so maligned these days. They are at the top of the hate crime victims list. Ivan is truly kewl and with Kit being straight, who knows where this relationship will lead? This is another good reason to watch the second season. Ivan was so right when she told Kit, “You have no idea what I can do for you.” True of most straights.
Overall, The L Word has been impressive. Some complaints I’ve come across address the issue that all the girls are too beautiful, there are no butch main characters, and they all have too much money. The studio counters by saying that the show is meant to attract straights as well as gays therefore (by TV-Land thinking) the girls have to be beautiful, slim, rich and intelligent. Gag me.
It’s easy to tell the reception to the show has been amazing. It was picked up for a second season after only two shows were aired – a record. There’s been some talk that Marina (Karina Lombard) might not be back. This would be a mistake as just about everyone adores her character. It’s iffy, but the studio claims she’s not out. We’ll see.
I know I’ll be watching in January, along with most of my friends and family. Thank you L Word for a great opening season.
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©2004 Marcia Ellen "Happy" Beevre
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