The second-to-last episode of any TV season needs to ramp up the action, and it needs to do it good. So you’ll have to excuse me if I sound disappointed this morning, but I’m suffering from a swirling hangover of confusion after last night’s very odd (and oddly placed) episode of The L Word. Eleven weeks into a rejuvenated fourth season, and our central storylines are… Paige’s whiny hopes for a birthday gift from Shane? Leonard Kroll’s anger at his newly lesbian wife? Tasha’s post-traumatic flashbacks to — oh, L Word, do we have to go there? — combat in Iraq? And stop, wait a minute, hold up! We’ve gotten a total of about 13 minutes with Max all season, and now you decide to give him full play?
What’s up, my little lesbian friend of a show? You gave me so much last week! Jodi Lerner’s all-hands bitchfest, that totally awkward dinner party, Bette’s rants and raves, sex at the races… it was all so much fun. And when I saw that this week’s episode was titled "Literary License to Kill," I just knew that we were in for a big, Crazy Jenny-sized explosion of cuckoo. "Lez Girls" has been released, and the gang is finding out just how badly Jenny skewered them in print. (What kind of friend is she, not asking her publisher to send out some galleys?) I wanted another throwdown, and all I got was a too-brief glimpse of Crazy Jenniness more than 35 minutes into the episode. Very uncalled for.
Funny how just last week I noticed my stomach felt normal for thefirst time in more than a year. That’s because I was finally startingto get my appetite back after last season’s nauseating fellatio scenebetwixt Max, Alan Cumming’s sleazy, entirely unnecessary party promoterBillie Blaikie, and a strap-on. Oops! There went that. Look, I likeMax. I think it’s great that The L Word has incorporated atransgender character onto its canvas, and hope Max sticks around witha compelling story next year. I applaud Max for walking away from acrappy IT job, and I think his new girlfriend, Brooke, is a hottie. ButI just don’t know that I want to see prosthetic penises being floppedabout in the middle of my sex scenes. I’m vanilla like that.
Didn’t you find Paige’s behavior a bit presumptuous? Now that Shayhas left town, she wants Shane’s undivided attention and even seemedjealous of her own son because he got that El Panda doll for no specialreason. Geez, lighten up, Paige. Shane — who, as far as I can tell, onlyruns a skateboard shop and has no discernible electronicaconnections — managed to get one of my absolute favorite musicians inthe history of ever, Alison Goldfrapp, to play your birthday. Lightenup, girlfriend! If I were you, I’d pass out, just as I nearly did when Goldfrapp took the stage in New York last fall.
What did you make of Bette’s reaction to the (apparently shocking)news that she’s a control freak? Pretty control freak-y, eh? Bette’s aninteresting heroine, for sure; she’s can be shockingly unaware of herbehavior and doesn’t often feel the need to apologize when she’s actedlike a beast. That, atop her capacity for generosity, is why we loveher. It’s insanity, though, for her to think that she can get away withgiving Jodi Lerner the silent treatment. Jodi’s title, after all, isnot Cal Arts’ concubine-in-residence. She can leave — and perhaps sheshould — whenever she wants. And it’s nice to see Tina (pictured) giving Bette apiece of her mind again. These two are a lot of fun to watch when theyaim for civility.
What do you think will happen during next week’s season finale? WillBette and Jodi get their chance to talk again? How is Tasha going tohandle returning to Iraq without sending Alice off the deep end? IsHelena going to be able to pull herself out of her latest jam? WillJenny find out that Kate Arden wants to ban her from writing the "LezGirls" screenplay? And most importantly, will we again see Bette’ssuper-adorable assistant James, whose appearance always calls for around of shots in any well-run L Word drinking game?
*sigh* Every week I call for less (none, in an ideal world) Max time. And here he is getting the sex scene. Am I the only one that wants him written off? I guess this just isn’t the season for me. The only side characters I like are Phyllis and Paige, which seem to be the opposite of everyone else. Papi, Jodi, and whatever Helena’s girl is named, can all take a hike.
I would like to see a regular recap of this fascinating show. I can’t believe that Kitt slept with Papi before realizing that she wasn’t a lesbian. That was way over the top! Love Bette but not with I don’t know what I really want Tina.
I love the way The L Word handled the whole Max/Moira firing. It would have been better if she went out with a bang, but a lot of times, in reality, it just doesn’t happen that way. He/she said good bye in a dignified manner which spoke volumes on how transgendered people are real people too.
That said, I think Max is going to get written out. This maybe off the cuff AND I’m sure I’m going to get some flack for saying this but I’m sure they’ll replace Max’s character with a chinease lesbian who’s in a wheel chair. Sorry but this season minorities ruled.
I really hope next year they bring in a gay male character, not one as campy as last seasons but a real dignified gay man – who loves to f*ck.
Max’s new girlfriend is Grace. Brooke was the boss’s daughter who dumped him. Why I paid enough attention to Max’s story line this season to know this remains a mystery…
“These two are a lot of fun to watch when they aim for civility”
Truer words were never spoken. Please, IC, don’t bring these two back together! It’s one thing to cheat… and it’s another thing entirely to do it in your not-so-significant other’s bed.
If that is not a deal breaker, then I don’t want to have anything to do with that crazy little thing called love.
“It’s insanity, though, for her to think that she can get away with giving Jodi Lerner the silent treatment”
How Would Jodi know that?
this show is the ultimate train wreck (thats not a reality show, of course)… i hate this show sooo much but yet i cant stop watching.
I consider myself open minded, but wow, that scene with Max/Moira and his/her girlfriend was an absolute train wreck. In addition to being painfull uncomfortable, it just went on….and on……and on……
Shane doesn’t just hve a skateboard shop, she is also a celebrit hairdresser remeber, she has worked in movies and one would presume music videos as well, also remeber her involvement with Rosanna Arquette’s charactor and the modeling, it is entirely conceiveable that she could have become friends with Goldfrapp in any of those situations, and remeber Allison Goldfrapp spent time on the streets like Shane. That said I don’t think Shane arranged for Goldfrapp to perform for Paige’s birthday party, she was performing and Shane had her give a shout out to Paige, and made sure Paige’s son got her there for it.
I do find it odd that Bette did not confront Jenny in this ep. Given her controlfreakness and her being upset about Jodi you would think she would have gone Ballistic on Jenny, that would have been interesting actually, to have her bitching out Jenny all night and then realize that Jodi left.
I like Tasha and Alice but geez why is Alice still so clueless about the army?
i glad we were spared from having to see Maxs pubes again! That’s what my biggest fear was as the scene kept going. I, too, hate this show but can’t stop watching. My girlfriend loves it so we never miss an episode.
The scene with Max/Grace is the reason God invented TiVo. Please, please let Max leave town at the end of this season. And, speaking of leaving town, let Jodie just keep on goin’! I do not like her together with Bette no matter how many different ways/times IC tells me how “perfect” they are for each other. I don’t buy it. And, while I’m asking for things, could we please have a bit more Helena? Oh, and not this pathetic creature pretending to be Helena Peabody but the real b*tch with a backbone who would *never* put up with the type of attitude Catherine is giving her. There had better be redemption for this storyline because I have hated it thus far. I think my dissatisfaction with the season has been growing ever since Catherine appeared on the scene.
Oh, and by “God created TiVo” I meant so that we may be able bleep-bleep rewind past such scenes with as little damage to my psyche as possible. Pleas. Make it stop.
And by “rewind” I meant…(sigh)
Jodie and Bette are the most mismatched and unsexy couple on the boob tube today. I loved the Bette and Tina scenes. These two are meant for one another. I loved how honest Tina was with Bette about how she sees her. I also love Kate Arden and I think she will provide some much needed harmless fun for Tina. Not a relationlship but a light airy friendship with benefits. Unlike the relationships she has had which have been fraught with angst. Let Bette go after shorty for the time being. The real couple who are meant to be will find each other next season. Laurel and Jennifer are simply magic when on the screen together. I haven’t seen this chemistry between on screen partners in a very long time, if ever. Let’s hope TPTB don’t cut their collective noses to spite their collective faces and not mine this force of nature that is Bette and Tina. Bring on S5!
I HATE this show. I really liked the second and third season, but this season is so unbelieveably bad. The writing is horrific, and the acting is even worse! There is no consistancy between seasons–this season might as well be a whole new show. Why do we queers always settle for such crappy options in TV and movies? We deserve better!