Oooh...The L Word

[Mermaid]

Looking at beautiful women is never a bad thing.

I could still be called a bi flip flopper, fence sitter, or any other label on any side of the fence. I'd rather be called by my name by those who know me and my handle by those who don't.

I identified with Jenny sometimes and found her to be the most complexly writen characters on the show.

I know a wide variety of people, and I would say the show does not represent the spectrum of lesbians where I live. But I don't live in California.

I'm currious from the readers/posters of this thread if any of you live in California, as it seems to be a quite different place from where I come from.

I would think a lesbian would have to be making money to live in California, and I would also think with the plasticness of the cliche of LA, that they might be thinner than those in the dyke bars I've been to around here.

And if one of the underlying purposes of the show is to show that lesbians should not all be lumped together under one big stereotype, it does that job, but misses the representation of the butchdykecarpetmuncherwithextrapadding all together.

I don't think it's a bad idea to have it around, as any positive exposure is a good thing. But in order to be watched, the writing, and character development have to get better. By Far!

 

[JustineCredible]

I know my critique of "The L Word" came off fairly strong, but I am willing to see if it gets any better.

Jenny's character may be the most complexly written of the characters, but to me that just makes the superficiality of the others stand out even more.
Of course this doesn't mention the quazi acid trip of Jenny taking off for a week to the desert. That was just so surrealistic.

Maybe my Midwestern upbringing is showing through.

 

[Mermaid]

I also think that because Queer As Folk is SO good, it makes anything less than that for the L Word, just unacceptable.

 

[Etoile]

Hey, I just realized - is QAF on Showtime? I got Showtime free for 6 months, until June. Now I can finally watch that show! Or if it's on something else, well, at least I can watch The L Word.

 

[Mermaid]

Etoile, you have it right! QAF is on Sho. Great channel. They are also going to be premiering Kirsty Alley's "Fat Actress" which looks really funny. I like watching the HBO series "Carnivale" too, which I'm psyched is coming back on the air. I don't watch a lot of TV, so I'm really picky about what I do spend time in front of the tube for.

 

[Etoile]

woo hoo! I will have to check my listings.

 

[wishbone96]

"I too am curious as to whether the show does portray lesbian life realistically. Are there any lesbians out there willing to comment?"

I very much doubt it. It is a typical Hollywood gloss-over. Most real life women are not as good looking, talented, or well paid as the girls shown in this series. There is a lot more hate and intolerance towards gay people in the "workplace" than shown in the episodes. Still, it is a very seductive show and I feel like a pig for watching it. For instance, I can't watch QAF without cringing yet two women such as Marina and Jennifer have me cheering them on. Just one male's perspective. Sorry if this OT, butting in,etc.

 

[JustineCredible]

Mermaid:

Oooohhh..I just got hooked on Carnivale!
I never saw "Twin Peaks" but my partner who just adored that show compares "Carnivale" to "Twin Peaks" + an old fashioned freakshow.
She found it hard to follow, but I latched onto it imediately. Can't wait for the second season.

 

[Bob Briton]

Mermaid - Queer as Folk was outstanding TV.
Over here in the UK - the program was shown on an national free to view channel and it seriously rocked the establishment for a while. Especially the underage sex and rimming!

Great acting and music. Shame about the 2nd series though.

I will have to dig the DVD out.

 

[Mermaid]

The other Showtime series I LOVE is "Dead Like Me" - but I'm a weirdo. I like weird, smart TV.

It's almost painful that DirecTV dropped Trio from it's listing. That was an awesome network.

Next week for new Carnivale! Can't wait.

Not sure when LW or QAF is on again. Anyone know?

 

[rakastuja]

One Finnish television channel just decided to start showing it

Gotta comment more when I have actually seen it a bit

 

[Mermaid]

Can't wait to hear what you think!

 

[rakastuja]

Can't wait to hear what you think!

I just checked - it starts 24th day... so bit of waiting... :/

 

[BlueSugar]

it was a good answer to Queer As Folk.

I saw the first season, but missed out on the second and now third. Damn not having showtime anymore ::sigh:: I know what I should have asked for for christmas.

 

[JustineCredible]

Mermaid:

Actually you can go to sho.com and find out when the new seasons of all your favorite series start!

 

[Mermaid]

Good idea, Justine. But that would take my attention away from Lit! I'll wait and check on it tomorrow at work.

 

[Xectxny19X]

I'm kind of neutral on "the L word." agggh...Laurel Holloman who plays Tina is soooooooooo beautiful and I love the storyline between her and Bette. It's rare seeing a lesbian relationship on TV now a days versus the coming out (not that I don't like that storyline, I actually love it to pieces). I like the variety of the storylines. Character wise, I love Shane, the heartbreaker with a sensitive side. And hmmm...that sous chef, she was so cute and I love red heads, needs to come back on the show!

 

[Equinoxe]

I have never actually seen the show myself, but I remember being very skeptical when it first came out, because let's face it 99% of "lesbian" content in popular media is aimed at the coveted 18-34 male demographic.

 

[Mermaid]

And hmmm...that sous chef, she was so cute and I love red heads, needs to come back on the show!

Ooh, ditto!

 

[Xectxny19X]

Yeah...I always watched her on Mutant X just to see her although I wasn't too fond of the series. My jaw def. dropped when I saw her on the L word. Girl is too cute.

 

[kalalau]

And hmmm...that sous chef, she was so cute and I love red heads, needs to come back on the show!

Oh, yes!! She was really very sexual and I loved her red hair, too....that story line never really had any closure, so I hope that she does come back....

 

[Frimost]

Why do so many lesbian women like Shane so much anyway?
She is nothing more than a female version of the bad-boy misogynist man who treats women like shit and sleeps around on their backs with no remorse? I guess most women are alike in many ways, that¡¦s something the straight women have in common with many of the queer ones (who like Shane). Shane¡¦s gender maybe different from the bad-boy heartbreaker asshole type but they are the same PERSON inside.

 

[Etoile]

I like Shane because she's the closest that show gets to an androgyne or even (gasp) butch. We know that jock does not equal butch, so Dana doesn't fit the bill, making Shane the best bet. She just looks edgier.

 

[Xectxny19X]

I loved Shane since the first episode... right at the end when she had made a comment to Beth and Tina:

Shane: Yeah, you see? That gives me hope, because I love knowing that two people who've been together for so long ... can still make each other that happy.

And then another time at the party to Alice and Dana while talking about Bette and Tina:

Shane: (thoughtfully) I don't know. (a beat) You know, I've been thinking about it. What's more boring, right? (to Alice) You can make endless lists. (to Dana) You can bawl your head off, and puke over the side of the boat. (looks out at water) Or you get to go home. You get to sleep with the same person you've been in love with for 7 years.

Although she DOES seem to sleep around a lot, she is not in a committed relationship. I just feel like her character is really looking for love out there. That for me is really touching because I feel like some people are only in a relationship to be in one but not necessarily with the one they want to be in it with. I'm not sure if that makes any sense. For me, I know how that feels. It sucks being single and just dating around from one person to the next w/o any of them really touching your heart in that way. And I believe Shane is looking for the one, esp. when she says:

Shane: (hesitant) You know... my entire life, people have said that... I would become a psychopath if I didn't learn how to feel.

[Cherie turns around and faces Shane.]

Shane: But I wanna know, Cherie, what the fuck is so great about feeling? (a beat) Because I finally let myself. And I feel like my heart's been completely ripped out.

Shane is not my fav. character on the show...but OMG, if those lines were not tear jerkers!

 

[Frimost]

I guess I can understand liking her if it¡¦s because you understand and can relate to her plight. Personally, I always chalked up her popularity to all the women thinking they and only they can tame the wild girl and CHANGE her, blah, blah, blah just like they TRY to do with the male players out there who laugh at them behind their back (and they do, I have known a few).