Jan
28
The L Word Season 5 Week Four
Sweet mercy there was a scene in this episode that I enjoyed without snark or irony. Can't remember the last time that happened so let's all take a pause and commit this to memory.
Because lesbian is apparently code for "group think" everyone on the show is taking a self defense class after Kit's unfortunate stick up incident. The only good part about this scene is what could possibly be the best line of the season: "Has anyone seen Shane's vagina?" And also, Kit buys a gun. Raise your hand if you see this ending badly.
Two crazy lesbians from Miami have moved to LA to replicate the success of their insanely successful wild and crazy upscale lesbian bar called, wait for it, She Bar. There's some pseudo subplot about the place being competition to The Planet but that makes no sense at all seeing how Kit serves food, coffee, is open during the light of day and doesn't have a backroom for sex. Wait, did I just say there was problem with a storyline not making sense. Never mind. Everyone is planning to attend the opening including Tina's new "friend" the cardiologist. A discussion about the good doctor gets a jealous reaction from Bette when it's mentioned that Tina slept with her on the first date. That little tidbit leads to my favorite moment on the show, so let me buzz through all the other stuff real quick like so I can get back to this.
Shane is still celibate (well at least at the beginning of the episode), Jenny is still crazy, Max is still trying to figure out if he likes boys or girls or both, Tasha is still fighting "Don't Ask Don't Tell." Alice gets invited to an super secret hollywood homos who are closeted party (she uses the phrase "on the DL" repeatedly). She's all giddy about going because, since everyone has to sign a non-disclosure agreement to get in the place she knows it's safe for Tasha to go and they can be open as a couple. So they go there instead of the club. She then proceeds to take a cell phone picture of a pro basketball player and his date. Bitch.
Because lesbian is apparently code for "group think" everyone on the show is taking a self defense class after Kit's unfortunate stick up incident. The only good part about this scene is what could possibly be the best line of the season: "Has anyone seen Shane's vagina?" And also, Kit buys a gun. Raise your hand if you see this ending badly.
Two crazy lesbians from Miami have moved to LA to replicate the success of their insanely successful wild and crazy upscale lesbian bar called, wait for it, She Bar. There's some pseudo subplot about the place being competition to The Planet but that makes no sense at all seeing how Kit serves food, coffee, is open during the light of day and doesn't have a backroom for sex. Wait, did I just say there was problem with a storyline not making sense. Never mind. Everyone is planning to attend the opening including Tina's new "friend" the cardiologist. A discussion about the good doctor gets a jealous reaction from Bette when it's mentioned that Tina slept with her on the first date. That little tidbit leads to my favorite moment on the show, so let me buzz through all the other stuff real quick like so I can get back to this.
Shane is still celibate (well at least at the beginning of the episode), Jenny is still crazy, Max is still trying to figure out if he likes boys or girls or both, Tasha is still fighting "Don't Ask Don't Tell." Alice gets invited to an super secret hollywood homos who are closeted party (she uses the phrase "on the DL" repeatedly). She's all giddy about going because, since everyone has to sign a non-disclosure agreement to get in the place she knows it's safe for Tasha to go and they can be open as a couple. So they go there instead of the club. She then proceeds to take a cell phone picture of a pro basketball player and his date. Bitch.
OK back to the good stuff. Bette and Jodi are totally out of synch. A student of Jodi's complains because another student did a presentation where he pulled out a very realistic gun, ranted and raved a bit and then put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. Turns out it was just carved out of soapstone but the gun looked real enough and the stunt was scary enough for the other student to complain. Bette's pissed for Jodi not using better judgment in allowing such a stunt in this post-Columbine, post-Virginia Tech environment. Um, she's kind of got a point.
Later everybody and her sister goes to the She Bar opening, including Jodi's interpreter, who is a guy, and Max, also a guy (and they end up dancing together in the lamest "we can't dance and we're kind of sort of attracted to each other" way). Whatever. The two chicks who own the club like bringing new sexual partners into their relationship so naturally they want Shane. Shane is weak so the three of them go at it in the club's VIP room. This could have been hot but I don't know. I was too bothered trying to figure out where I knew the blonde chick from. I finally figured out she used to be on General Hospital, why I know that I don't know.
The Good Doctor is there and very into Tina. Tina's not really that into her though. Tina's hiding out in a miraculously empty bar in the club when Bette finds her. Jodi has left for the evening but Bette promised Shane she wouldn't leave without her. Since Shane's off having a threesome Bette is just wandering around looking for her when she finds Tina alone. Tina says she's hiding out. The two have a brief conversation about how lucky Bette is to have found Jodi and then Bette is actually moved by genuine emotion and passion to kiss Tina. Tina is moved by the same feelings and they have a really great kiss. The good part comes when Bette starts weeping in the middle of it. I love when Jennifer Beals actually gets something to work with. In that scene she's fighting what she knows she feeling for Tina and trying to reconcile what she wants to feel for Jodi but clearly isn't and not knowing at all what to do about either thing. Tina gets to make out with Bette and console her at the same time. There's always been an off kilter dynamic in their relationship where Bette never really allowed herself to be vulnerable to Tina, this scene was fantastic because Bette was vulnerable and passionate at the same time. Those are the qualities that Tina has been trying to find in Bette again since season 1. Bette lost her passion for Tina in season 1 thanks to all the baby making and bacon-bringing-home pressure, and of course never allowed herself to be vulnerable. To varying degrees she's been passionate about Tina (either filled with love or hate) in every season with occasional moments of vulnerability but love passion and the vulnerability were never in sync. Until now. Seriously, whoever wrote this scene you did good. Please don't fuck it up next week.
A few more tidbits
- Two Army dudes show up at Alice's place to interrogate her about Tasha. Like a damn fool she lets them in her apartment and freaks the hell out when they actually start asking her questions. Tasha goes apeshit over the fact that her military lawyer knew they might question Alice but didn't warn her. Tasha gives him a nice shaming and embarrasses him in front of his wife. Because all men are whipped he tucks his tail between his legs and comes to apologize to Tasha and Alice the next day. Suddenly he's no longer a homophobe and tells Tasha what a good catch Alice is and they start working on a plan to keep Tasha in the military. That's the kind of non-realistic writing on The L Word we know and...know.
- Max posted his podcast on Alice's lesbian website. And let's all be grateful that he did so he can stop carrying his MacBook Pro around everywhere trying to play that thing for people. Has the boy not heard of ftp? Has he not found a way to email a file? Can a dude not get with some Odeo or something? Sorry, I digress. A lot of lesbians are pissed because it's a lesbian website and Max is not a lesbian. Alice is pissed because in posting it without permission he "invaded her space." She agrees that there's room for discussions of trans issues on the site and offers him a spot to post but not the guestbian (guest lesbians) location. He's pissed and wants to know why he can't be in the guestbian space. Wild guess here, um because you're not a lesbian?
- Mousy Girl totally delicately manipulates Crazy Jenny and Jenny doesn't even know she's being worked. No need to go into details. Suffice it to say that Mousy Girl is smarter than she looks and there's serious hope she might fulfill my Single White Female fantasy and smother Jenny in her sleep. Fingers crossed.
Categories
L Word2 Comments
Leave a comment
About this Entry
Michelle published this on January 28, 2008.
The L Word Season 5 Week Three was the previous entry.
Another Turn of the Crank (6) is the next entry.
Recent Past
Categories
Archives
I can't come up with much more than a whole bunch of "Ditto!" I can't fucking believe Alice let those guys in her apartment.
I loved that Bette/Tina scene at the end. I really did.
Isn't it crazy to genuinely love something on this show without snark or irony? It's kind of awesome. I so, so hope they can continue to handle this Bette and Tina thing in a good way that I can enjoy.