Happy WNBA Opening Day to all who celebrate! Games kick off tonight at 7pm EST on NBA TV. BG’s first game back is on at 11pm EST on ESPN. And ABC’s airing a double-header on Saturday! Don’t worry, Heather and Natalie got you covered!

This week, Drew reviewed Jinks Monsoon’s new comedy special, and she interviewed Zackary Drucker, and she reviewed the new trans coming-of-age film Fanfic. Valerie Anne reviewed Class of 09 and they brought you the gayness from The Last Thing He Told Me. Anya wrote about Survivor. Riese brought us news from the new Gen Z reality series Love Allways and news for us Gen Xers about the new Anna Nicole Smith documentary. Kayla recapped Yellowjackets. And Heather had a ponder about Che Diaz and Kendall Roy wearing the same Gucci jacket.

Notes from the TV Team:

+ It was technically a light week for Maya and Carina on Station 19 (though Carina did deliver a baby in a kitchen while a floor collapsed) — which I suppose makes sense, they had the conclusion to their season-long arc last week. But we did get in one final kiss with a little tongue action, so you know I had to include a screenshot. For prosperity. — Carmen

+ Kate and Lucy didn’t get much time together this week on NCIS: Hawai’i but, honestly, I love when Kate gets to build relationships with the other members of the team…even if it makes Lucy anxious that Kate’s putting herself in harm’s way. This week, Kate and Jane head to Venezuela to track down who’s using one of Jane’s past aliases. And who do they encounter there? Ser Anzoategui of East Lost High and Vida fame. It was great to see them on my screen again. — Natalie

+ In the Lisa Kudrow/Clea Duvall cartoon about an animal therapy group, Housebroken, the main human in the show, Jill, slept with a stripper that she met at the feminist strip club called Consensuality. She credits a drug trip that let her communicate with her dogs as the thing that helped her expand her horizons and…take a dip into the lady pond, as it were. — Valerie Anne

+ Bisexual time traveler Nora West-Allen was back on The Flash, but alas still no Legends of Tomorrow. Next week is the series finale so even if they join the parade of guests, I can’t imagine they’ll have much screen time, but I’ll let you know. Hopefully we’ll at least find out in passing that they got out of time jail, so that they’re not in canon limbo forever. — Valerie Anne

Grey’s Anatomy 1919-1920: “Wedding Bell Blues” and “Happily Ever After?”

Written by Carmen

In my recap of last week’s Grey’s Anatomy, I said that “everything’s coming up Helm” and that has never been more true than in their Season 19 finale, which brought us not only her first official date with Yasuda — but also her first official day back at Grey Sloan Memorial, in her new role as Co-Chief Resident, for the first time in over a year.

When Yasuda nervously asked, “Can I kiss you at this red light?” I legit screamed into the darkness of my living room with joy. But I want to talk about how we got here.

When we first met Helm, it was Season 14. She was a nameless intern in a sea of nameless interns, who most stood out because of her professional crush on Meredith Grey. She (correctly) clocked that the way Meredith spoke of her love for Cristina was not… entirely heterosexual. She wrote sonnets to the gold flecks in Meredith’s dirty blonde hair. At Jo and Alex’s wedding, fresh off a heartbreak from Arizona, Carina DeLuca warned Helm about getting caught up in women who did not reciprocate her love. The following season, CeCe — a professional matchmaker — picked Helm’s crush on Meredith up immediately and told her to take a seat, she wanted to impart queer wisdom about falling for straight women who don’t know you’re alive. But mostly, Helm’s sexuality was played for jokes.

For five long years, she was most prominently a side character in Schmidt’s own gay coming out story — if she had anything to do at all. She’d comfort her bestie as he nursed his first heartbreaks, when Schmidt protested that men who have sex with men weren’t allowed to donate blood, she made note “what about gay women.” She’s alluded, she’s made eyes, but she’s never, not once in five years, had a plot of her own.

And then this year, in walks Mika Yasuda, a reject from a different medical program who has washed upon the shores of Grey Sloan. And yes, their season’s long flirtations were frustratingly few and far between — even if their nerdy, quirky chemistry was instantly palatable — but the Helm that Yasuda was meeting? She was decidedly different that then one we’ve gotten to know. This was a woman who had taken charge of her own destiny, who had left the hospital to find herself and regain her own mental health. Who had confidence in every step.

She was no one’s side character anymore.

The reason I screamed when Yasuda asked to kiss her wasn’t because of the kiss itself. It was because she called her “Taryn.” When we first met Helm, she was Intern Hellmouth. Now she is Taryn.

Taryn.

It’s rare treasure, maybe one that can only happen on a show like Grey’s Anatomy that has been on for nearly 20 years, where a character who’s been so rudely and unjustly sidelined for season… after season… after season, finally gets her due. The terrain has not always been kind, but the result of the journey? So sweet.

All American 520: “Now That We’ve Found Love”

Written by Natalie

The fallout from Miko’s actions continue to reverberate on All American this week. Patience assures Layla that she hasn’t heard from the crazed fan since she blocked her on social media. Layla admits that the internet security company she hired hasn’t seen any trace of Miko online, especially now that her fan page has been taken down. I’m struck almost immediately by how Layla treats Miko as some exclusively online threat, as if she doesn’t know where Patience hangs out or where she lives, even as she emphasizes, “there’s a reason we got a restraining order.” The absence of any physical security — not even a fuckin’ Ring camera — hangs over the rest of the episode like a specter.

Later, Patience approaches Coop and asks about her relationship with Skye. She laments that Skye’s being punished for a doctored video. Coop reminds Patience that the kiss portion of the video wasn’t doctored. Clearly bothered that a fan of hers messed things up for Coop, Patience pushes her to give her relationship with Skye another chance. If she truly loves Skye, Patience urges Coop to forgive her…or, at the very least, talk to her. Coop takes Patience’s advice and meets up with Skye to talk about their relationship. Coop admits that she needed some time to think and assures Skye that she doesn’t need to keep apologizing for what happened. But when Skye reaches out, excited by the possibility of a reunion, Coop withdraws and Skye realizes that all is not forgiven. She puts it plainly to Coop: does she want to be with her or not?

The answer, as it turns out, is not, which Coop reveals later to Patience. Coop insists that she has her reasons for breaking up with Skye but Patience is gutted that Miko’s video caused all this drama. Patience questions whether Coop’s really being fair to Skye and Coop questions whose side Patience is actually on. Patience assures Coop that she’s always on her side but insists that Coop and Skye were so good together (me to myself, “were they, though?”). Coop concedes that the video wasn’t the only reason for the break-up but when Patience presses for more details, Coop clams up.

She’s a bit more forthcoming later with Spencer, though. She admits that the video was the reason behind the break-up but not for the reason that everyone thinks. The truth is, she wasn’t bothered by the thought of Skye kissing Patience, she was bothered by the Patience kissing Skye. The video made her feelings for the songstress resurface but she doesn’t know if Patience still has feelings for her. Spencer pushes his best friend to talk to Patience and tell her how she really feels. But before she can return to the Baker house to potentially reunite with her first love, Miko knocks on the door. Patience answers it — because, again, no offline security — and Miko jabs a knife into her gut.

And that’s how the season ends…with Patience bleeding out in the Baker foyer….and I’ll spend all the time between seasons hoping she’s not another casualty of the Nexstar takeover.

Good Trouble 510: “Opening Night”

Written by Natalie

Good Trouble wrapped up the first half of its fifth season this week…and, boy, it was really something. Whew.

Still smarting from her failed City Council vote, Malika retreats to the Coterie to mourn the loss. But before she can fully give into her sadness, a face from the past re-emerges: Isaac. He invites her over to his place to pick up some stuff she’d left as he’s looking to escape the bad memories that haunt his current residence. While there, Malika comes across a hospital discharge order and Isaac admits that he’s just out of rehab. Malika wishes that Isaac had leaned on her for help but the shame of his addiction and of his need for help forced Isaac to deal with everything alone. Malika clasps Isaac’s hand and asks about his next steps. He admits that, right now, he’s just focused on moving and getting back to work. She invites him to be her plus-one to the opening of Dennis’ new restaurant the next day. Everyone from the Coterie will be there, she assure him, and they’ll all be thrilled to see him.

He shows up at Dennis’ new spot and the entire Coterie fam greets him warmly. It’s clear that Isaac feels at ease among the crew so it sparks an idea in Malika: he should move into the Coterie, at least as he’s working through his recovery. She offers him her loft but he demurs. Malika insists, “you don’t need another set of walls to look at, what you need is community…this community where everyone loves you.”

I want to pause for a moment here, because that statement — this pitch that Malika gives to Isaac — is the exact thing that’s been missing on Good Trouble since Callie left. Where is the community? Yes, they show up at the soft launch of Dennis’ new restaurant or Malika’s City Council vote but before that, where are they? Community is about more than showing up at the big moments: it’s about being there for all the little moments that lead up to them. It’s about being a support system and a sounding board when the moment demands. It’s about being there when the world’s not looking. I miss the days when no member of the Coterie fam had to shoulder their problems alone. I wish, especially for Mariana’s sake, that the show would get back to that. But, I digress.

Noting Isaac’s reluctance, Malika presses him to really consider it. He’d only have to stay for a few weeks or months, Malika insists, and he needs to be with his Coterie family. Isaac acquiesces and, honestly, I’m looking forward to seeing how he integrates into this chosen family.

Meanwhile, Alice is leading a last ditch effort to save America’s Funniest Ferrets & Friends. She, Morty, Marty and Murray take to streets and try to rally the public behind a campaign to save their show (#saveferrets). The network catches wind of Alice’s efforts and reaches out to Sumi to set a meeting. But the network only wants to meet with Alice and they insist that Alice not share the details of the meeting with her co-writers. Sumi’s elated that the network’s interested in her only client but you can tell Alice is reticent. Will she pass on another opportunity to boost her career, as she did with the CBTV diversity program.

Gael’s #transparent mural is a hit: people are coming to the mural, taking photos in front of it and posting it on social media. The response reinvigorates Gael’s passion but it’s short-lived: someone soon paints over his work. Luca admits that the city’s downtown street art offered him hope and inspiration when he was unhoused and urges Gael to consider doing another mural. Gael ponders it for a moment — he’d do it if he could find a space high enough where it couldn’t easily be painted over — and Luca volunteers to help.

By the night of Dennis’ opening, Gael’s found a new place to paint his mural and, as promised, Luca’s there to help. But, as they’re finishing up, the cops show up. Gael urges Luca to run — he could be deported, if caught — and, of course, the police give chase. Luca runs and darts into an alley, thinking he’s escaped, but the police car doubles back and he ends the season with his hands up, facing arrest and possible deportation.

It’s a worse fate than Dennis who’s been robbed of $50k by his coke snorting business partner and whose restaurant is doomed before it ever really got started. But it’s certainly a more appealing end than what Mariana’s dealt: she finds herself face-to-face with a vengeful, murdering cult leader.

Saint X Episode 106: “Loose Threads of the Past”

Written by Valerie Anne

“Dump your boyfriend, stop stalking this man, and let’s just make out. I think that would solve a lot of our problems.”

Y’all, our girl Emily is going THROUGH it. She still has Alycia Debnam-Carey’s face, so she still LOOKS great, but she is NOT doing well. She starts off this episode stress-scrubbing the apartment like she wishes she was cleaning the folds of her brain instead. When that doesn’t work and the obsession that cost her a job and a best friend looms large, she tries to go for a run to clear her head, but ends up at Gogo’s apartment. She calls Sunita about it, but Sunita is over it; I don’t know exactly what happened the last time Emily had a mental breakdown but it must have been bad because despite the fact that Sunita was fully enabling this obsession a week ago, now that it’s cost her a job, she’s not interested in talking to Emily at all. She’s almost patient, when Emily starts to apologize, and Sunita employs her friend to get help, but when she finds out she’s standing out side the apartment of the man she thinks murdered her sister, Sunita has had enough and she hangs up on her friend.

Emily sneaks into Gogo’s building and waits for him to leave, and you can’t say the girl isn’t committed, because she traverses a 4th floor walkup for this cause.

It’s unclear if she manages to weasel her way into the apartment to sneak a peek at the letter she wants to read, but when she gets home, her boyfriend accuses her of cheating on her with the cab driver he’s seen her palling around with. The truth is much stranger than this fiction he’s created, so she’s quick to reassure him that she isn’t cheating, but when Emily’s boyfriend calls Sunita, Sunita tells him everything.

Because bad timing oft befalls bad times, Emily’s parents are due to come over for dinner, and after a few tense exchanges, Emily snaps at her parents, blaming them for her obsession with Allison’s murder. She accuses them of shielding her from too much, for pretending everything is fine, ignoring what was clearly early signs of anxiety even before her sister went missing, and just pushing everything down until finally she snapped.

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!