Welcome to the fifth recap of the second season of The L Word: Generation Q, brought to you by the same network that brought you The L Word, a show about a vaguely European cafe owner and “book club” doyen who seduces an allegedly heterosexual female “writer” through intense eye contact and a shared passion for Eros the Bittersweet, leaves the writer erotically charged messages on her answering machine, is caught giving cunnilingus to the writer by the writer’s male fiancee (an esteemed swim coach named Tim), invites the writer to her palatial and tastefully designed Los Angeles home for sexual intercourse only to reveal in the morning that she’s actually already in a relationship with a traveling costume-designer who pays all her bills and recently seduced a prima ballerina, invites the writer over for a group dinner which ends with the writer hurling a full bottle of alcohol at her towering glass windows, spars with the costume designer and eventually empties a glass of red wine into her open suitcase, downs three bottles of pills at the Chateau Marmont, has her apparent husband sell her portion of the cafe to Kit Porter, and then returns to Los Angeles several years later to crash the writer’s book reading, announce that she is the benefactor for an “unusual” dance troupe, and fuck the writer’s French lover Claude in an earth-toned hotel room. Art!
We have now reached the midway point of our season of love with the wonderful humans of The L Word Generation Q. It’s time for Episode 205, Lobsters Too, which has only a small sliver of lobster content, much like the Lobsters episode from Season 3 of the original series. Minimal shellfish content in general, honestly.
We open in FiSoMi’s apartment, where Finley is throwing up yesterday’s beer to clear out some space for today’s beer. Clearly things are going well around here and everyone is thriving.
The best part of waking up is El Brazo in your gullet
Finley is strategically re-arranging the recycling bin to hide her beer cans when Sophie shows up, having somehow avoided Finley for several consecutive days even though they live in the same house.
It’s React, Regurgitate, Recycle … right?
Um, not exactly.…
Sophie admits her trip to Ojai was actually not to curl up with a Tangerine Iced Latte at Beacon Coffee and pound out some segment ideas, but in fact was to visit Dani, who was having a crisis and needed someone. Finley acknowledges that she was already aware of Sophie’s dishonesty, and then avoids eye contact while Sophie rambles about how she and Dani are not together. Sophie also somehow misses every subtle emotion radiating from Finley’s wound-up body.
Sophie: Well, thank you for understanding. You’re always such a good friend.
Finley: [not liking that she used the word “friend”] Sure, uh….
Sophie: We’re not back together, if that’s what you think.
Finley: Uhhh I… I don’t think anything.
Alas, the vulnerable hopeful Finley who returned to Los Angeles on a misguided love mission has been replaced by vulnerable hopeless Bender Finley. I can’t wait for the episode where we actually directly address Finley’s relationship to alcohol. Fingers crossed!
We then journey to Gigi’s gorgeous loft apartment, replete with exposed brick, high ceilings, multiple large trees and a majestic view of our expansive city. Bette’s typeity-typing away on her little laptop and denies Gigi’s offer to discuss their recent spat. Gigi swallows this rejection in the way that you do when you’re already pretty sure that your relationship is is over.
Great news I just bought us each $300 tickets to see Alanis Morisette in Section K at the Hollywood Bowl, there should be a venmo request on your phone
Gigi: You’re welcome to stay as long as you like, but you should know I have plans to meet someone.
Bette: [scoffs] That was fast.
Gigi: No, not like that, I’m seeing Dani.
Look Down, Look Down, Don’t look her in the eye
Gigi attempts to initiate some physical affection, insisting Bette can tell her how she really feels about her seeing Dani. “I just did,” says Bette, bristling at her touch and by the possibility of any sort of actual intimacy. She has enthusiasm for one topic, though: Pippa Pascal.
Bette tracked Pippa down and is willing to cut out her heart to work with her. Unfortunately she is going to have to compete with this girl, who is ready to give up WAY more than just her heart:
Let the bidding war begin!
Another little afternoon at the Dana Fairbanks Memorial Tavern — Finley is participating in this season’s theme of “patchwork flannel” while unpacking boxes of alcohol and Tess, wearing a denim jacket that was recently attacked by a massive family of baby birds, tells Shane that the woman she’s allegedly “seeing” is someone she JUST MET at a fancy Hollywood Hills party?!! Tess you are not seeing someone you met only once!!! You should’ve banged Shane in your backyard!!! As a wise re-capper once said, “HAVE SEX.”
Anyhoo, because Tess and her Someone can’t go out tonight (due to Poker Night), said someone is on her way to Dana’s, right now, to take Tess out for coffee.
Honestly after my traumatic experience with the birds this morning, I really need the afternoon off to figure out if there’s still a place for me in the sky.
And, well WELL WELL AS I LIVE AND BREATHE HOLY HELL IN A HANDBASKET
Surprise, bitch! I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.
Fuck
Tess introduces them but Cherie demurs: “we’ve met.” They acknowledge one another. They think about how many hot sex scenes they had in the original series. Tess crosses her arms. “Of course you have.”
From the back, Finley gives a big clueless wave like a kitten so excited to meet my dog, who is completely uninterested in the kitten.
Back at The Aloce Show, it turns out that Alice has finished the rewrites on her book 500x faster than I have finished the re-writes on my book, which as of this moment, remain unwritten. Enough about me, let’s focus on these two creative aspirants negotiating the end of their editing relationship and whether or not they can remain friends, perhaps?
Alice: Does it always feel this weird? Because I’m so used to spending so much time with you and now I’m not gonna see you tomorrow and I don’t know, I can’t put words to it—
Tom: We’re done professionally but we’re definitely friends, right? I feel like we’re friends.
Alice: You think?
Tom: Well, I wept in front of you, so yeah.
Alice: And I pretty much had like a full mental breakdown. Just keeping score.
Yeah Alice, if you chew an entire pack of Juicy Fruit, a gum tree is gonna grow in your stomach!
I knew something felt weird in there
Dani is taking a field trip to lockup to see her Daddy, who informs her that she’s now interim CEO of the company, according to the documents he secretly coerced her into signing!
They promised you were bringing me a McFlurry?
Father. For the last time. The ice cream. machine. Is. Broken.
Dani: I refuse to be your puppet.
Daddy: All of your family’s assets are tied into this company. You walk away from this job, you walk away from everything.
Dani: Then I need to know the truth. As your daughter. I need to know what you knew and when you knew it.
If he tells her the truth, she’ll run the company. If she finds out he lied she will burn it to the ground, just like Paige did to Wax Surf-and-Turf! I don’t care about this story and it annoys me. However, I’m tickled to discover that Gigi’s waiting outside to chariot Dani, who she now calls ‘Boss Lady,” away from this compromising situation and to her apartment.
Thusly we proceed onwards to the glorious LGBTQIA+ Center of Los Angeles, where we find Carrie atop a sofa with Tina and Angie, who is experiencing stomach upset and therefore will be treating herself to a glass of water. Carrie expresses nervousness about this group therapy session because it unfortunately involves her nemesis, Bette Porter, who she finds unpleasant and difficult. Carrie suggests they hightail it to Mexico but Tina declines this opportunity for a little R-n-R.
“Don’t use my bat! Use Marla’s. It’s heavier!”
Carrie: What I have to do is I have to just start feeling sorry for her and not get as pissed off, you know? That’s the trick.
Tina: Whatever it takes.
Carrie: It’s gonna work, because I already feel sorry for her.
Tina: Why is that?
Carrie: Because she doesn’t have you.
Tina: She doesn’t want me. You say this about everybody!
Carrie: Yes she does! Yes she does!
Tina: It doesn’t matter, honey.
Carrie: Why not?
Tina: Because I love you. I want you here, and Angie does too. You belong here, okay?
Meanwhile, Angie is face-timing Jordi, who admits that she too is frightened by Our Lady of Porter, but that she has asked the universe to be on their side. Angie’s stoked for Jordi to be nominated for prom queen this very day.
Oh what’s that is it the Tok o Clock you kids are watching dirty meme vines on?
Big news red alert Sophie’s Segment Idea is here and it’s…. bad. But everybody is going to pretend that it’s good, probably eventually including me, because it’s hard to complain about highlighting actual queer people on a major premium cable TV show! The pitch is: we didn’t see lesbians on TV growing up, so now we have stock photographs of everyday queer heroes who we will feature because nobody knows that lesbians have existed in history! There are definitely already 5,000 interviews with queer heroes that already exist on the internet but okay.
So I’m just gonna show you a few of the women I pulled from the application pool to be your new girlfriend or theyfriend
This is Deb, she loves hiking Runyon with her border collie, having deep philosophical convos about Battlestar Galactica and trying new vegan recipes. She’d like to tie you to her handmade sandalwood King bed to make sure you understand what a bad bad girl you’ve been.
Can’t do vegans. Triggering.
Okay, well, this is Susan. She’s a kinky top with a passion for wax play and open & honest communication who dreams of one day living off the land in a small, solar-powered yurt.
I’m really thinking like I’m more of a “living ON the land” girl
This is Sam. They’re a welder and a 5’11 trouble-maker seeking a kindred spirit with a readable aura for emotional intimacy and long weekends sipping mocktails and playing Settlers of Catan.
I fucking HATE that game
Oookay well this is Dolores, she’s a great listener and champion weightlifter who loves rearranging furniture, listening to you talk about yourself, cooking your favorite meat-inclusive meals, drinking wine and dancing the night away.
Okay okay NOW we are getting somewhere….
Alice loves the idea which’s great ’cause Sophie’s already booked a cute old lesbian couple to come on down for their Segment Interview and make both Sophie and Alice feel sad about the states of their own relationships. Alice is currently battling the temptation to respond to Nat’s texts begging her to get back together. I will be contacting the United Nations to hold Nat accountable for this behavior.
We now pivot onto the showdown top-off of the year — a group therapy session between Bette, Carrie, Tina and Angie, moderated by our trusty pal Micah! It turns out Marcus Allenwood’s kidneys have had quite enough and he’ll die without a transplant, and Angie wants to see if she’s a match. Which brings us to our first Fight of the episode, and boy is it a doozy!
Gay Squabble #20: We R Family
In The Ring: Carrie vs Bette vs Angie vs Therapy? Hard to say exactly.
Bette is a hard no on Angie sacrificing her kidney, which puts her in line with the actual medical policies around kidney donation that do indeed forbid humans under 18 years of age to donate their organs. But this is television so let’s just proceed.
Bette: No. God. No.
Micah: Ms. Porter, before we shut her down—
Bette: Look she can’t donate a kidney, is that clear?
Carrie: But shouldn’t we hear her out?
Bette: You don’t have a say in this.
Micah: Ms. Porter—
Carrie: I’m not trying to have a say—
Bette: Well good because you don’t.
Carrie: I’m just saying I can relate because I’m adopted too—
Bette: She’s not adopted. She is our child. Mine and Tina’s.
I’m sure Carrie is perfectly nice but you should know that me and Tina have a SIGNIFICANT fan base and that cannot be discounted
Adopted children also are the children of their parents, but okay Bette go off. Bette accuses Tina of wanting her to be the bad guy and shuts down Carrie’s attempts to speak, and eventually Angie, no longer capable of sharing air with this chaos, storms out, followed by Tina, leaving a very disgruntled Bette alone with a trying-very-hard Carrie, who’d like to finish the sentence she began earlier.
Bette: I’d prefer it if you didn’t
Micah: Of course you can.
Carrie knows she and Angie have different situations, but she always felt kinda lost not knowing her biological mother and if she needed anything, Carrie would be there for her. Bette says her family is different, and Micah asks Bette what her relationship with her own family is like. She shares that her Dad died years ago and that she hasn’t seen her Mom in 30 years.
As you may or may not recall, Daddy left Kit’s Mom for Bette’s Mom and then cheated on Bette’s Mom and then Bette’s Mom left the fam. Honestly I’ve thought Bette’s Mom was dead this entire time but I went back to the source material and I was wrong, they never declared her dead; only gone. This means Bette’s Mom could appear at any time, ideally played by Jane Fonda.
Bette: I am who I am despite her, not because of her.
Micah: Is she still alive?
Bette: I wouldn’t know. She left me.
Carrie: Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could reconnect with her?
Bette: No, it wouldn’t be amazing.
Carrie: How do you know?
Bette: The same way you know you don’t like fucking scallops, Carrie. I tried it once and it wasn’t for me.
JESUS CHRIST ON A CRACKER BETTE MY SWEET LORD IN HEAVEN YIKES
Meanwhile, Tina is deftly handling Angie in the hallway, reminiding her that Bette is generally an impossible person and just needs time to process, eventually earning Angie’s return to the negotiation table. The kidney remains in play.
Who Wins? I think Micah did his best here so I’m gonna give it to him.
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I just want to say that I’ve been refreshing the website all day waiting for the recap. Right now my excitement level for the recaps is almost the same as for the actual show and my The L Word experience is not full if I don’t read the recap (and later listen to the podcast).
just want to say that i love this for us both
I too was refreshing this page all day (sad for me, complimentary for Riese), especially since I have no one in real life with whom to discuss all my feelings!
Same to both of these!! I have no one irl to talk to about it so I eagerly await the review and podcast!
IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE FOR YOU ALL
1000% agree!!
what a waste of a lobster! also not cutting the bands? wtf. so strange and unnecessary lol
i was thinking about the bands that whole time i was like wow i hope they cut those off and when he asked her if they remembered to cut off the bands i was like fuck they didn’t do it did they
haha truly same I found it very distracting and had to rewatch the scene again to absorb any of it. Threw a small wrench at my Talice ship
I swear it looked like they did, but what do I know about lobsters.
Not cutting off the bands was upsetting and cruel. Who would think to do that. The scene would have otherwise been sweet.
I really hope next season gets more episodes so literally any of these storylines could breathe. So much of it is interesting (well. maybe not whatever’s going on with Sophie’s dad.) but I feel like there’s so much that I actually want to see (like literally everything Angie referenced when talking about her relationship with Kayla) that would help me like…care?
(but also, a morsel of character development for Bette via Micah? amazing.)
right, shows with ensembles this big need at least 12 eps, it’s weird how seasons have gotten shorter and shorter over the past few years. i often forget that season 6 of the original series had 8 episodes because now that’s like… a normal season. and at the time we were like WHAT A SHORT SEASON
If you’re looking for me I’ll be snail mailing my glands, sweetbreads, and variety meats to Gigi. I might be back in time for next week’s episode, or I might be climbing a mountain in tights I’ve been wearing for an indeterminable amount of time.
just be sure if someone offers you mushrooms that you say yes
I haven’t had a chance to read the recap yet but I’ve been waiting all day (sad for me) for your post so I could vent: If 204 made me tear up multiple times, 205 was just painful to watch. Am I the only one who felt like I needed to re-watch Angie’s declaration to Jordi or other positive moments from earlier episodes?
Ahhh. If Sophie so desperate to absolve herself that she takes Finley’s flat, pained affect in the opening sequence at face value? I guess the answer is yes. There is so much construing and missed connections that could just be avoided by actually communicating.
I don’t know about you, Riese, but I’m holding onto Sophie’s voiceover line from the S2 trailer – “I just got scared and I promise, I’m going to try not to be so scared anymore” – and Drew’s observation on the podcast that in a show like this the longer we have to wait for happiness/closure the more likely it is so be substantive and long-lasting… Right? Right?
(Also, is someone finally going to directly acknowledge Finley’s substance abuse issues, please? I find it hard to believe that Micah wouldn’t at least say something, given how attentive his character is to the others?)
I have to assume as episode 5/10 this is the pivot hinge in the season’s narrative pacing? Please, Marja?
On another topic: I was disappointed by what felt like a rushed and rather flat consummation of the budding Micah/Maribel relationship. I think wanted it to be more …. drawn out? Written to be more meaningful? It felt like it happened so (too fast).
Could we just not have Cherie return? Please?
Gigi saved this episode. I appreciate how S2 is fleshing out Dani into a fuller character, in part through the dynamic with Gigi, which I appreciate how it’s charged but also evolving and unpredictable.
Perhaps most importantly: Jordan Hull is so, so good. She saves scene after scene of questionable character behavior and dicey narrative choices in the writing. I was happy to see her bring up race, her experience of Blackness, and privilege. That is not where I thought the therapy conversation was headed but it was a welcome surprise, and also revealed once again that Angie is the most emotionally mature person in the room and gave more depth and complexity to the character’s interest in cultivating a relationship with her donor’s family.
yes!! that voiceover line!!! also “it’s you and me”
re: micah/maribel yeah i was wondering what it is that made maribel even realize/accept micah was into her since she obviously did not pick up on a single signal in prior episodes
I figured Maribel had probably picked up on it but wanted to wait until Micah was sure?
Jordi (for the three scenes we’ve seen of her) is a completely different character this season, both in looks and personality. I get that teenagers change up their style and vibe but she just seems worlds away from the edgy rebel that Angie fell for. Ignoring her girlfriend for her prom queen campaign? For real?
Caitrw it’s refreshing to encounter someone that isn’t bowled over by Cherie. I didn’t like her in the original and her absolute disdain for Shane (and joy in enabling Shane to repeatedly fuck her life up) nullified any “hotness” from their sex scenes. I know I bang on about Tess in my comments but I’m so angry that this is her lot – Shane fucks her girlfriend, triggering a brief relapse, then she starts to find chemistry with Shane, and now the person she’s seeing turns out to be Cherie fucking Jaffe? For real? I was so hoping it was gonna be Helena walking through that door.
Just realised I used “for real?” in two separate paragraphs in two separate contexts. I am suitably ashamed, for real.
Agreed: I do not understand the Cherie defenders, in the OG or now. I also adore Tess and regardless of the outcome of her relationship with Shane (whether it does/should remain friendship/business partners vs romantic) she deserves so much better than this dumpster fire.
A lot of this show feels like people explaining conversations/relationships they are having but we haven’t seen (like Angie and Kayla) or explaining other people’s feelings despite us having never seen why they’d know those things (like Tess and Sinley).
I’m not sure if it’s a way of managing the cast or it’s a writing choice, but I’d much rather actually see the things they’re talking about rather than hearing about the second hand.
I love Carrie though and if Tina breaks her heart, I swear I’ll go back to how I felt about her the first time I watched the show.
yeah it is weird that the one kayla/angie talking-out-loud scene we’ve seen has been, at best, small talk, when there are apparently so many more interesting conversations being had too. the first scene occurring in complete silence behind a glass wall was…. a choice.
i do feel like w/r/t marcus being ill, the choice to have angie reveal it in pieces — to shane and then in therapy instead of us seeing her find out about it was a good one, an effective slow reveal of a mystery for maximum emotional impact.
but like with tess and finley, it would be nice to know if tess is: 1. giving bad advice based on misinterpreting finley’s stories about what sophie has said, 2. giving bad advice based on projecting her own experiences onto finley’s, 3. giving good advice based on her prior conversations with sophie or someone close to her, 4. simply not really paying attention to what finley is actually saying. because those are all very different scenarios!!! and i think that’s hard about the original series and this one (and most tv shows except the REALLY good ones), you never really know what’s intentional and what’s an oversight.
I also thought about Jenny’s writing when Bette said that!!! I feel so validated right now.
Me too! It’s too bad Tim didn’t accept a kidney from Jenny and then forward it on to Marcus Allenwood to resolve this situation.
I know we coulda nipped this RIGHT in the bud
If “for us as lesbians” is the best thing to come out of this season, I’m fine with it.
i think we should make a sticker
The Cherie plot line is even worse than I thought it would be, and my expectations of this show are exceptionally low.
So Tess only just met Cherie the other day and has no real attachment to her, learns that Cherie had a tumultuous relationship with Shane, observes Cherie touching Shane’s leg, decides to leave early over this, and then has sex with Cherie in her workplace after all that? Really? In what universe would this sequence of events occur?
Not only did this make absolutely no sense for Tess, but can the L Word not do better for Shane than recycling the Cherie plot yet again? She already had her post-divorce comeback, there’s nothing left to explore between them.
I was amused to see all of Jordi’s prom competitors named, can’t wait to see where this epic plot goes. One can only assume that bitter rivals Bethany Thompson and Alexa Faggiano will be kidnapped by a gaggle of vampires, German snipers, and demons, who they will have to kill one by one with kitchen implements, only to arrive for the unprecedented double crowning of Jordi and Jessie Yang.
the last paragraph of this comment has murdered me and it is from the great beyond that i say i genuinely have… no idea why tess was still down to hook up with gigi besides maybe like…. low self-esteem and wanting to feel like cherie did still want her and not shane or simply to prevent cherie from hooking up with shane?? this is me trying to put myself in her shoes lol
I love that you accidentally wrote Gigi, that woman is on ALL of our minds
Thank you for that most excellent Buffy reference <3
ok already an a+ member but just donated another $50 to pay tribute to this outstanding bit of comedic critical literature. I beg at your knees.
THANK YOU SO MUCH SINDEELOU2
This episode was painfully boring and emotionless. Easily worst of the season.
Can we all agree we have seen the Daddy Warbucks goes to jail, meets with offspring, discusses company 1 million times too many already? Stop wasting my attention span with this, Gen Q.
On that note, the actress playing Angie’s ability to elicit emotion through her performance is truly the only thing saving the dying biological father subplot. It feels like a strangely complicated and boring way to back into a broader discussion about systemic racism.
Speaking of unnecessary subplots, Cherie. No. Just no. No one asked for this. Let Shane live without imploding for once. Also the more screen time Tess gets, the more confusing her character’s motivations and behavior become. What is the backstory of this human?! What are her values? Her behavior is all over the map and the acting is so poor that it’s all uncomfortable to watch at this point. Can we please let Shane leave this bar and this flat scene partner to explore the light of day!?
Re: partners – totally here for Micah and Maribel but can’t say I felt a single emotion watching them connect so hastily. Just saying, writers, could you have reallocated some of this excruciating Finnly/Sophie build up to an ounce of foreplay for MM? Apparently YESTERDAY she was setting him up and today she’s just ready to bone. Did I miss the step where she connects the dots and reciprocates any amount of emotion or energy before dropping a smooch on the man?
Alice/Scrubs – yes, okay, like this progression.
WHY is everyone on Carrie’s case? What has this woman ever done to any of you other than offer up her steamy buns? More Carrie, always more Carrie.
Can we skip right to the Gigi/Dani sex, because discussing daddy’s finances is killing my boner.
All I can say is that the inevitable Sinnley make up sex better be worth this endless swapping of transgressions, Gen Q. This is 90% of why anyone is watching this show.
SOPHIE THAT IS YOUR SISTER. I AM HORRIFIED BY THIS.
I hate to be harsh, but the actress playing Tess just isn’t very good. The storyline suffers as a result. I also don’t think Micah or Maribel are particularly good. I also hate Cherie coming back. I want more Carrie, more Sophie, more Gigi…let them carry a heavier amount of the story. They have good skills and training
I literally just got dumped today and the first thing I did afterwards was checking if the recap was up because priorities.
I’m not really sure how I feel about this episode (or about anything). I’m not really liking how things are going with Shane and Tess (and Cherie now I guess). It got so messy and it just doesn’t make any sense. Sinley is also a bit of a trainwreck, but maybe by realizing Finley is not just gonna wait lost-kitten-on-the-highway style then maybe Sophie will finally make up her mind on how she feels about her? I’m also hoping they’ll address Finley’s relationship with alcohol soon.
Also, Bette honey are you okay? If being with Gigi is so damn uninteresting to you I can think of a million other women who can gladly fill in for ya, including me lol let me dream…
I gotta say though, I’m loving Dani and Gigi’s dynamics. I love how Gigi is able to bypass Dani’s avoidance in her sexy straghtforward way and everything just flows so well between them. They seem like they are able to be much more real with one another than Dani with Sophie or Gigi with Bette. I’m really looking forward to see how this is gonna evolve!
i want to say simply that i fully support your priorities and i am sorry about your breakup!
and obviously i agree about dani and gigi, aka gini
If I weren’t almost pathologically incapable of crying more than quarterly, Angie would’ve had me bawling this ep. Between Kit and the desperation to just connect with people who really get what she’s going through and not being listened to by anyone but Carrie and Micah…man, the most emotionally mature person on the show is really going through it.
Micahbel! I’m thrilled to see them hookup, but I really wish we’d gotten like three more scenes of them moving in this direction? Or like one scene where Micah had to verbally ask for what he wanted between them.
I’m very into Alice and Tom and very stressed about the banded lobsters.
Also, Gigi uttering the word “space” in Dani’s proximity qualifies as foreplay for them actually. In theory, I want other characters to have more screentime but not at the expense of theirs, as I could watch them sip wine and talk for maybe 5 uninterrupted hours.
Almost forgot, but justice for Carrie! I love her and I hope that she never softens in her resistance to being disrespected by or for Bette.
I’m not pounding the pavement for more Tina scenes but for me, that character will only grow when she allows herself to stop being Bette’s keeper, and puts some small fraction of that energy into protecting Carrie (with enough leftover to be a good mom and a whole person).
yes! it feels like tina has gone backwards w/r/t her deference to bette. idk if this is giving her too much credit for deep character work, but the only explanation to me for why she seems less capable of standing up for carrie in bette’s presence than she did in oh, idk, season 5-6?, could be her guilt for moving away from angie to get space from bette.
You know what I love about Carrie? She’s so real. Like, I’ve met a lot of lesbians who remind me of Carrie. I haven’t met that many Bettes. This show needs some real dykes to round it out and bring some good energy. I want more Carrie giving good hugs and tough advice
Yes yes this, so much this. Carrie deserves better and I hope that Tina actually listens and acts on what Carrie is telling her. I’m worried that what will happen instead is that Tina will keep on putting Carrie third and so gets written off the show.
I agree with all of this. Keep up not tolerating being Bette’s floor mat, Carrie! Although I love Rosie O’donnell in general and as Carrie specifically, and I wan’t her in the show, Tina needs to do better by her! I was never a Tina apologist, and for sure not when Rosie O’donnell is involved!
Also, I am here for Gigi and anyone, of course. But I don’t like her with Dani. It’s nice, but she needs someone more sophisticated and more communicative. She would get bored with Dani in a fortnight, I feel. I liked Gigi and Bette, but Bette is too caught up herself to deserve Gigi. Gigi needs someone real, someone experienced and smart. Someone who demands respect, and who needs to be seen and valued. Someone like Carrie?
omg you just opened my third eye. I like Dani/Gigi personally, but if it didn’t work out and Gigi decided it had run its course…
Riese, question—can we do some math and figure out how many days have been implied to have passed since the season start? Because each episode seems to be occurring the next day. Has it been 5eps of drama over what…like a solid work week? I’m so perplexed by the timeline in universe.
Alice has edited a whole book (to your point)?
Gigi bought an apartment and moved out?
Angie sent and received the results of a 23andme?!
Shane established and built apparently a robust client list for what appears to be nightly poker games? Is Dana’s Tavern and Backroom Sex Lounge only open to the public like once a week?
What is time on this show?!? I’m so disturbed by this.
Also… Sophie hasn’t seen Finley for a few days since standing her up for ex-sex in Ojai, but Shane and Tess’s almost kiss was… yesterday?
I seriously think that The L Word having absolutely no coherent sense of the passage of time is canon, and the Gen Q writers are honoring the original series by sticking with that.
Dani and Gigi’s dynamic is my emotional support animal
I love how much Alice and Turk (I know his name is Tom but I still call him Turk) can be so dorky around each other.
I was so happy for Micah and Mirabel although it definitely escalated faster than expected. I guess that’s the thing with this season; this timeline is just all over the place?
Finally, can Dani and Gigi just happen? The chemistry is just there in every friggin’ scene.
Dani & Gigi is the only interesting thing.
Bette’s attitude towards Gigi was inappropriate and unfair.
And Alice’s story is so boring…They must give her a new girlfriend or they must bring back Tasha
Also not here for the Bette slander.
Truly, if you had told 2008 Riese that in 2021 she would be sitting here rooting for Alice to date a boy, she would probably be like…… “wait how the fuck is that show still on.”
thank you this is everything
I can’t believe that I’m saying this… but I think that we should cut Tina some slack lol. It’s kind of an impossible situation to be caught between Angry!Bette, Angie, Micah, Marcus Allenwood, and Carrie. And to be fair, she was gone for some of Bette’s harshest attacks on Carrie.
It was also telling that throughout the episode, Carrie was all like: “Let’s make a break for it. *I* need a massage. That was horrible for *me*.”
Which, yes, Bette was awful to Carrie. But in the grand scheme of things, Carrie’s comments tended to center herself and her relationship with Tina. And yes, Carrie is Carrie and engayged to Tina… so naturally that makes sense. But if the writers wanted to make the point that Carrie is a long-term member of this family… I’m not so sure. Perhaps they would have had Carrie show more concern for Angie’s emotions/situation… or, again, Tina’s impossible situation!
Bette’s deficiencies (and Carrie’s responses) are a separate question from the most pressing matter at hand: Angie’s donor, Marcus, is dying and she has a lot of feelings about it!!
YES! I haven’t seen anyone else address this but Carrie really did make a lot of it about her. Instead of being sympathetic about how it might be affecting Tina, she just complained about how hard it was for HER. That really bothered me. I wish we had gotten to see a little more happy Carrie and Tina before the wheels came off the bus. But, here we are. They are not long for this world, but I hope they find a way to keep Rosie in the mix somehow.
Okay yes this is fair, it was a lot that she was immediately centering her own reactions to everything that happened instead of talking to tina about how she felt about what just happened
I just watched the episode and going through comments and finally someone! thank you!!!
This episode felt like a return to Gen Q’s signature features: odd narrative choices and rushed storylines. Why on earth would Black Lives Matter make Angelica want to give her kidney to her donor? It is so clear there are no Black people on the writing staff, lol. Y’all noticed how she couldn’t even say the word “Black”? “I look more like Kit than you.”—I’m sorry, but that line is so silly. In one fell swoop the writers have allowed a Black girl to make a nonsensical decision to save someone they elected to kill (there’s no reason Marcus has to be dying, except that he’s Black, lmao) while ignoring the boundary T and B set with Marcus years ago (i.e., Angie won’t reach out til she’s 18.) Oh, and Kit is still dead because they fridged her to advance Bette’s doomed mayoral campaign (sorry, scheduling conflicts are not a good enough reason to kill a central character, and the only Black main character from the original series). Kill it with fire.
Micah and Maribel’s hook up was cool but it felt totally unearned. As with Micah’s relationship with Jose, we have no sense of their connection. Yes, they joke around together. We still don’t know enough about either of them in terms of past relationships, aspirations, etc.
Tom and Alice have no sexual chemistry whatsoever. The Cherie thing is played. Gigi is amazing, but does Dani *deserve* her? As in, has she done the self-work that will allow her to enter into the kind of mature, elevated partnership that Gigi is capable of? Survey says no.
Tl;dr—This show is so frustrating!
Seamless references to both A League of Their Own AND The Little Mermaid in a single recap?! Bravo, Riese.
THANK U SO MUCH
i’m reading all of the comments and feel like i completely disagree with everything everyone else is saying and now i’m just overall confused about the way i watched the show.
i find carrie absolutely infuriating and just wish her character would stop being on the show. she interrupts and centers herself at the weirdest times without any respect for the fact that she barely knows Angie and is not responsible for speaking up in a group setting like that. Then she suggests running away and ditching the therapy session– the whole thing felt so weird to me and every time her character is on screen i resist the urge to fast forward.
I love tom and alice together and think they have great on screen chemistry. plus, alice finally being okay with dating a man is a huge development for the show and feels very realistic.
I personally love Tess as a character, and maybe i’m distracted by how hot she is but i honestly feel like she brings the most to all of the scenes with her in it. her reactions were a bit confusing in this episode but i felt it was intentionally left unclear to be revealed in a big explosion later.
i also loved cherrie in the original and think she’s one of the main people i’d want to see back so i’m happy!
First of all, thank you Riese for these recaps!
Last week when Tess mentioned she had met someone, combined with the prospect of another poker night, combined with the prospect of Rachel Shelley’s return, I had my hopes up for it being Helena. While I liked Cherie in the OG series, I can’t imagine this story line evolving into something intelligent for both Shane and tess’s character development..
And omg Carrie, totally agree with J!! Why on earth would anybody want to be in a relationship with a Carrie. She’s so self centered and whiney. Also, I don’t see the chemistry between Rosie and laurel.. With the way Tina responded to Carrie (“you are the one who wanted to get married”), I am curious where this is going. BTW love Tina as a co parent and abfab mom.
Hate the way Bette treats Gigi, but it’s in character and I do feel it’s centered around them both (eventually) growing from it. Or is that wishful thinking..? Or just utterly naive…
Have a lot of thoughts about everybody else, but will spare you my ramblings..
omg wow it didn’t even occur to me that it could’ve been helena!
Thinking way too much about fictional characters here:
Tina has been Bette’s handler for a long time- so long that she’s continuing to do it even though they’re not together. As sweet and kind as Carrie can be, I was glad to hear her stand up for herself. She may love Tina, but she needs to be treated with respect.
I’ve always been TiBette, but with the hope that Tina would start prioritizing herself. I thought the relationship with Carrie was great in that it got her to see another life where she had a voice.
Riese those stock photo profiles were all dreamboats my god
THANK YOU
Coincidence or not: The writers echoing Carmen’s love confession (thanks Mark!) from “Late, Later, Latent” in the OG series in that discussion with the older couple?
I WONDERED THAT TOO!!!!
I loved that faux dating profiles riese made up with these odd fave things combo in the taglines…funny thing is these woman with these kind of taglines in their profile are really out there… Lol’d so much bravo ,riese. But why are
vegans triggering for alice?
I thought vegans were triggering for everyone. No, jk of course. Wasn’t that lady Alice was dating in the first season of the original vegan? She tasted Alice badly? Can’t remember her name. Gwen? Gabby! Otherwise, I don’t know.
because of jamie!!! from season 6. she was vegan. she was the girl they met at the LGBTQ center who ended up having feelings for Tasha and vice versa.
Great recap as usual, Riese! This was great, and I loved you putting those pictures of Jenny in, talking about her organs and sweetmeats. Thanks. I also LOVE Micah and Maribel! That was such a great scene, and giving the person using a wheelchair a romantic interest (and on-screen sex) is the right thing for this show. I’m all about Micah and Maribel! She’s funny.
I would like to ship Gigi and Carrie, immediately, just so you know.
Thanks again!
“Don’t use my bat! Use Marla’s. It’s heavier!”
HAHAHAHAHA!
Such a great episode but this recap was EVEN better!
Wow, Nat is dating Brenda now? The heart doctor with augmented breasts?
(Had to go back and check my details on this character, and no wonder Alice doesn’t remember Brenda! She had skipped the opening night of SheBar to go to that secret gay party with Tasha and was busy taking photos of Darryl Brewer.)
Unlike (almost) everyone else here I really liked this episode! This is the kind of chaos I’m here for!
I have actually donated a kidney (it’s great, I highly recommend it) so I’m always interested to see where a kidney donation storyline goes. They are usually so badly done! Riese is right that they would never let a 17-year-old donate. Is there really no one else who would be able to donate? You don’t have to be related to the recipient! Also if Marcus Allenwood is in such a bad shape that he is already DYING he would probably not be a good candidate for a kidney transplant anyway. But here we are. I’d love to see one of the adults step in and donate on behalf of Angie!
i feel like the short seasons mean that they are not giving quite the right amount of timing to anything, and that’s why the micah/mirabelle thing seemed rushed — but i don’t mean they needed another episode, i think they literally could have just given micah’s speech another few seconds of “and i just wanted you, i just needed to come home and talk to…you” and mirabelle sits there realizing and kisses him.
last episode, or maybe the one before, they also needed to give bette’s moment looking at pippa’s art in the museum more room to breathe, in order to give us an actual measure of impactfulness that would rival the moment in peggy peabody’s hotel suite from the original series. all we need are seconds! the editing is just too rushed.
“‘you sure you remember how?””
ngl this line is kind of homophobic and weird about bi people. Like, yeah he just had a boyfriend and hooked up with a guy, so what? That doesn’t mean Micah doesn’t remember how to have sex with women.
Really? That was like my favourite line!
i didn’t think it was biphobic- he’s clearky not exclusively gay, women with disabilitiesz are actual women, not some third asexual gender. (nothing wrong with being a 3rd gender, ppl who identify that don’t often call themselves ‘women’ and we have no indication Mirabel is anything but cishet.) I interpreted it more as a joke about how much more often she dates/hooks up than his sulky ass.
This article lead me to the all time sex scenes list led me to watching the Alice/Tasha scenes in Lexington & Concord, which is officially the only L Word I’ve ever watched in my life and also WOW this show is just really hot or really awkward softcore porn with excuses huh?? a lot of conversations with other people where they talk about lesbians being catty cheating sex-driven skinny white girls suddenly make a STUNNING amount of sense in the hindsight where this was the only exposure they had to queer women in media when they were teens
anyway I subscribed to A+ because of this piece thanks for writing
21 SQUABBLES goddamn I didn’t even realize this season was that full of arguments
I’m a lifelong lover of the L Word and its drama, but think this season’s doing way too much! Just gotta vent a tad. The family drama storylines don’t have room to exist & make sense with so many breakups & new relationships happening simultaneously. Maybe they could’ve saved some of that for (🤞🏼) season 3? Every storyline just seems underdeveloped & lacking feel-y & fun moments that MAKE the L word. Carrie frustrates me & seems overstepping, but apparently she has this unique relationship w/ Angie we hear about but don’t see. I want to see it! Also yes Cherrie’s kinda the worst lol, but I think her moment would’ve been more fun if we weren’t already exhausted by other plot whiplash moments.
Still excited to see what they do w/ the season’s 2nd half! Maybe this is just Gen Q’s season 6 and we’ll look back on it w/ a collective cringelaugh after a many seasons run ;)
I want Dani and Sophie back together but at the same time I don’t because they both don’t really open up as much as they should. But I feel bad for Finley because it seems like she’s there as sophies friend and when sophie wants her as more than a friend she’s there but then her hopes get high and then Sophie goes back to keeping her just as a friend.
But I really want Sophie and Dani back together but it shouldn’t be rushed it should be one of those where it starts going slower. They start talking about their feelings more and Dani should be a little cautious around Finley I don’t judge her for that but that’s why they should go slow to re build trust and everything so they can go back to being in a better relationship.
I miss them together
I want Dani and Sophie back together but at the same time I don’t because they both don’t really open up as much as they should. But I feel bad for Finley because it seems like she’s there as sophies friend and when sophie wants her as more than a friend she’s there but then her hopes get high and then Sophie goes back to keeping her just as a friend.
But I really want Sophie and Dani back together but it shouldn’t be rushed it should be one of those where it starts going slower. They start talking about their feelings more and Dani should be a little cautious around Finley I don’t judge her for that but that’s why they should go slow to re build trust and everything so they can go back to being in a better relationship.
I miss them together
Ppl keep commenting that they’d be more okay with Mirabel/Micah’s sex scene if the show had drawn out flirting, then kissing, then foreplay then sex. And yet how many times on both OG and Gen x do couples have sex the first time they hook up? Even when thry’d literally never met before? I ay a good 90% Are ya’ll sure you don’t need some pearl-grasping time to steel yourselves before that being- as several commentors said, “forced” or “thrust” (haha) on you?
Also I’ve read several post calling Mirabel Sophie’s “?little sister”. Do we know for sure she’s younger? Cuz she’s supposed to be a high powered lawyer and Sophie just got offered her first real gig. Obvs careers can be zig-saggy but I’m curious what prompted ppl to conclude that birth order.
came here two months late just to say, gurl, sophie, OBVIOUSLY if you leave your bedroom door open you’re going to be able to hear your housemates having sex!! give yourself a fighting chance, jesus!!!