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| The L Word; Season 4, not bad | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 22 2007, 06:16 PM (4,848 Views) | |
| abzug | Jan 22 2007, 06:16 PM Post #1 |
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In love with a prisoner
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I know it's kind of a sensitive subject in these parts, but I thought I'd get another L Word thread going. I was one of the loudest detractors of the series during season 3, but season 4 has been SO much better so far, and I've been enjoying it quite a bit. No personality transplants, Bette is back in power mode (yum!) and a number of characters are being challenged and potentially may grow and change due to that. Plus, as of last night they seemed to realize that less is more when it comes to sex scenes. That 10-second scene in the car between Nadia and Bette at the end of the episode was far hotter than anything in season 3. Edited to add: That straight-gay party scene was totally over the top, and yet also had many kernels of truth. I mean, the game of "Celebrity" was absolutely hilarious, and a great way to reflect the enormous cultural gulf between the lesbian community and the provincial straights. (Not that all straights are provincial, obviously, just this particular group.) |
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| Texex | Jan 22 2007, 08:28 PM Post #2 |
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Up to Basic
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Abzug, I'm totally loving Season 4. And you are so right about the last scene in the car. Very Hot. They've gotten back to women loving women, and that is a very good trend. One complaint: would someone (Ilene perhaps) write a character definition of Tina and stick with it. Some Tina back story would be great. Some friends and I were talking about Tina. We love her (or really we love Laurel) but the writing of that character is disorganized. We are not all neat human beings, but geez. Course the whole Helena transplant was confusing as well. Anyway, loving it again.
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| Hook 'em Horns | |
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| poedgie | Jan 22 2007, 08:29 PM Post #3 |
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Up to Basic
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I agree that season 4 is starting out much better than the season 3 debacle. The best part of season 3 was reading Scribe Grrl’s recaps on After Ellen. It all seems a bit more light hearted this year. The Cybill Shepard role being played off as camp is brilliant. The Papi thing is F'ing hilarious. Less of Max and Jenny would asking for too much? Marlee Matlin makes her debut next week, that bit looks a might heavy. |
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| Canadabadgirl | Jan 23 2007, 12:30 AM Post #4 |
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G3 Curtain and Duvet!
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I have to say that I'm enjoying this season a lot - although, I tend to have found something to enjoy in each season because I'm just so damn happy that there's a lesbian-centric program on a mainstream channel. I was disappointed in the Marina-quickie and I hope they use the character again later on in the season. My tolerance level for Jenny is growing short. I think the character is being ruined because her self-absorption is becoming deliberately hurtful rather than inadvertently so... but the season is young. Unfortunately, Max has reached the end of his story arc for me and I have no real interest any more. Someone on Planetout noted that the only happy couple on the program is the straight couple and I hope that changes. Things I'm very happy with: Bette as a sexual being, professionally fulfilled and away from Tina. Loved her interaction with Kit, which was as real as the portayal of daughters losing a father. Like the idea of Shane being forced to grow up because she has responsibility for a child. Alice is still absolutely delightful and OTT funny. Cybill Shepherd's character. The decision to turn Helena into less than a caricature, even though the storyline started with all the subtlety of an anvil. Papi!! <<== Deserving of her own paragraph. The tongue-in-cheek version of what Shane started out as in season 1, with no androgyny necessary. Excellent. |
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| abzug | Jan 23 2007, 01:45 AM Post #5 |
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In love with a prisoner
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How funny you feel that way! I feel like things with Max are finally getting interesting for the first time. In subtle ways (holy crap, did I just use the word "subtle" to describe The L Word?!?!), they are exploring Max's isolation. Not just that he wasn't invited to Tina's party, but based on Shane's cluelessness in assuming Max HAD been invited, no one is aware of how isolated Max is. So that's another layer of isolation. And then the girlfriend and the boss, who like him, but only so long as they don't really know him. In my reading of things, Max is just starting a journey towards reconnecting with a community and society at large, but now as a man, rather than a lesbian. I still wish Daniela Sea were a better actress, but the handling of Max this season feels much truer to me than the bizarreness last season with Alan Cumming etc.
TOTALLY! I can't fathom those who are wishing these two to get back together. I never had an investment in them, not the tiniest little drop. And it was painful to watch Bette pine for Tina for two seasons. Blech. |
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| Canadabadgirl | Jan 23 2007, 02:59 AM Post #6 |
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G3 Curtain and Duvet!
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Intellectually, I understand what you mean, but I suppose I have so little sympathy for the character that it's hard to identify with him right now. His leap into heterosexuality and embracing of his external "automatic place" in the mainstream just rubbed me the wrong way - even more than his affair with a gay man. That felt real in a bizarre way, because he was rejecting lesbianism and gravitating to the first person who treated him like a man. But then he just crossed a line for me - I think it happened in his behavior at work. So maybe the fact that behavior is coming home to roost, make me feel more schadenfreude than empathy... *cringe* Maybe he'll grow on me because he's essentially a different person from Moira and I never liked her... so poor Max has to make up for that. Tell you what... until that Happens, you just go ahead and enjoy his storyline and I'll wait for Bette to show up on my screen.
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| abzug | Jan 23 2007, 03:39 AM Post #7 |
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In love with a prisoner
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I actually feel the same way. My interest is definitely more intellectual than emotional at this point. I care what happens to Bette, or Shane, or Alice. I'm interested to see what happens with Max, if that distinction makes sense.
I have a feeling this is intentional. That the writers are saying, hey, it's not as easy as Max thinks to claim heterosexual male privilege if you weren't born into it. That he did overstep, and it's going to come back to haunt him, and that in a way, he deserves it. |
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| poedgie | Jan 23 2007, 07:18 AM Post #8 |
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Up to Basic
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Ah, she really did make an appearance...I thought I had dreamt it |
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| Canadabadgirl | Jan 23 2007, 01:08 PM Post #9 |
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G3 Curtain and Duvet!
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I can see why you might have thought that! There seemed to be no purpose to the cameo, other than to steal Jenny's thunder. Maybe the writers/producers bowed to fan pressure and threw us a bone and there really *was* no valid reason to have her there except the shallow. |
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| poedgie | Jan 23 2007, 09:43 PM Post #10 |
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Up to Basic
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The whole thing was weird. Marina we hardly knew ye. I was pleased that the Jenny doppelganger apparently disappeared with her. Thank goodness for small favors. |
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| Canadabadgirl | Jan 25 2007, 01:23 PM Post #11 |
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G3 Curtain and Duvet!
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Yeah, I agree with you. It always fascinates me to see a member of a minority identifying with bigots because they're not in the category that the bigots have (recently?) expressed overt negativity towards. It happened a lot in the last presidential election where black churches were rallying against gay rights with right wing groups who wouldn't otherwise have anything to do with them. As it turns out the president we got wasn't good for very many people, not even middle-income right wing bigots. Anyway, the reason I posted was to share the love. A friend has just sent me a link to the L Word web site which another friend has been talking about since the new season started. Here's a link here. The producer talks about deleted scenes from season 1 where they wanted to do a prison movie spoof and the network objected so they re-shot the scenes. They're now thinking about releasing a director's cut (don't know if that would be on-line or a commercial release/DVD), but the first set of stills are up. I didn't link to the actual page because I think the site is worth a browse. A. |
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| abzug | Jan 29 2007, 04:26 AM Post #12 |
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In love with a prisoner
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Another top-notch episode tonight, maybe my favorite of the season! I loved the "real life" moments, like Alice peeing as she tries to recruit for the basketball game (the running out of toilet paper was the best touch), or the non-Hollywood orgasm which opened the episode. I enjoyed the hommage to "Lianna" when Phyllis came to work after sleeping with Alice and was just mesmerized by all the women around her. And Marlee Matlin was fantastic! Bette's missteps in her interactions with her (all the lipreading stuff etc) felt very true to life to me. And I love the relationship between Jody and her interpreter, who seems like the perfect gay best friend. The basketball scene was hilarious, and Bette was so type A when she suggested they practice before their next game. So perfect for that character. Now, I have to say, is Jenny turning out to be a psycho this season or what?!?! I mean, she was downright hostile to Tina, and it's not like she's been a lesbian for all that long, so who is she to say what makes or doesn't make a lesbian. |
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| invisicoll | Jan 30 2007, 02:43 AM Post #13 |
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On safari
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You know, I keep wanting to like this show for what it is, but... it really does make me cringe. And Elizabeth Ziff has the subtlety of a sledgehammer. I mean, the entire Shane-arc was so transparent. The only thing that saves that is that Shane is kinda cute with Shaye, more than I would have ever expected and despite what's been written. Ok, did Jenny adopt the dog just to take it to the vet to be euthanized? Bette is so perfect and I did enjoy her scenes with Jodi. And I'm warming up to Phyllis, but only because she works well with Alice. I was a little surprised at the groups hostility against Tina, considering they were all showing her some emotional support recently by going to her gay/straight mixer. But it did lend itself to some classic Tina/Bette interaction. Bette fouled her, Tina's traveling. Hm. That being said, I never want to see another woman on the toilet on this show. Ever again. The golden shower scene from season 3 has scarred me for life. Alice's chatter and Helena's cluelessness about life as a commoner isn't enough to make it cute for me. But I'm still watching. Sigh. I'm a captive audience member. |
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Hollamby – “Alright! Let’s have you!” Nikki – “In your dreams, love.” | |
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| abzug | Jan 30 2007, 03:14 AM Post #14 |
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In love with a prisoner
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True, but my expectations sank to the bottom of the ocean when I saw she had written the episode, and then I wound up being pleasantly surprised because I was entertained and involved and didn't really cringe once. Although yes, the Shane stuff with the drawing in the classroom was totally OTT.
I think so. She's one sick puppy. And I don't mean the dog.
Hehe. Too true. |
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| poedgie | Jan 30 2007, 05:14 PM Post #15 |
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Up to Basic
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I suppose she did it to put the moves on the journo's girlfriend. Whatever, I found the entire thing with the dog disturbing. I LOVE Papi! I'm impressed with Janina Gavankar she really pulls this character off; equal parts charm, grace and tongue in cheek. |
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