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The L Word; Season 4, not bad
Topic Started: Jan 22 2007, 06:16 PM (4,854 Views)
Porcupine Girl
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I would like to know why there is barely an actress out there that is even remotely coordinated. Athletic scenes prove to be hard to watch. It was difficult with Dana trying to play tennis. I know the way around that is to show tight shots of the actual swing, similar to how Penny Marshall filmed A League of Their Own. And I'm not dumping on Alice and the gang. Papi's team who supposedly plays every Sunday (other then the ringers they brought out for the ball handling pre-game show) was not very convincing.

OK, now that I have vented about that, I love the return of the real Bette. I know she was limited in Season 3 due to her pregnacy, but oh la la, welcome back Bette! Her scenes with Marlee Matlin were wonderful, and I'm looking for much more of that!
"Fancy a snog? Meet me in the pottin' shed."
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invisicoll
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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.


Yeah, but... It's so psychotic. She finds out (through Max's "computer search") that the girlfriend is a vet. So her plan is to euthanize a dog to meet her?

I honestly don't know where they are going with this story, and I'm not sure I want to know. I'm sure Jenny's going to dig up some skeleton (probably literally, knowing TLW) to vindicate herself, but I have a feeling it's going to be ugly.
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Nikki – “In your dreams, love.”
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orlando
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I have been pleasantly surprised too with this new season, but maybe this says more about how dismal/bad the past season was than it does about season 4. However, there are still things that make me cringe, like every scene with Max (Daniela Sea just can't act) and Angus, who I couldn't care less about. Overall I think the cast is too big (and there are too many who I feel can't really act) and so the whole thing becomes sketchy and superficial. Watching scenes with Jennifer Beals/Bette is a thrill though and I'm looking forward to future confrontations between her and Marlee Matlin. Actually I think the character of Bette is similar to that of Helen Stewart in terms of her complexity (and devotion to her job/career).
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poedgie
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Jan 30 2007, 10:15 AM
I would like to know why there is barely an actress out there that is even remotely coordinated. 

I thought the same thing; they all played like...well, a bunch of girls.

invisicoll
Jan 30 2007, 10:28 AM
Yeah, but... It's so psychotic. She finds out (through Max's "computer search") that the girlfriend is a vet. So her plan is to euthanize a dog to meet her?


yes, it's creepy; that's Jenny. She's a psychotic big sunglasses wearing kind of gal.

orlando
Jan 30 2007, 10:57 AM
However, there are still things that make me cringe, like every scene with Max (Daniela Sea just can't act)

You're so right DS is painful to watch. I've taken to the mute button for her scenes lately.

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Texex
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The one thing that really gets me is the endless commercialization (and I'm all about marketing). Everytime I see Ilene promoting something I cringe.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful to have this show, but please stop with the promotion of ourchart, lesbian couture, fill in the blank.
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Canadabadgirl
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This is the first season I *want* to buy on DVD since the first one.

Pluses:

1) The fact that there's so much that feels real between the women, yet there is an intentional tongue in cheek feeling to the scenes that would normally make me cringe.

2) Sunday basketball with lots of dykes, reminded me of W4 and 6th in the 80's - except the players were better. Still, I can imagine if a bunch of "uptown girls" showed up en masse, it would have caused exactly that reaction.

3) Bette - quoting Winterson, saying that she'd take the consequences rather than be harrassed by her TA.

4) Papi - fantastic character, well acted and a personification of what I've liked about the season so far: authenticity without any attempt to be earnest.

5) Bette - being passionate about art and about her job, being hot, being principled but practical.

6) Best ever orgasm scene and Alice in general. Alice in combination with CS... Actually, Alice hangs all the relationships on the show together.

7) Bette - fouling Tina for "travelling with the ball" (even though they're ostensibly "on the same team"), being one of the most finely drawn and best-acted characters on television.

8) Marlee Matlin as the horny, uncompromising artist.


Minuses:

1) Max, while the character and storyline look good on paper, is emotionally blah. I mean, he's intelligent, so how predictable was the reaction to his coming out and what reason did he have to trust his "girlfriend"? Didn't he walk right into that one? The acting of the entire storyline feels sub-par and it retains the cringe-factor of season 3.

2) Jenny, whose self-obsession has reduced her to killing an animal she considers expendible because she's old.

3) Tina, who sees lesbianism as a political, not a sexual, orientation. Perhaps she'll declare herself to be black in the next episode. That Jenny delivered the message made the moment even more surreal.

4) They've got to do something with Helena soon, or the character will lose all impact.

I'm neutral on the Shane/Shay thing. It's like the Max storyline with better acting from all concerned.

I agree that there's a lot of product placement, but my spirit has been broken when it comes to that because it's so much a part of movies nowadays.

To be honest, I prefer this show to most of the mainstream "hits" because, like the "Law and Order" franchise, it can actually deal with issues that few want to talk about and market them to the "middle market" which has a net benefit to those dealing with the issues in real life.
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abzug
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Last night's ep was somewhat disappointing to me. The weakest one so far this season I thought. I loved the whole Bette-Jodi relationship brewing. Part of me was thinking "Get it on already!" but given that I always complain characters jump into bed together too quickly on this show, it's nice to see them actually developing a Relationship for once. But these two are a great match, both really strong and passionate. I love that Jodi is bringing out Bette's bad side--good for type-A girls to be bad from time to time.

Alice and Phyllis are still compelling to me as well. I love how Phyllis is so overcome with emotion that she can't even manage to control or express it--using the word "love" not because she's actually in love but because we don't have a word in our language to encompass the overwhelming emotion of awakening passion and desire.

And I like this new character, the African-American woman whose name I can't remember. She seems at least somewhat butch (yay!), and also seems to be totally different in values, energy, everything from our main characters. It should be interesting to see how she develops.

OK, now, onto the things I don't like. Angus and the nanny. Hello? I don't watch the L Word to watch nasty heterosexual seduction. Blech. She's not even hot, and are we supposed to believe men have no self-control whatsoever? I mean, I know Angus is feeling old, but seriously! And JENNY!!!! Are they trying to turn her into the most loathsome character ever to grace our television screens? I can't figure out where they're going with it, because she already had a nervous breakdown, so it wouldn't make sense to have her destructive behavior lead to a total mental decline. Are they going to have something very bad happen due to her total narcicistic behavior which will make her grow and gain the ability to experience empathy for others? It's just amazing to me that they're taking a character who was already not well-liked and making her truly repugnant for no apparent reason, other than getting a bad review on her memoir. Yikes. It's like a fun-house mirror where we see all the worst, weakest sides of ourselves. Not enjoyable.
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invisicoll
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Did you read the After Ellen recap?


Bette doesn't believe it at first, and then tells Tina to stay out of it and keep her mouth shut. Would it be weird if I made a little sound file of Bette saying, "Shut your mouth"? I could put it on the CD I have of Helen Stewart (from Bad Girls) saying, "Sit down!"

Hollamby – “Alright! Let’s have you!”
Nikki – “In your dreams, love.”
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abzug
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Omigod, how hilarious! The type A dominatrix lesbian soundtrack. I love it.
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Canadabadgirl
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abzug
Feb 5 2007, 07:39 PM
Omigod, how hilarious!  The type A dominatrix lesbian soundtrack.  I love it.

Ooo excellent thought. I used to have a really cool house remix featuring Helen's infamous "I said sit down!" Alas, lost when my hard drive was put out to pasture.

abzug, I agree with you about what worked/didn't work in this episode - although you missed out on Max who should be added to the "didn't work" column. After finding out how fragile his link is to heterosexual "normalcy" he just pretended the episode hadn't happened and went back to work for a company that would despise him if it got a glimpse of who he really is. That bugs me, just as the "I don't want to be labelled" discussion bugs me. How do you relax around someone when you know that the only reason they don't hate you and want to destroy you is that they can't "read your label"? Is it insecurity in Max's case, or self-loathing? Am I expecting Max to be more of a hero because he's the face of an entire segment of the community? I don't know. I just don't like it.

I'm surprisingly ok with Angus's straight storyline and I actually care that it's going to be heartbreaking for all concerned. He was obviously depressed and feeling so vulnerable: the ending of the pregnancy, being told he was past his prime career-wise, being betrayed by his friends, having to rely on his partner for work that is clearly offered out of pity... I guess the nanny, with no history, just seemed easy - figuratively, I mean.

Loved the not-like-Clinton scene. The shotgun shot was... well... HOT.

I honestly don't know what they're trying to do with Jenny. Her one pure characteristic was her art. She wrote from the soul and she had the skill, training and talent to do it well. Her self-indulgence, even her vulnerability to Marina's charms, were all because of that overriding thing she did so well. Turning her into a talent-free hack who hurts a woman because her ego was bruised by that woman's girlfriend and who mocks her friends for profit... I guess the point is to create tension among the friends, but it wipes out four years of characterization.

Anyone else think the motorcycle queen was in prison?

A.
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abzug
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Canadabadgirl
Feb 5 2007, 08:50 PM
abzug, I agree with you about what worked/didn't work in this episode - although you missed out on Max who should be added to the "didn't work" column. After finding out how fragile his link is to heterosexual "normalcy" he just pretended the episode hadn't happened and went back to work for a company that would despise him if it got a glimpse of who he really is.

You are SOOO right! I think I blocked out the Max storyline. Actually, there were a few scenes where I turned to my girlfriend and said, it's too bad Daniela Sea can't act to save her life, because this might have been an interesting scene. She's like totally blank, no expressiveness in her face whatsoever.

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The shotgun shot was... well... HOT.

Totally. And again, the less-is-more principle was followed, to great effect.

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I honestly don't know what they're trying to do with Jenny.  Her one pure characteristic was her art.  She wrote from the soul and she had the skill, training and talent to do it well.  Her self-indulgence, even her vulnerability to Marina's charms, were all because of that overriding thing she did so well. Turning her into a talent-free hack who hurts a woman because her ego was bruised by that woman's girlfriend and who mocks her friends for profit...

Wow, this may be the clearest description of Jenny I've ever heard/read. Thank you for putting into words why I am finding her storyline this season to be so bizarre.

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Anyone else think the motorcycle queen was in prison?

She did have that sort of stoic toughness which could come from that. She definitely seems damaged in some way....
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Canadabadgirl
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abzug
Feb 6 2007, 02:47 AM
Actually, there were a few scenes where I turned to my girlfriend and said, it's too bad Daniela Sea can't act to save her life, because this might have been an interesting scene.  She's like totally blank, no expressiveness in her face whatsoever.


Good point. The mirror scene... There was nothing wrong with it from a staging perspective and there should have been so much going on: agonizing over how others see him, as he sees himself and as he actually is. Image... what's there... what's not there... what's inside. Gosh there was so much pontential, but it was just blah.

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Wow, this may be the clearest description of Jenny I've ever heard/read. 


Thank you. I'm one of the few viewers who didn't hate Jenny. The thing is, now I'm starting not to care...

And BTW, I'm predictably intrigued by motorcycle mysterywoman. I'm SO easy. LOL

Edited to correct typo.
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invisicoll
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I'm one of the few viewers who didn't hate Jenny. The thing is, now I'm starting not to care...


I have never liked Jenny. Ever. And what's interesting to me is that I'm starting to be bothered by her less even though her actions are retched. I think it's because she's finally evolved into the show's villian / antagonist that, in my mind, she was always meant to be. I still don't care about her, but she's a little more interesting arguing with her friends then she's ever been. To me.

But the Lindsey/Who-ever-the-reviewer-is revenge storyline is some straight up sick sh!t.
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Nikki – “In your dreams, love.”
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Porcupine Girl
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abzug
Feb 5 2007, 08:47 PM

Quote:
 
Anyone else think the motorcycle queen was in prison?

She did have that sort of stoic toughness which could come from that. She definitely seems damaged in some way....

I think I remember reading somewhere that the motoycycle woman was in the service and just got back from Iraq. This should prove an interesting storyline as it would seemingly cause a huge conflict with the overwhelming liberal bent of all of the main characters. Will she be rejected based soley on her past occupation?
"Fancy a snog? Meet me in the pottin' shed."
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Canadabadgirl
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Porcupine Girl
Feb 6 2007, 06:21 PM
it would seemingly cause a  huge conflict with the overwhelming liberal bent of all of the main characters.  Will she be rejected based soley on her past occupation?

Quite a few liberals have family and friends fighting in Iraq, so I don't think being liberal is an excuse for rejecting members of the armed forces - past or present. I can understand there might be debates about the reasons for the Iraq war, if a former member of the forces totally buys into the reasons we were given for the war when so many have been exposed as lies, though.

I hope the writers can differentiate between disgust with the Bush administration's campaign of homophobia and our attitudes toward the people who would lay down their lives for the rest of us. I will be very disappointed in the program if it presents liberals, especially liberal lesbians, as people who would discriminate against members of the armed forces... especially since so many "sisters" are currently in harm's way.

Then again, the fact that a lesbian would serve under "don't ask, don't tell" might make Jenny go all radical lesbo as she did with Tina...

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