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The L Word; Season 4, not bad
Topic Started: Jan 22 2007, 06:16 PM (4,850 Views)
abzug
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In love with a prisoner
I'm still reeling from the end of last night's episode. I mean, I had seen it coming, because they had (for once!) built this conflict into Jodi and Bette's relationship from the very first episode. But it was still incredibly painful to see the explosion. What I found most interesting was that in season 3, Bette spent the entire season on this spiritual journey, trying to evolve as a person. Which to me didn't indicate bad writing, but how difficult it is for people to change, no matter how much they might want to.

So, Bette can't stop being a control freak, she can't stop striving for perfection. But it was interesting the way they depicted it, because there was this whole idea of communication with Jodi being inherently imperfect. They've played with this theme since the early episodes, and it came to the fore here, with Jodi saying again and again "I'm going to miss things" with the unspoken meaning being "And I'm ok with that" and with Bette pushing on how hard she's been working so they can communicate better, more clearly etc. So so sad to see Bette unable to loosen up or let go even the littlest bit. And of course Jodi just pushing pushing pushing which just makes Bette even more stubborn and resistant. So upsetting!

But in other news, I thought Jodi looked super-cute in her braids, and then completely gorgeous with the ponytail at the dinner party. Kind of radiant, actually. I wonder if they did that with lighting? Now, answer me this: when Jodi told Bette she loved her, why didn't Bette respond in kind? I found this very surprising.

Has anyone else felt like all of Max's storylines this season are seeming like public service announcements?

What is up with Helena and the gambling? Is it supposed to be a metaphor? If so, I don't get it....

Oh, loved the whole "stories" bit with Shane and whats-her-face, particularly with the payoff when Bette signed to Jodi that "they've been fucking all day." Brilliant!
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invisicoll
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Random musings...

Kit: I need eye bleach after that opening scene. I know it was supposed to be awkward but it was so much more than that.

Jenny: Everyone's talking about Jenny but no one seems to be talking TO her. I can't believe Bette didn't didn't give her a shout across the driveway ala Rocky Balboa after reading the novel. I loved Jenny deciding to put the moves on Kate. That could be interesting, but somehow I doubt that it'll end up being so.

Tasha: Is she going to freak out every time she's seen chatting up a woman? You'd have thought Alice's hand was on her ass when the Major drove by, the way she was acting. (The Major's glare was more likely about Tasha not having her hat/cover on. After Tasha takes off her helmet, she needs to put her uniform hat/beret on immediately.) I like where they are trying to go with this but I wish it were better.

Alice: Love her, adorable and all that, but she seems rather cold/dismissive when Tasha emotionally withdrawals.

Tina: Could her storyline with Henry be more cliche? Boring Henry, clipping his toenails and making eggs in his pretty suburban house. Yeah, Tina, run. And she is the most unconvincing studio boss evah.

Bette: Bringin' it in every scene. I was rolling with her scene with James about not wanting to actually purchase Jenny's book. I was just really confused in her scene with Tina. What the hell DO they want? All the flip floppin' between "I miss our live together" and "You should really date [insert name here]" was making my head spin.

Shane: She can tell a good purse by sniffing it? Interesting. And Goldfrapp was for Paige? And kids come to concerts at the Planet now? I'm so confused.

Max: Was that the longest sex scene in history or is it my imagination? Whatever, I'm just glad he didn't have another person getting intimate with his plastic pieces again.

Helena: I'm too bored to even decide what I think about her storyline. This is really the best they can do with her? Write her out or give her a real story.

Kate: I like her. (Or maybe I just like Annabella Sciorra.) She's snarky sometimes, but not totally off-putting. I'm sure they'll ruin her sooner or later.


Alright, that's all I can manage for the moment. This cast is huge.
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abzug
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Jenny: Everyone's talking about Jenny but no one seems to be talking TO her.

This is a really good point. Jenny has essentially ceased being a subject in this season. We're only seeing her through everyone else's eyes, never her own feelings or psychological motivations for her behavior or actions. I'm surprised Mia Kirschner has accepted this situation. I'd quit if I were her, given that I used to be one of two central characters on the show, and now I have a smaller part than Max.

invisicoll
 
Alice: Love her, adorable and all that, but she seems rather cold/dismissive when Tasha emotionally withdrawals.

Not just that, but her naivite (sp? shit, sorry, my head is nowhere near me at this moment) regarding Tasha's risks as a lesbian in the military actually borders on cruelty in my opinion. It's like I want to bang Alice over the head and say "Your girlfriend could lose her job and get a dishonorable discharge you twit! Stop being such a selfish cow."

invisicoll
 
I was just really confused in her scene with Tina. What the hell DO they want? All the flip floppin' between "I miss our live together" and "You should really date [insert name here]" was making my head spin.

Oh, I absolutely loved this scene. It's one of the best scenes I've seen between these two in a long time. So well-written and well-acted. And my head wasn't spinning either--I actually found it quite consistent. Now that they don't hate eachother anymore, they can express their nostalgia for what they had in an open way. So saying "I miss our life together" is a different thing from saying "I want to get back together." It's more like they were saying to eachother, hey, what we had was pretty good, even though it didn't work perfectly (Tina's comment about not standing up to Bette), and reassuring eachother that each of them are worth loving. Which is definitely something that is good to hear when you're trying to get a new relationship off the ground, as Bette and Tina both are at this moment.

invisicoll
 
Max: Was that the longest sex scene in history or is it my imagination? Whatever, I'm just glad he didn't have another person getting intimate with his plastic pieces again.

I thought this was a VERY interesting scene, because it was playing with the idea of fantasy as sufficient to fulfill a desired gender role. By which I mean, Max didn't want what's-her-face to go down on him at first, because he doesn't have a penis, he has a vagina, and that doesn't feel "right" to him. OK, fair enough. But then what's-her-name starts enacting this fantasy through her words where she's giving Max a blow-job even though actually she's eating him out. And Max is able to get turned on, and feel like he's receiving a blow-job, even though he doesn't have a penis, fake or otherwise. At least, that was my interpretation of the sex scene. So there's this idea of a fluidity in gender, which can be enacted through props (the dildo), surgery (the upcoming masectomy), or more simply through mutual fantasy (the come "come in my mouth" bit). And that the third might wind up actually being enough for Max, now that he's found someone who wants to go there with him.

invisicoll
 
Helena: I'm too bored to even decide what I think about her storyline. This is really the best they can do with her? Write her out or give her a real story.

Well said!

OK, one last thought--I've loved how they've handled Jodi and Bette this season. I think it's brought out the best in the writers and the actors. The scene in the kitchen where Jodi takes Bette's milk out so that Bette can use it for her coffee and Bette totally misunderstands and thinks Jodi wants to use it, that was just brilliant. Subtle lack of communication. But must we REALLY have a season finale cross-country flight re-unification of two lovers? Talk about cliche!
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Oh, I absolutely loved this scene. It's one of the best scenes I've seen between these two in a long time. So well-written and well-acted


Oh, I loved it too but it still felt like a ping pong match to me. I couldn't keep up.

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The scene in the kitchen where Jodi takes Bette's milk out so that Bette can use it for her coffee and Bette totally misunderstands and thinks Jodi wants to use it, that was just brilliant. Subtle lack of communication.


I totally didn't get that! I was as clueless as Bette. "Help yourself to the milk!" and couldn't understand why Jodi put it away and left. I'm glad you cleared that up for me. :)

P.S. I peeked in the TWoP L Word thread and no one there figured this out either. I thought I'd let you know in case you want to enlighten them. ;)
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Canadabadgirl
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abzug
Mar 5 2007, 05:30 PM
From your post, it almost seems like you see Tina as enjoying her heterosexual privilege, unless I am misreading your comment about a secret club "that exposes the women in it to prejudice and discrimination." Isn't it a positive thing to see Tina saying she yearns to be back part of that community, even if it means suffering prejudice and discrimination? Not because she isn't attracted to her boyfriend (we have no way to truly tell if she is or not) but because she doesn't feel at home in the straight world. I don't see it as her taking lesbian identity or lifestyle lightly. In fact, the opposite.

Sorry it took me so long to reply.

The thing is, Tina had never really been excluded from the community - well, except by Jenny who is this season's personification of evil and has ceased to be a real character. At that point she was basically enjoying the best of both worlds: heterosexual privilege and a community of women, yet she seemed to be feeling sorry for herself because Henry wasn't the esthete that Bette was. In that scene I found Tina's nostalgia for her relationship with Bette to be annoyingly materialistic.

My comment about lesbians facing discrimination was that Tina's yearning seemed to be for a "lifestyle" whereas for lesbians, there's no Henry to make a "life" with while still craving the "style" with women who appreciate art and beauty in a way that he does not. It struck me as demeaning to the women who have endured discrimination in order for later, urban generations to be honest about their sexuality, as well as to guys like Henry, who might not be art historians, but are good to their families and try to make good lives for their partners and kids.

The scene in Sunday's episode was much more authentic and natural as a conversation between ex-lovers who still care about each other and have achieved enough distance to talk honestly about what went wrong as well as what was right enough to have kept them together for years.

Hope that made sense...
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Canadabadgirl
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Not just that, but her naivite (sp? shit, sorry, my head is nowhere near me at this moment) regarding Tasha's risks as a lesbian in the military actually borders on cruelty in my opinion. It's like I want to bang Alice over the head and say "Your girlfriend could lose her job and get a dishonorable discharge you twit! Stop being such a selfish cow."


I found myself getting increasingly annoyed with Alice, but then I realized that anything more from her would have been completely out of character. I love her, but Alice has never been one to explore the complications beneath the surface. Her treatment of Phyllis this season is example enough of not quite managing to think about the consequences of her actions.

I, too, wish they'd do something about Helena. The character was sexy when she was powerful and I honestly believe the key to keeping her interesting is to give her back some of her power, not to take it away. Then again, I'd probably be happier if they allowed her to take a sabbatical and brought back her mom. No THERE was a woman...
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Mar 19 2007, 07:15 AM


Shane:  She can tell a good purse by sniffing it?  Interesting. 

Now this I could totally identify with. If it's leather I'm sniffing it. Shoes, purses, belts, clothes, leashes, collars, wrist restraints, whips...

invisicoll
Mar 19 2007, 07:15 AM

Kate: I like her. (Or maybe I just like Annabella Sciorra.) She's snarky sometimes, but not totally off-putting. I'm sure they'll ruin her sooner or later.

I like Annabella Sciorra as well. I wonder what the story behind her being dumped from Law & Order CI is?
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ekny
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poedgie
Mar 20 2007, 09:59 PM
invisicoll
Mar 19 2007, 07:15 AM

Shane:  She can tell a good purse by sniffing it?  Interesting. 

Now this I could totally identify with.


I've been following this conversation on & off without actually having seen the show. So I couldn't tell if the conversations about Shane & the purse-sniffing were ah, metaphors or what. Regarding actual leather goods; I used to work in a very high-end leather store--I was trained to be the person who decided whether or not to return $3000 coats to the designers if there was any fault in the stitching, or if the marks on the hide weren't natural, etc--& the idea that you can tell the quality of a piece from its odor is pretty damn silly. You can tell from how it feels, depending on the type of hide used, how it's made, etc etc. But uh, not how it smells.
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ekny
Mar 21 2007, 07:33 AM
poedgie
Mar 20 2007, 09:59 PM
invisicoll
Mar 19 2007, 07:15 AM

Shane:  She can tell a good purse by sniffing it?  Interesting. 

Now this I could totally identify with.


I've been following this conversation on & off without actually having seen the show. So I couldn't tell if the conversations about Shane & the purse-sniffing were ah, metaphors or what. Regarding actual leather goods; I used to work in a very high-end leather store--I was trained to be the person who decided whether or not to return $3000 coats to the designers if there was any fault in the stitching, or if the marks on the hide weren't natural, etc--& the idea that you can tell the quality of a piece from its odor is pretty damn silly. You can tell from how it feels, depending on the type of hide used, how it's made, etc etc. But uh, not how it smells.

I hear you ekny; no doubt the smell of the leather has nothing to do with it's quality.
Leather sniffing is a neurotic disorder. An overwhelming compulsion to take in the wonderful scent of leather when spotted in one of it's many forms.
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ekny
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Oh. Well, I wasn't saying that, trying to classify it, I mean... I think leather smells pleasant, myself, wouldn't have enjoyed the job if I didn't, & don't think you need to be a headcase if you agree (nor does it have to be a fetish, though if you want it to be that's your bailiwick!)... just that it gave me a giggle to read because it was so typically loopy of their scriptwriters.
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Well, I guess season 4 ended with the best and worst on display. The scene in the board room with Jenny and Tina was so amateurish that any intended irony was missed as I cringed. The scene between Bette and Tina as Tina wrote the email in the Blackberry, fantastic. Actually, Tina ended up being in all the best and the worst scenes in the episode.

The closing beach scene with Jenny literally oceans away from all the people who used to be her friends, endings and new beginnings for Alice with the symbolism of sunrise and the water's edge, Kit, Angus and Papi all coming to terms with life... The Brits have a saying "over-egging the pudding" which sums up the overdub of the protest song.

I still don't care about Max or Helena's stories, but there is potential for both characters for the first time since about episode 4.

While I think Bette's gesture was wildly romantic and would make any lesbian worth her salt throw herself at her feet (ok, there weren't too many requiring a heckuva lot of incentive), it didn't quite feel right - probably because we, in the audience, were told too much too soon, so we never got to experience the impact that Jodi felt - perhaps if we didn't know, until Jodi told us at the end, just how special that sign was to her, there would have been more climax and less anti-climax, but there really was no doubt that Jodi would cave, given the size of the gesture. There was more tension around whether the sign-raid would be successful!

All in all, I'll still buy the DVD's and it was an improvement over season 3, but the creators and writers really need to give the audience a bit more ccredit. If we got the lesbo culture, the literary and the artistic references, we can certainly get symbolism and subtext without having huge flashing signs and verbal anvils to underline them.
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If we got the lesbo culture, the literary and the artistic references, we can certainly get symbolism and subtext without having huge flashing signs and verbal anvils to underline them.


I hear that. Overall, I'd say I liked the finale, I guess. I was just pretty unmoved by the entire turn of events. And that's the first time I've said that for a season ender with this show. In the past I've been shocked (Season 1) and annoyed (Seasons 2 & 3).

I really does irritate me that Ilene Chaiken is so heavy handed. I mean, Jenny set adrift? The dog pees on the boardroom table in the meeting with the Hollywood execs? I can almost see Ilene sitting at her keyboard, grinning and thinking that she's so clever. And Pink's Mr. President song at the end was completely misplaced. I might have been more moved at the sight of Bette and her tractor if I had a Rufus Wainright song to go along with it.

That said, I heart Tasha. As much as the dialogue in this show can make me squirm (reference Max and his geek speak), when she was talking about bag drags and Ft Irwin/the Mojave desert, I believed every word she said.

I also loved the caper scene with them stealing the sign. Again, heavy handed that Alice stopped while climbing the fence to tell Bette that Tina still loved her and grossly unrealistic, but the comedy bits worked nicely. I loved Alice taking a picture before they got started and Bette being extremely prepared for everything, including the dogs.

I couldn't care less about Kit, Angus, Papi and Max.

I hope Tina dates next season. It'd be interesting to see her out there and interacting with women. I'd like to see her pursue someone since people always seems to throw themselves at Tina.

And the other scene that worked really well to me was Bette, Jodi and Tom on the telephone. Besides the scene when Bette and Jodi argued after the dinner party, I thought this was one of their most interesting scenes this season.

I don't mind Shane settling down, I just wish they could settle her down with a character that lasts more than a season. I was a little bored with the Shane/Paige thing since I already knew the actress who played Paige was shouting at the tree tops that she'd never work for the L Word ever again.

I was interested to read that the 17 Reasons Why! sign was a real sign in San Francisco.
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abzug
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CBG
 
perhaps if we didn't know, until Jodi told us at the end, just how special that sign was to her, there would have been more climax and less anti-climax

Now THAT is a brilliant idea CBG! Why don't they hire you, that's what I want to know! I hadn't even thought of it, but I can imagine the scene as you've described and it's SO much better.

invisicoll
 
I also loved the caper scene with them stealing the sign. Again, heavy handed that Alice stopped while climbing the fence to tell Bette that Tina still loved her and grossly unrealistic, but the comedy bits worked nicely.

Totally! Perhaps one of my top-five L Word scenes EVER. But I think my favorite part was Bette's whole monologue about all the phone calls she made to try to do this above board, before she finally settled on the heist. Of course Bette would never just plan to steal something--she'd use all her authority and all her assistants to make it happen.

invisicoll
 
And the other scene that worked really well to me was Bette, Jodi and Tom on the telephone. Besides the scene when Bette and Jodi argued after the dinner party, I thought this was one of their most interesting scenes this season.

Yes, it worked so well I was practically shouting at the tv myself, wanting Tom to interfere, to speak in his own voice to Bette, to mediate. They've written the interactions between Bette and Jodi SO well in terms of the communication issues. Perhaps the best writing the show has done, in a sustained way.

invisicoll
 
I hope Tina dates next season. It'd be interesting to see her out there and interacting with women. I'd like to see her pursue someone since people always seems to throw themselves at Tina.

OK, so, here's my beef with the finale, and why I haven't posted until now, and why I am a bit pissed with the show this week. I don't think Tina is going to be dating next season. I think next season is going to be a 12-episode love triangle between Bette, Jodi and Tina. And this annoys me, because obviously they are setting this up so they can get Bette and Tina back together. I've never been a Bette/Tina fan, but I think even if I had, I'd be annoyed by this.

The writers spent the entire season trying to get us to care about Bette and Jodi. And I did! I loved these two together. I wanted things to work out between them. I loved how Jodi challenged Bette. And now it seems it was all just a red herring, a way to create a really huge obstacle to our True Lovers (ie Bette and Tina) getting back together. WTF? I mean, seriously, why can't it be possible for Bette to have two loves in her life, Tina and now Jodi? People get divorced and remarried all the time, and many people have second marriages which are more wonderful than their first, because they were more mature and self-aware the second time around. But no, this is television, and therefore our lead couple must reunite, just like George Clooney and Juliana Margulies on ER. Blech. I feel so manipulated.
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That said, I heart Tasha. As much as the dialogue in this show can make me squirm (reference Max and his geek speak), when she was talking about bag drags and Ft Irwin/the Mojave desert, I believed every word she said.


Great scene. After the scene with the anti-war jokes, I really worried about how Tasha's explanation of her commitment to the armed forces would be handled. Being a closet JAG fan (Catherine Bell/Mandana Jones, does anyone else see the number of parallels?) and having had two of my closest cousins in the army, I completely "get" the patriotism and willingness to die for principle that is behind what Tasha is doing, but I also understand the disconnect between her life and the lives of those who control her destiny. I so, so worried that lovable, deliberately shallow Alice would not want to put the effort into understanding how huge the sense of pride and history is for those who wear the uniform with honor. (And by that I don't mean Bush's "Mission Accomplished" stunt!)

So that was well done... bringing it down to the personal, the routine, the terrifying...

I hate to admit it, but Tina's growing on me and she steps out of the housefrau box. I like the idea of her on the prowl next season as she finally comes into her own power as a woman - not just as a lesbian.

Poor Shane. I didn't know the actress who plays Paige was leaving and I'm sad to hear it. I know she hurt Carmen badly, but man is karma ever slapping her around if she loses the sense of family she's just developing.

Off topic: has anyone read "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone"? Non-fiction that will make you sad, but which will occasionally make you laugh. Favorite quote (in the midst of all the outrage) from a corkboard in the British housing compound: YEE-HAW IS NOT A FOREIGN POLICY.

A.
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The writers spent the entire season trying to get us to care about Bette and Jodi. And I did! I loved these two together. I wanted things to work out between them. I loved how Jodi challenged Bette. And now it seems it was all just a red herring, a way to create a really huge obstacle to our True Lovers (ie Bette and Tina) getting back together. WTF? I mean, seriously, why can't it be possible for Bette to have two loves in her life, Tina and now Jodi? People get divorced and remarried all the time, and many people have second marriages which are more wonderful than their first, because they were more mature and self-aware the second time around. But no, this is television, and therefore our lead couple must reunite, just like George Clooney and Juliana Margulies on ER. Blech.


Word. So she understands Bette - well, ya know, friends love and understand each other ALL the time. And gawd knows ex-lovers move into the lesbe friends category with disconcerting ease... saves divvying up the mutual friends after the breakup...

Thanks for suggesting I might have had a better idea for one of the best things about the episode. I have a cold, so no chance of it going to my head... it's too stuffed up. ;)
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