Written by:
Malinda Lo
It seems like only yesterday that The L Word was but a twinkle in creator Ilene Chaiken’s eye, and yet we are already well into the Showtime lesbian drama’s third season. Showtime has still not announced whether the show will be renewed for a fourth season — prompting some TV critics to theorize that The L Word has jumped the shark — but regardless of whether the dyke drama returns, you can’t deny that the show has taught us a lot about lesbian life in Los Angeles. Here are some of my favorite lessons, good and bad.
1. There are no butches in Los Angeles. You have to import them from the Midwest, as happened this season when Jenny brought Moira back to La-La Land from Illinois.
2. “Good hair” is subjective. But Shane rarely has it.
3. Nobody likes Jenny. Which is too bad, because Mia Kirsher is one of the best actors on the show.
4. Everybody is rich (even the unemployed writer, struggling young DJ and rarely employed hairstylist) and can afford to eat at uber-fancy restaurants that serve food that look more like postmodern art than something you want to eat.
5. According to Carmen, “In the Latino culture, it’s OK if two girls dance with each other.” Thanks for that newsflash, Carmen. It’s also OK in “American” culture. Ever seen Girls Gone Wild?
6. Leisha Hailey (Alice) can make anything hilarious. Even that good ol’ standby, the lesbian vampire.
7. Don’t trust a man with a video camera. Or a writing staff who thinks that makes for a good storyline.
8. Shane wearing a dress is just wrong. Can’t we just let her be her own indefinable, not-butch, not-femme (that would be “androgynous”) self?
9. Nobody is more ballsy than Bette. And that’s why I love her. Or do I just want to be her?
10. Friends are forever. Seriously, The L Word is at its best when everybody gets along and comes together to support each other through difficult times. Get our your Kleenex boxes now, ladies, because you’re gonna need them in the second half.
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