I've been complaining about The L Word avoiding issues of race, so you would think I would be delighted with episode 11. I'm not sure how I feel yet. Perhaps by the time I complete this post, I'll know.
Dana died on episode 10 (no SistersTalk review available). Dana's family arranged a very stuffy memorial service in which the reverend went on and on about how he was sure Dana would have found a loving husband had she lived long enough. That pissed Alice off, who stood up and announced that Dana was gay. All of Dana's gay friends were shunned by Dana's family, so Alice stole Dana's ashes (in typical Alice-fashion) and decided that the gang would give her a proper burial -- one that Dana would have liked.
Dylan drops off a video tape, the check that Helena wrote her (the settlement from her phoney sexual harassment lawsuit), and what appears to be all of the associated legal papers. Helena watches Dylan tearfully apologize and confess how she really feels about Helena. I'd be done with that one for good, if I were Helena.
Bette visits an attorney, the same attorney Tina used in Season 2 when she was thinking of "divorcing" Bette. Let's hear it for the dysfunctional lesbians! Bette discusses suing for sole legal custody of baby Angelica. And get this: her reason for wanting custody is supposedly Angelica's race! Now, let's see. I can count on one hand (and I don't even need the whole hand) how many times Bette's race has been discussed on the show -- by Bette or anyone else. It seems like really bad form for a biracial lesbian who can pass for something-other-than-Blac k, who rarely (if ever) addressed racism before, and seems pretty privileged to me, would suddenly want to play the race card so she can take a child from her birth mother. I'm wondering what message the show's writers are sending with that particular storyline. Perhaps the writers are thumbing their noses at those of us who've been bitching for a race storyline. We wanted one and we got it, but it's a really bad way to handle it. Kinda like making Tina a bisexual right after she has a baby (and is probably suffering from post-partum depression) is a really bad way to handle the bisexuality subject.
Moving on (and I'll circle back to the race issue) to more dysfunction:
Shane proposes to Carmen. Like those two are ready for marriage!
Add one more girl to the incestuous circle goin' on with Dana/Alice/Bette (Alice slept with Bette and Dana). It seems Jenny had really bad sex with Dana once! I'd laugh, but I know that kinda thing really does happen in the lesbian community (bad sex and incestuous relationships). To top it all off, we see Alice and Lara kiss in the final scene. Dear lord. I understand they're both grieving, but give me a break. WHAT exactly are the writers doing? Turning this show into a really bad soap opera?
Max gets a job at the same place Moira was turned down. It's interesting to see how the writers are dealing with gender as it relates to sexism.
One of the SistersTalk readers said, "i was disgusted with the image of the black woman in the glass cage. she didnt have a voice, and she was there for the pleasure of an all white audience." I agree completely -- except, I think the writers really want us to see Kit and Bette as Black women, so the entire audience was not white. Kit was there. And that woman was definitely Black. Choosing a Black actress who had full lips (exaggerated quite a bit by dark lipstick) and a shaved head (did it remind you of those women you see in documentaries about Africa?), then presenting her completely nude (again, did it remind you of those documentaries you see about Africa?) was definitely giving the bitchin' Black viewers what they asked for -- a full-blooded Black woman. Next season, I expect to see a tribal dance or two!
I have to take a deep breath here and give The L Word some credit for what it has accomplished so far. The show has opened much-needed dialogue in the lesbian (and bisexual) community. Sure, many of those conversations were taking place long before The L Word. Heated debates about butch/femme dynamics, class, lesbianism vs. bisexuality, transgender issues, and even race have been going on for some time; however, the show gives us a target for our anger. Most of the time, we're just angry with each other. For those lesbians who are living in a broom closet somewhere, the show has introduced them to issues they may not have even known existed in our community. I don't expect the writers to ever please all women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, butch, femme, or transgendered; as a group, we're much too diverse for that to ever happen.
What I would like to see next season: more Alexandra Hedison!
I've been complaining about The L Word avoiding issues of race, so you would think I would be delighted with episode 11. I'm not sure how I feel yet. Perhaps by the time I complete this post, I'll know.