Welcome to the seventh recap of the first season of The L Word: Generation Q, brought to you by the same network that brought you The L Word, an intriguing television program about an aspiring filmmaker who moves in with two “real lesbians,” hangs hidden cameras all over their house without their consent, develops an erotic obsession with one roommate who eventually takes a lot of painkillers and starts a fight with random men on Venice Beach only to be rescued by the filmmaker, who is eventually revealed to have been sitting in his toolshed watching her have sex and engage in Love Confessions for the duration of his residency at their home, at which point he is told to move out, then asked to remain, and then vanishes into the ether, never to be heard from or spoken of again.
It’s official: I’m really into this show now. I’m stoked for its renewal (Marja please hire me to write a Christmas episode) and somehow I have become invested in one specific ‘ship to a degree that I have never before experienced, despite being a grown woman who has written professionally about television for over a decade!!! W h a t i s h a p p e n i n g. This recap feels unhinged but also…. so do I.
We open at DaSoMi’s on, once again — bless us, everybody — Sophie’s naked body. She’s soaping up with the vigor and commitment of a woman in a Nivea Body Wash commercial, to the sweet dulcet tones of Victoria Monet’s “Ass Like That.”
Dani, a Very Busy and Important Interim Campaign Manager because Pierce Really Fucked Us When He Left, enters the lavatory in a flurry of Busy Importance while her very hot very naked girlfriend yearns for attention or even just a tiny nod to her very hot very nakedness. Sophie peers out, asks for a razor, presents a very kissable face. Dani doesn’t bite, which bites.
But you know who’s also living at DaSoMi’s right now and is VERY ready to acknowledge the incredible display of hotness happening so early in our XL Morning?
“Damn! That ass is TIGHT! You’re looking GOOD!” Finley exclaims.
“You’re so stupid!” Sophie laughs.
“So is this like a pilates situation?” Finley asks while power-squatting.
“Get out of here!” Sophie laughs more.
Meanwhile at The Thruple Towers; Alice, Nat and Gigi are basking in the resplendent glow of their ideal relationship scenario, one which enables the children to get packed lunches and Nat doing her makeup at home and Alice wearing cute little pajamas.
“How did we live without her?” Alice asks re: Gigi, marveling at their newly color-coded closet as Gigi whirls in and they sort out the slings and arrows of that day’s thruple schedule. Alice drops important exposition about her big network meeting, at which she hopes to kick Drew to the curb. Nat and Gigi will therefore dine without their erotic third, but they will not watch Below Deck as planned because Alice would like to institute a new rule, “don’t watch Below Deck without me.”
Our XL Morning keeps on chugging over at DaSoMi’s, where Sophie’s preparing a brunch spread to remember, Dani’s worried she double-booked Bette’s pancake breakfast with the first responders, and Micah’s Mom is in town and has already bought 34 gummies at the dispensary.
Finley The Traditional Lesbian When It Comes to Tools trots downstairs, registering a complaint about the water pressure and an offer to fix it if they have a wrench, just as Sophie gets a phone call from her Mom that shifts her mood real fast.
Finley and Micah and Dani look on as Sophie gets the news — her grandma fell and she’s in the hospital. What happened, says Micah. Is she okay, Dani asks. Are you okay, Finley asks. Dani offers to cancel her morning and accompany Sophie but Sophie says no, no, no. She’ll call if she needs anything. Before this difficult conversation can progress, Sophie opens the door and look who’s here it’s Micah’s stoner Mom!
We then swoop on over to Kit + Denny’s Lesbian Roadhouse for a mid-morning meal with Tiny Tina. It appears Bette’s Farewell vice grip of sorrow successfully convinced her Terrific Tina to remain in Los Angeles for another episode.
Alice has chosen to skip lunch ’cause she’s still mad at Bette, and Tina and Shane assure Bette that Alice will forgive Bette eventually. Shane discloses that she and Quiara are gonna hear their little baby pickle’s heartbeat for the first time today, which reminds Bette and Tina of when they heard THEIR little baby pickle’s heartbeat for the first time, which apparently sounded “like horses stampeeding in mud.” “WE WERE SOBBING!” they exclaim and …
Just — I’m sorry, here, but!!! Just as a point of order, if I may? Although Bette did attend early ultrasounds for the baby Tina eventually miscarried, Tina likely heard Angie’s heartbeat for the first time alone, as Bette was unaware of Tina’s pregnancy for its first 3-4 months (there’s no time on The L Word and Laurel started the season pretty much ready to pop, so it’s hard to say specifically) — despite Tina being, you know, very visibly pregnant and actively cavorting around West Hollywood wearing Twin XL blankets as shirts to cover the human lifeform beating away in her belly — fetal heartbeat is detectable by vaginal ultrasound usually by the seventh week of pregnancy, and Tina probs had her first ultrasound around that time, because earlier ultrasounds are recommended for women who miscarry. We saw her at the OB/GYN, alone, discussing her pregnancy in Episode 201, which was probably when that was initially done. Bette’s first screening of “Angie: The Prequel” didn’t happen until episode 209 (Tina invites her to “her next sonogram” in episode 208), and, although as previously established, Bette was not present to hear Angie’s first heartbeat, she was also not sobbing at the first doctor’s appointment she did attend with preggers Tina, as illustrated in the below screencap:
Nevertheless, Shane buys this ENTIRE LIE and is now visibly nervous about her potential reaction to the heartbeat she’s scheduled to hear later that day. Thrilling material for Shane here. Tina asks Bette to have dinner with her that night, and Bette says she’ll cook, and Shane looks at them like “here we go again!” It’s also established that Tina’s taking Angie to a museum and then to Jordi’s, where they might scissor and might not but don’t talk to Bette about it, she’s not ready to explain scissoring to anybody, let alone her own spawn.
Carrie calls and Tina dips out. “You look a little flushed,” Shane notices re: Bette’s face. It’s not Tina, it’s menopause! But I think we all understand the confusion.
Cut to the hospital, where Sophie’s holding it down for her very emotional Mom and sister, relaying cold hard medical facts, determined hope, and an offer to get them some food and coffee.
Sophie steps out and immediately collapses into long-held tears. But guess who’s here?!!?!
Earlier that XL Morning when Sophie told Dani not to come she told Finley not to come, too, but Finley came, ’cause she knew better. Finley sees her sadness, puts down the snack-pack she put together for her best bud, and brings her in for a hug — giving Sophie, essentially, the exact method and delivery of emotional and physical support she presently requires. Sophie cries and Finley says “it’s okay, it’s okay” and then Sophie just folds right into her.
At the cafe, Dani relays a hot tip from her buddy at CBS: Milner’s priming some attack ads to launch upon Bette Porter for Mayor 2020, and maybe just maybe Bette should consider returning his bloodlust with a little rough play of her own? Nope, Bette wants to stick to her playbook: being hot, giving good speeches when angry, having nice hair, yelling choice words at men, loving art and “voter outreach.”
“As your acting campaign manager,” Dani begins, continuing to beg Bette to let her make an attack ad! I hope they found out that Jeff Milner’s horse was actually named Ann Coulter. Dani needs Bette to let her do her job! Bette says no again, which probably is making Dani wonder, am I a bottom after all?
Ah, at the Building of Medical Procedures, Shane’s playing with a plastic model of a vagina / uterus / et al and Quiara’s prepping for a look at her little lima bean!
As expected, Quiara feels immediate maternal emotion upon hearing the heartbeat. Shane, meanwhile, is so concerned about having the wrong emotional response that she’s just shut down for business altogether. Instead, Shane repeats ye olde adage, “it sounds like horses stampeeding through the mud.”
Cut to The Aloce Show where the mid-morning meeting Alice has to miss dinner for is revving up — don’t worry, Drew’s totally there, he wouldn’t miss it! Alice explains how proud she is of her Morning/Night Coffee Talk Show and their unconventional guest choices and how maybe, going forward, it’d be cool to have less voices in the room?
But the network isn’t interested in kicking Drew out of the writers room because they’re not sure there’ll be a show and a writer’s room to kick Drew out of! Alice is on The Bubble. Ratings are low, despite the fact that she got Megan Rapinoe to disclose hot lesbian sports makeouts in the locker room on live television??!?!
To save Alice’s show, the network just needs a few viral videos — shortform, catchy content — which luckily is Drew’s specialty! Alice dies inside.
It’s time for a mid-afternoon Business Meeting at Kit + Denny’s! The news here is that their little lesbian enterprise is 20% under its revenue targets, despite only having one employee and constantly being packed. Shane loses her damn mind and Tess insists it’s okay, it takes time to turn a profit!
Shane admits she’s tense ’cause she had “a morning” with Quiara. That’s the trouble with XL Mornings, there’s plenty of opportunity for good things to happen… but also for bad things to happen. Tess suggests talking to Quiara instead of rage-accounting, but Shane says she’s got nothing new to say.
Tess: “In my meeting this morning, there was this guy, and he said — imagine someone comes up to you and says that they’re hungry, and you have a sandwich. But you offer them the sandwich, and they say, nah, I’ve had sandwiches before. I want something new. And you’re like, it doesn’t need to be new. Just eat the sandwich.”
Shane: “You want me to eat a sandwich?”
Tess: “No! You have to talk to her.”
I had to think about this for a REALLY long time before I understood it, and I had a nearly-perfect GPA in college. It all hinges on Shane saying she had nothing new to say. That’s my hint for you to decode this extended metaphor. You’re welcome! Tess, btw, reveals that she is three days sober! Well, that storyline wrapped right up?
Micah’s taken his Mom and his elusive boyfriend to Ma’m Sir for some lunch and inappropriate conversation. Mom’s had four cute little gummie bears and is waxing and waning about Micah’s positive qualities, which include being thoughtful and responsible. “If the Cub Scouts were more forward thinking back then, he would’ve made a great Cub Scout,” she enthuses to her less-enthusiastic son.
“He’s very crafty,” stoner Mom gushes. “Ever since he was a little girl!” THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY. Don’t worry, she’s got pictures on her phone and is eager to show them to Jose, who’s like, “TRULY I don’t need to see these.” Mom can’t stop, she’s on a roll! YIKES!
Mom: She was so nervous to have her picture taken but she was great — I’ve got some more!
Micah: Stop! Just stop!
Mom: What?
Micah: Put the fucking picture away!
Mom: I’m just trying to show Jose how cute you were.
Micah: No, no. You always do this.
Mom: No I don’t!
Micah: That little girl’s not here. You know that, Mom. She’s gone.
Micah storms out of the restaurant, trailed by Jose. Micah’s sorry for yelling at lunch but just could not abide! The situation! Jose assures Micah that he sees him, the person in front of him.
Then they tongue kiss on the sidewalk in FULL view of Micah’s mother, who’s probably sitting there feeling pretty proud of her son for getting Ma’am Sir to open for lunch on a weekday, but also sad that she let him down.
We then fly-over some pieces of this fair city and crash-land in Bette’s kitchen, alive with the aromas of a beautiful woman cooking dinner for her ex-wife.
We cut quickly to the dinner date of the century, where topics include taking Angie to the museum and also Tina’s show being on hiatus, freeing up a little sliver in the matrix where Tina’s considering staying in Los Angeles to be closer to her daughter. Bette tells Tina she can stay right here in Bette’s own home! Tina says no thanks.
Tina drops a nuclear bomb on Bette’s dining room table: “Carrie asked me to marry her, and I said yes.” In fact, they’ll be looking for a place of their own in Los Angeles, and Bette would like some more wine but oh the glass is empty and Tina says it happened last week and she wanted to tell Bette in person and Bette would like some more wine but oh the bottle is also empty and Tina would like to talk about how they’ll tell Angie and you know what, Bette’s gonna just get up and go find a new bottle of wine and uncork it why don’t we?
Tina’s predictably terrible idea is that they all tell Angie together — Bette, Tina and Carrie, one big happy family! This is gonna be a terrible follow-up to the “I needed to find myself” conversation. Bette does a bad job of hiding her despair and hurt but Tina knows her well enough to know staying on that surface is crucial to their survival. “I am so happy for you,” Bette lies, choking back tears.
Back at the luxuriously spacious offices of The Aloce Show, Drew’s stopping in for a lil heart-to-heart with his #1 Poppy Fun Lesbian, Alice, who doesn’t deny Drew’s accusation that she was talking about him when she said there were “too many voices” in the writers room: “Of course I was, Drew. Of COURSE I was.”
Drew says he’s gotten shows out of “far worse” and giving the network “a few wins” will be easy-peasy. “I’ve tried to build you a queer sandbox to play in—” he begins, but Alice cannot endure wherever that sentence is going, as expressed in her additional lines of dialogue which attempt to get Drew to stop talking. Drew admits he’s not tapped into her little lady world, but they’ve got one more show and they need to make a viral video and he’s VERY good at viral videos.
Alice gives in. She’s gotta save the show. Your flight path doesn’t matter if you don’t have a plane, you know? Tell me what you’ve got, Drew.
Meanwhile at the Thruple Towers, Nat’s trying to get freebie storytime by lurking on Gigi reading to Lil Eli. “I missed these moments with you,” Nat says after Gigi finishes up her nightly narrative. “And them.” Gigi’s gonna do the only thing characters on this show know how to do when faced with a somewhat complicated and emotionally loaded relationship situation — make some goddamn tea.
Nat and Gigi are both feeling all the feelings, now — Nat wished they hadn’t put the kids through all this, wishes she had tried harder to forgive Gigi, wishes she’d made more space for them to repair. Gigi says it’s okay, but Nat insists that it isn’t.
“We didn’t have to go through all this,” Nat says. But then Gigi takes Nat’s head in her hands and they kiss in slow motion, and then, they begin to — one might say — kiss with a more defined commitment to motion, and then we cut to the bedrooom…
Lesbian Sexy Moment #15: Back in the Saddle Again
The Players: Gigi and Nat
The Pick-Up: “I’m here. I’m here now.”
Hot or Not? Gigi holds Nat’s head like it’s an artifact, touches her cheek like it’s a memory, grabs her hair. The song goes, don’t talk too much let your body talk and they’re like okay. They take off shirts and Gigi’s got her mouth on Nat’s nipples — we get a lot of that, here, a lot of nipples, a lot of nudity in this important scene — and we get more finger sucking and then Gigi fucks Nat and then Gigi goes down on Nat and WOW the lighting is GREAT the cinematography is great I give everybody in this scene several thumbs up, great acting, everybody gets a MacArthur Genius Grant today!!!
If you’ve had enough lesbian sex today, have I got news for you: the hospital is open 24 hours, and Finley and Sophie are still in it, sitting as close together as humanly possible. Every time they touch I can feel it in my bones? What is happening? To me? Sophie’s pissed that Dani never showed up but Finley reminds her that she told Dani not to come. Sophie thinks she should’ve known anyhow. Finley clasps her hand on Sophie’s thigh and swings one of her legs between Sophie’s. Maybe this is a regular part of my life specifically because I am a human giant, but the casual intertwining of legs is just Classic Queer Friends Intimacy that I am resolutely here for. She’s here. She’s here now.
Sophie’s worried Nana might not be okay, and she’ll be left alone holding all the memories they used to share. Finley takes Sophie’s hand and clutches it to her chest while Sophie says Nana can’t die, she still hasn’t taken Sophie to Hawaii and she’s gotta do that before she dies, right? Finley digs deep and makes an offer.
Finley: Hey, you wanna pray with me? It might make you feel better.
Sophie: You don’t have to do that.
Finley: I know. I want to.
Sophie: You sure?
Finley: Yeah. Just you and me. It’s not scary.
Sophie: [cries] Okay! Which ones do you know?
Finley: Oh I know all of ’em.
Sophie: Well. I only pray to the ladies, so.
Finley: Alright. I can do that.
Finley clasps her hands together and starts in with Hail Mary Full of Grace, which sounds very sexy in Jacqueline Toboni’s voice if we’re being honest and I believe (!!!) that we are? Verite’s “Good For It” starts playing to lead us into…
…a trendy restaurant, where Quiara’s waiting for Shane to show up while being recognized by all the people in the restaurant because of her fame.
Tired: being stood up.
Wired: being famous and stood up
Eventually Quiara just can’t stand the attention and whirls out of the restaurant in a fog of frustration where, of course, she finds Shane rushing down the street with no viable explanation for why she was unable to use the text messaging application easily accessible on her iPhone.
Lesbian Squabble #21: Like Horses Sleeping Gently On a Bed of Hay
In the Ring: Shane vs. Quiara
Content: “What the fuck, Shane?” asks Quiara. Shane says today was really hard ’cause she was supposed to feel something when you hear your baby’s heartbeat for the first time but … she didn’t feel anything. “That scares me ’cause I don’t wanna fuck it up,” Shane rushes. Quiara’s not worried. “You’ll feel everything you’re supposed to feel on your own time,” she assures her. Problem resolved! Barely even a squabble! But … I already made the graphic.
Who Wins? Love!
Over at DaSoMi’s, Dani’s arrived home after a VERY stressful day of trying to con Bette into making some viral vids about Jeff Milner’s sordid secrets and is surprised to hear Sophie in her closet but SURPRISE, it’s not Sophie! It’s Finley, grabbing Sophie a change of clothes. Dani agrees to join her on her return jaunt to the hospital as soon as she changes ’cause she’s “covered in a rare combination of sweat and bullshit” and also ’cause she’s not wearing a bra so there’s some nice fanservice there. Finley asks what happens next with Bette — if she wins, Dani hopes for a spot in her administration, if she loses, well, “I don’t think about that.” Well, that’s enough small talk for the day!
Lesbian Squabble #22: She’s Taken She Is Yours
In the Ring: Finley vs. Dani
Content:
Finley: I think you should’ve been there for her today.
Dani: Excuse me?
Finley: She really needed you.
Dani: She asked me not to be there. Repeatedly. Asked me not to be there.
Finley: She should’ve asked —
Dani: She knows I’m fucking tapped out right now. I’m giving her all I’ve got.
Finley: Yeah but dude it’s her Grandma! Even I knew to be there.
Dani: Yeah! YOU should be there. Your life is nothing like mine.
Oof. Finley shoots back an “okay” and a facial expression that transmits exactly what Dani deserves as she attempts to backpedal, and fails. “Our life circumstances are different,” she stutters. “Yeah, I’m not her fiancee,” Finley responds.
Who Wins? Finley.
Cut on back to The Thruple Towers, where Alice is trudging home after a long day battling the patriarchy, eager to see her girlfriends and watch a little ocean-based reality television. She flings open the door to her boudoir to find Nat and Gigi, naked and unafraid. They ask if she wants to get in. Alice, almost as if she is unable to see the radiance laid out before her, declines.
Lesbian Squabble #23: Three’s Company
In The Ring: Nat/Gigi vs. Alice
Content: Nat’s confused — she thought this kind of thing was okay with Alice. I’m also confused, because Nat + Gigi seem to genuinely think this is okay, which means one of two things:
- The triad did discuss rules around separate hookups, offscreen, as all triads should do immediately upon venturing into thrupleville. Twosomes were approved. Now that Alice actually sees the twosome in progress, she’s not sure she likes it so much after all!
This calls for: Another communication session! - Nat thinks a conversation we in fact witnessed on this program gave her the go-ahead to have VERY hot sex with Gigi while Alice fantasied about sticking Drew’s head in a trash compactor. Nat is incorrect, because nothing they’ve said prior would suggest approval of this scenario.
This calls for: A very serious apology from Nat and Gigi and a clear path towards reconciliation and trust re-building with Alice.
However, no such clarification is offered. I remain confused!
Nat: You’re mad?
Alice: No, I’m not mad. (turns around) I don’t — I don’t think this is what I meant.
Gigi: Okay. Should you two talk alone?
Nat: No, no we should all talk about it, right?
Alice: No no. You should stay um, Gigi. It’s your house. It’s your wife. It’s your whole fucking life.
Nat yells for Alice as she walks out but Gigi holds her back. “Just give her time,” she says. This is bad advice.
Who Wins? NOT ME, THAT’S FOR SURE.
Alice jets right on over to Shane’s Hollywood Mansion, and she’s yelling about Gigi and Nat fucking before Shane can even get the door open. “I’m sorry, but what did you expect?” says alleged Yoda Shane. Before Alice can dig into that piece of meat, she senses a sinister presence in the home….
Lesbian Squabble #24: I Can Categorically Say That You Are Not The Bigger Bananahead
In the Ring: Alice vs. Bette
Content: “You are not the only one dealing with some really hard shit right now,” Bette says. She’s sorry, she should’ve told Alice. Bette wasn’t afraid Alice would spill her beans all over Echo Park, she was afraid Alice might judge her! “Why would i judge you?” asks Alice, who definitely would’ve judged her. “I’m in a THRUPLE. With two ex-wives. I mean, you should be judging ME.” Good news! They make up and share a deep hug of love. Shane smiles.
Who Wins? Friendship!
Over the river and through the woods, to DaSoMi’s house we go, where mother is sad and Micah is mad and her sleep shirt is adorable!
Mom apologizes for earlier and says she’s trying her best, which Micah says isn’t good enough. Apparently Micah’s Dad — who’s dead, just like everybody else on this show and just like I have been since Alice walked out on potentially reconciling with her thruple for my own personal entertainment — was “so much better at all this.” Mom promises to do better and also by the way, “have you told that sweet boy that you love him yet? ‘Cause he loves you too.” Mom says their relationship is “very real.” Maybe Mom has access to some deleted scenes…
We go to the hospital, where SOPHIE IS READING WOMEN BY CHLOE CALDWELL TO HER NANA AND I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!
Finley arrives with a stone-faced Dani in tow, and Sophie’s relieved, a little bit, to see her. But she looks at Dani tentatively, afraid to lean in too much, and then at Finley familiarly. “I should’ve been here sooner,” says Dani, avoiding eye contact, like she just walked into a chill lunch meeting. But of course, within minutes of arrival, Dani’s phone blows up — the attack ad has gone live and all the baby butches on Bette’s campaign team are in a full panic.
Looks like Jeff Milner has apparently hired the same team that edited the legendary Sue Sylvester attack ad circa Episode 306 of Glee to create a video that would absolutely not pass muster in the TV/Radio class I took in 1996. The ad opens with a photograph of Bette and Tina and Angie:
“Bette Porter wants you to believe her family is just like yours,” says an ominous narrator before the above family picture is SHATTERED by a hammer. This is a very subtle throwback because that pic is from Episode 604, when Bette and Tina drove inexplicably far from home to meet a pregnant teen who was considering handing over her little baby to these suspicious ladies:
I’m curious if this was intentional, meant to suggest that that family had provided the photo to the Milner campaign, or if this is SUCH a deep cut that only me and Tibette Dot Com actually recognized the neighborhood and remembered the scene.
“We know better. She’s not afraid to sleep with your wife,” says the ad, as if that’s a bad thing, followed by a very carefully chosen millisecond of Bette’s scuffle with Tyler.
“Fuck! I knew this was gonna happen,” Dani is consumed. Sophie knows what’s coming next.
“I’m sorry, I need to handle this,” and Dani rushes out without even a pat on Sophie’s back. It’s not unreasonable that Dani might have to immediately depart for a job emergency. (Although subsequent scenes make me doubt this situation couldn’t have been handled via phone.) But now? With their relationship on such rocky ground already? After Dani failed to show up all day (she could’ve taken a half-day and spent the rest at the hospital working remotely!), and only is there at all because Finley asked her to come? Instead, it’s just another moment in which Dani and Sophie seem irreparably disconnected. Sophie’s not even surprised. She’s already given up.
“I’m sorry bud,” Finley sighs, offering to beat Dani up and then sitting on the arm of Sophie’s chair.
Sophie opens the book back up: “I’ve been reading her my favorite lesbian love story so that she’ll wake up and yell at me.” Finley laughs. Sophie tries to laugh, too.
Dani has teleported to Bette’s Beautiful Home to discuss this savage and very low-resolution turn of events. Dani’s furious Bette didn’t let her prep a little home video of her own to fire back at Mr. Milner, but Bette is resolute: “I told you, I have morals. I have standards.” Dani interrupts, only to be interrupted by a change of course from her passionate hero: “And if you think I’m gonna let this homophobic asshole take me down with this bullshit, you really don’t know me at all.”
Bette offers Dani a whiskey. Dani says yes like she’s been crawling through the desert for 40 days and 40 nights in search of some whiskey. Bette delivers a suggestive facial expression. Dani shoots one back. Excuse me!
We return to The Hospital. Sophie’s walking Finley out, down the mostly-empty corridor. It’s late. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Finley asks. Sophie’s sure. There’s barely enough room for her in there. “I can sleep anywhere,” Finley asserts, and boy do I believe it.
“I love you,” Finley says, facing her.
Sophie looks Finley up and down, this friend this bro she’s had for so long who is suddenly feeling like something different. The girl who’s been here for her all day when Dani couldn’t, or wouldn’t. The girl who just offered to bike home, get Sophie a pillow, and bring it back to the hospital.
Remember when she said Finley was the best part of her day?
“Yeah, I love you too,” Sophie says. Their eyes lock, but that’s scary, so it stays brief. Finley nods and says “okay” the way you nod and say “okay” when you can’t say what you really want to say.
She starts walking away, for real this time — but Sophie grabs her arm before she goes too far.
Finley bites her lip, knowing “what she wants” and “what she can have” are lining up but… “what she should do”? What she should do is walk out the door. What she does do is walk back to Sophie. Something has shifted between them — how Sophie feels about Dani, maybe. Resigned. Over it. Tired.
On Finley’s end — she’s never known Sophie as a single person. Sophie’s not single, of course, but she’s now not entirely taken, either. Sophie doesn’t feel taken. She feels left behind. So all those needs and all that romantic/sexual energy and all those desires she usually directs at Dani are just free-floating now, ready to be grabbed. This tension started building up last episode and now it’s out there. It’s really out there and every sideways smile and extra favor Finley’s given her today is part love and part “I see you.”
Sophie’s open and she’s sad, and Finley’s a wreck, and in that opening — in that wreck — is something they never noticed before.
Finley’s tone here is something along the lines of “fuck we shouldn’t do this but damn I really fucking want to” and what she says — whispers, really — is what are you doing, buddy. Because Sophie knows that Finley is going to go right along with whatever her buddy is doing — whether that’s going for it or holding back. And so her body goes ahead and does just what her buddy’s is doing, too. Sophie steps closer, leans in.
What are you doing, Finley says, one last time, one last moment for their eyes to meet and change their minds but…. you know. They don’t.
The music plays, the camera recedes, they smash closer to each other and further from frame. There they are in the hallway, experiencing the full weight of a) kissing your best friend b) realizing wow, I really like kissing my best friend? There’s something here? Because it goes from kissing to swallowing real fast.
Finley’s sober. She’s been sober all episode. And Sophie’s not a stranger.
It’s scary and thrilling but… now they’ve both betrayed Dani. Sophie primarily, of course, but she’s Finley’s friend, too.
And Sophie can never go back.
I can though. I watched this scene TEN TIMES like a TEENAGER and I DON’T KNOW WHY. Drew even made me a tiny clip for my phone of “what are you doing buddy” so I can watch it whenever I feel like it. Some of my affection, certainly, is that this storyline wasn’t predictable and wasn’t actively teased (aside from the clip of them dancing at Kit + Denny’s), so it landed a bit differently than those we were prepared for. (I felt the same way about Alice and Dana at the end of Season One.) Some of it is the incredible performances by Jacqueline Toboni and Rosanny Zayas, who have tangible chemistry, who communicate so much in such small movements and so few words. Some of it is its authenticity, and how fucking relatable it is.
But some of it is something else I can’t pinpoint.
SORRY EVERYBODY I’m a Sinley shipper now!
Well, friends — now it’s time for our weekly montage! First up we’ve got Alice drinking on Shane’s deck…
We’ve got Bette and Dani enjoying an adult beverage…
Micah and Jose eating Mom’s weed gummies…
Throughout all this we listen to a truly bananas voicemail from Alice’s alleged girlfriend, Nat, with whom she shared a home and also another girlfriend. Nat apologizes that Alice came home to that, says she doesn’t even know what to say, but that she needs time “to figure out what I’m doing and what I want,” didn’t mean to hurt Alice, and WILL CALL HER IN A FEW DAYS TO MEET UP. What?
A FEW DAYS LATER, AT THE MEET-UP? Sure, why not! Alice rolls up to an airy restaurant, a great place for an intimate conversation about a complicated romantic and sexual relationship involving a D-List celebrity, to find Gigi and Nat looking positively radiant, and bearing good news.
Gigi and Nat and Alice share apologies and acknowledgments of the complicated situation. Everything is seemingly going well so far.
Nat: “I think it brought a lot to the surface that we needed to sort out. And, you know, we’ve spent the last few days — Gigi and I — really getting into our issues and really speaking really honestly which has been really nice?”
Gigi: “And we had a lot of baggage that we were holding onto? But I think we’re better now.”
Alice: “Better?”
Nat: “And now you know, we can be better together, and for you. And I think we can make this work.”
Ah, a perfect situation! All the messiness around Gigi and Nat’s divorce has been sorted, so now this throuple that Alice pushed for can finally thrive. Or…….
Lesbian Squabble #25: I’m Sorry What
In The Ring: Alice vs. Nat & Gigi
Content: Alice is “so glad I could be there to help push you guys towards hashing out your divorce and get you to a really really good place.” She is glad that she was “of use” to them. Was it… better when they were constantly on the verge of an epic battle that’d take into account all battles previously fought and won? “What we’re saying is we want you to come home so WE can work on this,” Gigi emphasizes, still thinking maybe this is just a very weird miscommunication. But then Alice is horrified to hear that Gigi’s been at Nat’s house this whole time. Again, Gigi emphasizes that they want to work things out with Alice. But Alice isn’t having it. The tortilla soup is delivered with two spoons, which is a very cuckoo way to share soup with somebody you’ve probably fisted 48 times in the past decade and maybe even once or twice within the past 48 hours, and Alice is out. She doesn’t feel NEEDED here. She says they look really good together and they don’t need her!
Who Wins? ABSOLUTELY NOT ME
Elsewhere in this fine city, Sophie’s getting her steps in with Maribel while discussing the huge mistake she made: kissing Finley. It’s just that Finley brought her snacks and was with her all day and she was gonna go and Sophie didn’t want her to go and so she kissed her. “I feel like such a piece of shit,” Sophie concludes.
Maribel says she’s not a piece of shit, and asks if she’s gonna tell Dani. Surely Maribel doesn’t think Sophie and Dani should get married. Her whole family’s been edgy around it from the jump, you know? Sophie says she’s not gonna ’cause it’d crush her. And there’s no point, ’cause it’s never gonna happen again, right? Right? Maribel’s not so sure. Right? Sophie asks again. Maribel remains not so sure. Personally… I’m sure. There’s something here. Please make this messy #Sinley chaos happen, Generation Q! Do it for me personally!
Sophie sighs, drinks her coffee. “Fuck.”
In conclusion, let me share this excerpt from our Generation Q Group Chat (containing me, the co-hosts of the Generation Q podcast — Drew Gregory and Analyssa Lopez — and podcast producer Lauren Karen Klein):
Drew: Are we ready for 107 to come out and realize that this group chat is filled with the only Sinley stans
I think people are really gonna be against it
Riese: Oh no
Will this be my shenny
Lauren: Hahahahaha
Drew: Yes
Lauren: How can they be against it!
Riese: I think people will be into it
Dani sucks for Sophie
Lauren: Dani and Sophie suck
Riese: Sophie is great and Finley is at her best when she’s with Sophie
Drew: But people have been way more anti-Finley in general than I expected
Analyssa: I am constantly shocked at how little people like Finley I find her SO charming
Riese: Dani honestly needs to be with a Tina!
The Round Up:
Sexy Moments: 1 this episode, 15 total
Squabbles: 5 this episode, 25 total
Throwbacks: 1 this episode, 21 total
Number of Times I Rewatched a Finley/Sophie Scene: 16 (I’m using “a” instead of “the” here in hopes of manifesting future scenes.)
Quote of the Week: “I’ve been reading her my favorite lesbian love story so that she’ll wake up and yell at me.” – Sophie
Comments
I’m here for Sinley! My only disappointment being that I also really like them as friends and we never see enough queer friendship on tv!
I like them for being cute together, and also their affection having grown organically for at least a few episodes. I feel like most/all of the other relationships have been presented as a fait accompli and we’re just expected to think they work. Bette/Felicity did nothing for me, nor Alice/Nat, and even Shane and Quiara only works because they are both unnecessarily attractive. At first I thought Sophie was super boring, but she is just boring when she’s with Dani and they are doing boring wedding/family drama stuff. The only other couple we’ve really seen getting together are Micah and Jose, who I don’t care about because they are men.
Finley has been a winner for me as a character because she feels so original. Also, because she is an actual dog, which addresses a big issue with the show’s inauthentic lack of queer pet representation.
Yes agreed! I think it was a very interesting choice to open the show with everybody already being involved in relationships that we ultimately had no investment in — we actually never got to see Sophie and Dani be together and happy except when they are having sex. Also I thought it was incidental, but her family was pretty serious about the like, “you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to!”
Also Jacqueline Toboni and Rosanny Zayas are incredible actors with really good chemistry!
Totally agree and coming into it with everyone being together, with no background made it hard for me to get into the series initially. Now that we know the new characters and see how they act and think, we know who should REALLY be together. I do wish they woudl stay away from having everyone hook up and have some of the queer folk just be friends, with no history of ever having slept together.
I don’t care about Micah and Jose because the actors portraying them aren’t very good. Micah always seems sad, even when he should be happy and Jose comes across as sketchy. They could drop both of these characters next season and no one would care.
I’m sure we can all agree on one thing though: how the fuck is Bette going to win a mayoral campaign if she’s spending two to four hours cooking a fucking tagine?! And this is after potentially two breakfasts, a lunch and a coffee date. It makes those long wistful gazes through a giant corporate office window look like the height of productivity.
My wife was definitely of the opinion that nipping home straight after lunch to get the slow cooker on would have been the better option, but this then descended into a debate on how romantic a slow cooker is vs painstakingly making everything the long way as a demonstration of your doomed desire. Either way, think of all the donors she could have bagged while she was wielding that mortar and pestle, which in no way would have enhanced the flavour in a way discernible to Tina!
No wonder Dani is having to sideline her own relationship when she is clearly doing not only her own job, but also Pierce’s, and Bette’s and actually every single other person on this show.
I also had questions about how much time & energy Bette had for what looked like some very labor intensive cooking!
the fucking tagine!!!
I was low-key hoping Bette would make stir-fry.
Okay so, I reactivated my long dormant account (I never left, just preferred to lurk!) to write out my thoughts! Cuz hoo boy, do I have a lot of feelings about Micah and the way the writers have handled his storyline. It really does feel like he’s an after-thought on this show. It seems like the writers don’t really know how to integrate his storyline in with the rest of the cast. And it’s especially disappointing when you consider how much they talked up the show’s trans rep and how they planned to do better in regards to people of color.
Like, this is an Asian trans man in Los Angeles. There’s storylines out the WAZOO that they could explore. Hell, just send him to Gameboi on a Friday night and watch the drama unfold. Or send him to one of the queer Asian house parties that happen all around the East side.
I like Jose and think their story has been sweet, but as it has gone on, it feels kinda…tacked on? Like they aren’t sure what to do with Micah and, as a result, they give him the C-plotline in every episode which, because we never learn much more about the character, lacks emotional weight. Seeing his mom was cute, but we also never heard about her before? So a lot of that conflict didn’t hit nearly as hard as it could.
This is not a knock on Leo who I think is great and acting his butt off. More of a gripe with the way he’s been sidelined.
That said, it’s nice to have some high af Asian Mom rep. I’m glad they didn’t do the whole “tiger mom” trope. Hoping they give Micah much more to do next season.
Yeah I have some feelings about it as well but wasn’t sure how to get into them. Mainly, I think it was a mistake to have him dating a guy instead of a queer woman. I think the latter would’ve been a more organic story that would’ve had him integrated in the storylines instead of totally outside of them — because that was ALSO a problem in the original series, Max was eventually sidelined, dating a guy who was VERY loosely connected to the rest of the group. His only remaining tie was that he still lived with Shane and Jenny. (Sound familiar???) And ultimately it’s a show aimed at queer women moreso than queer men, so the audience will definitely have more investment in a relationship that has one queer woman in it.
I also think it’d be cool to have Micah dating a girl for bisexual representation on both ends of that relationship!
Yeah, I think him dating a guy, especially on this show, was always going to place him kinda outside of the main friend group. It was an interesting creative choice, but does seem to have impeded his character’s integration into the world of the show.
So much yes to this! Micah is just so far removed from all of the other characters, he’s not dating any of them, close friends (?) or working with any of them, so we already don’t see him that much. Also pairing with a man was not a good idea. He’s definitely not integrated into the show well. Fingers crossed they do better with his character next season.
he lives with them and they’re friends! it seems like they definitely could have been interacting more, even on that basis alone.
like, Sophie’s in the hospital with her grandma and Micah’s mom’s sleeping on the couch at their house and those storylines didn’t interact except at the very beginning of the show? not even his mom asking where the roommates were or Finley and Dani sayind bye as they dashed out?
None of us even noticed his absence in the last episode until RIESE pointed it OUT!!!
I noticed! And it made me sad :(
These queer Asian parties sound interesting, do West Asian folks show up or is it more specific?
I think so! All the ones I’ve heard about or been invited to are hosted by folks who are inclusive and are trying to push back against Asian = East Asian etc. Granted, a lot of them are for queer Asian men and, since I’m a lesbian, I don’t usually attend. I have gone to one with a close guy friend of mine because he asked me to – it was a leather party and I was probably one of two women in the entire house lmao. Those house parties are more informal but there are Queer Asian Social Club events that are organized around LA as well and those are def geared more towards women if you’d like to check them out! @thegaysianproject on insta!
That interesting. Since I’m NB & not into men those would not be the event I’d be interested in. I looked up gaysian project & that looks very cool but more East Asian oriented.
Does Generation Q stand for Generation Quiara? She’s so beautiful
Comment award
Riese…your description of the moments before, during and after Sinley’s kissing scene was spot on. Absolutely some of your best work because I felt it all over again. When I was watching I even found myself taking a breath when Sophie grabbed Finley’s hand; it’s that palpable. I’m very anti-cheating but damn stop making it look so good…nope…bad Sophie! Bad! Also, damn Dani, can you be more self-absorbed and entitled?
Gigi!! I swear this woman will be the death of me especially when she speaks Farsi and double especially when she’s topping. RIP thruple (or is it throuple?) for now but long live sexy times with Gigi. She still feels manipulative though which is probably yet another reason why I’m so attracted to her.
I want to be into Micah’s storyline but…*sigh* I’ll keep trying. It did get a few bonus points for bringing in Rosalind Chao (aka Keiko O’Brien); all Star Trek TNG alumni are welcome.
I’m not sure how I feel about the TiBette storyline. Their back and forth for 7 seasons now is a bit exhausting. And Shane and Quiara are still so cute and I want them to work but I dunno. I’d like to see more of them minus the baby thing but that’s not going to happen unless…is Marja like Ilene? Would she also force a baby storyline on us then take it away creating all kinds of unnecessary/unwanted drama?
Right! It’s so tangible! They’re both such great actors too, I think, which helps a lot. and thanks!!
I’m over TiBette but I feel like a lot of people are very into it — I am hopeful that they’ll bring her back though cuz I feel like they’re doing backflips to explain why Tina wouldn’t prioritize being in the same city as Angie.
Ugh yes Gigi topping and Gigi speaking Farsi… is HARD TO HANDLE.
I should clarify. I don’t dislike TiBette, I just wish the writers learned how to write healthy lesbian relationships. The only show that’s ever done that is “The Fosters” with Stef and Lena but they were the D or E stories more often than not. The L Word has a prime opportunity to show an older lesbian couple making it work and learning from their mistakes who also happen to be the A or B story most of the time, but instead, they’re together imploding because of their very real, very deleterious to a relationship, very unresolved issues then they break up because of said issues then rinse and repeat….that’s what’s exhausting.
Yeah! I mean I think it would be great for this show to display really… any couple making it work? I know that it’s good for drama, but it seems like with a cast this large, statistically speaking, there should be at least:
1 long-term functional relationship
1 short-term functional relationship
1 relationship that seems good but also something seems… maybe off
1 brand-new relationship that is going REALLY well but who knows about the future
12 disasters
I’ve been trying to reply to this for 2 days but I’m traveling and my iPhone reception is sh*t plus Autostraddle keeps locking me out for some reason so here’s a delayed YES! THIS! My group of friends currently contains all of those relationships.
To the writers (re: TiBette) in my grandmother’s slowest southern drawl, “Shit or get off the pot”. Oh and at what point do we get a couple who talks about kids before they get married?
Definitely agree about Sinley and Gigi
RIESE!!! This was my favorite recap of the season. You’ve fully found your stride. (Also I think we can sign me up for team #Sinley — they had me at the snacks, the prayer, and I don’t think I’m going back).
I loved the episode. And I loved reading you telling me about the episode. Loved it all! So much!
Eh Sophie and Finley are the same person? They’re really forcing them to like each other. We cringed at that kissing as much as the possibility of Dani and Bette doing anything because they’re also the same person. Queer women can also be friends with other lesbians? Can always count on queer media to fulfill so many stereotypes about queer women in one episode.
My wife and I were just talking about this. We were so excited to see these two queer women being bros and having that awesome connection, and now this happens and it just feels so…why? They really ARE the same person, just at different points in the emotionally healthy journey. Dani is basically Bette-in-training. I get these two pairs of people getting each other as friends, but as romantic partners? Everyone can be doing better.
Also, this Sinley stuff literally came from one previous episode full of both her and Sophie being depressed. And this episode is also full of depressing life things. That’s…not great.
Yes this exactly. And I get it, Finely is there in Sophie’s time of need, Dani is not blah blah blah. But you can take your bro out for lunch? You don’t have to fuck them!
i do think we see great queer friendship with bette and alice and shane. maybe that’s where i am relating more because when i was young things were messy and lines were blurry so that feels authentic to me, and now that i am an old sea dyke i relate to the more defined boundaries between shane and bette and alice.
I like the idea Of Sinley but mainly because I need to see a Bani. Or a Dette. Whatever. I’m shipping them hard. I don’t want Bette or Dani to be a cheater though. I like how their relationship is unfolding.
Or:
Bettani
Portez
DaBette
“Portez” (por-tay) is the French verb “to wear” which would be fitting what with all of their matching power suits and high-waisted pants 👖
Am I the only person who saw Dani’s “young Jennifer Beals” outfit?
I totally caught that! I have no idea if that was intentional but it was a great choice. And, Dani wore the hell out of it.
Which one was it?
The Flashdance sweatshirt she wore for the whiskey date with Bette. A classic off-the-shoulder grey that was clearly a throwback to when Jennifer Beals played a not-gay welder in the 80’s. I tried to add a photo, but I am an old so it did not work. Here’s the link
https://images.app.goo.gl/CKF363HYLMQphio18
Mavi. YESSS! Thought the same!
“BETTE PORTER’S NOT AFRAID TO SLEEP WITH YOUR WIFE” is the best piece of art i’ve seen since jodi lerner’s “core values.”
i’m here for this
as an aside i really liked when shane was like “I FEEL NOTHING I’M ABOUT TO BE EXTREMELY SHANE ABOUT THIS COMMITMENT I’M WAFFLING ABOUT ALREADY” and quiara is just like, “thank you for naming your fear and being honest” like wow, nobody ever tried that with shane before! i like her for shane! next she’ll be asking about her hamster.
Nope, count me in as a full fledged passenger on this Sinley Ship! I stopped breathing during that hallway scene. Jacqueline Toboni and Rosanny Zayas’ chemistry was off the charts in that scene.
I do have conflicting feelings for them though. As much as they had me feeling all kinds of things in this episode, I do think they are headed for some complicated times, obviously. I think Finley has deeper feelings for Sophie and her inexperienced heart and head are reeling at the moment. I actually did think about how this was the first episode where Finley didn’t get bombed. Finley has so much she needs to work on, on her own self and I’m afraid she’ll end up on the pointy end of this little love triangle, which will not be good for her own insecurities and issues.
And Sophie, she had a very emotionally draining day and Finley was so wonderful and sweet and exactly what she needed. So I could totally see the reason to lean into those raw emotions and take what Finley was laying down for her. Finley was being everything Dani wasn’t and doing everything Sophie has been wanting Dani to give her this whole time, a shoulder to cry on, a sounding board, someone who would open up to her, someone to just freaking be there with her. Those hospital waits are emotional roller coasters that really mess with your head, so I hope this last episode gives us more perspective of where Sophie is with her feelings towards Finley.
Also, I hope Grandma is okay! They just kind of left us hanging there. Like is she okay? Did the Lesbian literature heal her??
Last week I was willing to give Dani a pass when she didn’t want to get into her very stressful day with her drunk girlfriend at 3am. However, this week she was just down right cold. When Bette Fucking Porter has to remind you to thank someone… girl, it’s time to take a long look in the mirror and spot the self-involved.
Let’s all take a moment to mourn all the quirky/funny/sexy thruple shenanigans that would have been Alice/Nat/Gigi. Alice does not have the best of luck when it comes to love triangles. That soup scene though, Alice expression was hilarious. Leisha Hailey has some of the best comedic timing in Hollywood.
Ooof, Bette. That dinner scene with Tina was painfully awkward and sad.
I’m sad that there’s only one episode left for the season! It feels like we just got started.
“When Bette Fucking Porter has to remind you to thank someone… girl, it’s time to take a long look in the mirror and spot the self-involved.”
Yeah, that’s pretty bad.
I know since the beginning of the season people had been predicting a Bette/Dani hookup, but I now see no sexual chemistry there. Bette seems 100% like a mentor, a big sister, even a mother relationship to Dani. Dani obviously looks up to her. But, now I’m just not seeing these two Type-A personalities getting it on.
me too it wasn’t until this episode that i picked up on any dani/bette sexual tension! i just feel like bette is past the point in life where she’s going to hook up with someone so much younger who works for her. maybe if she loses and they aren’t working together anymore, but even then, idk.
butttt i think dani is in love with bette for sure. maybe that will make her realize that she’s… not into her girlfriend, just into the idea of having a wife. bc these two need to break up!!!
This reminded me that last episode I was so ready for Shane to tell Angie to ask Jordi if she ever had a hamster. Or to say that she asked Quiara that on their first night of talking. Alas.
I like Sinley as friends
I’m glad I’m not the only one who got held up on the sandwich metaphor.
Also all of Bette’s walking to the kitchen and back and holding wine bottles during that scene with Tina was hilarious and confusing. I was like, what is happening with the wine!!! And now there’s champagne?! What is happening?!
“and then, they begin to — one might say — kiss with a more defined commitment to motion” lolol
And I am 100% on Team Sinley. This episode was the most I’ve liked Finley all season. As everyone is saying, Jacqueline Toboni and Rosanny Zayas are truly phenomenal at their jobs.
That sandwich metaphor
Ugh
I’m stuck on that metaphor. I’m definitely overthinking it. Can someone help me out here? Lmao.
I took it to mean that saying something you’ve said before is better than saying nothing, just like eating a sandwich when you’re hungry is better than not eating because there’s nothing new to eat.
How did you not mention Jose saying Micah could be a cub??? Peak comedy!
The “what are you doing, buddy” was such a GOOD line. So many meanings. Is she talking to Sophie? Is she talking to herself? She’s emphasizing that they’re buddies, not girlfriends. But also emphasizing how close they are with each other? Beautiful. Not sure how I feel about them being in an actual relationship though. Every single other character just so outpaces Finley in emotional maturity that I’m not sure she should be in a relationship with anyone.
I’m definetly a #Sinley shipper now. I was a little skeptical at first, but they have such good chemistry, and Finley is better person around Sophie. That scene in the hospital was soo soo good ugh.
I don’t really get why people don’t like Finley’s character. Sure she’s messy but her character just feels really real to me. Also really enjoyed the prayer moment with her and Sophie. I hope they dive a little more into Finley’s relationship with religion.
Also Dani….What is it you doing baby???? Cause this is not it. Your wife-to-be just had something terrible happen to her and you just ignore her?? I don’t understand why even if she wasn’t able to be there she couldn’t have called, texted or better yet been there (actually there and not on her phone).
Micah is just…… Like he was already at a disadvantage being on a show geared towards queer women, but like his character is so boring and just there. I hope they don’t sideline him as much next season. Honestly if they wanted to have trans representation on the show (which they should), they should have had a trans woman as part of the main cast (not that there can only be one). Micah is just so removed from everything. His mom was cute tho, and I liked their interactions.
I feel bad for Alice. I’m very confused as to how Nat took their conversation as permission to sleep with Gigi without Alice. I really don’t want them to kill the throuple though, mostly cause I really like the combination.
Also hoping that Bette and Dani don’t become a thing. I find it boring, also Dani is Bette’s employee and Bette really shouldn’t be sleeping with her employee…again.
🗣Yes to all of this!!
I came down here to say almost exactly what you said, so thanks for saving me the trouble lol
yeah finley feels real to me too! messy, but real. i think she’s also the most thoroughly written of the new characters. but sophie and her both come alive much more vividly when they are around each other.
Listen LISTEN yes it’s very nice but the reality is that Finley is NEVER gonna be able to show up for a partner like she can show up for a friend at this stage of her d e v e l o p m e n t
Yes exactly!
but but but!! it seems like she’s more able to communicate her real feelings to sophie than anyone else so COUNTERPOINT maybe for finley specifically, a friendship-turned-relationship is the only relationship in which finley would be capable of actually looking at herself and fixing her shit in a way that was healthy and communicative????!! she’s used to hiding from people because they just met her and she can be drunk or distant, but she can’t hide from sophie, especially b/c sophie is like LEZ TALK ABOUT FEELINGS all the time and also seems like she’s interested in helping ppl talk about their feelings and isn’t past it in the way that rebecca is.
and it seems like she’s also pretty good at knowing what sophie needs, too? maybe…?
eh..eh???
I DO HOPE THAT YOU ARE RIGHT
Anyway, also, it’s probably true that makin’ out with someone who is fairly transparent about having a lot of shit to work on can’t be worse than makin’ out with someone with 100-foot emotional walls like Dani.
I like them a LOT and I just don’t want them to let each other down, Riese! And when they do, I just want them to have each other to talk to about it! Lol
As a Sinley shipper, I am not sure that their relationship is actually a good idea for them personally but I am in it for the drama on the show and the chemistry.
this is also fair and true!
i YELLED when i realized she was reading “women” to her unconscious grandmother. my partner asked what i was yelling about and i was like, “it’s a book about, like, doing coke and having lesbian sex, why would you read that to your grandmother?!?” but then sophie explains why and it sort of made sense. and i read it years ago and didn’t like it TBH so i may have misremembered the plot a little bit. still, this was a hilarious easter egg.
Yeah I didn’t like it all and especially not as a “love story”, the relationship was awful. Funny though about her reasoning!
definitely not a love story but definitely a bold choice for reading to nana
I’ve liked each episode more and more as the season has gone on. I know Finley is a mess but I’m charmed by her. She’s so genuine and raw, it’s endearing. I am fully here for #sinsley even if I don’t love how it’s starting.
Still here for these recaps even though I haven’t watched any of the L word (old or new)!
Hello, I would like to order a lifetime supply of Lesbian Lather Bodywash (Pilates Situation Edition), thank you.
Thanks Riese, this was an excellent recap
I think they worked very hard in this episode to redeem Finley, so I don’t think shipping Sinley is far-fetched. I definitely shipped them in that moment, although in retrospect I don’t think dating someone who repeatedly says you’re stupid (even if you kinda are) is a great idea.
I guess I was feeling a bit fragile when I watched this episode, because when Sophie broke down in the hospital corridor I had such a throwback moment to Alice’s reaction when Donna died, and I cried.
Speaking of throwbacks: why do I feel like there’s been a fumbling-with-a-plastic-model-in-a-gynecologist’s-office scene before?
Probably because the fumbling-with-a-plastic-model-in-a-gynecologist’s-office scene is a heavily overused trope. Dunno if it’s been used in The L Word before, but so many shows use it for a cheap chuckle and as a symbol of the not-pregnant partner’s nervousness, discomfort, and/or cluelessness around the concept of impending parenthood.
that’s interesting that it’s a trope! because i wonder like what they were trying to do (if anything) by having the person fidgeting with it be a person who has you know, been inside as many vaginas as an actual gynecologist
first vagina shane ever couldn’t find her way around
the angles on the opening shower scene were phenomenal
so was the way alice slammed her chair into the table before she left nat and gigi to eat their soup
yes that chair slam omg
also, quiara is beautiful but she has no chemistry with shane and also it seems like they barely know each other. maybe it’s just meant to illustrate how quiara is so busy with her whirlwind celebrity lifestyle that she barely has time to get to know her own wife?
also did anyone else LOVE the metaphor of shane LITERALLY breaking a heart in the obstetrician’s office?
Setting aside that Dani and Sophie’s relationship wasn’t established and written well from the beginning, I’m having a highly personal moment where I understand Dani. I would assume if a partner said not to come, that they actually meant it – that they tapped into what they need, spoken from an honest place and would not put the other person in the position where they have to play some “read between the lines” / “prove that you love me” game. It’s just… who has the time for that? It’s also a bit insulting considering how close they supposedly are. Which brings me to the second I get Dani thing, which is… Dani’s relationship to her jobs. I would assume even before working for Bette, she was a workaholic and now she’s a workaholic with emotional motivation. But surely that would be apparent from the moment Sophie met Dani, since Dani was basically bred by her father to work? I understand how a relative at the hospital would suggest you make an exception, but Sophie has been planting landmines and waiting for Dani to step on them way before that. I’m not saying Dani did nothing wrong, but keeping your job high on the priority list isn’t wrong in itself and Sophie taking that against Dani says more about her (and their relationship) than Dani.
As for Gigi, Nat and Alice… I don’t even know. It doesn’t feel real – it feels like an acted out screenplay where conflict had to happen to make the final establishment of them as a a three-person relationship sweeter. I don’t buy Alice suddenly feeling left out or not needed (did they ever establish Alice needed to be needed in her relationships? What is that?). I cannot believe that Alice, who was so chill about the whole thing only now thought about the implications of Gigi and Nat getting back together. Like, what. Or the reality that there may be a desire for sex where not all of them are present. I don’t buy it, so I’ll just ignore this hiccup and wait for the payoff in the season finale.
Yes to the landmine thing! Dani has in NO WAY been a good partner to Sophie, but it also feels like Sophie doesn’t understand Dani at all. Your entire family shows up to your engagement party, and you somehow fail to notice that your partner has no one except her father who isn’t speaking to her because she left his office. When he DOES try to get involved and take over, you ignore the complicated relationship your partner has with said dad (her only family who he has raised to be his heir) and yell at her about her not standing up for you. You yell about wanting to be comfortable at your wedding (fair), but then don’t ask what would make your partner comfortable (not fair). When your partner DOES stand up to her dad (once again, her ONLY family), you try to force her to be an external processor when she clearly needs some space and then blame her for her own processing (even though you’ve been together for how long?). You also do all this knowing that her work is high-powered and fast-paced, as if her doing any of these things is surprising to you.
Dani is terrible to Sophie, but Sophie is also terrible to Dani. And Finley is terrible to herself and therefore terrible for others. All these people need to be single.
Standing fucking ovation
Yes, I agree with all of this, especially your last paragraph!!
Another take: If Sophie was the point of contention between Dani and her father, maybe Dani wanted to process without talking to the linchpin of her familial grief? Like she didn’t want to take anything out on Sophie, so she wanted to process separately at first? This was my initial read, because that’s how I would have approached this if I were in Dani’s situation.
It seems like everyone’s take is plausible, since we don’t yet have a defined grasp on Sophie and Dani.
This. Thank you so much for this. Especially “It’s just… who has the time for that?”
What Sophie has been doing isn’t too far removed from the way some people push others away repeatedly, then get angry when they leave.
Ugh yes, I tend to really overthink things in relationships and don’t trust myself to read a partner in a stressful situation. So my (healthy, functional) girlfriends know not to play that game with me. I will ask if you want me to come to the hospital, and you will say yes or no and I will trust you.
It’s just continuing like Sophie and Dani barely know each other and are still figuring out how to communicate and balance their different emotional needs. Which could be a compelling storyline as that’s been a super real part of my life. But like they’re engaged! And they’ve been together long enough that everyone thought the engagement was long coming! What is this?
I agree with so much of this about Sophie and Dani. I especially feel that it was so unfair of Sophie a few episodes ago to try to force Dani to process minutes after a huge confrontation with her dad/only family member.
That said, I have a partner who works insane high pressure hours and she often cannot leave even if I need/want her to but she knows to effing ask how my day was (even when there isn’t a family emergency!) and sit with me in that for more than 3 seconds before making it about how hard her day was.
This recap was priceless!! I 100% support you as a Sinley shipper. I’m so glad we are lucky enough to join you on this ride.
“Tina likely heard Angie’s heartbeat for the first time alone,
I thought the exact same thing but I also bought the lie because I love them both so much and I’ll believe in whatever they say about their lives together as long as it’s a good thing haha
“Cut to The Aloce Show where the mid-morning meeting Alice has to miss dinner for is revving up —“ PRECIOUS
#EmmyForJennifer She deserves all of the awards. That scene with Tina broke my heart. I want them to get back togetheeerrrrr.
“Okay just riffing here but what if it was like, Natalie Portman… rapping… about weed???” Hahaha I have that song on my iPod
I really don’t want Bette and Dani to hook up. Ughhhh
Riese, your group chat spoke to me. :D
I’ve been feeling the vibes between Sophie and Finley. Even though I hate all the cheating on this show, this was one moment I was down for. I’m so over Sophie and Dani.
I was texting Oz right after this and I was super excited, but Oz hates this storyline! She just wants Sophie and Finley to be bros. But, like you, I was also down with Shenny.
But honestly, on any other show, they would build up this sexual/romantic tension between friends over multiple seasons. The will they/won’t they is part of what makes it so delicious. Yes, we’ve seen a few examples now of Finley being there for Sophie when Dani isn’t, but we still don’t know Sophie and Dani together enough for it to matter that much. We’re just not as invested since we were introduced to Sophie and Dani at the engagement stage and have no idea how their relationship was built. And why Sophie seems to expect Dani to be super thoughtful and emotional just because they’re engaged now when those traits have seemingly never been part of her personality.
I was never a TiBette fan, but I had all the feels over how much Bette seems to want Tina back and how much Tina has moved on.
Sophie and Finley, so far, are the only couple with chemistry. (not counting TiBette or whoever Gigi is having sex with.)
I surprisingly don’t hate Quiara because she seems to get Shane and she’s not needy or demanding or wanting to change her like every other partner Shane has had. She basically just needs Shane to show up and to not shut her out. That’s not too much to ask of someone like Shane.
It’s still possible that they will build up this sexual/romantic tension between friends over multiple seasons, although I selfishly hope they don’t, because it’s the first pairing on the show to have really tangible chemistry! I sort of see them how I see Alice and Dana, where it happened right away — but I hope we don’t get a parallel there with Sophie sneaking around while planning her wedding for the next half-season and then i guess, dying??!!?!? I think it’d be interesting truly to see these two try to make it work for literally the rest of the show’s run. They’ve never done that before and I don’t think any of the present couplings really have a shot at longevity aside from maybe Shane and Quiara? Although I hope Gigi sticks around and maybe there is another relationship for her to be a part of besides the thruple. Which saddens me b/c i love the thruple but….
I agree that it’s important to show queer friendship… but I’d almost love to see that more between Finley and Tess. We also have Bette, Alice and Shane displaying queer friendship, although a little later in life.
The look on Gigi’s face when she topped Nat though? She can nail a ring to my house any day so long as she nails me after
@queergirl – Comment award!
Come for the grieving throuple content, stay for the pleasantly surprising Empire Records reference!
Haha YES!!!! I laughed out loud!
Yes!
look this show has a lot of fantasy elements but perhaps the biggest one is that finley can wear all of those breezy button-ups despite DEFINITELY not owning an iron
i was mesmerized by her shirt this episode
That shirt was like some optical illusion that changed every time I looked at it
i know!!!! it was like such a nice fabric!
I need TV shows I watch to really, really stop writing campaign stories, especially if they’re not going to hire consultants with campaign experience to advise them on how to write it.
SHE IS RUNNING FOR MAYOR IN THE SECOND LARGEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES, FOR CHRISSAKES, NOT THE FREAKIN’ SCHOOL BOARD.
I felt like banging my head against the wall. Thank goodness this storyline is almost over.
The only thing I know for sure is that Sophie and Dani need to be dunzo. They are so not good for each other – I’m still reeling from that very shaky car scene after they got back from confronting Dani’s dad about the prenup in which Sophie wouldn’t leave Dani the fuck alone and kept trying to force her to talk about her feelings after. Dani is, at the same time, so insultingly checked out of their relationship that I wonder why she even proposed at all. I get that she’s running a mayoral campaign, but come on.
I am tentatively a Sinley shipper, even though I think both parties need more time to work on themselves before jumping into something else. I love Finley.
I also see where Alice is coming from. It’s like Nat and Gigi are now Married Couple #1 again and have morphed Alice into their “Nick” that they “sometimes add.”
My anxiety about the threesome sex scene in the Shane’s birthday episode had a lot to do with worrying that the dynamic would shift toward Nat and Gigi leaving Alice out, which it looks like they did in this episode
I had to create an account just to reply to you because OMG the political campaign storyline was so incredibly painful. I am thrilled Bette lost so it can go away and she can go back to the Art World. I was shocked to read that they supposedly had a political consultant advising them…I mean, the guy Bette was running against seemed like he was directly out of central casting to play a republican. And a republican is not going to be elected mayor of los angeles. duh. We will elect our neo-liberal democrats thank you very much. But they will be completely woke on social issues.
One thing that L Word was always awful about was sexual harassment. Every accusation was deemed in bad faith or outright blackmail so no surprise that Bette screwing her employee was written off immediately. But man, they had such a more interesting storyline just sitting there. A bisexual or newly realized lesbian discovering she is gay and the violent response of her husband. Bisexual women are much more likely to be victims of domestic violence by men.
The politics of Aloce are equally lame. I mean, lets be clear. These woke writers thought it would be great for Nat to interrupt Roxane Gay for her romantic moment. If you’re going to do it, make the viral moment not the proposal, but backlash from black twitter. (I actually think I saw a bit of it)
All that said, I didn’t hate the season or anything, but I would like to see a successful relationship…ideally Bette and Tina with a massive rewrite that focuses less on Bette as the proverbial controlling bitch and more on Tina choosing to leave when things get hard.
Thank you for listening.
Favorite screenshots/captions: 2, 14, 29, 34, 38 (buyist towards Dani), 42, 43, 47 (Dani… Face… Again…), 54, 59 (That is an EXCEPTIONAL SHOT! their lips slightly parted, Dani’s upper lip curl. GIRL DAMN. ‘Really considering leaving London & moving to LA to find Arienne Mandi and convince her I’m the one’), LAST ONE LOL ‘applause’
– ‘Making Dani wonder, am I a bottom after all?’ – BRAVO
– ‘Gigi’s holds Nat’s head’ – clearly writing and thinking about this drifted your blood well away from your brains Riese hahah.
– Bette & Dani sharing a whiskey is as good as sex people.
– ‘All the baby butches on Bette’s campaign team are in a full panic.’ – Applause
– Sinley? GOOD! Because Bette + Dani = Bani/Dette needs to happen at least once. We rarely get to see Power femme tops at each other. My guess is Dani would eventually bottom but then top again as I’m sure shes fantasized about it since the phone mishap episode.
lololol i fixed that typo good catch :-)
“Bette & Dani sharing a whiskey is as good as sex people.”
VERY FAIR
lol your last comment gives me life! I 100% agree, 2 power femme tops for me please! :)
#Sinley is such a perfect ship name for these two! Great find!
Now I finally understand what Quiara meant when she said she’s not asking Shane to be a parent. Babygirl knew she was gonna have to parent them both.
Dani is a rude brat. I hope Bette is mature enough not to sleep with her. But who am I kidding, the real mystery is if it happens before or after election night?
Let season 2 bring more Alice + Nat + Gigi mess. They’re hilarious.
Besides the election plot, Gen Q. has done well with the storyline of the OGs imo.
They have to do better with Micha next season.
thank you i hope i will go down in history books as inventing #sinley, which’s clearly my greatest legacy on this planet
Nah, I hope it doesn’t but if season 2 gets Chaikened….I know your recaps are gonna be for the ages.
Hilariously perfect recap as always.
1.) I REALLY do not want Bette and Dani to hook up
2.) What happened to the priest??
3.) Why does it seem like Shane is just constantly yelling at or around Tess? Where did Tess’s girlfriend go that Shane fucked?? Shane just has no remorse whatsoever?
4.) I love Tess and want more of her.
5.) Not into the baby storyline :|
6.) I actually am bummed Pierce is out of the picture. I thought the actor was a total natural on screen and would have liked him to stick around.
7.) I reaaally wanna know if we’ll ever find out what happened with the whole Alice/Tasha/Jamie throuple
that is all!
Count me among the surprised. I hated the idea of Sinley…but this episode sold me on the possibilities. Finley is the polar opposite of Dani, but maybe she is what Sophie needs right now. I agree that Toboni and Zayas are the best actors in the younger cast and this storyline probably wouldn’t work without their talents. Finley is going to get hurt most likely, but the growth of the character will be interesting
I’m sad the throuple imploded :( they had a good thing going
Do we only get to know what that contraption Bette was using to cook is if we’re a mommi?
B/c seriously, what was it????
@andrea_t It’s a tagine. Does this secure my Mommi bonafides? I hope so.
I really want to know if they are going to resolve the thing where Jose cancelled on Micah at the last minute with no explanation! I thought it was going to have something to do with the guy they showed lying by the pool who Mich had a brief and weird interaction with and then was never shown again, like he was Jose’s controlling ex or something but I dk.
i know! there’s a ton of unanswered questions as if they didn’t have enough time to jam it all in in 8 episodes.
I LOVE Finley, I need her in my life. She is a bit of a mess and needs to stay on the straight and narrow for a while, but I absolutely lover her and can understand how she could be the best part of her friend’s day. TBH, I can also see why some people ,ight think she is too much and a little annoying, but even with that, she is adorable and super sweet!
Dani and Bette will likely hook up, but that woudl be a disaster in 100 different ways, not looking forward to it.
I LOVE Finley, I need her in my life. She is a bit of a mess and needs to stay on the straight and narrow for a while, but I absolutely love her and can understand how she could be the best part of her friend’s day. TBH, I can also see why some people ,ight think she is too much and a little annoying, but even with that, she is adorable and super sweet!
Dani and Bette will likely hook up, but that would be a disaster in 100 different ways, not looking forward to it.
Okay I’ve been reading the recaps but I can’t remember if you already acknowledged that Finley is still riding a stolen bike so I was THRILLED to see it referenced in this recap. Like also, is her car still in that person’s driveway?!
Anyways – I didn’t want to be into Sinley, but I can’t stop wondering about how that dynamic would work so I’m curious about seeing it play out. I also find Finley endearing, she reminds me of friends of mine and their journeys. I did recently say to a friend that I could’ve lived without Finley’s storyline to get more of Micah’s, but I was happy to see Micah get much more screen time this week so Finley can stay.
Finally I want to say – I’M SO UNHAPPY ABOUT BETTE AND DANI. I know that that tension is very real in some of these working relationships, but I just want to see more mentorships between older lesbians and younger lesbians. I would be satisfied if that tension remained but they didn’t do anything about it. We’ve all been there. It’s possible to navigate it. So navigate it.
I guess my feelings all end up meaning that I still have hope for Dani and Sophie.
Ok, I want an Alice, Nat, Gigi spinoff where they are just solidly and committedly together. Sure they’re not perfect but they are so delightful and funny and raw and real. I think the three of them could be so darn wonderful together. I also can’t handle another Tasha/Jamie/Alice situation and can’t believe it hasn’t been thrown back to yet?! I am curious though.. Is Gigi even into Alice or was she just a necessary part of getting back with Nat?
Is Drew really going to come in here and save the day for Alice’s show? Do we really this version of the White Savior trope?
Ahhh, this was a good episode too!
I liked the throuple situation- but Alice is right that Nat & Gigi look good together smh.
I liked that Finley and Sophie were friends- there’s not enough genuinely good friendship shown on tv. But, Dani is obviously not right for Sophie, and seeing her with Finley is better for her. If you think about it, they have more similar communication/affection styles which is a big problem that Sophie & Dani are dealing with.
I still think that Quiara & Shane are going to break up…and I keep waiting for it haha! I like Quiara- she’s beautiful and has a mysterious personality- but I think Shane needs someone different to be with. I was curious to see if Shane & Tess would get together? I liked Lena, but I was sad about the cheating! It’ll be interesting to see who Tess dates next too!
I’m glad that Season 2 has already been given the go-ahead! I don’t think I need 6 seasons of Gen Q, like we did with the original L Word, but I’m excited for the characters to get more time to become deeper/more fleshed out/go through some growth & character development, etc.
I have been swamped getting ready for the spring semester and just got to watch this episode tonight. Honestly, I wasn’t able to pay attention to anything after the first ten minutes, because I immediately set to the internet to try and find Finley’s incredible snack food button down to add to my wardrobe and then had a small breakdown when I couldn’t find it.
I don’t know how I feel about Sinley as a couple. HOT, for sure, but Finley has an entire airport’s worth of baggage to unpack before I see her being functional in any relationship. Sophie deserves someone who has their shit together.
I don’t know how we can be ok with Shinley, when
1) Finley is just plain annoying and sleeping around with every character and falling for them all
2) Dani has bent over for Sophie (with her dad) but Sophie does not remotely care
3) They’re cheating! Dani is having a hard time, and because she wasn’t able to drop her job just like that (which I totally understand from a demanding job) it takes 2 seconds for Sophie to cheat on her? I really detest cheating storylines.
But the only positive I can takeaway from this is it gives Dani a reason to leave Sophie and follow her hear to Bette. Bani/Dette are my one true pairing!!! Plus they’re played by 2 of the best actors on the show and give good emotions that make me ship them even more (Leisha Hailey being the 3rd best of course).
Was it completely missed that the Alice, Nat, and Gigi scene was an obvious throw back to the Alice, Tasha, and Jamie scene in the L Word Finale?
Alice is having a confrontation with two other women in a restaurant about the feelings they share between them (Alice not being a part of that equation); a meal that is ordered for two (In L Word finale, Tasha and Jamie order the same exact dishes); and Alice storming off slamming a chair.