Welcome to the third recap of the third season of The L Word: Generation Q, brought to you by the same network that brought you the original L Word, a show about an elderly dog teetering on the very lip of death who is adopted by an unhinged writer in a depressive spiral about a negative review of her memoir in Curve Magazine who has decided to cope with said review by forging a connection with the small animal veterinarian currently dating the reviewer, leading to the writer taking the dog to the veterinarian girlfriend to be euthanized and subsequently managing to manipulate the reviewer into believing she has a coveted assignment from a prestigious magazine that inhibits her ability to spend the weekend with the veterinarian, thus enabling the writer to swoop in, take the veterinarian on a romantic dinner date and then to a hotel suite to remove each other’s tops where the writer has a revelation and wants to come clean about her duplicitousness when the reviewer shows up and forces the vet to realize the writer was lying about being a marine biology student which in turn inspires the writer to confess that actually she did write a short story about manatees once, so it was a little bit true.
My friends, this week I received a gift that was not a gift at all, it was in fact a virus known as Covid, and let me tell the 25% of you who’ve not already had COVID: it’s pretty unpleasant! Then of course my girlfriend got COVID and her COVID has been even worse than my COVID! Luckily I did power through this recap in small chunks with what I can only describe as a strength bestowed upon me by the Left Hand of the Goddess.
Before we get into the recap if I may, for a moment, share a personal story: on Wednesday morning while my coworkers were wondering if I was dead, I was sitting in the bathtub with the shower on (which is a clear sign of physical and mental wellness) when I got a message informing me that my recaps had been mentioned in that day’s new episode of Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey’s beloved PANTS podcast. I thought “Oh cute! I didn’t know they read the recaps! I wonder what they said!” and popped it right into my earholes. And my friends, you could’ve knocked me over with a box of Kleenex, I smiled so hard my face and heart actually exploded!!!!!! At the risk of sounding very sentimental about what is essentially [way too many] years of my inner monologue as I watch this TV show about hot queers in LA who make interesting choices, it’s thrilling and validating as hell to have your work not just acknowledged but really seen and felt and appreciated by the people who create that work. I did briefly wonder if I was having a fever dream! I won an award in 2008 from the Hyperhidrosis Society for writing an article about my sweaty armpits for Marie Claire magazine and believe it or not, hearing this conversation was way more of an honor than that. What should I wear when I do my guest appearance on PANTS? Lmk.
We open in the dark chaos of night following Episode 302’s car accident. Gigi’s in a neck brace on a stretcher in an ambulance and her emergency contact, Nat — having apparently beat the traffic that thwarted Bette Porter earlier that same evening — is there at Gigi’s cot-side.
Then, an errant EMT somehow shoves Nat forward in a way that presses Nat’s lips into Gigi’s lips? Then, Nat kisses Gigi chastely again, unencumbered by gravity’s restless intervention into the fate of this former union. Before this tomfoolery can continue any further, Dani clambers up into the ambulance. They’re letting anybody in now, Gigi’s third grade teacher’s probably right around the corner.
After a restless 1-5 nights of sleep, it is again morning and it’s not just any old morning: It’s The Aloce Show‘s 100th Episode!!!
Alice is particularly stoked for the Dating Show segment during which three (3) humans will compete for Alice’s heart and she’s confident that of these three (3) humans, one could be her soulmate! In an effort to seal that deal, Sophie has confirmed that 0% of these three (3) humans are associated with any cults, mixed martial arts or improv. That last one is particularly important in Los Angeles because if you date someone who does improv they might expect you to attend an improv show and that could ruin a perfectly good evening you might otherwise have spent doing a jigsaw puzzle from Target while watching New Amsterdam with your chihuahua.
Alice moseys over to the Liberated Coffee Cart where we meet Taylor, played by Joey Lauren Adams, best known to The Community for her role in the controversial lesbian-falls-for-a-man Kevin Smith vehicle Chasing Amy as well as for notable roles in Dazed & Confused, Mallrats, Big Daddy and The United States of Tara.
Alice is a little attracted to Taylor, perhaps ’cause Taylor’s attractive and has an adorable scratchy voice, but Taylor’s too consumed by her own normal-ness to pick up what Alice is subtly laying down.
Alice: Are you gonna stay and watch?
Taylor: Oh, no, I’ll have to stay and overanalyze this conversation for two hours, so.
Alice: Why, it’s going so well?
Immediately Taylor has become the most relatable character on the program! Alice tells her to stay — it’s nice to have real fans in the audience and not just tourists who thought they’d signed up for Ellen.
It’s a productive day shift at the Dana Fairbanks Memorial Tavern and Finley’s got her laptop open, hesitant to hit “submit” on her completed application to the California State School of Hospitality, where I can only safely conclude she is looking to get a degree in restaurant management and eventually study abroad at the Olive Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany. Shane saves Finley from taking this monumental step by showing up with a sledgehammer and an invitation to go “break shit” at Bar #2.
We then transition into a hot masc dance-off to Genuwine’s club classic “Pony,” a longtime staple of the lesbian cover song community, which my girlfriend immediately declared “the best three minutes of the entire series.” Then she took a break from Covid coughing to make me these gifs!
I could’ve absolutely watched three additional minutes of this but alas, the fun is over: Tess is here and she’s wearing the worst jeans I’ve ever seen in my life.
Tess is upset that Shane has taken initiative to “break shit” for free prior to tomorrow’s scheduled demolition. She’s very stressed out because of the terrible idea she had to buy a second bar for no reason. I think she’d feel otherwise if she’d seen the dance scene!!! Isn’t it every gay girl’s dream to see the person you’re currently sleeping with grind against someone you had an ill-advised one night stand with?
Anyhow Tess is very stressed out, probs mostly because of this terrible idea she herself had to buy a second bar for no reason.
Lesbian Squabble #6: Demolition Derby
In the Ring: Tess vs Shane
Content: Finley enthusiastically invites Tess to partake in the smashing, but Finley’s ceremonial whack of the wall punctures an apparent free-standing water pipe hidden in the drywall, and water begins gushing from it like the flood in the Torah. Shane attempts to fix the leak with her own body:
Unfortunately I think the proper method is actually this:
Tess fails to appreciate how hot Shane looks soaking wet in her muscle tee with a sledgehammer and gripes to Shane that now Tess will have to miss Alice’s show so she can sit here and wait for a plumber. Shane says there’s no need for Tess to wait for the plumber, she and Finley can take care of it!!! Tess says them doing it is how they got into this mess to begin with!!! Shane says she’ll get out of Tess’s way, then! SO THERE
Who Wins? Ivy
Over at Dani’s Castle in the Sky, Dani’s prepping to leave her still-ailing girlfriend to orchestrate The Aloce Show’s 100th Episode when Nat shows up, apparently summoned by Gigi to “help her get ready.” Dani’s clearly irked by Nat’s arrival — and sure, it’s slightly disarming that she wasn’t warned of this arrangement, but I wish we had some clue why Dani’s so insecure about her relationship with Gigi this far into it, or what the last 15 months of their relationship has looked like. All we’ve seen Dani and Gigi do this season is fight about Nat. Seemingly Gigi’s been raising her kids with Nat this whole time, you know?
Gigi’s on a lot of drugs but not so many that she’s unable to summon a desire to practice her favorite hobby of directly addressing a recent emotionally complicated event. On today’s agenda: the kiss in the ambulance.
“Honestly, it was nothing,” Nat shrugs it off, not wanting to make things messy. “Right?”
Come along, fair academics, as we venture back into the hallowed halls of California University, where Angie’s stoked for her first day of classes and chatting with her Moms on the phone about how Jordi keeps texting and disrespecting Angie’s boundaries.
Angie has barely unpacked her backpack for her first day of the deeply imaginary freshman class “Introduction to Creative Writing” when she realizes the boy she kissed at the art show is in fact… Ezra Fitz Hendrix, her new teacher!
Back at The Aloce Show, Alice is basking in the glory of her pre-show presents, for example Shane has framed a 2005 edition of The Chart and Tom sent her a basket of Bic pens, which enables some Tom exposition: he proposed, she turned him down, and they’re still good friends.
Elsewhere in the annals of The Aloce Show, Dani and Sophie are running through the event outline. Sophie gets an update on Gigi’s well-being and then gamely invites Gigi and Dani over for dinner in some imaginary future where Dani isn’t still mad at Finley. Dani gives a hard “maybe.”
Back at the Jenny Schecter Memorial Tavern, ‘Ol Sparklepants arrives with Misty, a Homo Depot lesbian she’s acquired to fix everything up really good. (Misty is played by queer actor Heidi Sulzman, who was the lead in Marja Lewis-Ryan’s play “One in the Chamber” and also appeared in Marja’s film 6 Balloons.)
Finley insists she remain with the plumber so Tess can move along with her day, but Tess says she’s already arranged to meet with her sponsee here.
Although Tess does not say this specifically, the fact that this is a pre-scheduled sponsor/sponsee meeting that involves The Big Book suggests that the intention is to do step work. Finley says it’s no problem, she’s got the book and a highlighter and can handle this meeting herself, which doesn’t make sense!!!! Finley is not this person’s sponsor or, as far as we know, anybody’s sponsor! It would’ve only taken a line or two from Tess to reconcile the gulf between “whatever is happening here” and “whatever would actually happen within the paradigm of AA” but instead they are content to let me BE ANNOYED.
“Go be with Shane,” Finley implores her.
“I was … way harsh on her earlier,” Tess acknowledges. Well, we all remember what happened the last time Shane’s girlfriend was harsh on her for 45 seconds:
After class, Angie hangs back at Hendrix’s request and she cutely rambles to him about how she’s so sorry she kissed him, she’d just broken up with her first girlfriend and her Moms were getting back together and it’s no problem she’ll totally drop the class!
He doesn’t say that they definitely won’t kiss again and they definitely do eye each other covetously as Angie exits the room, and wow the Porter-Kennard Moms got out of town just in time, huh! This man is insisting Angie remain in the class, which is a terrible and unprofessional decision for a real-life scenario and a wonderful decision for a dramatic television program.
Back at The Aloce Show, Shane’s gifting Ivy a box of vintage Shane for Wax supplies. Ivy’s attempting to seduce Shane by shoving her fingers in a container of pomade and you know what, it’s working.
Dani leads Gigi and Nat to their sofa in the back of The Aloce Show‘s Studio Audience and asks if they need anything and is clearly taken aback by Nat actually requesting champagne, because Dani doesn’t want to give Nat anything besides maybe a banana cream pie in the face. Then Nat extracts a bountiful bag of oranges from her magical purse — it’s a gift, for Alice, ’cause the roadside stand was out of flowers! Dani hates it.
Now that Dani’s off on her Taskrabbit errand, Gigi has big news for Nat: in the moment of her accident, when her entire life flashed before her eyes, she did not for some reason see that sex scene in the back of Dana’s with Alice. Instead:
Gigi: “The way they say your life flashes before your eyes, I saw you and the kids. My family.”
Nat: “I’m sure it was just the adrenaline.”
Dani drops off the champagne and no cups. Luckily, Nat’s got a reusable straw!
Back at the gutted Jenny Schecter Memorial Tavern, Tess’s sponsee has arrived and IT’S CARRIE!!!
Firstly:
Carrie: “You know Tess described you perfectly. Leonardo DiCaprio from Romeo and Juliet, and with the hair and everything I totally see it —
Finley: “Wow that is weirdly the nicest thing anybody’s ever said to me,” Finley pauses. “Wow I must be on some kind of gender journey, huh?”
Carrie: “I wouldn’t know enough about that to say.”
Having a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio from Romeo & Juliet was my entire personality in 1996 so; can confirm, although the hair color is key!
Carrie tells Finley that she hit rock bottom after a tsunami of depression incited by the galaxy-shifting reunion of Bette and Tina (which technically happened like… last week, since allegedly Bette and Tina had been out of touch for the entire year proceeding Season Three, and it seems like Carrie’s suggesting the tsunami began a year ago when Tina left her rather than last week but okay!) and now Tess is her sponsor. But also, she’s gotta pee, and she heads over to Dana’s and immediately plows head first into the bathroom door, which is being exited by Misty the Plumber.
Luckily, Misty has seen Sex and the City and patches Carrie up just like Miranda’s hot boyfriend did for Steve:
Finley pops in to see what the delay is on their Big Book Bash and clocks this supreme First Aid Accomplishment. Misty says there’s no toilet paper in the entire bathroom, which Finley immediately confesses was definitely her fault. I am concerned about if Carrie peed her pants or not.
Back at The Aloce Show, Nat’s attempting to enjoy sipping from her champagne with a metal straw but Gigi is dead set on discussing her post-crash vision. Like: what does Nat think it means? I think it means that Nat is the mother of Gigi’s children and Gigi should stick it out with Dani because somebody really needs to give Dani a break. Nat attempts to play it down — while Gigi maintains a top spot in her heart, she’s not here to cause a breakup.
Apropos of nothing, it is revealed that Nat and Gigi met when they were 18 and 19, which is brand new info that honestly surprises me quite a bit!
Sophie’s in crisis and needs Dani’s help!!!
“Why don’t you carry your own tampons?” Dani asks. I laughed!
The true source of Sophie’s distress is, however, that one of the dating game contestants has boozed themselves into a messy stupor and she’s gotta replace this sloppy mess with a brand new potential soulmate. Dani refuses to assist, she is too busy placing 1-2 oranges at various locations throughout the vicinity, which’ll likely attract a herd of spider monkeys who will eat all of our ears and then we’ll all die, just like Bette Porter said we would.
Dani, busy not helping, peeks behind the curtain into the audience, where she sees Gigi and Nat… holding hands??? WHAT IS GOING ON
And just like that, all the blood drains right out of Dani’s body. She’s been betrayed before and missed all the signs but now here she is and this is more than she can rationally handle.
Back at the Glam Squad Stand, Ivy’s telling Shane she needs a revamp ’cause she’s been out of the dating game for two years after birthing offspring and subsequently caring for said child and so far she’s been uninspired by her dating app experiences. “Those dating apps, yeah,” says Shane, who for sure has never been on a dating app because she is a babe magnet.
“She is everything and she’s also sucked me dry,” says Ivy of her probably cute baby she should show us all pictures of already!!!! “I just don’t feel like myself all the way.”
Ivy says she just wants to “get back on that horse,” which is convenient because earlier today Shane was practicing how to ride that pony.
Great news, huge surprise: Liberated Coffee Taylor’s been recruited to be the third contestant on The Dating Game, which’s great news for coffee and liberation. This also gives Ivy and Shane a little group activity; a four-minute makeover. Whomever wins this Top Model Challenge will get a $5,000 chocolate pearl necklace and a 2012 Ford Focus!
Apologies that I have deviated from the main event of the main event: The Aloce Show‘s 100th Episode! It’s well underway and Alice looks fantastic…
Living legend Margaret Cho is here…
… and Contestant Number One is claiming to be a veterinarian who rescues animals from natural disasters and I would sooner marry a plastic fork because a plastic fork would never lie to me
Gigi attempts to head home but is blocked by her girlfriend, Dani, who must know immediately why her and Nat were having finger-sex in the audience of a live TV show surrounded by cameras!!!
Gigi: We can talk more later.
Dani: I’d like to talk about it now.
Contestant number two is hot, but she runs a cold storage start-up for NFTs which is also incredibly suspicious and I’m concerned for Alice’s future. She says her most embarrassing moment was throwing up on the first car of a roller coaster on a first date, which is really not that embarrassing!
It would’ve been cute if suddenly Contestant Number Three was Tasha, but anyhow! Backstage, Shane and Ivy are worked their magic on Taylor so she’s totally camera-ready! Also a group of small helpful mice have sewed her a gorgeous chambray blazer and then tailored it to fit her body. Tailored for Taylor! Get it? I’m turning into Finley.
Taylor says she’s from Normal, Illinois and her most embarrassing moment is this moment right now!!
“That voice sounds so familiar,” Alice says. Probably Alice saw Mallrats!!!
We then return to the Jenny Shecter Memorial Fixer-Upper, where Finley and Carrie are swapping war stories. Finley tells Carrie she once drank a bottle of Goldschläger and moved from Kansas City to Los Angeles, because being drunk helped her do shit she wouldn’t have done otherwise. I can relate ’cause once upon a time in the mid-00s, I drank two bottles of wine and ruined my relationship, which I don’t think I would’ve done otherwise.
Carrie correctly informs Finley she’s gotta submit her college app or she’s gonna regret it for her entire life! The Olive Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany will probably not be around forever, if it even is still around at all, and who knows when in her matriculation journey she’ll be able to study abroad.
Then Misty pops in to announce her Plumber Project’s completion. Misty and Carrie exchange some witty banter, and Finley clocks the connection.
“You ask her out, I’ll send in my college application!” Finley barters.
Carrie dashes right out of that shack into the glorious afternoon to propose to Misty and Finley sends in her college application!
Carrie returns to announce she asked Misty out and has now somehow joined her bowling league, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Gutter! This is an accurate representation of gay recreational sports leagues in Los Angeles.
Tess is at home looking amazing and saying goodbye to Peppermint Patty before heading to The Aloce Show. Unless she lives literally next door she is definitely going to miss the show in its entirety. They dance and I feel like this is a very sweet mother-daughter moment but honestly I kind of zoned out
While Tess is being a sweet, caring daughter to her ill mother, Shane is getting into some trouble! Ivy’s taking Shane deep into the bowels of The Aloce Show because it’s Cheat O’Clock for Shane. Ivy keeps putting out signals and Shane keeps trying to maintain the vibe without upping it, like she’s not gonna help row the boat but she’s not getting out of the boat either. And then, Shane says she was following Ivy’s lead with Taylor back there and then…
Lesbian Sexy Moment #3: All the Pretty Girls In The World But I’m in This Space With You
The Players: Shane and Ivy
The Pick Up: “Come with me.”
Shane pauses outside the door Ivy has just disappeared behind for ~2 seconds before resigning to the undoubtedly magnetic force that would compel anybody to follow Kehlani probably anywhere, like off a cliff probably? So then Ivy’s in this blue-lit room, taking off her shirt, her back against the wall like the wall built itself just for her shoulderblades to graze it, waiting, and Shane walks at her, tucks her hair behind her ear, runs her hand along her face and puts her mouth on her mouth and we are off! Shane lifts Ivy onto the table, slides her hands under Ivy’s shirt and flips her around, Ivy arcing against her and gradually bending over as Shane helps her get out of those pants so Shane can get into them and then —
We are back upstairs where nobody is having a sex scene! Instead, Dani’s challenging Gigi to tell her what’s going on between her and Nat, which forces Gigi to confess that their lips did in fact make contact in the ambulance.
Lesbian Squabble #7: Over and Out
In the Ring: Dani vs. Gigi
Content:
Dani: “What we have is good, why are you doing this.”
Gigi: “We have a good thing… I’m just confused.”
Dani: “You’re confused?”
Me: (I am also confused)
Gigi: “When I got hit, I … I saw Nat and the kids.”
Dani. “And not me?”
Gigi: “I don’t know what it means, that’s why I’m telling you!”
Dani: “What are you saying to me right now?”
Gigi: “I don’t know, I need time.”
Dani: “Okay. You take your time. I’m done.”
I’m sorry but what!!! A 15-month relationship has just ended backstage at The Aloce Show???? Is Gigi gonna fight for this? Make a grand gesture like running into traffic or a Promposal in a fountain??? The only potential upside here is that, as we saw in Season Two, single Dani is really delightfully chaotic. But I also need Gigi to stay on the show for personal reasons
Who Wins? Sapphic chaos?
Back at The Aloce Show it’s time for the big finale question: Why Do You Wanna Date Me?
Alleged Animal Rescue Man: “What’s not to love?”
Cold Storage NFT: “Smart, sexy and beautiful: the full package.”
Taylor: “They promised me a coffee mug if I did the show, so… the free mug?”
I’m sorry but those were terrible answers and at least Taylor made a good joke, congratulations to Taylor!
Alice: “You’re funny!”
Taylor: “For a regular gal, yeah.”
Despite the new love blooming in this warm studio audience, it’s a different story outdoors: Gigi’s sitting in Nat’s car, feeling sad about Dani, unsure of what to do next.
Gigi: “You should really let me drive.”
Nat: “Oh I only had a few sips.”
Gigi: “No I just mean you’re a really bad driver.”
LOL as if anybody on this show cares if anybody drinks and drives unless it’s Finley! But before these two lifelong lovers can pull out of the lot, Dani emerges from the murky background with a bag of oranges and a grudge. Which of course reminds me of my Queen Jenny Schecter:
Dani’s hurling the oranges at Nat’s car with a mean pitching arm that Carson Shaw should definitely take a look at. Gigi and Nat are freaking out, Nat says that bag of oranges cost three dollars which is impossible, oranges cost three dollars each in Los Angeles these days, Nat screams: “That was for my ex! I mean, OUR ex!” and while I hate this breakup, I did enjoy this scene! A lot of vehicular trauma for Gigi this month.
Some ambiguous period of time later, Sophie finds Dani sitting in the hallway eating the oranges like a kid who broke his ankle in the first quarter of the soccer game and is now stuck on the bench eating leftover oranges from halftime.
Sophie sits down next to Dani in a supportive, friendly manner.
“This is the second time that the person I want to marry ran off with someone else,” Dani says.
Sophie tells her she’s gonna be okay — she’s got this, she’ll bounce back, Dani is the most together person Sophie knows. “Not anymore,” Dani says. “Turns out that’s you.”
But that’s not true, either — is it ever true? It’s rare any of us really have it any more together than our exes, it just seems that way because everything always seems better when you can’t see all the way inside it.
Sophie invites Dani over and Dani’s like, “are you trying to get back together with me?” and Sophie is like absolutely not no way!!!
Elsewhere in this spacious building on the Paramount Lot, The Aloce Team is celebrating the wrap of their one-hundredth episode with day-drinking, and Alice cozies up to the Liberated Coffee Cart to get this date with Taylor on the books. Taylor’s simply unable to fathom the possibility that Alice has a genuine interest in her; like it’s categorically impossible because Alice is a famous and Taylor’s just an innocent aspiring coffee artist from the Great American Midwest. What she doesn’t realize is that Alice recently had to tell a Gen Z TikTok star not to livestream their sex scene and then almost did oral with a NXIVM cult member so she is actively seeking something a little more low-key.
Alice explains that she is a person of Dating a Famous experience:
Alice: “I’ve been you. A long time ago I dated someone famous when I wasn’t, but I’m just a person. And I like your weird sense of humor.”
Taylor: “You know that’s not the compliment I think you think it is.”
Alice: “And you’re cute.”
Taylor: “Well, I can’t speak to that one so much.”
Me, ruining the vibe: “Also the famous person Alice dated is dead now”
Alice is like come on, one date. One regular date! What do you think??? I think yes!!! Taylor thinks yes too! Get these two a ship we are ready to set sail!!!
Great news for I guess nobody at this point — Tess has arrived!!! Sophie’s walking down that basement hallway with Tess — you know, the hallway where Ivy recently lead Shane into her secret underground bunker of sex and candy. Tess doesn’t ask what on earth Shane was doing down there when she emerges from said bunker — she’s too wrapped up in apologizing for being late and for snapping at Shane earlier.
“All is forgiven,” Shane says, because she just banged Ivy. Tess wants to stay for the party but Shane’s exhausted from railing Ivy and would like to just go home. Tess agrees, naively, and once they’re safely off-screen, here comes Ivy, still re-dressing herself:
Sophie clocked Shane and Ivy heading downstairs together earlier, and now she clocks this, and doesn’t know what to do about any of it besides to swallow and wince.
Back at FiSoMiMar’s, Finley’s happy as a clam, eagerly preparing a Romantic Dinner of Charred Chicken to celebrate her college application submission and Sophie’s completion of Alice’s 100th Episode!!!
“That steak looks amazing,” Micah says about Finley’s chicken.
Sophie arrives and is immediately embraced by her one true love, Finley, who suggests this romantic dinner could be followed up by perhaps another sex scene because the series has been really short on sex scenes this season but before we can get too deep into that possibility, Dani enters behind Sophie, looking a little surly, sheepish and hot:
Dani: “Figured I’d come piss in your hallway for a change.”
Finley: “I mean, if that’d be helpful, by all means, please do.”
Dani suggests a truce, because there’s nothing that helps you move past the drama of a past failed relationship like having new drama from a subsequent failed relationship!
Micah circles back: now that Dani’s already ruined Romantic Date Night, he’s automatically re-invited to the gathering. And just like that, the original Gen Q Four are reunited, just like the Final Five cylons! They gather around a table in a home where they once shared a rocky little life and now they must prepare to re-forge their friendships in time for Micah and Maribel to have a baby they need babysat.
And that’s a wrap!
The Round-Up:
Sex Scenes: 1 this episode, 3 total
Squabbles: 2 this episode, 7 Total
Quote of the Week: “”Figured I’d come piss in your hallway for a change.” – Dani
Comments
Dear Riese, may you and your girlfriend get better soon! Congratulations to the great recap even though you are down with Covid. And congrats to the shout-out to you in the Pants-Podcast – rightfully so, you deserve it!
In other news:
– I loved Taylor! Very relatable indeed! I’m shipping them!
– I didn’t like Sophie’s “You got this. You’ll bounce back”-speech to Dani after the break-up with Gigi. Let there be space for pain and hurt. Don’t brush it aside with a “You’re the most together person I know” – the invisible second part of that sentence is “you are so strong, so you can stop being sad now and/or inconveniencing me with your pain”. This would have been a great moment for grief-education in characters’ interactions – Sophie saying “bouncing back blah blah” and Dani responding with “This is not helpful. Right now, I am in pain. Let me feel hurt. I was together with Gigi for [x time], wanted to marry her. What you are doing right now is the second part of the sentence [explain Megan Devine’s concept of this in one sentence, see ‘It’s Ok That You’re Not Ok’]. I need time and empathy to process this.”
– Great, so Tina calling off the wedding was the catalyst for Carrie’s relapse. Is there any other way Finley and Carrie could have met and bonded? Can the writers portray any struggles that sober people might experience that is not somewhat tied to a relapse?
– Looking forward to Carrie and Misty <3 … I am so bored by the successful glamorous feminine characters with stellar careers in this show, and I would love to see more Finleys, Carries, Mistys and Taylors – people who are going about their regular lives and are somewhat more relatable to queer people I know
– How will Finley pay for school?
– Oh for the love of all that is still good in the world, please don’t make a forbidden love story about Angie and her teacher. No. Just no
– I don’t understand – in the last episode, Tess wants to buy a second bar right next to the first one, and in this episode, she complains that it is too much and she is tapped out… What a surprise! Who would have thought! Not us! Not the people in the comments here.
– The Shane cheating storyline: so, so boring. We’ve been through this again. And again. And again. By the way, in contrast to probably everyone else, I am not a fan of Shane and Ivy (simultaneously, also not of Shane and Tess)
– So tired of the trope of exes becoming closer after one person’s accident and the jealousy/break-up with Gigi/Dani… Also in contrast to everyone else, I don’t care about Gigi and Dani
Seriously, I would really like to know how these decisions are made and whatever goes on in the writer’s room. When “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” came out, I read interviews with the filmmakers and was impressed how they intentionally went for something beyond the expected recycled tropes and wanted to create something truly new and original. I love smart TV storylines, something new and unexpected; love educational movies & TV shows in which I learn something along the way, without drumming the message into the viewer. It is possible! Others are doing it! But this is not what is happening in this show, and I am just so tired of recycling the same old stuff over and over and over again.
I agree that the Dani/Gigi jealousy breakup storyline felt uninspired, and the seeing-the-late-following-life-threatening-circumstance, but I also never totally understood Gini (beyond the fact that I adore Gigi, and they made Dani far more sympathetic in s2) and her returning to Nat post-throuple etc. actually makes a kind of sense in my brain, given that the original breakup wasn’t because she wanted to leave per se.
Regarding Sophie’s lack of thoughtful support in the wake of Dani’s breakup: at least Dani didn’t go to Tess! Many of the characters on this show have a bad track record for holding space for their friends’ pain, uncertainty, or turmoil.
I absolutely agree, the characters are generally bad at holding space for each other’s pain. Not just in this show; often, one character speaks about a problem, and their friend responds with their own problem. And yes, Tess would have likely brushed her off like last week with Finley.
Also, I meant to say that I don’t love Dani and Gigi *together*. They are both nice characters for themselves, but they were never a couple I shipped… Dani has grown on me, I liked her much better in season two than in the first season.
More random thoughts…
Oh wow, I didn’t notice that Alice was flirting with Taylor! I thought she was just being polite, but after reading this recap, I am convinced!
When Tess’ mom and Tess danced, I zoned out. I was a nurse for older people and while I know that rich old people do exist in this world and need care, I just don’t connect to it very much on TV because the reality of the people I worked with was so very different. So far, the care-taking of Tess’ mom looks like an advertisement for rich white seniors.
I feel like time stopped for a year when we were not watching. They said a year passed, but I didn’t register it in many of the interactions, especially with Dani and Gigi. I am just not convinced that Dani regularly sees the kids, plays with them, is involved… or that Gigi has kids in the first place. She seems to have so much time, time for a career, for her partner, for her kids who we never see. It doesn’t register with overworked and tired moms I know, but I yeah, it’s TV and I am not Gay Law.
The picture captions are super-funny!
I feel like time didn’t pass for Gigi and Dani too!
I feel like some time has passed for Shane and Tess
and some time passed for bette
And time passed for Alice
And time passed for Finley but time didn’t pass for Sophie and Finley’s relationship or for Sophie
Time didn’t pass for Angie let alone Angie and jordi which is wild cuz young people change pretty radically from year to year! Most shows with teen characters reboot the entire person between seasons!
Not sure with Micah and Maribel tho.
One thing that works with sinley is you at least feel like they’ve established some in jokes and insular couple-talk, but maybe that’s just their personalities.
Oh yes! It is true! Time passed for some characters and couples and not for others. That’s a really smart way of looking at it and I hadn’t thought of it.
Really, I wish the writers had a person who was assigned to the time stuff in the series so time would actually make sense overall, but it seems like a multiverse of time-zones at this point. I want that more from the show – more than Kate and Leisha – read your recaps, basically I want that the writer’s room does an in-depth-reading of your article on time after the last season and takes some notes, or ask you to consult them on the concept of time, and also what happened in the OG series.
To be fair they did reboot Jordi’s entire look and personality between seasons one and two
I didn’t see that as Sophie invalidating her feelings at all! She was just saying things will get better bc Dani has a lot of strength within herself, something I think Dani definitely needs to hear at this moment!
Yeah I agree re: sophie’s feedback to sad dani! on the day that my girlfriend left me for her ex maybe I would not want to hear that I will bounce back because I’m strong and resilient and together! I think I would want to hear “it’s okay if you feel like shit forever.” especially when dani is such a swallower-of-feelings and sophie knows that about her. but sophie also probably isn’t the best person to help dani through her breakup — micah would be a better candidate for that. shane and alice were also pretty good at being there for sad friends in the original series but neither of them know dani very well, it seems.
But yeah agree with cait at least she didn’t go to tess….
As usual, the screen caps are the best part. “Hi my name is Gwen and I’m here to wash your vagina” made me howl. My wife and I saw Margaret Cho do that joke in her standup set at the Dinah Shore about 25 years ago and we still randomly blurt that out. It’s such an old, obscure but hilarious reference and it delights me that someone else out there knows it.
As usual, Riese was correct when she told us to hold out. I had almost given up hope, but after this episode I feel like the show has found its groove again! (even if there are narrative and character decisions I wish were more thoughtful or less repetitive).
All the little details (the framed chart!) and the way they interwove the characters into one another’s lives/spaces felt more natural than what we’ve see in the last 7 or so episodes…
Nat’s return makes since within the context of this constellation of people and I liked her more subdued vibe this episode. I do, however, miss more sympathetic Dani of last season.
I’m excited to see a kind of new circle of friendship being reforged between the original Gen Q housemates (especially if Gini is over), in a way that seems to very clearly honor their complicated inter-histories but also chart a new path forward (I liked that they very clearly nipped any “will Sophie return to Dani” speculation in the bud).
It is 100% BANANAS that Tess would allow Finley to step in for a sponsor check-in, but I will overlook it this time because it allowed for that Finley/Carrie dynamic to blossom (and I’m excited about Misty!) even if I wish sobriety and relapse hadn’t become a de facto plot vehicle on this show (given how poorly it’s been handled in the past).
Having watched the ways that music can connect with a loved one with dementia personally, I found the scene with Tess’s mom really moving, and I’m glad that she and Shane had a conversation about their tense dynamic at the end (even if initially I found it super annoying that Tess would snap about having “too much on her plate” after she basically steamrolled Shane into buying the second space).
The goofy parts of this episode landed for me (that ridiculous demo scene; Finley saying she had stopped feeding the rats–I love a silly runnings gag that makes no sense/serves nothing), the way the characters inhabited themselves and their relationships with the other characters made sense (even if I’m over the “Shane has the itch” storyline as dramatic kindling, and it made no sense that Finley wouldn’t also attend the taping although I understand they had to keep her at Dana’s for other plot purposes), and it was just plain fun and felt more real than the show has recently.
I also have to believe that making Carrie’s new love interest a plumber had to be an inside joke in the writer’s room/for the fans in light of Bette’s history with the carpenter (turned plumber in Lez Girls)?!
i SCREAMED when they said the plumber !!!
About the plumber: me too!!
yes i talk about the plumber on the podcast!!
i also really like the rats running gag — it’s cute and it’s a (unfortunately often rare!) example of the writers giving a character meaningful details that illuminate personality rather than throwaway ones.
Hi fellow recap enjoyers! Hi Riese! Hi Kate Moennig! Hi Leisha Hailey! This was a fun episode, much better than the previous two in my opinion, and another fantastic recap – the neckbrace photo caption referencing Gigi’s terrible partial turtleneck from last season is godtier. Hearing the outpouring of appreciation for these posts on Pants made me giddy because I feel the same way!
Overall, I really deeply dislike what the writers have done with Gigi and I’m also not here for a potential teacher/student situationship, but this episode gave me a handful of things to be excited about too. Carrie’s return can cancel out a lot of disappointment!
Reise, I love your recaps so much. My favourite part are the picture captions and I literally spat out my drink at the White Lotus reference. Feel better!
They have ags8n completely changed Gigi’s character. And Nat’s. And the dance with Finlay and Shane was ridiculous. The show is endlessly trying to show how cool Shane is but she is just super immature. The dance made me cringe. Without Bette this show sucks. Would love to know the real reason Jennifer Beals left
The dance was the most original flavor L Word segment they’ve had in 3 seasons.
I also literally laughed out loud when I saw the White Lotus reference!! It made me wish that Riese was also writing recaps for that show.
lol yes! the white lotus caption was basically word for word my girlfriend explaining it to me bc i was sitting there like “does she just not have any pictures of the trainer or…?”
I loved this episode. I laughed out at the Shane/Finley demo scene and hooted and hollered. This episode was fun again. Reminds me of the feeling of the original L Word. “We” were so excited to see lesbians on tv. I don’t even remember all the analyzing and over analyzing. Just a good time. The sex, representation. It was hot and fun. Will look up the director of this. Spot on imho
I will add a couple of serious points. I am NOT here for the student/teacher relationship with Angie and the art gallery guy. Totally inappropriate. The scene with Tess and her mom hit home for me, being of a certain age and watching a parent age and decline. It was just sweet.
Agreed! I feel like the Tess stuff is so sad, but also realistic in a way that surprised me! (In a good way)
HATE Angie / professor storyline. Booooo
With Bette + Tina finally reunited (yay!), I’m cheering for Gigi + Nat! I’ve always liked them together. Apropos, can we get an update on Nat’s life? She just disappeared.
Shane, you bastard! Always a cheater…
right like also is nat still wanting to only be in poly relationships because does gigi even know that???
yes i agree this ep was a good time!
I agree it was a hot and fun episode. I feel like sometimes they’re aiming for prestige TV (and failing!) (or maybe we’re asking them for it when that’s not what it’s meant to be? or both), and I just want it to be fun and hot and soapy, and occasionally lovely/meaningful.
Absolutely hate the direction they’re going in with Angie. She’s totally fine, not at all mourning her girlfriend, and her much older professor is trying to date her? It’s gross and wrong. Screenwriters, please stop with the professor-student bullshit.
Besides that, this was my favorite episode of maybe the entire series. Just a huge improvement in writing and pacing overall.
I’m glad she’s not moping around about Jordi. My fear is that she loops into the same negative break up to makeup pattern Bette and Tina have been holding in since she was a fetus.
I’m positive Nat is Tina. Even have the same letters (almost). But I love Gigi and Nat together, really. Why do people hate’em?
i just wonder how this story for angie could possibly loop her back in with the rest of the cast, now that her moms are gone? if we’re going to be getting this mess, i’d love to see alice and shane trying to navigate her out of this mess, that would be an interesting dynamic.
Is it a mess because he’s a professor or a mess because he’s a HE? This show has a history of characters being bisexual, and then erasing away all the men. Even the gay ones.
100% agreed. The Angie storyline is shameful.
100% agreed; the Angie plot line is shameful.
yup. If Angie and teach happen, I may be finally *out.* What is going on in the writers’ room?
He is not trying to date her. Angie initiated contact and kissed him. Yes it’s cliche that her first male crush (that we know of) is a professor. It’s also lazy to have this storyline since there was a similar one in the first L Word where Bette fooled around with her art class student. But I’m not sure the writers saw or remember all the original episodes. They’d also remember, amongst other things, that Angie’s biological father was a Whitney Biennial artist, so…not so unheard of.
I’m not even gonna criticize the little odds and ends on this one, it was a delightful episode! Light on the soicy scenes, but you know what, I’ll take fun banter and little gags like the oranges. And truly what I’m most thrilled to see is people actually acknowledging that Tess is the worst!
Hell I’m even here for the core four reuniting and moving past (basically just ignoring) the drama. Last season was SO heavy every. damn. episode. it was nearly traumatic to watch. Bring back the fun I say! Though I can’t help but lol at any version of Finley doing AA things. I don’t know much about AA myself, but I feel I could have done two to three seconds of research and written more realistic scenes. It’s like someone overheard a conversation about AA and was like roger that, I have enough to go on. Gonna let that go though, because what harm is it doing, really?
And finally, a moment to acknowledge how Dani notoriously couldn’t give fewer fucks around any partner who is injured or otherwise dealing with injured loved ones. “Oh, you can’t get dressed, man I…really have to go walk around this event with a clipboard, right this moment.”
All in all, I’m in for where this show is heading this season after being SUPER critical last. If we could get back to sex that is A. Hot and B. Maybe even pushes the envelope a little? I’d be over the moon.
Totally agree about the core four getting the band back together! That little scene at the end with all of them was short but it still felt so vital and jovial with Dani’s joke about pissing in their hallway and Finley not knowing what the tres leches are. There’s no romantic relationship in the original L Word or in Gen Q that has been as meaningful to me as the friendship dynamics.
exactly, it’s the friendships we keep coming back for and i hope we see more of the dynamic between that foursome, like because the dynamic with shane/alice/dana/bette/tina in the original series was always so delightful
This episode was 100% better now that the Bette and Tina circus is out of town. I’m reading the recap now, and will comment further when I’m done.
I did enjoy the last episode but I believe that without seeing more of TiBette the fans are going to get restless. They just got back together and we want to see more of how they are surviving living together after so many years apart.
Bette and Tina stans, you mean. And while they are a loud, annoying, contentious bunch they are not the whole of the fandom.
Lmao their responses on the last thing Showtime tweeted… I totally understand strong feelings about a tv show – I cannot understand their strong feelings, or the way they go about expressing them
Who is loud and annoying about Bette and Tina? What a weird comment. This is not a good show without them. It’s stale and boring.
Except Bette and Tina are the only good thing about the show. The rest is pretty much trash. Horrid writing, bad acting, no direction, ridiculous soundtrack. Besides that it’s great!
Listen, I have at least three times as many curves as I do curls but even I’m sexier than whatever they were trying to accomplish with Shane and Finley.
Sophie needs to back off trying to force the whole ‘happy family’ vibe. Dani isn’t interested in being anywhere near Finley and it is so, so, so disrespectful of Sophie to keep pushing this onto Dani.
I am furious with Shane. So much for growth. Can you just not be a shitty person for one season?!
And what’s up with JLA just basically being on screen to laugh like a schoolgirl?
I’m sorry but this episode was weak, frustrating and beyond a joke. They’re all going to repeat the same cycles they’ve done before. This isn’t the representation I want.
I definitely didn’t get Sophie being forceful, at all, she just like invited Dani over? And Dani seemed fine with it, I doubt she would’ve gone if she like couldn’t be around Finley at all
I think OP was referring to the double-date invite of earlier in the episode? And Sophie’s reaction when Dani hesitated (uncalled-for). Though I guess it’s irrelevant now as by the end of the ep Dani has decided to forget all of her feelings about Finley anyways!
Ah yeah, forgot about that – I also didn’t think that was forceful though, I thought she was just being nice and the “this bitch” was just a throwaway aside to her and Dani’s often contentious relationship. She said it under her breath not to Dani, so I didn’t see it as hurtful.
I guess I’d feel differently if they were real people, maybe I feel overly sympathetic to the writers just because I want them all to be friends again, haha
Maybe Nat is the Tina to Gigi’s Bette. And in another world where they are the main characters, these two crazy cats will always come back to each other regardless of the pain it causes anyone else. Idk I’m just saying anything to make me feel better about this. I wasn’t that emotionally attached to Gini, but I was excited to see Dani happy and learn more about Gigi. Oh well. Excited for Dani’s hoe phase tho.
I’m always a slut for the power of friendship, so I should be more excited that the core four coming together in the end. It’s just a stubborn bitch like me can’t accept the fact that Dani, a fellow stubborn bitch, can be in the same room as Sophie and Finley. Maybe I’ll warm up to it later.
Angie needs to drop that class immediately but I know she won’t for TV reasons. I guess with Bette and Tina gone, a Porter-Kennard must cause as much queer destruction in the LA area as possible. I was so happy she was gonna have the chance to be the immature one for once and make dumb college decisions but not like this.
Anyways get well soon!
I too am a huge slut for the power of friendship, especially queer friendship, so I spent the entire episode cursing this show out but then my heart was so warmed by four queer friends being friends that I’ll be back next week and probably forever. The rational part of my brain that doesn’t think Dani should be friends with Sophie/Finley is totally overridden by “THEY ARE GAY AND THEY ARE ALL FRIENDS,” so I really admire your resolve…
Also, it’s been a year and I’m happy for them to just move past the last season that devolved into chaos! I can rationalize Dani both being kind of healed from it now, and relishing the opportunity to make digs here and there that remind them How they wronged her. That also feels in character for her, haha. And while cutting out people forever in some cases is healthy, I think it’s also good sometimes for people to get to the heart of their issues and patch things up and ultimately form an even stronger friendship!
But i too am a sucker for tv friend groups and unlikely friendships
“Maybe Nat is the Tina to Gigi’s Bette.”
this is an interesting theory and i like it. also because that would mean we get more gigi
Finley’s tres leches comment at the end made me snort. I liked seeing that gang back together in a way that acknowledged the past drama but didn’t dwell. This episode felt so fun, and I loved how the characters overlapped with each others’ arcs. Also, I died at the Nat/Willy Wonka caption saga.
I really like the four of them as a friend group, and I hope Dani and Finley’s truce sticks so we can see more of the good friend stuff.
me tooooo
so do we think the shane for wax products smell like sweet little figs or
def there has to be a sweet little fig flavor hair wax
Hope you and your girlfriend feel better soon, Riese! The Pants shoutout/guest spot is very cool and well-deserved.
This episode was funny in a way that I wish every ep could be. Nat’s reusable straw and $20 oranges for her ex, wait, her and Gigi’s ex! Carrie probably peeing her pants while a plumber gingerly plugs her leaky ass nostrils! Dani not letting that hallway pee leave her random access memory! Cow, goat, and breast milk as the tres leches!
I do not wish to perceive the new Ezra Fitz because I only barely survived PLL and I want more for Angie in this world. I do not wish to perceive a Gini breakup, even though it might bring back chaos Dani and spread the wealth of Gigi’s tongue to other blessed mouths onscreen.
I’m actually happy to simply not absorb how bad and inaccessible of a sponsor and friend Tess seems to be when her bailing leads to Carrie and Finley hanging out. Finley grates on me sometimes, but I think she and Carrie both need a good loyal friend who likes them and who doesn’t openly treat them like a helpless loser.
I genuinely hope it takes Carrie multiple bowling league nights to get Misty on a proper date, and by then I hope Finley’s on the team, too. I hope there’s a whole bowling episode and it somehow devolves in Micah saying some corny shit like “Maribel, I’m sure parenting won’t be all strikes, but there’s no way our baby could be a gutter ball.”
Alice’s dating show was so fun, and so was Ivy seducing Shane by accepting what have to be wildly expired hair products to use on herself and also clients. I do hope Dani gets back on the apps and circles back to that cold storage NFT woman in her breakup grief spiral though.
Immediately had “not the Ezra Fitz storyline” sirens going off in my head!! Tbh I wasn’t sold on him before that came to light either, if Angie’s going to have a love interest she deserves someone with more presence and charisma.
i lol’ed at the wildly expired hair products and micah and maribel’s bowling banter! truly i would love to see all of these yahoos go bowling. not as badly as i want to see a christmas special written by me, but badly!
and yes, i was able to forgive tess for bailing when it became a carrie/finley bonding moment, like i low-key want carrie to become finley’s new dad
Weird, when they showed a preview of Carrie and Finlay meeting up I thought the sponsorship would be the other way around and maybe Carrie would be the one to finally say mebbe Finlay should not be working in a bar right now?!!
Anyway, I forgive everything for the Carrie/Misty interactions which I hope continue to feature!
Riese I hope you get better really soon because there was just so much weird time in this episode and we all need you interpreting this in your capacity as L Word Time Guru. Obviously, the “4-minute” makeover is a spectacular example of the disregard for passing of time, but I was confused throughout the entirety of the Aloce show about what time of day it was and how long the whole thing was taking.
Also I HATE HATE HATE the whole student/teacher thing with Angie and they need to not do that at all.
i kept having to remind myself that the aloce show is taking place in a windowless lot so it made sense for it to feel like it was happening at night but yes they absolutely kept cutting back and forth between scenes that were spaced a few hours apart and the aloce show live which would’ve been taking no more than two hours to film from top to bottom, probably less! and then by the time gigi and nat left it was nighttime! but when tess was at home with her mom it was daytime!
i think technically though all of that works if it weren’t for the fact that alice’s show shouldn’t have taken all day to tape??
It seems to me the writers are doing a “look, Angie and the guy kissed BEFORE she knew he was her teacher, so it is cute and forbidden and awkward but in the end, it is okay!” But that doesn’t make it fine, cute or anything! I hope they surprise me with a clever twist of “no don’t do it, it’s a problem, red flags everywhere” – but after the disappointment of all the other stories, I don’t think they’ll take that route.
From what I’ve heard, for the reboot, Kate did not want to play Shane as a 40-year-old-version of the Shane we knew from OG, but this is precisely what the writers are doing at this point.
I listened to the “PANTS”-podcast and it is so amazing how they appreciate Riese’s thoughts and writings. Mazeltov! Like Kate and Leisha, I want Riese to be in the writing room, as she would actually remember the stories from the OG series and make smarter choices. Everything they said about Riese is so true, being smart and reading between the lines and getting it and being an awesome writer… I am looking forward to Riese speaking in their podcast.
Happy for everyone who loved Shane’s and Finley’s slowmo-dancing. It wasn’t my cup of tea, I thought it was cringy and wanted it to stop, but I am happy that other people were fond of it :)
It’s the fifth day after Gigi’s accident, and Dani does not know that Gigi can’t dress herself and therefore, Nat has to come around to help her?? What are the characters doing when we are not watching? And: they surely could have written Gigi out of the show in a better way.
The actor who plays Micah said that he was surprised by the baby storyline for season three. I guess he was as surprised as the fans.
This was weird to me too, like, how does Dani not know that Gigi can’t get dressed by herself and also expect her to come to this show? What does she think is going to happen?
i think the other thing about doing the “look they kissed before” thing is that Pretty Little Liars already did it and I know everything is a repeat of everything that has been done before but it didn’t save the scenario then and I don’t think it can save this one either! also i know they’d just met that night but it still seems like angie being a student and him being a teacher might have come up even in the brief convo they already had?
and tHANK YOU i remain desperate to get myself into that writers room i am FULL OF IDEAZ
How do we petition for Riese written L word already
Can someone please remind me which (now dead??) famous person Alice dated? It’s driving me crazy
That would be the tennis champion and Subaru influencer Dana Fairbanks! I also forgot for a split second when I read that part of the recap.
Oh my god, thank you – I forgot that Dana was famous, not that she and Alice dated, so hopefully the L Word gods will forgive me.
Dana Fairbanks.
I also didn’t think of Dana until this recap. Dana always seemed like the most down to earth character on the original show so it is hard to connect her with being famous.
Riese I cannot express to you how excited I was to hear that on Pants!!! I’m go glad your funny, smart, loving but critical when necessary, ingeniously written recaps are getting the attention they deserve! I always say you’re the only person anyone should listen to about the L Word (and many other areas of course, but especially this one) and I can’t wait to listen to you on the pod!!!
I also am glad you and your gf enjoyed Finley and Shane as much as I did, I saw some people saying it was “cringe” which I truly did not understand being said about the best scene in this series.
Speaking of masc 4 masc energy wow I am so glad Carrie is here and that she has a hot new butch love interest and that she’s besties with Finley??? This is the L Word world I’ve always dreamed of!!!
I also agree that Finley swapping in for Tess as sponsor was completely nonsensical to me and I think it could’ve taken like two seconds of reworking to make it make sense. Not to sound like those super fans that think they can write shows better than their writers, bc I know it’s not that easy, but personally I thought Tess was gonna put them in touch after Finley tried to call her last ep, and that would’ve just made a lot more logical sense just saying!!
I’m sure a lot of people won’t buy Dani being friends with Finley again, but the way I see it time heals all wounds and as you pointed out, sometimes shit happens and it gives you newfound perspective (like Dani realizing that in actuality Finley stopped her from a very ill informed Union that would’ve resulted in a lot more than a bunch of thrown oranges imho!)
But maybe this is all a justification to say I’m really happy the group is all friends again!! I felt like I was finally getting the queer tv show friend group of my dreams. I’m so excited for this dynamic moving forward! (She said, recognizing she might’ve just jinxed herself)
That being said, I already miss Gigi, is that actor leaving? Definitely got that “needs to be written out” vibe, which I do not envy the producer for. I found her reunion with Nat very moving though, all the bonkers logistics aside. The heart of that relationship, the actors’ chemistry, I don’t know it all resonated.
As for the demo dance scene, I found it to be cringe *and* great. A true L Word tradition!
I also am concerned/wondering if Sepideh is leaving the show, which would be a heartbreak, but I too found the reunion with Nat to feel authentic and moving, in a way I would not have anticipated (this episode might be the only time I cared about Nat/them, outside of the fun of the ill-fated throuple?)
And Em, your suggestion for Carrie and Finley coming into contact would make a lot more sense than what the writers went with.
I was going to say almost exactly that — the Shane/Finley scene was absolutely “cringe,” but also absolutely delightful! Very dumb fun.
I’ll be sad if Gigi is leaving, I don’t like the polarized age groups and Gigi felt like somewhere in between. Especially since we just lost half of the middle-aged generation, we can’t lose even MORE of the over-3os!
thank you!!
and yes, Em totally they could’ve fixed last week’s weirdness around tess/finley and this one with just like two lines! it would be smart for tess to connect finley with carrie so she has more people to support her!
i feel like in my own life, the last person who really burned you holds a special uncomfortable place in your heart and then when someone new burns you they become the second-to-last person to burn you and somehow that is easier to deal with, and so i am projecting all of that onto dani and finley/sophie!
“I can’t believe it’s not gutter..” as entertaining as your recaps! And you should’ve taken over Marja’s job.
Feel better!
I’m confused about the Aloce Show. Every episode I’m distracted by the immense and busy background scenery of this talk show. Why does it look busier than grand central station?? It looks like hundreds of people are running around working their asses off, so how big is this show supposed to be?
When Gen Q first started, I thought the Aloce Show was more of a local talk show. But they keep comparing it to Ellen and how famous Alice is, so is it supposed to be a nationally syndicated talk show? And if it’s supposed to be like Ellen, who ran like 170+ episodes a season, how is the Aloce Show just now hitting a 100 episodes?? Is this show on Showtime or some streaming service and only has like 8-10 episodes a season? If so, why are so many people employed there and look like they’re all preparing to be on an episode of Supermarket Sweep with how fast and desperate they’re working for their money.
i think the level of business behind the scenes at alice’s show is probably realistic, but as for what exactly her show is and its level of fame and success… i agree that there’s not really been a coherent narrative there! i didn’t even think about the 100 episodes thing but you’re right — Ellen did 166 episodes in her first season, I think this is supposed to be Alice’s third season on the air? What network is her show on? also a great question. and yeah if it’s a premium cable show… then she’d be doing one episode a week, and it seems like a daily show… but also in season one they covered local politics so it doesn’t seem like it’s supposed to be a national cable show… and first season they were struggling to stay on air and now Alice is famous
Hi Riese, sorry about the covid!!! I hope u and ur girlfriend get well soon and don’t have any lasting health effects!!!
About the show – I don’t like that everybody keeps making the worst decisions, but I do find comfort in the fact that nobody’s straight. Conclusion ???
Riese, hearing Kate and Leisha praise you on the Pants podcast was probably the happiest I’ve been for a person I don’t know in real life. What a cool moment, to go from being a fan of someone to them being a fan of you.
Back to this episode, I thought Ari Mandi did some good facial acting. I could clearly see the tension between her hurt and anger and her desire to maintain professionalism at work. Can the writers of this show please give Dani a break?
It’s really interesting to watch Sepideh Moafi in scenes with Stephanie Allynne versus any of her other love interests. When she’s with others I feel like Gigi is trying harder to seduce (and succeeding, obviously), but when she’s with Nat she seems younger, less guarded, and so taken by her. It makes sense given how young they were when they met each other. I hope we can see Sepideh at least a bit more this season, but Internet gossip seems to suggest otherwise.
“When she’s with others I feel like Gigi is trying harder to seduce (and succeeding, obviously), but when she’s with Nat she seems younger, less guarded, and so taken by her.”
Thank you for articulating this! I was not rooting for Nat/Gigi, I am really not rooting for less Gigi on my screen, but it felt so well-acted (by both of them) that I find myself feeling okay about it. You could just tell there was such a history there.
agreed!!
Maybe you and I are the only people in this world that like to see Gigi and Nat together. I don’t know why is so hard for people to understand that Gigi is always looking forward to her family (kids and ex-wife). I experience the same and I’m not even a lesbian! My husband and my son are my world.
I feel like you articulate Nat and Gigi perfectly, and why they got me in this ep!
I feel like Dani usually is very concerned with professionalism, but I did not see it in this end! She was really ready to unpack her relationship right backstage at the Aloce Show
first of all thank you!!! and second of all yes echoing everyone else, you nailed it with your description of nat and gigi’s dynamic.
Some random thoughts:
– This episode was so much fun, and it felt like the original show in some ways!
– The dancing scene with Shane & Finley is a gift from the universe
– Tess is so dreamy!!
– I fucking love Rosie O’Donnell and I’m SO happy to see butches on this show and characters who look more like everyday people. I can’t wait to see the story line between Misty and Carrie develop!!!!!
The way they’re writing the Finley post-rehab story makes Tess look like a terrible sponsor. That’s the second time Tess has blown off someone in need. And I can’t tell if they’re doing this purposefully, meaning it will be circled back to later or if they simply need to get character a and character c to a certain place story wise and character b is just the middle person making the connection. I have a feeling it’s the second option, but couldn’t they do it in a way where Tess doesn’t come off so insensitive and problematic to others in recovery?
That said, I did enjoy Carrie and Finley’s scenes together. I hope Carrie can be a positive influence on Finley and help her work on some of her self-worth issues. Loved seeing them daring each other to take these big leaps for themselves.
I like that the Gen Q gang is getting back to their friends zone again, but I hope we have more bridge building between Dani and Finley and everything that went down last season isn’t just forgotten. Sophie was so cute running around trying to find the 3rd date contestant and deal with Dani. I really like their friendship.
Really liked the two new love interests introduced this episode for Alice and Carrie. Really do not like the twist for Angie’s love interest… that’s just twisted in a bad way.
This episode was so much fun to watch. It’s still not the best written thing in the world but I never expected that from the l word/gen q. What I want is always just fun, entertaining, joyous gay shit. And I feel like this ep really got back to that!! Here’s hoping the show stays on an upward trajectory. Also this recap, as always, was hilarious.
I fan girled out at the dance with Tess and her mom dancing to Carly Simon’s “You Belong to Me” being a HUGE fan. It’s also a nice nod to Carly finally being inducted into the Rock and roll hall of fame! One of the writers must be a fan!!
Wow, this was good! I asked a friend to re-watch with me, not out of the usual “ahhh I need to scream” urge but “hey, this is a fun silly show – wanna join?”. It’s a relief to be more mad at the characters than the writers. Like, I don’t they’re going to full-on Ezra fitz this, but are just going to do enough drama to worry us?
Delighted to see Nat in a non-Alice capacity and Carrie in a scene without Tina. Loved the Leonardo DiCaprio line.
And Riese, these recaps are amazing as always.
Yes to Dani’s Jenny Schecter phase, but they sure rushed that plot and I hope Gigi won’t leave. I have zero time for Angie getting her own Ezra Fitz, especially after Bette slept with a student when she was the dean. This did not need to come full circle.
I am intrigued by Alice’s new love interest. Some Taylors move swiftly, but this one seems to take her time, which could be good for the pacing of this wildly uneven show.
OHMYGOODNESSS I haven’t listened to this ep of PANTS but congratulations, Riese!!!!
Shane, wyd girl!!!
I have never listened to PANTS but will defo give the ep a listen to hear the Riese shout out. I am clearly naive as to how showbiz works, but I would’ve thought that Gen Q would be sending Riese so many gift baskets of elaborate fruits and increasingly bigger checks in order to woo her to write for the show. I feel like if Riese wrote gen q, then I could rewatch the episodes over and over again twenty years later and still be just as pulled in, just like I am with the OG. Me and my bestie watched the Dinah Shore/ coming out stories ep from season 1 last night and I was just like…damn gen q could never!! It’s so fucking funny and silly and profound without being contrived.
Guinevere turner wrote that episode. And she’s said that she would come back if invited but they never asked her.
honestly they could send me like one (1) apple not even an entire fruit basket and I would be like okay i’m ready put me in that writer’s room coach!!!!!!
When my wife heard that Joey Lauren Adams was going to be on the show she thought she’d be playing Alice’s sister, which I now agree was a missed opportunity! We both used to listen to the Pants Pod where Leisha was shocked through recapping the old show to find out that she even had a sister and suggested bringing that back in the reboot. And the two actresses are a similar age/look and both have very unique vocal pitch that for me makes it weird to see them as a couple but would totally buy them as related and could offer some great familial chaos into the show.
Oh wow you are so right that would be perfect!!
omg even i did not remember that alice had a sister!
I just went and listened to Pants and that was such a lovely and specific reference to these recaps. I’m so happy for you, Riese!
I really enjoyed seeing Finley and Carrie – I hope we get more of that. It was also nice seeing Finley, Sophie, Micah and Dani all together talking about breastmilk in tres leches cake at the end.
I was really hoping Shane wouldn’t cheat. I’m not loving her with Tess this season – I liked Tess more before this season – but I’d just like to see that growth for her. She didn’t immediately cheat at the first temptation but she did two episodes later – is that supposed to be an improvement?
– Tess is hands-down the worst sponsor of all time. Fobbing Finley off last week with a “yeah you got this”, giving Finley a job IN A GODDAMN BAR, and now just straight-up ditching her sponsee? Can sponsors be sacked?? Can we report her to Sponsors Anonymous?
– Speaking of… why is Carrie in LA? She and Tina lived in Canada, right? Or at least a place that wasn’t LA. Why would she actively return to the city where both her ex and her ex’s ex live (up until five days ago)? Why, of all people, has she chosen her ex’s ex’s best friend’s girlfriend as her sponsor? I am delighted to have Carrie back but could the writers have taken more than half a millisecond to come up with a believable backstory as to why?
– Alice in a straitjacket was SO fucking inappropriate, even for this show.
– So Ivy, played by a non-binary actor, uses she/her pronouns. What is the producers’ aversion to allowing on-screen nb characters?
– I do hope, if Gigi and Nat get back together, the writers remember that they randomly decided to make Nat poly last year.
– It makes me sad that Gigi attempted to lie to Dani (albeit briefly) when she asked her outright about the Nat situation. She’s the only character we have who’s clearly been to therapy (real therapy, not Dan Foxworthy) and understands the value of open communication.
– Also can we talk about Dani deciding she wants to marry Gigi after a year of dating and a question mark over whether they’re gonna live together?
—
Okay, positives:
– MARGARET CHO
– Cute coffee lady
– Hot plumber and the quintessential queerness of attempting to ask somebody out but instead accidentally joining their bowling league
– Every scene with Angie. I’m really enjoying watching her grow up and have her own adventures/dramas
– Gen Q gang back together at the end
I also thought Gigi lying was out of character, but I also think it was kinda insane for Dani to try to talk about it while she was supposed to be working and Gigi looked like she was going to pass out – especially since she just freaked out at Finley for trying to talk to her at work not 2 episodes. I’m not sure if it’s just a result of having to write Gigi out so quickly, or if it’s supposed to be a character trait of Dani’s that everything can only happen on her timeline
It’s not the same, is it? One is her girlfriend flirting publicly while their relationship is on the rocks, that’s obviously a priority.
The other is Finley of all people, imposing herself on Dani while she is working just so that she can feel better for destroying her life. Dani doesn’t owe her any deference and she doesn’t have to talk to her if she doesn’t want to. Not like dealing with her relationship’s problems at all.
I know there are a lot of people here who like Finley, but the ongoing discourse that Dani owes her anything (time, friendnship, kindness, you name it) is ridiculous at this point.
I feel like there are a lot more people who like Dani than Finley, but yeah I totally get your point, and to be clear I don’t think Finley interrupting her at work was remotely okay, and I don’t think Dani owes her anything. However, I also think Gigi was literally just in a car crash and wasn’t in the best physical or emotional place in that moment, so even if Dani is overwhelmed by emotion it wasn’t the right place to talk. Just like it wasn’t the right place for Dani and Finley to talk just because Finley was overwhelmed by emotion in the last episode. Gigi wasn’t doing anything wrong, she was just talking to her ex-wife, it’s not like Dani saw her and Nat making out, or something that would’ve demanded they discuss the situation right there and then.
I strongly agree that Alice in the straitjacket was extremely shitty and inappropriate. It is a terrible idea for a TV series to make a joke in the Aloce Show about it, and it was a truly “what.the.fuck”-moment for me. What numerous people in psychiatric hospitals experience(d) in the past and also (depending on the country) in the present is neither a gag for a talk show nor a metaphor for a relationship that feels tight.
You are right about Carrie, that is truly puzzling!
Next week Dre will show up, an actual non-binary character with they/them-pronouns on screen – I didn’t think I would see this day in Generation Q.
Haha, I could imagine that Nat being poly dissolves in thin air now that she and Gigi get back together, as it was just a plot device for drama – and maybe Gigi is *everything* to Nat so she doesn’t want anyone else? I mean so much in this show is rooted in what the show apparently needs (random drama, conflict and break-ups) as opposed to how much it fits to the character we have gotten to know. These choices are not aligned to the character’s personalities and feel like the writers are rolling the dice in regards to what happens.
It is true that Gigi lying to Dani is not what we’ve seen of her in season two, but she did cheat on Nat when one of the kids was still a baby and did not tell her (the baby’s reaction brought it to Nat’s attantion), so she does have a history in cheating… Although Gigi could have moved on from that and changed in the years that passed and with therapy. All I’m saying it is that Gigi not coming forward not 100% absurd, like other choices (Finley drinking too much during parties to pissing in Dani’s hallway within days comes to mind).
Riese, you are a pop culture genius. Thank you for the Gwen and Cylons references. Your Borg-like ability to assimilate so many phenoms is stunning.
THANK YOU for getting my Gwen and Cylons references!!! the gwen caption was another instance of me thinking “ok maybe 10 people will get this but it will be worth it for those 10”
I’m one of the ten. But really, wasn’t it “I’m here to warsh your vagina” ?
As a Persian it kind of sucks that they broke up one of the few Persian lesbian/queer couples on tv. I was liking Dani & Gigi together.
I really enjoyed this episode! I do have questions:
1) what is all this talk in the comments about Gigi leaving??
2) which episode of PANTS can one listen to hear Riese being praised?
Many thanks.
i link to it in the intro! it’s like 20 minutes in. also i recorded it to listen to on my phone whenever i feel sad
You really did!
Not sure how I missed it.
Thank you.
Also, you recording it to listen to it over again when you need to is definitely major self-care.
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We need more scenes of Shane showing off her muscles, preferably without Finley next time. I don’t know how Tess could possibly be mad at Shane when she’s flexing like that. Wow.
Still not sure why I keep watching this show, I get maybe 60 seconds of pleasure out of any one episode. Even if I did stop watching I would keep reading these recaps because they are incredible!
Carrie and Misty ❤️
I really want Dani to go through a falling apart phase. She’s so put together and driven but two hard breakups will break you. I want to see her let loose a little and date someone totally inappropriate and take up some weird hobby she’s way too into as a coping mechanism
I think I might be done watching this show. I don’t like any of the storylines and character directions. This has been coming to a head for me for awhile.
Wondering if others are feeling the same way.
Enjoyed your review!
Just a few notes on Chasing Amy though…
I was excited to see Joey Lauren Adams too. I first watched Chasing Amy in 2002 (along with the L Word around that time, and Queer as Folk), and as a teen girl who lived in a society that thought bisexuals didn’t exist, and where the word “queer” wasn’t yet used as a category of orientation (and how I identify now), it was difficult knowing how to define your sexuality. I went through everything Joey’s character goes through in Chasing Amy, not knowing where I fit in the straight vs gay worlds, yet having a history with both of them. The turmoil of that captured perfectly in the film. I dislike Chasing Amy being dismissed as “lesbian falls for a man” fantasy because it is far from that. He pushes for her, and it’s a movie about male insecurity, which at that time was everywhere falsely disguised as sexual bravado and objectification. And ultimately, her romance with him is fleeting because he refuses to accept all of her. That scene at the end, where he proposes a threesome so he can have sexual experience on par with hers, and her response is to say “I love you….” before slapping him across the face and stating “but I’m not your f*cking whore”, and then their relationship is over. It was empowering, knowing I had space to say no, firmly and unequivocally. That sexuality can be fluid, that even though society expected girls to be sexually available to boys, we didn’t have to be to appease them.
As a queer teen, that movie will always mean a lot to me.
This show is not good!! I just finally watched S1 of the glorious Gentleman Jack. Before starting S2 I figured I’d check back in with the dysfunctional 21st cent. LA queers since I was behind a couple of eps. What a depressing contrast of shows! Everything about this ep/GenQ overall is so disappointing; it could be so great and it’s so not. Why is everyone so impulsive? Why do intense conversations need to happen Right This Second? Why do we not give Gigi a whole lot of grace and time for having been in a car crash? (Why is she up and going out five days later??) Why does the show treat alcohol and recovery (and mental health challenges) so sloppily, esp when this is something the queer community in particular struggles with? (Even after all the thousand other irresponsible missteps on the show around alcohol, Tess being fine to leave her sponsee to do step work with Finley made my head explode. and that’s just from dating someone in recovery.)
All that said: can I get Misty’s number? Whew. And I’m here for Shane leaving the chaos of Tess, esp if it means more Shane sex scenes. Even if I keep thinking of Heather Hogan’s 2019 observation that I just read that Anne Lister makes Shane McCutchen look like a clumsy little goat (HA!).
Reise, I hope your household is feeling better by now! I also have it, fortunately super mild this time, but enough to just want to lie on the couch and watch tv. And exciting about the podcast, which I’ll have to listen to! Your work here sure deserves recognition!
Finally, an observation: since early August, I had five weeks of Covid/post-Covid fatigue, two weeks of recovery from surgery, and now a couple of days of Covid again. It has not been my best fall ever! BUT the amazing thing is that I’ve watched almost exclusively queer/lesbian shows throughout. 5-6 series! And other than this one, they’re all good!! As a lesbian in my mid-40s, that feels like a fucking miracle. It also makes me feel even more like we shouldn’t have to put up with this one being so bad – it’s not the mid-90s when all we had was “Go Fish”! we deserve good entertainment and a lot of other shows are providing it, for which I’m super glad and grateful.
Now I’m going back to 19th century England for more with Anne Lister.