it’s a girl thing
by henrietta henry
Long Live
the L Word!?
I remember when The L Word first started up. I was living in Chicago in a house Shane leave Carmen’s fine ass at that
of mixed folks; some queer, some straight and we were all stoked about the idea alter? The tragedy kept getting more and
of a lesbian-themed show. So stoked, in fact, that I splurged and got cable with more tragic, and I was caught up I in a weird daze: a
Showtime - a significant cut into my monthly budget. I wanted to get in on the combination of utter disappointment, vague hope for the last
very first lezzie show and totally immerse myself in the drama! season and critical analysis of lesbian life.
When it kicked off into the first season, I was totally hooked. There was that sexy Analysis, because yeah, most of the lesbians I know aren’t like The L Word
theme song, the plot kicked ass and the characters were pretty hot. Word spread characters at all. No big surprise there. I don’t know any lesbian home-owners,
amongst our friends, and then friends of friends that our humble abode in the any lesbians employed at prestigious museums as directors, any filthy rich club-
middle of one of the worst ghettos had Showtime. Pretty soon we were hosting owning lesbians, any lesbians who work for radio programs as DJs, or any straight-
upward of 20 people on Sunday nights. So all these folks would cram into the living girls-turned lesbian who actually STAYED lesbian. I think out of all the characters
room, cheap beers in hand, and watch The L Word on our modest 19” analog TV. And the ones who are like my friends would be Shane or Kit. So in this respect, I have to
you know what? It was a total blast! I made a lot of really rad new friends, laughed it say that The L Word has been a pretty big disappointment as far as the realizations
up and felt myself deliciously disappointed when each episode came to an end. of the characters are concerned. And the downward spiral of the plot has been
“The tragedy kept getting more and more tragic, and I was caught up in a weird daze: a combination of
utter disappointment, vague hope for the last season and critical analysis of lesbian life.”
This weekly shindig carried through season one, but after it was over, I said more of a nausea-filled, rickety County Fair ride, than a crazy, suspense-filled,
goodbye to Chicago and moved out to San Diego. And even though I could theme-park roller coaster. And I won’t even go there with the theme song...
completely afford to have cable when I first moved out to the wild, wild west, it So The L Word has racked up some pretty major strikes against it, but has it been
just wasn’t the same without all those people hanging out, drinking crap beer all bad? Did the show really live too long? I don’t think so, because there have
and tuning in with me. So I went on a hiatus from my beloved L Word and totally definitely been worse shows that lived entirely too long on the air for various,
missed out on every season up until now. But when I heard that it was the last unknown reasons. Really though, I think it’s pretty rad that there has been a main-
season, I decided to get caught up and tune in once again to see it off. stream, lesbian show on TV, putting queer women out there in the public eye,
So there I was not too long ago, cuddled up in bed with all my rented box sets. despite the lack of real-life lezzies. Because really, even just 15 or 20 short years
I was fully equipped with munchies, soda, beer and ready for hours of uninter- ago there’s no way that The L Word would have been on the air. So that’s pretty
rupted quality time with Bette, Tina, Jenny and everyone else. I start the first disc awesome. And maybe, just maybe, it will pave the way for some great lesbian
and whoa! What is with this cringe-inducing theme song? Where was the hot and show that actually is more like our own lives. Something like a lesbian Roseanne
bothered song I knew and loved? What happened to everyone’s hair? Where did meets queer A Different World at karaoke night in Some Town, USA, and end up in
Helena’s kids go? Why the hell did Dana have to get knocked off? And why did a long-term relationship together...with all the drama and U-Haul’s thrown in!
34 RAGE monthly | MARCH 2009
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