Where to begin? The L Word is an addictive series -- no doubt about that. I can't remember getting so hooked so fast on any other series. And contrary to some other posters, I found the music to be one of the strongest points of the show. And the women were truly beautiful; the show was clearly cutting edge -- at least at first. But all that notwithstanding, the show seemed to lose its way rather quickly, and despite tremendous potential, ended up failing -- miserably.
The true irony of "The L Word" is that the making of the "movie inside the show" (Lez Girls) was all about selling out -- and that's exactly what The L Word did; on many levels. To begin with, for a show that was supposedly about lesbians, The L Word showed such a skewed view of lesbians as a group it's not even funny. Once in a while they'd toss in some butch-looking woman, but for the most part it was as one-sided a treatment of lesbians as anything Hollywood has ever cranked out. Furthermore, the show portrayed just about every single character as a mindless floozy who'd drop her pants at the drop of a hat. Only Lindsey (the veterinarian who is the partner of the literary critic Stacy Merkin) and Tasha showed any restraint whatsoever, with a few crumbs of fidelity from Dylan & Bette thrown in almost as an afterthought towards the end of the series. And maybe it's a bit picky, but watching 6 seasons of The L Word with one sexual escapade after another and not ONE SINGLE 69 is just nonsensical. And the only mention of the difficulty some lesbians have performing cunnilingus was Shane's advice to novice Niki -- who was clearly having difficulty going down on Shane -- to "try breathing through your mouth".
The one thing the show did do well was create loath-able characters in abundance. Aside from Dana, who was quite likable, the list of annoying characters dominates the series. Bette is simply insufferable. Her endless selfishness and control-freak tendencies borders on the pathological. And speaking of pathological, Jenny is off the charts. Kudos to Mia Kershner for a great job in creating a totally insane Jenny that made watching the show almost impossible. Tina was bearable in an almost pathetic way, although she did appear to gain strength and credibility as the seasons rolled by.
Tasha had possibly the most credibility of any character, offset by Alice, who probably WOULD have been better suited for cartoon voice-overs. Kit's character seemed retrofitted/out of place. Moira/Max was peculiar to say the least. Cybil Sheppard's best days are clearly behind her. Ivan was a joke -- s/he's super hip and strong and wealthy and creative, yet s/he crumbles the instant Kit sees him/her naked? Please. Tim was barely believable, as was Mark with his hidden cameras/aftermath ordeal. Shane's character was all over the place. Carmen was easily forgettable. Etc. Etc. Etc. The best character, aside from Dana, was probably Jodi Lerner, portrayed dynamically by Marlee Matlin, followed by Marina Ferrer -- whose appearances were cut way too short, just as with Dana's.
Actually, now that I think about it, the most multi-dimensional character in the entire series was probably Peggy Peabody, masterfully portrayed by Holland Taylor. If only the same could be said about the rest of the cast. (Is a cameo appearance by Gloria Steinem supposed to bring authenticity to this show? Hardly.) And the way characters not only disappeared, but totally disintegrated, is laughable. Oscar, the guy who got Tina focused on helping others, completely vanishes into thin air with no explanation whatsoever. One minute he's leading the charge, the next, Tina is getting all the accolades, and Oscar is nowhere to be found. Were the writers all on crack or something? And what a total waste of the talents of Camryn Manheim, who's relegated to little more than an extended cameo appearance/4 episodes.
The "logic" of this show also defies any semblance of reality. Jenny, after being able to purchase a Porsche can't afford to get her own apartment/condo/house? This is just one example amongst many of the huge logic holes permeating this show. (Like Jenny agreeing to allow Mark to stay after he discloses the fact that he's been secretly videotaping them, on the condition that they can't be friends.) Again...were the writers on crack?
The L Word is yet another production that promises to be different, only to implode upon itself. What a shame. The ground that was broken with this series will never be able to be re-visited again -- at least not in any sort of "first to do it" kind of way. Maybe someone else might mop up the stillbirth that is The L Word and create something that actually lives -- because this show died long before it ever really got off the ground. I'm not sure what the intentions of the writers/producers of this show were, but the net result is that of portraying "lipstick lesbians" as little more than Junior High School-mentality gossips, losers, and sluts. It didn't matter how much talent or money any of them had -- collectively they were the most dysfunctional group of human beings to ever grace this planet. And I'm not sure why the powers-that-be ever decided that that would be a great thing to do for the better part of six years, but they did. So be forewarned...this L Word addiction has about as much ultimate chance of providing lasting satisfaction as heroin, coke, or crack. And one can only pray for the sanity of Angelica down the road. Is there ANYONE who watched this series who doesn't think she'll need years of therapy to undo all the damage inflicted upon her by her "Mama B" and "Mama T"? (If so, then you need therapy.) :D
The true irony of "The L Word" is that the making of the "movie inside the show" (Lez Girls) was all about selling out -- and that's exactly what The L Word did; on many levels. To begin with, for a show that was supposedly about lesbians, The L Word showed such a skewed view of lesbians as a group it's not even funny. Once in a while they'd toss in some butch-looking woman, but for the most part it was as one-sided a treatment of lesbians as anything Hollywood has ever cranked out. Furthermore, the show portrayed just about every single character as a mindless floozy who'd drop her pants at the drop of a hat. Only Lindsey (the veterinarian who is the partner of the literary critic Stacy Merkin) and Tasha showed any restraint whatsoever, with a few crumbs of fidelity from Dylan & Bette thrown in almost as an afterthought towards the end of the series. And maybe it's a bit picky, but watching 6 seasons of The L Word with one sexual escapade after another and not ONE SINGLE 69 is just nonsensical. And the only mention of the difficulty some lesbians have performing cunnilingus was Shane's advice to novice Niki -- who was clearly having difficulty going down on Shane -- to "try breathing through your mouth".
The one thing the show did do well was create loath-able characters in abundance. Aside from Dana, who was quite likable, the list of annoying characters dominates the series. Bette is simply insufferable. Her endless selfishness and control-freak tendencies borders on the pathological. And speaking of pathological, Jenny is off the charts. Kudos to Mia Kershner for a great job in creating a totally insane Jenny that made watching the show almost impossible. Tina was bearable in an almost pathetic way, although she did appear to gain strength and credibility as the seasons rolled by.
Tasha had possibly the most credibility of any character, offset by Alice, who probably WOULD have been better suited for cartoon voice-overs. Kit's character seemed retrofitted/out of place. Moira/Max was peculiar to say the least. Cybil Sheppard's best days are clearly behind her. Ivan was a joke -- s/he's super hip and strong and wealthy and creative, yet s/he crumbles the instant Kit sees him/her naked? Please. Tim was barely believable, as was Mark with his hidden cameras/aftermath ordeal. Shane's character was all over the place. Carmen was easily forgettable. Etc. Etc. Etc. The best character, aside from Dana, was probably Jodi Lerner, portrayed dynamically by Marlee Matlin, followed by Marina Ferrer -- whose appearances were cut way too short, just as with Dana's.
Actually, now that I think about it, the most multi-dimensional character in the entire series was probably Peggy Peabody, masterfully portrayed by Holland Taylor. If only the same could be said about the rest of the cast. (Is a cameo appearance by Gloria Steinem supposed to bring authenticity to this show? Hardly.) And the way characters not only disappeared, but totally disintegrated, is laughable. Oscar, the guy who got Tina focused on helping others, completely vanishes into thin air with no explanation whatsoever. One minute he's leading the charge, the next, Tina is getting all the accolades, and Oscar is nowhere to be found. Were the writers all on crack or something? And what a total waste of the talents of Camryn Manheim, who's relegated to little more than an extended cameo appearance/4 episodes.
The "logic" of this show also defies any semblance of reality. Jenny, after being able to purchase a Porsche can't afford to get her own apartment/condo/house? This is just one example amongst many of the huge logic holes permeating this show. (Like Jenny agreeing to allow Mark to stay after he discloses the fact that he's been secretly videotaping them, on the condition that they can't be friends.) Again...were the writers on crack?
The L Word is yet another production that promises to be different, only to implode upon itself. What a shame. The ground that was broken with this series will never be able to be re-visited again -- at least not in any sort of "first to do it" kind of way. Maybe someone else might mop up the stillbirth that is The L Word and create something that actually lives -- because this show died long before it ever really got off the ground. I'm not sure what the intentions of the writers/producers of this show were, but the net result is that of portraying "lipstick lesbians" as little more than Junior High School-mentality gossips, losers, and sluts. It didn't matter how much talent or money any of them had -- collectively they were the most dysfunctional group of human beings to ever grace this planet. And I'm not sure why the powers-that-be ever decided that that would be a great thing to do for the better part of six years, but they did. So be forewarned...this L Word addiction has about as much ultimate chance of providing lasting satisfaction as heroin, coke, or crack. And one can only pray for the sanity of Angelica down the road. Is there ANYONE who watched this series who doesn't think she'll need years of therapy to undo all the damage inflicted upon her by her "Mama B" and "Mama T"? (If so, then you need therapy.) :D