by cme4it

After first watching the L Word, I immediately recognized what a jewel Showtime had on their hands. Finally, a show where not only are they dealing with real women's lives, but also truly enveloping the dynamic aspects of their characters' struggles. I was quickly sucked into the storylines, the triumphs, the pain, and the mistakes made by each of these very sensitive and complicated women. I became a true fan, determined to support the show by tuning in each week and even purchasing the DVDs. So...I did.

But what I am left with after four seasons is a bad taste in my mouth. I feel let down by the show for probably alot of the same reasons other faithful viewers do. The show has become uneventful, unsurprising, and the development of most of the characters doesn't really explore the vast and infinite interesting possibilities of characters like Tina and Shane whose lives used to be fascinating to me. How did Tina become somewhat of a backdrop to Bette, not just in the old sense where she basically played wifey to Bette's Alpha Female impersonation. Let's not even get into the fact of Shane basically never even speaking of Carmen. I mean, what is that? The show used to mirror real time. These characters actually embodied the way that "us out here" journey through life.

AND WHERE'S DANA? Okay fine, people die of breast cancer. I'm not being insensitive by stating that fact so frankly. BUT...this is a television show whose livelihood depends on viewership. And Dana and Alice's relationship was like more than one third of what made the show so great. And I'm not so sure eliminating her is a good idea even though I think we all get it...the L word wants to represent certain political, social, and health concerns pertinent to women all over the world. Thus comes the war and the intervention at Shay's school and Jenny's book as the L Word's self-serving homage to itself AND let's not forget about Dana dying of breast cancer. I'm no expert but the best way to deal with the overarching issue in art is to layer it in the story because most tragedy speaks for itself and takes on a life of its own. It needs no blatant melodramatic afterschool special specificity and focus. It needs only its own presence. How marvelous it might have been if Dana survived what killed my friend's mother and countless others if only to inspire hope especially because Ms. Daniels played that storyline to the hilt and with little of the shimmer and pomp you see on Lifetime's Original Movies.

But Bette...Oh Bette, where art thou? Is it just me or is Bette disappearing? What I love about Bette is that her story in and of itself is fairly boring and universal. Beals really delves deeply in Season 1 to reveal the complex nature of a love relationship and watching her in that first season was educational for anyone who had doubts about the possibility of love. I say that because for all of us who have been jilted by men and or women, we realize that people are fragile, vulnerable, and culpable regardless of their sex. For someone who works so hard to imagine and create her life without limits, Bette has become exhausted with herself. And it translates across the screen as a kind of boredom that is deadly in your lead protagonist. It makes the show dreary at times, especially because Beals is an incredibly powerful actress who reads loudly even in her slightest facial expression. She doesn't NEED to get back with Tina. She definitely doesn't need to be in a relationship with Jodi. Honestly, that relationship is pretty dead. Just like Shane and Paige and Papi and everyone and Phyllis and anyone, which seems like a joke. The only truly compelling and believable relationship was Alice's relationship with Sista Souljah. I actually believed that they liked each other.

What works? Pam Grier, thank goodness, is such a throwback to how great the show used to be. Alice, oh Alice. If it weren't for her, I think the show would be pretty difficult to watch every week. Jenny continued to provide the comedic relief. I love that they are problematizing her writing through Sciorra's character. Helena's character remains true, but pretty boring and this relationship with the gambling woman is BOGUS. Papi, as is, just doesn't work period. She could work, but I don't believe that she would be friends with the whole crew and the whole womanizing thing is getting very redundant. And the only thing that saved the Kit-Papi exchange is Pam Grier. Subsequently, Grier brought out the best in the Papi actress. That's the only time I really actually felt that Papi was connected to something human and real. No matter how trivially you treat your life, you are a human and your dilly dally usually comes from real pain. We don't get that from Papi. Here's a suggestion, albeit however funny, pair Bette with Papi and let's see the humanizing revolution unfold.

Okay, I hope that next season's L Word comes back to its old senses. I hope that Bette's out of body experience is explained and I hope that Tina actually has a storyline. I hope that Dana becomes a permanent ghost character on the show (just (half) kidding). I hope that they don't wear their politics on their sleeve via T-shirts and overstated political agendas and classroom interventions. Trust me, any and everyone who watches the show probably gets it. Tolerance is good. Hatred is bad. I hope that Phyllis' character becomes a little more necessary. I hope they give Papi some dimensions. I hope that there are actual story arcs...And I hope I L(ove) it.

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