What The L: Episode 2 Reviewed
Embodying the whimsy that defined the eternally fun first season, the fifth season of Showtime’s The L Word promises to be a delight.
Case in point: Shane’s romantic entanglement with Paige, built up slowly over the course of the fourth season, was swiftly explained away just in time to present us with the kind of antics that made us fall in love with her in the first place. Last night’s episode featured Shane escaping from a farce of her own creation, with women in a bridal party replacing the clichéd doors.
Watching the season premier and last night’s episode in a double-header, I was disappointed to find that Jenny did not drift out of sea at the end of last season. Tragically, Jenny is back and worse than ever, as an entitled industry insider. Still, hope springs eternal in my Jenny-hating heart: the insufferable author has acquired a personal assistant who seems poised to topple Jenny’s ego. We can tell Adele, her assistant, is from the east coast because she wears glasses and doesn’t condition. Adele has read “Some of Her Parts” five times and, therefore, clearly has something wrong with her. Five seasons in, I still find myself struggling to figure out if Jenny is supposed to be a good writer or a terrible writer. Maybe this year’s the year we find out.
Meanwhile, Helena is in jail. This is a family blog, so we can’t talk about that too much, but Kit’s visit reminds us why Pam Grier remains one of the most enjoyable actresses on the program.
Tina continues to lust after Bette, regretting that she ever got so worked up over that whole infidelity thing. Bette continues to lust after Jodi. Phyllis struggles to successfully dump Joyce.
Now, the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" part of the recap! The military of The L Word seems to work a bit differently than the one we’re used to. Tasha has been held back from Iraq (the rest of her unit deployed) because she is under investigation for homosexual conduct. She attempts to engage a military defense attorney but is rebuffed – he tells Tasha that her goose is cooked and refuses to take the case. Later, Tasha complains about this to Alice, lamenting that she can’t afford a civilian attorney. (“Call SLDN!” I shouted at the screen. But The L Word characters rarely take my advice.) Alice is shocked that Tasha is interested in staying in the military, Tasha responds defensively but lamely. My hope for subsequent episodes is that Tasha will be able to eloquently express why so many brave LGBT service members choose to serve in silence.
- Elizabeth BollesLabels: the l word
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