If you were to ask someone who knows me what I love most, I have no doubt they’d say “her wife, her sister, her cats, women’s basketball, and Gentleman Jack” — and they’d be right. Today is my 14th anniversary of being a professional lesbian TV writer, and in all that time, I have never watched a show that thrills me the way HBO’s biopic series about real-life Anne Lister does. It’s the way she walks, the way she gesticulates, her near worship of women as a species, the top hat, the competence, the drive, the unrelenting desire, the way she steps closer to every woman as a seduction tactic and to every man as a threat, it’s her wits, her compassion, her curiosity, her impatience, and the way she always does what has to be done because no one else can (or will) do it. It’s Anne Lister the lesbian. Anne Lister the dyke. And the almost unbelievable way the show understands that butch-ness isn’t all short hair, button-ups, and ties — it’s a whole entire energy that makes women go weak in the knees and men cower or rage. Gentleman Jack, against all odds, just gets it.
All of which is to say: I’ve been terrified about the second season of the show, which landed on BBC last week and will premiere on HBO next Monday. Not because I don’t want more Anne and Ann in my life, but because the longer I do this job the more it becomes obvious to me that most creatives and producers have no idea what actually makes their queer characters work.
Well, I needn’t have worried. Showrunner Sally Wainwright has delved back into Anne Lister’s diaries to pluck out and weave together another season of TV that includes everything that made the first one so great — with plenty of gentle ribbing about the coal storylines of season one that basically everyone but me hated. (Because it gave us some of Anne’s best misandry.) And, shockingly, there’s still plenty of growth for Anne Lister and Ann Walker as a couple. Their Austen-esque happy ending was only the beginning, and they’re faced with plenty of internal and external factors that threaten to drive them apart.
Among the naysayers are Ann’s aunt, who loved Anne Lister to pieces until she made her niece gay; Anne’s former lover Mariana Lawton, who brings the lesbian D R A M A to Shibden Hall; every man in Halifax, all of whom are rightfully terrified of what Anne Lister will accomplish with Ann Walker’s money at her disposal; and, occasionally, Anne’s own family, who aren’t so sure about Anne making Ms. Walker the benefactor of the Lister estate. This last point is particularly contentious for Gemma Whelan’s Marian, whose suitors keep being driven away by her elder sister, which is going to leave her in a real pickle if (when) Anne dies. Even Anne’s super-supportive aunt has her doubts about Ann moving in and the two of them combining their fortunes. She does like Anne’s wedding ring though.
Really the only problem with the episodes of season two I’ve seen so far is the murderous pig storyline’s still going, and even I can’t work up the gusto to care about that.
Like last season, Gentleman Jack doesn’t hold back on its showcase of Anne Lister’s more troublesome personality traits, including, you know, being a landlord and coal miner and a Shane McCutcheon/Bette Porter hybrid who has few qualms about voicing worry over her own wife’s “insipidness” and lusting after every petticoat that walks by. But that’s what makes the show great; that’s who Anne Lister was and her wealth is the only reason we have her diaries, which she was clever and educated enough to write in code and stash away in the walls of the home she owned.
There’s also plenty of lesbian sex and man-bashing, which never fails to delight. When that jaunty theme song hit and Anne Lister’s boot dropped, I hollered. I could just feel myself getting queerer as I watched, every fiber of my body and spirit growing more dapper and bright. Jack-the-lass remains the gayest thing I have ever seen on TV.
Gah! Those bloody pig farmers!
I do not do twitter, but I did read a clickbait article which was just tweets from people complaining about the pig farm subplot and also how the BBC announcer kept talking over the end credits so they couldn’t sing along to the theme tune. I did not regret clicking.
Also, you know how it always seemed like directors would ration Julia Roberts’s smiles so there was more impact from the dazzle? I feel like the same thing is happening this season in GJ, where they are giving us 1x Anne smiling in pure gay bliss per episode.
Brilliant series. Why do people have to be so negative
Don’t like it don’t watch it
Simple
I’m stuck on the ‘insipid’ wife bit. It’s the only part of this review that made me cringe. It’s like a trigger word to me. Insipid to me is one of the cruellest and most common ways to denigrate a woman’s intelligence. Anne Lister does alot of stuff that’s morally questionable but putting down her own wife like that screams toxic to me. Sadly I know once I watch it I’ll be so turned on by her swagger I won’t even care. Thus is the life. Still, Ann doesn’t deserve that.
THEY ARE STILL ON THE PIG FARMERS?
It’s the TOTAL WORST. They killed off the last evil guy and now the evil guy’s evil brother has appeared?!!! GAH!
Brilliant series. Why do people have to be so negative
Don’t like it don’t watch it
Simple
lol, margaret, my friend
Totally agree about the pig farm storyline, I would honestly rather have more coal drama than that. Looking forward to seeing how Mariana stirs things up…
There is a clip on IG of Ann Walker referring to Anne Lister as “Fred”. If that is any indication of the fun, I’m all in!!
Gentlemen Jack just brilliant Drama so well written and the performances from Suranne and Sophie and the rest of the cast is just amazing ❤️❤️❤️❤️💋💋💋💋💋💋
I concur! The Best!
I need another companion book to this season
It turns out there will not be one this time (I checked!). Related, some possibly interesting info for you about events in Anne Lister’s real life during the time period this season covers over at Packedwithpotential dot org
Yeah, that’s too bad, I really liked Anne Choma’s style and commentary. Thank you so much for posting that site. What a detailed timeline
I got CHILLS when I read “the boot drop!” I AM READY
I mean there is nothing gayer than still being in love with your ex, can’t wait for more dyke drama, less pig farmers.
Fantastic piece, thank you for that. As usual Sally Wainwright nails it. I only wish she was the show runner in season 4 of Killing Eve!
I’m looking forward to seeing season 2 (and the rest of season 1). Even more for my neighbors who don’t get HBO. Hope to find GJ at the library or for a first anniversary present.
Wait, can you teach me not to care about the pig farmers?? That’s why I am anxious about this season — I’ve been scared for poor Thomas for months!
Still can’t wait, though. Glad to hear there’s plenty to look forward to!
I agree! Actually I’m more concerned for his smoking hot wifey and being trapped in that marriage. I hope they move out and live happily ever after
Is “the coal” still a main character? I really needed less coal last season.
The gayest thing ever filmed was Flash Gordon (1980), but that was male gay. Gentleman Jack is female gay, which is a whole other thing.
Gives me life.
The pig stuff is just there to be wrapped up from S1. That from Sally’s own words. No worries. I love it all. The lovers, the coal and even the pigs. I don’t mind that some things are not from the journals because you can’t build a story out of daily journal entries. Like Livia said, “Gives me life.”
The pig story is just so uninteresting and unnecessary. I hope however far they take this series that it ends before we have to see what ends up happening to Ann Walker.
I was the person who was going to die on the ‘anne lister is a dirty capitalist’ hill, but watching the *spoiler* needlessly abrupt and cruel death of the tv love of my life Villanelle has made me soft!! now I just want this show to give Heather everything she wants! :)
Love this article and LOVE the show. I am straight but love the Powerfulness of this woman. She makes me feel powerful too!
I’ve never watched Gentleman Jack but plan to watch season 1 soon. I do get extremely disappointed with lesbian content these days, weak characters, weak storyline’s, crappy unbelievable subplots.
So I really do hope I’m in for a nice surprise with GJ. I’ll let you know!
Can’t wait!