Hello and welcome to Friday, a day that comes around once a week with all the glory and gusto that implies. This week was a slow one in the world of lesbian television, but Eva Reign did pop in to keep us in the loop about 8 British Film and TV Characters who made her gay, and Nic spotted a possible coven of Lesbian Witches on ‘The Acolyte.’

Furthermore, Motti gave us all the details on Mo Welch’s new documentary/comedy special, Drew and Riese did the world a solid by updating the 25 Streaming Movies With Hot Lesbian Sex Scenes post and Drew got us the scoop on “relatable trans indie” Summer Solstice.

But if you run out of television to watch, have we got the sapphic music video for you!

Notes from the TV Team:

+ Dear Reader, Before anyone asks, I’ll have more for you on Bridgerton next week. — Natalie

+ Juliana Margulies is not returning for Season Four of The Morning Show and I think we’re all okay with that. – Riese

+ The penultimate episode of this season of Top Chef was, from a cooking standpoint, disappointing. None of the cheftestants produced the sort of flawless dishes we’re used to seeing in the late stages of the competition. However, the episode made one thing abundantly clear: Kristen Kish is, absolutely, the right host for the post-Padma era. Only someone with her pedigree — who’s seen the highs and lows of this competition, firsthand — could’ve shown the genuine empathy she did in the episode’s final minutes. I’m so glad she’s the host.

And, of course, there were no sleeves to be found. — Natalie

+ Tara and Rebecca didn’t interact this week on Criminal Minds, but Rebecca was in a few scenes with Emily; I’m glad she’s getting her own storyline outside of being “Tara’s girlfriend” now…even though I hope she ends up being Tara’s girlfriend again. — Valerie Anne

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Episode 207: “Chapter Seventeen: The Bogeyman”

Written by Valerie Anne

Talk about finding love in a hopeless place.

The girls console Imogen after her brush with death, reassuring her there’s no way Bloody Rose is actually her mother and it was probably a mask. Tabby is worried she’s next, the final Final Girl, and the girls promise to keep her safe.

When Noa goes back to her apartment, she tells Jen she’s made her choice: she wants to be with Jen. They smile and kiss about it, but Noa wants to tell Shawn before they make it official. Jen suggests maybe not telling him about the cheating, and Noa agrees this is probably for the best.

The next day, the girls talk suspects. Their list includes the real Rose Waters, Rapist Chip’s mother, Kelly’s mother, and Dr. Sullivan. Imogen makes a fake appointment with Dr. Sullivan and calls her out. To prove she’s not Bloody Rose, Dr. Sullivan tells Imogen Archie murdered her son, which feels like a conflict of interest for her to have been treating the Liars while Archie was tormenting them, but Millwood isn’t THAT different from Rosewood. Imogen can’t find proof of his death online, but Dr. Sullivan takes her to his grave…then Imogen finds her car empty and full of rose petals. Probably not a great sign for Dr. S.

Noa goes on a run with Shawn and then tearfully breaks up with him, and he is shocked. She says she still cares about him, but it’s not the same. He gets mad, and later slowly pieces together that the only thing that has changed lately is Jen. He goes to Noa’s apartment and screams at Jen, punching a hole in the wall. Jen tells Noa about it, so Noa takes a bat to Shawn’s car and says if he doesn’t leave her and Jen alone, she’ll take the bat to him next.

Meanwhile, Mouse and Ash try to calm down Spooky Spaghetti fanatics by uploading a video pretending to be the ghost of Angela Waters, saying enough blood has been spilled. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work, and Mouse and her grandmother get doxxed as a target for The Reckoning.

When the Liars regroup, Imogen and Tabby spill about their bois, Noa tells them she broke up with Shawn and wants to try to “make a real go of it” with Jen, and Mouse tells them about The Reckoning. Communication is one thing that these girls have down pat that the original Liars struggled with.

Mouse gets a computer teacher to take down the Spooky Spaghetti site altogether, in a desperate attempt to stop The Reckoning. Relieved, she runs home…abd finds the real Rose Waters with her grandmother.

Faran tells Kelly she suspects her mother could be Bloody Rose, and Kelly realizes her mother has a rose garden and blames the Liars for Karen’s death. Kelly decides to lock her mother in the prayer closet and ask for help, but by the time Faran gets to her, Kelly is facedown in the pool and Bloody Rose is there, taunting her. Hopefully it’s not too late for Faran’s lifeguard skills to save Kelly; but this might strike Kelly’s mother off the suspect list.

The Chi 614: “Smoke & Mirrors”

Written by Natalie

Another week, another series of gay storylines on The Chi: it’s like the show said, “oh, these episodes running through Pride month?! We ’bout to show out!” And, as I noted last week, there’s part of me that wants to celebrate that…but, like, make it make sense? For instance, there’s a racy scene this week between some boy gays and it’s not lost on me how rare it is to see that intimacy between queer black men on television. But what was lost on me was who these black gays were — I literally had to look it up — and why I should care about them, their relationship, or this new dude one of them cheats with. Make it gay, yes, but also give it a purpose, that’s all I’m saying.

But, I digress…let’s check-in with The Chi‘s lady gays.

Nina is starting to dip her toes back into the dating waters again, as she invites LaPorsha over for a movie night. But when LaPorsha tries to make things a bit more intimate, Nina resists. LaPorsha questions why Nina’s so reticent to rekindling their past shared passion, but Nina admits that she’s still mourning her past relationship. Losing Dre has made Nina doubt if anyone would want to be with her but LaPorsha pushes her to believe that she’s still worthy of love. Still, Nina’s reluctant to be hurt again but LaPorsha’s candid: she can’t promise not to hurt Nina — that’s always a risk with love — but she does promise to avoid doing so when possible and learn from her mistakes.

Later, Nina’s daughter, Kiesha, stops by and she’s positively giddy about her burgeoning relationship with Da Brat. Nary a mention of Nina’s grandson’s Sickle Cell diagnosis or the revelations about his paternity or the ongoing threat to her family, but hey…at least Kiesha supports Nina reconnecting with LaPorsha.

Meanwhile, Roselyn and Serena wake up in bed together and a lot has happened since we last saw them. Roselyn has, apparently, become an expert in lip reading and/or sign language, and Serena has become so smitten with Roselyn, she wants a gun to help protect her. The ASL expertise I can, maybe, buy…but this sudden interest in a gun, from Douda, of all people, over Roselyn’s objections? I have some questions. Still, Roselyn takes Serena to Douda’s chop shop to find her the gun she wants. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

Maybe Tierra’s a safer bet for Roselyn; after all, she’s back on the market after her break-up with Marcus is cemented. Frankly, I’m glad to see it…she’d become a shell of her former self while on his arm. I miss the no-nonsense hustler Tierra was when we met her.

Brittany stops by Jake’s Halloween party — at Jemma’s invitation, natch — and the crowd is not thrilled to see her there. Her brother, having realized that his sister likely sold him out to Douda, seethes when she puts an arm on his shoulder and walks away. She doesn’t react in the moment but, days later, its clearly weighing on her. Having sworn them to secrecy, Brittany admits to Jemma and Maisha that she’s been spying on her brother — testing his loyalty — for Douda.

Both girls are aghast and Jemma asks the obvious question: will Douda hurt Bakari if he’s not loyal? Brittany can’t offer a legitimate answer to the question. They advise Brittany to tell Bakari the truth but she worries that if she does, her brother will hate her forever. That’s a risk she’ll have to take, Jemma insists, because she can’t go on like this.

All American 611: “The Next Episode”

Written by Natalie

When All American debuted in 2018, it was a bit of a revelation. Sure, Spencer was the show’s protagonist — a future All American — but the show’s heart laid with his friendship with Tamia “Coop” Cooper. She wasn’t just his gay best friend though: she was her own complicated character, redefining what it meant to be an All-American girl. Spencer and Coop’s parallel walks, as teens grappling with existing in two worlds at once, made for some of the show’s most compelling moments.

That feels like such a far cry from where All American is now. Coop and Patience feel siloed. This week, as Miko’s trial begins, Laura asks why Coop and Patience aren’t joining the rest of the Vortex — the straights, as it were — on Spring Break in Tulum, rather than asking the rest of the group why they’re prioritizing a vacation (or volunteering at South Crenshaw) over supporting their friend. But, of course, that’d mean actually integrating the friend group, rather than just playing lip service to their friendships…and I guess that’s just not what this show is anymore.

But, of course, Coop is there and she’s aghast that Miko’s been offered a plea deal. She insists that the prosecution could bolster their case if they just used Miko’s juvenile record to prove “a serialised pattern of behavior.” Laura reiterates again that Miko’s records are sealed. She encourages Coop to turn her attention to Patience and leave the legal wrangling to her. Coop takes Mrs. Baker’s advice and, later, she approaches Patience and shares what she knows about the plea deal Miko was offered. Coop urges Patience to be optimistic but the songstress is convinced: Miko is going to go free and she’ll have to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder. Coop promises to do whatever she has to to make Patience feel safe but Patience has already made up her mind: if Miko’s freed, she’ll return to New York to find peace.

The idea that Patience might leave spurns Coop into action. She takes a page from Shakespeare and puts on her own show for Miko’s parents at the courthouse. She lets them know that she knows about Miko’s past and how they covered it up with non-disclosure agreements and hush money. But unfortunately for them, Coop suggests, they missed someone — Jaleesa’s boyfriend, Derek — and he’s ready to spill all the tea. Miko’s parents buy the rouse and, later, the District Attorney calls Patience with the news: it’s over, Miko’s taken the plea deal.

Patience shares the news with Coop and takes her lack of surprise as proof that she had a hand in the case’s outcome. Coop insists she didn’t do anything illegal but admits to paying a delivery guy to play “Derek” to sell the rouse to Miko’s parents. Patience insists they go somewhere and celebrate…and, for the first time, since her stabbing Patience returns to the studio. She’s elated that she can finally reclaim her life and thanks Coop for her support through everything. Coop assures Patience that she’s her person and always will be and the songstress responds by professing her love. Then they…*checks notes*…hug.

A hug?! They concluded this highly emotional arc with a hug?! So, to be clear: Patience responded to the woman she loves — the woman who ensured Miko would go to jail — in the exact same way she would have if Mrs. Baker had been there. What sense does that make?! But what’s more egregious: as Patience and Coop are reduced to a hug, the straights get to have real intimate moments with their partners. The contrast is so stark…not just between the couples — though, to be clear, that was homophobic — but between what this show was and what it’s devolved into…

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