This recap was originally published on Riese’s personal L Word recap blog, The Road Best Straddled, in 2007. It has been reposted on Autostraddle.com in all its messy, outdated, poorly formatted glory. It would also appear that the images from this post have vanished into some kind of web 1.0 ether.

It’s 6:17 AM on Tuesday. Circa 2AM, I was pretty certain I’d have this lovely epic up for y’all before 3AM. But then um, t.b called, and she had this really long story, like a box set? Which is usually a term used for CDs, not books, but whatever, I mean, wheee um actually, I was only planning on a novella, but She brought the whole set and what–

Right. Um–The L Word! Yes. I saw it on Sunday night. Who are these people in this photo below me? Mica from Showtime isn’t speaking to me anymore, so I don’t have advance DVD copies. That’s fine. Once was enough. Oh also, I’m gonna be a Guestbian! (read all about it in my last post here, or my last post on my other blog, and, p.s, I’d like to thank Slo-Green-X)

Right, this thing, A vision of ambivalence: Heather, Haviland, myself, Tara, Sara:

I WANT TO LOVE THIS SHOW. I want it to be the best of everything we could hope for: I want it to suck my dreams right out of my brain and then play them out on the screen, but in better shoes and with trendier haircuts. I want it to be a fucking masterpiece. I want every sex scene to be as raw and heartbreaking as Tina and Bette’s angry-fuck from the Season One Finale or Shane walking the length of Cherie Jaffe’s pool with her eye on the window where Cherrie is watching Shane, both of them hungry/giddy and genuine and hot as hell. I want every joke to be as brilliant as Jenny leaping across the desk at Curve magazine and yelling “Publishers Weekly dot com!” or the girls talking shit on the basketball court. I want poetry. I WANT 54 MINUTES OF PURE POETRY. I want the most beautiful thing anyone could ever create and still call their creation “television.” Like “Six Feet Under” or “The West Wing” or whatever else is good. I don’t know. I don’t watch TV. I want I want I WANT. But this is what we have, so that’s that!

I love these characters–honestly, in one incarnation or another, they have each captured me, but part of that is because of the story I’ve created in my own mind–about myself, mostly, but about them on the surface–that brings me back. It’s about hanging out with my friends, and having a narrative for the friends in virtual space, which can be more visceral than one might expect.

I WANT TO LOVE THIS SHOW. I really do. But sometimes….

THIS WEEK IN CORRECTIONS:

1. The guy at the pool is apparently so famous that Haviland assumed I knew who he was and didn’t even point it out. Gary Marshall. Directed “Pretty Woman,” which Jenny references in her quote. This proves only one thing: I am not so smart, no really, you would be amazed. Don’t let the number of words I write confuse you. It is 95% insanity.

2. The last director in the interview process, the one with the brilliant musical idea, is Lawrence Bender, who, according to aj in the comments from last week, “played a huge role in the careers of quentin tarantino and gus van sant.” This proves only one thing: The boy who cried wolf, y’all! I mean, if Tina hadn’t been credited with discovering S. Coppola, then I never would have doubted this eventual truthiness.

It’s an inconvenient truth all right.
This is our 345th new character of the season: Al Gore, Phyllis’s new love interest. Leonard is all like, “Phil, I thought you said if you were going to be with a man again it would be with me.” She’s all like “Oopsie!” The bottom-banner, usually reserved to announce the premiere of the Tudors on April 1st (Want to know what I think about this little gobblediguck? Check out my review of the first episode of The Tudors), kindly informs us that the L-Word will begin at 10:15, after this thing is over.

I mention that Al Gore is having a Jenny moment, so Haviland does a Jenny moment. I was laughing too hard to even pay attention but it ended with “Because I’m a woman. Who likes to fuck other women. I’m interested in gay women fucking other gay women.”

Lesbian Sexy Moment #17: Whatever Rocks Your Horse, Ladies
The Players: Helena and Catherine
The Pick-Up: “We sit here and drink champagne as our horse crosses the finish line–here.”
Hot or Not? At first you think Catherine is totally off her rocker and is getting Helena a tummy tuck, which would be nutso because Helena has a perfect abdominal area. Then you realize Catherine is totally off her rocker and is painting a horse track on Helena’s stomach with the Sharpie she keeps on her bedstand every time she needs to create a visual aid. Oh wait. That’s lipstick. I bet that’s expensive lipstick she’s wasting right now. Hopefully they can earn that back at the horse races. Helena was like “I’m sorry, please explain this oval of which you speak. I am only familiar with circles, which I just learned from Papi.” Then it’s over, before you can really decide either way.

Guess What Sound We Made When We Saw ‘Written by Elizabeth Ziff.’ I’ll Give You A Hint: Think “Dying Horses.”

Grace: “You were kissing a mouse on the lips?”
Max: “Yeah, I found it under the house and then the little fucker bit me.”

That’s how Max learned that people are supposed to play with other people, not with vermin. This is like Gummo. Rabies is the new Crabs, at least in Wilmette. Wow. I mean. Do I even have to come up with my own joke for this? I’m sure you made an equally hilarious one in your own living room.

If This Was ‘The Anniversary Party,’ There Would Be LSD at the Dinner Party, and That Would Set Everyone Free
Bette is putting together an 11-person dinner party which does not a force of nature make, according to Jodi. However, 11 large multi-colored sequins on an otherwise unoffensive cotton t-shirt DOES a force of nature make, Jodes. Bette tells Jodi that she’s “never met anybody like” her.

Then Amy walks by, spots Jodi, and decides this would be a good moment to pop out a can of high drama whoop-ass. I think we should all be forced to fight in sign language, it’s so intense–although I suppose we sometimes do. E.G: the hand-gesture one makes while throwing a cell phone at a wall—-that probably means something. Like “we have officially become one of those psycho-couples that throw high-cost items like cell phones at hard surfaces like walls.'”

Lesbian Squabble #28: Talk to the Hands
In the Ring: Jodi and Amy
Content/Result: Amy is mad that Jodi didn’t call her, and she has all these feelings, etc. I think I’m going to start building things out of bed-frames and chain-link jump-ropes and see what happens. Amy’s like ‘why didn’t you call me at home?’ How could Jodi call her at home? She’s deaf! Hey, doesn’t this look like a frame from a Mobster movie?:

She’s all like “When my family is finished with your ass, your hearing will be the last of your five senses you’ve gotta worry about, you fucking heartbreaker.”

Jodi was like “you told me you understood” (re: Jodi not wanting to be tied down) and Amy is like “well, I lied.” Ha! This is one of many fantastic things about lesbians. That trick where girls are all like “yeah, see whoever you want, it’s fine that things didn’t work out with us,” and what they really mean (as you will discover when you get the myspace email two weeks later) is “I’ve never loved anyone like you before, come be with me forever in a van down by the river. We can plant tomatoes and make love on the beach by a roaring fire.” Bette doesn’t know what’s going on. She has that look on her face that I get when the manicure ladies are talking to each other about themselves, but because I am who I am, I imagine they’re all talking about how it’s weird that I, a grown woman, wants black nail polish on my fingernails and sparkly blue nail polish on my toes.

Then it turns out that Jodi fucked Amy all night long and then in the morning said she was in love with someone else. She sure does have a funny way of showing it. Then they yell at each other. Bette looks totally baffled. She says, “It seems like it went really well,” because one of Bette’s top skills is seeming really vulnerable and control-freakish and then busting out something wry and on-point that reminds you she’s still Bette Porter, goddamnit.

Doesn’t Max’s sister look kind of like: 1. Daniela Sea, 2. Scout from “To Kill a Mockingbird?

Max’s Dad, who looks like Willie Nelson but more grizzled and without the illustrious recording career, can’t afford the mahogany casket. (This would be a good time to enlist the services of Fisher, Fisher & Diaz!) Then Max offers to pay. All that computer searching and networking networks and html platforms have paid off!

Good Day Sunshine Dah Dah Dah Dah GOOD DAY Sunshine La La La
Jared has been missing Shay so much that they can’t even imagine how much Shane is missing Shay. Neither can we, because this show doesn’t really dwell on the reactions of present cast members to the departure of previous cast members. That’s not really healthy, p.s. No therapist would ever let them get away with this crap. Haviland thinks Paige looks like Blossom in that hat. I think she looks way wholesome. I love these two together. Jared speaks more lines in this scene than Shay did all season. Paige is pretty. Look, she should advertise chic surf-gear or like, american eagle. Look at her!

She’s all like “lets go get ice cream!” Even if she came to my door at 7am and was like “Let’s go get arsenic!” I’d be like, okay. Can I bring my pet monkey?

Shane: Yeah, lemme go change.

Just Wait Til They Read “Some of Her Parts”
Max’s sister, Chevon, who was named after the gas station where she was conceived, thinks Max is disgusting. Grace is probably like, “See, Max, I told you not to wear that flannel.” Why’s everyone freaking out? They are telling Max that he’s a freak and it’s a good thing Mom isn’t alive to see it. This family is like, Douchebag-O-Rama. Get outta there, Max.

You know what I like even better than stories? Novels. like, Epics. The Odyssey. Gravity’s Rainbow. Infinite Jest.
Shane is growing up. She apologizes to Paige for snapping at her. Her and Paige are really cute together, all easy and fun and stuff. She’s good for her. The way Paige is eating her ice cream is really erotic, and also reminds me of those old Sketchers ads with Jenny McCarthy in them.

Paige: I’ve missed you. And I’ve missed our–um [eyes her innocent young son]–story time, that one story that–in the car–that was the best story I have ever heard.
Shane: [also eyes the young lad, happily eating his Gak-colored tasti-freeze] Well, I uh, I know, I thought of some new stories. If you want me to read them to you.
Paige: Of course. Will you listen to some of mine too?
Shane: Yeah, yeah, I’d love to.

Hot!

Hungry Hearts
Jenny and Tina are meeting with a potential director for “Lez Girls,” who is describing the same vision that Ilene Chaiken had for the pilot episode of “The L Word” for the “Jessie”/”Karina” meeting scene. Jenny and Tina are both creaming in their pants over this woman. Tina (who, p.s. discovered Sofia Coppola) is kissing major ass. What a gay-mo.

Kate: [pretentious, re: Jessie/Karina] That moment should just be like, visually, really intense. The sound should just like–fade away–so it’s only them in the world, it’s just Jessie and Karina–
Jenny: [totally feeling this RIGHT NOW] Kinda like that feeling when you meet someone and your heart begins to beat–
Tina: [TOTALLY FEELING THIS RIGHT NOW TOO] –And your mouth goes dry–
Jenny: and all the blood kinda rushes from your hands–
[the horse is dead, the horse is beaten, the horse is moaning and sad)
Director: In fact, what you can do is you can just fade the color away, just blow it out–in the last movie that I did–I just slowly drained the color
Tina: Oh My God–that scene–it was just–so visual [really? a movie? visual? WOW!] and so sensual [really? a love scene? sensual? I’m seeing what Sofia saw in you, you crafty little devil]--when I saw it at Sundance I was just–she won the audience award—
Jenny: I saw the film, Tina.

Jenny would like to drain all the color out of Tina’s blood. The director would like to see Tina in a suit (that was a pick-up line). Her vision is that she’s “not that interested in making people feel fucking comfortable.” My dear, you have found your perfect collaborator in Jennifer “Also Not Interested in Making People Feel Fucking Comfortable” Schecter.

So the scene goes on–jealousy sparks, etc–

[We think it’s really funny when people say that to announce that they are getting off the subway. See in this context, it refers, I believe, to Heather’s desire to get off of this episode. Unfortunately, I don’t mean that in a sexual way. She just wants to like, go. Home.]

Here Comes the Showdown, What Goes Around Comes Around, Cos if We Break Up, Then We Can Make Up: Bette is being a control freak about the dinner party. Then they make out a little.

Now All It Needs is a Transsexual Pride Charm and a Computer Search Charm
Max apologizes for “dragging” Grace with him. That hotel reminds me of the one he stayed in with Jenny, except that no one is having sex in it. Mr. Sweeney brings over the charm bracelet that was supposed to be for “Moira.” Grace is like “CHA-Ching! That’s my bracelet now, bitches!” cuz it doesn’t really go with Max’s flannel. But then he pulls it out and it looks like shackles. Which is also hot, but in a different way.

Don’t Miss the Fun at Dinah Shore Weekend 2007! In Palm Springs! Wear a Vest Every Day!

Papi wants to take Kit to the horse races. Angus wants to take Kit to the altar, but in the mean-time, he’s trying to help Kit with her business and her career. Because he believes in her and wants to get her up and running. You know. Like a sexbot, or something. Everyone in this scene is dressed off the Kohl’s Clearance rack. My grandmother wouldn’t wear that sweater that Kit has on. But you know who would? Like, a super-old Sylvan Learning Center tutor.

I have made both of those mistakes many many times. Papi asks if she’s still in love with Angus. Nope. Kit has got a new love now and his name is Captain Morgan. It’s not funny,  any of us who have struggled with assorted self-destructive behavior know all too well. But it is, most likely, seriously, her new love. The bottle. As those of us who have struggled with assorted self-destructive behaviors know all too well.

They Can Call it “The Angelikas” and it can star this cutie-patootie, Angelika from “Rugrats” and the staff of the Angelika Movie Theater in NYC and Angela Chase, Cuz Sometimes Rayanne called her “Angelika.”
Someone get this baby her own show. Look at those overalls. I want to have a baby and feed it soft snacks from pastel tupperware containers STAT. My Mom used to sell tupperware. Now she’s a lesbian. Simmer on that.

No, She’s Not Talking About Jodi’s Ego or Max’s Soul Patch
Jodi and Bette are debating the “invite Tina or not” thing. Tina notices the paper in Bette’s hand and recognizes it from the old days and asks “is that a dinner party chart?” which is adorable. And she definitely succeeds in making Jodi feel totally insignificant. Oh wait, no. That could never happen, because Jodi is too full of herself. Tina would love to come. She’d like to bring her date, Kate Arden the movie director, who Jodi just happens to love. Bette’s like “Oh, it’s a date?” and Tina’s like “Oh, I wish,” and then in her head Bette is like “Oh, so Tina likes chicks now? I wonder what’s going on with Henry?” Or maybe that’s just me. Wondering. What’s going on with Henry. I mean, did they break up? What the F? I mean–it basically seems like Tina is realizing that she truly is 100% bisexual and that she will never chose one gender over the other, just one person or one secret society. Which might be A REVOLUTIONARY storyline to explore on this little program. Waa.

Have I mentioned yet how much I love Jenny? I do. I love Jenny. Can this be a Jenny Moment? Because it is. This is a Jenny Moment. Even If I’m Too Tired to Add the Words ‘Jenny Moment’ to this graphic.

Jenny: “Whenever I’m in a public place like this with all these people around I always have this compulsion to take off my clothes.”
Catherine: “I know what you mean.”

Jenny and Catherine two would be PERFECT together. They could totally just manipulate and fuck the shit out of each other until they both went crazy (again). In the meantime: bunnies. Fuckin’ like bunnies.

Alice kisses Tasha and Tasha scolds Alice for sneaking a kiss because Tasha can’t do PDA (cause of the army) and Alice admits that “horse races make me hot.” Papi gets some french fries. Catherine doesn’t want any because she doesn’t do carbs. Jenny doesn’t want any either, because she doesn’t do “things that bring happiness” like french fries. She prefers misery and the dark side. The dark side doesn’t have french fries, it has only mixed greens.

Jenny and [someone], Sitting in a Tree
Jenny wonders what it would be like to date a deaf person. Papi says it would probably be “really intense” and heighten all your other senses. Tasha asks if Bette is learning how to sign, and Kit’s like “I’m sure she’s all over it.” Obvs. That’s why we love Bette.

First: Car Talk. Then: Baseball. Then: Shave and a Haircut. Then: HOOTERS!!
Dad’s like, “OK, if you really are a boy now, then it’s time to talk about cars.” He tells Max about how sick his Mom was, like that she had to wear diapers, but he didn’t mind taking care of her. Max apologizes, and it sounds real. Daniela, I can’t wait to get your autograph at the Short Bus party on Thursday. Better be there!

That Briefcase Itself Is Probably Worth More Than The Entire Contents of my Bank Account Right Now
Helena and Catherine are betting $100,000 on a horse Catherine claims is “a sure thing.” God, how can people even hang out with them without wanting to stab their eyes out? At least Helena spread the wealth. Catherine is just like “I’m rich, bitches!!”

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!
Jenny, who is swaddled in rags from the Olde World, is like “Did y’all see how much money Catherine bet on that horse?” and you can see the twinkle in her little eye (the twinkle=she wants Catherine to show HER the money). Then Tasha sees something worse out of her little eye—

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. No Really. Don’t Tell. Please, Seriously Dude, Totes Don’t Tell
It’s Private Brown! He never expected to see Tasha at the races and he was totally suspicious of Tasha’s companions until Tasha explained “I’m just here with some friends.” Dude! That was the most un-smooth thing ever. Who else would you be there with? Your Captors? Strangers? Your Girl Scout Troop? Your white family? LESBIANS?!

Ditto.

At the wake, a woman chomps away at the free deli meats and says ignorant stuff. Max’s Dad introduces Max as “Fiona’s cousin’s son from California” and says they haven’t heard from Moira. YIKES. YIKES YIKES. It’s like Ghost or something. Oh and P.S:

See: Foreshadowing.
Guess what? For those of you who missed the last three episodes: Money and gambling make Catherine and Helena get HOT HOT HOT! Isn’t that interesting? Let’s do some more of this. Who cares about the other characters and their storylines and their sexual tension, or their relationships? Have Max and Grace fucked? Are Shane and Paige developing real feelings for each other? How’s it going with Tasha and Alice behind closed doors?

Lesbian Sex Moment #18: Let’s do THIS again. We’ve got all the time in the world! I mean, this isn’t like an 11-episode show or anything. I mean, it’s Hot. But. You Know?
The Players: Helena and Catherine
The Pick Up: “She’s going to win.”
Hot or Not? Um, predictable. But, y’know. Hot still. These two are hot when they are having sex because Helena has these adorable British orgasms.

Girls Gone Wild 345: Day at the Races
Tasha, btw, is soooooo not having it. Private Brown is gonna see this and then he’s going to: 1. cum in his pants, 2. try to get Tasha fired. 3. Make us all sad, because we heart Tasha. I don’t want bad things to happen to her. She’s so pretty and smart and cool and wears that hot leather jacket and has a cute butt.

This was LOL funny (also note Kit chugging her beer in the background)

Alice: Fucking Fuck! Fuck me!
Jenny: I just won.
Alice: You bet on Edmund Steere?
Jenny: Yup.
Alice: What?
Jenny: Yeah, I like the name.
Alice: You sat there stone faced, no emotion, and you won.
Tasha: Hey guys, lets get out of here.
Jenny: I’m gonna go collect my three hundred dollars–
Tasha: Let’s go, guys.
Alice: But–you didn’t even care?
Jenny: Do you wanna go get the money?
Alice: But you didn’t even care–

To add insult to injury, Helena lost the money she was going to invest in OurChart. That means until HelCat makes it big in poker, we will only be able to see our first 9 friends on the friends page, and our profile will never adjust to reflect that we have more friends than we did in the first 24 hours of our joining. When Helena apologizes, Alice is just like, over it. Because Obvs it’s ridic for Catherine to claim it is Helena’s money on the line when she owes Helena all this money etc. Helena, RUN! RUNNNNNNN

To Fiona Sweeney, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar: Max says he’s not gonna go to the funeral because it would take the focus away from his Mom. He’s probably right. I mean, it sucks. Like, sucks a lot. I wish the world wasn’t like this. But he’s not going to change things by attending the funeral—-and so it’s pretty mature (and really difficult, too) that he is accepting this and moving on. Hopefully moving on to Grace’s lap.

I’ll Dinner Your Party.: Bette is setting up for the dinner party. When I had a dinner party, “setting up” meant that Haviland I tucked large blankets underneath the coffee table and put pillows on top of the blankets and called it “a table and chairs.” Then I lit all our $1.99 Jesus candles and served spaghetti from a large cafeteria-esque pot. But this whole poolside deck Pier-1 lighting thing is nice, too. I can see where she’s coming from with this.

Bette’s worried that Jodi might not catch every beautiful and eloquent line of dialogue her buddies are certain to spout forth when sitting at the same table, but Jodi tells Bette that it’s okay, she’s going to miss things, even if she can’t see everyone’s lips. (Side note: this will turn out to be a good thing. It would be best if she just focused on the lips of Alice, that’s where the best stuff comes from, usually) I had a similar conversation with my ex Chris before he met my friends, because he was stupid and my friends are smart. Anyhow what am I talking about…..right….

.

I’ll Sign Your Language.
Jodi wants Bette to meet her friends in New York, but Bette doesn’t think she knows enough sign language for that. Jodi points out that all her friends aren’t deaf. We point out that Bette already knows the words for “place-cards” and “subtle.”

I’ve Done This Trick With Things I Won’t Even Like, Mention Here.
Jodi says that she loves Bette. Then she sticks the seating chart down her pants. Then they kiss a little. Then Bette goes to her room and sniffs the seating chart.

Seriously, no-one notices him there? This is like Ghost.

FESTEN!

When in Doubt, Alice Goes with The Gold.

I think that’s Tasha’s go-to outfit. I still love these two. They balance each other out. It’s not the same spark that Alice had with Dana–I’m sorry, wait–Dana. Right. Don’t think about white elephants. Who’s Dana? Who’s Nadia? Who’s Mark? Who’s Lindsay and Stacey?? No, AliTash are cute. Love it.

ALSO I LOVE…
I love how sometimes in conversation, the characters just re-cap what else happened in the episode instead of introducing new character development. Or they do exposition like “What’s really crazy is that Helena isn’t here tonight because she’s gambling!” Thanks, thanks. Excellent. How much time do we have left? Tasha expresses her despair over the skybox/sex thing, and Kit’s all like “What were they doing up in that skybox?”  Jenny’s like OOOO! OO!! Pick me! Pick me! I want to say my favorite word!

“Fucking. Bette, they were fucking.”
-Jenny

Also, re: the hat. Jenny. What is this, Powder? I mean, Really Papi?

Speaking of Fucking…
Then Alice asks Paige and Shane where they were when they should have been at the horse races. I love that she even has to ask this. I mean, normally, one might assume “AT WORK” or, in Paige’s case, “watching my son,” but this is an alternate reality where people just do things whenever. In any event, it’s a nice lead-in to Paige and Shane being really cute about the “box set” of “stories” they were “reading.” Perhaps we could have seen a page or two of that manuscript? No pun intended! ha! Get it? PAIGE/PAGE?!! Wow. Shane looks hot again. Everything is new again, etc, lemon tree, magic, you know.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: BETTE PORTER

Bette: “That’s so sweet, you read stories to Paige’s son.”
Alice: “Really sweet.”
Bette (to Jodi, signing): “They were fucking all day.”

Kate and Tina enter and Kate acts much less cool than she did during the meeting. She’s all talking about her film and being weird to Jodi. Paige asks Shane if she’s seen the film. Shane’s like, no, I prefer reading the book. “They’re so pretentious,” Paige adds. WORD. Kate’s first short film showed at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. Shock me, shock me.

---

In the Jungle, The Mighty Jungle, The Lion Sleeps Tonight–a Weem-oh-Way a Weem-oh-Way

The stuff about the nails and the monkeys and the horses and stuff kinda reminded me of the nipple confidence thing they tried to pull of in Ep 1. I know I’m gonna get berated for this (for the record, I always wanted a monkey, so much so that I had about 10 stuffed monkeys and always said I hate all animals but monkeys, and I look at my hand the gay way too, so that’s that), but I could barely sit through this scene without screaming. But I’d like to add that no one ever got off from riding a monkey. But the gay girls didn’t need that, they were like, feeling each other up in the basement while their parents ate meatloaf upstairs and the straight girls learned dressage. They ask Jodi for her opinion on the matter:

Have You Noticed that Paige and Tasha Have Become Like, The Cool Cucumbers Who Usually Act the Coolest and Most Appropriately in Potentially Awkward Situations? : Jodi is sort of perplexed through this scene, but she’s okay with that, and I am too, and Paige is good, and um, Jodi says she would have wanted neither, she wanted to drive a race car. Hazel will “drive” your “race car.”

P.S. Gorillas aren’t monkeys, Alice. Sorry! I did a report on it. Why? Because I took a class in college I used to call “Monkey Class,” but it was actually “primates something something something.” I took that class because that’s how much I love monkeys. Also, I think I have a lot of physical qualities that are like a monkey’s, e.g. long arms.

Kate is being sort of pretentious and talking about how you “never see” “a girls’ contemporary coming of age movie” because you “never get to see anything about girl’s sexuality.” But she’s acting like this is because no one wants to MAKE those movies, and now HALLEH-FUCKING-LUJAH! Luckily she’s here to save the day! That’s not true. Plenty of women want to make these movies, they just can’t get them funded or distributed properly. Also, um, race cars? Really, Papi? Is it called “Twisted Forest”? OOO! Kate, you should direct “Lez Girls”! Oh wait. Um…

Lesbian Squabble #28: However, Tina Would LOVE to ACT OUT a Sex Scene RIGHT NOW. Right? (right?)
In the Ring: Bette vs. Tina, but totally subtle-like. Bette’s just tryin’ to pull a quick cock-block when Kate is talking about how great the finger-fucking scene was in her last “film.”

Bette: Tina doesn’t really like sex scenes in movies.
Tina: I don’t?
Bette: Well, you just told me that you didn’t. It made you uncomfortable.
Jenny: I actually liked the sex scene in the film.

Sorry….Tina wins. I mean, she could have reacted to Bette’s fairly immature jab and she chose not to. Bette needs to get out of this relationship with Jodi, they are really just not compatible at all. I feel like Jodi just makes Bette feel so vulnerable and unsure of everything, and that’s not a good place for her to be. She was better with Tina, because Tina likes having someone tell her what to do.

Then Kate says she came out to do the movie because she googled Tina and saw a hot picture of her. I can relate to that.

I Was Gonna Be Like “Why do they keep having dinner parties? They always end in disaster because this web of friends is so complicated.” Then I realized my web and I do the same thing, like, all the time.
Before this gets out of hand, Bette wants to make a toast to Jodi: Bette pops up to make Jodi feel really used because she makes a toast to Jodi just to interrupt Tina’s moment of glory. It’s kind of sad and pathetic all around. Like, I just feel bad for her.

Then Bette notices that Kit is drinking. She asks Kit “What the fuck are you doing?” Can I tell you a secret? Okay. Cross your heart and hope to die? That is so not the start of a good convo. In fact, it is actually the start of a….

LESBIAN SQUABBLE!!!

Lesbian Squabble #30: Not The Best Way to Stage an Intervention?
In the Ring: Bette and Kit, but Jodi sticks her head in for a moment to tell Bette to like, just stop. Because Bette: we love you so much it hurts. And this: this hurts. Stop. Later. Don’t. Not now. Please. Bette. Please. Thanks.
Content/Result: Oh, man. I guess this was a long time comin’.

Bette: Kit, what the fuck are you doing?
Kit: Um, mind your own business, what about you?
Jodi: Bette–don’t–
Bette: Don’t tell me what to do, you don’t understand, my sister shouldn’t be drinking–
Jodi: [all like Really Papi?]- I know–
Bette: Has she been drinking all night?
Papi: Yeah, a little, why?
Bette: Because my sister’s a fucking alcoholic, that’s why.
Alice: Papi doesn’t know that, Bette.
Kit: Bette, you know it’s really not your place to tell me what I should do and what I shouldn’t do, you understand? Matter of fact–a double, hey? [chugs the wine] Mmmmm–Hey Jodi, it was really nice to meet you, you’re all that girl, c’mon Papi, take me on home, I gotta roll on outta here.

I don’t know who wins. I think Bette should have waited. She just “outed” Kit to Papi and Paige and that wasn’t Kit’s choice. This wasn’t the right venue, and her control freak tendencies are getting the best of her. Oh, Bette. Bette, we love you …

Some good points that Jodi makes include: “If I wanted an interpreter at the party, I would have brought Tom!” (Silly us, assuming Tom was in that binding two-episode contract favored by so many other L Word bit players, e.g. Nadia, Stacey, Lindsay, Brooke, Hazel, Henry, Henry’s devil-child).

Bette has had a hard night–and, it’s likely her control-freak personality developed as a result of her requirement to be more ” together” than her older sister and to hold down the fort when the family went awry. Maybe if Jodi knew more about Bette’s life, she’d get that…but sometimes people just don’t go together. That’s just that. Just sayin’.

Bette: I was just trying to help you–I wanted you to feel more comfortable–
Jodi: Oh, were you? Or were you just trying to control everything? And interpret what you wanted me to hear and to know?
Bette: That is complete and utter bullshit. Not to mention fucking INSULTING!
Jodi: You’re insulted? Well, what about me?
Bette: The whole evening was for you! I mean, I threw a dinner party FOR YOU, I bent over backwards to make sure it went smoothly FOR YOU–
Jodi: You can’t handle it
Bette: I can’t handle what?!!
Jodi: That communication is different with me. That it isn’t exactly how you want it to be.
Bette: Well, no, it’s not exactly how I want it to be, I feel fucking incompetent at every turn but you know what? I think that I have worked very hard to learn to communicate with you and I think that we do pretty well–I just–I just didn’t want it to be hard with my friends tonight–
Jodi: Ohhhhh I’m so sorry it was hard for you–
Bette: That’s not what I said.
Jodi: Well, what did you say?
Bette: I said–Uh—(turns around)–I want to be in a relationship with someone who works with me–
Jodi: Bette–You want to be in a relationship with someone who works FOR you.
Bette: What are you trying to say?
Jodi: I saw it tonight–you tried to control everything–you wanted to–you tried to control Tina, you tried to control what you said to the director, you tried to control Kit–and you wanted to be my interpretor and control how I talk to everyone–
Bette: Fuck you. Fuck you. I was just trying to do what’s best for you.
Jodi: Oh how do the hell do you know what’s best for me?
Bette: You didn’t know what was going on half the time–you weren’t there–you didn’t even TRY to be engaged–
Jodi:Oh REALLY? How the fuck do you know? Are you having my experience? Are you fucking deaf?
Bette: Oh–Jesus. I had no idea you felt so fucking persecuted. It makes me feel really sad for you. To think that for one moment you should just ask yourself: What am I experiencing? What is MY fucking experience?

Honestly, I don’t know how to call this one. Thoughts?

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