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 It has been reposted on Autostraddle.com in all its messy, outdated, poorly formatted glory.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.
[Disclaimer: I’m sleepy and this is probably totally filled with errors. Which I’ll fix. Like, within the next 24 hours? But I have to get some sleep and be on THE VIEW tomorrow morning at 11am for Ro’s b-day plus Haviland will be performing and Heather and I will be just like, chillin’ and winning stuff.]
Okay. I’d like a literary license to kill the writer of this show. Arguably, that’s sort of what I do here anyway, right? To make it through this week, I must imagine that I’m not, in fact, re-capping a tv show episode. Rather, I’m using the characters and “storylines” of a teevee show as a starting point for my hot comedy. If you look at the photo below, you may ask yourself: “Are these girls watching World’s Wildest Police Chases or something equally intolerable?” No. They’re watching The L Word. The only reason the dog isn’t freaking out is because he’s a dog. And speaking of dogs–that’s what men are. Dogs. All of ’em. Where’d I learn that? On The L Word tonight. Toenail-clipping, lesbo-hating, ZZ Top-facial-hair-sporting DOGS. And none are near as cute as that dog there, whose name is Awesome.
This episode I’ll also be tracking:
1. Statements directly addressing one’s sexual orientation, or “SOS”es.
2. Cliched or Ignorant “Lesbian” Bullshit or “CILB”s (which applies to homophobic statements as well as boring pro-homo statements).
I forced my GF, Tara (who I’ll dub TB (so you don’t confuse her with my friend Tara who’s attended other viewings [but not this one] and, unlike TB, consents to photos and doesn’t ruin them all by blocking the i-cam with her hand, even when I point out that everyone’s going to think I’m lying about having an actual girlfriend)) to watch this show tonight. She’s never seen it before. It’s her birthday. Therefore:
1. It’s arguably somewhat cruel to subject her to this.
2. She is drunk enough not to know that.
Right now TB’s reading the SmartWater bottle out loud to me and it’s making me laugh harder than this episode:
TB:
(Reading bottle) “Is it just us, or do clouds get a bad rap?
(to me) It’s totally just them, dude.
(reading bottle) “While we admit that they’re not as good to have around on a beach day, like say, the sun, clouds are unsung heroes.”
(to me) Right on.
TB every five seconds during the show: I can’t believe I’m watching The L Word. In other news: you’re a great typist, Auto-win. I mean that. You can work at my firm. Auto-win, you’re a fucking fantastic typist. AMAZING at the keyboard! I really mean that.”
1. M, who set aside 4 hours of time to read this blog when she was supposed to be manning the fryer at In-and-Out, cross-referenced it with a closed-captioned viewing of The L Word, the Collected Works of Charles Dickens and the Illustrated Reader’s Digest edition of Colette’s lesser-known Sapphic poetry, and discovered an error that struck her deep in the hollows of her complicated soul. I was touched by her attention and LOLed. That means the LOL-count for this week’s episode of The L Word is lower than my LOL-count for last week’s comment board on TLW Online. I encourage you to check it out. In conclusion I think she speaks for all of you when she says: “What more can I say? It’s hard to explain the emotions I felt when I first read this disgraceful statement. To begin with, it took me a few moments to determine that the sentence was even in English. And well, after that I just felt cheated and used. I trust that you will do everything in your power to make appropriate reparations since the fault was clearly a result of your carelessness, rather than my obsessive compulsive disorder.”
2.. Jenny McCarthy’s ad campaign was actually for Candie’s, not Sketchers. That’s right. Not THOSE tacky shoes for girls who like to watch boys skate, the OTHER tacky shoes for girls who like to watch boys skate (in the mid-90s). Holla Karen!
Also, P.S.: just completely changing the personalities of previously unlikeable characters like Max or Helena does not “character development” make. Just a little aside. Alright, lets get on with it…shall we?
Lesbian Sexy Moment #22: After This? Um, Yeah, Me Neither.
We open with Kit masturbating. Just kidding. We open with Papi eating Kit’s vagina. Papi looks really beautiful. Kit’s tits are like MOTHERFUCKING watermelons.
This episode has two kinds of scenes:
1. Discussions and arguments over one’s level of homosexuality.
2. Thought you wanted to watch L Word characters have sex? Think again.
Papi says this has never happened to her before. And Kit tells her she’s the “sexiest hottest baddest motherfucking hot sexy bitch” EVER. I assume she meant this as a compliment. Every time Kit arbitrarily inserts “motherfucker” into an otherwise only mildly curse-laden sentence, I love her just a little bit more.
Kit: “I guess I’m not a lesbian.” (DING! SOS #1!)
TB:“Liar.”
And Thus We Begin Our 3-Minutes of PSA Time for Post-Traumatic-Stress Syndrome: Alice wants to take Tasha to Mexico to go to the spa and rent motorcycles. That’ll be good for this show, they can find a bunch of Arab and Indian actresses to play Mexicans. Once I went to Geneva and we rented motorcycles and then I almost drove mine through a plate glass store window. I almost died. If I’d died, I wouldn’t be here today, writing this. Let that be a lesson to you. Alice makes a really appropriate joke about not killing Tasha on the motorcycle, and then someone almost runs them over, which gives Tasha a flashback to wartime. The hit-and-runner yells “Fuck you, Dykes!” because all people in the world hate lesbians except for Ilene Chaiken and the cast of the L Word. Even people with amazing gaydar, like the drive-by hater. That’s not really important though. What is important:
1. OurChart is making enough money for Alice to take Tasha to Mexico?
2. Tasha and Alice look hot in leather on a motorcycle.
3. Tasha has an Iraq flashback.
So-Not-a-Lez Girl:The cover of Lez Girls (which likely holds the world record for fastest progression from signing to publication of any book ever) looks like the cover of my least-favorite book of all time, Pure by Rebecca Ray, which I hated so much that I reviewed it on Amazon(my first and only Amazon review, cause I want people to buy books so I’d go out of my way to bash a book if I really felt it ruined my life, like Pure did). Angus asks Kit if she’s read the book cause “Bette is going to be pissed.” Kit says Bette can kiss her black ass. That’s a new one. Go Kit.
Papi is still in her pajamas. From 1985. Gadzooks. Totes Gadzooks. Angus asks if she and Papi are involved cause “I don’t know what you’re doing Kit, you are so not a lesbian.” (DING! SOS #2!) He says that he’d never let her drink like Papi because he loves her and she says: “You should have thought about that before you had the nanny’s lips wrapped around your dick.” Luckily, Angus has made sure that will never happen again by sporting this Paul Bunyan look better than any flannel-wearing lesbian could dream of doing. Even a sex-bot (or, for that matter, an oral-sex-master-lesbian) couldn’t find his mouth under that forest.
Oh and also? When Kit says that and puts the can on her forehead, that’s pretty much the best moment of the entire episode. Seriously.
Queer Eye for the Queer Girl?
Everyone’s gawking at Bette as she strolls into work cause she’s wearing the ugliest shirt of all time. Some extras, imported from Degrassi, have been instructed to “giggle obnoxiously like if Manny had toilet paper stuck to her shoe” as Bette walks by. In the office, Phyllis, who has a lot of time on her hands for a Chancellor, gives Bette the scoop on the “cause célèbre” of Lez Girls.
Phyllis: “The sexually predatory, emotionally abusive Bev–that’s YOU–who uses her professional stature to bed every girl and woman who crosses her path.”
Haviland: [genuinely incensed] “Oh Please, that is SO not Bette.”
Bette: “I haven’t even read the fucking thing, but I can’t imagine that it has anything to do with me.”
This is the part where we pretend that Bette hasn’t been told of the Bev-Bette connection about 450 times already. Phyllis asks if Jodi has read the book and if that’s why she’s leaving. You see that? That’s what we call “an awkward transition in order to communicate expository information via dialogue.” Jodi has an exhibit in a forest or something. Bette checks it out and comments: “Origami with steel. That’s a nice way to describe her work.” Yeah, I was thinking “Apocalypse Jungle Gym stolen from the set of The Warriors and patched together with spare
parts from Ronald McDonald’s Playland,” but I guess origami with steel is as appropriate/absurd as anything else. Actually, I think I’d like Jodi’s work better if it was more origami, less steel. Paper cranes, etc.
Heather has just pulled out her Blackberry, TB is talking to the dog, Haviland is on the floor doing some sort of bizzare stretching routine that might be yoga, and yup–yes. Jen has also extracted her phone and is texting. TB just said “This show sucks, I’m sorry.”
Why we love Bette, even if she does have actual silhouette portraits hanging from her ears:
Bette: “James, can you get me a copy of that fucking book, ASAP? And make sure you get a comp copy. I don’t want to have to pay for it.”
I’ve totally done that when it’s a book I’m sort of already resenting that I need to read. It’s all about the unproofed galleys, baby.
Oh, Men. Bad Bad Bad Men and Their Evil Evil Ways!
Max is telling everyone about “SpaceGate.” I have no fucking clue what this has to do with anything. Then the Token Douchebag (/Totesbag) is like um, sweetie, we gave that account to the pretty girl. And because Max was on “vacation” during a “crisis” at SpaceGate. Max gets up and leaves the meeting. Actually, if you’ve ever been in a situation like this—it’s like, the worst feeling ever.
Me: I don’t know. No one really knows. Some computer something.
Army of ONE, Tasha. ONE. Just ONE. ONE. Nope. No Girls. Just You. Just One. Army of One: Tasha’s supervisor doesn’t think it’s fair that Tasha gets to make out with Alice and he’s not allowed to watch. He says her lifestyle is her lifestyle but he doesn’t want to see or hear about it. Or be asked or told about it. My advice: quit. I mean, come on, the army? Wouldn’t you rather be hanging out at The Planet?
Same Sex in the City OR Laguna Beach: No Beach, Extra Lesbians
Max calls Alice and asks if he can work full-time for her and she says that’s fine, they like to concentrate OurChart money at the top. Oh and also, she’ll get Tasha a watch. Not a femmy one though, since Tasha’s the token butch. Helena asks Alice for her opinion on some expensive earrings she’d like to buy with Catherine’s credit card but Alice suggests that she underwrite a third world country instead.
Lesbian Squabble #32: Show Me The Money. For Reals This Time.
In the Ring: Alice and Shane vs. Helena
Content/Result: Helena tells Alice she still intends to invest in OurChart, but first needs to get the money back that she lost at the races. Alice and Shane are like “Uh-uh, girl,” that was Catherine’s money, not yours, and Catherine’s tip, but Helena says Catherine wants her to learn from her mistakes. Shane and Alice are SO on to Catherine’s set-up schemes. So are we. So is everyone, because unlike backstory and development, “pointing out the obvious” is something this show does amazingly well.
Helena: She’s just trying to help me how to stand on my own two feet.
Alice: Really, really? Your tiny little feet?
Shane, who reminds me of Duckie from Pretty in Pink [correction] in this scene, is looking for the golden ticket in these bags. If she wins, she can leave this show and join Blues Clues, where she will be around children all day long and never miss Shay.
Alice spots Shane digging through the purses and interest is piqued. This part is both cute and funny. Yay! All hope is not lost. Most of it. But not all of it.
Alice: Who is that for? Is it for Paige?
Shane: I don’t know, Nancy Drew, figure it out.
Helena: No….are you seeing someone else? Shane: Jesus Christ! The Hardy Girls. Figure it out.
Alice: Are you up to your old tricks? I feel very comforted by that somehow. I don’t know why–I’m onto you. That purse thing–
Riese: No, she died.
TB: Oh, right.
Helena gets a call from Catherine. She’s sprung, there’s a new character named Birdie, Alice says Helena should come stay with her again, Helena says no cause she’s suddenly totally retarded, Helena puts everything on Cat’s credit card, and it was sad when the great ship went down to the bottom of the sea.
Haviland:I don’t like this music, it’s bothering me.
Heather: I don’t like this episode, it’s boring me.
EgoBoost: Not Only the Name of Another Project for Max’s Ambiguous Computer Company, But Also the Name of Ilene’s BETTY-heavy Team
Max quits. He says it was great working with all of them. He’s totally lying, you guys. It wasn’t great at all, except for that guy with the gay brother. When these dudes find out he left them for OurChart, they’re going to laugh their dumb douchebag asses off.
Lesbian Squabble #34: Dude, the Fact That You Don’t Know How Old She Is? That’s One of Many Reasons She Prefers Women.
In the Ring: Phyllis the Big Ol’ Lesbian and Leonard, the BAD BAD man
Content/Result: Totally insipid. Like a convo straight out of the improv games we played in acting class at Sarah Lawrence that reminded me of Jerry Springer. You can see the pain in Cybill Shepard and Bruce Davison’s souls as they are forced to speak such inane lines.
Leonard: The affair’s over, you had your little fling with your cream puff, now I just wanna tell you that I forgive you and I’ll take you back.
Phyllis: Leonard, I think you are forgetting one small point–[OH MY GOD!! WHAT COULD IT BE? IS THIS THE PART WHERE WE’RE SUPPOSED TO START CHEERING?]
Leonard: No–I’m not forgetting anything, Phyllis–I was there, I saw those girls, you’re nothing like them–
[Well, that’s true…]
Phyllis: What do you mean “not like them”?
Leonard: I mean, I honestly don’t think you’re a lesbian.
[Oh! that’s not what I thought you meant. She is a lesbian. She is like them in that way. OH AND DING! SOS #3]
Phyllis: Really? I don’t think you know what the fuck you’re talking about. Stop psychoanalzying me–
Haviland: You’re right, she totally is.
CILB #1: (Leonard) “Look, maybe you have some lesbian tendencies or whatever but it’s not your college days anymore–”
CILB #2: (Leonard) “Every time we’ve seen a movie in the last 20 years you’re all ‘Oh, I love Selma Hayeck! You know, she really turns me on!”
CILB #3: (Leonard) “I AM A MAN! No one is gonna be as good for you as I am, this is a fact of life, you really wanna take all of our life together and just throw it in the toilet?”
CILB #4: (Phyllis) “I know who I am, and I’m being honest with myself, don’t you get it? It has nothing to do with you—you with your male ego stomping around here–”
LAMEST LINE EVER: “Yes, Leonard. I want to throw it in the toilet. I want to throw you in the toilet right now.”
Riese: I’d rather be having an inconvenient truth.
Heather: Like, gargling with broken glass.
Haviland: I think this IS an inconvenient truth.
All Men Are Dogs Except JAMES. James is A Monkey, Because Lesbos LOVE Monkeys.
Bette is not enjoying Lez Girls. James is still an angel. Then this little wormy looking dude pops his head in to say that he loves Lez Girls and now attendance is going to skyrocket. What attendance? Like, kids are going to actually go to class now or something because the Dean of the art school was in a book? What is going on? He can’t mean applicants, right? Because like, if this is a good school, and this is like, America, it’s pretty fucking likely that they’ve got enough applicants that they don’t need to recruit via a Jenny Schecter novel, right? I’m so like, just. Whatever.
When Bette says: “Fucking unacceptable, this is so
fucking unacceptable,” I am totally right there with her. Because that’s how I feel about this episode. Then she calls Tina.
Lesbian Squabble #33: Lean on Me, When You’re Not Strong, I’ll Be Your Friend, I’ll Help You Feel a Whole Lot Worse
In the Ring; Bette V. Tina
Content/Result: Bette is mad that Tina didn’t give her a heads-up and Tina says Bette told her that the book was fluff. Bette says that’s before she read the entire book. Seriously, if Bette can read an entire book in an hour, then she should be like, president. Or on a better show. I don’t know who wins. This fight is dumb. Tina finds a way to tell her that she’s a control freak but it’s endearing, which really has NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. Ugh.
Kate says it’s really hard to work with Jenny and Larry (who is gay, right?) says that Kate is doing all the work and that’s not fair because Jenny may be a great novelist, but she is not a great screenwriter.
The following things are cited, by Larry, as problems with Jenny’s writing. Because I’d rather not speak my subtext, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions regarding my decision to list these things:
This writer’s completely incompetent.
She doesn’t think visually.
She doesn’t know structure.
All her characters speak her subtext.
She writes page and page after description that has nothing to do with moving the story forward.
On the upside, Kate is really hot. And I dig her cigarettes/San Pel/coffee thing. She tells Tina she thinks they could do great things together. Hm, why don’t you get out of that jacket and demonstrate? Yeah?
Exit Art: This guy is re-thinking his core concept. He’s going to move it into three dimensions. This reminds me of the movie Art School Confidential and art school itself. I’m not certain I know what’s going on here, but it sounds like he’s a sculpture student who for some reason just did paintings for his thesis? That’s stupid, dude. Bette comes in and she and Jodi have some tense moments where Bette’s basically saying she knows Jodi’s leaving and she’s not impressed. She’s still wearing that shirt, so it’s hard for me to get into this scene. Tom’s lookin’ cute, though.
When Shane tells Paige that she looks good, I melt a little. Okay. A lot. Shane got a present for Jerod. It’s an “El Panda.” These really exist. Ilene is more in touch with children’s toy trends than the trends of “the way human adults talk to each other.” Paige talks to herself so that we all know that it’s her birthday tomorrow. Shane’s going to take Jerod to the boardwalk for some chicken or something, I don’t know. Paige looks rosy and drinks beer.
Jenn: That’s her job on the show. A hair stylist.
TB: Are you serious?
Men are Gross, Men Have Cooties, Throw Rocks at Them: After this scene, Henry is going to waddle out to his cave, scratch his balls, and hit his wife over the head with a dead buffalo. What is this? If I had a penis, watching this show would make me want to get castrated and never talk to another lesbian as long as I lived. Unless that lesbian was named Shane, because Shane doesn’t ever hate on dudes, and she’s smokin’ hot.
Me: “Yeah, they’re basically doing–like the worst thing they could ever do on television.”
Then Tina gets a call from Kate and is like “I’d love to go out with you, but I told Henry I’d stay in.” That’s right, Hen-ro. Your wily penised ways are wearing thin with Mama T. Watch your back. And while you’re at it, wash your back, because it’s gross.
Grace Totally Has a CHI or a SAPPHIRE. I Know Some of My Often-Poofy-Haired Sisters Know What I’m Talking About.
Max looks kinda hot here. Grace is proud of Max for quitting his job. Now they can have more time to get naked. Max is proud of himself too. It would have sucked to work at that place now that there’s no more SpaceGate.
I Just Really Hope that KC and Elka Read These Lyrics On Their Podcast. (this is what’s in the background)
I’m dirt to the dirt buried in earth, you’re scared of this birth.
It came with a curse, a m
an with a purse, puss
Of course I pushed back, if I pushed first
I attack the land of thought-out plans
and white man poppin beer cans
they fear trans with overly suntanned necks
If you didn’t understand try to
woman or man not true
I’m something different.
I tell you what I am, a mar on the gay community
to soon for me to promote unity–
I can’t keep going, but you know the deal.
Lesbian Sex Moment #19: Thank You For Not Giving the Fake Cock a Blow Job?
The Players: Max and Grace
The Pick-Up: “I’m so proud of you.”
Hot or Not? I don’t mind bit players so much when they’re open to full frontal. She’s cute and they actually have some chemistry and Grace is like, all crazysexycool, leaning in, husky-voiced, determined to seduce, etc. Grace tells Max not to hide. She wants to see his body. Max says it’s not his body. Then she actually pulls out the dick in his underwear, it’s like, um, really, uhm. Okay…actually. 95% of you may disagree, but this scene was pretty hot. I mean, she says “I want you to come in my mouth.” And I dig the boy briefs. You can barely even see the tiny beard! It’s HOT. There.
I’m actually willing to overcome my disbelief that Bette would be talking to herself because this part is so cute.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Fuck You, Jenny. This is complete and utter total fucking bullshit. I wouldn’t say that. Never. That’s not even grammatically correct, you fucking idiot. You’re dead meat. You’re just dead fucking meat, Jennifer Schecter.”
Lesbian Squabble #35: Once A Dumb Cliched Fight Scene, Always a Bad Fight Scene.
In the Ring: Henry Vs. TIna
Content/Result:
Henry is having breakfast for dinner. I love breakfast for dinner.
SOS #4 AND CILB #5: (Henry) “Once a lesbian, always a lesbian.”
CILB #6: (Tina) “You were so cool about me being a lesbian.”
CILB #7: (Henry) “Until you got what you needed and were ready for a change of pace, isn’t that how this works for you, Tina?”
Absolutely everything that they say to each other in this scene is dumb. Painful. I think I’ve seen better dialogue on All My Children, and I’ve never even seen All My Children. Laurel looks like her lines are killing her.
Alice is bein’ her super cute self and put out roses and a little prezzie for Tasha, who is HOT HOT HOT. Alice got Tasha a watch. Not sure why exactly. Coincidentally, Tasha’s BFF in Iraq, who’s having problems with custody re: her kid’s Dad, had some sort of experience with a watch. Also engraved. How weird?
MEDIC MEDIC!
Tasha stops, drops, and runs.
Lesbian Squabble #35: We Fucking Love You Here Too, Al.
In the Ring: Tasha vs. Alice
Content/Result: Alice arrives at the army base. All the men oogle her because that’s what men do, men are dogs. DOGS! Alice gets out of her car and the camera spans the length of her cute dress and her nice smooth calves. Oh right, and then Tasha is upset that Alice has come to the base. How does Alice look so lovely? I would have spent the night with matches and knives. Tasha’s like I might get chaptered out for homosexual conduct, “you ever heard of that?” Has ALICE heard of homosexual conduct? Oh, she knows her conduct alright. Wink wink.
Jodi is TOTES WEARING MOM JEANS
Bette and Jodi are trying to co-exist in the teacher’s lounge, but it’s hard because:
1. Bette looks really hot here.
2. There’s all this tension in the air, that awful weirdness that hangs so heavy when you break up with someone and are still forced to share intimate space. Somehow this feels worse when there is food and drink involved. The way Bette says “Anybody can use it,” you’d almost think she was talking about her achey breaky heart.
Lesbian Squabble #37: Hey, Hey, The Gang’s All Here
In the Ring: Phyllis vs. Molly (the Daughter) and Leonard
Content/Result:
SOS #5: (daughter) “Mom, you’re not a lesbian, you’re my mother!”
CILB #8: (daughter) “You don’t just up and decide after 25 years of marriage that you wanna be gay.”
SOS #6 (Phyllis): “I can’t live a lie and I love your father, he’s the most wonderful man in the world but…once you’ve finally figured out who you are, it’s impossible, it’s deadly, to deny it.”
CILB #9 (daughter): “So typical of you, you’re such a drama queen, God, grow up.”
Phyllis wins because Molly and Leonard are acting like whacked out weirdos, and she’s saying nice boring things like: “I’m sorry, and I hope that some day you can find it in your heart to wish for my happiness the way that I wish for yours.”
Sometimes Kids Just Wanna Rock: Paige picks Jerod up from violin. Yeah, he looks like a violin kind of guy. (What?!!) I think that the OurChart people might be making a real restaurant/cafe/hangout/bar/club/fight club called “The Planet,” because I swear Jerod just totes pulled a product placement. “Let’s go to the Planet, where they have those really good fries.” Obvs he’s never been to the Peach Pit. And that Claire! Whew!
Do Not Try This At Home: Bette is asking Tina for advice because she feels really bad about herself. I feel bad for her too. Bette, you can come control my life for me. I need an apartment, some money, and a pet monkey. And some place-cards. Just in case, you know?
Bette: What do I do wrong, Tina? What do I do wrong?
Tina: You don’t do anything wrong.
Bette: No really, I mean it, why is it so fucking hard to be in a relationship with me? Just Tell me. Tell me everything that I did to make you run from me. I’m begging you. Please.
Tina: You’re a control freak.
Bette: Uh!
Tina: You are!
Bette: So? That’s fucking ridiculous. Everybody’s a control freak sometimes, that’s what you need to do sometimes to get things done!
[she says as Heather organizes a huge Monday night benefit on a small hand-held gadget]
Tina admits that she would take Bette’s attitude “over the safe boring man I’m seeing any day.” Bette’s like “You would?” For a moment you think they are about to kiss, and even I want them to. Then they talk about Jodi and Kate Arden. That’s when you know it’s like, capitol-O OVER. When you are able to discuss the new people you are seeing without throwing things. Then Tina says she wants to be on her own, which is basically the kiss of death, she’ll like, never be alone.
TB: OurChart, man. I heart OurChart.
My roommate: What’s OurChart?
TB: It’s like a gay MySpace–[“which I now realize is totally redundant” –3:21pm]
MR: Oh really? I have this trans friend–
[they talk, ten minutes later]:
TB: Dude, I can’t believe I totally just PITCHED OURCHART. Our Fucking Chart? What’s wrong with me.
WheresTashaisThatCatherineHowstheMovieWhereisPaige
They are at a party. I have no idea what they’re talking about. It seems like a mumbo-jumbo of meaningless words strung together in little streamers of non-sensical hoo-hah. I don’t know what they think they’re doing with the bottom banner business, plugging OurChart and shit. When’s “The Tudors” gonna be on? What’s this website-nana-na-na of which they speak? Haviland is climbing on the furniture.
Shane so did not forget Paige’s birthday.
The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls Who Like the Same Girl I’m really troubled by Jenny’s hair in this scene. She doesn’t have a lot of lines. So no Jenny Moments. But she’s totally macking on Kate, which is good. Tina’s wearing wifebeaters again, which is a really good sign. She’s like, one minute away from going back to the Secret Lesbian Club.
Back in Middle Earth …They’re throwing Jodi a goodbye party, using the set from Star Wars. She’s giving a speech filled with generic niceties. This is around the time that everyone completely lost interest, turned on the lights, and started doing other things like getting ready to go. I actually don’t even remember this part from the first time.
It looks like she’s telling everyone something really Hallmark about how Bette’s the most inspiring person she’s ever met. And forgets to add “and then I inserted my fist into her magic box.”
Riese: It’s Goldfrapp.
Haviland: It looks like Amy Poehler making fun of this show? I thought the show was about to get good for a second.
Heather: Who is that?
Haviland: Goldfish.
The Planet is the New Studio 54
Kit tells Angus that she’s fucked up and she needs to go to a meeting. Maybe she should hook up with Ivan again, because Angus is a sorry ass motherfucking nanny-fucking motherfucker.
You are not the bigger banana-head.
Wouldn’t it be useful for Jodi to have her interpretor with her at the airport, which is where, according to Tom, she already is? Bette’s like “I know you think I’m the asshole of life,” and he’s like, “step AWAY from the bran flakes, sexy.” I mean, she looks a lil hot and frazzled here, right?
Actually a Very Good Use For this Art Project: A Space For Napping and Quiet Introspection: Bette is chillin’, thinking about loves lost and time gone by, etc.
Cause I’m Missing You, and I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing: Tasha can’t take the watch because Lisa’s husband gave her a watch or something. Lisa’s dead now. Just like my love for this show. Just kidding. I’ll always love this show, even though I hate it. Tasha’s like “this wasn’t supposed to happen, I wasn’t supposed to fall for anyone while I was back.” That’s when Alice finds out that Tasha is leaving on a jet plane and Alice’s boobs look cute in a t-shirt.
After the show is over, Karen phones to add her two cents on the episode: “Why are they dressing Bette in clown shirts?”
Lesbian Sexy Moments: ONE this episode, TWENTY-TWO total
Lesbian Squabbles: SIX this episode, THIRTY-SEVEN total
Quote of the Week: Bette
yay! first to post!
i laughed for like 5 minutes straight when i read what haviland said… “goldfish” jesus christ!
oooh since when with the new gf??
u still and always gonna make laugh dude…
have a g’day!
-blox-tox
i always love haviland’s comments. it must be so funny to watch the show with you guys!
btw, i can’t help it, but i am starting to like tina again, and i am pro tibette…
take care and good luck to haviland on her show!
laia
There is no way that the content of this episode leads me to believe there is only one episode left in this season.
How much stuff do they have to cover next week in order to bring even one plot line together!
I’m loving the shane/duckie similarity, is the beaten up hat the new gay thing?
Thank you for making me LOL again
Laura
xx
this show is killing me
what else can not-happen next week?
…
I am also pro Tina, and for some inexplicable reason I really want to see them have a make-out session.
And Duckie was in Pretty in Pink, not Sixteen Candles.
P
I think I’m groking the linguistic nuances of the word “totes” as in:
I totes wanted to scream and run out of the room when I saw that blouse they put poor trussed up Bette in. (Is that correct usage Ms. Autowin? Really this is my only exposure to the neap tide of the English language.)
You really saved this episode, Reise, and I thought you were going to shred it with that hating vibe preamble (and I wouldn’t have minded). Loved the Middle Earth caption. That gave me a new perspective on where Jodi is coming from.
i. Hi Auto-win. Set my body-clock to 10:55 and turned on the teevee to view you and Hav. You’re wearing red and white! Hav’s drag’s the hottest shit ever! And yes, I kept the machine on mute till Hav came on. Cause women talking out of turn gives me headaches. But, love you both. And Heather. Obvs.
ii. Anyway, I hope we’re not nauseating your autostraddlers. We probs are, but here’s a comment for evidence that you’ve a gf.
iii. Did my best to error-correct and de-haterize you at 4 a.m. this morn. But as you said, you’ll always love this show even though you hate it. And that’s perfect–cause the best things in life are paradoxical and ambivalent. A struggle. Love/hate’s healthy, keeps you on the toes of your not-as-tiny feet. As an aside.
iv. The finale’s gonna be epic. I’ll help you copyedit, though perhaps I’ll ghost the actual viewing; Awesome’ll be my proxy.
Yours, TotesBag
If only the show was as good as your re-cap….
hey, be careful what you say about ‘all my children’. i’ve watched that show since i was 10 years old. and i actually think the dialogue on ‘amc’ is better than it was in this episode. and ‘amc’ has a transgendered character who almost passes better than max.
how the hell are they going to wrap this all up in one episode? (i’m all for a tibette roll in the hay…)
I’m so glad you didn’t die on that motorcycle, by the way motorcycle’s make me hot…that’s why i love Tasha ;)
Also I think the girl who plays Cybill’s daughter is actually Cybill’s daughter in real life, i’ll have to check that out.
I’m seriously depressed, my honey is traveling through Barcelona and NY and i’m not getting my gay fix on the L Word, this season has been so sad, i hate it.
Speaking of NY i think i’m going this summer…wink wink.
angus = kris kristofferson. i think i may have said this before.
max + grace = hot
“back in middle earth” = me laughing hysterically, and hysterectomaniacally.
i just made that up. i’m gonna put it on urban dictionary.
I auditioned for ‘AMC.’ Wouldn’t it be fun if I were on that show, auto-straddle lovers?
Riese, seriously funny stuff here…and once again, superior writing to the show…i WISH they would hire you to write for Season 5!!
Ladies, why don’t we start a campaign on ourChart to get Ilene to read Riese’s stuff and HIRE her!!! Wouldn’t the show be so amazing???
i have not read your recap yet, only the intro, but i am interjecting to inform you that churros are available for like a dollar in the 8th avenue and union square L stations, sold by suspicious looking people with entire carts full of them that they somehow manage to empty because somehow there are people who think buying unwrapped food from people who sell them OUT OF TRAIN STATIONS is a good idea. but, y’know. if you want to try one. i haven’t heard of an L-train-churro-related death yet.
I’m with Haviland, Ilene should employ you to make the L Word awesome.
That would be so good.
The next season would be non-stop laughs, and you would write the funniest dialogue for ‘Alice Pieszecki of the chart Pieszecki’.
Laura
Looks like you had a lot of fun on your 25th b-day, did you get to kiss all 25 girls??? I like your idea, i like it very much ;)
A couple of questions though:
1. Where is this bar, i need directions because i’ve never been to NY or USA ;)
2. Would you go and help me get all 25 girls? hahahahah
i’m responding to your comment on my blog on your blog, b/c i like to shake things up.
changing directors and writers constantly is possibly the biggest mistake that ilene has made regarding the show! directors put their personal stamp on things. tell me you can’t spot a john hughes movie from country mile? and the writer-shift is just ridiculous and i don’t understand it.
to make yourself laugh, please visit The Planet’s myspace page. read the comment from riccardo. you’ll be all like, “haha. this guy’s a retarded douche.” and you’ll be right.
xxx
p.s. my word verify is ‘wtdapi’, which auto-translates to ‘what the dapi?”. embrace it.
i am in for the pro-riese as a screenwriter for season L campaign. it would be a funny show, with less drama, and i am sure that we would also get to see more niples;)
laia
Blah eppy, fun review. :) Oh, and “Pure?” Drivel. Funny thing, though – on the Amazon page, the cover photo has the “Search Inside!” arrow pointing directly under her legs. Hmmm. No thanks.
This was the best thing ever… I’m so glad I found your site.
your recaps = amazing
maybe you all should start a band but make Hav sing like reallly badly – then the L word will let you take over and run the show.
cause clearly it’s Octopus head whos running the wardrobe department these days.
(anyone else notice jodi’s HUGE feet in the kitchen scene?)
I love churros.
I, too, offer my comment as evidence that you have a new GF who is also my bestfriend. It’s the least I could do considering she offered me this and many other links to other blogs as proof that autowin truly does exist/is smart/is funny/writes for L-word/is the greatest thing that has ever happened to TB…etc. etc. and may I go puke now from the sickening cloud of happiness, the aura of rainbows, puppies(almost said kittens but you hate cats) and butterflies that saturates her emails to me about you? J/K, of course. I love it. I’m a total voyeur.
I was kinda worried that I’d be utterly lost in your blogs. I mean, I don’t have cable, only rabbit ears, and’ve never seen the show. However, I enjoyed this, which quickly turned into them because I couldn’t stop reading…and then I suddenly realized that I was utterly confused because I was reading them in reverse order. oops. Still, they were funny. :)
so for the next April – Jan when there is no new L word I think you should a)recap old eps, b) recap Work Out, c) start a l word meet up where people can talk about the eps and your recaps, d) open a churro stand on in jersey city
Wow! first comment in 3 years! My friends tried to make my watch the L word, I told them no and I was glad. After reading your article (thank you for that) I wish I would have.