The L Word(s)

We're so good at L Word disses. But come on, how about some kisses?

OK, we've had our fun pointing out lame moments on the L Word. But to be fair, there were the occasions when it seemed like maybe somebody was actually paying attention over there. Occasions where stories jibed, characters were true to themselves, continuity was respected.

You know, un-WTF moments. Or better, FA moments. Moments that made us say "F*cking A, maybe somebody at the L Word was actually awake that day.''

Or - I don't know, maybe there's a better term for what I'm talking about. Any suggestions?

I know you know what I mean. Folks at TWoP pointed out a couple a while back:

There was that dinner party for Jodi at Bette's house where Kate mentioned she had Googled Tina and found a "hot'' picture of her in a turquoise dress. Like, FA, were the powers actually referring to the dress Tina wore in the season one finale when she clocked Bette getting too chummy with Candace at the CAC? Later that night she delivered that famous line, "I know, I saw it.'' And Bette wound up ripping that dress off Tina in the middle of a violent, impassioned exchange that led to hot sex, but didn't prevent the downfall of our favorite couple. Could the L Word really have meant THAT turquoise dress? Or was that utterance by Kate just an accident?

And in the season four finale, there was Tasha revealing that Papi's real name is Eva Torres, which some TWoP folks remembered as the name of the girl who Carmen, back in season three, mentioned taught her some new tricks on the night of her prom.

Here's a fun one: We've all heard Ms. Chaiken say she sort of based Jenny's character on herself at a certain point in her life. So was the creator of the L Word making some deep self-reference when she put these words in the mouth of Larry Kennar, the L Word exec who played Kate's manager: "She doesn't think visually, she doesn't know structure, all of her characters speak their subtext...'' Of course, Larry was talking about Jenny, but - still. It was all very full circle-ish.

And there is the general FA of how well the powers set up the Bette-Tina-Jodi triangle (BeTiJo?) for next year. Even with the tractor situation, the drama is all very plausible, all very well-developed. We're buying it. You know, Bette trying to move on because she thinks Tina really doesn't want her. And Tina helping Bette move on although she does want her, because she wants to do the right thing for once and not get in the way of Bette's new relationship. We're psyched to tune in next season and see how it all gets resolved. Because we're bounce-back kids like that.

Anyway, I know you guys have a bunch of moments that stand out as FA moments (or, whatever you want to call them). Let's give the L Word some love and list them here. Because, for all our disses, we do love our show.

Let's make a list of all the L Word WTFs.

I was never a fan of Queer as Folk. Only saw a few episodes toward the end. Rolled my eyes at how cliche some of that writing was. Hated the series finale with that cheesy scene at the nightclub.

Now that we're four seasons into the L Word, I have to admit that QAF doesn't look nearly as bad. It's not like the L Word is trying to produce a show on the shoestring that, say, your typical independent lesbian film is made on. So why the troubles with continuity, why the uninspired storylines, why the shabbiness?  The powers over there should get props for bringing this show to life, and truth be told, there is plenty to love about it. But they're not always the best storytellers.

One of the things I loved about this show when it started was the notion that there were so many dykes behind the camera. But do too many dykes spoil the cauldron?

L Word  fans love to point out all the WTFs on the show. But imagine if you started a list, from season one to present day. It would be as heavy as a phonebook -- remember those?

A friend mentioned one today. Don't know if it has already been discussed on all the message boards. Probably has been:

In the season four finale, you see Jenny floating at sea and it's bright daylight. In the next scene, I guess the final scene, you have Tasha and Alice still on the beach and holding each other as the light begins to break. So it got lighter and then it got darker?  Like, nobody at the L Word saw that mistake? Or do they think we're so stupid we won't catch those things? Maybe they were being artistes and offering an out-of-sequence Mulholland Drive type of thing, but I doubt it.

The WTFs have been rampant, and they take you entirely out of the story. Might be a fun to start a list. I mean, it is a long hiatus, so WTF! We might as well entertain ourselves.

Bring on your L Word WTFs!