I’d give the season 5 premiere 4 out of 5 stars.
What I liked about the L Word:
- Bette’s new ‘do; sleeker
- Tina getting a little more screen time, and it not being reduced to her whining, pining, and being a biatch to Bette every single minute. A little nuance with her character goes a long ways towards minimizing her annoying traits.
- The dialog opener with Jennifer Beals and Laurel Halloman bantering. Cute.
- Helena’s refusal to give up the goods on her cash heist. Verrry interesting.
- The reveal that Max didn’t get the sex change. Also verrrry interesting.
- Tasha’s return! YAY!
And here’s what I didn’t like:
- Kit’s hair. WTFF? Bad, and not good bad.
- Jenny. OMFG, I hate her. Hate, hate, haaaate. Rat dog better get her comeuppance by season’s end. The more she’s on screen, the fewer redeeming traits I can find about her. In fact, there are none. She’s becoming a caricature, Ilene.
- The side conversation during the podcast about what the “T” in GLBT meant, and how Alice kinda got snarky-mean with Max. I realize it was meant to highlight the sometimes difficult relations lesbians have with transgender folk, but it came off totally as something someone else would say- NOT something Alice would say. That was a mis-step, L Word writers.
- Also from the podcast scene- I find it highly unlikely that a Vice Chancellor of an Art school would be THAT unfamiliar with the subject of transgender people. Phyllis is naive, but c’mon.
- The reason for Tasha’s return; totally not cool. Unsurprising, but not cool.
Overall, the tone was set well- there’s going to be lingering fall out from Jenny’s disorted excavation of her friends’ lives for creative gain. Shane certainly has to ‘rise from the ashes’, but she definitely is going to get her groove on with some hot ladies. Jodi and Bette… I sense more trouble, but interesting trouble, not I-want-to-kill-Jennifer-Schecter trouble. And I wonder how long Peggy will let Helena rot in jail. Judging from the previews, long enough for her to get it on with her hot butch cell mate.
Technorati Tags: season 5 premiere, L Word, GLBT, lesbians, transgender
Those previews don’t lie…We went to the HRC sponsered premiere event at Cinerama and came home with our DVD of Episode 2, which we have already watched…I guess revealing anything more would spoil it…suffice it to say I want to go to jail now!
Hahaha!
Lucky you, you premiere party attender. I am old and it’s a school night, so no out-on-the-towning for us.
Mmm. Jail sexiness. Can’t wait! Brings to mind the time the gang was all arrested for that protest at the art gallery and Bette and Candice…. *drools*. So wrong it was right.
It IS a school night and I too am a (dirty) old dog…the premiere (fortunately) was at 4pm today…and now I am off to bed at 9pm…but not before a quick repeat of the jail house rock-my-world!
You’re a damn dirty tease, JMc!
Thank you, Kit’s hair is a trainwreck.
Jenny? I love to hate her. I love that they’re making her even more hatable. For that reason I enjoy her.
I loved the intro with the redo of the cocktail party scene: LOL.
Love, love, love Cybill Shepherd!
Shane needs a haircut. Not so sexy this seasons.
Bette=hot.
I agree with Lelo. Jenny is supposed to be unlikable. Mia plays the role so convincingly, it’s sometimes hard to swallow. But, I love her for it.
I’m waiting to see just how angry they’re gonna make me with the upcoming Tasha ordeal. I’ve boycotted 2 seasons for lesser reasons. I guess we’ll see.
Nice recap.
I know, I know Jenny is supposed to be insufferable- and Mia Kirshner is SO talented. Love the actress, hate the role. Something about her actions rubs me insanely the wrong way, and I just. can’t. WATCH. And yet, I do anyway… as Lelo correctly said, she’s a trainwreck worth watching.
RE: Tasha… I look forward to seeing more about her DADT investigation, as well. I know Rose Rollins and Ilene Chaiken did a lot of research and talked with past and present soldiers, so I suspect whatever happens will be accurate.
I was hoping that Jenny would have floated away on her raft at the end of season 4, never to be seen again. Perhaps eaten by a shark?
Fleur de Lisa- That was EXACTLY my hope… the season ended with a chant of please let Jenny drown, please let Jenny drown…
Okay, I’m caught up now. And I pretty much agree with everything you said.
I knew Kristanna Loken was only back for one ep so I figured they’d kill the Shane/Paige thing, but I thought that was terribly clumsy handling. I’d almost rather they came up with some random explanation as to why Paige disappeared in the interim. I really liked Paige, but you could see that storyline spiraling at the end of Season 4.
Watching Bette and Jodi have a conversation is just as painful as watching Bette and Tina have a conversation as they were breaking up (which is fresh in my mind because we’ve had a Season 3/4 marathon getting Missy caught up in time for Season 5).
I’m a little irritated by everyone’s obsession with which team Tina is currently batting for. I understand the back to men thing was a bit of a shock, but at this point why are we still fixating on who she’s going to date next. The topless in the pool scene was nice, though. I enjoy Tina and Bette’s “I know how you are” banter. Until it gets awkward, which it always does. I predict they’re back together by the end of the season.
I’m not even going to dignify Jenny’s existence with a response.
I thought two things were handled weird- Shane’s break up with Paige and Jenny’s sudden reappearance after being at sea.
I too am sick of the drama re: Tina dating men or women. Alice didn’t get this scrutiny, why the hell is Tina? I guess it is a plot device to explore the whole “is lesbianism political or sexual or both or neither”.
So are you not a fan of Jodi? I like the way she makes Bette vulnerable. They are a fiery match. But I do think they will break up.
On Jodi and Bette and Tina.
My prediction: Jodi will “break” Bette.
Bette will be more “Tina-friendly” and they will get back together.
Personally, the floating on the boat thing was too weird…I will be pissed if this whole season is a “re-write” from Jenny’s “creative imagination”.
As for Shane, The fire had to be set by Paige’s son. Having as Lawyer in the club makes things easy. U know Shane won’t bring it up or press charges. I am just worried she didn’t pay her insurance premiums and is out of cash- like Helena. But who cares…Bring on the Girls!
GAH! Ilene and co better not do a “Dallas!” on us.
I agree about Jodi ‘breaking’ Bette. As much as Bette has softened, she still doesn’t always get it. And Tina has grown more of a spine, too… so I don’t think reconciliation is impossible.
You think Jared set it? Hmm. I dunno… but it sure is possible!
“I am just worried she didn’t pay her insurance premiums and is out of cash”
Insurance was the first thing I thought of!