Hey Friends!
Soooo, this is going to be my first attempt at writing a review of a show! I expect this is going to be a learning curve, as I have never done this before. With time, I am sure that I will fine tune my words and reviews, and I hope you all bear with me as I start this endeavor.
If you follow me on Instagram, which I hope you do (@oaknmetal), then you know I started to watch “The L Word: Generation Q” the other day. It premiered December 8, 2019. I recorded it knowing I was going to wait to watch it. I don’t know if that’s the Netflix syndrome, where I purposely wait to watch a show so that I can binge it in one sitting. I seem to do that a lot. Anyhoo, the show is now 4 (or 5 as of tonight) episodes in. I have only watched the first two. Therefore, this review is only going to be on episodes 1 and 2, titled ” Let’s Do It Again” and “Less is More”. Here we go!
Let me start by saying that I love that they are keeping up with the tradition that each episode starts with the letter “L”. I looked ahead for the rest of the episodes and yes, they all start with L. I loved it 16 years ago, and I love it now. It feels good that they are sticking with their roots that way.
On to the opening scene – WHOA!! They really welcomed us right back into the world of “The L Word”! Thank goodness I was home alone when I watched it hehe. What I did love about the opening scene, besides the obvious reasons, was how it depicted period sex. It was completely normal. It wasn’t weird, it wasn’t an issue. You can tell that this was written for women by women. And God, I cannot tell you how much I have missed that.
Also, Dani is currently my new L Word crush.
From pretty much that opening scene all the way through the first two episodes, I had a smile on my face the entire time. It really felt like being reunited with friends that I have not seen in years. And it felt like no time had passed. It also felt to me that they really did honor the characters we grew to know and love ten years ago. Seeing Alice with her own show made complete sense. Seeing Bette (with a grown up Angelica!) running for Mayor made complete sense. Seeing Shane return to LA very troubled and running from something, made complete sense. And the best part of all, their love and affection for one another was still the same. They were still best friends. That warmed my heart more than anything. They did not bring the show back and create turmoil between three friends we know and love.
As for the new characters that have been introduced – I loved not just the characters and story lines, but the actors they have chosen to play them! They have embraced not just their roles, but their importance of playing these roles. I’m sure they knew when they signed on the immense cultural impact this show has had on all generations that have watched it. I’m sure they knew what they were stepping into. And they all stepped up. So from a day 1 fan of a show that touched my life and heart – welcome to “The L Word” family – and welcome to my heart.
I want to add a few quick thoughts/questions I had while watching the first two episodes. Starting with, didn’t Shane get married at the end of season 6? Apparently she is now going through a divorce. But I was pretty sure she married Molly. I guess not. I look forward to meeting Quiara though. I love that Alice has been domesticated, and seeing her struggle with motherhood is amazingly beautiful and hilarious to watch. Jordan Hull is a force on the show! I do not think they could have cast a better Angelica. She fully embraces who I envisioned Angie would be. I already love the rapport her and Jennifer Beals have, and her fearlessness in delivering real emotions in some high tension scenes. Speaking of J. Beals, do her, Leisha Hailey and Katherine Meonnig not age?! You would never have guessed 10 years have passed.
I want to wrap up this post with one last thing. I am someone that needs diversity in their life. I suffocate when there is too much of one thing. If there was one issue I had with “The L Word” as well as “The Real L Word” was the overall lack of diversity. “The L Word” did give us Carmen, Tasha, Max. They did. And on “The Real L Word” we had Sajdah, Kiyomi, Rose, and Romi. But there was still something always missing for me. Just a little. This new season, we have a bit of everything and I am LIVING for it! We have an Asian trans character that is pursuing/dating a latino cis man. We have Jamie Clayton! To see one of my favorite characters/actresses from Sense8 on this show warmed the fuck out of my heart. We have a gorgeous hispanic lesbian couple with Dani and Sophie. And not to get too deep or political, but to not have either of them be “light skinned” Latinas – is huge. Latin representation on film/tv has steadily been growing and accepted over the years. But Latin representation of hispanics that have darker complexions is still lacking in mainstream media. So to have Arienne Mandi and Rosanny Zayas playing these characters, omg, means e v e r y t h i n g. And I love that we have Finley. Who oddly enough, reminds me of me lmao She’s such a hot mess and all over the place, and if that’s not me right now…Anyhoo, this new generation of characters/actors that I am assuming are going to carry the show forward are perfect. I cannot wait to know more about them.
In conclusion…what else can I say? I know…THANK YOU SHOWTIME, THANK YOU “THE L WORD: GENERATION Q”!! I did not realize just how much I needed this show to return. And, THANK YOU FOR RETURNING TO EVERYTHING THAT HAD ME LOVE THE SHOW BACK IN 2004!! As you can see, I am very excited about “Generation Q”. And I really hope you are all too!! I FULLY recommend that you watch it. I also fully recommend that you comment on this post and tell me what you think/how you feel about it. I am completely back in “The L Word” swing of things, and I hope you are too!!
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