The L Word

This artistically well-done Showtime-made TV series primarily focuses on portrayal of lesbians in their 20s to 40s as urban professionals and deals with their everyday issues; at the same time, thematic materials such as working on relationships or struggling against temptations have universal qualities so that any open-minded persons, regardless of gender and sexual orientation, can associate with the happenings in the show. Also, dramas without males' chauvinistic nature create a uniquely comfortable mood, which even the straight audience may feel refreshing. Gaining a wide range of supporters and fans beyond the lesbian community must be a big factor of the show's success, which made it possible for the series to continue to Season Two.

Speaking of the show's success, one cannot overlook its artistic merits, which are extraordinary as a TV show's. Many incidents are interwoven into one compelling story; a lovable ensemble cast that consists of a variety of personas engages in acting; and the director of photography Robert Aschmann takes full advantage of his skills and creativity in amazing long takes, aggressive crane shots, and illuminative lightings. There is inconsistency among episodes on writing, directing, and editing due to the fact that several different artists have worked on each episode; this drawback may be inevitable for a TV series. Among writers and directors, Rose Troche, the legendary director of Go Fish, writes believable dialogues and directs intimate scenes with crafts, while Lenka Svab stands out among editors, dazzling and mesmerizing the viewers with a deliberate disorientation. Some writers make homage to historic filmmakers such as Godard, Cassavetes, and Soderbergh by having the characters refer to them; this is a tiny detail but certainly amuses film fans.

I was excited to learn of the new Lesbian drama to come out last January as a new Showtime original series. Already being a big fan of QAF I was interested in seeing a show focused primarily on gay women instead of gay men. I believe Showtime made a good choice bringing "The L Word" to its viewers because it now balances out for both gay and lesbian individuals. Although I watched QAF I always felt I had not a lot to relate to. Mel and Lindsey are two great characters but the show does not focus a lot on them. "The L Word' fills that void. Each character brings new life to the show and the actresses and actors who play them are all very talented and intriguing. With each episode you find yourself more and more captivated and developed into the characters and their lives. It is sometimes frustrating having to wait a whole week just to find out what will happen next. This is without a doubt my Favorite show and I am so happy to finally have something to watch and be able to identify with to some degree. My life is really nothing like what is presented in the show, but it is fiction. It is not meant to be like real life. That would be too boring. The show touches base with many serious issues facing gays and lesbians today in our country and at the same time makes you laugh. These women are HOT and SEXY and Alice(Leisha Haley) brings just the right amount of humor to the show. All of the actresses bring such an energy across the screen. They work well together and you can tell they all have fun making each scene. This applies more to Leisha Haley, Kate Moening and Erin Daniels (Alice, Shane and Dana) Every scene which involves the three of them is sure to have you laughing. Bette and Tina (Jennifer Beals)(Laurel Hollowman)do a great job bring their characters to life and it is their characters, I feel, which make the show interesting. Through the season you see their relationship grow and change. Every week I had to watch and see what was going on with them. Jenny and Marina (Mia Kirshner)(Karina Lombard)display the thrill and and fear of two women coming together. I enjoyed watching these two because it reminded me of my own coming out story, watching Jenny go through all of the emotions. Through the first season you see Jenny grow and develop more than any other character. This is a great show and I believe many people can relate.

i checked out the show, to be honest, for the reason you might expect. and for that purpose i was pretty disappointed. but i'm not entirely crass and i continued watching. now i'm a cinephile who doesn't make a lot of time for TV shows, but this was a truly terrific achievement.

this is a top shelf, highbrow, a-class, quality show for intelligent people almost exclusively. the characters are well-developed, and backed by nuanced performances. the dialogue rings true, never TV-like at all. and the story arcs are present without that pesky soap-opera feeling.

on top of that, the shot selection and cinematography are freewheeling and experimental(sometimes to a fault-as in the rotating camera in the Chinese restaurant-but no matter). the show is more than worth an hour out of my week.

that damn theme song however is the worst. so ham-handed and silly, ugh. it practically undoes all the subtlety of the show when it wails "this is the way that we live!!" not to mention that awful list of verbs in the middle. and such a long song too! that and the sometimes equally obtuse selection of music for the soundtrack is the worst bit.

I have watched this show since the first episode and thought okay the writing is a little sophomoric and the story lines are forced and clichéd but lets see how it evolves let it hit its stride. The second season arrived and unfortunately, the show got worse with every episode. The story lines were boring there were no plot twists that I could not see coming from a mile away. The only chemistry that exists on the show and really the only thing worth watching is Alice and Dana's over the top and fun filled relationship, besides that I was bored to tears and not interested in any of the characters. One of the worst scenes ever was the "gabfest" with Gloria Steinem, it was so forced and boring they were trying capture the girl talk of "sex and the city" and it just didn't happen, it did not even come close. I mean god bless on-demand, I can fast forward through the drudgery of whining jenny and the continuous Shane worshiping. The simple truth is if you take away the the lesbian sex shock value and the show is nothing. it is one of the most over rated shows on TV, Just a bunch of shallow uninteresting characters in stupid,inconceivable and unbelievable story lines.

This emotionally daring show centers not only on gay issues but a bit more to a relationship than sex… All the characters are complex but instantly likable…The nudity is not exhibited in a gratuitous manner, it is shown as part of the thoughts and feelings of the characters…

The main characters are:

Bette and Tina, a life partners who have been together for seven years… They have the best relationship of anybody gay or straight… They are about to do an incredibly major thing…

Into this mix comes Shane, a girl with short black hair who doesn't get involved with anybody; Alice, the bisexual writer who has one conviction that we're all connected through love, through loneliness, through one tiny, lamentable lapse in judgment; Dana who refuses to accept that whether you're gay, or you're straight, or you're bisexual, you just go with the flow; Jenny who has her world turned upside down when she met, at a party, the most stunning woman she had ever seen; Marina the owner of the little café who doesn't think she has done something wrong; and Kit, the lady with the flashing eyes, who has always wanted to have a place where musicians could come and jam and get much love...

As Bette, Jennifer Beals is a very well-rounded individual... She keeps replaying it over and over again in her head, just trying to figure out the exact moment when she could have stopped herself...

As Tina, Laurel Holloman gets the feeling from Bette that she's so proud to be with her, and she makes her feel really safe and loved…

As Shane, Katherine Moennig is amazing… She is an unattainable beauty who practices sex with no emotional entanglements...

As Alice, Leisha Hailey is constantly complaining about feeling sluggish… She ends up with the most complicated interpretation of sexual identity she's ever encountered…

Mia Kirshner gives the picture of togetherness and sanity to Jenny… She's beautiful and that compensates for a multitude of sins… While she is truly in love with Tim her increasing fascination with Marina permits her life to be wrecked with supposition…

Karina Lombard is definitely beautiful, sophisticated and hot as Marina… The really thing about her character is when she focuses on Jenny we truly feel that Jenny is the only human being that exists for her…

Erin Daniels knows that she is gay but is indecisive to reveal it…

Lolita Davidovitch is not exactly an innocent bystander… She tries to make others jealous in order to find the others desirable…

Rosanna Arquette never felt more alive than she has in the last 20 years of her life… But would she leave her husband, her child, her houses, her trips to Paris, her black-tie galas to run to some rank little love nest with a nice assistant hairdresser who barely has her foot in the door?

Much could be said about every character… Each actress takes on controversial subject while still injecting true different feelings