Interesting 'L Word' Preview

Below is a link to an article by Ginia Bellafante about the new (and last) season of The L Word.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/arts/television/16word.html?ref=television

Bellafante has basically turned the preview into a big critique of the series and one that I find few faults with, despite the fact that I've only ever watched the first season. She opens by talking about a few of the more ridiculous storylines the show has experienced, and then goes into the background of the show and how it has developed.

While I have always admired the fact that The L Word has women on it who are not stereotypically butch, I do understand that they also are not exactly representative of various body types (and if there's something our already eating disorder-riddled society needs, it's to see more body types on TV). Bellafante brings a great personality to her writing, stating at one point "...'The L Word' is a Sapphic Playboy fantasia in which women with wrinkles or squishy thighs or an aversion to lingerie appear to have been flagged down on the freeway with urgent instructions to move to Seattle." The L Word takes place in West Hollywood.

I also understand what she says about lesbian bed death. While I admire that the show has always been open about women having sex together (though it is HBO - the same thing could never happen on, say, ABC), the bed hopping is a little much. And the fact that all these women can stay friends with each other after they've slept together and/or had actual relationships with each other is a simply idealistic, as is the portrayal that it's easy to find someone to fall into bed with. One of my favorite lines in the article is "Celibacy means missing out on the action for a period no longer than the number of days between Rosh Hashanah and Columbus Day."

At the end of the article she does mention the fact that The L Word can at least be applauded for the visibility it provides to society, and it is for the visibility alone that I think the show is worth having (though it is in it's last season, so it is coming to an end anyway, and it's on HBO, so it's not as if your average, ignorant viewer is going to just stumble upon it). Bellafante compares the visibility on The L Word to the fact that CBS was flooded last year with angry letters about how two gay lovers on "As the World Turns" had only been seen kissing twice. She could've also mentioned ABC and Grey's Anatomy - they ax their lesbians.