The L word has legions of lesbians fans across the world. There is no argument that the original L word has been cemented in Lesbian culture since it first aired in 2004. When it was announced that the L word would be getting reprised in 2020 with Kate Moennig, Jennifer Beals, and Leisha Hailey all reprising their original characters we all swooned with excitement and anticipation. It had been 16 years since the original tv show had aired and the world had changed.. a lot.
Even with all its flaws the original L word truly is an iconic tv show. Living up to its original fanfare might have been difficult for the reprisal if it wasn’t for the loyalty of the lesbian following. Some of the best moments of the original can still be referenced within queer friendship circles and elicit laughter. As well as some of the more ridiculous moments like Shane and Jenny dating. Yuck. But also some of the storylines that truly struck a chord with the genuine lesbian experience. Carmen coming out to her family after her mum tries to set Shane up with Pablo at their big family lunch. Or when Jenny and Max get harassed at the truck stop, resulting in one of the best lines of the show.
Tina’s infamous mixer for their “lesbian” and “straight” friends which results in a hilarious game of celebrity showcasing the disconnect between the lesbian and straight world. I could list so many plot points that were a genuine representation of lesbian life throughout the six seasons of the original but it would be too long. Of course with any fictional show the embellishment and drama is always there and there were some seriously CRAZY plot lines but I still feel that the original L word had some truth in its depiction of the lesbian experience despite it being much more exaggerated as you would expect in a fictional tv show.
Fast forward to 2021 we are nearing the end of the L word Generation Q season 2 and I am not disappointed. Bringing such a beloved show back needs to be done well so as not to taint the reputation of the beloved original and the reprisal has delivered. The balance of telling the new characters story lines alongside the old has been very well done. As has the ability to interweave the old and new into a believable and well crafted crossover of the character arcs. Due to the limited amount of episodes some of the characters we don’t get to know as well as we might like as well as some decisions feeling a bit rushed but hopefully if we get another season we will be able to explore the characters a bit more.
As much as we love all the new characters I think the majority of the original fans are tuning in predominately to see the progression of Alice, Bette, Shane & even Tina (despite only being a guest star) characters and how their lives have changed in the past 10 years that they have been away. They are certainly a lot more developed professionally and financially however they still seem to struggle with the same relationship drama that they had back in the mid 2000’s. (I guess if they didn’t have girl drama it would be quite a boring show?) It is also interesting that both of the more masculine-presenting lesbians (Finley and Carrie) seem to be the ones struggling with addiction issues in the series. Bette is the only character from the original who seems to have gotten worse in my opinion. The way she treats people in the show especially Carrie & Tina, she kind of seems like a bit of a bitch…. I used to love Bette but the more I watch this latest season the more she irritates me with the way she treats other people.
Shane and Alice on the other hand, it is great to see them both getting into relationships with characters that actually seem good for them. I never thought I would actually be shipping Alice with a man but Tom is just too much of a sweetheart not to like. In true L word fashion my prediction is that he won’t be around for long and she will eventually go back to a woman but it will be very interesting to see the storyline of biphobia in the lesbian world play out over the final few episodes.
Overall I feel extremely lucky that we are living in a time when we were able to get a reprisal of the tv show that shaped a whole generation of young queer women when we had literally nothing else. It is even better that the quality of the reprisal is top notch and the new characters can stand up against the old. I really hope that we get a solid six seasons of Generation Q just like we did the first time around. (Yes I am even counting season 6 because YOLO I love a murder mystery and I don’t care what anyone says) Now just to get Helena and Carmen back and it will be the ultimate reprisal.