“Us? We just hang out and stuff.” —Alice Pieszecki
It’s a stormy night in L.A. What are our favourite fictional lesbians to do but make out in the rain? It’s Episode 7 of The L Word: Generation Q Season 2, and everyone seems to be hooking up: Bette stops crying at art long enough to get together with Pippa, Alice returns to old comforts, Shane and Tess make it happen and Sophie and Finley struggle to keep it in their pants. How could any of it possibly go wrong?! Xtra‘s senior editor Erica Lenti and managing producer Chelle Turingan host.
Transcript
Chelle [00:00:09] Welcome back to ‘Off the Chart.’ We’re here and we have a lot of drama to process in Episode 7 of ‘Gen Q: Season 2.’
Erica [00:00:16] We sure do. This season we are once again watching ‘the L Word Generation Q’ with you, bringing you our unfiltered take on the new series reboot every Tuesday, because, of course, Chelle, we can’t get enough of those L.A. lesbians.
Chelle [00:00:29] I’m Chelle Turingan, managing producer at Xtra, and I want to know where I can get Alice’s powder-blue suit.
Erica [00:00:34] I’m Erica Lenti, senior editor at Xtra, and I really wish that I had been promposed to with those umbrellas in a fountain. Beautiful dance sequence. I’m all about it.
Clip [00:00:45] For what it’s worth, Gigi is really into you. Can I trust you? I’d like to think so. I did something naughty. Hey.
Chelle [00:00:52] OK, Erica, let’s jump right into themes, what stuck out to you for Episode seven?
Erica [00:00:59] It seemed like for once, everyone was kind of taking a step back and really reevaluating things. We had Dani trying to evaluate if things with Gigi were going to work, not wanting to rush into anything. We had our lovely Angie trying to figure out if she should break up with Jordi. You know, we had Alice, who was, you know, thinking about things with Nat, but taking a step back and thinking like, what does this really mean for me? So I think it’s growth. It was nice to see. But I do think that this was an episode where people really had to think about the choices that they’ve been making when perhaps they haven’t been thinking very much about them.
Chelle [00:01:42] There was also a lot of sex.
Erica [00:01:44] There was a lot of sex, too, when they weren’t thinking essentially they were having sex. Yes. Yeah.
Chelle [00:01:50] OK, let’s jump right in with Bette. After securing a C.A.C. show for Pippa, she finally agrees to sign with the gallery and to celebrate, Bette brings Pippa to a charity event hosted by Dana’s. Alice and Shane are thrilled to finally meet the Pippa Pascal, and the two flirt throughout the evening and they finally kiss. They end up going back to the gallery and they do it in a giant light installation. Super gay. Meanwhile, Carrie shows up to the event in an attempt to bond with Bette little bit. She is, after all, Angie’s mom, but Bette doesn’t want any of that and tells Carrie that she’s not interested in anything other than a cordial acquaintanceship. So it’s the return of a bitchy Bette it seems, what did you think of Bette kind of being this mean girl to Carrie?
Erica [00:02:40] I will say, first off, I was very happy to see Bette not crying at art, but having sex in art for once. So that was the highlight. But yeah, she’s still just being her typical Scorpio Bette self.
Chelle [00:02:54] I bumped into Bette Porter. And? It did not go good.
Erica [00:02:59] I don’t really get why she’s such a jerk to Carrie, perhaps part of it is she she really does believe that Carrie is not a good match for Tina or she just genuinely doesn’t like her vibe, which I don’t really get, because Carrie seems incredibly lovable from what we’ve seen. And I know we’ve only seen her in pieces and we have way, way, way more history with Bette. But I can’t see why Bette wouldn’t be happy. I mean, Angie seems to love Carrie. She invited her to the therapy session that they had all together as a family. So clearly, Angie sees Carrie as part of her family as well. Should that not be enough for Bette? Like, shouldn’t she be able to be the bigger person in this scenario? I, I don’t know why she’s like this. She always wants Tina when Tina is unavailable. So maybe that’s the situation. I don’t know. What did you think?
Chelle [00:03:53] That’s an interesting take. And I think one that probably a lot of us have. What stood out to me is like the the vast contrast between, I guess, like the subcultures of lesbians inside of this community. We’ve addressed it a few times in the past to mixed results, like when Max gets thrown into the mix, when Jenny started dating them back in the OG series. This felt very familiar to that stereotype of like, a dyke, like an OG dyke that just doesn’t seem to fit into, like the glitz and glam of this L.A. lesbian scene. And I think it’s very interesting that the show is almost, I don’t know what the word is. The show is like owning its pretension around some of these folks. I don’t know. It kind of makes me hate these people a little bit because there are lots of different types of people in our community. And you’re not always going to like everyone. Just because we’re all queer doesn’t mean we’re going to all get along. Like, what did you think of that dynamic?
Erica [00:05:03] Yeah, it’s interesting that you bring up the Max situation. I think the difference here is that it’s not like Carrie is part of a different socio economic status necessarily, like Carrie is a lawyer. Right? So it’s not like she’s a working class person who is suddenly being thrown into this, like world of wealthy people like Bette Porter and Shane and Alice. And is it bad to say Bette that is kind of becoming a bit of an anti-hero to me? She’s like kind of awful. She treats people really horribly and expects things in return. And we kind of get to see the effect of that through the lens of Carrie for once. Like I do think, you know, we’ve seen Bette be a jerk to Tina and the effects of cheating on her, for instance. But that’s ‘The L Word.’ Everybody cheats on one another. Everyone has sex with other people. They break up, they make up, whatever. But just seeing the sort of, the social implications here, like watching Carrie feel completely broken up about like the mean girl in Bette, that Bette and her crew of like, as you said, glitzy, glamorous L.A. lesbians and she the like the poor bitchy dyke from, you know, wherever, just doesn’t fit in there.
Chelle [00:06:26] I see mirrors with Finley as well. It’s just like with Sophie being like, why aren’t you an adult? Dani is like, get f*cking a job. And and Finley’s back story too is like, you know, I’m from the Midwest. I had a really rough upbringing. And I think Carrie also mentioned that, like she was on antidepressants her entire life. It’s like, all the woe is me lesbians seem to be getting the sh*t end of the story stick here. And all of the L.A. lesbians are just kind of like get therapy, like get your shit together. I have more glamorous things to do. I think it’s really like an interesting look at how they’re approaching these characters that I don’t know if I like, but I feel a certain way about it.
Erica [00:07:13] That was a very interesting way to look at it. And I would hate for viewers to be like, yes, like Tibette is a thing again, because we kind of need to examine what that means about this like, insular community. And it might actually be a nice opportunity to, like, as you said, step back and be like, who are these people? And like, do I actually hate them or do I love them? It adds a depth to the show that I think we kind of need, even though it’s a soap opera. Like let’s get some depth in there. They’ve been doing a lot of really good stuff around other issues. But this is something that’s super interesting. I think I’m really excited to see where it goes.
Chelle [00:07:53] Totally me as well. Speaking of different theories. Like, do we think that Carrie is possibly an alcoholic? Do you think she could have lied to Shane about being called out on the AA meeting? She claims that in her drunken state, when Shane and Tess bring her home, that she might not be able to marry Tina. Like, what do we think about that?
Erica [00:08:14] Yeah, my first thought was that she was lying to Shane. It might be interesting. And we’re going to talk about this later to see some parallels of how alcohol is used to cope with stuff with Finley. If there is, if Carrie does indeed have a drinking problem, that might be an interesting way to look at it from, you know, an older lesbian, a younger lesbian, how they’re working through those things and what they mean and how it’s generational. That could be interesting to me. So we’ll have to see.
Chelle [00:08:45] All right. Let’s jump into Sophie and Finley, who are seriously making up for lost time, just doing it whenever and wherever they can. That includes getting it on during Sophie’s Queer Rebellion segment, when it airs for the first time. And of course, they get caught by Alice. The pair later head to the charity event that Dana’s is hosting and get a little tipsy and they end up getting pulled over by the cops on their way home. So Erica, let’s just get this out of the way. How do we feel about people having sex at work?
Erica [00:09:18] Who are these people? OK, I have to say so. My fiance Arielle works in television and she was incredibly dismayed at the scene. She was like, Sophie is a producer. Why isn’t she in the control room? Why isn’t she in, like Alice’s ear during the segment? It’s her first segment. Why is she not watching it? I personally took issue with the fact that these two were having sex when these women were telling like an incredibly emotional story about how they were like, they had to fight to be together and have rights within the workplace or like get spousal rights and insurance and all of that, I think from the other episode. Yeah. Like, does that turn you on? Like, I’m sorry, it was just so horrendous. Alice should have fired them. How did Finley get in the building?
Chelle [00:10:09] She doesn’t work there anymore!
Erica [00:10:11] Alice is a huge talk show host. They don’t just let anybody in.
Chelle [00:10:15] Quiet Rebellion is a good segment. But like, I don’t know if it’s that good. Just stop f*cking at work. Just stop it. But aside from all of that, I mean, it’s clear that that Finley and Sophie have a very physical connection. But I think it’s becoming clearer to us as an audience that maybe they’re realizing that they need to learn more about each other. What did you think about some of those conversations, this episode?
Erica [00:10:42] Yeah, I was actually really grateful that they did this. I was this is probably the first time that I actually enjoyed seeing Finley and Sophie interact since last season, mainly because we’ve seen so much of their connection being just like based in their horniness. Whereas I don’t know how much Sophie knows about, like Finley’s ambitions and what she wants to do with life. And obviously, a major red flag is like her drinking issues, which perhaps are going to be unveiled now because of what happened in the car with the cops pulling them over, who knows, might be a red herring. The show loves those. But but I think that it’s about time that these two finally have a conversation about the big things in life, which is what I think the relationship was really missing. I mean, with Dani and Sophie, we knew everything. We could tell that they knew everything about each other. They both wanted kids, like they knew all the big stuff. They wanted to get married. They had a plan for their life. And so when Sophie, you know, cheated on Dani with Finley, she was leaving that and going into like a huge unknown. And she’s still in that place of unknown. So I’m looking forward to them figuring the stuff out and seeing if they actually are compatible beyond the sex which they’ve been having a lot of clearly.
Chelle [00:12:05] Totally, I think it’s interesting that they’re showing the pros and cons of that sort of through these conversations, like early on in the episode, so he is kind of like, you know, what should we have for dinner? Can you even cook a meal for yourself? And seems kind of annoyed. But then later, at the at the big poker event, when Sophie runs into like a big exec head, she seems impressed that Finley can hold her own in front of this very important person from work and more so as herself, you know what I mean? She’s not pretending to be something that she’s not. Finley is just who she is. And I think it seems like Sophie is a little worried at first that Finley might speak out of turn and then ends up being pretty impressed by how she held herself together. So I agree with you. It’ll be very interesting to see how these two will connect outside of the bedroom.
Chelle [00:13:05] OK, let’s jump right into Dani and Gigi. Dani is a bit thrown off after Gigi has just admitted that she has feelings for her. She really needed a friend in that moment and so doesn’t really know how to hold those feelings. She’s also afraid of what Bette will think. I mean, who isn’t afraid of Bette right now? She can be pretty scary. But Gigi says not to worry about that. And at the end of the night, the two of them finally have their first kiss. Now, Erica, do we love Dani and Gigi as a ship? I know that most of our viewers are ready to see Gigi do something different. About 85 percent of you said that the Bette and Gigi breakup was long overdue. So what do we think of Dani and Gigi
Erica [00:13:48] Yeah, I agree with the audience saying that the break up was overdue. I think Gigi definitely deserved better. It was really obvious that Bette was like not feeling it. I’m still not sure about Dani and Gigi, to be completely honest. I felt that their kiss was a little cringe, which makes me sad because I like both Dani and Gigi. It was a little like, can I trust you? And I was sort of like, this really feels super contrived and soap opera-y, which I know, I know ‘The L Word’ is basically just a lesbian soap opera. But like, I could have done more there with the dialogue. They have good chemistry together. I think they could have done more with it. I guess I’m curious to see where it goes. I do think that Dani is right in that she’s nervous to move on after she was cheated on with the person she thought she was going to spend her life with. I think Gigi is a trustworthy person, but I kind of hope that this will just be like a fling kind of thing. I don’t know how much compatibility they have in the long term, but I think that they can have fun together. I don’t know. What do you think?
Chelle [00:14:56] I agree. I’m really loving Dani’s character, like quite a bit more than in season one, perhaps a complete 180. When she has her conversation with Finley at the charity event, she has this actual, like, real beautiful, intimate, emotional moment with Finley in which she says, you know, because I see him put together, no one is inclined, or no one thinks to hold me when I need it most. I was like, damn girl. Like for her to say it to perhaps the person she would least want to admit that to, and I think she realizes that as well, because she says if you ever use that against me, like, I’ll destroy you. But she was able to have this moment of weakness in front of who is possibly her frenemy right now. And the fact that Dani is the one being reasonable in this ship. She’s the one that’s saying I need to take it slow. Hey, man, like I needed a friend. And you just moved in. Like, Dani is actually a really good, stable head on her shoulders. I’m team Dani, like, I just, I want to see something good for her. And if it fits in like a fling or something that just gets her through this rough time or it blossoms into something else, like I just, I kind of want to see more Dani now.
Erica [00:16:16] Yeah, I completely agree. Go off, Dani. No, Dani hate here. We’re we’re officially Dani stans. I love it.
Chelle [00:16:25] OK, let’s jump into Alice and Nat again? OK, sure. Alice runs into Nat while out for brunch and stops and says hello. That somehow devolves into the two of them having car sex. I mean, we do know that Nat loves sex in public places, so OK, cool. The two of them continue to hook up and sneak around. But by the end of the episode, Alice puts on the brakes and realizes that not is not going to change. She’s still flirting with people. Sometimes it just takes a few tries per break up for some people. So perhaps that’s what’s happening with Alice and Nat. Erica, what did you think of this step backwards?
Erica [00:17:05] Yeah, I’m so tired of regression, I think that’s what I hate about this. We only have three episodes left in the season after this episode.
Clip [00:17:13] Wow. OK, are you…? We just hang out and stuff. OK, sounds totally believable.
Erica [00:17:21] Did we really need an episode where Alice goes back to Nat and it is like, oh, it’s still not going to work? Like I think we kind of knew this already. She took a step forward with Tom last episode and it felt like she was finally moving in the right direction. And now she’s like, actually, I’m just going to have some more sex with Nat. Why not? Let’s just keep doing it and see what happens. I guess you’re right that, like, some couples do need to break up a few times, but like I, I don’t know. Alice is old enough to know, you know, what she knows. I don’t know why that we had to go through this. And the whole time I’m watching this, I’m like, poor Tom. He has no idea any of this is happening. And I know that they slept together once. They don’t have any, like, commitment in any capacity. I guess my issue is less like, her sleeping with Tom and then going to sleep with Nat, like whatever, but she made a whole big deal about how she was monogamous and how polyamory wasn’t going to work for her. So I’m kind of getting a bit like confused. And obviously, like people are entitled to, like, change their minds about things or whatever. But I guess as a viewer, it’s a bit confusing as to what she’s doing, like where she wants to go. How did you feel about it?
Chelle [00:18:39] You know, I can certainly understand wanting something that feels safe and familiar, even if it’s not good for you. So, like, I think that’s realistic. I know that it stretches out Alice’s storyline and kind of makes it drag a little bit. But there are elements to that that are certainly relatable. I will say that Alice was wearing a pretty sick blue suit this episode.
Erica [00:19:05] (Laughs)
Chelle [00:19:08] I would like to see Alice in more fashion choices like that. OK, let’s move over to my favorite ship this season, Shane and Tess. Shane is hosting a charity event with all of the proceeds going to an MS fund in honor of Tess’s mom, which is again, very, very sweet. The two of them end up kind of babysitting Carrie a little bit, who proceeds to get a little too lit and she can’t help herself get home. So the two of them take her in Shane’s Jeep. Shane admits that she couldn’t have dealt with that without Tess. Tess finally has a moment of clarity and decides to take the plunge. And they have their first kiss also in the rain. What is it with the rain making out in this episode? We’ve been waiting for this finally, and it seems like all of you guys are stoked about it too. In our Twitter Instagram post, 92 percent of you were really hoping for Shane and Tess to to blossom into a relationship and it looks like it’s happening. Erica, what do we think?
Erica [00:20:07] Yeah, I’m all about it. I thought it was super cute. I thought they had great chemistry. I love that they sort of built up to this as opposed to just like dropping them into a relationship like two episodes in or whatever. It felt like a nice progression. I could have done without Cherie Jaffe. But it’s fine. It seems like Shane is finally growing up a little bit. Seems like Shane wants another sort of monogamous thing. The real deal, it doesn’t seem like she’s interested in the hookups despite her past behavior, both in the original series and in ‘Gen Q.’ So I’m interested to see what happens. I mean, I hate to bring it up again, but that poker game is still unresolved. So who knows what awaits this couple. Chelle, fo you think that Shane has actually grown? I know that you are like captain of the ship, but I’m curious to hear what you think about that.
Chelle [00:21:07] Yeah, I think I’m turning into Shane stan as well. I think that the growth is happening in more than just one place in Shane’s life. She’s also seems to have matured as a friend and just like a person with a lot of empathy and compassion. You know, earlier on in the episode, just as the charity event is starting and she’s having conversations with Alice and Bette when they run into Pippa, like Alice gives her a really hard time when Shane is like kind of pushing her on like, what’s going on with that? And finally, she’s just like, well, sh*t, like, sorry for being a friend that cares about your wellbeing. Bette kind of makes a side comment to like make sure they’re put at separate tables. You know, Shane knows exactly how to help her friends in the way that they need. If it’s tough love with Alice or she’s got to work on this lie for Bette, she was really compassionate with Carrie, even though she was like, Tina’s my homegirl and if you’re sneaking off to AA meetings and no one knows about this, like, I got to call you on it, like, it’s just. Man. I want Shane to be my friend. I want a friend who will look out for me, the way Shane does. And of course, as you mentioned, like I’m just loving the ship that is happening with with Shane and Tess, this change into a more long game approach. You know, wooing a girl is just, like, so sweet. You know me, I’m like a hopeless romantic. So, Shane, Team Shane, season two, you’re killing it.
Erica [00:22:41] You know what this means, though, Chelle. We have a hole, we have an absence of a f*ckboy on the show. We need to bring someone in.
Chelle [00:22:51] Who will it be? Maybe Micah, because he wasn’t here this episode. OK, so lastly here, we’re going to talk about the cutest ship of ‘L Word: Gen Q’, Angie and Jordi. So Angie is starting to think that Jordi is a little too preoccupied with regular teenage stuff. Perhaps they’re in different parts of their lives, though. She’s actually ready to go and break up with Jordi in this secret spot and then is given like a list of instructions to put on headphones, put on a raincoat, put on your boots. And Angie’s like, what is happening? And then this very elaborate, adorable promposal happens. Erica, what do we think of this proposal?
Erica [00:23:36] What do we think? What is there to think? Besides, these two are perfect. They’re are such a great break from all of the drama and bullshit that everybody else is dealing with. But I once again, before I get into, like, how perfect and cute and like everything that they are like, I have to note that Angie is still the most mature and levelheaded person on the show in relationships. She’s like, OK, we’re not working out that well. Like, I’m dealing with something heavy. Jordi is dealing with something that like a normal teenager has to deal with, you know, prom, whatever. And I’m going through something more extraordinary in my life. We’re not going to work out. Maybe we need to break up. And she, like, makes that decision maturely and is like ready to go in person and deal with it. The show needs to, like, take some lessons from whoever’s writing Angie, or just make the characters better, you know? Absolutely. But the promposal perfect, like absolute levity in an episode of heavier stuff. And I loved it. It was the best outdoor scene. And I’m really glad that they didn’t make them kiss in the rain like everybody else.
Chelle [00:24:47] It’s our favorite part of the podcast, the superlatives round where we each pick our best and sometimes worst moments from the episode. Erica, what was your pick?
Erica [00:24:55] OK, I’m not picking the worst this week. And how could I when we had the best dance number. What could I pick aside from Angie and Jordi? I loved it. I thought it was exactly what Angie needed. Some levity, some lightness, some feeling like a teenager. Jordi was absolutely adorable. I thought the whole thing was super cute, super over-the-top, super gay. I am obsessed with this couple. So, yeah, no other pick for me. How about you Chelle?
Chelle [00:25:28] Speaking of super gay, I will say that the funniest self-referential moment this episode was Alice and Carrie talking about lesbian representation on television. Carrie, who is actually Rosie O’Donnell, is kind of like, you’re the first lesbian TV talk show host we’ve ever seen on TV, aside from Ellen. Wow. It really meant a lot to me. Obviously, Rosie O’Donnell had her own talk show as well. So I think just a really funny thing for the writers to put into this script. I really loved that. And my top comment from the week comes from our viewer, Gina, over on YouTube, where she says, I fully disagree on so many fronts, but also I’m super loving these recaps. Oh, thank you so much Gina, that means a lot to us. She also says, I melted and died for Sophie and Finley, and I love that weird scene with Micah and Dani. We will agree to disagree on Sophie and Finley. But I do love the the relationship that they’re building with Micah and Dani. So thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. We really love to read that.
Erica [00:26:34] Yeah. And those are just our top picks. Tell us what you think in the comments down below. We might pick you next week to be read out in the podcast. So leave those comments for us.
Chelle [00:26:46] Well, that’s it for this episode. Tune in next week when we talk about Episode eight of ‘Gen Q’ and we find out who will actually stay together. I’m Chelle Turingan.
Erica [00:26:54] And I’m Erica Lenti. ‘Off The Chart’ is produced by Chelle Turingan. Our technical producer is Lito Howse. Our executive producer is Rachel Giese and our music is by KidKulit.
Chelle [00:27:06] If you’ve been enjoying ‘Off The Chart,’ please do all the things like comment, subscribe on YouTube, give us a review wherever you get your podcasts or you can check us out over on Twitter @XtraMagazine. Until next time, bye.
Erica [00:27:21] I asked my girlfriend in high school to go to prom with me with two Barbie dolls and “prom” in her locker, which I don’t think is like a promposal.
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