l word season premiere

Tolerable.

There were plot twists piled upon plot twists, and as is usual for this show, they existed only to give the season its momentum. It's an interesting trick, actually, the way The L Word manages to manipulate its characters to fit the latest plot threads, without any particular concern for character continuity, yet at the same time manages to keep all of its characters relatively stagnant over the long haul. So you never know what might befall Alice or Helena from one scene to the next, but if you look at the characters in their first episode and look at them now, they're pretty much the same (with the exception of Helena, who has always been the standard-bearer for willy-nilly character changes ... she's actually a lot the same as she was at the end of last season, but her plot line is stupider than ever so far). Shane was the lovable sleep-around gal, then and now. Bette was a control freak, then and now. Alice was charming, scattered, and more insecure than she should be, then and now. Tina was too much the doormat, then and now. And Jenny ... oh Jenny ... at least she has an excuse for being changeable, she's a lunatic. In her case, it's a matter of Mia Kirshner doing too good a job as an actress. Jenny is excruciating to watch, and part of that is due to Kirshner's skills at being just what the role requires. At least we're now seeing Jenny as a ... well, I'm too polite to say what she is, it starts with a "b" or a "c" depending on your taste in pejoratives ... but this is preferable to the early seasons when we were supposed to identify with her. But she is a lunatic, to be sure, then and now.

The program's strengths are also the same as they always have been. Most of the actors do fine jobs, no matter what material they are given. And the camaraderie of the group of friends is always welcomed (and is rumored to be more of a focus this season).  This first episode of the new season wasn't worse or better than what preceded it, and since I'm still watching, perhaps that's good enough. It's just that television is so much better now than it used to be, so good enough just isn't as good enough as it used to be.

Oh well, at least they managed to get Leisha Hailey's top off before the episode ended. I'd feel worse about liking that stuff if the producers didn't make such a big deal of using sex scenes as a selling point.

Comments

[Chris]

I feel like I say this at the beginning of every season, but what a waste of time this season premiere was. Most of the story lines weren't just bad; they were stupid. I'm tired of them all. Like you say, they are essentially the same characters they have always been, and I'm tired and bored with most of them. Ho hum.