S01.E01: Let's Do It Again

[helenamonster]

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Ten years after we last left them, we find Bette running for mayor of Los Angeles; Shane as she returns to the city after a setback; and Alice learning to balance co-parenting with her fiancée Nat and Nat’s ex-wife Gigi and the rising success of her talk show. We meet PR exec Dani Núñez, her girlfriend and TV producer Sophie Suarez, their best friend and roommate Micah Lee, and the charming former Olympic swimmer-turned-assistant, (Sarah) Finley.

Original airdate 12/8/2019

[scrb]

So why are they doing this again?

I have not watched any of these shows.  Just kind of bummed that Lena from Ray Donovan quit that show for this reboot, though no doubt it's probably better for the actress to be in a featured role on this show.

But for whatever reason, the two previous incarnations didn't last, yet they try again?

Are there that many DINK Showtime subscribers?

The original may have been trailblazing, if it preceded the rapid change in gay rights in the last decade, particularly marriage equality.

But are these characters married or perpetually single?

Or maybe it also reflect's Showtime's inability to develop more original prestige TV shows that they keep rebooting.

[junemeatcleaver]

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But for whatever reason, the two previous incarnations didn't last, yet they try again?

The first incarnation lasted six seasons.  That's a good run for any show, let alone a premium cable show in the era when five or six seasons was the norm.  And does the Real L Word count?  It was a reality show with the L Word brand slapped on. 

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Are there that many DINK Showtime subscribers?

I don't know what that has to do with the L Word?  I wouldn't be surprised if DINK describes a good portion of premium cable subscribers.

Whatever.  I'm cautiously excited for this.  I have less than zero interest in ever watching Ray Donovan or Billions and Shameless went to shit years ago.  There's finally a reason to subscribe to Showtime for however long this season of TLGQ goes on for.

Edited December 8, 2019 by junemeatcleaver

[oldCJ]

I couldn’t get into it. Loved the original season. Well except for killing off Dana and the murder mystery ending. This episode didn’t draw me in. I’ll give it another try next week. Who knows. 

[Chaos Theory]

I really liked it.  I was a fan of the original L Word even when it got a little...much.  This has a lot  of potential.   It blends the original cast and the new cast in well.   And gay rights have trailblazers since the original and if the show is clever enough (which is 50/50) it will show the old cast and new casts POV on it.   But there are still a lot the show can do on gay rights and women rights in general.   And I don’t want to get too political.    I hate reality tv so I didn’t watch the reality tv incarnations of this show but I do like a good drama and a good melodrama and the original mixed both.   I am hoping this does the same.
 

[esco1822]

I was "meh" on this episode. I don't know if it's just because I watched the original but I was much more interested in the OG characters' story lines than any of the new people. I especially didn't care for Alice's partner who really just isn't a good actress, even if she IS married to Tig Notaro. All her roles seem interchangeable to me, she's just forgettable and Alice deserves better. Also, I'm assuming we're supposed to believe that Kit overdosed on opioids which is why Bette is so passionate about fixing the epidemic. If that's the case, i'll be pretty pissed. You'd think they learned their lesson with killing off Dana. Anyway, I guess I'll give it another couple of episodes before I jump ship. 

[junemeatcleaver]

4 hours ago, esco1822 said:

. Also, I'm assuming we're supposed to believe that Kit overdosed on opioids which is why Bette is so passionate about fixing the epidemic.

Bette would still be passionate about the opioid epidemic if Kit was in prison, an active user or became physically or cognitively damaged from drugs.  But this is The L Word and they have never been subtle, Kit's dead.

I'm pleased that the OG three were featured more than I expected.  The right characters returned, too, I could live without ever seeing Tina or Jenny again.

[thewhiteowl]

It was okay. I was glad to see the original characters. I liked the 3 that came back. Really glad some of the others didn't. By the end I wanted to kill Jenny my damn self. 

[Gulftastic]

I'm assuming that Alice's jumpsuit outfit was a nod towards the proposed spin off that never came off? It had a real 'prison' vibe to it.

[buckboard]

It was good to see some of the old cast members again and I was glad to see more people of color in this iteration of TLW.  It's nice to see lesbians in prominent roles and I'm trying to enjoy that without complaining too much about the show's deficiencies.

That said, the Bette running for mayor story line is full of more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese.  She can't handle a question about having an affair with a married staffer, so she just walks off the stage.  Really?   She should have expected to have that come up and been prepared to answer it., even if the questioner was a reporter and not the woman's husband.  Saying it was consensual isn't an answer.  Even if the woman wasn't married and it was consensual, you don't have sex with an employee you are supervising.  

Then Bette goes on Alice's show, which seems to be pretty popular.  Bette refuses to answer Alice's question about why opioids are a primary focus of her campaign, saying it is private and she doesn't want to discuss it.  Really?  You don't need to explain why this is the most important reason to you for your mayoral run?  (I'm sure will find out why, but these seem like two really bad starts to her campaign.)

And, IMHO, Kamala Harris would have LOVED to go on Alice's show, with its friendly audience.  It may be a local show, but the L.A. viewing area has a much larger population than the entire state of Iowa.

Edited December 12, 2019 by buckboard

[DNR]

The 3 that came back look good. Jennifer Beals never ages!!!!

[monagatuna]

On 12/6/2019 at 12:55 PM, scrb said:

So why are they doing this again?

I have not watched any of these shows.  

 

Then why comment here?

 

On 12/6/2019 at 12:55 PM, scrb said:

Are there that many DINK Showtime subscribers?

The original may have been trailblazing, if it preceded the rapid change in gay rights in the last decade, particularly marriage equality.

But are these characters married or perpetually single?

Um, maybe? We're DINKs and we watch the show through Prime (I know it's got its issues but we do our best to be socially conscious otherwise).

Personally I'm excited for a modern version of The L Word, because I got into it rather late (years after it ended--I came out later in life), and while I liked it, I couldn't commit and missed probably the second half of the series. I'm enjoying this iteration, although I'm pretty angry that the original show killed off one bisexual and turned the other one lesbian due to consumer demands. It's as if, once again, bisexuals do not exist. I'm happy with the trans representation, but I'm not trans and would be interested to hear if trans viewers are satisfied with it.

[Sasy Scarborough]

I am liking it so far, but found it very hard to get past the first few minutes of the show...while sex is expected, it was a little more than that and I almost turned it off entirely. I am not a prude, but that seemed a very big way to have new viewers possibly not give it a chance. 

In regards to the walking off stage, like many, we tend to compartmentalise our pasts, while she knows she will be in the spotlight, she failed to consider what exactly that meant, as many do. Remembering every single encounter with another, whether light or more involved, you can never know exactly what skeletons someone is going to dig up, even if you do remember them. I think that was a perfect representation of that. 

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I never got around to watching the original series so watching this episode was a lot because there were so many characters, all of whom were new to me and I didn't know how any of them knew each other.

By the end of the episode, I felt like I had at least figured out who was who, even if I couldn't remember all of their names.

I'm going to watch a few more episodes and see if I want to stick with it (or if I should just give up and finally watch the original).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

So you're happy you're back?

Shane gets a text:

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Rapunel]

On 12/9/2019 at 6:03 PM, junemeatcleaver said:

Bette would still be passionate about the opioid epidemic if Kit was in prison, an active user or became physically or cognitively damaged from drugs.  But this is The L Word and they have never been subtle, Kit's dead.

I'm pleased that the OG three were featured more than I expected.  The right characters returned, too, I could live without ever seeing Tina or Jenny again.

So I just watched the original series before starting Gen Q. Jenny was one of the worst written characters I have ever seen and the actress was awful. She is a perpetual child and I’m glad not to have to hear her baby talk voice (“Monsieur, they won’t do everything I demand”), her little girl clothes and hairstyles are gone from my screen, thank goodness. None of the characters are perfect or anywhere near it but Jenny was the worst and simply there to set up the never picked up Pilot “The Farm.” What a total waste.

I’m 2 eps into Gen Q and so far I’m not loving the new characters. I’m also pissed they killed off Kit.After watching the Interrogation Tapes posted on Showtime from the original, they really wanted Jenny to have been murdered but I guess since “The Farm” never got picked up it was just easier to say she killed herself by drowning in Bette’s pool, which was pretty lame since season 6 totally destroyed the show. 

I’ll keep watching, especially as a second season of Gen Q is due to start in about a month but I hope they develop the new characters a bit better as right now I don’t really care about any of them. Also, yet another inappropriate relationship for Bette? That is getting so old - they need some new material.