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| RANDOM THOUGHTS |
Written by pancha305
I hope this editorial is clearer that the "Random Acts" on the TV show which I almost never understand. I usually say, "What-the-hell-was-that?" after seeing each L Word opening. "Does anyone know?" (Dead silence)
1. I would like to see Bette and Tina back together and thought that was entirely possible to accomplish. There could have been plenty of drama with the adoption issue, the sexual dysfunction issue, the money issue. I mean, no sex, no money-- those are fairly big deals where I'm from. Certainly their relationship always had flaws. Most do. But people work to overcome problems and maintain a loving relationship. That's the drama of everyday life. And make no mistake, it's real drama.
2. When they try to work out something like their sexual problems, why do they go to "Bozo, the sex therapist?" That scene is clearly written for laughs and does not address the issue seriously at all.
Bette and Tina clearly need some outside help with this problem and apparently they are not going to get it. Instead of "outside" help, I guess they are going to turn to "outside" lovers.
3. To some degree the adoption issue is also presented bizarrely when the weird case worker shows up. No one seems to try to deal with this situation in a realistic way. I suspect that some future episode will have a scene in which Bette's petition to become the adoptive parent is refused. Bette will be devastated; Tina will be stone-faced.
4. Because I think Bette and Tina will not get past their problems on the tv show, I want Bette to move on. I think she can find herself if she's not constantly being pooped on by Tina and she can find a better mate. Tina should move on to the extent that she leaves Bette alone. At this point I don't much care what happens to Tina.
The scene with Bette and the senator showed that Bette can be plenty hot with a woman other than Tina. And they didn't even kiss! Wow! Did Tina and Bette ever look this hot? Not to me. (Someone did suggest I would be struck by lightning for making such a statement.) I can also see why Bette would be attracted to the senator and I never saw why Bette was attracted to Candace.
5. Please understand that I think Laurel Holloman is a wonderful actress. My dislike of Tina in no way diminishes my respect for Ms. Holloman.
We also know that Laurel is committed to Tina and her relationship with Bette and is not happy with the way S3 is going. She said in the Miami Herald interview that she and JB went to Chaiken and asked if Bette and Tina could be shown as in love rather than as fighting all the time. She did not reveal Chaiken's response.
She also really gave of herself when she made that whirlwind trip to the UK for the L Word Convention. To fly from the west coast of the US or Canada to London and back in just a couple of days is difficult. She did that because she is committed to the character she is playing, committed to the success of this program and is grateful for the following it receives.
6. Would either Bette or Tina want to be together if not for Angelica? I'm not sure that Tina would have come home unless she hadn't been about 15-months pregnant and looking way overdue. I'm not sure Bette would want to stay with Tina except she's afraid she's going to lose that child.
7. Maybe Chaiken is unhappy that fans have responded so positively to Bette and Tina and not to Jenny. (I hear that Jenny is based on a young Chaiken.) Maybe she's trying to make B&T more unpopular. Perhaps that's why Bette has been emasculated and Tina turned into a cold bitch. If we grow to dislike Bette and Tina, the thinking may go, perhaps we will grow to like Jenny.
8. I know she's pulling out every manipulative sympathy card in the deck to make Jenny more likeable. Poor Jenny! - She's a struggling writer and we are supposed to feel for her. Poor Jenny! - She is a descendant of Jews at Auschwitz and we are supposed to feel for her. Poor Jenny! - She is a childhood victim of sexual abuse and we are supposed to feel for her. I'm surprised that she is not the one with breast cancer.
Please note: In no way am I minimizing the tremendous horror of having been the victim of sexual abuse or the horror of ancestors caught in the obscenity of the holocaust. But I think that these things are linked with Jenny to inspire sympathy for a character who has not become popular with many viewers.
Last year Chaiken constantly tried to ally Jenny with Bette. The thinking apparently was that if we like Bette, we will now like Jenny. Do you remember? It's Jenny who sympathizes with Bette at her's and Shane's house about Tina's being pregnant and Bette's not knowing. It's Jenny who sympathizes with Bette at the Planet about her mistake with Candace. And it's Jenny who phones everyone to go to Bette's house for "family night" instead of Helena's Xanadu on the Beach.
I don't like being manipulated.
9. Ever since I read that the character of Jenny is based on the young, struggling Ilene Chaiken, I have been worried. If this is true, then the L Word is being written by Jenny!!! That means that there is nothing too weird or disgusting that could be written. Remember all those awful Jenny carnival scenes? When people talk about the spoilers of the episodes 7-12 (which I have not read), they say that they are too weird to be possible. Well, if Jenny is writing this tv show, nothing is too weird.
10. The destruction of Bette and Tina as a couple has been a sad curiosity to me. It could have been written with much drama without ruining the couple. I would have thought that Chaiken, a lesbian, would have been pleased to have a couple who was such a positive symbol for the gay community. I would have thought that Chaiken, the producer/writer, would have been thrilled to have talented actresses with such tremendous on-screen chemistry--a chemistry which guarantees more viewers and more financial success. I will never understand why a lesbian, producer/writer appears to have thrown all that away.
Bette and Tina were the center pole of this wonderful circus. When that pole was broken, the tent collapsed and obscured everyone. Now all I can see is the flailing of unidentifiable characters beneath the canvas.
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2006-02-07, 12:56:05 PM
From: phishfoode
Comments: Well said... (and it is so pityful to see Bette hurt like this...are we ever gonna see her without this sad puppy face?)
2006-02-07, 16:35:12 PM
From: Anonymous
Comments: Poor Bette? Oh come on people, lets get real here! I would like to take you back to season one when your beloved Bette decided to slip a little tongue to the carpenter, yaīll remember that? I donīt know what the words `faithful` and `commentment` means to the general public, but obviously not a heck of a whole lot to Bette. I know that they were not a very stable couple for the moment we met them, and that the rift grew and grew until the whole lumberjack episode.. oh Candance..take me somewhere! Lovely. Personally, I loved Tina and Bette and was totally blown away when Bette screwed up, but I gotta stand up for Tina. Tina should have kicked Bette straight to the preverbial west coast curb and kept on truckin along. I know, I know that she was with child and it blows for Bette that she canīt lay claim for Angelica, but Bette was not really involved with the pregnancy. They were fighting up until almost the moment of labor, and then well we now see what has happened to them. Pillows, hetero-cyber lovinī, and all the other drama of a loafing Bette. The preditory, overtly annoying, manipulative, scarry lawyer was right, Tina needed to claim her autonomy and get on with her life...Jenny I love jenny and well I know that all that circus vinyets(?) aside I wish her character could come to terms with all her issues abit less ravinishly. I liked the moments between her and Shaneypooh, they would be kinda hot together, no? I dont know whats going on with this show, why are all the butch girls drag kings.. Ivan Ayecock, and now Moira. Canīt we have a butch girl on that isnt so ashamed of her breasts that she has binds them and is so unintouch with her girlie side that she taunts around like a man? Im not bashing who they are, far from it, but come on; lets get a cute little butch character that has boobs and a snappy haircut.. wait.. kinda like shane, only with a bit more mass and a bit more butch..
2006-02-07, 18:51:56 PM
From: Anonymous
Comments: Couldnt agree more...feel like we have not seen enough good of Bette and Tina for us to even care at this point if they stay together or throw in the towel...hope the whole show is not going to go into a Jenny view bc that will SUCK!!!
2006-02-07, 21:19:31 PM
From: BetteAndTinaForever
Comments: well said pancha...only diffference for me is that i still care what happens to Tina and i don't want to see Tina living with a man in season 4...but i absolutely agree that Ilene for whatever reason ruined the best chemistry couple on the show and now not a lot of people really care for them staying together...i still do, even being so apart physically and emotionally, Bette and Tina still represent for me the first couple that attracted more viewrs, gay and straight, and i hope Ilene will find the way out this mess and still give us hope that true love exists and can overcome anything
2006-02-08, 10:53:31 AM
From: spacystacy
Comments: Well said pancha305! Standing ovation. I must say that I respect IC so much, up until now I haven't wanted to criticize the writing. Seasons 1 and 2 were so amazing I still watch them repeatedly. I too am dismayed with what she has done to our beloved Tibette. At first I understood Tina's hurt and pain but now, after how many months? I too am over this cold, selfish Tina and this weak (who the hell IS this - Bette?) And I too love love,love Laurel Holloman - her acting, her dedication and commitment to the part. I am heartened to know that both JB and LH voiced their concerns to IC. There has to be a better way to maintain drama without destroying a ridiculously beautiful and totally realistic couple.
2006-02-09, 11:04:58 AM
From: pancha305
Comments: spacystacy - "Dismayed" is a great word for describing one's reaction to this Bette and Tina.Anonymous - Clearly we don't have a meeting of minds on the characters of this story. B&TForever - I know that you are one of the most dedicated Tibetters on this fan site, but I wonder what you will think if Tina becomes sexually involved with a man or men.
2006-02-15, 13:54:17 PM
From: trackstar
Comments: I understand that Bette screwed up in season 1. but come on everyone knew that she was going thru hell and that she was trying to be strong for both Tina nd herself when they lost the baby. There is no excuse for cheating, but everyone knows the opnly reason why people cheat is because their relationship is on the rocks anyway. We all know that it killed Bette to cheat but at the same time, when she was messing around with Candace, she no longer had to be that strong woman in charge, that takes care of everything. Tina totally shut Bette out when they lost the baby as if Bette wasn't hurt either. Bette felt that she had to be strong for both of them, when in reality, Tina should have been there foe Bette as Bette was for her. Also Bette has paid for her mistakes long enough; how much can a person take. I think the issue is Tina has issues and it's not about Bette cheating. I think Tina is so far pass that. I think Tina is being a hard ass and so called finding who she is and is forgetting why her and Bette feel in love. I think it's so impossible to be with a person for 8yrs and now not know what you want. I think Bette has had enough, I think she should be with somebody else for s4 and I think that will wake Tina up and make her realize what she is missing. I know Bette has made her mistakes and has her ways, but how much can a person take. If Bette wouldn't have cheated, something seroius was bound to happen. I hate the fact that IC is taking this couple through so much. They shouldn't be problem free, but they should be happy together. Ic has Tina acting cruel
2006-02-15, 15:59:02 PM
From: Seahurst
Comments: We all talk about the chemistry between Bette and Tina, and now everyone agrees that Bette with the Senator was incredibly sexy...so now I wonder if it is Bette and Tina we want to see together...or if it is Bette with ANYONE, because the comment element in both those pairings is BETTE!!!! I mean, she was just as hot with Candace as well...so I'm thinking BETTE, BETTE, BETTE!!! LOL Great editorial Pancha...very well said!!! In my humble opinion, IC took a huge wrong turn, and is now totally lost in the maze.
2006-02-15, 17:59:01 PM
From: freudianslip_00
Comments: I've only recently taken it upon myself to re-watch Season 1. It's very evident that while Tina was not as responsive to Bette's stress in that season, that Bette did not necessarily articulate a great deal of her stress. In that season, Bette is constantly focused on what she needs to do at work, spending more time at work, drawing all of her attention to work. And then Bette works on the assumption that Tina doesn't care or isn't interested (how could she know how bad things are for you when you're not telling her how it's effecting you, Bette?) and takes it upon herself to find some TLC when she needs it, because she needs to be taken care of. There are some very clear references in Season 1 to Tina's concern for Bette, but Bette is so caught up in the Provocations project that this doesn't register. The ongoings of Bette and Tina's relationship are exhausting to watch, because although Bette is now trying to resolve the relationship, there is still such a lack of essential emotional communicating going on by both of them. It is not enough to say that you miss your lover/partner. The actions must reflect the words, and when Tina advises Bette on their concerns as a family, Bette does things to dismiss Tina's concerns. It's classic miscommunication. It's Bette saying all the right things and contradicting herself with her actions, and it's Tina fearing the outcomes of leaving her longtime partner. I don't dislike either character. I think they're both evolving beautifully; I just fid it frustrating that neither character is able to make a decision regarding whether to stay or go. But, for me, that's what makes the drama of the show so great.
2006-02-15, 20:43:02 PM
From: arkansas jo
Comments: living here in the so called bible belt we needed positive influence to be able to change others minds inregards to lesibians and gays--i was using the show as a positive tool-can't5 chance peoples opions unless they can see why they should--bette and tina was a good example of how you can get it together didn't know ic was going to go off deep in with them--shouldn't have lead us on a the end last year-i watch hoping to be pleasantly surprised later (read no spoilers) if it was for this web site there is no information about l word here i'd be lost--i agree with you
2006-02-15, 21:48:11 PM
From: gte103j
Comments: You've got to be kidding about Bette and Tina being a good role model as a couple, lesbain or hetero. Sometimes I read comments about Bette and Tina and feel like I most be watching a different show than some of you, because from episode 1 Bette and Tina were an unstable couple. IC,intentionally or not, set them up for failure from the beginning. They were in couple's therapy and from what was divulged in those sessions, they were inevitably heading for major problems. I mean at one point Bette questions if she had fallen out of love with Tina. Now in season 3 Tina is questioning if she has fallen out of love with Bette. We have watched 2 seasons of these 2 women act out how not to maintain a healthy relationship and still people are acting shocked that Bette and Tina are in such a bad place in their relationship. I blame them both for the current status they are in, and quite frankly I am glad that IC is not making their relationship the main focus of the show. I felt bored last season with so much focus on Bette and Tina. I also don't think IC is making Jenny anymore of the focus this season, I think she has done quite the opposite. Jenny, Bette and Tina had way too much air time the first 2 seasons and I am glad that for the this season more focus is being placed on Alice, Shane and Carmen.I guess I could agree with pancha305 about IC wanting to keep Bette and Tina as a positive role models if I seriously thought they were ever a positive image of a healthy couple, but I don't and never did. I never saw them really ever address any of their issues in S1 or S2. As pointed out the drama of everday life is people working to overcome problems and maintaining a loving relationship. The problem for Bette and Tina is that I never saw them put in that type of work, hence the slow death of TiBette. I think that because Bette and Tina was the first 3 demensional lesbian couple on television some viewers may have projected this stable and generally happy couple image onto Bette and Tina, when in reality they never were.
2006-02-15, 23:07:55 PM
From: funnyone
Comments: Well, Pancha, as usual we can count on you to provide us with coherent, reasoned insight, be it with your fiction or your criticism. Which I'm sure only makes it all the harder for you and your ilk to witness the senseless de-evolution, the baseless morphing of the characters. I agree that the Bette and Tina characters could at least have made positive steps towards repairing their relationship, but even if this is not the direction Chaiken wanted to take them, it was not necessary to mutilate the characters to such a degree that it makes Jenny's self mutilation seem a mere triffle. As the characters creator she owed it to them to let them be them. Characters can change and they can grow, but here they have been destroyed. For what exactly is hard to determine. It would appear to be nothing more than whim.
2006-02-16, 01:17:17 AM
From: freudianslip_00
Comments: gte103j - well said. I agree re: your perception that Bette and Tina were never a healthy couple. I think the lack of communication between the two of them was very evident from the first season, and I too, could never really see the appeal of such a frustrating dynamic (except for, as I mentioned earlier, the drama factor of the TV show). I also agree that "the drama of everday life is people working to overcome problems and maintaining a loving relationship", and unlike a sitcom wherein 22 mins is all it takes to overcome a grievance, or other dramas where three episodes sees the couple moving on (together or separately) with seemingly little fall-out effect, this is a show supposedly attempting to reflect some of the realities of our existence (gay or otherwise), which would include the frequent pattern of fear overcoming logic (hence all the self-sabotaging behaviour of these two throughout the series). The dynamics between Tina and Bette are excruciating to watch, but its riveting, realistic television (to me, anyway).
2006-02-16, 20:49:29 PM
From: bettyvhall
Comments: If IC thinks sthat every one like Jenny,she is so wrong When she in on the TV.thatis my potty break. thanks
2006-02-20, 20:40:02 PM
From: perfection
Comments: Oh how little we remember. We've all read or heard the interviews with IC and the writers of TLW. Without her guts and gusto with the powers-that-be at Showtime, there wouldn't BE a show in the first place. Maybe from the begining they knew what path they wanted to take the characters down and just haven't reached that conclusion yet (after all, IC knows where she is today...isn't that where Jenny will end up?). Maybe the journey is the drama that keeps us hooked, but the end will be the drama that makes us sigh with satisfaction. Maybe I'm entirely wrong on this point, but I made it anyway.I remember how people hated Bette in season 1. Then felt sorry for her in season 2. Now everyone hates Tina. Will we feel sorry for HER in season 4? I for one will keep watching the show whether Bette and Tina are together or not....there's always the posibility that they'll end up together in the end and I intend to be there when that happens. Admit it, you wouldn't be as adamant about them being together if they were in a healthy, happy, dramaless relationship. Many, many series have faltered after the two lead characters became romantic. We're attracted to the tension, the uncertainty, and we want to watch a show that makes our heart pound and blood boil either with excitement or anger. Keep sharing your opinions, they're as entertaining and informative as the show itself. BTW, that was a great editorial. Much like writing fanfiction or posting on the discussion board, it takes a lot of guts. Thanks for opening the debate.
2006-02-21, 13:17:10 PM
From: lsrenaski
Comments: Well said - and I personally like Jenny. I agree that there was plenty that could have been done with Bette and Tina. IC did not have to make us hate Tina this season. I find myself thinking I wouldn't care if a bus smashed her character into the pavement right about now. I too have nothing against LH...but her character is just so nasty ALL THE TIME! Even if IC goes for some form of reconciliation next season, I'm afraid it will be totally unbelievable. This relationship frankly no long exists. I believe Bette stays for Angelica at this point. Why stay with with Tina? The baby is the only reason. Oh - I have so many gripes this season it isn't even funny. IC threw away the best on screen chemistry I ever saw. And now we are to get into a character billed as 'BUTCH' who wants to be a man - who feels like a real guy when a guy sucks his dildo, and has sex with gay men. Personally I find that to be a storyline that is incredibly insulting to a large part of or community. I watch the show and shake my head and say - 'What could they be thinking!' If not for the Dana story, I might watch something else - like reruns of...The Brady Bunch. Much happier and upbeat.....
2006-02-21, 16:22:52 PM
From: combatbaby
Comments: I respect your opinion, and I belive you have stated it in an excellent manner. However, I just never cared for Tina and Bette. I found their relationship too dull and neither of them extremely attractive. As for Jenny, I don't know, I've never had much of a problem with her or found her stories and visions disturbing. I'd prefer if IC gave more time on screen to Alice, Dana, and Shane.
2006-03-03, 05:15:38 AM
From: lauraloveslife2
Comments: MESSAGE FOR FREUDIANSLIP_00sorry to barge in like this, without even reading the postings decently, but in europe we're still deprived of season two. however, if freudianslip_00 is who i think it is (who else would write: (I'm the one who left the psychobabble comment...) ) then please mail me, or pm me... i've been wondering how you are. if you lost my mail adress, leave me a message here, and i'll find you. and as for bette and tina... can't wait for season three to begin, but i must say, after all that happened between these two last season, i'm not too sure things will ever work out between them again... not for real anyway... hush... don't tell me yet. (same for shane and carmen, i hope for the best, but fear the worst)xg
2006-03-05, 20:17:21 PM
From: AmandaMG
Comments: Pancha... i loved what you said... IC made us fall in love with Bette and Tina... and now she just expects us to fall out of love with them... she has no idea what a gold mine she was sitting on... but the stupid BITCH turned it onto FOOL'S GOLD... our only hope is that this whole fucking season was a dream ... tina is in a coma... and she wakes up in ep. 12 and says to bette marry me... thats the only way i think would be accepted to us the fans ...BTW... when jenny and moria are on... i fast forward... i think i have seened that dumb bitch pee enough for a life time...
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