L-FILMS, TV-SERIES reviews
Some New And Some Returning TV Series With Our Beloved Lesbian Characters There have been TV series that surprised us this autumn with lesbian (main) characters. In September we watched BBC's Vigil about a UK nuclear submarine and the suspicious death of one of its crew members, Craig Burke (Martin Compston) which leads to the police investigation by DCI Amy Silva (Surane Jones) and Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie). DCI Amy Silva goes on to the submarine to question the crew while Longacre stays on the land to search about Burke's home and his antinuclear girlfriend Jade Antoniak (Lauren Layle). Since Vigil was made by the same World production company that made Line of Duty and Bodyguard it holds the same drama and anxiety while revealing bent marines and subplots within a well-organized chain of command. The friction between the police and the Navy isn’t restricted to the water, as Amy’s detective partner DS Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) investigates the situation on land – where even more cover-ups can be found. Suranne Jones gives an interesting performance as Amy – used to be straight with a husband and a daughter but when they had an accident in which her husband got killed she burdened herself with guilt, got depressed, and buried herself in work where she met and fell in love with her coworker, detective Longacre. In between the investigation, we got to know the trajectory of Amy' and Kirsten's relationship which has been filled with love, anxiety, tenderness, and quarrels. Namely, we don't know if Amy is reluctant to move in with Kirsten and have a deeper relationship with her because of the accident or because she is internally homophobic. Kirsten sees Amy's reluctance as a sign that she doesn't love her and breaks up with her. But while being on a submarine all Amy could think of were her daughter and Kirsten thus at in the last episode Amy reconciles with Kirsten and we get a lesbian happy ending. Rose Leslie portrays a patient, loving, and understanding girlfriend really well. In October Apple TV continued with its feminist The Morning Show (TMS) and surprised us by giving us TMS co-host Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) falling in love with one of the UBA networks previously news anchors Laura Paterson (Julianna Margulies) who is a lesbian. Despite having sex with Laura Bradly still calls herself straight because it is her first time falling for a woman and because she doesn't like being labeled but Laura thinks that is because she is repressed by her conservative upbringing. Bradley gets frustrated by being called repressed and thus breaks Laura's vase which she later regrets and makes up with her by saying that she doesn't know who she is. Their relationship continues and surprises us by keeping us in suspense, meaning we don't know really where their relationship is going to anchor – will it deepen and become official or something else – until someone outs Bradley by posting her holding hands with Laura on their way to the hotel room and everyone tell they are dating. Bradley is being naturally shocked since she hasn't been prepared to tell the whole world she is dating a woman. Laura tries to calm her down and invite her over to her place but Bradley tells her she needs to talk to her brother and also Cory comes unexpectedly to her place. When the two talk about being outed Bradley tells him that she has met this wonderful woman that is her inspiration and that she wants to be her. Cory reassures her that Laura is indeed great and that she should be with her. And she is, especially when Laura tells Bradley that she is her woman and that the two should spend some time together at Laurs's ranch in Montana. I recall Marguiles being excellent in The Good Wife and now playing a lesbian character who was outed in 1997 and consequently lost a job due to her sexual orientation is really something. She plays her character with stoicism, stamina, and decency and she is great when she is outed with Bradley for the second time. She explains how Bradley is going to get over being outed by walking her through her own experiences and solutions and how is going to get over her brother. We also have NCIS Hawaii with the first female Special Agent in Charge, Jane Tennant (Vanessa Minnillo), and also two other show’s main characters, NCIS agent Lucy Tara (Yasmine Al-Bustami) and Defense Intelligence Agency agent Kate Whistler (Tori Anderson) who are lesbians and have had an intimate past. In the first episode we got a steamy kiss between the two, however it didn't go further but we learned that they had some sort of intimate relation in the past. It took us until episode six that we got a sweet gentle kiss between them that lead them start dating but Kate doesn't want other people, especially co-workers to know about their relationship. Lucy at first doubts Kate's intention to be a couple but after Kate's explanation that she is not embarrassed about Lucy but herself she agrees on keeping their relationship a secret for the time being. The Legacies season 4. I mean, how many times can you postpone your date? Josie Saltzman (Kaylee Bryant), a lesbian-bisexual vampire couldn't get a proper date with Finch (Courtney Bandeko) for the whole season 3 and this trend is continuing in season 4 with Josie's sister Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) interfering in her relationships whenever she can. I mean, when you attend school and live in the same dormitory and can't find time for your girlfriend then it is obvious you should move on. I was just thinking that it would be better to make Josie single again and give her a proper girlfriend when scriptwriters are ready to deal with a lesbian relationship when that was exactly what happened by Finch breaking up with Josie. But then changing her mind in the next episode when they suddenly start a proper dating and trying on having a relationship. They even spend nights together, having sex, kissing and sleeping in the same bad together. That is a progress. Another teen show Nancy Drew also doesn't know what to do with its lesbian character Bess Marvin (Maddison Jaizani). In first season Bess had a relationship with a female detective Lisbeth (Katie Findlay) but decided not to continue it because Bess lives a dangerous life by helping Nancy Drew solve life-threatening cases. In the second season, Bess had a platonic relationship with revenging a hundred-year-old ghost Odette Lamar (Anja Savčič) possessing George's body and in the third season, she is finally back on dating pursuing bodily and worldly pleasures by getting to know different women via a dating app. Finally, she chooses Addy who works as a STEM counselor in Nick's youth center for deprivileged kids. What is a bit odd is that Bess had a previous fallout with Addy on their first date where Addy didn't find Bess interesting and thus attractive enough. It is also the first time Bess speaks honestly about her dangerous life. Hopefully, this honest confession is going to enable Bess to have a bit more serious dating time or even a relationship beyond occasional kisses and possible sex. Although I dislike The L World Generation Q (not a single relationship appeals to me) I must say that I am pleasantly surprised that the creators decided on the reunion of Bette and Tina. This is brilliant since Tina and Bette have been always the anchor and the most compelling and attractive couple of The L Word show and to me even in The L World Q Generation. I never watched the show because of Shane, Alice, Tasha, Fin, Sophie, Dani, etc. but for Tina and Bette and maybe Helena Peabody. However, since that is how they ended season 2 we hope for season 3! Legends of Tomorrow continue to cheer us with the leading lesbian characters/couple of the series, Sarah Lance (Caity Lotz) and Ava Sharpe (Jes Macallan). In season 6 Sarah and Ava got married and an evil alien by the name of Bishop abducted and killed Sarah and then made her own clon by obtaining her DNA thus Sarah and Ava are both clones now. In season 7 they look even more in love than before. I like it when Sarah shows affection towards Ava by holding her, reassuring her, and holding her hand whenever she can, however, I can't understand that they have a honeymoon without a single kiss or sex scene. I find it odd when screenwriters and directors don't show affection between lesbian characters after initial kissing and sex scenes therefore it is even more important that lesbian characters after 6 seasons are affectionate and feel sexual attraction towards each other. After all, that is why they are with each other. Well, the only ones still showing sex scenes between them after getting married are Carina and Maya at Station 19 and they also talk and admit to each other and with the others how they love sex and how great it is. In this season, however, we got to know also their differences on having a child or not but they are reconciling their differences a bit. This proves my thesis that only couples who are similar can carry on their relationship and grow with each other. Previously I talked a lot about the importance of lesbians playing lesbian characters. Even Julianna Margulies is aware of that when asked in a Variety interview (October 13, 2021) if she had any reservations about playing lesbian by saying “Who’s to say I haven’t had my own gay experiences?” I may believe her words or not or it may be just a politically correct statement since she has been romantically linked with only men so far and even it is true her experiences may have been way in the past since she has been officially dating men since 1990 and of course before. The same is with cute actress Kaylee Bryant who came out queer in June 2021 but with no support of actual dating women so far. It seems that straight actresses like to play lesbian roles and the producers like straight celebrities play lesbians and thus perpetuating straightness among the audience. As I said, it is good that straight celebrities play lesbians and make us more visible and known, however, there are also lesbian well-known actresses as well. However, I would like to add another important aspect, that of the political beliefs of the actresses. For instance, I was rather surprised when learned that Rose Leslie actually comes from a conservative right-wing Scottish (Tory) family and she firmly supported her father's recent Tory candidacy whose political beliefs are against LGBTIQ-rights and same-sex marriage. Why not instead cast lesbian leftist British actresses like Saffron Burrows or Erin Doherty who are as beautiful and talented as they are famous (but it is also true that Vigil takes place in Scotland and that is probably why the director and producer chose Leslie)?
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AuthorPhilosopher, publicist, editor, screenwriter with passion for LL-films and TV-shows. Archives
November 2021
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