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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Portrayal of A GROUP of Lesbian!!, November 7, 2006
This show, including this season, is one that is groundbreaking and representative of many people who have not before been given representation. The focus is first and formost about women and the lives of women. There is love, loss, drama, and all that goes in between. It makes you laugh at times and cry at others, but life is not a fairytale and this show doesn't make it to be... that is what makes it so great. There a femmes and butches, a ton who are somewhere in the middle. It makes you reconsider the labels you place on people and realize there are all shades of gray. Whether you are a stay at home parent, trying to become a parent, happy in love, breaking up, sleeping around, or transitioning... from bed to bed or from female to male, you can see yourself in this show.
Some have been critical of Ilene Chaiken (not Irene as the misguided poster at top called her) claiming that the show isn't realisitc or that the writing is bad. We should remember that this show is about a group of lesbians, not all the lesbians in the world. It could be people we know but it might not be. To claim a show unrealistic because it isn't a story of your own life is to also say that every representation of every woman is only real if that woman goes through what you go through, that every reprentation of whatever race you are is only real if that person goes through what you go through, and given the wide variety of diversity in programming any reasonable person knows that to be untrue. So, no The L Word doesn't represent every lesbian on the planet but it does give a good account for a select group of us out there, it does venture to bring visibility to those of us who went unseen before, it gives us a voice, and it shows people that lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgered people love and hurt and face things in our life good and bad just like everyone else.
There is no other show out there that has done for lesbians what The L Word has. Seasoned actresses like Jennifer Beals and Pam Grier bring the show up a few levels, Jennifer Beals and Laurel Holloman have chemistry that is palpable... even when their characters are fighting they have tremendous chemistry. Rachel Shelley, Katherine Moening, Alexandra Hedison all have sex appeal through the roof in their representation of single lesbians on the show. Leisha does comedy like no one's business and she also had some amazing dramatic scenes. Erin Daniels was wickedly funny as well and broke our hearts with the huge part her character had in season 3. Daniella Sea is a new comer and she still has great strides to take. I wouldn't dare say she was the star as that would be a huge over-statment... she was far from it, but her character was like nothing we've ever seen before. Daniella took on her role like a champ and I was very excited to see her added to the cast, she is bringing visibility to an entire other part of the audience that had yet to be shown and in time I think she will be as comfortable as the other actresses. I certainly look foward to more from Max.
Also, despite what the initial reviewer had to say, I don't think there is any grounds for statements suggesting Ilene degraded, down played, or disrespected Danielle, the actress, or her character Moira/Max. If an actress is cast after promotions start then you cannot expect them to appear in all the promotional photos. Although Daniella wasn't in all the season 3 promotional photos she was in some of them, she is in those for Season 4 and she also did a great deal of in person promotions with Ilene to promote season 3. If Ilene wanted to down play and degrade Daniella she would not have made her the main guest star for most of the promotional events, she also would not have been so super secretive and hyped about Daniella's character on the show. There would be no transgendered character, or any butch type characters, or any kind of character we are fortunate to have on the show if Ilene was as horrible as this reviewer has made her out to be. Max and The L Word at large exists because of Ilene not in spite of her.
The one criticsim I have with the dvd itself and not the show... the dvd extras were lacking in any kind of special or additional footage that many fans like to see. There are no bloopers, no special interviews, nothing truly exciting to look foward to.
This is a great show. I definitely recommend it as a buy!!!
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
What was I watching?, November 20, 2006
Was I watching the same show as everyone who wrote reviews on here? I just finished the 3rd season having loved the first two. I was so disapointed in this season I'm really not sure I can even give the show another chance with season 4. The show completely runied all of the characters. They introduced new people who were either completely shrill and unbearable (Moira/Max, Billie) or bland and pointless (Angus). And then there's Jenny. The writers continued in their quest to create the most unlikeable, cringe-worthy, annoying character in the history of television. This is nothing against Mia Kirshner who is lovely and does well with what she's given but after 3 seasons the writers still can't seem to figure out what to make of the character. It might make more sense if she was treated as some sort of pariah by those around her but all of the other characters seem to love her so.....what are they seeing that I'm not? Her actions make no sense, her relationships make no sense even for a crazy person. As for the sex, someone actually thought they reeled the sex in this season? I never minded it in the past but sweet Lord!!! By the end of the season I felt like I was watching Cinemax After Dark! It was insanse! Grown adults do not start pulling off their clothes and fondling each other when mother is right outside the door!!!!! Especially when mom said she would be right back!!!!!!!
By the end of things, you are left without a single character to like, a single believable storyline or any reason to want to spend time with these selfish, immature, unstable women ever again.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quite possibly the best one yet, January 22, 2007
The third season of the L Word picks right up with all the excitement, romance, and sexual tension of the previous seasons. Alice is struggling to get over the loss of her best friend and her lover while Dana moves on with Lara. One of the biggest turns of the season comes when Dana is diagnosed with breast cancer and the women struggle to help her cope and to deal with it themselves. Tina and Bette's daughter, Angelica, is six months old and the two have done their best to reconcile and form a stable home for her. Bette is in the process of trying to adopt Angelica, so the couple has routine visits with a social worker. Shane and Carmen are in a committed relationship and living together in Jenny's house. Carmen's job as a dj is starting to pick up and she's even offered a position djing for Russell Simmons at some point. Shane opens a hair studio in the middle of a skateboard shop and, in typical Shane fashion, struggles to stay loyal to her (gorgeous) girlfriend. Jenny is off on a road trip somewhere with a girl named Moira who has a gender identity crisis. At some point during the season Moira becomes Max and decides to transition to a male. Meanwhile Jenny struggles to sell her book. Kit finally gets a storyline besides being the alcoholic has been sister and even finds a love interest. And finally, in one of the best additions, Helena Peabody is finally a full member of the cast and has her own story lines not involving Bette and Tina.
This season of the L Word is emotionally charged and takes some chances that they haven't in previous years. With the addition of Moira, the show brings the first transgendered recurring role to network television. Though Jenny's story line typically bores me to tears and, I'll admit, I usually fast forward through a large portion of her scenes, this season actually made me interested to see what would go on. Jenny finally found someone who was her match. The heartbreak that exists with Alice when she sees Dana and Lara constantly is palpable, and completely relatable. I don't think anyone who has ever had their heart broken can look at what she went through without understanding how well done and realistic the emotion was. When we lose Dana later in the seaon, it only intensifies and finally gives Alice a chance to shine as someone besides the confused bisexual girl. On the same token, it's nice not to see Kit sitting around just being everyone else's go to girl and instead having her own story. The addition of Angus, Angelica's manny, as Kit's boyfriend finally brings a little meat to the Pam Grier character.
The third season of the L Word is quite possibly the best one yet. A lot of the original characters have story lines that give them a chance to show their artistic range, and the new characters are welcome additions whose stories all add to the plot. I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the fourth season.
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