Hello girls in tight dresses who drag in mustaches. Hello chicks drivin’ fast and Corbin Bleus with long lashes. Yes, the rumors are true. The L Word: Gen Q is back for another season. I have watched the first episode and processed it into a handy, comestible recap for you. I will do this every week until there are no more episodes left. There will be spoilers. If that matters to you, don’t read this until you’ve watched the episode. If you have any Gen Q-related thoughts or feelings, leave them in the comments.
Also, it’s my birthday tomorrow!! Subscriptions are 31% off. If you’ve been meaning to subscribe but you keep forgetting, now is the time.
xoxo, Maddy
P.S. did you forget what happened in season 2? check out my recaps of episode 1, episode 2, episode 3, episode 4, episode 5, episode 6, episode 7, episode 8, episode 9, and the season finale
Season 3 begins right where season 2 ended—a Bette and Tina showdown!! Bette admits that she’s jealous of Carrie and that’s why she’s been so mean, though as someone who watched season 2, Carrie is not a helpless victim here. She needs therapy just as much as Bette. Anyways, Bette says what we all already knew— she’s still in love with Tina. She promises to make things right by apologizing to Carrie. Tina is like, IT DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE I LOVE YOU TOO! And runs out the door!! Bette yells FUCKKK like she did in the silent monk retreat episode. Remember when she kidnapped Angie? Oh my God.
Now it’s a year later and everyone is having morning sex, except Bette and Tina who aren’t really talking. Alice is smashing Theo, a “semi-influencer“ in their early 20s. Theo shows Alice the ways of Gen Z: being horny and doing ketamine whilst wearing a translucent blouse. They also teach Alice about TikTok, as if Alice wouldn’t already be using the app to promote her show and book for attention. I feel like everyone who works at the Al(i)ce show is forced into TikTok dances and skits on a daily basis.
Dani and Gigi are going at it over their pajamas. Gigi is still obsessed with traffic. Dani is taking freelance PR jobs—there’s no mention of opioid epidemic or her dad. I really hope that plotline is killed and never mentioned again. ‘Twas so random.
Tess and her mom have moved into Shane’s enormous, glass house. Tess’ mom, Patty, has dementia and MS. Shane is taking an active role in caring for her. The kitchen island is covered in pill bottles and disinfectant wipes. A nurse is there every day. Also, Shane’s dog is back. This is important representation for pitbull-type dogs and the lesbians who love them. At one point, Patty throws one of her pills at the dog and Shane runs over to make sure he doesn’t swallow it. Historically Gen Q has really struggled when it came to small moments of character-building and dialogue (e.g. Micah using the term “trauma bonding” incorrectly, Finley eating a burrito at a daytime rave), so I wanted to commend this strong, world-building detail that really summarizes life in the McCutcheon-Van De Berg household. Alas, Shane is someone who panics and runs away when she feels needed. I don’t see her handling this level of co-habitation and interdependence well.
Shane and Tess sneak away to have sex and their dirty talk is like, I’m gonna do it to you. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME? Yeah I’m doing it. YOU’RE DOING IT TO ME. Honestly, this also feels like a lived-in portrayal of a certain kind of boring lesbian monogamy. Did the show get new writers? Everything is so deliberate.
Angie moves into her dorm at “California University.” Her all-lesbian parenting team shows up to help. She’s really nervous but as Alice reminds her, Bette’s house is just a few minutes away. If there’s any child who would benefit from going to school out-of-state, it’s Angie. There needs to be a long plane ride between her and Bette. Also, we as a society need to reduce the number of people from California who have never lived anywhere else.
Finley returns from sober living. She’s been gone for a whole year (a year of treatment?? in this healthcare system??) Anyways, she’s back and she’s determined to get her life together. She and Sophie jump right back into things, but Finley’s priorities have changed. She passes up spontaneous reunion sex on a basketball court (in a public park??) to attend an AA meeting. Sophie is hurt, which is pretty selfish of her. There are cracks in this foundation, for sure.
Next, everyone gathers at Dana’s Bar and Grill, which seems to have finally hired a full roster of bartenders. Tess, inspired by her mom’s illness, is hosting a fundraiser and auction to benefit MS research. Maribel tells Sophie that her relationship with Finley is TOXIC. I love Maribel. She’s always talking shit. Meanwhile, Finley is making amends and giving cash reparations to everyone she hurt while drinking. She gets her old job at Dana’s back. Idk, maybe working at a bar is not the best idea!!!
Determined to work through her twelve-step checklist as quickly as possible, Finley corners Dani and asks to talk, even though Dani is holding a clipboard and clearly working this event. Dani, annoyed but polite, says NO. Finley keeps pressing her in a mumbly way. Dani snaps and yells what we’re all thinking—Finley is annoying af. She needs to slow her roll and stop feeling so entitled to other people’s time and energy.
Enter Kehlani. They play Ivy, a hot mom who’s volunteering at the fundraiser. Ivy beckons Shane to the back room and seductively says, “Style me.“ They’re a big fan of Shane’s hair products. Shane makes sure the door is closed. Kehlani arches their back and makes sexy lips while Shane touches their hair. “Wow, you take really good care of your hair,“ says Shane. I was rolling on the floor laughing at this sensual scene. I talk a lot of shit, but wow I love Gen Q!!
Bette, meanwhile, decides to raffle off her Kiki Smith deer art. This piece of art was important in the original series for reasons I don’t fully remember. Bette is obviously bummed about losing it. It doesn’t help that all the audience dykes are throwing out measly sums of money until Tina bids $10,000 and wins. Tina makes eyes at Bette and says the art reminds her of their house in West Hollywood. Wow!!
After the fundraiser, Tess lures Shane into an alley to tell her that she wants to buy the building next to Dana’s and open another business. Shane is not into it. The L Word loves to set up a dynamic between couples where when one person wants more commitment just as the other is checking out.
Micah proposes to Maribel. She says NO to marriage, but she does want to have a baby. I’m wondering if Micah will get pregnant in like, a redux or apology for Max’s trauma-rama of a pregnancy storyline.
In a freshly decorated dorm room at old Cal U., Jordi unceremoniously breaks up with Angie. She doesn’t say why, just that college is a new era and their relationship is so high school. Angie, who was excited to bone in her brand new Adult Space, is devastated. She returns home and walks in on her moms making out!! And that’s it, that’s the whole episode. It mostly made sense! The dialogue felt human. I know it’s only been one episode, but is it possible that this season is…good?
Other things that came up for me:
”Get me to 1,000 baby!”
In addition to Kehlani and Shane, there are 3 other clear and present dyke drama dangers. There’s a mysterious text from someone named Dre on either Sophie or Finley’s phone. Bette takes a call from Pippa, who’s out of the country on art business (at some point Shane and Alice tell Tina that Bette and Pippa are “actually friends” as a sign of Bette’s growth). Also, Gigi can’t move in with Dani because her ex-wife said so. Dani hates this.
Screaming at this Taimi product placement but bummed that Alice caps her matches at 50, her own age.She should date Carrie lol.
If you watched the OG series on Netflix or streaming, you might have noticed that all the music is terrible or makes no sense with what’s happening in a given scene. This is because all the original music had to be replaced due to licensing issues. The original soundtrack is actually iconic and used custom tracks as a kind of Greek chorus, like one song that’s just whisper-singing the names “Shane and Carmen.“ I really feel like this episode perfects this e.g. when Angie walks in on her moms kissing and the song is like, “what the fuck! what the fuck!“ What the fuck!! It’s so good.
Discussion question: What are you auctioning off at Tess’s fundraiser gala? You can donate a personally significant item like Bette or volunteer your services like Kehlani. I’m donating a full lot of homemade candles from a very specific phase I went through this summer. My girlfriend will come to your house and fold your laundry, but not actually put it away. It will be on your coffee table for weeks.
So good to have these recaps back, and happy birthday.
I’d auction off a night out w/ me.
I would auction a batch of homemade savory scones that I accidentally put too much cayenne in, spicy :)