Wednesday, October 14, 2009

It’s such a Shane

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The thing about Katherine Moennig is regardless her role or regardless her orientation, we’re always going to feel a little possessive. We can’t help it. She is and will always be The Artist Formerly Known as Shane. Not that she can’t grow past Shane. Not that she has to tell us she is gay. She just feels like ours so we’re gonna claim her. Dibs, world. Dibs.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Kate looks like one of ours whenever we see her. It’s physically impossible for her to look at her and not see that certain something. I don’t care if she is wearing scrubs, a lab coat or just a stethoscope, she is still our gal. I mean, she seemingly owns an entire wardrobe consisting of thin, white V-neck shirts. OK, fine, sometimes she wears a black one, too.

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Seems Kate has her own separation anxiety from Shane these days. In a Q&A with the Los Angeles Times, she waxed (see what I did there, Wax?) eloquent on her former alter ego, her new role and that hair – sweet heavens, that hair.

Do you miss playing Shane?

At this moment, I miss a lot about her. The beauty of that character was her unabashed way of viewing life. She was so unapologetic. She was always deemed the bad girl, and that was always good to play. She was a bit dangerous but also extremely screwed up in the head. I was sad to see her go. I miss her soul. I loved the debauchery that she created in her life.

I loved the debauchery, too. Tasty, tasty debauchery. The Shenny stuff? Eh. Kate revealed that Rosanna Arquette and Sarah Shahi were two of her favorite on-screen paramours. And she noted that she “connected very well” with Sarah. If by “connected very well” she means “looks fantastic naked together,” then truer words have hardly been spoken.

And, just like the rest of the planet, she shared in the WTF about the Who Killed Jenny ending to “The L Word.”

“I think it was a surprising way to end the show, definitely. . . . There was a reason behind it -- I'm not too sure what that reason was, but I'm told there was one. If my favorite show ended that way I'd be like, "What?!"”

But what about Dr. Miranda Foster. Will we soon all be cooing, you’re looking very Miranda today? Will lesbians everywhere be signing organ donor cards in hypothetical hope of one day brushing up against the good doctor?

And then, kids, then there’s The Wig. As we all know, Kate likes it short and choppy and Dr. Foster is more of a shoulder-length kind of gal. So how do they solve a problem like butch hairstyles?

“There was a lot of talk between extensions and a wig; finally we decided to just get a really good wig. There are days when I can't stand it, but I also really like coming to work, putting it on, doing my job, taking it off, and then going home and being me.”

Love the wig or hate the wig (for me, it depends on the angle), at the end of the day we know she still looks like this. And this, my friends, looks very Shane. It’s gone beyond a character to just an adjective. And sometimes a verb. Or a proper noun, as originally intended. It’s all over the Kinsey Scale of words.

p.s. No one ever called her Alt.Gywn, despite what Wikipedia may say. This makes me feel considerably better about her friends. I don’t care if they are cousins, Alt.Gwyn is a ridiculous nickname.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

i love shane but i still cant see her playing the dr. role i dont think it suits her

;) babs said...

she will always be shane with her fonz attitude and the fraggle hair.
and she will always look gay, no mather how many wigs or make-up they will put on her!

it's funny, because I always thought that she was fighting the shane image and now she misses being shane...


;) babs

Quincy said...

If people don't allow her to grow outside of Shane, she will have a very short career. I really hope she gets the chance to prove that she can make other characters resonate with people.

And Shane's hair was not Butch. Over-styled, like most of these dykes who walk around with the same damn haircut and no originality, but not Butch.

Katie said...

I have an insane amount of love for Kate Moennig, so this is a fantastic way to start my morning. Especially with the screen cap of Shane/Carmen. And the thought of her wearing just a stethoscope. Oh my.

As far as the hair, I'm glad it's different on Three Rivers. I think too many people see her as Shane, so I'm glad she has a different look on her new show. That's definitely necessary to help her break away from that some in her career. As far as the wig itself, I think it's ok. She has a more doctor-appropriate look, but isn't primped to perfection like some other TV doctors. She's gorgeous no matter what her hair looks like, but I find her most attractive with her normal look, so I'm glad it's just a wig.

CEG said...

I have to agree with the above 2 comments. Sorry ladies, but Kate IS NOT Shane. No matter how much in our little hearts we want her to be.

I'm excited to see Kate's range and other abilities... We'll always have the "L Word", now lets move on, into something that will at least keep Kate on our TV screens.

And, the hair looks good. It's not Shane, but it's not supposed to be.

Norma Desmond said...

I'm not a huge Kate fan, but I still feel kinda possessive of her. And every time I see posters for her new show, I keep thinking, "Now, what one Earth is Shane doing up there with those two guys?" It's very odd.

carina said...

this. FAP FAP FAP. oh shane you can't fool us. you're no doctor! but you can play doctor with me honey. yummm.

on a more serious note: why the wig?? can't doctors have gay hair? would be so much more easier to find gals at work.

dc said...

Whoa! Where did u get that pic of her & cousin Gwynn?! They do resemble each other a bit in that pic. But I've never warmed to silly Goopy Gwyneth...so

Good luck to Kate in her new role.

Anonymous said...

I think she may just be missing the work environment more than shane. According to Pam Grier, they were very spoiled and pampered on the set of the L Word. I think they were also given a lot of artistic freedom with their characters. Three Rivers is not doing well and is obviously a much more controlled environment and many changes have been made to make the show a hit but how stressful is that for an actor to worry about cancellation all the time?

CJ said...

Dibs. You said it girl!!

Anonymous said...

Great Post! I Love Shane, i mean Kate! And well, it is really hard watching Three Rivers because it is just such a bad and boring show. The editing drives me just bonkers. If they took fewer shots of whatever the cities and the rivers, then we would have more on-screen time for her and the new stories and the new relationships. Arggg... i can barely watch it... and then the forced sexual chemistry between her and the other doctor... makes me laugh so hard! but well... at least i get her once a week again. i have definately been missing her...!

Get Set.Go said...

Shane will always have a place in my heart! As for kate and the doctor role,this has change my idea towards my haircut in the medical field.

Maureen Lawlor said...

I appreciate the multitude of opinions here, but really I can't fathom how any of you can think about anything except Sarah Shahi's ass in that photo.

Holy hell!

Anonymous said...

Oh Kate, you created a great character and I'm so glad you miss her because I do too!

I always loved Shane's embrace of freedom and sex as well as her own conflicted sense of loyalty, and how that led her out of the darkness of her youth but also created havoc. What was lost in the subsequent IC years was letting Shane grow her idea of freedom. She was so compelling because she was a player with a big heart and so much devotion, deeply untrusting of love, but very loving.

Thanks Snarker!

roark said...

Wig or not she is getting to act like someone other than Shane and that's a good thing.

Three Rivers is ok and I don't fall asleep but those tri-colored split screens before the commercial fckn annoy the shite out of me.

Unknown said...

If by “connected very well” she means “looks fantastic naked together,” then truer words have hardly been spoken.

This made me crack up laughing because it is SO TRUE (especially when written right above that fantastic picture of the two of them.

She can't escape herself. Even my dad, who has the worst gaydar ever, said it was obvious she was gay after watching only 15 minutes of Three Rivers. I think her inner "Shane" just naturally comes out :).

KeepinIt_Real said...

Who feeels possessive of Shane?! Who are you pandering to? The woman needs to eat a Quiznos Sub or six and gain weight. Can't posess something that has the mass of vapor!

Unknown said...

Oh Kate...

Anonymous said...

Kate is great! I like your post Dorothy thanks

mary said...

KeepinIt_Real

Why the new name, Lil' Sapphy?

Anonymous said...

She might forever be 'Shane' to some people, but to Kate's true fans, she'll always be Kate and they'll always give her room to evolve and experiment and try different roles on for size.

Shane isn't an autonomous entity. She didn't just hop off the page and onto the screen that awesome. It had to come from somewhere and that 'somewhere' was from Kate. Without Kate, Shane wouldn't exist, but Kate can and does exist without Shane. Kate might miss her - and I know I do, too - but things end when they're supposed to. Kate deserves a chance to have the spotlight for herself, to get a little exposure with a wider audience, and see where that leads. She's humble, so I doubt she'll wind up like David Caruso, with a swelled head and delusions of grandeur. She cares about the work and telling good stories.

Shane is ours, but Kate is, too, and she matters more because she came first. Shane is legendary because Kate, herself, is larger than life.

Fuck all the idiots who can't - or won't - respect that fact that Kate and Shane aren't one in the same. You don't get it and probably never will. Shane was awesome, but Kate's real and I'll take her over Shane anyday and keep following her for as long as she's working, because she's just that goddamn good.

MakingSpace said...

I'm glad she's back on TV. Great post.

Anonymous said...

I watched half of Three Rivers - so far it reminds me of 'Touched by an Angel' crossed with a hospital reality show. And totally agree on the split-screen/overlay stuff, it's bloody annoying.

But, I thought Kate was quite good as a doctor. And the wig looks alright in motion.

And I didn't think the 'Shane effect' affected me...except for this one scene where she (Miranda?) gets hit on/flirts with some other doc; involuntary cringe.

Anonymous said...

*¡¡¡Ayyy!!! La RE AMO. La prefiero con el look de Shane, pero no importa, aun así sigue siendo una BELDAD, ES UNA DIOSA.

Factory Girl ;)

TechFem50 said...

Yes, Shane was a key character for the L Word. Kate brings something to her new drama and I hope you will all give her a chance. She is a talented actor and this new character might be special if she gets the opportunity.

Just my opinion.

François said...

I am a guy, and I think she looks good in her white labcoat!

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