The Final Word

The end is near. As you’ve probably already read, discussed and psycho-analyzed, “The L Word” has been renewed for its sixth and final season. The show will bow out with an abridged eight-episode season in early 2009. The renewal makes the series the longest-running scripted gay show in television history. For all our collective bitching and moaning and groaning about TLW (We love it! We hate it! We have no idea what Mama Chaiken was thinking!), that is pretty fucking amazing. Were there problems? Indubitably. But it was also a show that finally gave gay women and all their talking, laughing, loving, breathing, fighting, fucking, crying, drinking, riding, winning, losing, cheating, kissing, thinking and dreaming the spotlight.

So much of the lexicon of the gay culture is focused on gay men, which I don’t necessarily begrudge. (Seriously, I love my gay boys. Hi gay boys!) Still it’s nice to have a proverbial Room of One’s Own where you can kick off your shoes and just be ourselves. OK, fine, glamorous, beautiful and fashionable versions of ourselves. Still, if nothing else, the series showed the wider world the unparalleled talents of all the women playing the women who long, love, lust. So thanks to Jennifer, Leisha, Laurel, Kate, Mia, Pam, Rachel, Rose, Cybill, Marlee, Daniela, Sarah, Erin and all the other lovely ladies who have inhabited The L. And thanks to Big Mama C, without whose vision of impossibly gorgeous women getting it on week after week, none of this would be possible.

p.s. OK, the there/their issues are all better now. I actually do know the difference between those two, for honest. But get me around a which/that and I break into a cold sweat.
p.p.s. Those looking for their (see, see, I know) Tina Fey Tuesday fix should hop over to AfterEllen today.