Monday, October 18, 2010

Getting Lippy

Hey, who wants to talk about that British show with all the gay ladies and the skinny, androgynous, hipster-haired lesthario who is definitely not Shane? No one? Really? Fine. I’ll just go eat this crumpet in the corner with a spot of tea then. Weather’s been nice for this time of year. Turned a touch cold last night. Wait, what’s that? You do want to talk about that British show with all the gay ladies and the skinny, androgynous, hipster-haired lesthario who is definitely not Shane? Well why didn’t you say so. I’ve been dying to discuss “The L Word with Better Accents” “Lip Service.” Let me just finish this tea first.

SPOILER ALERT: Talking about the show means talking about spoilers for the pilot episode. Also I’m also going to talk about some spoilers for the pilot episode of “The L Word” – you know, for all three of you who have never seen it.

First of all, stop comparing it to that other lesbian show. “Lip Service” is nothing like “The L Word.” “Lip Service” has a thin, tortured lady’s lady with an edgy hairdo named Frankie. “The L Word” has a thin, tortured lady’s lady with an edgy hairdo named Shane. Frankie takes pictures. Shane cuts hair. Different, not the same. Oh, shit. Didn’t Shane start taking pictures in, like, season six or something? Damn.

“Lip Service” is set in Glasgow, “The L Word” was set in Vancouver Los Angeles. LS starts out with three main gay ladies, TLW started out with six main gay ladies. LS began with a death, TLW ended with a death. LS took 1 minute and 25 seconds to get to the first lesbian sex scene, TLW took 10 minutes and 35 seconds to get to the first lesbian sex scene. LS has hot Scottish accents, TLW had hot Jennifer Beals arms.

All joking aside, the shows have very different tones (LS is a little more raw, TLW was a lot more glossy) and very different obvious initial story arcs (LS is about lost love, TLW was about self awakening). I would still advise all “Lip Service” actresses steer clear of any swimming pools, just in case.

The bigger question remains: How was it? It was good. I wouldn’t say I fell in love instantly, but I most definitely want a second date. And I can’t wait to get it naked. You know the biggest problem with “Lip Service” so far? No one is especially likable yet. Tess whines (though her robot love was adorkable), Cat furrows her brow while showing varying levels of concern and Frankie looks very Shane today. Granted, we are only one episode in. But one episode into “The L Word” I already loved Alice, adored Dana and wanted to be bossed around like a bad puppy by Bette.

I believe the rest of my feelings about “Lip Service” can be best expressed in screencaps. It was between that or interpretive dance. I think, for everyone’s sake, I made the right decision.

Meet Frankie
First Lesbian Sex
Why It’s Better to be British
Meet Tess
Meet Cat
Meet Her One Facial Expression
Yes, Really
But How Was It?
Bonus: Ship it.

God bless the BBC.

31 comments:

  1. ;) babs7:31 AM

    can somebody please post a link where I can watch it!?

    thanks!

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  2. Sounds HOT! Love a girl with a nice accent! We'll have to look for this. Thanks letting us know about this show. Kara XOXO

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  3. Anonymous7:50 AM

    I was watching this show thinking 'such a Shane character' and also 'sex within the first two minutes? Go BBC!' - but also, 'Dorothy Snarker is going to blog about this immediately'. Hooray!

    In other thoughts: the lack of L Word gloss and subsequent realism is working for me so far. That, and the fact that all the main lesbians are out and very happy being lesbians, which makes a change.

    I'd recommend it. You might be able to watch it at the BBC online service (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=lip%20service) but I honestly have no idea if that will work outside the UK.

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  4. Anonymous8:06 AM

    i don't remember much about what happened in the 5th season of tlw and i skipped season 6 altogether. all i know is that i loved jenny when the show started. and i think i still have the softest. softest spot for her inside my empathetic bleeding eyeballs. the lword creator whatever her name is charline akin may had created jenny. but alkin diet, you did not fulfill your role as a caregiver.
    you killed its authenticity as a character. in my very biased opinion. and maybe not so biased. i am just saying that because i always try my best to be humble. not evil. i need a drink. i really loved jenny. what did you destroy jenny? i love crazy characters. so it's not the craziness. i can't even pinpoint what you've done. my poor, crazy jenny.

    sorry about my outburst.
    and with all that said.

    tess is kinda cute. yeh?

    the pairing between frankie and cat threw me off a bit. but i suppose it's too early to draw conclusion.

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  5. Anonymous8:08 AM

    I too would love to know where to watch this - I've tried BBC 3 but it's blocked because I'm outside of the UK. Any suggestions?

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  6. Anonymous8:19 AM

    you can find it on different torrents

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  7. Anonymous9:54 AM

    Two ways to watch it. I've only done the second but I've been told the first works.

    1. Go to a free UK proxy(thereby appearing as if in the UK) and then watch it at BBC3.

    2. icefilms.info

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  8. The macros made this awesome.

    babs - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vcvxh/Lip_Service_Episode_1/

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  9. your screencaps made my day.
    i'm from the uk and i heard a rumour that people are trying to get lip service banned from the beeb. personally ive seen worse on bbc channels, so im guessing some british people arent down with hot women kissing still.
    i reckon the papers are gonna whip up a right storm xx

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  10. Haha you got cat spot on. VERY CONCERNED! Personally I thought Tess was the best character on the show, in spite of her weird eyebrows. Everyone else was too angst city for me. Oh well, Ima keep watching anyhow, when you've only got one show, what else can a deprived lesbian do?

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  11. Anonymous12:41 PM

    ha. yeah i totally dont get the blonde shane-cat thing. she couldn't have said it better herself: 'im too old to be dating fuckups'. i dont neccessarily want to see tv based on self-destruction. that sounds too much like real life. frankie is a bit too childish, really. the whole im so tough, but on the inside im so tortured thing doesnt really fly with me. get over yourself, and get some manners.

    also didnt think the girl macking on tess was all that particularly hot. and every time tess is on the telly i cant help but think how much she reminds me of emma thompson. and then emma thompson>tess roberts, so that just makes me a little sad.

    i do so like laura fraser and her acting, but i feel a little bad when the major plot device is her losing her purse. twice. get a freaking chain or something.

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  12. Here's a link to the first episode (streaming vid): http://www.megavideo.com/?v=WZB50UB3
    Love the Scottish accent, and I'd totally date the hot lady cop. Y'all can have Frankie :)

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  13. Anonymous2:52 PM

    OMG. I laughed out loud. I SNORTED. At work. Thank you, Ms Snarker for making my day!
    (And keep remembering all you Americans, that to those of us who are elsewhere, some of you have quite cute accents, too).

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  14. Anonymous9:59 PM

    Just watched LS (via icefilms) and felt at times that Laura Fraser/Cat was channeling a smidge of Simone Lahbib/Wing Governor Helen Stewart of BAD GIRLS. And, if Shane's doppelganger, Tess, wants to obliterate her pain by pleasuring others, I won't stop her. Ah, the power of flicking a wrist tattoo that reads LUST in Mandarin.

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  15. Anonymous10:05 PM

    Oops, I meant to say Shane's Doppelganger, Frankie!

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  16. ;) babs12:17 AM

    thanks for the links!

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  17. Frankie needs to get better tattoos/a better tattoo artist. Just say'n...

    Amanda

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  18. Anonymous4:31 AM

    loved the" wanted to be bossed around like a bad puppy by Bette."
    agree with you about the not very likeable characters
    and lack of humor,also..
    not convinced by the actresses too,the LWord cast was
    really better..
    don't think,i'll see this show again,not bad but not good.

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  19. Just because Kate Moennig played the character vof Shane first, doesn't mean that she played the archetype well and considering the fcat that Ilene "Fucking" Chaiken admitted to "Go" magazine that she and her writers regularly surfed the web looking for dervivative works (a.k.a fan fiction) to STEAL and use on the L Word, well if there are any similarities between Frankie and Shane, so what? It only means that the chickens have come home to roost.
    But I seriously doubt that the untalented writers of the L Word could have imagined that final scenario where Cat returns to the funeral home only to find Frankie doing the funeral lady IN FRONT of the dead aunt, who was lying on a table!
    That was simultaneously hot, disturbing AND gruesome.

    Tess also provided some necessary comic relief, like when she crawled out from underneath the bed that her "ex" Chloe was lying on doing her new girlfriend.
    And I would like to add that it was GREAT not having to bitch and moan for a long time about the lack of Lesbians of color on the show, because Chloe (Tess' ex) was in the very first episode and I hope to see more of her.

    The L Word Wishes it was like Lip Service and don't get me started on the Real L Word.

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  20. "watched LS (via icefilms) and felt at times that Laura Fraser/Cat was channeling a smidge of Simone Lahbib/Wing Governor Helen Stewart of BAD GIRLS"

    Me TOO, but I surmise it was just the accent.

    Also you can find links to Lip Service on my blog as I will post them when they are available.

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  21. Anonymous8:53 AM

    you're so fucking funny.

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  22. Anonymous10:09 AM

    @Amanda - yeah, scribbling a tat on your wrist with a pen-lame. I wondered, if Frankie is a fab photographer, why don't they show her snappin' pics in Glasgow or processing some of her "wounded self" through photography?

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  23. I'm reserving judgment until I see more episodes.

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  24. Anonymous4:30 PM

    Lip service is actually influenced from the writers own experiences and experences of her close mates so course its going to seem more like real life compared to the l word.

    As for saying that frankies just shane nope... their both representations of an typical "Hot lesbian whos really a right twat" cause come on we've all met one. Who cares who played the type first.

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  25. Anonymous8:12 PM

    that was hilarious!
    "how you doin'?"
    thanks for that one!!

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  26. Anonymous11:21 AM

    please recap episode 2 w/loads more screencaps :D

    Thank you.

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  28. Actually Hot Cop Sam *was* especially likeable to me.

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