Join Us At the End of the World

Does the prospect of possible future lesbian content warrant current excitement? Probably, if it’s the highly anticipated first trailer for “The Last of Us,” the new HBO post-apocalyptic series based on the hit video game series. Now, I know, I still have a hard time with major media based on amusement park rides and video games. But, as someone with a gamer wife, I do now appreciate that today’s video games have unmistakable storylines and real character progression, which gives them a definitive edge over the animatronics of a theme park ride.

Anyway. The new TLOU adaptation is already giving us some very The Walking Dead vibes, what with the end of the world caused by a humanity decimating infection (in this case, it’s a fungus that makes humans into murderous mushroom heads who are definitely not zombies). Pedro Pascal apparently can’t get enough of shepherding the universe’s underage charges across dangerous landscapes (hello, The Mandalorian) because he plays Joel, a smuggler who promises to take a teenage girl (Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey who we last saw as the little badass ever, Lady Lyanna Mormont). The original video game came out on Playstation in 2013, and was followed up by a successful sequel in 2020.

And that’s where the gay stuff comes into it. If you were on Tumblr anytime in 2020 you probably already know because of the endless sea of gifs, but in the sequel the story picks up by following a now more grown-up Ellie who is still fighting to survive in the post-apocalypse but now also happens to also have a girlfriend. And, as mentioned above, there were endless clips and videos and gifs of Ellie and her girlfriend Dina all over Tumblr. So the new series puts us in the unusual position of rooting for the sequel before we’ve ever seen the original. But any show that drops a surprise Melanie Lynskey on us has gotta be good and gay. Also, in case the Lynskey bona fides weren’t enough, the series also stars Anna Torv. Yes, here I am now officially rooting for a video game show to succeed. Come on, sequel, come on.

Out Developments

Right, I may have calmed down a little from last week (also because I’m about to go on vacation). So how about we get maybe possibly future excited for some new projects that hopefully (maybe, hopefully) will bring us some new queer lady stories. Development and casting news has come out about a two new premium networks shows in particular that have queer potential.

The first is the HBO adaptation of the videogame series “Last of Us.” Now, I’m not a gamer. But even I know that the “Last of Us” franchise features prominent female queer characters. Maybe it was the Ellie and Dina gifs all over my timeline when it came out a that tipped me off. I also know things don’t really get gay until the game’s sequel, Part II. So I don’t know what we can expect on the queer front from the new HBO series based on the apocalyptic video game. But, for once when referring to a show about a video game, I’d love if they kept it close to the source material.

What I do know is that they’ve cast “Fringe”/”Mindhunter” start Anna Torv in a key role as smuggler Tess and “Game of Throne” badass Bella Ramsey in the even keyer (whatever, it’s a pandemic still, who grammars) Ellie! You might remember Bella Lyanna Mormont, the tiny warrior nobleswoman of Bear Island. I know I might be grasping at tiny little gay straws here, but I feel like they could definitely Make It Gay™, like the original videogame story. Or, why stop there, with Anna in the show please Make It Gayer™. But then I say that about everything. Game on, queers.

The second new development that immediately had my gay lady ears perked up is the adaptation of the No. 1 bestselling nonfiction book “Three Women.” Shailene Woodley has been attached to star in the new Showtime series. As soon as I heard the premise for “Three Women,” I knew there would be some queer up in there.

Described as “an intimate, haunting portrayal of American female desire, three women are on a crash course to radically overturn their lives.” The character of Sloane is particular is described as “a successful restaurant owner in an exclusive enclave of the Northeast, is happily married to a man who likes to watch her have sex with other men and women.”

Yeah, I dunno how hopeful to get about that since I have not read the book it was based on. But, I’d be interested to see who they cast as Sloane. Woodley is playing the writer character in the series adaptation, so I’d field any suggestions.

The Look

With “The L Word” coming back, the unabashed portrayal of female desire – that is women desiring other women – is back on our screens. And while the show definitely starts with a wham, bam, tampon ma’am, the act itself isn’t all there is. Far from it. In fact, one of the sexist parts of sex is the seduction. Especially when you can see the desire in her eyes. And then there’s The Look. Oh, you know The Look. You love The Look. The Look is definitely one of the Top 3 reasons to get out of bed in the morning. Especially if The Look looks you up and down. I just... *bites lip forever* So here, in honor so The Look being back on our screens, please enjoy some classic looks.

Wendy & Kay, Mindhunter


Anne & Ann, Gentleman Jack


Villanelle & Eve, Killing Eve


Ronit & Esti, Disobedience


Fleabag & Belinda, Fleabag


Therese & Carol, Carol

Torv Hunter

Can we talk about Anna Torv in “Mindhunter?” We should talk about Anna Torv in “Mindhunter.” Now, I’ve been an Anna Torv fan from way, way, wayback. There’s something about her serene yet unrelenting directness that just *shivers in a good way*. In every role she comes across as unquestionably capable.

In the second season of “Mindhunter,” her Dr. Wendy Carr is given less to do on the cases, but more depth in her personal life. After ending it with her dean at Boston University (oh, Lena Olin, we hardly saw thee), she finds a new romance in bartender and all-around hottie Kay.

Kay is as out and free-wheeling as Wendy is closeted and buttoned up. But both women still live within the oppressive societal constrains of early 1980s America. Where as a divorced woman with a child, Kay can’t let her ex-husband know she has a woman over for fear of losing her visitation rights. And as an FBI consultant, Wendy can’t be out to colleagues because they still see homosexuality as a mental deficiency.

Torv’s Wendy has a stoicism that comes from knowing the expectations of female weakness. But by not showing emotion, by remaining unblinkingly still, she seeks to find a level playing field in an endless boys club. Her impassive persona can be seen as a defense mechanism or as her unyielding strength, or both. But she is always fully aware of how she must act in order to keep doing what she loves and what she is brilliant at doing professionally.

She talked with The New York Times about playing such an outwardly unemotional character, saying:

“What I find fascinating is that when you’re an actress, you don’t even realize that the majority of the time you end up carrying the emotional weight of whatever scene you happen to be in. If someone’s going to cry, it’s going to be the girl. If someone is emotional and having a meltdown, it’s going to be the girl. And so you end up getting really good at it. Not even getting good at it — it’s just the expectation, so that’s what your instincts end up honing. All of a sudden to be in the skin of this woman who is just so dry … Anytime I showed a flicker of something, especially in the beginning, David would be like, ‘Please, pull it back.’”

So now it’s fascinating to see, finally, more of the other side of her life. Both her desire, which she can telegraph through That Stare which all gay women know, and her discomfort with being out. In Wendy I think she sees a sort of freedom. But I think it might also scare her. Because there is a vulnerability to being fully yourself with someone else I don’t feel like she is ready for just yet.

But, you know, here I am psychoanalyzing a psychologist from my couch.



So, thoughts? Have you watched? This season was interesting for so many reasons (Spoiler Alert: In addition to the unresolved ending, the personal failings of all three of the main characters was interesting to watch - though I could have done without Trench’s psychopath son...I mean, I could see that one coming and really?), and Anna Torv is at least half of them.

Mind Torv

Kittens, I am kind of disappointed in you. Why did none of you tell me Anna Torv was in “Mindhunter?” And why did no one tell me Anna Torv was (you should really stop reading if you don’t want to be spoiled about a slow-reveal plot point – I mean it, this is your last chance) a lesbian in “Mindhunter?” I feel like the whole thing was an epic fail of the usually reliable Big Lesbian Phone Tree.

I’ve been a fan of Anna Torv for almost 10 years. I first started watching her in “Fringe” and then was delighted to realize she also had a very memorable arc on the original U.K. series “Mistresses” (very, very memorable). And then she kind of went away and I almost forgot about her almost. And then this where I rediscover her on Netflix’s new beginnings of serial killer profiling FBI series “Mindhunter.”

What I’ve always liked about Anna is the unshakeable competence she projects. She just seemed so capable. Like you knew she meant business and was not to be fucked with. Also, she looks freaking amazing in a well-tailored dress shirt. What I’ve also liked is how totally OK she is with making out with ladies on screen.

Like, say, on “Fringe” in a Weird Science-y kind of way with a Mila Kunis-lookalike.



And on “Mistresses,” in an OMG-unbutton-those-buttons kind of way with Shelley Conn.



After binging the entire season of “Mindhunter” over the weekend I can highly recommend it to anyone who likes crime dramas, psychological thrillers and loosely historical period pieces (the period in question being the 1970s). It’s essentially like watching the origin story of “Criminal Minds.”

Unfortunately the series’ only deeper delve into Torv’s character, Dr. Wendy Carr, is relegated to one episode (No. 6, to be exact) where it is revealed that she is a closeted lesbian. We also get a few minutes of screentime with her girlfriend and fellow professor, played by the inimitable Lena Olin. Then, poof, it’s back to the boys.



Since “Mindhunter” has already been renewed for a second season we can only hope the show allows its one prominent female character to have as much of a rich on-screen internal life as all the men. Or, at very least, they’ll tell us what is going on with that mysterious laundry cat.

So, thoughts? Have you watched? But, seriously, whose job was it to call me on the Big Lesbian Phone Tree?

p.s. Apologies to Waffles who, indeed, did give me a heads up a while back about the gay lady action in Mindhunter. If only I had listened sooner.

Open Season

Aww, man. Am I going to have to start watching another Ryan Murphy show? Anna Torv and Jennifer Jason Leigh have signed on to play a couple in the Murphy’s new pilot for the HBO series “Open.” Anna Torv playing gay, again? Must…resist….must…oh, fuck it…resistance is futile.

The new “provocative” HBO show is about sex and relationships – make that open relationships. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Torv will play a yoga instructor named Windsor who is in a long-term relationship with Holly (Jennifer), but then meets another woman named Grace and feels an “instant connection.” Grace has not been cast yet, but she’ll be a previously married and straight gynecologist and – duuuude – these jokes just write themselves. Jennifer will play an actress who is “intensely committed to her career.” Read: self-involved.

“Open” will feature multiple characters and explore sexuality, monogamy and, clearly, non-monogamy. “Dexter” executive producer Lauren Gussis co-wrote the pilot with Murphy. Previously Mr. Glee has described it as “an adult show that is very frank in its depiction of sex.” Read: Naked naked naked. I mean, it is HBO, after all.

I’ve always been a fan of Anna, she’s got a that certain something something. That sexy air of capability about her is pretty damn irresistible. Plus Jennifer, well she was in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Single White Female,” so her cult status is unquestionable.

Also, we all remember how delicious it was the last time Anna played gay for the original British series “Mistresses,” right?



And, um, this is what she looks like almost naked.

So…yeah, guess I might be watching another Ryan Murphy show. Damn you, TV gods, for making me want what I hate.

Tank Top Tuesday

Oh, tank tops – I’ve missed you so. So, as you might have noticed, it’s been a little while since our last unrestricted Tank Top Tuesday. So let’s just go for it. Like jump right in. Like, boom, say hello to Kerry Washington and her tank top. Yeah, just like that. Sometimes I forget I don’t have to write as many of these word things to make a good post. But then I remember. You’re welcome.

Anna Silk

Production has started on Season 4. Come back, “Lost Girl,” I’ve missed
Boobs O’Clock all the exciting succubus drama.

Anna Torv

It’s an Annas we miss convention.

Anne Hathaway

Annes, too.

Grace Park

What’s she doing now that she left “Hawaii 5-O?” I hope it’s a show I’ll actually watch.

Scarlett Johansson

She is the main reason I’m going to see the next Captain America movie (besides Chris Evans’ tight little tushy – what, I’m only human).

Angelina Jolie

I find it rather strange and unseemly (cough, Melissa Etheridge, cough) to publically criticize another woman’s personal health choices. Whatever decision a woman makes for herself with fully informed consent is not, in my opinion, “fearful.”

Brandi Carlile

I just got tickets to see Brandi this summer. Excuse me while I go have a Big Gay Squee moment.

Gender Fuck Thursday: Fall TV Edition

You know what else fall means? Our favorite TV ladies returning to us, sometimes while wearing lovely suits. Sometimes for their respective TV shows, sometimes because ladies look nice when they wear a nicely tailored jacket. Whatever the reason, we can all agree it’s a win for us, the viewing audience.

Lindsey Shaw, Pretty Little Liars

Paige McCullers channels Marlene Dietrich and I like it.

Jane Lynch, Glee

Admit it, this is a vast improvement over the rack suit.

Anna Torv, Fringe

Seeing Anna with her hands shoved into her pockets makes me feel even more terrible that I stopped watching “Fringe.”

Lana Parrilla, Once Upon a Time

You Swan Queeners sure gave Rizzles a run for their money in the AE Femslash Thunderdome. Respect. Big time.

Jaime Murray, Warehouse 13

Each time H.G. returns on screen I scream “KISS MYKA NOW, YOU BRITISH TWIT!” But on the inside – mostly.

Ellen DeGeneres

Someone grabbed her tie in the dark that morning.

Naya Rivera

I don’t understand what’s happening with the crotch of her pants here. But I thank Naya profusely for giving me more reasons to stare long and hard in that general direction. Ahem.

Funny business

After a long holiday weekend sometimes it’s not the first day back that takes it out of you the most, but the second. On the first day you’re still chatting with your co-workers about what you did, what you ate, what you wish you hadn’t done or eaten. But on that second day, boy, does it ever set in that this is a regular old work week. So, to shake off some of those reality sucks doldrums, I thought today we could all just laugh together. Like big, hearty, don’t be drinking any liquids laughing. Are you ready? All together now. Let’s laugh off a tiny sliver of that whole pumpkin pie you consumed over the weekend.

G-L-O-R-I-A

What better way to reflect on a holiday about giving thanks for our great melting pot of a country than to make fun of foreigners’ accents?

Warehouse 13 Gag Reel

Bollocks. That is all.

Anna Torv

Anna Torv in a cop uniform. Hot. Anna Torv using female stereotypes to write an enormous ticket? Hot and hilarious. Also, love the baton thing at the end.

Cat & Pamie

Remember that commercial for KY Intense that featured the lesbians? Well here’s a real-life lesbian, Cat, (and her not-real-life-lesbian friend, Pamie) actually using the product. I swear to God, this made me laugh so hard, a little pee came out. It burns! It burns!

There, now that burned off at least, what, one of the mini-marshmallows on your sweet potato casserole, right

What geekery is this?

True story: I loved action figures as a kid. I know, not to surprising given my overall continued tomboy tendencies. But I LOVED them. I could play quietly for hours, lost in my own fantasy world where my Han Solo figure bickered with my Buck Rogers figure and Princess Leia went ahead and rescued Superman instead. My childhood fantasy world was kind of awesome. But being a geek then was different than being a geek now. Now it has a cache. Geeks, like bowties – if you ask The Doctor, are cool. But then, geeks were geeks. So it’s with a slightly bemused sense of satisfaction when I watched all the pretty ladies clamor to get their geek on last weekend weekend at Comic-Con.

So in celebration of everyone’s inner and outer geek, here are some lovely ladies getting geeky. Geekery, it’s not just for geeks anymore.

Alyson Hannigan

Willow will always be my favorite geek. Always.

Anna TorvThese should be Special Agent Olivia Dunham action figures, but otherwise, perfect.

Lucy LawlessWhen lesbian subtext and geek fandom collides.

Anika Noni RoseSo this is kind of more of a “doll,” but Anika looks so happy to be holding herself it’s pretty geeky.

Meryl StreepThis is her “Fantastic Mr. Fox” figure. If there was a real Meryl Streep action figure I would buy two. One to keep new in the box and another to play with. Wait, that sounded weird. Good.

Elizabeth MitchellThese aren’t technically action figures either, but getting this excited about your cake doppelgangers is's adorageeky.

Yvonne StrahovskiAlso, not an action figure. But it’s a light saber. So, you know, even better.

Sarah Michelle GellarBuffy is using Darth Vader as an armrest. Your argument is invalid.

Felicia DayIf Felicia in a squid hat doesn’t brighten your day, then you are probably not a geek.

Natalie PortmanGeeks and politics, two great things that go great together.

Karen GillanNow that is how you play with action figures.

Britt Robertson, Maggie Q, Yvonne Strahovski, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Morrison & Anna TorvI don’t know who Britt Robertson is, but otherwise, GEEKGASM.

Check out the special Comic-Con issue of The Hollywood Reporter for more on Sarah, Anna, Yvonne, Maggie et al.

Tank Top Tuesday: TV Time

Between the return of winter TV and the start of pilot season, so much has happened that I think we’re going to need to review the revised landscape with clear-eyed, in-depth, critical analysis. In other words, we’re going to review it with tank top.

Sarah Michelle GellarSMG is coming back to TV. If that doesn’t get you excited check your pulse. If you don’t have a pulse, look out for SMG because she may be coming to stake you. Old habits die hard.

Minka KellyShe’s one of the new Angels on the “Charlie’s Angels” reboot. If the show is a hit, will boyfriend Derek Jeter start playing for Anaheim as a show of solidarity?

Adrianne PalickiPeople agree on two things when it comes to David E. Kelley’s new “Wonder Woman” series. 1) They love Adrianne’s casting as Wonder Woman. 2) They hate the pilot script with a fiery passion.

Zooey DeschanelShe is going to star in a pilot for a project that had the working title “Chicks and Dicks.” It’s hard to think of a title with less appeal to gay ladies, unless you called it “Dicks and Dicks,” but then it’d be a reality show on Logo and I’d totally watch that with several cocktails and my best gays.

Laura PreponI really liked her better as a redhead. But then I guess you have to embrace the peroxide to play Chelsea Handler, and the vodka.

Anna TorvFringe is now on Friday, but mostly I just wanted to post her holding this gun. Mmmm.

Jennifer Beals“The Chicago Code” broke out the white tank top for the very first episode. It’s blatant pandering to the lesbians, and we like it.

Sarah Shahi“Fairly Legal” isn’t a great TV show or anything. But it’s fun and Sarah has showed up in her underwear. So, you know, sold.

Caroline DhavernasI stopped watching “Off the Map” for the same reasons I don’t watch “Grey’s Anatomy.” Doctors with personal problems (with or without borders) just aren’t my thing. But I still love you, Jaye Tyler.

Sofia VergaraNothing new is happening with “Modern Family,” but when you have a chance to post a picture like this, you take it.

So, what new TV pilot or show has your temperature rising. And, remember, please phrase your answer in the form of a tank top.