Mary Dean and Family
A Late Bloomer Pt. II
September 27, 2021
Sammy Rae & the Friends
Musiq Scene: Sammy Rae
September 29, 2021
Donald Faison and Leisha Hailey

Donald Faison (Tom) & Leisha Hailey (Alice). Photo Credit: Paul Sarkis/SHOWTIME.

SPOILER ALERT! (including major spoilers from the original series) 

When The L Word: Generation Q hits you, it’s a lot. This week’s episode was emotional yet gratifying, with references to the original series and several couples that finally seem to be working out. 

First things first, after being pulled over by the cops, Finley is arrested for drunk driving. Sophie rescues her from jail the next morning, but not without some animosity. Later in the episode, she tells Finley what I’ve been thinking all season: she is tired of babysitting her. And she’s scared of who Finley becomes when she drinks.  

Next up, Micah is back. At work, he meets a transgender doctor named Claudia, who is played by Isis King, the first transgender model on America’s Next Top Model. It was great to finally have a female character who is explicitly transgender, and the chemistry between the two of them was really sweet. 

I especially got a kick out of Micah almost burning his apartment down while trying to cook for Claudia. But when the two of them go to kiss, Micah realizes he still has feelings for Maribel, which rightly pisses Claudia off. Micah invites Maribel over and tells he loves her(!), and honestly, my heart was so happy.

Aside from Micah and Maribel, other couples also find their footing this week. For example, Dani and Gigi sleep together and even get over their first disagreement. Additionally, Shane surprises Tess in Las Vegas, where she travelled to take care of her mom. With the most adorable move I’ve seen Shane pull in a while, she says to Tess: “I’d like to be with you. I’d like you to be my partner.” Okay, swoon. I am 100% here for the two of them. 

My most intense feelings this week came with Alice’s storyline. At her book launch, she hems and haws about whether to tell Tom that she slept with Nat, and when she finally does, he is absolutely devastated. And rightly so – she slept with Nat several times last week! 

Luckily, Tom and Alice do end up making up. But what really got me was Alice reading from her chapter on Dana. During the book launch, Alice talks about how Dana was her “sunshine” and reflects on how she missed the exact moment that Dana passed away.

While it was an extremely sad speech, I appreciated the nod to the original show and liked seeing how Alice has coped with this loss. If only we could find more about how she split with Tasha. Fans are waiting

Meanwhile, Bette finds out that the company formerly run by Dani’s dad (and now run by Dani) bought a wing at the CAC, where Pippa is about to show her work. Bette is pissed, as is Pippa, but by the end of the episode they have a plan to “burn shit down and still leave something standing.”

In classic cliffhanger fashion, this episode ends with Sophie waking up in an empty bed. She looks around the house for Finley and calls her cell to no success. Next week, we’ll find out what’s up with Finley and see Tina return. Yay! 

Becca’s Rankings 

Sexiest Scene: Shane and Tess finally sleep together, and man, it was worth the wait. 

Most OMG-Moment: Micah tells Maribel he loves her! 

Funniest Moment: Tom tells Alice: “I like my beds the way I like my candy bars. King size!” 

Best Musical Moment: Gigi and Dani going down on each other to “Wrapped Around My Finger” by Butterfly Boucher, the same artist that sang a sapphic duet with Sara Bareilles on her Amidst The Chaos tour. 

Who will sleep together next? Micah and Maribel, please!

 

 

Becca Damante
Becca Damante
Becca is a Smith college graduate with a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies and an Archives concentration. She has worked and written for non-profits organizations such as Media Matters for America, The Century Foundation, and GLAAD, and loves to write about the intersections between pop culture, politics, and social justice. You can find her at @beccadamante on Twitter.