Off The Chart

“Was any of it worth it?” — Bette Porter So much dyke drama, so little time. The L Word: Generation Q wrapped up its debut season last week, and we have a lot of processing to do: Will Sophie pick Dani or Finley? When was Jose planning to tell Micah about his husband? Is Bette Porter going to run for president next? And who will comprise our next throuple? While we eagerly await Season 2 of The L Word: Generation Q, here are our thoughts for the bests and worsts of Season 1 and our...

“I dated her. The birds were a whole thing.” — Dani Nunez What better way to end a season of lesbian drama than by turning everything into shambles! In this season finale of The L Word: Generation Q, everyone’s grappling with loss: Bette struggles to find purpose after the mayoral race, Alice comes to grips with possibly losing her talk show, and Shane once again becomes a sad boi. Meanwhile, Sophie is forced to make a choice between Dani and Finley, and Micah learns something troubling...

“Why would I judge you? I’m in a throuple—with two ex-wives!” — Alice Pieszecki Remember that dyke drama we were asking for? Well, it’s here—albeit moments before The L Word: Generation Q’s debut season comes to a close. In this penultimate episode, Bette’s still pining for Tina (TINAAAAA!), Alice gives the throuple the boot and Shane is navigating the pre-parenthood stage. Meanwhile, Jose’s meet-the-mom date with Micah goes sour, Dani can’t stop working, and Sophie and Finley swap spit....

“Look around. I’m wrong all the fucking time.” — Bette Porter She’s baaaaaack! Tina Kennard, the other half of the famed TiBette, has returned to the cast of our favourite L.A lesbians—and in typical The L Word fashion, things are getting saucy. In this sixth episode, Bette and Tina hash out the past, Dani does damage control on Bette’s mayoral campaign, Angie confesses her love for Jordi, Shane makes a big decision on parenthood, Sophie and Finley get closer during bro night, and Alice and...

“We never get any good words. Vulva, labia, throuple!” — Alice Pieszecki Never mind what you want; Episode 5 of The L Word: Generation Q is begging you to tell us what you need. We catch up with our hungover favourites post-Shane McCutcheon 40th birthday bash, and everyone’s trying to get their priorities straight: Alice is navigating throupledom, Bette’s trying to be a better mom, Shane’s forced to contemplate parenthood, Dani is shutting down her daddy and Micah’s exploring love and sex...

“I got divorced on my birthday!” — Shane McCutcheon We’re halfway through the season and it’s one big reveal after another in the fourth episode of The L Word: Generation Q. Bette finally explains why she’s running for mayor (rest in power, Kit). Finley gets drunk and tells Rebecca she’s in love. Dani finds out Bette is still sleeping with Felicity. Jose shows Micah what he really wants. Tess figures out what’s been going on between Lena and Shane. Shane clarifies why she and Quiara broke...

“I fucked the priest!” — Sarah Finley Tensions are running high for our L.A. queers—and it’s about time! In this episode of Off The Chart: Generation Q, we process the third episode of our beloved L Word reboot: Dani and Sophie are still sparring over wedding plans, Finley freaks out when she realizes she’s sleeping with a minister, Bette and Angie face off over public school and Shane can’t stop being a fuckboy. At least Megan Rapinoe shows up. Is it hot in here, or is it just us? Episode...

“I just want you to know that I would help you hide a body.” — Sarah Finley We’re just two episodes into the Generation Q reboot, but there are already so many red flags 🚩🚩🚩! Dani makes a massive career change without talking to her fiancée—just 24 hours into the engagement. Bette is still thirsty for her married former fling. Shane is hanging out at a random sports bar with Finley—and Finley will try to pick up any woman with a pulse. Much remains uncertain but there is finally a...

“Time’s up, bitch!” — Sarah Finley It’s been 10 years since our L.A. lezzies walked off the scene (with the wind machine in their hair, no less), and it’s time for some new faces! In the premiere episode of “Off The Chart: Generation Q,” we meet the goofy Sarah Finley, the loved-up couple Dani Nunez and Sophie Suarez and the very adorable Micah Lee. All the while, we catch up with our OGs: future mayor Bette Porter, Alice Pieszecki a.k.a. the new Ellen and the very rich Shane McCutcheon...

“That hiatus felt really long. It felt like a decade, right?” — Alice Pieszecki It’s finally here! This episode we look ahead at The L Word: Generation Q. No spoilers, we promise! We talk about what’s changed for queer women and trans people in politics and visibility in the 10 years since the original series wrapped in 2009. We share our hopes for Generation Q: Better trans representation! More racial diversity! Lots of queer drama! We offer our first impressions on the new series and get...

“Goddammit, Jenny. Fucking, fucking bitch!” — Bette Porter We’ve reached the final season of original The L Word run, and one question lingers: Who killed Jenny Schecter? Don’t get too excited, because you’ll never know—and in the end, it doesn’t really matter. We process possibly the most confusing season of the series: Jenny and Shane hook up (barf)! Max is pregnant! Bette almost sleeps with Nomi from Showgirls! Alice and Tasha join a throuple! It all leads up to a series finale no one...

“Jesus Christ, it’s like South Beach threw up in here.” — Shane McCutcheon at Dawn Denbo’s Shebar We’ve gone full meta! In season five, we enjoy the movie version of the book version of the television series The L Word (yes, you read that correctly)—because we’ve reached the point in this series where nothing makes sense! We hit the set of Lez Girls, where Jenny has reached peak diva, and meet closeted Hollywood star Niki Stevens (Kate French), white man movie mogul William Halsey (Wallace...

“I can show you that you’re never going to need a man again. You know Papi can rock your world, right?” — Eva “Papi” Torres In season four, the arrival of Papi (Janina Gavankar), Tasha (Rose Rollins), Phyllis (Cybill Shepherd) and Jodi (Marlee Matlin) rocks the insular world of The L Word for the better, shaking up and diversifying les girls. Our bougie bitches play hoops and Helena plays poker. Alice gets played by Papi then makes a play for Tasha. Shane plays house with Shay and Paige,...

“C’mon loosen up lesbians... You want to celebrate the snatch, venerate the vagina, praise the pussy!” — Billy Blakey Dana Fairbanks, you will always be our sunshine. Season three of The L Word was a literal matter of life and death, as Dana succumbs to breast cancer in the saddest story arc of the series, while Max begins his new life as a trans man. In our recap, we talk about the show’s hit-and-miss portrayal of Max’s transition and his uneasy integration into the clique—warning, it...

“It’s not my job to make you a better man” — Jenny Schecter Whew girl, that is the truth! And there’s a whole lot more truths (and lies) in the second season of The L Word. We recap the love triangles—Bette/Tina/Helena; Dana/Tonya/Alice; and Jenny/Carmen/Shane—as well as some dark truths about our beloved L.A. queer women. We explore the rubble left in Bette and Tina’s explosive breakup—and Tina’s pregnancy; Kit’s alcoholism; Jenny’s traumatic childhood; Shane’s inability to just commit;...

“Jail is whack!” — Shane McCutcheon Lez get this party started! In this episode, we recap and process the first season of The L Word. We guide you through this world of L.A. lesbians and bisexual women so you can get to know the characters and what they’re up to, including: Bette and Tina looking fora sperm donor, Shane breaking her fuckboy rules for an older, married woman, and tennis pro Dana struggling to come out as a lesbian. We’ll also talk about how certain plots in the show stack...

“Am I crazy? Am I drunk? Am I hallucinating?” — Jenny Schecter It’s the “Off The Chart” pre-party! Before we start our season-by-season recapping, this premiere episode digs into lesbian, bisexual and queer culture circa 2004 and breaks down the impact of The L Word’s launch. Meet our recap crew, two who watched the original series as it aired, and two youngster late-comers. (There’s even one of us who loves Jenny.) Revisit the Riot Grrrls and New Queer Cinema, remember that summer we all...

Prepare for The L Word: Generation Q reboot with Xtra’s primer on the original series, hosted by Rachel Giese, Erica Lenti, Eternity Martis and Michelle Turingan. Subscribe now!