The L Word: Generation Q goes all-in on queer poker night, but the stakes are all over the place – The A.V. Club

Leisha Hailey stars in The L Word: Generation QPhoto: Liz Morris/Showtime

Were just all a bunch of fuck-ups, Shane McCutcheonwho has pivoted from hairstylist to bar owner to, now, poker hostwisely observes near the end of Lean On Me. Its funny because its true. The characters of The L Word: Generation Q are messy, chaotic, self-sabotaging fuckups, and their mistakes are the fuel the show runs on. Lean On Me is an assemblage of intense argumentsbetween friends, between lovers. Theres a lot of fighting, a lot of tears. But for all the big emotions its steeped in, Lean On Me feels more plot-driven than character-driven a lot of the time.

The episode picks up immediately after Finleys wedding crasher moment. Danis rightfully furious and unraveling, and the blocking between her and Sophie makes it clear that shes just on the edge of violence. Indeed, she ends up decking Finley in the eye right before the smash to the title card. Its an appropriately dramatic reaction to last weeks cliffhanger, and Lean On Me reckons with the consequences of this cursed love triangle. Whereas that part of the narrative was a weak spot in the premiere, its weightier and more developed here. The Dani/Finley/Sophie conflict allows all three characters to be messy.

Micah finally sticks it to Jose, calling him out for being a liar and a cheater. He says he never wants to make anyone feel the way Dani feels, and while its satisfying to watch Micah tell him off, the attempts to tie it back to the Dani/Sophie storyline are a little too pat. Micah does suggest at one point that his experience with Jose opened his eyes to the reality that things are sometimes more complicated than they seem, but he just drops that line and then moves on. We dont really get to see those complications or the ramifications of that realization. It feels significant, and yet its just dropped in like a neat little platitude. I do love that this friend group all has clearly defined dynamics and roles. Micah is clearly the friend who gets at the heart of your feelings, basically offering friendship therapy. But sometimes that also makes it so that we dont get enough actual character development of Micah. Instead, hes just being used as emotional exposition for other characters. Micahs blossoming friendship with Maribel, however, does feel like a Micah storyline that actually gives him agency and texture. The scenes between them stand out even as they just happen at the periphery, like when he and Maribel are sorting through the wedding gifts. Their chemistry is palpable. Theres a slice-of-life quality to their interactions by which I mean theyre acting like real people with real feelings instead of just saying things to service the plot. Too often in Lean On Me, the characters do the latter.

Speaking of chemistry, Lean On Me delivers a sex scene thats immediately worthy of The L Words hall of fame. Following their somewhat awkward but ultimately fun first date last episode, Gigi and Bette have apparently been getting to know each other a little more. That means having a candid and real conversation about racist microaggressions in the workplace. And that also means having very good sex that is so defined by the fact that they both want control. Their sex scene manages to be funny and hot all at once. Their control issues are on full display in the best way. Its a much needed break from people fighting. I dont think Bette and Gigi are a good romantic match, but thats part of what makes this particular pairing so fun. Sexual compatibility and romantic compatibility dont always go hand-in-hand. Bette and Gigi do have a lot in common and are exactly the kind of people who would, well, date themselves.

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Theres a lot of fun in the poker sequence also, especially since it smashes together the two generations of characters in a way that actually makes sense (Im less convinced that Bette and Dani are close enough for Bette to bring her sympathy Tartine after the not-wedding). Theres a lot happening at once here, and some of it works quite well, especially when the writing acknowledges these characters complexity. They arent wholly defined by their past actions, and they shouldnt be. When they all start talking about the mistakes theyve made, Tess suggests people can grow, and points toward her friendship with Shane as proof of that. Every person as this table has, at some point, made unhealthy, hurtful choices in their relationships. Sometimes repeatedly. But theyre also trying to learn from their mistakes. Theres that interesting mess.

The messy parts of peoples lives are always the most relatable, Shane says when Alice complains about the notes she has been given to add some realness and grit to her book. Again, its this show in a nutshell. The mess makes Generation Q compulsively watchable. But theres also a difference between mess/drama thats still rooted in emotional truth and mess/drama thats just plot-driven or conflict for the sake of conflict. The writing shouldnt feel literally messy, but it often does, especially when it comes to some of the Nat and Alice scenes in this episode, which Ill get into later. This episode brims with interpersonal tension and relationship conflict, but it also is occasionally too facile about it.

At poker night, Bettes full of ire for Sophie, but someone finally speaks up to bring up her own history of cheating. Bette admits she cheated on Tina 17 years ago and still lives with the regret. Her hypocrisy is acknowledged, but the writing just barely scratches the surface of it, which is the recurring problem holding Lean On Me back. Every time the writing inches toward deeper emotional truth, it pulls back. There are gaps in the character work. Dani, Finley, and Sophies conflict is the most fully fleshed out and dynamic storyline in the episode, because all three are given distinct points of view that are at odds with one another. Thats solid storytelling, giving weight and meaning to all three of their experiences and heightening the stakes. Its the good kind of messthe mess thats authentic and layered and captivating. Some of the attempts to connect the other subplots to it fall flat. Micahs realization that some relationship situations are not as straightforward as they seem, Bettes hypocrisy in her treatment of Sophie as a villain, and Tesss assertion that people can grow and change are all examples of where the episode hints at complex, character-driven writing without fully diving in.

Anyone who has watched the original series will find it weird that no one mentions all the other things Bette did, like cheat on and gaslight a different girlfriend who was not Tina. Hell, Alice was personally affected by Bettes cheating back in the day, and shes silent here! Generation Qs relationship with the original series is a tricky thing to pin down. There are some intentional callbacks and references to the past. Even the fact that were doing a whole poker plotline reminisces of Papi and Catherine from the original seriesthough none of the original characters observe this. At times, these characters seem to have amnesia about their own pasts. Its a mostly forgivable offense, because on the one hand, there are certainly viewers who didnt watch the original, so not everyone is going to trip over these moments. Generation Q is not beholden to the past and, in fact, should work toward undoing some of the missteps of the original series. On the other hand, thats six whole seasons of character development that a lot of viewers indeed will remember and butt up against. Not once do any characters mention Shanes disastrous wedding day from the original series when reacting to Dani and Sophies disastrous wedding day. There are clear parallels from some of these characters pasts that could add layers and cogent emotional stakes to events in the present. Collapsing Bettes personal history of infidelity and relationship mistakes into a couple simple lines not only feels off from the perspective of someone who has seen the original series but also just simplifies the conversation in the present. The dynamics of this poker group are fascinating, and yet the scene ultimately ends up feeling like a game of poker itselfall easily defined stakes and little emotional depth.

Meanwhile, when it comes to Nat and Alice, the writers and characters seem to have forgotten things that literally happened in the first season of this show. Nats clearly wrestling with something internally throughout the episode. She attempts to discuss open communication and nonmonogamy but gets completely shut down by Alice. When they do finally have a real conversation, Nat and Alice both throw around a bunch of wild words that overgeneralize and strip away any depth or nuance.

Problems fester in a relationship when they go unaddressed. We see this in Dani and Sophies arc but also in Nat and Alices. Attempting to maintain a status quo can be seriously detrimental to a relationship. Alice can hear Nat crying to herself in the bathroom, and yet Nat still makes up a ridiculous lie. Nats talking about open communication, but she also struggles to say what she wants, because theres vulnerability in that. Its easy to pretend everything is great in a relationship when in reality the relationship is just sort of fine. People get comfortable. People are scared of change. People are scared of loss. Thats why Sophie couldnt bring herself to tell Dani the truth and thereby made things worse by continually lying instead of confronting her mistake head-on when it first happened. Thats why shes reeling in the face of losing Dani, desperate to do anything to make it work. But Dani gets to the heart of the matter when she tells Sophieonce they finally have a face-to-face conversation near the end of the episodethat she simply wouldnt be able to trust her ever again.

For Nat and Alice, the situation is much different, but theyre still dealing with serious cracks in the foundation of their relationship. Nat is unhappy but also too scared of losing Alice to really talk about her feelings. Alice is bulldozing over everything Nat says. Shes not just refusing to write into the mess of her life in her booksomething her bumbling and endearing editor Tom is hoping to fixbut also attempting to sanitize her actual life. She and Nat are both avoiding their feelings here. Relationships are hard, and life is messy. Alice needs to be more honest with herself off the page.

All that said though, Nat and Alices arc here frustrates on a lot of levels. It really is a redux of Nat and Alices storyline last season, which is particularly confusing, because if Nat has been struggling with feelings that she might want to practice polyamory, it doesnt totally make sense that this wouldnt have come up when she and Alice were trying out the throuple thing with Gigi. Alices conflation of polyamory with cheating perplexes, but even more confusing is the way Nat tries to draw a direct comparison between being poly and bisexuality. She even goes so far as to pressure Alice into admitting she thinks about guys, which is a very common and biphobic stereotype! And yet, Nat emerges from this scene unscathed. Sure, this reflects the reality that a lot of biphobia exists in the queer community as well as the reality that there are a lot of misconceptions about polyamory out there, and yet theres no self-awareness or interrogation here at all. Nat just casually throws out some pretty harmful assumptions about Alices bisexuality, and thats that. All of the dialogue in this scene between them is so stilted and strange, almost like theyre quoting bad relationship advice articles. Nat says she has a lot of clients who are polyamorous, but shes wildly bad at talking about it. And the fact that Alice associates polyamory with bad people gets thrown out so offhandedly, too. Its all a messand not in the good way.

Finley, Shane, and Tess discussing Finleys problems is similarly stiff and odd. Shane attempts to relate the situation to her marriage and eventual divorce with Quiara, but the comparison doesnt track. Tesss clarification only muddles things further. All three characters seem to be talking about different things entirely. Theres a lot of abstract musing on relationships, patterns, and consequences, but its all unconnected and doesnt ultimately mean anything. And thats where Lean On Me really struggles. The stakes are technically there for a lot of these storylines, but theyre also oversimplified and, sometimes, muddled.

Tess opens up to Shane about her mother having MS and then expects Shane to share something, too. And Shane chooses to share that shes in a tight money spot because Quiara got everything in the divorce. What?! Thats not character development or compelling storytelling. Thats just a plot anecdote. It isnt actual vulnerability, and it doesnt touch on any of the emotional stakes or contexts this episode is mired in. Sure, Shanes known for being closed off, but twisting this scene into just a vehicle for poker night to actually happen feels so hollow. Theres an opportunity for depth here, and instead the scene just blows past it. For what its worth, Jamie Clayton and Kate Moennig have so much chemistry together that they save the scene from just feeling like filler.

Lean On Mes most compelling character work happens when the writing complicates certain aspects of the characters personalities. Finley is the resident class clown, but there are real consequences for that here. Her jokes dont land. Theyre clearly a coping mechanism. Shes self-effacing when talking to Micah and Maribel, but thats not the same as actual accountability. Just when it seems possible that she and Sophie could work together, she tries to make a joke, and everything falls apart. She cant charm her way out of any of this. In a similar way, Danis ambitious, goal-driven personality has consequences, too. Shes treating the unraveling of her life as a challenge to defeat rather than actually sitting in her emotions. She insists shes fine. She wants to beat this. But its not something to beat. Its her actual life, which has just been shattered by a betrayal. Its similar to how Bette sees Tinas engagement to Carrie as having lost a competition. But thats not how love works, and its also the exact reason why Tina chose Carrie instead of returning to Bette. Bettes competitiveness has consequences. Danis obviously suffering because of other peoples choiceswhich is why it can be so hard to heal from betrayalbut shes making things so much worse for herself by pretending to be fine. Again, these characters love to self-sabotage.

We finally see how very not fine Dani is when she has a small breakdown while running, reminiscing on her relationship and its abrupt demise, shown through well executed flashback and set to Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo, which takes the cake for best needledrop of the episode. Danis quite literally running away from her own feelings. Theres a heavy-handedness there, but it works.

In fact, Generation Q often thrives in its more heavy-handed, operatic moments, because these moments usually marry the shows comedy with its drama. Take, for example, Dani filming a video of herself flushing her ring down the toilet to send to Sophie. Its over-the-top of course, but its also tonally coherent, tapping into the intense emotions Danis feeling and the absurdity of the position she has been put in. Its also another example of her putting up a wall. Here she is, dramatically filming a video instead of actually grappling with her feelings. Its funny, but its also real. The best character work of Lean On Me lives in moments like that, where humor and drama work together instead of undermining each other.

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The L Word: Generation Q goes all-in on queer poker night, but the stakes are all over the place - The A.V. Club