 by the linsterColumns
Video
Currently Recapping
Popular People
|
"Saving Grace" takes “Lesbian Attack” literallyThe episode of Saving Grace we told you about last month, “Looks Like a Lesbian Attack to Me,” aired last night. My one word review: Ick. Not that it was all yucky. After all, Clea Duvall guest starred.
Caution — Spoilers ahead. Duvall played Mara, a lesbian cop whose brother Ricky was murdered. She found the body, so is devastated. She is also quite bruised from what she tells Grace (Holly Hunter) is “a fight with a s---head.” Since Ricky was beaten to death, Mara becomes the main suspect.
In the course of the investigation, we meet Gillian (Karina Logue), Mara’s girlfriend, who plans “outings” (yes, that’s what she said) for the lesbian community.
For some unimaginable reason, Gillian thinks Grace is a lesbian and invites her to join the mailing list for the next “Lesbian Attack,” when lesbians take over a straight bar. I loved that Grace just smiled coyly and closed Gillian’s car door for her. Grace is so damn hot.
By this time, we have learned that Mara’s family is not too fond of Gillian, especially Ricky. Grace realizes that Gillian abuses Mara and probably is responsible for the murder. But she can’t prove it.
With the help of another lesbian cop, Millie (Rebecca Wisocky), Grace concocts a plan. She and her team go out after work to the bar that is unknowingly hosting a Lesbian Attack. Mara and Gillian are there and not getting along too well. When Mara gets upset and retreats to the bathroom, Grace follows. (As Florence and the Machines’ “A Kiss With a Fist” plays.) Let me just say that Grace knows how to make a girl feel better.
This was not a peck on the cheek, friends. Grace really kissed Mara. And when Gillian saw it, she beat Grace to within inches of her life. Thus, Gillian was arrested for attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. With all the witnesses, she would be put away for life — and Grace would have time to prove that Gillian also killed Ricky. With all that lesbianism, why do I think it was icky? Well, blood for one thing. Lots of it. And knocked out teeth, bashed in faces and other intense violence. Granted, blood is par for the course in Saving Grace, but it’s still icky. More importantly, though, is that the lesbian relationship was abusive. And one of the lesbians was the murderer. Why won’t these stereotypes go away? I will give Saving Grace credit for including some normal lesbians, and for a scene in which a newly blonde Rhetta (Laura San Giacomo) happily accepts a lesbian’s invitation to dance.
But ick. I was hoping for better. We deserve better. What did you think of the episode? Was the Hunter/Duvall kiss enough to overshadow the stereotypical story? Or did the dysfunctional lesbian relationship bother you as much as it did me? Submitted by on August 12, 2009 - 3:00pm. |
Recent blog posts
New forum topicsActive TopicsNew Comments
|
Welcome to AfterEllen.com!
- Login
- Join Now!
News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media
The kiss that kills
Boo to stereotypes, but I cannot lie -- I am totally going to catch the repeat to watch Holly Hunter kiss Clea DuVall. I may even press rewind. Maybe more than once.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why I Don't Sleep Much: Dorothy Surrenders. Also, I'm an utter twit.
I'm with you...
Ms. Snarker. I'm getting my thumb ready for the rewind button now.
Holly Hunter....yes ma'am!! In my dreams she has played lesbian many times.
Getting your thumb ready for
P.S. sorry, I just couldn't stop myself from being inappropriate. On a more on-topic note, I liked it. And it dealt with domestic abuse, which I felt was really quite good as it showed that lesbian relationships are like any other relationships, whereby sometimes things do go wrong and partners are abusive. The fact that they were lesbians was secondary to the narrative, which can only be a good thing as it in a way normalises lesbian relationships.
I kept it on my DVR...
However, I must admit I was so tired I fell asleep watching it and rewinded several times just to TRY to catch what I missed. I did not miss the kiss! I did not miss Tamara Braun (late of All My Children's Bianca and Reese storyline) also guesting (though not in one of the lesbian roles).
My assessment of the episode: It wasn't that ICKY relative to any of the Saving Grace episodes. And I totally LOVED the casual comments and interactions with fellow officers who happen to be lesbians. For example, one detective in Grace's crew asking another who was with one of the lesbian officers..."that's her new girlfriend"...back to conversation.
If it were not for several of these "normalizing" scenes, then maybe the main story would have been ICKY. BUT, the whole point of the several scenes was to BALANCE out the representation. That is IN FACT what we want from scripted shows. I'm good with how the folks on TNT and Saving Grace handled things and I thought the story was interesting. I can totally see why Clea DuVall took the part...and not just cause she read the script and saw "Grace kisses Mara deeply"...heh. I don't think I've had many opportunities to see Clea play a weak character. She probably loved the chance to play something different...and yet still lesbian.
Braun
Wow
I LOVE Clea DuVall!!! She was so good in Girl, Interrupted..... With Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder. Watch the movie. NOW. :P
And I definitely might have to watch this thing!
I saw the ep and had mixed
I saw the ep and had mixed feelings. At this point in time Saving Grace is my fav tv show. That said I kinda didn't like this ep. It felt forced and phony. These macho cops are in "their" bar a bunch of lesbians take over the bar and not a harsh word is spoken, yeah that would happen.
I think they were trying to handle it with class but; ended up being tooo plastic. Now the Grace character is totally believable. I could see her planting a kiss on the devil to make her case. I can see her having no problem with lesbians, gays, bi's or trans. No problem having a little change of pace, even though i see her as pretty straight. Grace just takes it as it comes.
I didn't like the abusive lesbian theme but; gosh they have on every other ep the abusive straight etc,etc and yes there are bad lesbians so in a way it was equal treatment. Seems as though this usually well written show was just baffled as to how to present this topic -- shame.
The Clea DuVall character was beyond boring, lousy acting, and not remotely believable (JMHO)
I appreciate the fact that they tried to be reasonable But; in a cop show that is as rough and graphic as Saving Grace I guess its just hard to not offend someone.
They tried; so good for them. Saving Grace still my fav... Holly Hunter best character on tv hands down...
Well, not really....
...about the macho cops. Ham's older brother, Nick Dewey, is gay, and they all are friends with him. If anyone has a problem with anybody else, it's Nick with Grace and Ham's relationship. Ham left his wife Darla to be with Grace.
I thought the episode was great, ofcourse, it's also my favorite show. I live in Oklahoma, and people here are not always as understanding as in other cities. So, for what someone else thinks is bad or shameful, you need to realize that is the way it really is here. I give kudos to their effort, and also to the fact they mention real places that exist in the OKC gay community, and the fact that gays and lesbians hold honorable jobs and positions in the OKC society. If they didn't care, they would make things up, or not have a episode like that at all. It is more realistic than other shows depicting GLBT characters.
Also, Grace set up the "Lesbian Attack" at Louie's to prove that Gillian was abusive and capable of killing someone through her rage. They had no real proof that Gillian killed Ricky, and Mara wouldn't admit to the fact that her girlfriend was abusive. In any case, anyone who is a fan of the show knows Grace is a hard drinker, but she really piled it on because she knew if things went the way she planned, she would get her ass kicked severely. Did anyone else notice she DID NOT fight back? She was also smiling the whole time because she had Gillian exactly where she wanted her. Any of our sisters and brothers who are in abusive same-sex relationships would be lucky to have a cop who was on their side and go to those extremes to stop it.
------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry for the gravity...
"More importantly, though,
"More importantly, though, is that the lesbian relationship was abusive. And one of the lesbians was the murderer. Why won’t these stereotypes go away?"
I didn't like the abusive lesbian theme but; gosh they have on every other ep the abusive straight etc,etc and yes there are bad lesbians so in a way it was equal treatment.
Mmm, exactly afan. Its not a stereotype, its a fact. We have abusive relationships too. The insistence that its a stereotype, and that lesbian relationships are all lovely and fluffy is BS and not helpful to anyone that is in an abusive relationship and feels like they are the only failure in the world. Get real.
Saving Grace, campy and serious ?!
Honestly it didn't seem any stranger or more outlandish than anything else that happens on Saving Grace... sadly, I have never really gotten the show... however I love Holly Hunter and she can make nonsense engaging.... so occasionally I watch.
I accidentally turned on the show in the middle of this episode last night and saw Clea Duval was playing a lesbian so I had to watch the rest! I thought it was actually taking up the camp baton...
I wasn't so upset about the lesbian gf being abusive, all stories need to be told, so long as the Mara character wasn't unrealistically going straight because of it! Fortunately Grace made it clear that wasn't going to happen in Mara's case, and I didn't see that mouth session coming either! The fact that Grace (Hunt) and Mara (Duvall) did such convincingly intimate kissing made it a lot better for me... Now I can imagine Grace as not totally hetero on the kinsey scale, because if she were 100% she wouldn't have gone that far!!! But the idea of Grace as ever being in a real relationship is just outside the bounds of the show for me...
Did I mention that I don't think I've ever seen such a hot lesbian kiss on basic cable tv ever!!!!!!!!!!!
Worse yet, I hate to admit it, but I thought it was a hilariously version of a beating, I couldn't stop laughing, I mean the blood was crazy fake and that jealous gf's attack was just so unrealistic... the girl was way not built to hash out such blows... and that's coming from someone who can't even watch horror movies that are super duper extra lame (I'm such a blood wimp).
Saving Grace>>
I was wondering when you guys were gonna get this up! I saw the episode and actually loved it. As much as I hate the abusive aspect of this relationship, I think it can also be a way to spotlight abuse in same-sex relationships.
The acting was stellar all-around and that kiss was H.O.T.!! MUCH better than the 'lesbian episode' on 'In Plain Sight.' This kiss didn't leave me cold at all, in fact, quite the opposite. ;0)
Def. gonna catch the re-runs. This show is brilliant.
Hmm
hmm
Do you mean
When Grace kissed Mara at the club/party thing? I haven't seen the episode, but from the description in the article, I think that Grace was putting herself on the line, knowing that it would be her who got the crap beaten out of her. And it's not really 'framing' someone if they actually did the crime. As in, Grace didn't frame the GF b/c the GF literally did beat the living daylights out of Grace.
(my apologies if you're talking about a different part of the episode, or if I've misunderstood the section in question, like I said, I haven't actually seen it yet, just read the recap here).
Not at all
Mixed review
I agree Same Sex Abuse is one of the gay community's largest "hidden secrets". Its like we dont want to air our dirty laundry because straight people will view it as weak. It also is not taken as seriously as traditional spousal abuse. So I think its a good idea to present it. It really hasnt been done much on TV either.
Conversely, I thought the entire "Lesbian Attack" thing was totally unrealistic. I never heard of lesbians overtaking a straight bar. Sorry, stupid idea by the writers. Perhaps it happens in very rural areas but not at all in a major city ( Isnt the show set in Oklahoma City?). Im sure a city of that size would have at least half a dozen gay bars or clubs...
Guerrilla Gay Bar
In Austin, TX, we definitely have gay bars, but we still have a Guerrilla Queer Bar group that coordinates gay gatherings at "straight" bars. We also have lesbian-only groups that will sometimes meet at "straight" bars.
It seems to me that it is mostly cities that have such groups. Probably is too dangerous in rural areas.
Dallas, Texas
There are Guerrilla groups there, too. The bars of Dallas are used to the take overs, and are more welcoming than not. Sports bars get hit the most, mostly on weeknights during Dallas Mavericks basketball, Texas Rangers baseball and Dallas Stars hockey seasons for away games. They buy drinks and food and converse with the regular clientele, feed money into the jukebox, shoot pool and have a good time.
------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry for the gravity...
Guerrilla Gay Bar
Guerrilla Gay Bar
lesbian attack
Guerilla Gay Bar>>
Yep- we have (or had) that here in D.C. as well. It's when a bunch of queers get together and 'descend' on a 'straight' bar.
It may sound 'stupid' but I swear to the high heavens, it truly does exist...and it's F.U.N.!!! HAHAHA!!
I take it back then
Ok I guess it does exist... I take it back, the writers did their homework.
It does sound kind of FUN - Im curious what the feedback was from the straight crowd? I see from the group, you are encouraged to dress in the same colour. Is that to identify yourselves?
I liked it!
Awhole lot of "not thinking"
Awhole lot of "not thinking" went into the creation of this episode....ok the casting of Clea Duvall was pretty brilliant. but yeah I totally agree ICK!
-I speak in random thoughts
lesbo abuser = murderer
Well, ok, debate the portrayal of abusive lesbian relationships all you want, but geez, do we have to be the murderer of our gf's brother, too? I think it was a wacko episode. It was disturbing to watch Holly Hunter laugh as she took the beating to "save" the soon-to-be drummed out lesbian cop and get the abusive gf arrested. Wouldn't you wonder why someone was laughing as you beat the crap out of them? I guess that's the point, the lesbo was so out-of-control (hence she must be a murderer, too) that she would keep putting the hurt on a laughing cop. Right.
I didn't think the kiss was that hot because HH telegraphed her intention. Hotness comes from an organic and suspenseful place. HH looked very calculating as she watched abused cop lady dash to the bathroom, then took off her gold ring (wtf?) and told meathead cop to not let anyone in.
And what was with the removal of the ring? I admit I haven't watched the show lately, so there must have been some meaning. Though the Grace I remember was pretty unfastidious about her sexual relationships so it's hard to believe that she couldn't kiss a girl in a bathroom without taking off her ring.
Last, I'm sorry but Laura San Giacomo looked strange in that brassy blond wig. She was so odd-looking I couldn't even enjoy her casual willingness to accept a dance with a cowboy hat wearing Okie dyke. She and Grace should hurry up and just get it on already.
Do you watch the show?
Just wondering because the thing is they have made a point of displaying from day one that Grace likes violence in a kinky way. Not that she wanted to get the snot knocked out of her, but I was not too surprised to see her laugh while she was being hit just based on the character.
However I was dismayed at the ballet like coreography that went into that fight. there was one point where she twirled around in a circle and and another where she bent perfectly backwards against her knees after being hit. I think maybe this was part of an atempt to make the fight less graphic, but come the frick on who has "Matrix" like reactions to being hit.
Other than that I thought it was a good episode. I didn't get a sense of ick and I felt the back story was enough to justify an abusive murdering lesbian as opposed to other shows and movies where the the abusiveness seems to be caused by the character's lesbianism.
ETA that wasn't supposed to sound smart, I just meant that some people only watched this episode and don't really follow the show.
not recently...
...but I've seen enough episodes to understand Grace's self-destructive drive and to find it believable that she could laugh during a beat down. It's funny you found the stylized violence dismaying. What I found disturbing was HH's brilliant portrayal of a woman simultaneously relishing getting one over on the murdering lesbo-abuser and enjoying the punishment. She looked totally turned on by everything she had done; kissed a girl, caught a killer and gotten her face busted in.
Please scuzzy angel, help her save herself. Or let Laura San Giacomo help her. Or at least do her.
LOL I'm still waiting for
LOL I'm still waiting for the big reveal that Earl is a tumor indused hallucination in Grace's head. I guess I should just learn to enjoy the ride if I ever tune in to this show. I feel so bad for saying it but the abusive girlfriend was HOT.
I haven't seen Saving Grace
Well said!
Well said!
oh come on
I will give Saving Grace credit for including some normal lesbians, and for a scene in which a newly blonde Rhetta (Laura San Giacomo) happily accepts a lesbian’s invitation to dance.
But ick. I was hoping for better. We deserve better.
Its TV drama..you will find the same crazy dramatic arcs in any prime time TV show for heterosexuals...
why perpetuate the message we are misunderstood?
its prime time night drama not the WB....
I thought the episode was great and had no complaints I like the fact that lesbian story lines are becoming commonplace on TV
yes, it is possible for a lesbian to get involved in an abusive relationship as it is for any woman to find herself there...
I agree completely with you!
I agree completely with you!
Sigh -- Clea and Holly kissing
That's hot kiss. I haven't watched this series but I definitely want to watch that scene a few times. I'd be an avid viewer if Clea signed on full time.
I'm a Sagittarius -- part ass, part dude with a loaded weapon. What's not to love? I'm pissed that Cupid got the falling in love arrow, we get the snarky, the-truth-is-gonna-hurt-arrow
Lesbians Attack
...happens in LA all the time. And it's actually called that. So yes, the writers did their homework.
Not that anyone who comments on this site nowadays is of age to go to the bars.
Over 40?
Do you now have to be over 40 to go to bars? I must have missed that memo, but probably b/c I live in the the middle-of-nowhere and we don't have any bars.
;)
really??
what's in the water in LA??
:)
I was wondering when Clea
mixed blessing
I, also, had mixed feelings about the episode. I enjoyed it because it was classic Saving Grace...sex,violence, and Earl. Holly Hunter is wonderful. I love cop shows when the episode is about another LEO getting killed and they go all out crazy for justice.
My problem with this episode is the guy they're going all out for, Mara's brother. Was it just me or did we not get confirmation that this guy was technically a rapist for having sex with one of his parolee's? He was made the victim of the crazy, lesbian killer but he wasn't exactly innocent. The worst part is that the only one who was unjustly punished was Mara. What did she do to deserve being kicked off the force? So, being a victim of violence equals unfit officer? They couldn't prove the girlfriend did it so they couldn't prove Mara had any knowledge of it. The Grace ass whooping was staged so she did her part by not jumping in. WTF?
I'm not gonna lie I did rewind the kiss but it felt very Ally McBeal to me...faux lesbian kissing. I like the attention to same sex domestic violence but maybe next time we do less blaming the victim, cop or not.
Whoa!
Yes, Ricky shouldn't have slept with his parolee, and then had a son with her. But the show starts out with them investigating his murder, and they brought in EVERYONE they thought could've been the killer, not just Gillian. One of his parolees was even Gillian's employee, possibly set up that way by Ricky to keep an eye on her behavior. It wasn't until Grace found out that Mara had missed so many days of work in such a short time, Mara's injuries and Ricky's anger that his sister was in an abusive relationship that Grace realized it was probably Gillian who killed Ricky. Gillian probably found out through beating Mara that Ricky wanted Mara to leave her, and thought it was none of Ricky's business to tell her girlfriend to leave, and out of that rage she killed him. She wouldn't want Ricky to talk Mara into filing charges for assault and battery and breaking up with her, ruining her "perfect image" as a champion for the GLBT community with her parties and whatnot. So, yes...Grace and her fellow detectives were about finding Ricky's killer, but also they wanted to protect Mara, also a cop, and anyone else that Gillian could hurt along the way.
------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry for the gravity...
abuse takes a back seat
If I'm not mistaken, I think you were responding to my comment (or comments like mine) I understand your point, but during the episode Bobby makes the statement that what Ricky did was rape because it's illegal for him to have had a relationship with a parolee (I never knew that). Also, when Grace found out that Mara was being abused she yelled at her because she's a cop and she should have known better.
I'm not saying that they weren't looking out for Mara but it just seemed like the bigger issue was arresting Gillian for Ricky's murder and not for abusing Mara. Of course arresting murderers is important but they used her violence towards Mara to trap her into assaulting a cop so they could get her off the streets to give Grace time to close her case for the murder. I thought it was strange because they had Gillian attack Grace and not Mara. Until the incident with Ricky, was she violent with anyone she wasn't dating? Not likely. And she knew Grace was a cop...that's just stupid behavior for someone who is obviously an intelligent criminal.
And when Earl is sitting with Grace, at the end, he says that Mara is on administrative leave and getting help but won't ever be a cop again.
For me, they did a good thing for the wrong reasons...or a fairly decent thing for some sketchy reasons. I'm still trying to sort it out.
Why have I not been watching this show?
I saw this post and immediately went to go find this episode and watch it. I'm a HUGE Clea Duvall fan and I've always liked Holly Hunter. I've heard about the show but never watched it until today.
While I do have mixed feelings about shows/movies with lesbian killers, I thought this episode was different. If anything it showed that abuse can happen in different relationships, not just a husband/boyfriend beating a wife/girlfriend. Queer domestic abuse does happen, although I suspect there are far fewer lesbian killers out there than movies/shows will have you believe.
I also like that there were several out female cops in the department and the male cops were pretty normal about it, as they should be. Sure, they could have shown the male cops discriminate against the lesbians which might be more realistic but I liked the idealistic version better.
I do get tired of the lesbian killer storyline but I think this one was better done than the rest.
I so called the kiss because..
Because I think Saving Grace has had tons of subtext dying to jump to maintext in a way they can still call Grace heterosexual. Grace is shown to jump in the sack with guys after a few drinks, so this allows her to be super physically close to Rhetta and any other woman they feel like throwing in there. I kinda get the same vibe from In Plain Sight.
When Grace kissed Mara I kept thinking..hmm..they didn't really need to have her suck face. Just cheek kissing would have set off the abusive girlfriend. Yeah, it was just an excuse for Holly Hunter to get a bit of girl on girl in there. wink wink
As for Lesbian Bar Attacks!!, I have to tell you, oh young ones on here, I was involved with several of those way back in the..wait for it...early 70's. Oh god, I'm old. One time we went to the wrong bar ( we always picked country music bars because it was so NOT us and it was a nice change) and we literally made it out of the bar and to our cars as a few of the "big boys" started chasing us wanting the "payoff" for a couple drinks they bought us, with no time to spare. We bought them drinks also, so we weren't trying to use them for anything but having some fun. When they figured out we were couples ( we were all on the femme side visually) instead of on the loose straight women it got extremely scary. I do remember that being the last time we messed with the country boys. City boy bars would like us a lot and enjoy playing pool and talking.
I don't imagine anything has changed much.
I thought Grace was dialed down a notch in this one and I really enjoyed that change.I hope the show keeps getting renewed because I really, really like Earl and Grace together. I like Earl with everyone!
Bar/Party crashing...
Watched it
And yeah, there was the whole 'lesbian abuser/killer' stereotype happening. However, I think it was worth it just to see Holly Hunter and Clea Duvall kiss :P
Also funny to see Tamara Braun pop up there, if only for about 30 seconds.
Was a DV counselor on a national hotline
And we got a lot of LGBT calls. And while there are some different issues w/LGBT domestic abuse, an abuser is an abuser. Lesbian abusers act pretty much like straight male abusers in many ways, the syndrome, the cycle is not that different. The show also did a good job of portraying to what extent a victim will keep the abuse situation a secret. Abused women are constantly told they'll be killed if they tell, or that their kids or families or pets will be hurt or killed. And they've been very effectively conditioned to believe it. Mara was a cop, a good cop, capable of protecting herself, yet she was also an abused woman and the show did a great job of showing how that happens. Strong, smart, educated women get in abusive situations and stay in them against all logic.
So to me, that part worked. Mara's partner was not very fleshed out but Mara was and it was accurate, imho.
I thought the storyline was pretty sloppily written in some ways but I am going to take issue with the idea that it was exploiting a lesbian stereotype. I think they tried to balance things out. The girlfriend wasn't cast as a sadistic psycho lesbian, she was cast as an abuser who was a lesbian.
It happens.