TV

8 Iconic Lines from TV Lesbiandom

Certain theatrical lines stick with you, like the iconic, “I’ll never let go, Jack. I promise,” line from the movie “Titanic” or “Here’s looking at you, kid,” from “Casablanca.” The combination of context and the powerful emotions behind the words resonate with viewers and leave a lasting impression. Below is a list, not meant to be comprehensive or authoritative, but rather a diverse sample of eight quotes from lesbian storylines on TV shows that in one way or another feel “iconic:”

  1. I think you need someone to want you… Well, I do want you. So, be brave and want me back.”
Season three of the U.K. show “Skins” brought one of the most iconic teenage lesbian pairings on TV: Naomily, the portmanteau of Emily Fitch and Naomi Campbell. Naomily was the heartfelt, realistic story of Emily’s relentless pursuit of Naomi (and the conflict this caused with her identical twin Katie as the two struggled to sort out what it means to develop independent identities) and Naomi’s struggle against her own answering attraction to Emily.

Emily fought hard to make Naomi confront her feelings, but even after a night spent together in the woods, Naomi was still pulling a petrified runner, leaving Emily alone to watch her go, heartbreakingly begging her to show courage. And as the audience, we wanted Naomi to be brave and want Emily back as well.

 

  1. You were always fantasizing about meeting your Prince Charming. I was happy just to share a cardboard castle with you. It wasn’t until we kissed in the gym that I realized why. I’ve been in love with you since the day we met. And suddenly we were pretending to be a couple and there was hand-holding and kissing and three-ways. I started to have hope. Hope that you were realizing that your Prince Charming was Princess Sarcasm. When that hope died, by heart broke and I was hurt and angry.”
Sometimes you fall in love with your best friend, and most of the time, she doesn’t fall in love back (except she kind of still acts jealous and possessive towards you and maybe she really does have sublimated romantic feelings). Amy Raudenfeld’s confession to Karma Ashcroft on “Faking It” had all the emotional, tragic overtones of adolescent love. It breaks our heart to know that being Princess Sarcasm isn’t always enough to get the girl at the end of the day.

 

  1. “Sex isn’t dating. If it were, Santana and I would be dating.”
Once upon a time, a little show named “Glee” threw out a funny one-liner about two cheerleaders secretly having sex, and about 90% of the show’s audience was like, “Huh?” and the other 10% was like, “OMG I KNEW IT %$)#*^)%@ MY HEAD JUST EXPLODED.” Thus from a line that had never actually been intended by the writers to go anywhere was born Brittana (the Internet tells me that someone also tried Santittany, which is hilarious), the portmanteau for Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez.

Although “Glee” lurched about wildly from crazy plot to crazier plot, somehow the absolutely adorableness that was Brittana managed to survive six seasons and even end with a wedding. Sex might not have been dating, but it led to dating and one of the first super mainstream teenage lesbian pairings in the US. Then again, would the show have been even more revolutionary if Brittana had just been two straight girls who engaged in casual, a-romantic sexual relations? Hmmm.

  1. “Is this because I’m a lesbian?”
Like Tetris, “Law & Order” (and all its offshoots, particularly “Special Victims Unit” (SVU)) is catnip for women. In 2005, in response to being fired, Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn queried whether it was a result of her sexual orientation. The question was a confusing, total non-sequitur, particularly because nothing about Southerlyn had ever indicated she was gay before that final moment.

Evidently, “Law and Order” wanted to provide a “splashy exit” for actress Elisabeth Röhm, but the line also epitomizes when shows use sexual orientation just for shock value. Nowadays, this line should be used in equally unrelated settings. For example: “We’re out of donuts here at Dunkin Donuts.” “Is it because I’m a lesbian?” Ironically, most lesbians shipped SVU’s ostensibly heterosexual characters Olivia Benson and Alex Cabot instead. Opportunity lost, NBC.

 

  1. No candles? I brought one. It’s… extra flamey.”
Everyone knew Willow Rosenberg’s OTP was supposed to be Daniel Osbourne (“Oz”) on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” so when Oz came back to Sunnydale, everyone, including Willow’s new secret girlfriend Tara Maclay, assumed they’d get back together. Except, they didn’t. Willow chose Tara, thus spawning a new OTP and a massive shift in the American pop culture landscape as a central character on a major network embarked on a lesbian relationship. Willow’s candle peace offering also culminated in an implied sex scene between Willow and Tara, because back in the day, that’s about as racy as TV could get for lesbian characters. I buy all my candles extra flamey now because that’s how you attract the lesbians.

  1. Your ass is like… it’s top shelf man, it’s top shelf.”
“Wynonna Earp” brought us many gifts in the form of WayHaught, the portmanteau for Waverly Earp and Officer Nicole Haught, but the relationship that preceded it was the friendship between Haught and Waverly’s older sister Wynonna. Earpers have proven it’s possible to platonically ship a friendship through their support of WynHaught, and this line by Haught, said in the midst of her lamenting Waverly’s disappointing choice in men, won Haught the hearts of the Earper fandom. WynHaught in some ways paved the way for WayHaught, as well as Nicole’s inclusion in the Scoobies.

 

  1. “Gabrielllllllle!”
It is a truth universally acknowledged that at least a quarter if not more of all “Xena: Warrior Princess” episodes have Xena yelling Gabrielle’s name, panic in her voice as she fears that Gabrielle is in danger and in need of rescue. And in fact, much of the time Gabrielle really was in danger, particularly in the early years. But “Xena,” pretty much the OG of all lesbian TV, had tons of other memorable lines as well, for example this classic: “Even in death, Gabrielle, I will never leave you.” “Xena” was unparalleled in its treatment of the idea of soulmates. Sometimes, we’re all just a bunch of Xenas looking for our Gabrielles (or vice versa).

 

  1. I swear fealty to you, Clarke kom Skaikru. I vow to treat your needs as my own and your people as my people.”
The Clexa-portmanteau for Clarke Griffin and Lexa on “The 100”-relationship spoke to many, many viewers: two strong female leaders doing what was best for their people under difficult circumstances who came together in love. So when Lexa took a knee for Clarke and pledged fealty, it was basically the equivalent of showing up with a U-Haul on the third date and getting promptly gay married. Lexa might not have survived to co-lead with Clarke a brave new world, but her on-screen death started a massive movement in the lesbian community to end the toxic Bury Your Gays trope.

 

What lines from TV did you find iconic?

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