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Review of “The Real L Word”

This Sunday night, the world will finally get to see the first episode of The Real L Word, brought to us by executive producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz of Magical Elves (Top Chef, Project Runway, Last Comic Standing) and series creator Ilene Chaiken (The L Word). Though it falls under the often dicey category of “reality” programming, the involvement of Magical Elves creates an expectation of more substantive content than one might have for similar shows, such as The Real Housewives franchise. And the fact that it’s about a group of lesbians, not a group of wealthy heterosexual women, also suggests that this reality show might be a little different from the norm.

In fact, Lipsitz has stated:

We didn’t set out to make a show that has a political message but there are definitely issues that the gay community deals with that we tried to tackle in our show in terms of bringing up the issues of gay marriage and rights. I think that what’s important to us is that we set out to make an entertainment show but there is a little bit more depth to this series.

Having watched the first two episodes, I agree that those issues are indeed tackled and, by doing so, the show adds some much-needed “reality” to the genre. But ultimately, The Real L Word is about sex. If you haven’t figured that out from watching the preview clips, you’ll get the message in the opening moments of the premiere episode. There, we are introduced to each of the six stars by way of their confessions of their first sexual experiences with other women.

Meet Rose, who doesn’t remember the name of the first woman she bedded. Then there’s Nikki, who was the “aggressor” in her first sexual encounter with a woman. Jill compares her first sexual experience with a woman to her first sexual experience with a man. Tracy recalls going to a bar, doing a lot of shots and then going home and having sex with a woman who “knew what she was doing.” Whitney recalls her first youthful lesbian experience, when she (age nine) lapped Fruity Pebbles and sour cream (she didn’t have any whipped cream) off the breasts of another girl (age 11). Finally, there’s Mikey, who awakened one morning feeling “super f—ing horny” and had sex with the friend in her bed. She brags, “Before I knew it, I was giving her an orgasm. I was literally eating p—y the first f—ing time I had sex with a woman. And it was awesome.”

Chaiken has told us time and again that she is committed to telling our “stories,” the bulk of which in The Real L Word appear to be sexual in nature. It’s a theme that runs through the first two episodes of the new Showtime reality series, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Premium cable television affords a level of sexual explicitness that wouldn’t be permitted on network or basic cable, so it’s safe to assume that the woman who brought us all of those fictionalized sex scenes on The L Word would stay the course even with (presumably) unscripted sex scenes as well.

More importantly, The Real L Word is a show about lesbians, but not exclusively for lesbians. How better to assure the interest of gay and straight audiences alike than to titillate with the allure of lesbian sex? One could also argue that regardless of whether or not lesbians and bi women are the target audience for the show, we’re going to enjoy watching the sexual scenarios just the same. When our sexuality isn’t being used as fodder for straight porn, lesbians and bisexual women tend to be desexualized in popular culture, so maybe it’s good for us to be represented as sexual beings for a change.

The show is also all about relationships. In the first two episodes, only Mikey, who owns a public relations and marketing firm, has any career “drama,” screaming at the agents who send her inexperienced models for her big Fashion Week show. The rest of the women come across as full-time lovers, whose days (and nights) are largely spent planning weddings, processing their relationships, co-parenting kids, dodging ex-lovers and quickly snapping up new ones. Maybe in future episodes one of The Real L Word women will feel compelled to launch an ill-advised singing career (I vote for Rose) or start her own fashion line (I vote for Whitney), but I haven’t seen any hints of this yet.

The show retains the gloss of the original L Word, with plenty of stylish homes and flashy wardrobes. As in most other reality television shows, power, wealth, getting lucky and achieving a degree of “celebrity” are the obvious (if unspoken) objectives. In one scene, Nikki sings, “This little piggy went to Gucci…” as she administers a pedicure to fiance, Jill.

Later, Rose explains, “There’s a top one percent in the lesbian scene, someone who looks good, can dress good, who has a good job, who can show you a good time. If you have that, you’re on top of your game. It’s done.” The Los Angeles “lifestyle” is practically an uncredited seventh character on the show.

When the cast for the show was originally announced, one of the first critiques was that it lacked racial diversity. In response, Chaiken has said, “Personally, I do think it’s a diverse cast. I don’t think diversity is represented only one way, but there is some cultural ethnic diversity in this cast. ” Cast member Rose also told us, “I’m Puerto Rican, born and raised in L.A. and New York, family from Puerto Rico; Tracy is from back east, half Puerto Rican and half Jewish; you’ve got a couple of Jewish girls; Mikey is straight-up L.A. from Culver City. So there’s diversity for me in that regard. Women of color? I’m Puerto Rican. My nephew is African-American and so is my niece. So there’s a lot, you just have to see the show.”

Is the show “real” in its representation of the true racial and ethic diversity of LA’s lesbian community? Not in my opinion. But even though it’s set in Los Angeles, the show seems to actually be depicting the specific West Hollywood “scene,” which is not as racially diverse as some other communities in the city. One wonders why the cast doesn’t include an African American or Asian lesbian, and how the inclusion of either (or, better yet, both) might have helped the show more accurately depict lesbian life in Los Angeles.

Chaiken promises that if the Real L Word franchise expands, we will indeed see more diverse casts. “So if the community and the world at large comes out and supports us and embraces the show, we’ll keep on doing it and we’ll expand the ensemble and hopefully do it in other cities. We’ll represent much more fully and completely.” (Notice that the responsibility for diversity lies, at least in part, with viewers. She tells us that we, of course, will have to watch the show in order to give her that opportunity.)

The popularity of the show will ultimately rely upon the likeability of its six stars. Will people find Rose’s brash self-centeredness sexy? Will Whitney’s lothario-with-a-heart-of-gold shtick come across as endearing? Will straight and gay couples alike relate to Jill and Nikki as they squabble over how much money to spend on their wedding? Will Tracy’s new role as a co-parent garner sympathy from those in similar situations? Will Mikey ever remove her sunglasses when she enters a room?

Whitney and Tracy are probable fan favorites, with their easygoing attitudes and friendly demeanors. I admit that one of my favorite scenes in the show involves Whitney providing car service to the airport for a visiting lady friend. I won’t spoil the surprise, but I will say that LAX should consider naming a terminal after Whitney. If Rose is The Real L Word’s Papi, Whitney is Shane, but with a steady job and a sensitivity chip.

I suspect it’s all about perspective. As a Los Angeles resident who regularly spots neighbors/co-workers/acquaintances on reality shows (and wonders why they do it), I find the women and the “scene” to be familiar, even predictable.

Watching the show with friends, the most dramatic moments for them didn’t involve Whitney’s revolving bedroom door or Rose’s loutish treatment of her girlfriend. They were just worried that they might have inadvertently ended up in a background shot of a bar scene. (So far, two episodes in, they seemed to have eluded the cameras.) But if you don’t live in Los Angeles, and the “characters” aren’t a part of your everyday scenery, you might just find the show fascinating. Maybe not terribly “real,” but interesting nonetheless.

I sent preview clips of the show to my mother, who likes reality television, just to get a different perspective (someone who isn’t gay and doesn’t live in Los Angeles). She said she’d watch the show based on the teaser clip alone because it looked “like lots of partying and fun.” She added, “The girls are all beautiful, I guess because LA is all about beautiful, thin women.” Her reaction is probably not unique, and I’m willing to bet a lot of straight viewers tune in to see the fun, the partying and the beautiful (and thin) women.

And, of course, the sex.

But will the show ever transcend sex? I wondered about this as I watched a preview clip for upcoming episodes in which Whitney is shown strapping on a dildo then climbing into bed with a girl (who appeared to be drunk) and having sex with her. I’m no prude, but I have to admit that it was a literal jaw-dropping moment for me. I actually heard myself saying aloud, “Oh no…” as the camera zoomed in on Whitney climbing on top of her conquest. I couldn’t help but wonder if that level of “reality” is necessary to tell Whitney’s story, and if she would one day regret its inclusion in the show. And would we see something that graphic if it were a heterosexual reality show on cable television? I simply don’t believe that any of the Real Housewives would ever be shown actually having sex, even if they did reside on Showtime instead of Bravo.

The scene drove home the point that, ultimately, The Real L Word is a reality show, and its stars are privy to all the same opportunities and liabilities that go along with the genre. Some of them may use the show as a springboard for bigger things, like The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck (who got her start as a contestant on Survivor) or Bethenny Frankel (who hops from one reality show to the next). Others may end up feeling exploited by the experience, or find that the get-famous-quick scheme of the reality world backfires and turns them into pop culture punch lines (Spencer and Heidi of The Hills) that are reviled more than revered. It’s a crap shoot, and we may just find that “equality” for lesbians means being just as vulnerable to caricature, exploitation or idolatry as our straight counterparts when it comes to the world of reality television.

The Real L Word airs this Sunday on Showtime at 10 pm ET.We’ll be doing both a live Tweetup and a live blog when the show premieres, and we’d like you to join the conversation. On Twitter, we’ll be using the hashtag #realLwordAE, and we’ll post the liveblog right here on AfterEllen.com 10 minutes before the show starts, containing screencaps, comments from readers and staff, and other musings about the show as it unfolds.

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