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Sunday, January 14, 2007 12:00 AM

I Like to Watch

The lusty ladies of "The L Word" take an early lead in our first On-the-Nose Dialogue Contest. Plus: Who's more dangerous, Jack Bauer or Jack Osbourne?

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  • Monday, January 15, 2007 02:22 PM

    No Name Given and Laurie in NY,

    One issue that irritates me is not that they're all ultra-glam but that there are practically no straight people in the universe. Are we incapable of holding an important--even central--place in a show unless 90% of the characters are gay? The show ends up feeling like this weird little bubble.

    I hate the way it separates the women from the rest of society instead of showing them as a normal part of it. I'm just tired of seeing gay people portrayed as aliens. The longer that goes on, the longer that (mis)conception will remain.

    I hear you. It was the same way with Queer as Folk, the obvious inspiration for this show. To be fair, I think there is a worry that if straight people are featured prominantly, then their issues will be featured prominently, and gay issues will be shoved to the side even on a specifically gay drama. The trouble, of course, is that the choice they made promotes the illusion of a a "gay ghetto" that acts as some kind of social bubble outside of which gay characters rarely venture. And this is not the case. Plus, it implies gays don't have strong relationships with straights, another falsehood. But I understand the need to pare things away and simply for the sake of a dramatic series.

    I was disappointed by Queer as Folk, with its one-dimensional characters (I gave up in the middle of the third season; it was just so ridiculous), and I was disappointed by Will and Grace, with its stupid, cartoon characters. But I just tell myself "It's television. It's not art. It's commerce. And usually generic." And remember to be grateful that Six Feet Under was the rare exception to the rule.

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