Leisha Hailey. Katherine Moennig as Shane. CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: Mia Kirshner as Jenny, Katherine Moennig as Shane, Rachel Shelley as Helena, Eric Lively as Mark, Pam Grier as Kit, Sarah Shahi as Carmen, Leisha Hailey as Alice, Erin Daniels as Dana, Jennifer Beals as Bette, Laurel Holloman as Tina, from Season Two. Sandra Bernhard as Charlotte and Mia Kirshner as Jenny, and Jennifer Beals as Bette (below). Photos by David Gray/Showtime, James Dittiger/Showtime and Isabel Snyder/Showtime. Leisha Hailey as Alice and Erin Daniels as Dana. Pam Grier as Kit and Kelly Lynch as Ivan.The L Word creator Illene Chaiken.
Showtime's The L-Word begins its second season Sunday night, Feb. 20.
Now where were we last time we saw the gang of glamorous albeit screwy Los Angeles lesbians? Confused newbie Jenny ( Mia Kirshner ) finally broke things off with ex-boyfriend Tim ( Eric Mabius ) , was seeing a guy named Gene ( Tygh Runyan ) , and was on uncertain ground with sultry The Planet Café owner, Marina ( Karina Lombard ) . Art gallery curator Bette ( Jennifer Beals ) cheated on Tina ( Laurel Holloman ) , with whom she's been trying to have a baby. Tennis pro Dana ( Erin Daniels ) , preparing to marry her manager/lover Tonya ( Meredith McGeachie ) , hooked up with neurotic writer friend Alice ( Leisha Hailey ) . Bette's hetero sister, Kit ( Pam Grier ) , found herself attracted to transgendered nice guy Ivan ( Kelly Lynch ) . And resident 'Donna Juan,' hairdresser Shane ( Katherine Moennig ) , had a disastrous adulterous affair.
Season Two devotes an episode or two to shaking off gooey webs and tedious patterns that accumulated by Season One's climax ( it got really old watching the tortured ping-pong of straight guy Tim throwing tantrums and Jenny sniveling ) . Happily, for both him and us, Tim is outta there almost immediately. Gone without a goodbye is Marina, whom, we're told, attempted suicide and subsequently absconded to Italy ( consult gossipy Web sites for the real scoop on this development ) .
The show really freshens and picks up by episode three. It's downright yummy by episode six ( kudos to Showtime for having their act together, shipping a superbly presented six-episode media kit ) . So what's new? Jenny cuts her hair, cries a lot less, and becomes roommate to lukewarm romantic interest Robin ( Anne Ramsay ) and then Shane. She also enrolls in a master writing class taught by cranky elitist author Charlotte Birch ( perfectly cast Sandra Bernhard ) . Kit buys The Planet, with silent partner help from Ivan, and gravitates to a motivational speaker, Benjamin Bradshaw ( Charles Dutton ) . Bette and Tina remain separated, and the pregnancy's a secret. Adding friction to their situation is infamous activist lawyer, Joyce ( Jane Lynch ) , who's determined to bleed Bette dry ... and romance Tina.
The writing team ( which includes the brilliantly zingy Guinevere Turner ) deliciously exploits the conceit of drooling hetero males tuning in for a lesbo fantasy: episode four introduces Mark ( Eric Lively ) , a hetero 'Girls Gone Wild'-type videographer who moves in with Jenny and Shane. Unbeknownst to the girls, he's clandestinely set up an arsenal of secret cameras to capture private moments for his new 'project.' Oh yes, feces will hit the fan later down the line and I can't wait to see how it plays out.
Visually, the show's a class act, a slick indie art film infused with beguiling soap operatic denizens and madness. More funny, tragic, romantic and professional disasters—both in progress and in genesis—fuel the episodes, along with plenty of music ( title song performers Betty make an appearance ) . Taking a cue from Queer As Folk ( a couple of out gay directors, like Daniel Minahan and QAF's Jeremy Podeswa, are on hand ) , there seems to be a little more sex and nudity—yep, including the very pregnant Nina! Things look to be keeping fresh, and let's hope they stay that way.
Unsolicited advice: allow characters to drift in and out with frequency, don't overstretch a subplot ( Shane better find those cameras soon! ) , and for god's sake, NO MORE MEN for Jenny!