(Season 6, Episode 8 – “Last Word” – Season/Series Finale)
Well, The L Word is all over, and I think we’ve all learned a valuable lesson: Jenny Schecter was one of the craziest bitches in television history. The horrifying part is that everyone has dated (or knows someone that has dated) a Jenny-type. Think of the dangerously attractive but madly histrionic girl with underwear as crazy as her twisted plots to keep you/your friend under her wicked spell. They have occasional bursts of incredible kindness and sweetness, but also tend to be annoyingly breathy and giggly in their cruelest moments. And if you can’t think of her, you should probably take a good look in the mirror. Then slap yourself across the face for causing your friends so much misery.
It was a smart move to let the viewers know Jenny’s fate right from the start of the season. First of all, it made me extra-happy because I’ve hated Jenny since the first season. Secondly, it really drove home the fact that just about everyone that has ever appeared on this show has a motive to kill Jenny. At first, I was surprised she still had any friends left (and that she nabbed Shane, the one character everyone — gay, straight, and otherwise — has wanted to bed, but that’s another story) because she has done so much damage to the lives around her. Then I realized that the aforementioned real life Jenny-types seem to have the most relationships. What is it about these people that drives others so wild with passion? Maybe it’s their aggressive charisma. Or their shiny, shiny hair.
The ominous moments of tension between the friends after Bette’s balcony confrontation were also pretty hilarious, probably unintentionally so; I’ve never seen a pregnant man look so nervous after getting a sweater. However, I was terribly disappointed that we didn’t actually get to see someone take the fall for Jenny’s death, like Showtime’s promotional pieces promised. I’m gonna go ahead and say it was her dog, who came out of nowhere for the final part of the season. The way it was yapping at the pool was mighty suspicious. You know what they say, the killer usually returns to the scene of the crime and then barks his or her head off.
There was also a weird part of me that was half-expecting Alice to confess to the murder, regardless of whether or not she was guilty. That would have led to an interesting spin-off. The new series would be like a lesbian Oz, but instead of shivs, they would have oddly specific puns and cattiness.
All in all, it was a pretty good series finale. Those looking for all loose ends to be tied up would have been sorely disappointed, I’m sure, but to do so probably would have been an impossible feat anyway. These women’s story lines change so frequently and so strangely, an honest account of each character’s end probably would have been too insane to connect from this point. Like, Tina could end up dumping Bette for Max five years down the line, and I wouldn’t be terribly surprised. Really, I’m glad we didn’t find out anything about Max and his baby or whether or not Bette has to deal with Jenny’s iPhone nonsense or Tina’s recovered footage. These were appropriate things to leave up in the air.
Finally, I loved everyone’s secret, slo-mo smiles of deviousness over the end credits. I too would be beaming if that crazy woman was out of my life forever.
Bye, L Word. This “incestuous hotbed of lesbian inter-fucking connectedness” was fun while it lasted.
Clacked by Annie Wu 
on Mar 10, 2009 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
