302 replies to this topic

[darkestboy]

Laura Fraser (Florence Nightingale, Casanova, The Boys Are Back), Ruta Gedmintas (The Tudors) and Fiona Button (The Palace) have been cast as the three female lead roles in Lip Service, a bold new drama for BBC Three about the sex lives and love affairs of twenty-something lesbians living in contemporary Glasgow.

Produced by Kudos Film & Television (Ashes To Ashes, Spooks, Life On Mars) through BBC Scotland, the six-part series, which started filming in Glasgow this month, was written and created by Harriet Braun (Mistresses, series one, and co-creator of Attachments).

Ruta Gedmintas plays Frankie, an irreverent and provocative photographer who avoids commitment at all turns; Laura Fraser plays Cat – Frankie's former lover, who may not be as immune to Frankie's charms as she professes to be; and Fiona Button plays Tess – Cat's best friend and flatmate who has an uncanny knack of attracting all the wrong sorts of women.

As well as the three lead roles, major supporting roles in Lip Service include Roxanne McKee (Hollyoaks) as Lou, Emun Elliott (Paradox, Blackwatch) as Jay, Heather Peace (The Chase, Blue Murder) as Sam, James Anthony Pearson (New Town Killers) as Ed and Tom Mannion (Doctors, Taggart) as Frankie's uncle Cameron, amongst others.

Okay the first two episodes of this have aired on BBC3 and it's actually an interesting series, especially if you're missing The L Word and the plus side is that the writing is somewhat less pretentious as well.

So has anyone else seen it?

[x1013x]

Yes, I am watching it. So far, I really like it. My favorite character is Sam. I want to be her when I grow up. I loved her story about trying to catch her first bad guy. Cat would be crazy to dump her for Frankie. Tess is an adorable mess. Her obliviousness about Lou being into her reminded me of myself.

[acidburn]

I'm liking it as well. I know there's the inevitable comparison to The L Word (particularly because of Not!Shane/Frankie) but I'm finding it's actually closer to Queer as Folk. And to quote The Guardian “unlike its Los Angeles cousin, it’s not driven by issues: there’s no co-parenting, no gender transitioning, no horrific tales of coming out gone sour, and no killer cancers to educate the viewers with.”

My favorite character is Sam as well. Heather Peace as Sam is climbing the list of hottest brunette TV cops with sexy husky voices (her accent is giving her an edge) plus her character (and the actress) is actually gay and not just subtext-y gay. Watch out Jane Rizolli and Olivia Benson!

[x1013x]

Well that settles it then, Sam is my favorite no contest. As far as accents go, Cat's is the one that gets to me. Its a Scottish accent right? I'm a sucker for those...Shirely Manson and Simone Lahbib.

[Bottled Water]

Well, I don't like Cat and she has no chemistry with Frankie. I have a hard time believing those two are longtime friends. Cat and the cop have a bit more of a spark... the sex scene... eek! In general, Cat is a bit boring. Maybe it's the actress. I think of this character as an L Word Dana. Whereas Dana was self-conscious, it was dorky and endearing. Cat just seems dry and neurotic.

Speaking of sex scenes, I guess we'll find out, but did Tess seem happy about what Lou was doing? Surprised? Concerned? I just thought of that Sex & The City episode where that guy keeps trying to get Miranda do a rim job and she just finally yells "I don't want to do THAT!" Hah. Lou is one of those typical straighties you let yourself date... they are so much trouble, but so hot, you don't care. Tess is my favorite character, by far, and I kind of like Lou. I hope it doesn't turn out she's using Tess.

Frankie has little redeeming qualities, as of yet. At least Shane (who I thought was a fucking loser and couldn't stand) at least showed herself to be a very loyal friend. Frankie seems incredibly selfish. (Don't even get me started on that gross morgue fuck.) And I get it -- she has so vulnerable and fragile deep down that she drives everyone away, acts out, blah blah. She's still kind of an asshat. But very hot. Never got the appeal of Shane... but Frankie. Yup. She just needs to show a smidgen of decency and I may fall in love.

I don't really care about the murder mystery or whatever is going on with Frankie's aunt. But I give the show credit for not having everything revolve around gay cliches. Overall, I'm into it. I wouldn't say it has the production quality of the L Word. But I think this shows a lot of promise. Honestly, it already seems better written. Wait, Illene Chaiken didn't barge her way into Lip Service too, did she?!

[VayaZ]

Tess is my favorite character, by far, and I kind of like Lou. I hope it doesn't turn out she's using Tess.

Tess is my favorite too, she is incredibly charming but isn't aware of it at all and I find that so appealing. I don't trust Lou at all. I do think that they have chemistry, but they are probably going to crash and burn at the end. All the signs are already there. Tess is basically her secret rebound and when she's done, she'll toss her away. I'm looking forward to seeing how it will play out though, because that storyline feels very real. I would very much like to be proved wrong, because I kinda like them together.

And I get it -- she has so vulnerable and fragile deep down that she drives everyone away, acts out, blah blah. She's still kind of an asshat.

I cannot stand Frankie so far. Selfish is too small a word. I feel like the self centered a-hole with a hidden pain is such an overdone cliché. The way she acted when she came to Cat to interfere with Cat's date was just ugh. I'm really glad Cat told her off. Hot or not, Frankie's character is such a turn off for me.

I wouldn't say it has the production quality of the L Word. But I think this shows a lot of promise. Honestly, it already seems better written.

I thought the first season of TLW was good and fairly well written, but Lip Service already seem like more grounded in reality to me, which I appreciate. I already find the characters more relateable on a personal level than I ever did with TLW. That show was more focused on high drama.

[holeybubushka]

Hey look, there's a thread for this show. Hooray.

My favourite is Cat so far. I'm fascinated how they juxtapose her self assured, competent work persona and her frazzled, reticient approach to dating. It's adorable. I'm er, drawn to Cat-like people in real life and find their anal-retentiveness rather endearing and Cat's no exception. I also love how she's a good friend to Tess. She wanted to meet Lou, yet was upfront about her concern about how Tess was being treated. I'd like to see her interact with Ed some more too.

I enjoy Tess also, but her incompetence gets on my nerves a bit. I was a little bored by the "tess is a useless chump" scenes. Also, I don't trust Lou for a second, and even if she is gay/bi, she's not ready to be in a relationship yet and Tess dserves better. Not wanting to be out to the public is one thing, but not going to dinner with Tess's best friends? Bitch is acting shady.

I could watch a show revolving around Tess/Cat/Detective Suave/Ed. No need for Smary Git or Frankie. I'm in complete agreement with everyone else about Frankie. Despite being gorgeous, she's selfish, sullen, and a lousy friend. What are we supposed to like about her again? The fact she has forearms of steel or something? I actually laughed out loud when the lesbian chick Frankie was cruising had a girlfriend and walked off with nary a glance in our poor lothario's direction. Suck it, Frankie. While the sex scene with Sadie (the book thief) was kiiiiiiiinda hot, I have no interest in following the storyline between the two of them. Sadie the petty thief can disappear but according to the previews she's coming back. Drat. Frankie is only interesting to me when she's around Cat. Even though I do think Cat/Frankie have considerable chemistry together, Frankie is just not suited to someone like Cat at all. It's hard to see this love triangle get off the ground when one side of it is clearly not right for each other.

[gldartt]

I just saw the first two eps and I'm really liking it. The comparison to the L Word is inevitable (though this is five million times better written), particularly in terms of Frankie and Shane. They even have the same haircut, for cryin' out loud. Though, I think the real difference is that while Shane was screwed up and had her own reasons for being a player, at least a part of it was because she actually seemed to like women, and offered a bit of a sweet quality toward them that made her likeable (and I wasn't a Shane fan at all, just to clarify). Frankie, on the other hand, is too much at this point. She has such self contempt and that's one thing, but she also shows nothing but contempt for the women she interacts with. Worse, she displays this same contempt, to the point of being abusive, for the person, Cat, that the writers (I think) are trying to tell me is her best friend, the one she loves and apparently can't get over. Not only is it difficult to root for such a character, it becomes very easy to completely loath her. She's going to have to start showing, as a previous poster put it, some shred of decency, just to save her character at this point. Otherwise, she just becomes tedious and dispicable.

Cat and Tess took me an episode and a quarter to warm up to. At first, their strongest qualities (anal retentive and winsomely inept respectively) were more irritating than charming, but at this point, two eps in, I'm really starting to like Tess in particular. I believe she's headed for heartbreak with Lou, but that's part of her journey into maturity. These feel like very young characters, after all. It makes sense that neither Cat nor Tess should be more sensible at this point (as opposed to shows where the leads are all well into their thirties and they still act so inane about relationships.)

What I like about Cat is her earnesness. She just trying to do the best she can with what she's got. She really seemed to love Frankie, foremost as a friend long before they were lovers, and I can see where that's a really hard thing to let go of. I just hope that it doesn't get in the way of her relationship with Sam. If this relationship can't work out, let it be for reasons other than Frankie. Both Cat and Sam deserve better for their characters.

Sam isn't as well sketched out for me as the other leads, yet, beyond being the 'mature one' but she becomes more attractive to me the longer she's on screen. I love her humor, that dry, Scottish wit. I can easily see her becoming my favorite.

It's clear Cat's brother, Ed is in love with Tess, and while that could be a very tricky road to go down, it could be a valid one, particularly if Tess continues to have bad taste in women. I could see her, after the upteenth heartbreak, looking around and finding this guy who absolutely adores her and treats her like a queen, and at least considering the possiblity of 'giving it a go' just because he makes her feel so much better about herself than any of the women she's been with. It wouldn't work in the long run, of course, (loving someone as opposed to being in love with them) but I could see it quite logically happening at this point. More predictably, Tess will probably find someone more suited to herself, while Ed will finally give it up as not worth the effort or find someone, himself. I like Ed. He's sweet and kind and very appealing.

I would like to see an older, 'solid' lesbian couple on the show, just to give the other characters some grounding. (In my fantasies, it would be a couple owning that local gay bar, one named Nikki and the other Helen, offering sage advice and guidance to the other characters. They wouldn't have to do a lot, just be there every so often.)

The other two? Whose names I can't remember. I don't like the smarmy guy though I could see his slow, painful maturing act as a guide to Frankie. I suspect he'll relapse in the near future. I like the girlfriend/flatmate so far, but I really don't want these two to be the 'older, mature' couple. I'm not interested in their story at all.

Edited by gldartt, Oct 24, 2010 @ 6:35 AM.

[x1013x]

I'm fascinated how they juxtapose her self assured, competent work persona and her frazzled, reticient approach to dating. It's adorable. I'm er, drawn to Cat-like people in real life and find their anal-retentiveness rather endearing and Cat's no exception.

I totally agree with this. Her total lack of flirting skills makes her more endearing. Like how she told Sam that if she was almost brave it would be intimidating. If Cat was just as well put together in her personal life as she was in her professional life she would be intimidating...to someone like myself that is.

[GoGoMasha]

It's clear Cat's brother, Ed is in love with Tess, and while that could be a very tricky road to go down, it could be a valid one, particularly if Tess continues to have bad taste in women. I could see her, after the upteenth heartbreak, looking around and finding this guy who absolutely adores her and treats her like a queen, and at least considering the possiblity of 'giving it a go' just because he makes her feel so much better about herself than any of the women she's been with. It wouldn't work in the long run, of course, (loving someone as opposed to being in love with them) but I could see it quite logically happening at this point. More predictably, Tess will probably find someone more suited to herself, while Ed will finally give it up as not worth the effort or find someone, himself. I like Ed. He's sweet and kind and very appealing.

I don't think it'd be valid at all. You don't just switch off your sexual orientation (homo or hetero, specifically), just because you've been hurt or dissappointed by the gender your attracted to. It's not that easy, and quite frankly I'd be incredibly offended if the writers decided to go down the "lesbian dates/has sex with a man" trope again. Tess has shown absolutely no inclination or attraction towards men at all. For her to suddenly "give it a go" with Ed, just because he's sweet and nice, would be a slap in the face of the validity of lesbian women.

And just because a nice guy has feelings for his lesbian best friend, DOES NOT obligate said lesbian friend to return those feelings, no matter how sweet or understanding he is. Think of it this way, Ed has had absolutely no success with women; he's been met by failure after failure. If one of his best male friends, who's an amazing person comes along and professes his love for Ed, are we expected to believe that Ed should just "give it a go" with him? Especially since he's shown no interest in men? I don't think so.

It annoys me to no end when lesbians are expected to "bend" their sexuality, or suddenly become "bisexual" whenever a man shows interest in them. It would actually be less predictable (and more realistic) if Tess turns him down, and not everything ends hunky dory (for Ed, and straight men) and incredibly cliched/offensive for lesbians.

Edited by GoGoMasha, Oct 24, 2010 @ 9:12 PM.

[Brakchi]

Tess is my favorite character and it is not close. I like Cat too and Frankie does not bother me much. The cop is okay but not doing much for me. The sex scenes are hot. Ed needs to go, what an offputting character. The other guy is okay.

It's clear Cat's brother, Ed is in love with Tess, and while that could be a very tricky road to go down, it could be a valid one, particularly if Tess continues to have bad taste in women. I could see her, after the upteenth heartbreak, looking around and finding this guy who absolutely adores her and treats her like a queen, and at least considering the possiblity of 'giving it a go' just because he makes her feel so much better about herself than any of the women she's been with.

The intensity of my nausea and my immediate hatred for the show if they went that route would be hard to stop. I never ever want to see that cliche again. I am fed up with the lesbian allowing the male a chance as if she owes it, as if she is obligated. That almost screwed up Skins for me where Emily gave JJ a pity screw. It is a cliche that should be taken into the woods and put out of it's misery once and for all.

Also, I don't trust Lou for a second, and even if she is gay/bi, she's not ready to be in a relationship yet and Tess dserves better. Not wanting to be out to the public is one thing, but not going to dinner with Tess's best friends? Bitch is acting shady.

I have no doubt Lou is at least bi. A woman doesn't rim another woman unless she is sexually attracted to them or gay for pay. Lou is a celebrity who is afraid of people finding out she is attracted to women (a common type of celebrity). Going to see her friends with the way gossip gets around would be a thing that would scare a closeted celebrity. I don't see it as shady as much as I see it as being scared.

Speaking of sex scenes, I guess we'll find out, but did Tess seem happy about what Lou was doing? Surprised? Concerned?

She seemed to appreciate it. That she was also on the receiving end not the giving end may make a difference.

Edited by Brakchi, Oct 24, 2010 @ 9:00 PM.

[gldartt]

Wow, I clearly touched a nerve, and didn't mean to. I wasn't really looking at it in terms of cliches or troupes, I was just looking at the characters of Tess and Ed storywise, and thinking that she would possibly go down that route. That's just how I saw the character. To me, it wouldn't make her any less of a lesbian, just as someone who was tired of being heartbroken and wanted to feel good about herself. Plenty of people try relationships for all sorts of reasons. But that's also why I said it wouldn't work out in the long run because she is a lesbian. Still, I can see where people wouldn't like it considering how few lesbians shows we have, so there isn't that comfort zone to explore the character that way.

But actually, yeah, if Ed had a really close gay friend, got along with him really well, but kept getting his heart broke by women while his best friend continually made him feel good about himself, then I could easily see him 'give it a go' just because people can be like that. Sex would only be the smallest part of the relationship. Again, it wouldn't work out in the long run, because of the whole concept of loving someone versus being in love, but if it worked out that way, I wouldn't consider him any less of a straight man. Just that it was a step he took in his journey to becoming who he is.

I do understand the objection to what has gone on before regarding these type of storylines though. I was just considering the chemistry between them and nothing else. Again, sorry for offending anyone.

Edited to add: I guess as I get older, I stopped thinking of fictional characters as being so rigid in their orientation. It's like if I start thinking that it's just straight verses gay and there's absolutely no exploration, then I gotta stop watching Rizzoli and Isles. Because if I believe they're straight and that they'd never ever consider 'giving it a go', then I can't enjoy the delicious chemistry between them at all.

Edited by gldartt, Oct 24, 2010 @ 9:55 PM.

[Bottled Water]

This is neither here nor there, but I just have to say it: The model in the first episode was so not American. You could hear her British accent creeping out a little bit. And young Americans do not say they are going to get "hitched." That seems to be popular slang in the UK, but I don't think Americans, especially ones the model's age, would use that in everyday language. As an American, I just had to say that.

This is really shallow of me, but I'm happy they are bringing it with the steamy sex scenes. I do not watch TV shows for porn (that's why the internet was invented) but it's nice to see something sexy that is actually about lesbians in emotionally involved relationships. The L Word felt like basically softcore porn at times, and episode two of Lip Serviced already out-sexed the L Word. Strap-ons, rim jobs, and bums galore. Dayum! (Now if only I can erase the funeral sex scene from my memory.)

I think I like most of all, compared to the L Word, is that these feel like real people with real lives. This isn't Los Angeles -- no one is an actress, or movie producer exec, or a TV host/blogger. Granted, Cat's job seems uber-boring so I have we don't have to put up with it too much, but a little realism goes a long way. (Even if Cat managed to snag that mugger with a light jog. Most unconvincing chase ever. Hah.) The Tess/Lou storyline is appealing because A) They are both cute as buttons. B) It's totally relatable. Who hasn't dated some straight girl who didn't want people knowing what was going on? Totally realistic and I totally am looking forward to seeing it play out. Oh, and also? No Betty. Anywhere. THANK GOD.

One think I am not excited about: I read/heard that Frankie is bisexual? OK, first off, shallow again: I don't want to see any women on the show banging any dudes. Unless they are straight, in which case, get your own TV show! Second, everything about Frankie oozes she is super-dee-duper gay. It's hard for me to imagine. Maybe she's a Shane type and has turned tricks in the past or something. I don't remember if I made this up or if it's fact that Frankie is bisexual as in "men are useful" but she only loves women. Either way, no straight sex, ew! Hee.

Two recaps I enjoyed:
AfterEllen
AutoStraddle

Edited by Bottled Water, Oct 24, 2010 @ 10:11 PM.

[GoGoMasha]

Plenty of people try relationships for all sorts of reasons. But that's also why I said it wouldn't work out in the long run because she is a lesbian. Still, I can see where people wouldn't like it considering how few lesbians shows we have, so there isn't that comfort zone to explore the character that way.

I know plenty of lesbians who've "tried" relationships with men, when they were struggling with coming to terms with their sexuality; in denial; or closeted because of social/familial pressure. Of course formerly married women can be lesbians, no one's questioning anyone's sexual history. Sexual orientation (IMO) is about "attraction" and "desire" anyway. Lesbians are attracted to and desire women, not men. What would be the point of showing Tess enter into a relationship with Ed, with questionable motives? She's a self-identified lesbian, who's been out for a long time, and is presumably very comfortable with her sexuality. What would be the point in showing such an empty and false relationship? I don't want to see "out" lesbian women having relationships with men on my TV screen. It's been done to death; it's freaking annoying and insulting; and it makes for horrible TV viewing. Just no. No.

It's like if I start thinking that it's just straight verses gay and there's absolutely no exploration, then I gotta stop watching Rizzoli and Isles. Because if I believe they're straight and that they'd never ever consider 'giving it a go', then I can't enjoy the delicious chemistry between them at all.

There's subtext that can be read on both ends of the Rizzoli and Isles partnership. I wouldn't even be surprised if it was intentional on the part of the writers and actresses. However there's absolutely ZERO subtext in the Tess/Ed friendship. Ed having an unrequited crush on Tess is "text". There's nothing there coming from Tess' end. Nada. Zippo. You'd have to search with an electron microscope to search for any subtext; and even then, you'd still find nothing. That's the difference between these cases.

The model in the first episode was so not American. You could hear her British accent creeping out a little bit.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who caught that.

This is really shallow of me, but I'm happy they are bringing it with the steamy sex scenes.

Trust me, I'm not complaining about the Tess/Lou or Cat/Sam sex scenes. Steamy (and explicit) indeed! However, Frankie's scenes have all the hotness of a slab of dry ice. Boring. What's hot about a thoroughly unlikeable and unappealing character having clinical, "jackhammering" sex with a total stranger? Nothing, in my humble opinion. Maybe it's my dislike of Frankie in general; or the fact that I don't find her physically attractive talking.

One think I am not excited about: I read/heard that Frankie is bisexual? OK, first off, shallow again: I don't want to see any women on the show banging any dudes. Unless they are straight, in which case, get your own TV show! Second, everything about Frankie oozes she is super-dee-duper gay. It's hard for me to imagine. Maybe she's a Shane type and has turned tricks in the past or something. I don't remember if I made this up or if it's fact that Frankie is bisexual as in "men are useful" but she only loves women. Either way, no straight sex, ew! Hee.

I don't have a problem with Frankie being bisexual. She is, and there's nothing wrong with that. I just find her character annoying and unpleasant. I do like that the bisexual character on a show is more androgynous than typically shown on TV; and the lesbian characters are more feminine. It turns the stereotypes and cliches on their head. According to the character bios, Frankie's "occasionally bisexual" (WTF?). She only uses men for sex when there's no available women around. She never falls in love with men or has relationships with them. Only women. Whatever, she's still bisexual, despite the "occasionally" tag.

And I don't want to see straight sex scenes either on a lesbian TV show, no offence to anyone. There are PLENTY of straight shows out there to cater to that.

[acidburn]

One think I am not excited about: I read/heard that Frankie is bisexual?

It was well established in the first episode that Frankie is indeed bisexual. At the bar when they were celebrating Frankie's return, Jay specifically asks her if she's still "batting both ways" and Frankie says "Men come in handy occasionally when there isn’t a woman around".

Foreshadowing perhaps? It definitely wasn't just a throw away line. I have a feeling she will be sleeping with a guy before the end of the season.

Edited by acidburn, Oct 25, 2010 @ 12:04 AM.

[razor840]

What's hot about a thoroughly unlikeable and unappealing character having clinical, "jackhammering" sex with a total stranger? Nothing, in my humble opinion.

When they cut to the strap on scene, I was like; "I guess they're not going The L Word route". I thought the scene was a perfect ending to the story arc of that particular episode. You had Frankie acting out with her parents and then Cat, you had Cat telling off Frankie, you had Cat/Cop having cute scenes at the bar and house juxtaposed with Frankie skulking around looking to pick up, and she propositioned shop lifting lady by asking her is she "fancied a fuck," which sounds so British; to the point, but almost polite. I never found Shane realistic (not trying to have too many L Word comparisons) because it seemed cheezy to me, like she was the lesbian version of Fonzie from Happy Days (I kept waiting to hit the juke box or push on the wall and having some buxom young women appear). If they weren't going the route with shoplifting lady, I could almost see Frankie pulling a Queer as Folk and dating a high school kid, because that seems like her style. I think they're trying to tell us that Cat has kind of outgrown Frankie and if Frankie wants to still have any kind of relationship with Cat, she needs to grow up too. I like that they're trying to show her behavior as being somewhat inappropriate because I always felt like the L word was saying that Shane acts like a guy and that's ok (fucking people and kicking them out of your apartment, etc.) None of the other L Word residents seemed to have a problem with that. I just don't like that idea that you can trick people into sex if they're drink enough and then it's their fault if they get the wrong idea, which I felt that they sometime tried to portray with Shane. I loved the look on Frankie's face when Cat told her off, it was like: "Oh no! My bullshit isn't working!" I personally think Frankie is closer to the lead on Queer as Folk (the one who dated the high school kid, I didn't watch very many eps of that and can't remember his name) than she is to Shane.

Tess is my favorite too, she is incredibly charming but isn't aware of it at all and I find that so appealing. I don't trust Lou at all. I do think that they have chemistry, but they are probably going to crash and burn at the end.

I really like that they seem to planning to examine coming out and being closeted at work through a main character's relationship to a secondary character. I think this allows Lou to react to Tess and we don't have to suffer through numerous long winded Jenny monologues about Manatees. I like that they've focused on Lou/Tess and their physical relationship more than them having processing session and all that. I think Lou does have at least physical feelings for Tess and possibly more (if she didn't, I doubt she would have gotten her a job in the first place). I also think that she reacted mostly as an adult to this point (even blowing Tess off, she still called and tried to lie about it). I thought the sex scene was cute because she seemed to me pretty determined to 'prove' to Tess that she was into her and Tess being a little shocked at her growling at her to roll over and stuff like that kind allowed them to do a little character development through sex scenes, which I approve of. I like how Lou is kind of trying to keep Tess at her place, and is controling the relationship, and I think that rings kind of true. I have a feeling the issues that they might have are going to have a lot to do with Lou controlling the relationship and being the successful one in the relationship.

[holeybubushka]

I loved the look on Frankie's face when Cat told her off, it was like: "Oh no! My bullshit isn't working!" I personally think Frankie is closer to the lead on Queer as Folk (the one who dated the high school kid, I didn't watch very many eps of that and can't remember his name) than she is to Shane.

Yes, and that is the major reason why I can't root for Cat and Frankie to get together. They're both in completely different places in their lives and it's a bit pathetic for Frankie to presume that Cat will drop everything and fall back into whatever old pattern they used to have. Clearly there used to be a very unequal dynamic that involved Cat being emotionally beholden to Frankie and the writers have done a good job of showing how Frankie is stuck in a rut while Cat is moving on. The juxtaposition of their sex scenes was also really good as well. Both hot AND character building. Lucky viewers.

Two episodes in and already I enjoy this way more than the L word. Although that is damning this show with faint praise considering I thought at least half of the L Word was pure, over-blown, self indulgent tripe.

And yay to no pretentious voice over’s as well.

I like Ed. An unrequited crush is a completely valid storyline to follow, and while I don't want him to be a central feature of the show I don't mind his arc at all. What I'm finding hard to believe is how someone hasn't pulled him aside and told him firmly to stop deluding himself. It's pathetic and like Frankie he's caught in a funk he doesn't have the inclination to get out of. I have faith the show will turn the cliché on its head and when Ed does come clean about his feelings (which he inevitable will at the most inopportune time) Tess will turn him down.

I have no doubt Lou is at least bi. A woman doesn't rim another woman unless she is sexually attracted to them or gay for pay. Lou is a celebrity who is afraid of people finding out she is attracted to women (a common type of celebrity). Going to see her friends with the way gossip gets around would be a thing that would scare a closeted celebrity. I don't see it as shady as much as I see it as being scared.

She's probably is at least bi. People can be physically intimate with someone they have no attraction to, but as far as I can tell she's both emotionally and physically drawn to Tess. What Lou is doesn't really matter but she's definitely not straight. However while I understand where she's coming from I have no sympathy for her turning down the dinner date reservation. It was a private gathering with Tess's two best friends. Lou could have made it perfectly clear to them she doesn't want either of them blabbering on about it. If Lou wanted to avoid any danger of this becoming public she should never have offered Tess the job at the television station, where neither Lou nor Tess can control the potential flow of information. Lou is so inconsistent; one minute she wants to be around Tess all the time, but she doesn't want to do anything that could make their relationship deep and real to anyone besides themselves. It's utterly realistic and I commend both the writers and the actress but that doesn't make me deviate from my initial response to Lou. Bitch.Is.Acting.Shady. I'm very wary about where this is going to end up. If she doesn't start acting like a functioning girlfriend around Cat et all Tess should dump her. Someone as lovely and affable and emotionally vulnerable as Tess deserves better. I’m watching Lou like a hawk, people.

That almost screwed up Skins for me where Emily gave JJ a pity screw

LALALALLALALALALALALA *sticks fingers in ears* I CAN'T HEAR YOU! JJ lost his virginity to Lara. Emily is still a gold-star lesbian LALALALALALALALALALALALAL

*Ahem*

Finally- I don't mind if they have a straight sex scene in this show. I like how the lesbians don't live in their own little homo-land- they have straight friends. If there is a straight sex it'll be secondary to whatever drama the lesbian characters are going through. Which is a reversal from the usual trend where if there are lesbian characters, their sexual life with be secondary to that of the straight characters (Buffy,Greys Anatomy and Skins comes immediately to mind here).

[Crim]

I only watched the first season of L World and some of the second, but I like Shane more than Frankie. Like Bottled Water said, Shane was a good friend. gldartt's comparison between Shane and Frankie is also spot on. I'd like to add that not only is Frankie effin obnoxious, but the way women just throw themselves at her in every possible circumstance is laughable. I could buy Shane hooking up with all available women in lesbian bars, but Frankie is a women magnet wherever she goes. Next episode we'll see she can't buy groceries without fucking and discarding some completely random woman. Seriously, when that chick offered sex while Frankie was at the funeral house... it was just in(s)ane. Lost Girl's Bo (i.e a succubus) has less sex appeal! I want to like this show, but I fail at it whenever Frankie is on screen with anyone other than her male friend.

[acidburn]

New teaser clips for Episode 3 are out. SOmeone posted them all here. Spoilers obviously.

I'm quite curious to find out what Cat did to piss off Sam. These two have mad hot chemistry and I actually find Cat/ Laura Fraser's nervous rambling endearing. Still have to see if this episode will make me dislike Frankie less.

[x1013x]

acidburn- Thank you for that clip. I can't wait to see what led up to that and what comes after that. Hot damn!

[VayaZ]

She's probably is at least bi. People can be physically intimate with someone they have no attraction to, but as far as I can tell she's both emotionally and physically drawn to Tess. What Lou is doesn't really matter but she's definitely not straight.

ITA. Lou told Tess that she had wanted to kiss a woman since forever and was the one who made the first move. As soon as she realized Tess was gay, she was totally interested. She strikes me as someone who has known she has an attraction to women for a time, but have not acted on it for whatever reason. The crying when Tess called her a coward could be about that too and not just that particular moment. I do like Lou and Tess together when they're alone, but not with other people around so far. Lou seems really scared and that's usually when the other party gets hurt... They are my favorite couple so far, which surprises me because I'm still not entirely sold on Lou.

These two have mad hot chemistry and I actually find Cat/ Laura Fraser's nervous rambling endearing.

Cat is adorable, and that sneak is all kinds of awesome. The chemistry is hot and Sam seems like a good person. Are we really supposed to root for Cat to get together with Frankie? Because right now, I can't imagine anything I want less.

[Bottled Water]

The Klepto gives me a bit of a Pulp Fiction vibe. That haircut and make-up style doesn't work on anyone -- it seems like Klepto is an attractive woman, but the overall look is tranny-esque. I laughed out loud at Autostraddle's picture caption of her: "I also considered this was an estranged relative of Frankie’s in disguise." Seriously. I'm actually sort of intrigued by what is going on there. It's so dysfunctional, it can't go anywhere good.

I could buy Shane hooking up with all available women in lesbian bars, but Frankie is a women magnet wherever she goes. Next episode we'll see she can't buy groceries without fucking and discarding some completely random woman. Seriously, when that chick offered sex while Frankie was at the funeral house... it was just in(s)ane.

To be fair, if I thought I had a chance with Frankie and it wasn't one of my loved ones that died, I'd try to mack it to Frankie too. However, I would not have sex with a dead body in the room. That's where I draw the line! Although, I think with Frankie it's actually been far more reasonable than with Shane. Granted, we're only two episodes in, but Frankie was rejected by that random on the street and Cat has successfully rejected her so far. (Could even Carmen do that?) Shane, however, fucked that entire wedding party, remember? And then not only Cherie Jaffey but her daughter also wanted Shane. I mean, it was beyond absurd with Shane to the point that I got SO bored with it. I still don't think Shane had any appeal, never did. Frankie's haircut alone is sexier than Shane's, seasons one through seven! I just hope we find something redeeming about Frankie -- not something redeeming that she hides in horrible, assholey behavior. But something genuinely redeeming that she shares.

I also think that she reacted mostly as an adult to this point (even blowing Tess off, she still called and tried to lie about it). I thought the sex scene was cute because she seemed to me pretty determined to 'prove' to Tess that she was into her and Tess being a little shocked at her growling at her to roll over and stuff like that kind allowed them to do a little character development through sex scenes, which I approve of. I like how Lou is kind of trying to keep Tess at her place, and is controling the relationship, and I think that rings kind of true.

Agreed. L Word (I know, I need to stop comparing) seemed to sometimes have sex scenes for the sake of it. Not that I was complaining, but most of what the tent camping scene showed me was that Nikki looks effing hot as hell wearing only glasses and an open button down shirt... I'm just saying. I really liked that all the sex scenes in this episode of Lip Service portrayed something about the characters' relationships (in addition to being oh-so-hot). I feel more emotionally invested somehow. I mean, I'm just going to be honest and say Cat and Sam's date was really boring up until they got back to Cat's apartment. The way sex probably brought the relationship to the next level for the characters, it brought it to the next level for me as a viewer. That sounds insane, but it's true. I was not rooting for them pre-sex. Now, I kinda think they should have a go of it. Maybe they should just stop having conversations and stick to fucking at this point because the small talk was painful.

[acidburn]

Have people read the new interview with Heather Peace on afterellen? I found it interesting that she auditioned for the role of Frankie. I can't imagine her in the role since she's already perfect as Sam for me (I kind of feel how I did when I found out Leisha Hailey auditioned for the role of Shane). She also has an interesting comment about how she thought the Tibette/Helena triangle never worked in TLW because people didn't want Helena and Tina to work out but in Lip Service they're hoping that there's enough tension so that the audience is split between Frankie/Cat and Sam/Cat. Personally though, I don't know if that's necessarily working. I have no desire to see Frankie and Cat together because all they've shown is how dysfunctional they are. The only nice scene the two had was that talk they had outside the funeral parlour in ep 1. Otherwise, Frankie has pretty much been douche-y to Cat. I don't like them ending up together because I can't stand Frankie.

[razor840]

She also has an interesting comment about how she thought the Tibette/Helena triangle never worked in TLW because people didn't want Helena and Tina to work out but in Lip Service they're hoping that there's enough tension so that the audience is split between Frankie/Cat and Sam/Cat.

I think that is a valid criticism of that particular arc but I don't really think that it was because they made any attempt to make Helena a viable alternative to Bette, I mean Helena was practically twirling her mustache half the time she was on screen and then they kind of turned her into a comic character. I think it was the case, on the L Word, where many characters had to get destroyed so that Bette/Tina could look awesome/be the real anchor of the show. Realistically, even if Cat/Frankie were to become a reality, it wouldn't be the calm anchor of the show. Thus, I agree with her as far as the criticism of The L Word goes, but I don't really think that what they're doing is something I can compare with it.

I can see how Frankie has a chance with Cat due to their history, plus I kind of get the feeling that among 18(and younger)-25 year olds in their area, Frankie would probably still be pulling massive amounts of girls. I kind of wonder if the tension/split might not be generational, where an older version of me, if I had already suffered through a Frankie-like relationship, would be better able to understand the benefits of someone like DS Murray. As I alluded to, you could practically see dark smoke following Helena as she appeared on screen, there was never an attempt, imo, to really use that character as actual competition for Bette. I think a better foil from the same show was MM's character with Bette, as long as Murray doesn't try to blind fold Cat without her consent.

Also, Frankie has made several decidedly radical leftist, anti-establishment comments already: she doesn't like the police, she smokes like a Godard movie, and I could see Cat being drawn to that earlier in her life but it seems kind of obvious to me that shit doesn't do it for her anymore. I wonder if they're more thinking the long running sexual tension route for Crankie, there just doesn't seem to be any logical way for them to be in an actual romantic relationship in the next 4 episodes. I guess I can also see Frankie's dissing of Murray as being more of a 'I don't like your new girlfriend' kind of thing as well.

The crying when Tess called her a coward could be about that too and not just that particular moment. I do like Lou and Tess together when they're alone, but not with other people around so far. Lou seems really scared and that's usually when the other party gets hurt... They are my favorite couple so far, which surprises me because I'm still not entirely sold on Lou.

The crying thing seemed manipulative to me. One of the more difficult things to navigate, I think, when you first start having same sex relationships is how the gender roles work in those particular situations as oppossed to how they normally work in heterosexual relationships. Granted, not every heterosexual relationship is the same but I find the push and pull with Lou/Tess to be fairly realistic. We got the shot of Frankie carying Lou's pictures up the stairs which, as the Great LesBritain recap said, was kind of a metaphore for who had the power in the relationship but at the same time, you have Tess trying to protect Lou when the psychologist was drunk, Lou crying while trying to get Frankie to forgive her, etc.

If Lou isn't ready to come out, she isn't ready to come out and if Tess isn't ok with that then she shouldn't let Lou manipulate her into staying. At the same time, Lou pulling out the big guns like that, and crying, kind of shows that she wants to be with Cat. I kind of feel bad for both of them.

[acidburn]

I kind of get the feeling that among 18(and younger)-25 year olds in their area, Frankie would probably still be pulling massive amounts of girls. I kind of wonder if the tension/split might not be generational, where an older version of me, if I had already suffered through a Frankie-like relationship, would be better able to understand the benefits of someone like DS Murray.

Interesting take. I think this also reflects in the fandom. I've noticed just by reading through other forums/comments that the Frankie contingent tends to skew younger while the DS Sam Murray, tends to skew in the older category (of which I am unfortunately part of). To a degree, where you're at in your life and what you've experienced plays a big part on who you'll relate to in this triangle it seems.

So far what I'm seeing on the show is that Cat has moved on and Frankie and her are now in totally different stages of their lives now. Their history and friendship may still have a pull on Cat but as she said, she's at the point where she's fed up of making the same mistakes and now wants someone well adjusted.

Overall, I'm finding that I relate to the storylines and characters on this show alot more than I did the L Word. I think Harriet Braun is doing a good job of portraying gay characters that aren't just led by issues.

Edited by acidburn, Oct 27, 2010 @ 12:52 AM.

[VayaZ]

Tess and Lou crashed and burned a lot faster than I expected. I was under the impression that Lou would be around for the entire season. When Tess decided to go over there I almost had to cover my eyes because it was so obvious what she was going to find. I assume it was Sadie who leaked to the media, which was shitty but didn't bother me too much. Tess is going to get the blame for it though, if they decide to explore that storyline.

Ed is such a sweetheart, I wanted to hug him after he smacked Tom in the face (well deserved, btw!). I don't think his crush is creepy, he can't help it and he accepts that him+Tess is never going to happen. He just has feelings for someone who can't love him back in that way, it happens all the time (but it makes me feel sad for him).

Cat and Sam bored me for much of this episode, except at the end. The scene with Cat's boss was interesting and realistic. He comes off as a bit of an ass and it did not come as a surprise that he'd rather have Frankie's fucked up friend (the name escapes me at the moment) heading the account. Frankie did not get on my nerves as much in this episode, though I'm not that interested in the mystery surrounding her family.

In this episode, I became aware of a problem I have with the show. It's way to fast paced for my taste. There are time jumps of several weeks between each episode and I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of development. Cat and Sam going from insecure flirting to old married couple in an episode was a bit jarring, as was Lou being semi-comfortable with kissing Tess in public. I know this needs to happen because they only have six episodes, but it bugged me. I wish they could have had 12 and slowed things down a bit.

Speaking of which, when will we know if it gets picked up for another series/season? I haven't heard anything about their number of viewers so far. Does anyone know?

Edited by VayaZ, Oct 26, 2010 @ 7:59 PM.

[Bottled Water]

God, I was really into Tess/Lou. That went downhill fast. And with cheeseball Tom of all people. Sigh. I'd like to think Lou could stick around and the storyline can continue... and I mean, who goes down on another woman (and rims another woman) without being sexually attracted to women? I definitely believe Lou is at least bisexual, but after she said she loved Tom and he was leaving his wife, that's it. Sexually interested in Tess? Yes. But apparently not romantically interested. It takes a special kind of delusion to think you're in love with someone you're not, so I guess that's it. Bummer.

Aside from that, I really enjoyed all the Tess scenes. Seeing the old high school classmate and being embarrassed is so awkward and funny and relatable. I enjoyed the phone training scenes too. I also think Ed is sweet and I've disagreed with the notion that his crush is creepy, and this episode really showed the good nature of their friendship. I don't think he's holding out any hope, he just can't help how he feel and seems to balance it rather well.

I'm actually kind of interested in what's going on with Frankie's past at this point. I assume it's leading up to some sort of big reveal. But I'm mostly glad that she showed a shred of decency... yes, that shred was not leaving a girl to die, but it's something, right? I like Frankie despite myself. Her problem seems to be immaturity. I got the sense that her frantically cleaning up her room was brought on by a realization of "What the fuck am I doing? I'm a mess." (I also note that Cat is the queen of tidy.)

Jay is a complete scum bag. I guess we need him around to keep making Frankie look decent. It's not hooking up with the young intern. Cheating isn't cool, but not that surprising anyway so not that offensive. What's really fucked up is snorting coke at work and inviting an intern to do it. I lost any inkling of favor toward him, even before he basically wanted to let her O.D. alone so he wouldn't get fired.

I actually like Sadie. I still think she looks like she's in some sort of disguise, but I guess that plays well to the character. I can't get a read on her and it's a bit intriguing. Tess seemed to think Sadie tipped off the press. I have no moral opinion of this. Sadie just seems kind of like a shit-stirrer who does it for no other reason than it's fun. That's fine by me.

Cat continues to be boring, although I found the scene with the boss interesting. I'm rather irritated that someone is a "partner" after a few weeks, as Cat said. The word "girlfriend" is not exclusive to straighties, people. And neither is "wife" for that matter. I think if Cat was trying to avoid coming out, she would've let the Sam/he comment slide. Anyway, the boss situation seems pretty realistic and subtle so far, which is nice after dealing the L Word's Very Special Episodes.

There are time jumps of several weeks between each episode and I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of development. Cat and Sam going from insecure flirting to old married couple in an episode was a bit jarring, as was Lou being semi-comfortable with kissing Tess in public. I know this needs to happen because they only have six episodes, but it bugged me. I wish they could have had 12 and slowed things down a bit.

I agree. I felt like we were early on in the flirting, getting to know you stage, but they are already passing on sex and being bored with each other. That was fast. It is jarring, but on the plus side I'm looking forward to the week ahead and not bored. I hope this show gets picked up for another season. I like it so much more than the L Word... even if the L Word had Carmen. ;) It bums me out to hear it's only 6 episodes long. We're halfway through! Ahhh!

[acidburn]

Speaking of which, when will we know if it gets picked up for another series/season? I haven't heard anything about their number of viewers so far. Does anyone know?

I was listening to a radio interview with Harriet Braun this morning. Short answer is they don't know yet. It's all based on how the show is going to perform but so far it's reassuring with the viewing figures (it kept about 600K viewers through the 2nd ep and increased it's 18-24 demo share), number of hits on iplayer (beat Top Gear which was #1), feedback etc.

Edited by acidburn, Oct 27, 2010 @ 1:09 AM.

[Brakchi]

I also think Ed is sweet and I've disagreed with the notion that his crush is creepy, and this episode really showed the good nature of their friendship. I don't think he's holding out any hope, he just can't help how he feel and seems to balance it rather well.

Ed continues to piss me off or I should say the whole concept does. The punch is horseshit manipulation designed to basically say he is a knight in shining armor. That way when Tess and him have sex the lesbian audience won't be bothered. It won't be permanent but who can be offended at nonthreatening, somewhat effeminate Ed (reminiscent of creepy Niles from Frasier) who is oh so harmless banging Tess. After all he punched that jerk. Then Tess will explain she needs women but certain audiences will be appeased. Maybe it won't go that route but at this point they certainly seem to be setting it up with some world class prepatory manipulation.

Edited by Brakchi, Oct 27, 2010 @ 7:20 AM.

[razor840]

Don't you hate it when you're trying to do a line of coke in the bathroom at your job with a much younger, possibly underage, subordinate and you accidently pull the special k out instead? Jay has some issues. Maybe it's just because I'm from a small town, but I always know how much drugs I have and where they are, so that scene didn't really ring true to me. Still, weird thing to play for laughs.

Then Tess will explain she needs women but certain audiences will be appeased. What a transparent scenario.

After seeing the whole Tess/Lou fiasco this week, I'm kind of cringing at the possibilities that are there if Ed actually does come out with his feelings, because that scene with Tess/Lou/Tom/Ed was really UK Office levels of uncomfortable. The British seem to do uncomfortable well, from a writing standpoint ymmv. I almost wanted to mute it and look away, I was cringing so hard. So I kind of hope they go there and they don't hook Tess up with Ed although I'm not really oppossed to it ideologically although seeing how kind of clueless Tess seems about his feelings, if she didn't make a move/he didn't make a move after she got blattered in the wake of the whole Lou situation, I can't really see it happening now, as that was Ed's best chance in my book. This kind of leads me to believe that Ed knows where he stands. We've really had no idication that Tess is a cruel person, and it would be pretty cruel to just have a go with him, just to try it out, especially when at this point, it seems like that's what Lou has done to her.

It seems like at some point Tess is going to have to win one, otherwise it is just going to get too depressing.