The L Word – Season 4

The complete fourth season of the popular drama series exploring the lives of a group of lesbians, their friends, families, and neighbours. The series takes a look at the hopes, dreams and lives of these individuals as they deal with things like career struggles, relationship issues, and the pressures of trying to start a family. Episodes comprise: ‘Legend in the Making’, ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’, ‘Lassoed’, ‘Layup’, ‘Lez Girls’, ‘Luck Be a Lady’, ‘Lesson Number One’, ‘Lexington and Concord’, ‘Lacy Lilting Lyrics’, ‘Little Boy Blue’, ‘Literary License to Kill’ and ‘Long Time Coming’.
If the third season was marked by transitions, The L Word’s fourth concerns growing up–or trying to, at any rate. Shane (Katherine Moennig) becomes her brother Shay’s guardian, Bette (Jennifer Beals) and Tina (Laurel Holloman) stop fighting over their daughter Angelica, and Bette’s new boss, Phyllis (a very game Cybill Shepherd), decides it’s time to embrace her true nature. So, after 25 years of marriage (Bruce Davison plays her husband), Chancellor Kroll comes out of the closet–and sets her sights on Alice (Leisha Hailey). For all the inclusiveness, Max (Daniela Sea), still remains on the margins. Dumped by Jenny (Mia Kirshner) the year before, Max continues to share her apartment while acclimating to life as a man.
For those who felt season three was too dark, four offers a welcome corrective. There’s still plenty of angst–Jenny’s memoir meets with a few negative notices (Heather Matarazzo’s journalist pens the harshest critique) and Helena (Rachel Shelley) learns to live without Mommy’s money–but there are plenty of moving moments to compensate (most revolving around Shane and Shay). New additions also arrive to shake things up, like Marlee Matlin as an artist who helps Bette to broaden her horizons, Kristanna Loken as a single mother with a yen for Shane, and Rose Rollins as an Iraq War veteran with whom Alice has a tryst (leading to a well intentioned, if heavy-handed message about how even liberals should support the troops). As in seasons past, the directorial line-up impresses as much as the acting talent, and includes Oscar winner Marleen Gorris (Antonia’s Line) and playwright Moiss Kaufman (The Laramie Project). –Kathleen C. Fennessy