by Kace

What is The L Word? How does one deconstruct it?

What does it take to do so, aside from a lot of patience and at times, redundancy?

First off, it takes being able to watch the entire series from start to finish and being willing to start over, until one can capture the most minute of details. It is an attempt to break down these adorable characters. It is an effort to dig deep with what is available in the narrative as well as the fine details in order to carve out the tendencies, the personalities, the drama, the melodrama, and all of the nuances that makes the characters and setting of the L-Universe so unique from other fictional realities.

In this Deconstruction project, there will be an attempt on my part to provide part annotation, part analysis, as well as some insight on people and places mentioned, along with theories that explain everything from Bette Porter’s backstory to the importance of the minor characters and how their background narratives fit in the grand scheme of things.

Not only is this an attempt to embark on explaining (sometimes painfully) the details of the characters, but also a dissection of The Chart in its various forms and somehow making it all fit. There is also the challenge of figuring out the locations of certain places, like The Planet as well as the most daunting task of all, figuring out (without going insane) The L Word Timeline.

It will help to watch and occasionally pause your (I will assume legally purchased copy) of The L Word episode of which you read about in this project. There is a chance you will spot something I have overlooked or was unable to figure out and all help is welcome, be you a fan or just an executive producer of the show who happens to be curious about what these LesFan people are up to. For example, I’m not very good at identifying some of the vehicles being driven. So there’s that.

Not included in this project, the music of the show. For the most part, the “what’s playing during this scene” stuff will be ignored as it’s my understanding the Netflix version plays different, generic music and I’m not interested in confusing (or angering) the Netflix viewers.

So prepare to learn or notice more details than you ever thought possible or perhaps ever cared to know. Breaking down a Universe isn’t easy. With the L-Universe, at least it’s a fun challenge.

By the way, you can also expect revisions from time to time of these episode guides upon necessity to change, add, or delete some detail. Sometimes, those adjustments are half the fun.

Enjoy as the L-Universe becomes Deconstructed.