Karaoke, or not so okie?

What a complete and utter shitstorm did we get into with this episode?! Sorry for dropping this on your screens so bluntly, but its honestly the most predominant feeling I had throughout the entire watch, and it has not gotten any better pondering what I could possibly write about it to still do justice to all my so beloved characters. I could of course focus on all that was good in this f*cked up L world, like Alice finally not crying in the shower that morning, as she stated to Sophie. Or Shane, Bette and Alice absolutely rocking their version of “love shack” and enjoying the hell out of it. They must have had a blast filming it, as Alice looks like she’d gladly “bully” her friends into karaoke night every single day of the week. And then of course we had Micah and Maribel clearing up the air and their insecurities about the night they spent together, Sophie and Finley finally hooking up for real and Alice mustering up the courage to tell Tom she wants to dance with him, and not as friends, which is taking him completely by surprise in the most endearing way: “I’m excited, I’m gonna shut the fuck up”. Oh, and there are of course the promising developments between Shane and Tess (truth really does go a long way), between Dani and Gigi (kindness combined with bonding over ‘dipping into someone’s food’ apparently go a long way too!), and between Bette and Pippa (love of art and a great meeting of the minds, as Bette would probably call this connection, may ultimately lead them on the path of love as well?). Great stuff, right? What’s not to like? Where’s the shitstorm?

Let me try and give you some of my perspective on all the lead up to these events. Much as I wish I could avoid this, being not necessarily a Bette-apologist but certainly a Bette-realist (and one that’s loved her through all her good and her bad from the very beginning), understanding in great part where she comes from in her actions and reactions, I had hoped it wouldn’t ever come to a point where I’d really feel she was being an asshole. Yet, hearing her respond “ad nauseum” to Alice’s suggestion that Gigi must have been wanting to talk about feelings all the time, so painting this woman, who’s been nothing but loving and supportive to her, as the villain that’s impossible to be around, threw me off. The follow up conversation between Bette and Gigi, where Gigi tries to break the ice (yes, it truly felt that cold) with a little banter (“you want to meet me in the bathroom in five, for old time’s sake?”) immediately gets tensive and awkward by Bette being a distant ice-queen, almost as if they’d never shared any intimacy at all. After a few re-watches I am still not entirely sure whether or not Gigi’s “I’m kidding. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I do think there’s a world where we are f*cking in the bathroom right now”, was actually meant in good gest, or as a last attempt to let Bette know that she is still interested. Bette, however, makes it abundantly clear that she’s not interested one way or another. She stays very inapproachable, not open to give much more insight into what went so wrong between them, as Gigi asked, than to say “I think we both know that we were not right for each other”, followed by “I need more”. Her hand briefly on Gigi’s shoulder as she says “goodnight, Gigi” comes across more like an additional slap in the face rather than an even remotely friendly gesture for old time’s sake. Like I said, I consider myself a Bette-realist, she’s far from perfect, just like the rest of us. Much of her background has always shed light on whatever screw ups we’ve seen from her in the past. Even with Jodi some warmth, kindness and respect for what they had, had remained. Here, with Gigi, all of that was nowhere to be found. And the why is sadly missing too. Blinded by this fantasy of finding it all with a woman whom she hardly knows yet, but whose art she admires? Hardened by losing the love of her life? I know she has a good and caring heart. Let’s hope she’ll open it up soon enough again, and wide enough to see the error of her ways and do right by Gigi. Damn, this is turning into some sad column, f*ck you Bette.

What else do we have? Oh yeah, right: indecisive, lying and cheating Sophie. She’s been playing with people’s feelings so much, that it is incomprehensible to me why anyone would still want to be with her at all, let alone Dani or Finley. Especially after she just came out of Dani’s bed the other day, now hits on Finley, while helping out on stage, then goes on to buy Dani a drink, leaving her all confused, then basically turning down Finley by saying that all of this is so hard and she needs more time, only to publicly serenade her love for her only minutes later. And Finley, of course, is over the moon… (??), while in the meantime Dani leaves upset and almost in tears. What a great and happy way to start a relationship… Let’s be clear, this is not romantic, this is just plain cruel.

Thankfully Gigi follows Dani out the door and is her life support, her shoulder to cry on, her reason to laugh at least a little, her reason for not having to go home without her purse and her excuse for not overeating on ice-cream, as Gigi so kindly volunteers to eat some of hers as well. They may turn this into one of the healthier relationships of this season, as Gigi tells Dani that her feelings have changed (into more than just friendship).

See, I was actually able to end this on a positive note after all. Looking forward to episode 7, the stills were promising enough. Fingers crossed everybody gets their head screwed back on the right way

@BettePorter_LA