By Curt Schleier
Things are finally starting to heat up – and in more ways than one.
The most thought-provoking story arc this season involves Tasha (Rose Rollins), a woman whose dreams of a military career become a nightmare when she is accused of homosexual activity. The situation becomes menacing when two military officers kind of push their way into her girlfriend Alice’s (Leisha Hailey) apartment. Technically, the major and lieutenant didn’t violate any laws. But they got in by intimidating her.
When Tasha hears the news she goes ballistic, and runs to her reluctant attorney’s home in the middle of the night. How could the military do that, she screams at him? How could those soldiers go to a civilian’s home like that? And frighten her to boot? The lawyer is a southern homophobe and not very sympathetic. When his wife comes down to see what’s going on Tasha apologizes immediately. She didn’t mean to barge into the house uninvited, to frighten her, a civilian, no less, and possibly wake their child. The lawyer gets the point. Within a couple of hours he’s at Alice’s door with an action plan. Tasha will be defended.
Life has become increasingly menacing for Kit (Pam Grier), as well. She’d been robbed at gunpoint of an entire week’s receipts (though why she wouldn’t go to the bank to deposit money more regularly is one of life’s mysteries). She’s gone out to buy a gun, but doesn’t realize who the real enemy is. It’s the two ladies from Miami who opened up Shebar, a rival lesbian club, who will likely do her in. Naively, Kit believes L.A. is big enough for the both of them, so she doesn’t mind that her friends go to the club’s grand opening. And when they do, things get interesting.
Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirshner) has been acting even bitchier than normal. When she doesn’t get her way, she spits her gum on the floor or on a table and expects someone else to clean it up. She’s on a power trip about her movie, Lez Girls. Everyone but Jenny wants Niki Stevens (Kate French), the latest “Bond girl,” in the movie. But Jenny refuses to approve it, for who knows what reason. So Niki makes a surprise appearance at Shebar and literally begs Jenny for the job, admitting that she, too, is a lesbian.
Shane (Katherine Moennig) has been abstinent for a couple of weeks, but how much temptation can one girl take? The two hot owners of Shebar know Shane’s a chick magnate and want her as a regular. So they take her in one of the bar’s private rooms and offer her…themselves. Both of them. At the same time. A ménage a trois. And you didn’t believe me when I said things were heating up.
There’s more, Bette (Jennifer Beals) finds former girlfriend Tina (Laurel Holloman) sitting alone at one of Shebar’s apparently unending supply of rooms with liquor. Tina said her new girlfriend, the M.D. with augmented tits, is just too much for her. So they make out. And you didn’t believe me when I said things were heating up.
And there are more fireworks in store. Tasha and Alice attend an exclusive party thrown by a Hollywood power broker for gays still in the closet, among them a world famous NBA point guard. And there’s trouble brewing at Bette’s school job where a pain-in-the ass student complains about some performance art in Jodi’s (Marlee Matlin) class. This puts Bette between a rock and a hard place. The performance art – a student holding a realistic gun to his head and threatening to use it – is pretty much unacceptable in a Columbine environment. But Jodi is her girlfriend. And freedom of expression is important. And the student who complained is a …
We’ll find out what happens next week, won’t we?