A lot went down in this chapter of Gen Q … here are some predictions for what could happen next
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY SHOWTIME
And just like that, the third season of The L Word: Generation Q has come to an end. If, like me, you’ll be feeling a Gen Q shaped hole in your week, why not join me in looking back on the climactic finale while also predicting what fate might await our favourite characters.
🚨 SPOILERS AHEAD 🚨
This chapter of Gen Q has certainly been filled with plenty of queer and sapphic chaos. Episode one kicked off with Bette and Tina confessing their feelings for each other and we even got to see a domesticated Shane. By episode two, we got to see Bette’s grand romantic gesture while things didn’t go as smoothly for Sinley (Sophie and Finley), Shess (Shane and Tess) or Gini (Gigi and Dani). Episode three gave us a glorious amount of butch joy and treated us all with Shane getting wet with a sledgehammer. We all fell in love with Dani’s childhood best friend, Roxy, in episode four. Tensions heightened as episode five was filled with confrontations and miscommunications. And episodes six to nine were filled with soul-searching, breakups, chosen family and proposals.
This leads us to the epic season finale where we finally got to see the highly-anticipated Tibette (Tina and Bette) wedding. We open on the big day. Bette, Tina and all their loved ones have come together to pull off a dream wedding in just one week. And Alice totally knows what she’s doing. There are just two problems. One: she’s forgotten to source booze. Two: She can’t locate the wedding planner. The latter is due to the fact that Shane and said wedding planner are serving up lesbian steamy realness in the restroom. Meanwhile, Bette is trying to stay calm and collected while Tina is full of wedding day jitters, not helped by her hot flush, though she’s in denial about that.
Now over to Sophie, Dani and Roxy. Dani talks to her besties about the fact that she’s ghosted Dre, following Dre telling her “I love you” too soon, and Dani not being ready to hear this. And this is the scene where the chaos is amped up. Sophie is on a mission to get laid and Roxy’s got some MDMA for Dani.
Back to Tibette… Tina is still hot and flustered, and Bette has a solution. She takes her bride-to-be to the walk-in fridge. There’s just one major problem, when they go to exit, they realise they are locked in. Everybody. Remain. Calm.
Back outside the fridge, Sophie approaches Alice, who has been avoiding her since Sophie ran the finale of Alice’s show, without Alice. But it’s a good day for Sophie, as Alice shares the news that the episode went so well she’s been offered a promotion. Sophie then meets THE Pippa Pascal and some major sapphic flirting ensues.
Now over to Micah and Maribel. It’s a big day for these two lovers. They recently got engaged and they found a sperm doner. When said sperm arrives, the two realise how confusing an at-home insemination is. There’s nerves, but the two brush it off with humour and smiles.
Back to the sublime wedding grounds, Tess has arrived to save the day with booze. We see some sexual tension between Shess, as they both compliment how the other cleans up nicely. When Shane is out of sight, Tess seduces a dapper-looking guy and uses him to get her hands on an abundance of cocaine.
Back to Tibette, who are still locked in the fridge. Things look up though, but only for a moment, as Shane and Alice find them. However when their pals try to free the soon-to-be newlyweds, the handle somehow breaks off. And once again this season, 911 is called.
Bette is still trying to stay calm and collected, but Tina confronts her saying: “I just hate your positivity. Don’t be so positive right now!” To which Bette responds: “Do you want me to say it’s a disaster? Of course it’s a disaster. We’re stuck in a fridge on our wedding day. But you know what I’m not gonna do? I’m not gonna start yelling about it.” When pushes further by Tina, Bette adds: “I have tried really hard to quiet those parts of me so I wouldn’t hurt you and I am afraid that if I let them out and then I won’t be able to shut them back inside.” In a heartwarming moment, Tina reassures Bette that she loves the version of Bette that sees red, and every part of Bette. This is all Bette needs to hear. Who goes feral and screams: “ALICE! CALL TASHA RIGHT NOW AND GET US THE FUCK OUT OF HERE BECAUSE I AM GOING TO MARRY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE TODAY IF IT’S THE LAST FUCKING THING I DO!” Tina looks on, eyes shining with pride.
Back over to Dani, Roxy and Sophie. The MDMA has definitely kicked in, as we see Dani rubbing flowers and leaving Dre a very intense voicemail confessing her love and inviting them to the wedding. Pippa saunters over to Sophie to say farewell. When Sophie runs after her to ask why she’s leaving, Pippa admits not feeling devastated to hear her ex (Bette) is locked in a fridge. The two exchange chemistry-filled banter and then steal the “just married” golf cart to go and flirt some more.
For some reason I can’t fathom, Angie brings Hendrix Fitz to the wedding. Her former-teacher who Tina had previously yelled at to stay away from her daughter. Bette shouts through the fridge door that there’s nothing to discuss if he doesn’t want to acknowledge the power dynamics of the relationship. Hendrix goes to leave, and when Angie tries to get him to stay he reveals that he’s moving to New York City. Angie sees sense and tells him to go fuck himself. A round of applause for Angie please.
And now we return to Micah and Maribel, where things aren’t looking too peachy. We watch through clenched fists as Micah and Maribel break each other’s hearts. Micah shares his fears that he doesn’t know how Maribel’s disability might impact her pregnancy. He fears she might die in childbirth due to complications.
It’s hard to see this power couple have to endure such a challenging scene, especially when the rest of the cast (other than Tess) are having such a fun-filled episode. Which brings me to Pippa and Sophie who are amping up the flirting in front of some cows. Pippa encourages Sophie to pursue her next documentary project.
And back to Dani and Roxy, who have been getting very kissy. That is until they bump into real-life power couple, G-Flip and Chrishell Strause. When Dani asks Chrishell if she know’s Gigi Ghorbani, it is revealed to Dani that Gigi is engaged to her ex, Nat. While this revelation has Dani spinning out momentarily, it also allows her to realise she’s over Gigi. Unfortunately for me, I don’t think I’ll ever be over Gini. Though, I’m a big fan of Dani and Roxy. As is Dani. When Roxy reveals that she’s staying put and not running away this time, the joy is clear on Dani’s face.
In good news for Tibette, Tasha arrives to once again save the day and rescue them from the fridge. The two brides-to-be are full of gratitude. Tasha makes a point to say to Alice: “That’s how you greet a person when they save you. Or your kitten!”
Are you ready for your heart to be broken again? Because in the last scene we see of Micah and Maribel this season, Micah packs up his things and leaves a devastated Maribel. He jumps in his car and calls Max and drives away.
Over to Shane. She notices that Tess is clearly wasted. When Kimmy (the wedding planner) tries to arrange round two, I was expecting Shane to say “not right now” and go check on Tess, but unfortunately, she does not.
Meanwhile, Alice and Tasha are still arguing about their past. Tasha shares that she felt like a plus-one throughout their relationship. “You were in love with Dana!” she says. “You talked about her so much, it felt like I knew her… in a way.” This clearly strikes a chord with Alice, who is rethinking everything following her ayushka trip where she saw Dana who told her that her “one” was someone who knew Dana “in a way”.
The ceremony is finally beginning. We see Bette and Tina walking together in their most dapper suits ready to exchange vows and begin their lives together once again. However, this wouldn’t be an L Word wedding without some sapphic chaos. A coked up Tess has caught Shane getting steamy with Kimmy and can be heard shouting and interrupting the magical moment. Shane tries to calm Tess down which only makes her even angrier. Shane grabs Tess’ wrist, who pulls away and Tess ends up falling into the wedding cake. She brushes it off and screams: “Hey any ladies out there wanna be Shane McCutcheon’s next conquest?” G-Flip and Chrishell Stause can be seen raising their hands, adding some comedic relief to a tense moment.
Finley chases after Tess who jumps into a car with the mysterious gentleman who provided her with drugs. As the two drive up, we see a truly distressed Finley. It’s a heartbreaking scene.
Back at the venue, Shane, Alice, Tina and Bette look over the destroyed cake. Shane apologises for ruining the big day and the gang reflect on the mistakes they’ve made in the past. Shane leaving Carmen at the alter, Alice sleeping with a vampire, Tina leaving Bette for Carrie and Bette having sex with Candance in jail.
Night falls and Tina and Bette finally get to exchange their vows. Tina says: “Bette Porter, you are everything to me. Your fierce passion inspires all of us to stand boldly in our convictions and fight for each other when no one else will and to love with everything we have. Bette you are my first, my second, and my third love and today I vow that you will be my last.” And Bette responds with: “From the moment we met my soul has burned brighter because of you. You are the sun at the centre of my universe. You are my home. Thank you for your warmth, your wisdom and your steadiness. Thank you for Angie. And thank you for loving me. And I vow to love and care for you for the rest of our days with all that I am.”
our favorite part 🤧 https://t.co/C8MQJ0GEWb
— The L Word on Showtime (@SHO_TheLWord) January 20, 2023
Joy is in the air. Alice runs over to Tasha and gives a genuine and heartfelt apology. The two reunited exes dance together, Shane dances with Finley and Dani and Roxy continue to get close. Tibette ditch their own party, and try to escape in the golf cart. However, Sophie and Pippa’s earlier escapade means it’s no longer functional. They shrug it off and walk happily off together.
Sophie and Pippa share a kiss, and we don’t get a steamy scene, as Pippa suggests they wait and add some anticipation instead of rushing things. Roxy and Dani are also sharing a kiss when Dre’s voice interrupts them. Dani turns to see Dre looking dapper AF in their suit and truly heartbroken. Dani is no stranger to the pain that comes from seeing someone she loves loving someone else, so I can only imagine the emotions that must be running through her.
To add to this season’s cliffhangers, Finley receives a call from the police department. They are calling about Tess. But we don’t know what news awaits Finley on the other end of the line.
The season ends with Bette and Tina holding hands, reflecting on the magical day they’ve had. Bette says, “I hope our friends get to feel this someday.” “Me too,” says Tina. “They deserve it.”
What could come next?
I’m nervous about the fate of Gen Q. There were a lot of loose ends I’d like to see resolved. However, with the rampant Cancel Your Gays trend, a renewal announcement is never certain. If we are blessed with another season here are some of my hopes…
- Finley, Shane and the gang come together and help Tess to heal and get sober.
- We get to see Gigi again.
- More Rosie O’Donnell please!
- Sophie dives into another documentary and gets some steamy scenes with Pippa.
- Hopefully we’ll still get to see Tina and Bette coming to visit Angie and their friends.
- Micah and Maribel reunite, have healthy communication and address any misconceptions that occurred in this episode.
- I’m living for Tasha and Alice, I think they will have a good impact on each other’s lives.
- Please can Angie get together with her roommate Bella?
- Will we get to see more of Max? I hope so.
- I hope that Roxy and Dani can find happiness. And that Dre can find someone who can love them back in the way they deserve.
- More celebrity guest appearances, please!
DIVA magazine celebrates 28 years in print in 2022. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
✨linkin.bio/ig-divamagazine ✨
