The L Word (season 1)

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The L Word season one was first aired in the United States on January 18, 2004, and featured 13 episodes.

Set in West Hollywood, the series features Bette Porter (played by Jennifer Beals) and Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman), who have been a couple for seven years and want to have a child.

Their next-door neighbor, Tim Haspel (Eric Mabius), faces a major life change when his girlfriend, Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirshner), moves in with him after she graduates from the elite University of Chicago. Jenny's alter-ego Sarah Schuster's name is a play upon Zarathustra, a frequently-referenced character of Nietzsche's, who is frequently discussed in her developing affair with Marina Ferrer (Karina Lombard). Marina is the European owner of the trendy neighborhood café, The Planet, which, as the group's hang-out, serves as a focal point for the show.

Marina is part of Bette and Tina's circle of friends, which also includes Shane McCutcheon (Katherine Moennig), an androgynous, highly sexual hairstylist and serial heart-breaker; Dana Fairbanks (Erin Daniels), a professional tennis player who is still in the closet and torn between her career and finding love; and Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey), a girlish, bisexual journalist looking for love in any way she can.

Lives, however, begin to change as Bette's musician half-sister Kit Porter (Pam Grier), who is recovering from alcoholism, returns to her life (jazz fans probably notice Kit Porter's name as a reference both to Eartha Kitt and Cole Porter); and as Jenny begins a discreet relationship with Marina, which challenges everything she knows about herself.

As the first season progresses, Tim finds out about Jenny's lustful fling with Marina which wrecks their relationship beyond repair. Dana begins a romantic affair with Lara Perkins (Lauren Lee Smith), a chef at the country club where Dana practices tennis. But Dana's fears about her lesbianism being made public makes her abruptly end their relationship, only to later discover it was all for nothing, as Dana's new sponsors apparently knew all along about her lesbianism. This finally encourages her to come out of the closet. Alice's storylines involve her dealing with her vain and irresponsible actress mother, and her trouble finding the right woman (or man). Bette faces hostile involvement with a religious conservative group that is trying to block the California Arts Center, her place of employment, from displaying a new type of near-pornographic artwork rightfully titled ’Provocations’. At the same time, her relationship with Tina slowly disintegrates; Tina gets pregnant, but has a miscarriage. Kit tries to get her life back on track, while Shane deals with various young women with whom she had countless one-night stands, as she also tries to find more wealthy hairstylist clients to get discovered.

Tina finds a new job working in a social services office in helping the homeless in Los Angeles, while Jenny deals with Marina's lover, Francesca, who jealously defends her open relationship with Marina. Tim refuses to take Jenny back, saying that because she cheated on him in the first place, the damage was done. Shane becomes involved with a former actress named Cherie Jaffe (Rosanna Arquette), whose husband wants to invest in a new salon for Shane, while Cherie's teenage daughter, Clea, also becomes interested in Shane. But it all falls apart when Clea discovers the real relationship between Shane and her mother, making Cherie break it off. Her husband terminates his business agreement with Shane, leaving her alone and more angry and cynical than ever. Bette, unable to keep up with her work and the stress of her job, becomes more involved with Candace, a female carpenter who she hired to fix up the gallery for the 'Provocations' exhibit. During a weekend trip to Palm Springs by the group, Dana meets a new love interest, a business manager named Tonya (Meredith McGeachie), whose interest in Dana is suspect. After the death of Dana's pet cat, Mr. Piddles, she decides to get engaged to Tonya.

The season finale is the 'Provocations' release, where Tina discovers Bette's infidelity. Jenny is left to decide between circus trapecist Robin, marine biologist Gene, and Marina. Alice reveals Dana is more than a friend to her, and Tina adds a new name under Bette in Alice's chart.

[edit] See Also

• The L Word
• The L Word (season 2)
• The L Word (season 3)
• The L Word (season 4)