The L Word - Liberally
Jan. 3rd, 2005 12:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
perididdle0.0
This show friggin' ROCKS.
It sent me into flat out tears, and the fact that it managed to DO THAT makes it worthy of my worshipping love. Crappy shows don't do that.
Scene - Bette has set up a exhibition for the art gallery works at, and it's made up of pieces of work depicting (IMO) human suffering, human study, and kind of sexuality...pieces of naked men flaying themselves (lovely) and kind of violent and apparently sexual images. A biiig group of bible huggers attacks the exhibition, saying it corrupts children and everyone is going to hell, all that stupid crap. The leader, Fae Buckley, starts playing mind games with Bette, including asking her about her home life and playing with the fact that Bette is a lesbian. My poor Bette, she's rocked by it, though she's on the way to an ultrasound with her partner Tina. Cue her finding out that they lost the baby. So not only does she have Jesusbitch on her tail (the posse of idiots also start stalking her, and kind of sends Bette outta control) she also has this loss on her hands. Group therapy messes with her head and she realizes she hasn't cried. Buut...we discover...Fae (Cora) was in a porn film when she was 17. Annnnd after a while Bette decides she's gonna take on Fae Buckley about the entire thing and just this scene....
George: (tv) I have with me, Bette Porter, the Director of the California Arts Center, the museum that is mounting the controversial exhibition, "Provocations"; and Fae Buckley of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, the group that is leading the efforts to shut down the exhibition.
[Fae Buckley is leaned back in her chair, smiling, appearing to be very at ease in her own skin. Bette, on the other hand, sits fixed in her chair, upright and stock-still, her nervousness obvious.]
Bert: She needs to loosen up. She should smile.
Fae: Everytime something doesn’t go their way, they cry "fascism."
George: (to Bette) Are you in fact betraying the public trust?
Bette: On the contrary, George. I am trusting the public. I mean what gives me the right to decide what you can and can’t see? I am not more entitled than Miss Buckley is to decide for you what is going to uplift and enlighten you.
Fae: Oh, there she goes again with that liberal duck and parry. It’s just plain bad faith to promote an agenda the way this art show does and then claim no responsibility for the immoral behavior it encourages.
Bette: Art is meant to be perceived and interpreted. It doesn’t intrinsically advocate behavior.
Fae: How can you say you’re not advocating behavior? Your whole purpose is to make that lifestyle appear normal so that more people will want to try it.
[Bette leans forward, smiling, albeit a little pissed off.]
Bette: If I were trying... to convert people to my lifestyle, as you seem to imply, Miss Buckley, do you really think that I would do it by using images of a man flaying himself and trussing his testicles? That piece makes me so... uncomfortable, I can barely look at it. I don’t think it is going to make anyone want to become a lesbian.
Fae: Where is the accountability? Someone has got to...
Bette: Moral Americans aren't responsible enough to decide for themselves whether to go to an art show that might...
George: What about that, Fae, are you contradicting yourself?
Fae: Miss Porter's a very clever woman, aren’t you Miss Porter? She thinks she is clever enough to trick the rest of us into believing that filth isn’t filth. Blasphemy isn’t blasphemy. Pornography is not pornography. But, this stuff speaks for itself... and however hard she tries to defend it with her fancy language and her insulting logic, all it is is sheer, disgusting, filthy, ugly pornography. She is a pornographer.
[Bette's facade is beginning to crumble. She looks as though Fae's comments are beginning to wound.]
Bette: I, uh... (looks down) I understand why... Miss Buckley is so sickened by the porn industry, I do. I mean, it’s brutal, especially for the poor children...
[Cut scene: Footage from the opening sequence of the girls kissing.]
Bette: ... and teenage girls who get lured in and... exploited.
[Bette reaches in her bag and pulls out the "Here Cums the Principal" video.]
Bette: All because they were running away from something.
[Cut scene: Footage from the opening sequence of China about to give the principal a blow job.]
[When we cut back to the debate, Fae is staring at the video box in Bette's hand, but she looks distant as if recalling personal memories]
Bette: Those children lacked love. They were abused.
[Cut scene: Cora Buckley on a street corner at night, soliciting Johns.]
Bette: And how awful it must be to come from a home life so... desperate.
[Fae is somber and looking worried.]
Bette: There is a world of difference between complex, provocative art... and the tragedy of the porn industry.
[Cut scene: Cora Buckley on a street at night, alone, walking amongst other teenaged prostitutes, soliciting other men in their cars.]
George: (to Bette) May I ask what is in the box? Does it somehow relate to our discussion?
Fae: Do you believe in God, Bette?
Bette: I don’t see what that -
Fae: Because if you did, this wouldn’t be complex. You see God has already done the work of sorting through all of this for us.
[Cut scene: Cora Buckley, on the street, looking terribly lost and alone.]
Fae: Faith makes seemingly complex things simple and obvious.
Bette: God is about the most -
Fae: The Bible condemns homosexuality. That’s why God took your unborn child from your lesbian lover.
[Bette's eyes widen at Fae, as she wonders what kind of a person could say something so cruel.]
Fae: And that was a blessing. That baby is with Him now. So he doesn’t have to suffer the degradation he would have been subject to had he been born into your depraved life.
[Bette begins to cry. After a moment, the tears come harder. Fae stares at Bette for a moment, then looks as if she may have regretted her words. She quickly gets up and goes to Bette to try to hug her.]
[Bette forcefully pushes her away.]
Bette: (crying) Monster.
[George takes the video box from Bette and examines it. Fae tries to take it from him, but he holds up a hand, blocking her from doing so.]
[The last scene plays again, when Fae tries to hug Bette and Bette pushes her away.]
Bette: (crying) Monster.
Biatch.
Pissed me off.
God I love this show.
-Maddy
This show friggin' ROCKS.
It sent me into flat out tears, and the fact that it managed to DO THAT makes it worthy of my worshipping love. Crappy shows don't do that.
Scene - Bette has set up a exhibition for the art gallery works at, and it's made up of pieces of work depicting (IMO) human suffering, human study, and kind of sexuality...pieces of naked men flaying themselves (lovely) and kind of violent and apparently sexual images. A biiig group of bible huggers attacks the exhibition, saying it corrupts children and everyone is going to hell, all that stupid crap. The leader, Fae Buckley, starts playing mind games with Bette, including asking her about her home life and playing with the fact that Bette is a lesbian. My poor Bette, she's rocked by it, though she's on the way to an ultrasound with her partner Tina. Cue her finding out that they lost the baby. So not only does she have Jesusbitch on her tail (the posse of idiots also start stalking her, and kind of sends Bette outta control) she also has this loss on her hands. Group therapy messes with her head and she realizes she hasn't cried. Buut...we discover...Fae (Cora) was in a porn film when she was 17. Annnnd after a while Bette decides she's gonna take on Fae Buckley about the entire thing and just this scene....
George: (tv) I have with me, Bette Porter, the Director of the California Arts Center, the museum that is mounting the controversial exhibition, "Provocations"; and Fae Buckley of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, the group that is leading the efforts to shut down the exhibition.
[Fae Buckley is leaned back in her chair, smiling, appearing to be very at ease in her own skin. Bette, on the other hand, sits fixed in her chair, upright and stock-still, her nervousness obvious.]
Bert: She needs to loosen up. She should smile.
Fae: Everytime something doesn’t go their way, they cry "fascism."
George: (to Bette) Are you in fact betraying the public trust?
Bette: On the contrary, George. I am trusting the public. I mean what gives me the right to decide what you can and can’t see? I am not more entitled than Miss Buckley is to decide for you what is going to uplift and enlighten you.
Fae: Oh, there she goes again with that liberal duck and parry. It’s just plain bad faith to promote an agenda the way this art show does and then claim no responsibility for the immoral behavior it encourages.
Bette: Art is meant to be perceived and interpreted. It doesn’t intrinsically advocate behavior.
Fae: How can you say you’re not advocating behavior? Your whole purpose is to make that lifestyle appear normal so that more people will want to try it.
[Bette leans forward, smiling, albeit a little pissed off.]
Bette: If I were trying... to convert people to my lifestyle, as you seem to imply, Miss Buckley, do you really think that I would do it by using images of a man flaying himself and trussing his testicles? That piece makes me so... uncomfortable, I can barely look at it. I don’t think it is going to make anyone want to become a lesbian.
Fae: Where is the accountability? Someone has got to...
Bette: Moral Americans aren't responsible enough to decide for themselves whether to go to an art show that might...
George: What about that, Fae, are you contradicting yourself?
Fae: Miss Porter's a very clever woman, aren’t you Miss Porter? She thinks she is clever enough to trick the rest of us into believing that filth isn’t filth. Blasphemy isn’t blasphemy. Pornography is not pornography. But, this stuff speaks for itself... and however hard she tries to defend it with her fancy language and her insulting logic, all it is is sheer, disgusting, filthy, ugly pornography. She is a pornographer.
[Bette's facade is beginning to crumble. She looks as though Fae's comments are beginning to wound.]
Bette: I, uh... (looks down) I understand why... Miss Buckley is so sickened by the porn industry, I do. I mean, it’s brutal, especially for the poor children...
[Cut scene: Footage from the opening sequence of the girls kissing.]
Bette: ... and teenage girls who get lured in and... exploited.
[Bette reaches in her bag and pulls out the "Here Cums the Principal" video.]
Bette: All because they were running away from something.
[Cut scene: Footage from the opening sequence of China about to give the principal a blow job.]
[When we cut back to the debate, Fae is staring at the video box in Bette's hand, but she looks distant as if recalling personal memories]
Bette: Those children lacked love. They were abused.
[Cut scene: Cora Buckley on a street corner at night, soliciting Johns.]
Bette: And how awful it must be to come from a home life so... desperate.
[Fae is somber and looking worried.]
Bette: There is a world of difference between complex, provocative art... and the tragedy of the porn industry.
[Cut scene: Cora Buckley on a street at night, alone, walking amongst other teenaged prostitutes, soliciting other men in their cars.]
George: (to Bette) May I ask what is in the box? Does it somehow relate to our discussion?
Fae: Do you believe in God, Bette?
Bette: I don’t see what that -
Fae: Because if you did, this wouldn’t be complex. You see God has already done the work of sorting through all of this for us.
[Cut scene: Cora Buckley, on the street, looking terribly lost and alone.]
Fae: Faith makes seemingly complex things simple and obvious.
Bette: God is about the most -
Fae: The Bible condemns homosexuality. That’s why God took your unborn child from your lesbian lover.
[Bette's eyes widen at Fae, as she wonders what kind of a person could say something so cruel.]
Fae: And that was a blessing. That baby is with Him now. So he doesn’t have to suffer the degradation he would have been subject to had he been born into your depraved life.
[Bette begins to cry. After a moment, the tears come harder. Fae stares at Bette for a moment, then looks as if she may have regretted her words. She quickly gets up and goes to Bette to try to hug her.]
[Bette forcefully pushes her away.]
Bette: (crying) Monster.
[George takes the video box from Bette and examines it. Fae tries to take it from him, but he holds up a hand, blocking her from doing so.]
[The last scene plays again, when Fae tries to hug Bette and Bette pushes her away.]
Bette: (crying) Monster.
Biatch.
Pissed me off.
God I love this show.
-Maddy
