by Jennifer Matos

Every week, L Word writers create magic on the screen as they bring relationships to life during scripted love scenes. What, exactly, goes in to the process of telling a story that cannot be told with words alone?

Astute viewers will note that the L Word sex scenes are not just “filler” used to occupy a fifty-minute time slot. Executive Producer and L Word Creator, Ilene Chaiken says “sex tells a story unto itself. It’s one of the biggest stories of our human lives. Our sexuality, our orientation, our relationship to sex, and the many ways we have sex are huge parts of who we are. But I won’t do a sex scene unless it’s telling a story. Each sex scene has a different style and method. The sex tells us who the characters are and what they are going through emotionally—it has to be specific.”

A prime example of what Chaiken has to say is beautifully, yet disturbingly demonstrated in the first season’s finale. There are six scenes in the entire episode, the most prominent of which being the one between “Bette” and “Tina”. Throughout the season, we witness problems with the pair from finding a sperm donor to the probability that Bette and Tina are falling out of love, and finally, the revelation of Bette’s betrayal. When Tina confronts Bette about her affair, the argument turns into uncharacteristically violent sex. This type of sex does not portray who Bette and Tina are, but mostly, it paints the portrait of who they have become, what their struggles have reduced them to, and their inability to assign words to it all.

What seems to the viewer as something so natural is actually a painstakingly composed effort. In an interview with The Advocate, Jennifer Beals shared some insight into these scenes and echoed Chaiken’s sentiments on storytelling. When asked how she successfully pulls off sex scenes, Beals said “I try to approach the scenes as just scenes—‘OK, what part of the story are we telling, and how do I continue telling that story through this scene and not just take it as a sex scene?’ And everything is choreographed completely. It’s like a dance number, and the art of it is making it all seem like it’s seamless and one thing.”

Although Beals talks of the art in making the scenes appear to be seamless, not all of these scenes are completed in one attempt. The sex scene between “Helena” and “Tina” in the swimming pool left an impression on actress Rachel Shelley, who portrays “Helena Peabody”. It wasn’t particularly the fact that the scene was taking place in a swimming pool, or even that the on-screen lovers were women, but that one of the actresses was pregnant. Shelley recounts, “The scene in the Chateau Marmont pool with Laurel was a difficult shot for me to do because it was my first full-on lesbian scene that I was shooting, and it was with a pregnant woman with very large breasts, and, well, that was quite a shock, really…Director Jeremy Podeswa choreographed all of the action. On camera, it is a bit of a shock. I can remember Jeremy, after the first take, saying ‘We need a bit more…’”

The ability to bring such personal stories and vulnerabilities on screen—despite the mechanics called for by the camera—is a testament to the strength, grace, and talent of the L Word cast.