by Jennifer Matos

Take a deep breath, get a drink of water, order Showtime from your local cable company and lock up your wives and girlfriends…“Marina’s” back in season four of the L Word.

The week of July 10, 2006 opened with headlines that actress Karina Lombard (Marina Ferrer), will be returning for the next season of the show. While it was not confirmed exactly how many episodes Lombard has signed on for, TV Guide reported that she would make an appearance in the first episode of the upcoming season.

This is a surprise return as the January 31, 2006 issue of The Advocate featured a story on “The L Word Makeover” with a subtitle “…and why Marina is never coming back!”

If you read that issue, you read executive producer and show’s creator Ilene Chaiken’s comments on Lombard and the future of Marina’s storyline. When asked directly if Marina would ever make a return, Chaiken stated, “I could say for the record that Marina is not ever coming back.”

Never say “never”.

Marina came on the scene for the first season of the show, making “Jenny Schecter’s” (played by Mia Kirshner) head spin, and then left L.A. After her exit the characters on the show speculated on her rumored suicide attempt, but no one really seemed to have an accurate handle on what the attempt was. It was only until “Kit” and “Bette” teamed up to buy trendy coffee shop and hangout, “The Planet” that we learned Marina had a bigger secret and Marina’s secret had a name: “Count Manfredi Ferrer” (Derek de Lint), her husband of twelve years!

Chaiken easily admits “[Jenny and Marina] were a hot, hot couple.” The actresses brought life to characters who sizzled on screen. Marina was every bit the expert in the dance of lesbian seduction, and Jenny was very much the willing novice. The pairing of Marina and Jenny and the subsequent dissolution of Jenny’s relationship with “Tim Haspel” (portrayed by Eric Mabius), opened the door for Jenny to be romantically paired with other female characters.

Lombard had a very loyal fan base who had even gone so far as to petition for Lombard’s return to the show. In her interview with The New York Daily News, Lombard had only positive things to say about her fans: “…the fans of the L Word are unbelievably dedicated. I’m very, very flattered, they even have websites for me. And that’s why, you know, if I was asked to go back, I would want to bring Marina back in a beautiful way.”

Just last month, in another interview with The New York Daily News, she was asked about a possible return to the lesbian drama and with the slightest tinge of forewarning answered, “Everything happens in Hollywood.”

After being on the L Word, Lombard took on a role with the show, “The 4400”. She plays “Alana Mareva” on a sci-fi channel show about 4400 missing people who have been abducted and re-emerge on planet Earth on the same day, but with supernatural powers.

Breaking news regarding the L Word has made for a busy summer with press releases galore about new characters and actresses to add to the lesbian drama.

Hats off to Chaiken and her crew as season four is shaping up to be nothing short of riveting.