The L Word: Generation Q Review: Lost Love (Season 1 Episode 3)

Romances get complicated on The L Word: Generation Q Season 1 Episode 3, “Lost Love,” as the characters contemplate how much work it takes to maintain relationships in spite of personal differences.

In one of the best mini-plots of the season thus far, Finley’s breezy fling with Becca becomes complicated when she learns that her new gal is not just religious, but also an ordained pastor.

This storyline provides some much-needed depth and development for Finley, who clearly wants to keep seeing Becca but is also still carrying some heavy emotional baggage from her Catholic upbringing. 

It’s fitting that The L Word: Generation Q would choose to tackle this subject, given the central role that religious doctrine has played in the marginalization of queer folks.

Becca — and by extension, the episode as a whole — does an enviable job of recognizing Finley’s discomfort while also pushing back on it just a little bit, asking her to see things from Becca’s perspective. It’s hard to feel betrayed by your faith tradition, but it’s also hard to be one of the people who is deeply aware of the hurt that’s been done, and is actively trying to rectify it.

Becca: I’m actually more closeted about being a Christian than I am about being queer.

Jacqueline Toboni does great work in this episode, especially in the way she blends Finley’s signature self-deprecating humor with a palpable sense of unease.

The new backstory helps round out Finley’s character, pushing her from the shallows of comic relief into deeper emotional waters.

Elsewhere, Dani and Sophie are still struggling to connect — and unfortunately, the show hasn’t done enough to make their relationship feel believable.  

The conflict between them feels forced and thin, like drama for drama’s sake rather than something arising naturally out of differences between the characters. Perhaps it’s because the show spent too little time developing their relationship before placing stumbling blocks in front of it, but their arguments seem to lack emotional context.

Sophie has a much easier rapport with other characters than she does with Dani. Her easy banter with Micah and Finley only exacerbates the comparative lack of connection to her fiancée, and it’s unclear whether this is intentional or just a product of chemistry failing to manifest.

At this point, the show’s most enjoyable dynamics are still the ones between the characters from the original series, whose relationships don’t require elaborate exposition or extra time to establish. The chemistry is already there, and every interaction between them is enriched by a sense of their shared history.

The most successfully developed new relationship is the bond between Bette and her daughter Angie, who has once again gotten herself into trouble at school.

Their conversation outside the principal’s office is one of the standout moments of the episode. 

Bette: Missy is going to get away with a lot in life, and you won’t. The rules are different for you, and you know that. It’s not fair, but the only way to survive the system is to understand how it works and then stay ahead of it. And I know that’s shitty, and I’m sorry.

Angie: I thought you’d be mad.

Bette: I am. I’m angry that this happened to you and I couldn’t prevent it. 

 Angie definitely learned both her reactive behavior and her strong sense of justice from Bette, and it’s touching to see Bette acknowledge that.

Whatever moral double standards she continues to struggle with in her romantic life, she’s also clearly been a strong role model for her daughter. 

The L Word: Generation Q understands that love, whether it’s romantic, platonic, or familial, is never easy. It takes work, commitment, and a real willingness to examine and change your behavior. This comes more naturally to some characters than others, but all of them earn points in this episode for sincerely trying to get better at it.

What did you think of this episode of The L Word: Generation Q? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The L Word: Generation Q airs Sunday at 10/9c on Showtime.

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