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By
Keston Huntington
If
we had to describe “The Complex” in one word, that word would
be…… FUN!
“The
Complex” is one of it’s kind and may be a head of its time,
but so were the Beatles and uh oh, the DotCom’s, an industry
which will eventually re-emerge, but that is a whole other
story.
So
why is it ahead of its time? Unlike watching the show on television
or heading to the theaters, “The Complex” is primarily viewed
on the Internet. Eventually the internet and cable television
will completely merge, but that is years away. Until then,
visionary risk takers, Jennifer Lane, Kelly Roy and Jenny
Wall are paving the way for future media entertainment and
lucky for us, good lesbian storytelling!
At
LBO, our motto in reviewing media is to tell it like it is.
Yes, we all love watching our lives portrayed in the media,
and we appreciate all of the movies and programming that are
made, but we also must admit that it is hit or miss, when
it comes to lesbian movies. Some are really good and some
are really, really bad.
We
are always thrilled to find a gem and “The Complex” is a gem.
When
the LBO crew sat down and watched the half hour pilot for
“The Complex”, we laughed, we related and each one of us found
something in ourselves in at least one of the five main characters.
All of whom are flawed, yet very endearing and likeable.
The
synopsis
It
is centered around the day in a life of a group of lesbians
whom all live in the same apartment complex in L.A. They are
not necessarily friends, but their lives are somehow intermingled.
There
is Kate , the homegrown cowgirl who lives
a simple life and appears to be running away from something,
perhaps a broken heart. She is in L.A. visiting her cousin
Dylan , the sexy butch whom is notorious
for bedding the ladies. Dylan comes across as selfish and
somewhat dark, but you can tell that she really has a caring
protective side to her.
And
then there is Alex , who is into yoga and
smoking pot and has a hard time keeping her lovers, perhaps
because she is so quirky. Her storylines are very funny and
her sidekick Eddie (her gay boy best friend and next door
neighbor) really deserves a mention. He is terrific!
The
beautiful femme is Kaye , best friend of
Dylan. She is a smart ass with an attitude, but whom badly
needs rescuing and Dylan seems to step up to plate.
And
lastly, there is the bartender, Michelle,
the nice girl of the bunch. She is the one who gets stepped
on and gets her heart broken no matter how hard she tries
to step up for herself.
What
we think
First
of all, the whole program is obviously made with a great deal
of care, planning and thought. It is first rate and unlike
many lesbian Indies ’ the actresses can definitely act, not
to mention that the writing is superb and witty.
Honestly,
the creators have us right from the start, with the girls
dancing to a catchy tune (and there are catchy tunes, all
with meaning behind them, throughout the entire pilot). The
introductions are clever and each characters storyline somehow
connect with each other. There are innuendos and underlying
suggestions of unrequited love or yearning to past broken
hearts within the main characters, which will leave you wanting
to find out more.
What
was probably most impressive, is the detail in the writing
and relatable storylines, such as Kate’s gaydar going off
when she meets Britt, the wife of the man who hired her to
work with his horses. Britt looks the part, acts the part,
sets the gaydars a blazing, but she is married? Hym… is she
really straight? We have all met these women throughout our
lives, haven’t we?
The
show is just terrific and you are sure to enjoy it.
That
being said
Viewing
the show on the internet can be tricky. In order to be available
for all internet users the show is released in very short
intervals or webisodes, maybe too short .
Now again, that will change as more users become savvy and
get fast speed internet, but for now it is slightly annoying.
Jenny Wall, Co-Executive Producer has informed us that there
will be longer webisodes available soon for T1 and Broadband
users and even a DVD for those not online.
There
is also, a cameo of a favorite lesbian writer and actress,
but we will not spill the beans on that one. Instead we will
make it a contest, the first email that we receive identifying
that person will be sent an LBO T-Shirt! Email us the correct
answer at info@lezbeout.com
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