by divinemu

In the Episode 8 of Season 4 “Lexington and Concord” when Bette and Tina have their “scene” at Bette’s house. Tina is sitting on the couch with Bette having a cup of tea, talking about how difficult dealing with Jenny can be. She shares her hurt at the way Jenny has portrayed her in her book “Les Girls”

Tina: I have to kiss her ass because every studio in town is blowing smoke up it, and all I really want to do is wring her neck. And that character, Nina — is that really what people think of me?
Bette: No. Tina! Come on, Jenny's a fiction writer. I mean, her story is funny and it's over the top; that's why people are loving it.
Tina: You said some of those things.
Bette: In pain and anger. I mean, I know our relationshi p was real. I know you loved me and it wasn't just some trivial experiment to you.

At this point Tina makes a moving declaration to Bette of how much she misses her. I’m sure we all remember it.

Tina: I still love you, you know.
Bette: [simply] I love you, too.

Tina: It's so hard, Bette. I miss you so much sometimes. I miss our life. I miss the way we communicated subtly ... I miss the way that we worked together to make everything around us so beautiful. I miss being surrounded by women and feeling part of something so secret and special.

I have come to dub this declaration of Tina’s the Lesbian Manifesto…when I heard it I thought to myself “ooh these are important, prescient lines coming out of Tina’s mouth”. I noted eagerly that this parti cular episode had been written by Ilene Chakien herself which perhaps reinforced for me the significance of these words.

At first I wondered why Ilene would give such choice lines to Tina. Up to now, I have always sensed mixed feelings if not downright contempt from Ilene towards the character Tina—not Laurel Holloman. You have wonder why Tina has been deprived of a back story been in episode after episode and stripped of clear sympathetic character development been in episode after episode. Of all the main characters in the ensemble, we know the least about Tina’s life. We’ve complained about it on the discussions boards for years. So now suddenly Ilene is writing such weighty and prophetic lines for a character she has all but marginalized. Hmmm.

So now here’s an idea. Perhaps Tina represents the outsider; she wasn't a Lesbian when she first met Bette; she came from outside that tight circle. They have a very intense and intimate relationship for eight years during which time she is perceived as an insider, definitely a part of the Lesbian scene in Weho, given great respect because of her significant role as Bette’s partner. Bette and Tina were the center of that universe and both were held in highest esteem. Remember how in Season 1, the girls looked to Tina for advice. “Bush confidence” blah blah. Then Bette cheats, Bette and Tina’s relationship falls apart, and ultimately Tina returns to Heteroville with Henry, becoming an outsider once again. In Season Four we see Tina drifting back into the WeHo community, but at this moment in episode 8 she still has the distinct vantage point of the outsider. She has lived as a lesbian and learned about that world; she has lived as a heterosexual and has great familiarity with that world. As an outsider then, Tina is better equipped than anyone to really feel and see what being a Lesbian versus being a Heterosexual woman has to offer. And as a bisexual she has a choice, a choice that gold stars like Carmen or Shane would never have. Remember at the basketball game Tina chooses to identify herself “politically” as a Lesbian. As the ultimate outsider perhaps Tina alone can truly articulate certain elements of the Lesbian experience that may not be immediately apparent to those totally immersed in that lifestyle.

I see Tina’s words as a manifesto about the ultimate beauty and value of this Lword life style—its core essence. In a world where things are often ugly and brutal, the lesbian mindset offers subtlety in communication and seeks to create beauty “all around us”. In a world that can be so patriarchal and dismissive of womanly values , here’s a world of special secrets shared by and with only women. Rather like a feminine Utopia.

That this manifesto is spoken by Tina signals to my mind a change in how she is viewed by Ilene and the other writers. A change, I believe, that has been wrought by the amazing performances of Jennifer Beals and Laurel Holloman. Those two actresses breathed such life and luminosity into this Bette and Tina coupling that audiences, gay, straight and otherwise, were moved beyond measure. So perhaps originally the writers conceived the Bette and Tina break-up as just another sad story in the lesbian arcana ( lesbian and straight girls can’t make it etc; somebody always cheats; bisexuals are emotionally unreliable ). However, the fans and the lead actresses were not having it! Too much had been invested to just dismiss the relationship as predictably unworkable, as “an aberration” . Here’s a case, maybe, where the creation got away from the creators. Jennifer and Laurel took their Bette and Tina characters much farther than was originally intended and we the fans have held Ilene’s feet to the fire insisting vociferously she honor the love and beauty of the Lesbian relationship they created. And the ultimate value of that relationship has now been voiced by none other than Tina, the outsider. What do you think about that?

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