Mia Kirshner deserves a lot of respect for pulling off how they wrote this character. Bless her and treat her nicely if you ever see her in public. She has been quoted as saying that people would yell and scream at her in public a lot of time mistaking her for her character and she would end up in tears. Mia is not Jenny and goes to show what a fabulous job she did.
@@iamcasihart Mia was definitely done dirty in the show. I hated the character too but the actor is not the character. I can’t believe people screamed at her! I hated Max too but again, not the actor’s fault.
@@littlecatfeet9064 Jenny Shecter is actually my favorite character of all time. Jenny in Seasons 1-3 ….I identify with her so much that it is both beautiful and heartbreaking. In Season 4, she began being written like she’s crazy and without conscience or self-awareness, but even then, there are many scenes when Jenny reminds me of myself. By Season 5, her humor with all of the Lez Girls shit also reminds me of me, if I were amped up to 100 and not taking my meds. 🤣🤣🤣 Season 6 Jenny…that entire season is trash, but in the scenes with Shane breaking her heart and the revenge fuck with Nikki (calling it a “Shomance” after one last night together)- that also reminds me of situations I’ve been in. I am a writer. I am a trauma survivor. I have self harmed by working in a strip club and other things I don’t wish to share here. I love hard. I take shit personal. I’m opinionated and sometimes need a muzzle because I do not think before I speak. I moved to LA with a man. After 7 months, I realized I was not straight and my journey began. I fucking ADORE Jenny.
I think Jenny was the best character on the L word..a true reflection of how misunderstood mentally unstable ppl are treated, how their self destructive tendencies are treated as an annoyance and how when they kill themselves (which you will find in most suicide cases of this circumstance being gay, being isolated & misunderstood) everyone else is relieved, some even rejoice. It is so sad. She was brilliant, passionate, sometimes extremely non judgemental & tolerant of others. She was supportive. But she was never really accepted.
Yes, sad truth of life. I hate screenwriters for making her die, making her so unpopular, uneasy to watch, and others, less deserving, so popular and ridiculously likable.
Yea I don’t think that at all I mean yeah she was the main character of season one but they could’ve cast literally anybody else and the show was still been the same but her character should have been wrote better and she wasn’t iconic some of things she said were funny but she wasn’t really inspirational
@@Sam-xr8ne The first season yes the second is debatable but that doesn’t take away from how annoying she became and how in the end many didn’t care she died
Jenny is the most thought-provoking character. Besides, Dana, she came to terms with her sexuality in front of us. Even with Dana kind of was, she knew who she was as a person. Also, Jenny seemed to be the only one dealing with deep trauma, and honestly, no one, as characters in the show, was really wanting to be there for her. It's OK if you cope as long as you cope in the way that we find fitting and comfortable for us. Jenny has always been my favorite character. Yes, she was annoying sometimes and selfish and all these things, but for me, she was the most relatable HUMAN character.
Can we just take a breath and acknowledge Mia Kirshner for the amazing acting she did here. Personally was never a fan of Jenny but don‘t get all the „hate“. Sure never did get boring.
I don't think Jenny is the WORST person ever,but it's just not a common move to make a character so hard to like.And making her die just seems like a lazy script writing to me,there can be so much more happening in S6 and it's a bit disappointing to see this as some kind of main plot.
I thought it was really shitty that the show runner wrote Jenny much like her own self when she was younger and when Jenny died the show had to end. That tells you a lot about the show runner. I hated the control Eileen Chaiken.
I believe her FRIENDSHIP with Shane says SO MUCH about the person she was deep deep deep down. You can call Shane anything but at the end of the day we all will have to agree that she had a big heart, she was loyal, present, and was ALWAYS there for her friends in good AND bad times. The fact that she lived in the same house as Jenny means that they truly knew each other and still Shane loved her. I think this says a lot about Jenny not being truly evil or anything but yes """"''damaged"""'''' with so much suffering. About their romantic relationship, it was clear that Shane didn't like it, but that was, in my opinion, Shane trying to help her best friend more than anything.
Even Shane said it herself when she was talking to Alice, that she feels this sense of responsibility towards Jenny. And she feels that if she breaks up with her, Jenny might commit suicide
The actress was obviously amazing. The only time I really felt bad for her was when Adele stole her movie. Season six was weird, the best thing was Bette and Tina dancing to “Walk On By.” I still can’t believe they had them be broken up AGAIN, and Tina with the same complaints as like original season 2. Anyway, I’d love to see more of these. And maybe like a “these things are problematic, but these things were awesome.” Thanks!!
Jenny Schecter is one of my favorite characters of all time! Wish they hadn't killed off her character, would have loved to see her in the reboot! Mia Kirshner is an extremely talented and versatile actress.
Well said. I clocked it early on that all traits I hate Jenny for having are traits I have and hate. Haven't watch S4 & S5 though so this opinion might change later lol.
I don't think the problem with Jenny is that fans never took to her. They absolutely did. The problem is that the writers didn't know what to do with such a relateable character. They wanted lesbian caricatures and seasons 1 and 2 Jenny didn't fit that. They wanted over the top storyline, hence why they killed Dana when literally nobody wanted that. Then they tried to cover their asses in season four for the mountain of mistakes they made in season three and poor Jenny was collateral damage as a result.
Thank you so much for your comment. I'm absolutely done with people talking nonsense and shit about her. She was the best. Shane, Allison, Bett, this piece of crap actress - you name it. They were disgusting as hell, done things way worse than Jenny, still they are popular and everyone is all cheezy about them. Hypocrisy at its best. I love Jenny and didn't watch the generation Q exactly and only because they decided to film these three useless bitches and didn't say a word about others.
I personally did not understand the descent into sociopathy. It felt very suddenly, the second she comes into money she becomes psychologically violent - why money would do that is not clear to me
I actually enjoyed the character of Jenny in the first two seasons. I related to her and her darker parts as well as being a confused and repressed lesbian. Diving into her darker past to reveal why she acted like she did was interesting to see. I wish they showed her heal her toxic traits and further heal that inner childhood trauma though. That would have been so good to see on the screen to represent that you can grow into a more healthy person and own who you are. but like the video said they just gave up on her and threw all her depth away to reveal a very cynical person who created chaos. I was rooting for her but I hated her so much in the end. RIP Jenny. (and sounder :/)
Great video, really enjoyed your analysis! But unpopular opinion...I don’t hate Jenny. Because as much as I wish I was a Shane or a Bette, I know down deep inside I’m a Jenny. As a writer, I tend to defend Jenny because creative minds tend...be dramatic. When Carmen said that Jenny “was trapped in her own darkness” that hit me. I also think Jenny’s change character represents how Hollywood can corrupt us. Season 1: Jenny naïve dreamer who just wants to be a real writer. She loves Tim but can’t help herself when she meets Mariana, who gets her an intellectual level (writer’s dirty talk) and on sexual level. Jenny feels remorse and tries to make it right but she has already changed. Season 2: Jenny is dealing with her repressed memories and keeps writing about this Carnival but is still putting together what happened. The darkness consumes her and she cuts herself. Season 3: Jenny does what writers should do and uses her darkness to be productive in writing Some of her parts and then Lez Girls. I want to note that she was very supportive of Max. Jenny accepted Max and helped him early in his transition. She threw a gay prom to raise money for his top surgery, and he yelled her because she didn’t make enough money, and he also cheated on her with a man. Jenny was right to say “we don’t work together anymore” because Max needed to go though his transition alone. Season 4: That two faced vagina wig, attacked her and Some of her parts, her personal story about her personal abuse. Of course the dog scheme was manipulative and an over reaction (though that dog was close to death anyway). Jenny learned that not everyone who has been abused is like her and dose feel remorse. Season 5: Jenny gets what writers dream of, a movie deal. And all these people are around her, telling her how great her story is. She gets a chance to direct! That’s so not common that a first time director get a major studio backing her with millions of dollars. So...this inflates her ego and changes her. She also has to fight for her story to be made right since this is her personal story. And when she sees people changing her story, she gets upset and pushes back. Especially when they charge the ending of her going back to the guy, undoing the whole story. Jenny must stop her film, her story, with her name on it, from being released. So she steals the negatives. This actually happens a lot in filmmaking where there are so many rewrites and reshoots that it becomes unrecognizable and then sometimes it may not even make it to theaters. (I’ve worked on films that were shot and then go nowhere). Season 6: Jenny’s ego is inflated and she wants to write another movie so she can be on top again. To regain the power she had with Lez Girls. She’s fallen from grace but is trying not to face that. She’s convinced herself that she is in love Shane, because Shane has become a constant in her life. Which leads her to insanity with her, Shane, and Nikki. She doesn’t intentionally piss off her friends, but is unaware of her own words and actions. I always thought Jenny killed her self. Because it would be “poetic”. She comes to LA, writes a big hit, becomes a big head, her movie is destroyed, she doesn’t get fame, doesn’t get the love of her life, her friends hate her....so she jumps into pool.
I really like your breakdown/Jenny defense! I definitely think Jenny was misunderstood, and I also related to her way more than any other character on the show... but some of her crazy was a tad ridiculous and seemed to be used as a cheap plot device. So I guess, my ambivalence toward Jenny is real lol
Evelyn Dar the things she did, we wouldn’t do in real life. But this a TV drama and as you said, bad Jenny was very entertaining. At some point the writer felt they needed more “Shenanigans”. Some of it worked, some of it didn’t.
Jenny could have been redeemed. That scene where Eve Ensler told her that she could be a survivor and not a victim was telling. Two women who had gone through similar traumas, both Jewish, but one (eve) used her situation to survive and inspire while jenny was using it to manipulate and cause chaos. If jenny had grown from that experience her character may have been received better. But she didn't.
I loved the character, which Mia K played beautifully...the character was complex, a victim of her own frailties and fears...and I thought her death was well-written ....couldn’t imagine her translating into the reboot ...as for the reboot..lI miss the depth and breath that Ilene brought to her characters...I miss the humor which I thought was brilliant...I continue to watch, but miss the richness that the original series afforded the viewer...the new cast is extremely talented and would embrace a better writing staff’s efforts.
To be fair, I actually liked season 1 Jenny when I first saw the show, and her relationship with Marina was kind of everything to me as a heartbroken 13/14 years old starting to figure out that she's definitely not straight. She was obviously messed up but at that time it felt very relatable to me so I did empathize with her. It's only with season 2 that I started having mixed feelings about her. The way her story is depicted is just so weird and creepy, it just made me feel bad, I always skip those parts when I rewatch the show. She's much more entertaining in the later seasons, like, yeah she's super annoying but it's actually amusing (infuriating also, but in a funny way somehow), whereas in seasons 2 and 3 she's just painful to watch (and now that i've seen the whole show I kind of see that in season 1 also, but I still have a soft spot for her relationship with Marina so it makes it easier to watch). Love your channel by the way! I kind of forgot about it after I watched your L word gen q recaps, but I'm really glad I rediscovered it, and now I'm subscribed so I won't forget a second time lol
Aw, thank you so much, and yes to everything you said about Jenny. I like to joke about Jenny and Marina but it honestly was my favorite season one storyline.
I'm sorry I'm late on replying. At first I didn't like jenny, but after going through some personal experiences I began to relate to her. She really went through so much. She went through childhood trauma and had unsupportive and strict parents. This was already a problem because she now doesn't have any family she can confide in or trust. On top of that she went to a whole new city and basically stood out. The gang at the planet actually makes her stand out even more, but she tries her best to fit in anyway. She goes to a party and is basically felt up by Marina. Now she's questioning her sexuality and on top of that realizing Marina doesn't care if she ruins Jenny's relationship with Tim. Thinking that Tim forgave her they get married and he leaves her at the altar miles away from home. Marina then claims to be in love her but jenny then finds out that Marina already has a trashy girlfriend that basically tells her that Jenny and Marina are over. This was basically her first breakup with a women. At this point in her life she literally has no family to talk to about it and no friends who could really understand her situation. It kinda seems like she kept it to herself rather than expressing her emotions. Jenny never actually gets any real closure from that relationship. By the next season she cuts most of her hair (a major change to a look is usually the first sign of suicidal intentions/thoughts). Then a guy violates her privacy by filming her secretly. She try's to regain some of her sexuality back when she goes to a club to strip for some men not realizing that it would only make her feel worse. Then finds out that Carmen-who she had been dating- isn't even into her, but is instead into Shane. (Doesn't really help that Carmen called Jenny weird either.) Jenny then decides to cut her self because her self worth is virtually nonexistent. Going to therapy obviously didn't help. I mean she had so much built up trama, anger, pain, and frustration it would be relatively difficult to know where to begin with all of that. To make things more frustrating she has huge writers block and ends up writing about her friends lives without their consent. I don't condone this behavior though. She should have spoken to them about it before writing the book and publishing it. But I'd assume that at this point she felt that so much was taken away from her that she felt some kind of unhealthy sense of entitlement. (Thus begins the spiral of lost trust her friends had in her.) She then meets a "fan" of her book who becomes her assistant. Literally the girl becomes Jenny and basically replaces her as the new director of the movie "La Girls"(heavily based off of Jenny's book about her friends). Continuing with her unhealthy sense of entitlement she steals the film out of revenge and becomes even more toxic or as she says "fucked up". She really took a lot of BS and never really had a healthy outlet for it. All of her pain manifested into this darkness causing her to be this crazy mean biscuit of a person. Making the farewell video to Bette and Tina was probably her way of saying I'm sorry to them. But after Tina found out Jenny stole the La Girls film and after seeing Bette talking to an ex and mistaking it for what looked like another affair I'm pretty sure Jenny felt that there was no way that anyone would want to be friends with her again. Shane clearly didn't seem to be a good enough reason to continue living. After all, Shane (for the second time) stole another one of Jenny's girlfriends. Then jenny ended up dating Shane only to realize that Shane felt that Jenny was too clingy for her. I think that Jenny planned to kill herself after she realized she made things worse with everyone. I think that the video Jenny made for Bette and Tina was also a last goodbye from her. I mean think about it. Jenny was the last person in the video to say goodbye, at that point everyone would notice that Jenny wasn't even in the room anymore. I think she jumped or let herself fall from the unfinished balcony into the pool. I say this because there were a few times where the camera continuously pans over the unfinished balcony like something important was about to happen with it. No on would probably hear Jenny if the back doors were closed and the video they were watching was loud enough. Jenny really kept all of her pain inside. She may have played the victim in a lot of situations but it was because she never actually dealt with her problems. She internalized her problems and pain and became this a**hole. She was literally self destructing in a way no one could understand. Sometimes the most meanest people are the ones who have suffered the most. Side note: please, for the love of pete don't allow yourself to be in a romantic relationship with a person who acts this way. It is considered a toxic relationship. It's better to acknowledge that they have a problem and encourage them to seek psychological help. If you want to try to be their friend its fine just as long you don't force yourself to tolerate their behavior. Don't let anyone's trama and pain be an excuse to let them treat you how Jenny treated her friends. If you care about the person let them get help first. And if they refuse you unfortunately have to remove yourself from them. I know my comment does sound like me defending Jenny but I'm just trying to put her situation into a certain perspective. She however did realize that her actions were wrong. I just wish she had gotten more help rather than ending her life.
I'm sorry, not sorry. Jenny is my favorite character from the L-word. All the hate is so confusing, she was abused and suffered from mental illness. She was the most realistic character imo. I related to her the most.
I think Mia's portrayal of Jenny and all her complexity was almost too good, and Jenny made a lot of folks uncomfortable, which I think led to her initial hate (S1-S3). The later hate (S5 and S6) was well-deserved and I think purposeful. The show intentionally turned her into an antagonist and threw her layers, complexity, and mental illness out of the window, which was disappointing.
I haven't watched the show since it was on TV, but I was in High school and she was one of my favorites. I don't understand all the hate she got. I think she was misunderstood and others would exclude and judge. I grew up seeing people struggling with mental health, as I did too, maybe that's why is so easy to relate and understand her. Nowadays, society is more sensitive and educated on mental health, If the show had been written today I doubt the other characters and fans would hate her so much
@Lava rHambosia She encouraged a minor to curse and swear, she threw a perfectly-made breakfast to the trash can, she played psychotically on her own film set, she cheated on her loving and caring boyfriend because of an "adventure" of self-discovery with Marina, she was SO close to ruin Bette and Tina relationship one more time and all because she thought she saw Bette having sex with someone else - she basically made false assumptions and got involved in situations that were not of her concern, and she literally intoxicated a dog. The fact that Jenny was mentally-sick and had an obscure past doesn't make any difference, there's no way we should condone all of these monstrous things she has done.
@@logans.butler285 lol i'm sorry but we could easily sit here and dissect the horrible things that EVERY L WORD CHARACTER has done over the course of the show! they literally all did shitty things but jenny will always get more hate because of ableism i said what i said
My girlfriend skipping all Jenny scenes because she can’t stand watching her and me rewatching it because it feels like finally I found a character that I can identify with, that explains a lot
Annoying... Yes she was very annoying especially S4&S5, but I don't think she was the worst. I really loved her in S1, then... 😁 Thank you @Evelyn Dar🤗
OMG thank you for this!! Finally! Jenny is everything women wants to hide and everything men don't want to know about a woman ♥️ I loved Jenny Since the minute I saw her, one of the most real character in the series.
Which is why I find them to be much more despicable than Jenny ever was. They needed her around so they could feel better about their own fuckery. They weren't her friends, they were her tormenters.
It killed me inside when I saw their reactions. I get they were all mad at her buh she was their friend for how long, and they all knew she wasn't mentally okay
I realized in season 2 when she did the strip joint she was suicidal but I thought in season 3 they would work on her getting help. I actually related to her, not because I had been a victim but because I know what it is like to be invisible to people including my family. I have a great support group starting with my dearest friend Sandra that kept me from going down this path and I am so grateful to my friends for their encouragement and support in my choice to transition from mtf. I loved the character Jenny.
She was one of the best character in the L word. I still don't believe she died. Because when they took her from swimming pool. They don't put on body black cover how they normally do if someone die.
I watched the L Word for the first time some months ago. I loved her since the beginning and I cried so much when she died. Even though she became a crazy monster, I still had her in my heart until the bitter end. She has a layered complexity that every other character could only dream of. It's easier to hate her instead of taking a deep breath and understand, empathize and feel what she feels. People hate Jenny because everyone is Jenny. She's the most human out of them all. It's like looking into a mirror. Beautiful video and amazing analysis!
I’m confused why her breakup with Moira/Max was messed up? Jenny was a lesbian, Max wanted to be a man and had sex with another man. They were clearly on different paths.
I am rewatching The L Word, and honestly I NEVER liked the Jenny character except for about 5 minutes when she fell apart and started cutting herself. Otherwise I think she's a horrific human being.
I sympathized with Jenny in season 1 and 2, however season 3-5 I couldn't stand her. Part of me wanted her to get humbled and I actively rooted for her failure. As someone who is a queer want-to-be writer, who has several mental illnesses, I really wanted to connect with Jenny. And part of me did in the first two seasons, but she just got mean and vindictive I couldn't stand her. And what's worse is I felt like she never got any consequences for her actions until towards the end in a very lazy way.
Thank god so many people feels positively about Jenny. I just finished watching the L word and while reading some reviews afterwards I saw each of them hating on Jenny. I was dumbfounded since Jenny was the best character in the show for me. A character doesn't always have to be morally right to be deemed as good. Villains and antagonists cam be the best character too. A lot of dramas between other characters felt repetitive quite often, but Jenny's scenes were always fresh and engaging. By season 5 most characters were starting to get a little boring. Except Jenny, she kept me hooked. L word starts with Jenny and ends with Jenny.
thank you. this comment section is insane. like did we even watch the same show?? Jenny was a cunt to the entire friend group, i couldn’t comprehend why they were still friends with her.
Great video thank you! After recently re-watching the L word, I realized that Jenny was actually the series itself. She symbolizes the birth, the growth, the failure, the death and the resurrection of the show, of its spirit. And she is perfect the way she is. Just let her be. The only one who can judge the show or its characters will be the one who makes a better series than the L word.
I've watched this deep dive twice. I still like Jenny and here's why. She's more real than most of the other characters. She has deep trauma from childhood and a very religious family who didn't accept her choices and did not support her when she needed them and I have those as well so I understand her. I think the writers turned Jenny into a Sideshow for the sake of I don't know what! It's a crying shame the powers that be didn't take pains to craft her character with more nuance. 😔
Mia as Jenny! 🔥❤️👏. this character deserved a better arc. better end. better explanation. Her portrayal of confusion, pain, mental health struggles and surviving….well till they killed her off at a point where no co stars cared. I re watch season 1 a lot just for that amazing Jenny/Marina story. Mia is a wonderful actress.
The thing that always gets me is Ilene being confused about people not liking Jenny. I'd be so embarrassed if I based a character off of myself and then witnessed everyone trashing that character lmao
Just finished this show. Currently watching the spinoff. I actually liked Jenny I think she was a really good friend she just needed to figure out stuff for herself.
Jenny was an extremely interesting character to follow for anybody who wanted to understand how this type of person behaves in real life too. It's not like people truly hated her, they hated the fact that she was excellent in making all of the contradictions and the mess noticeable and hurtful. But that's how reality works, it stings.
Jenny and Shane were my favourite characters. Jenny for being complex, depressed but artistic, misunderstood much like me in high school which was the time i was watching it. And Shane for being rebelious and being herself and not giving a damn about dressing as she wants opposite to what society wants her to do. Similar to me again ❤
I loved Jenny. Not sorry for it either. What sucks is that when she died, shit that she didn’t do was blamed on her. After season 4 they turned her into an asshole, but I still kinda loved her. The dog was the only REALLY fucked up thing that I can’t forgive. Also I 100% think Bet killed Jenny.
I hated Jenny's character so much that I quit the show around the time her book got a movie adaptation. And I honestly don't see a lot of sociopathy in her. Because sociopaths have some charm to get what they want. They know social norms even though they don't care about them but when it comes to getting what they want sociopaths do what is necessary in a way that most people don't pick up on. So all of her behavior from season 4 onwards is more on the egotistical and narcissistic side of things than on the sociopathy spectrum. And all of it was sooo annoying! I still don't understand why Shane would still call her a friend with all the things she did! Just now I wanted to give the show another shot but 3 minutes in I hit the pause button because Jenny appeared on screen and I know what's about to come in the rest of the show. The fact that she dies is satisfying but it should have happened so much earlier. I would have preferred to see more of Karina Lombard's character Marina Ferrer than a single second of Jenny
I loved Jenny from the start... I think no one understood Jenny. I felt every emotion she felt, and Mia Portrait her so well! It was obvious that it’s suicide... but a part of me hoped for Jenny to survive it somehow, and maybe get the proper help she needed. People hating her not paying attention to what she has been through and the all the losses, lies and betrayal she faced , and wonder why she changed.. I think she needed help.. She will always be my favorite 🙏🏽
I mean Jenny was pretty toxic and manipulative, but she was also the most fascinating of the cast. As a person in real life I'd probably hate her, but as a fictional character I enjoyed her story a lot.
She was never believable as a lesbian. She always came across as someone straight who pretended to be gay because she wanted to be cool and wanted to be a part of Bette and Tina's friendship group.
For me Jenny was simply the best character of that show, I loved her complexicity and all the layers it was presented with. I think It was a horror the way this such rich character was taken on specially since s4. I don't think the writers quite got what a woman this could be. And the actor, Mia Kirshner was the best. I felt offended by the way her story was handled towards the end. Make no sense at all. It was insulting, to her story and to the actress.
I agree that Jenny was the best character and it was obvious that she was based on Ilene C. It was difficult for me to objectively judge the character because of my strong attraction to Mia. But I blamed the writers for Jenny's terrible behavior in season 5 when Jenny became the spoiled brat diva movie director.
this is exactly how i felt. her character was completely used as a crutch in the end for comedic relief and it didn’t make sense. it just made me sad for her because she should have had growth instead.
I will never get over them slowly undoing all of her character growth, just to make everyone hate her enough to have a motive to kill her. She straight up acts out of character in the most random ways, just so characters hate her. She misgenders Max when she was the first (and only for a long time) person to support his transition, setting up a fundraiser for him and eventually breaking up with him because he was a man and she decided she was in fact a lesbian. Him being a man led to their break up but in s6 she calls him a woman? Hello?
I think your analysis of Jenny as a protagonist is spot on but that’s why I liked her. Bette and Shane are characters you aspire to but know you’ll never be. Jenny is a character that the audience can project on to. But that might just be my experience. When I originally watched the show I was 13 coming to terms with my sexuality and also a writer.
No, I was pissed when better cheated. Jenny lied to a friend to the group. I liked her with marina, but she only wore her insecurities know her sleeve to manipulate people. Anybody strip on a pole after cheating on their male fiance with a woman? Yeah, Jenny ain't relatable. It ain't that jenny sucks like we do l, and we can't accept it. It's that no one sucks that hard and is well liked.
I honestly loved Jenny. I know it’s hard to believe but she was so captivating. I do think she marinated in her pain but I’m not sure what’s wrong with that. Jenny’s suicide is so devastating because Jenny was always crying for help.
Jenny was ok until she made the mistake of fell in love with Shane and giving the production of her movie to Beth and her partner, they eat 🍗 her for breakfast and was the end of Jenny🤔
I love Mia Kirshner so much!!! They did her character wrong. She deserved better. 😢 And the character offed herself and you just admitted you were happy about that. That is the worst thing to say.
She was the best until she became the worst. Her and Marina were my favorites but they ruined that storyline. Karina Lombard was so hot, and she was done dirty. I don’t know why Mia stuck around honestly.
I only watched three seasons of The L Word. I never disliked Jenny, in fact, I loved her. I was far too much in awe of Mia Kirshner's acting - and to be honest, her amazing looks - to take a dislike to her character.
I love Jenny from Season 1 to Season 3. She started becoming less and less likeable in Season 4 but I still can't bring myself to completely hate her. I also love Shane.
I think the writers kept trying to make Jenny the main character too much. It screwed up the show. Eileen was so narcissistic that she had to keep rewriting this character and forcing her down her our throats when she could have easily left the show and it could have gone on for several more good seasons. Eileen also messed up the show empire too.
But I LIKED season 1 Jenny. That show jumped the shark so bad though until no character resembled itself anymore. Marina, Cherie Jaffe, Helena, Jenny... they all became plot zombies. And then those torturous cold opens.
Great video! I never knew she was supposed to be liked. I just wondered why she kept getting more unlikable each season. I kinda liked her the 1st season. She was relatable to me. I had a similar coming out story, not super similar, but enough to make her likeable.
i really don’t understand why people hate jenny when she’s literally a relatable character on the show her character goes through a lot just like actual people who go through the same thing on the daily basis jenny came into terms with her sexuality throughout season 1 - 2 not everyone can do that it takes them years to jenny also has a lot of trauma and suffers from depression just like people on the daily basis so saying she’s annoying, sad, self obsessed and selfish etc is crazy she dumps her trauma into her writing she’s really good character and i relate to her jenny is down to this earth in my eyes she can’t do no wrong idc what anyone says she’s the best character on the show she started the show and ended the fact that people hate her character baffles me and to me that means mia kirshner did an amazing job
Dafuq is this? Jenny is the BEST!! She was my favorite characters since the first season. Complex, dark? That was the best part about her. Season was top quality and Marina & Jenny was the part I was excited the most.
I hate Alice and everyone loves Alice. There is nothing charismatic or deep or touching about Alice. She’s a salty caricature of an impish sprite. Very one dimensional. I also don’t hate Tina whim ppl also hate after Jenny. I think Jenny as protagonist bears the brunt of the devolution of the entire show. It started off strong, Jenny was an ideal relatable protagonist, her and Marina were a beautiful couple with tons of tenderness and chemistry. Bette and Tina were a beautiful couple. The show started off portraying lesbians as real people with real relationships and real problems relatable to everyone as well as unique to the lesbian community, the entire show devolved into a cheap nighttime soap. 😢 That was before the so called golden age of TV and I think the same idea and characters could be crafted into a beautiful, quality vehicle of storytelling today. Not merely recycled with a reboot which doesn’t have the same energy. I relate to Bette and Shane the most btw.
True. I thought Alice was an okay character but she's too one dimensional for my taste yet everyone loves her I mean how can Alice even compare to the awesomeness that is Jenny? wtf
Jenny is my absolute favorite. Even if you hate her as a person, you gotta admit that she's at least an insanely well-written character. You don't have to be a nice character, to be a good character.
Jenny was literally the best character, and to this day people side eye me when I say that. Was the the nicest character? No! But was she the most interesting? Yes. Would the series be the same without her? Absolutely not.
I feel I didn’t hate season 1 Jenny. I actually really related to her. It was more season4 Jenny that I feel I hated. I don’t think people judged Jenny for her affair with marina, as much as it was she always played the victim and had no accountability. Shane and Bette had remorse which is why I think people forgave them more.
I'm late with this comment but I had a friend who ALWAYS reminded me of Jenny. I loved her a great deal but something I think is hard to admit, self destructive behaviors arent where thinks end. If you dont consider yourself enough to protect yourself, in time, you'll hurt me. And that friend did. Constantly. My own mental health I was working on started to falter.
I liked or at least empathised with season 1 Jenny…and liked Jenny and Marina (in all their toxicity). I was bummed when Karina didn’t come back. The thing that annoyed me about Jenny the first couple of seasons was how much time we spent in her surreal writing world. It felt like a whole different show...and one I wouldn’t watch. But agree on all you said about Jenny of seasons 4-6…and the way Gen Q treated with her. PS. I believe Chaiken has an exclusive deal with Fox that precludes her show running anything on Showtime. They apparently accommodated her at least being an EP on Gen Q.
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Mia Kirshner deserves a lot of respect for pulling off how they wrote this character. Bless her and treat her nicely if you ever see her in public. She has been quoted as saying that people would yell and scream at her in public a lot of time mistaking her for her character and she would end up in tears. Mia is not Jenny and goes to show what a fabulous job she did.
Jesus. Do some people not understand how TV works???
Siiigh, just like with Jake Lloyd who played as Anakin in SW Episode One. He was a KID for God’s sake!
Mia is a teeny petite little lady. She is lovely and a kind woman. I met her briefly at the opening for her book project, “I Live Here.”
@@iamcasihart Mia was definitely done dirty in the show. I hated the character too but the actor is not the character. I can’t believe people screamed at her! I hated Max too but again, not the actor’s fault.
@@littlecatfeet9064 Jenny Shecter is actually my favorite character of all time. Jenny in Seasons 1-3 ….I identify with her so much that it is both beautiful and heartbreaking. In Season 4, she began being written like she’s crazy and without conscience or self-awareness, but even then, there are many scenes when Jenny reminds me of myself. By Season 5, her humor with all of the Lez Girls shit also reminds me of me, if I were amped up to 100 and not taking my meds. 🤣🤣🤣 Season 6 Jenny…that entire season is trash, but in the scenes with Shane breaking her heart and the revenge fuck with Nikki (calling it a “Shomance” after one last night together)- that also reminds me of situations I’ve been in. I am a writer. I am a trauma survivor. I have self harmed by working in a strip club and other things I don’t wish to share here. I love hard. I take shit personal. I’m opinionated and sometimes need a muzzle because I do not think before I speak. I moved to LA with a man. After 7 months, I realized I was not straight and my journey began. I fucking ADORE Jenny.
I think Jenny was the best character on the L word..a true reflection of how misunderstood mentally unstable ppl are treated, how their self destructive tendencies are treated as an annoyance and how when they kill themselves (which you will find in most suicide cases of this circumstance being gay, being isolated & misunderstood) everyone else is relieved, some even rejoice. It is so sad. She was brilliant, passionate, sometimes extremely non judgemental & tolerant of others. She was supportive. But she was never really accepted.
Yes, sad truth of life.
I hate screenwriters for making her die, making her so unpopular, uneasy to watch, and others, less deserving, so popular and ridiculously likable.
This is very well said , and so true
Thank you!
A true reflection of how mentally unstable people, *who also survived childhood trauma*, are treated.....
it honestly makes me so sad how her character was treated. They finished the series with her su*cide video for f sake
Jenny is so iconic and the show wouldn’t of happened without Jenny. The show starts and ends in Jenny’s eyes.
Yea I don’t think that at all I mean yeah she was the main character of season one but they could’ve cast literally anybody else and the show was still been the same but her character should have been wrote better and she wasn’t iconic some of things she said were funny but she wasn’t really inspirational
@@gamepirate1108 Jenny was the best storyline in the first two seasons.
@@Sam-xr8ne The first season yes the second is debatable but that doesn’t take away from how annoying she became and how in the end many didn’t care she died
@@gamepirate1108 lazy ass writing destroyed the character and show, imo.
@@Sam-xr8ne The show would of been hella boring without Jenny. I stand by that 💀
Jenny is the most thought-provoking character. Besides, Dana, she came to terms with her sexuality in front of us. Even with Dana kind of was, she knew who she was as a person. Also, Jenny seemed to be the only one dealing with deep trauma, and honestly, no one, as characters in the show, was really wanting to be there for her. It's OK if you cope as long as you cope in the way that we find fitting and comfortable for us. Jenny has always been my favorite character. Yes, she was annoying sometimes and selfish and all these things, but for me, she was the most relatable HUMAN character.
Well said. The writers and the fans did her dirty for no other reason than because she was a damaged and unlikable person
Can we just take a breath and acknowledge Mia Kirshner for the amazing acting she did here. Personally was never a fan of Jenny but don‘t get all the „hate“. Sure never did get boring.
We absolutely can, she was AMAZING as Jenny!
@@EvelynDar Maybe worth a video. 😉 Mentioning what she does now as well.
I don't think Jenny is the WORST person ever,but it's just not a common move to make a character so hard to like.And making her die just seems like a lazy script writing to me,there can be so much more happening in S6 and it's a bit disappointing to see this as some kind of main plot.
👏👏👏👏👏👏
I thought it was really shitty that the show runner wrote Jenny much like her own self when she was younger and when Jenny died the show had to end. That tells you a lot about the show runner. I hated the control Eileen Chaiken.
Bet is the worst character because the writers try to disguise all her bad traits and it leads to her becoming repulsive.
I believe her FRIENDSHIP with Shane says SO MUCH about the person she was deep deep deep down.
You can call Shane anything but at the end of the day we all will have to agree that she had a big heart, she was loyal, present, and was ALWAYS there for her friends in good AND bad times.
The fact that she lived in the same house as Jenny means that they truly knew each other and still Shane loved her. I think this says a lot about Jenny not being truly evil or anything but yes """"''damaged"""'''' with so much suffering.
About their romantic relationship, it was clear that Shane didn't like it, but that was, in my opinion, Shane trying to help her best friend more than anything.
Shane is my favorite. I’m in love with Shane. Shay should’ve stayed with her.
Even Shane said it herself when she was talking to Alice, that she feels this sense of responsibility towards Jenny. And she feels that if she breaks up with her, Jenny might commit suicide
I disagree. Shane was about being kind to EVERYONE and if she felt bad for you she was even nicer. Jenny never deserved Shane.
The actress was obviously amazing. The only time I really felt bad for her was when Adele stole her movie. Season six was weird, the best thing was Bette and Tina dancing to “Walk On By.” I still can’t believe they had them be broken up AGAIN, and Tina with the same complaints as like original season 2. Anyway, I’d love to see more of these. And maybe like a “these things are problematic, but these things were awesome.” Thanks!!
The scene of Bette and Tina dancing to Walk on By was actually in the last few minutes of season 5 it wasn’t in season 6
Jenny Schecter is one of my favorite characters of all time! Wish they hadn't killed off her character, would have loved to see her in the reboot! Mia Kirshner is an extremely talented and versatile actress.
Mia is amazing. There's something so captivating about her when she's onscreen.
I love Jenny because I am mentally unstable
Lol me 2
Well said. I clocked it early on that all traits I hate Jenny for having are traits I have and hate.
Haven't watch S4 & S5 though so this opinion might change later lol.
I don't think the problem with Jenny is that fans never took to her. They absolutely did. The problem is that the writers didn't know what to do with such a relateable character. They wanted lesbian caricatures and seasons 1 and 2 Jenny didn't fit that. They wanted over the top storyline, hence why they killed Dana when literally nobody wanted that. Then they tried to cover their asses in season four for the mountain of mistakes they made in season three and poor Jenny was collateral damage as a result.
Thank you so much for your comment. I'm absolutely done with people talking nonsense and shit about her. She was the best. Shane, Allison, Bett, this piece of crap actress - you name it. They were disgusting as hell, done things way worse than Jenny, still they are popular and everyone is all cheezy about them. Hypocrisy at its best.
I love Jenny and didn't watch the generation Q exactly and only because they decided to film these three useless bitches and didn't say a word about others.
👏🏻
Thank you!
I agree
I personally did not understand the descent into sociopathy. It felt very suddenly, the second she comes into money she becomes psychologically violent - why money would do that is not clear to me
I actually enjoyed the character of Jenny in the first two seasons. I related to her and her darker parts as well as being a confused and repressed lesbian. Diving into her darker past to reveal why she acted like she did was interesting to see. I wish they showed her heal her toxic traits and further heal that inner childhood trauma though. That would have been so good to see on the screen to represent that you can grow into a more healthy person and own who you are. but like the video said they just gave up on her and threw all her depth away to reveal a very cynical person who created chaos. I was rooting for her but I hated her so much in the end. RIP Jenny. (and sounder :/)
Great video, really enjoyed your analysis!
But unpopular opinion...I don’t hate Jenny. Because as much as I wish I was a Shane or a Bette, I know down deep inside I’m a Jenny. As a writer, I tend to defend Jenny because creative minds tend...be dramatic. When Carmen said that Jenny “was trapped in her own darkness” that hit me. I also think Jenny’s change character represents how Hollywood can corrupt us.
Season 1: Jenny naïve dreamer who just wants to be a real writer.
She loves Tim but can’t help herself when she meets Mariana, who gets her an intellectual level (writer’s dirty talk) and on sexual level. Jenny feels remorse and tries to make it right but she has already changed.
Season 2: Jenny is dealing with her repressed memories and keeps writing about this Carnival but is still putting together what happened. The darkness consumes her and she cuts herself.
Season 3: Jenny does what writers should do and uses her darkness to be productive in writing Some of her parts and then Lez Girls. I want to note that she was very supportive of Max. Jenny accepted Max and helped him early in his transition. She threw a gay prom to raise money for his top surgery, and he yelled her because she didn’t make enough money, and he also cheated on her with a man. Jenny was right to say “we don’t work together anymore” because Max needed to go though his transition alone.
Season 4: That two faced vagina wig, attacked her and Some of her parts, her personal story about her personal abuse. Of course the dog scheme was manipulative and an over reaction (though that dog was close to death anyway). Jenny learned that not everyone who has been abused is like her and dose feel remorse.
Season 5: Jenny gets what writers dream of, a movie deal. And all these people are around her, telling her how great her story is. She gets a chance to direct! That’s so not common that a first time director get a major studio backing her with millions of dollars. So...this inflates her ego and changes her. She also has to fight for her story to be made right since this is her personal story. And when she sees people changing her story, she gets upset and pushes back. Especially when they charge the ending of her going back to the guy, undoing the whole story. Jenny must stop her film, her story, with her name on it, from being released. So she steals the negatives. This actually happens a lot in filmmaking where there are so many rewrites and reshoots that it becomes unrecognizable and then sometimes it may not even make it to theaters. (I’ve worked on films that were shot and then go nowhere).
Season 6: Jenny’s ego is inflated and she wants to write another movie so she can be on top again. To regain the power she had with Lez Girls. She’s fallen from grace but is trying not to face that. She’s convinced herself that she is in love Shane, because Shane has become a constant in her life. Which leads her to insanity with her, Shane, and Nikki. She doesn’t intentionally piss off her friends, but is unaware of her own words and actions.
I always thought Jenny killed her self. Because it would be “poetic”. She comes to LA, writes a big hit, becomes a big head, her movie is destroyed, she doesn’t get fame, doesn’t get the love of her life, her friends hate her....so she jumps into pool.
I really like your breakdown/Jenny defense! I definitely think Jenny was misunderstood, and I also related to her way more than any other character on the show... but some of her crazy was a tad ridiculous and seemed to be used as a cheap plot device. So I guess, my ambivalence toward Jenny is real lol
wow, i really enjoyed reading your take on Jenny as well.. i have to agree
Evelyn Dar the things she did, we wouldn’t do in real life. But this a TV drama and as you said, bad Jenny was very entertaining. At some point the writer felt they needed more “Shenanigans”. Some of it worked, some of it didn’t.
Everything you said!
why would u wanna be a bette when she literally sexually assaulted tina
I don't know about all this hate on Jenny, she was hands down my favorite character. she made the show interesting to watch honestly.
Jenny could have been redeemed.
That scene where Eve Ensler told her that she could be a survivor and not a victim was telling. Two women who had gone through similar traumas, both Jewish, but one (eve) used her situation to survive and inspire while jenny was using it to manipulate and cause chaos. If jenny had grown from that experience her character may have been received better.
But she didn't.
I loved the character, which Mia K played beautifully...the character was complex, a victim of her own frailties and fears...and I thought her death was well-written ....couldn’t imagine her translating into the reboot ...as for the reboot..lI miss the depth and breath that Ilene brought to her characters...I miss the humor which I thought was brilliant...I continue to watch, but miss the richness that the original series afforded the viewer...the new cast is extremely talented and would embrace a better writing staff’s efforts.
To be fair, I actually liked season 1 Jenny when I first saw the show, and her relationship with Marina was kind of everything to me as a heartbroken 13/14 years old starting to figure out that she's definitely not straight. She was obviously messed up but at that time it felt very relatable to me so I did empathize with her. It's only with season 2 that I started having mixed feelings about her. The way her story is depicted is just so weird and creepy, it just made me feel bad, I always skip those parts when I rewatch the show. She's much more entertaining in the later seasons, like, yeah she's super annoying but it's actually amusing (infuriating also, but in a funny way somehow), whereas in seasons 2 and 3 she's just painful to watch (and now that i've seen the whole show I kind of see that in season 1 also, but I still have a soft spot for her relationship with Marina so it makes it easier to watch).
Love your channel by the way! I kind of forgot about it after I watched your L word gen q recaps, but I'm really glad I rediscovered it, and now I'm subscribed so I won't forget a second time lol
Aw, thank you so much, and yes to everything you said about Jenny. I like to joke about Jenny and Marina but it honestly was my favorite season one storyline.
I skipped the Max parts grossed me out the door
I actually loved her. She’s so complex and strange. You never knew what she’d do next. Very entertaining
Jenny is my favorite and I will die on this hill.
lol, I love Jenny fans. Ya'll be so passionate ❤️
I'm sorry I'm late on replying. At first I didn't like jenny, but after going through some personal experiences I began to relate to her. She really went through so much. She went through childhood trauma and had unsupportive and strict parents. This was already a problem because she now doesn't have any family she can confide in or trust. On top of that she went to a whole new city and basically stood out. The gang at the planet actually makes her stand out even more, but she tries her best to fit in anyway. She goes to a party and is basically felt up by Marina. Now she's questioning her sexuality and on top of that realizing Marina doesn't care if she ruins Jenny's relationship with Tim. Thinking that Tim forgave her they get married and he leaves her at the altar miles away from home. Marina then claims to be in love her but jenny then finds out that Marina already has a trashy girlfriend that basically tells her that Jenny and Marina are over. This was basically her first breakup with a women. At this point in her life she literally has no family to talk to about it and no friends who could really understand her situation. It kinda seems like she kept it to herself rather than expressing her emotions. Jenny never actually gets any real closure from that relationship. By the next season she cuts most of her hair (a major change to a look is usually the first sign of suicidal intentions/thoughts). Then a guy violates her privacy by filming her secretly. She try's to regain some of her sexuality back when she goes to a club to strip for some men not realizing that it would only make her feel worse. Then finds out that Carmen-who she had been dating- isn't even into her, but is instead into Shane. (Doesn't really help that Carmen called Jenny weird either.) Jenny then decides to cut her self because her self worth is virtually nonexistent. Going to therapy obviously didn't help. I mean she had so much built up trama, anger, pain, and frustration it would be relatively difficult to know where to begin with all of that. To make things more frustrating she has huge writers block and ends up writing about her friends lives without their consent. I don't condone this behavior though. She should have spoken to them about it before writing the book and publishing it. But I'd assume that at this point she felt that so much was taken away from her that she felt some kind of unhealthy sense of entitlement. (Thus begins the spiral of lost trust her friends had in her.) She then meets a "fan" of her book who becomes her assistant. Literally the girl becomes Jenny and basically replaces her as the new director of the movie "La Girls"(heavily based off of Jenny's book about her friends). Continuing with her unhealthy sense of entitlement she steals the film out of revenge and becomes even more toxic or as she says "fucked up". She really took a lot of BS and never really had a healthy outlet for it. All of her pain manifested into this darkness causing her to be this crazy mean biscuit of a person. Making the farewell video to Bette and Tina was probably her way of saying I'm sorry to them. But after Tina found out Jenny stole the La Girls film and after seeing Bette talking to an ex and mistaking it for what looked like another affair I'm pretty sure Jenny felt that there was no way that anyone would want to be friends with her again. Shane clearly didn't seem to be a good enough reason to continue living. After all, Shane (for the second time) stole another one of Jenny's girlfriends. Then jenny ended up dating Shane only to realize that Shane felt that Jenny was too clingy for her. I think that Jenny planned to kill herself after she realized she made things worse with everyone. I think that the video Jenny made for Bette and Tina was also a last goodbye from her. I mean think about it. Jenny was the last person in the video to say goodbye, at that point everyone would notice that Jenny wasn't even in the room anymore. I think she jumped or let herself fall from the unfinished balcony into the pool. I say this because there were a few times where the camera continuously pans over the unfinished balcony like something important was about to happen with it. No on would probably hear Jenny if the back doors were closed and the video they were watching was loud enough. Jenny really kept all of her pain inside. She may have played the victim in a lot of situations but it was because she never actually dealt with her problems. She internalized her problems and pain and became this a**hole. She was literally self destructing in a way no one could understand. Sometimes the most meanest people are the ones who have suffered the most.
Side note: please, for the love of pete don't allow yourself to be in a romantic relationship with a person who acts this way. It is considered a toxic relationship. It's better to acknowledge that they have a problem and encourage them to seek psychological help. If you want to try to be their friend its fine just as long you don't force yourself to tolerate their behavior. Don't let anyone's trama and pain be an excuse to let them treat you how Jenny treated her friends. If you care about the person let them get help first. And if they refuse you unfortunately have to remove yourself from them.
I know my comment does sound like me defending Jenny but I'm just trying to put her situation into a certain perspective. She however did realize that her actions were wrong. I just wish she had gotten more help rather than ending her life.
You wrote a full article
I'm sorry, not sorry. Jenny is my favorite character from the L-word. All the hate is so confusing, she was abused and suffered from mental illness. She was the most realistic character imo. I related to her the most.
I think Mia's portrayal of Jenny and all her complexity was almost too good, and Jenny made a lot of folks uncomfortable, which I think led to her initial hate (S1-S3). The later hate (S5 and S6) was well-deserved and I think purposeful. The show intentionally turned her into an antagonist and threw her layers, complexity, and mental illness out of the window, which was disappointing.
I haven't watched the show since it was on TV, but I was in High school and she was one of my favorites. I don't understand all the hate she got. I think she was misunderstood and others would exclude and judge. I grew up seeing people struggling with mental health, as I did too, maybe that's why is so easy to relate and understand her. Nowadays, society is more sensitive and educated on mental health, If the show had been written today I doubt the other characters and fans would hate her so much
@Lava rHambosia She encouraged a minor to curse and swear, she threw a perfectly-made breakfast to the trash can, she played psychotically on her own film set, she cheated on her loving and caring boyfriend because of an "adventure" of self-discovery with Marina, she was SO close to ruin Bette and Tina relationship one more time and all because she thought she saw Bette having sex with someone else - she basically made false assumptions and got involved in situations that were not of her concern, and she literally intoxicated a dog.
The fact that Jenny was mentally-sick and had an obscure past doesn't make any difference, there's no way we should condone all of these monstrous things she has done.
@@logans.butler285 yeah
@@logans.butler285 lol i'm sorry but we could easily sit here and dissect the horrible things that EVERY L WORD CHARACTER has done over the course of the show! they literally all did shitty things but jenny will always get more hate because of ableism i said what i said
Still the best actress on the L Word
Mia was phenomenal as Jenny!
My girlfriend skipping all Jenny scenes because she can’t stand watching her and me rewatching it because it feels like finally I found a character that I can identify with, that explains a lot
ill never understand all the hate for Jenny smh
Annoying... Yes she was very annoying especially S4&S5, but I don't think she was the worst.
I really loved her in S1, then... 😁
Thank you @Evelyn Dar🤗
Bad Jenny was hilarious I loved her in season 4 &5
Great breakdown, I love these please keep doing these.
OMG thank you for this!! Finally! Jenny is everything women wants to hide and everything men don't want to know about a woman ♥️ I loved Jenny Since the minute I saw her, one of the most real character in the series.
did anyone else find the other characters' reactions to jenny's sudden death borderline sociopathic??? they barely cared
Which is why I find them to be much more despicable than Jenny ever was. They needed her around so they could feel better about their own fuckery. They weren't her friends, they were her tormenters.
You must have watched a different show lol.
It killed me inside when I saw their reactions. I get they were all mad at her buh she was their friend for how long, and they all knew she wasn't mentally okay
She was never really their friend. Nobody else could fit in that tight knit group they had going on.
I realized in season 2 when she did the strip joint she was suicidal but I thought in season 3 they would work on her getting help. I actually related to her, not because I had been a victim but because I know what it is like to be invisible to people including my family. I have a great support group starting with my dearest friend Sandra that kept me from going down this path and I am so grateful to my friends for their encouragement and support in my choice to transition from mtf. I loved the character Jenny.
She was one of the best character in the L word. I still don't believe she died. Because when they took her from swimming pool. They don't put on body black cover how they normally do if someone die.
I watched the L Word for the first time some months ago.
I loved her since the beginning and I cried so much when she died. Even though she became a crazy monster, I still had her in my heart until the bitter end.
She has a layered complexity that every other character could only dream of.
It's easier to hate her instead of taking a deep breath and understand, empathize and feel what she feels.
People hate Jenny because everyone is Jenny. She's the most human out of them all. It's like looking into a mirror.
Beautiful video and amazing analysis!
Bless you for your words!!!!
I cried when she died too, it was such a cruel ending
I’m confused why her breakup with Moira/Max was messed up? Jenny was a lesbian, Max wanted to be a man and had sex with another man. They were clearly on different paths.
But also Max character became abusive
i could have watched this for 20 minutes. your videos are so captivating.. 💯💯
Aww, thank you! 😊
I am rewatching The L Word, and honestly I NEVER liked the Jenny character except for about 5 minutes when she fell apart and started cutting herself. Otherwise I think she's a horrific human being.
I sympathized with Jenny in season 1 and 2, however season 3-5 I couldn't stand her. Part of me wanted her to get humbled and I actively rooted for her failure. As someone who is a queer want-to-be writer, who has several mental illnesses, I really wanted to connect with Jenny. And part of me did in the first two seasons, but she just got mean and vindictive I couldn't stand her. And what's worse is I felt like she never got any consequences for her actions until towards the end in a very lazy way.
Thank god so many people feels positively about Jenny. I just finished watching the L word and while reading some reviews afterwards I saw each of them hating on Jenny. I was dumbfounded since Jenny was the best character in the show for me. A character doesn't always have to be morally right to be deemed as good. Villains and antagonists cam be the best character too.
A lot of dramas between other characters felt repetitive quite often, but Jenny's scenes were always fresh and engaging. By season 5 most characters were starting to get a little boring. Except Jenny, she kept me hooked.
L word starts with Jenny and ends with Jenny.
I like Jenny very much!! She's my favorite character in the L word..along with Alice & Helena, Shane is the worst to me..
Please do each character!!!!🙏🏻🙏🏻
omg I'd love to see that
there's nothing anyone can say to change my mind on Jenny Schecter. absolutely cannot stand her. everyone always makes so many excuses for her, smh.
thank you. this comment section is insane. like did we even watch the same show?? Jenny was a cunt to the entire friend group, i couldn’t comprehend why they were still friends with her.
i gotta say,,she played her part well,;) thank you,,
Great video thank you! After recently re-watching the L word, I realized that Jenny was actually the series itself. She symbolizes the birth, the growth, the failure, the death and the resurrection of the show, of its spirit. And she is perfect the way she is. Just let her be. The only one who can judge the show or its characters will be the one who makes a better series than the L word.
I love Jenny and Mia who portrayed this reckless character so beautifully
I've watched this deep dive twice. I still like Jenny and here's why. She's more real than most of the other characters. She has deep trauma from childhood and a very religious family who didn't accept her choices and did not support her when she needed them and I have those as well so I understand her. I think the writers turned Jenny into a Sideshow for the sake of I don't know what! It's a crying shame the powers that be didn't take pains to craft her character with more nuance. 😔
Mia as Jenny! 🔥❤️👏. this character deserved a better arc. better end. better explanation. Her portrayal of confusion, pain, mental health struggles and surviving….well till they killed her off at a point where no co stars cared. I re watch season 1 a lot just for that amazing Jenny/Marina story. Mia is a wonderful actress.
Marina should’ve returned to take her under her wing and give her what she always wanted. Marina Ferrer
The thing that always gets me is Ilene being confused about people not liking Jenny. I'd be so embarrassed if I based a character off of myself and then witnessed everyone trashing that character lmao
Say what you want, but the acting was amazing.
Just finished this show. Currently watching the spinoff. I actually liked Jenny I think she was a really good friend she just needed to figure out stuff for herself.
Jenny was an extremely interesting character to follow for anybody who wanted to understand how this type of person behaves in real life too. It's not like people truly hated her, they hated the fact that she was excellent in making all of the contradictions and the mess noticeable and hurtful. But that's how reality works, it stings.
Jenny and Shane were my favourite characters. Jenny for being complex, depressed but artistic, misunderstood much like me in high school which was the time i was watching it. And Shane for being rebelious and being herself and not giving a damn about dressing as she wants opposite to what society wants her to do. Similar to me again ❤
the fact that everyone finds Jenny annoying makes me really self conscious. ‘cause i related to her the most from the series.
she treats people terribly lol and lowkey racist at times.
@@EgyptNile when was she racist? genuine q
I love Jenny!
I loved Jenny. Not sorry for it either. What sucks is that when she died, shit that she didn’t do was blamed on her. After season 4 they turned her into an asshole, but I still kinda loved her. The dog was the only REALLY fucked up thing that I can’t forgive. Also I 100% think Bet killed Jenny.
I hated Jenny's character so much that I quit the show around the time her book got a movie adaptation.
And I honestly don't see a lot of sociopathy in her. Because sociopaths have some charm to get what they want. They know social norms even though they don't care about them but when it comes to getting what they want sociopaths do what is necessary in a way that most people don't pick up on. So all of her behavior from season 4 onwards is more on the egotistical and narcissistic side of things than on the sociopathy spectrum.
And all of it was sooo annoying! I still don't understand why Shane would still call her a friend with all the things she did! Just now I wanted to give the show another shot but 3 minutes in I hit the pause button because Jenny appeared on screen and I know what's about to come in the rest of the show. The fact that she dies is satisfying but it should have happened so much earlier. I would have preferred to see more of Karina Lombard's character Marina Ferrer than a single second of Jenny
I loved Jenny from the start... I think no one understood Jenny. I felt every emotion she felt, and Mia Portrait her so well!
It was obvious that it’s suicide... but a part of me hoped for Jenny to survive it somehow, and maybe get the proper help she needed. People hating her not paying attention to what she has been through and the all the losses, lies and betrayal she faced , and wonder why she changed.. I think she needed help..
She will always be my favorite 🙏🏽
Whaaaat I have such a crush on her
Jenny's gorgeous but so chaotic lol
I mean Jenny was pretty toxic and manipulative, but she was also the most fascinating of the cast. As a person in real life I'd probably hate her, but as a fictional character I enjoyed her story a lot.
Never like her never will.
Also I understand her on some kind of way.
I'm forever sorry about the end of Jenny and Marina story...
Me too!!!
I missed Marina
She was never believable as a lesbian. She always came across as someone straight who pretended to be gay because she wanted to be cool and wanted to be a part of Bette and Tina's friendship group.
For me Jenny was simply the best character of that show, I loved her complexicity and all the layers it was presented with. I think It was a horror the way this such rich character was taken on specially since s4. I don't think the writers quite got what a woman this could be. And the actor, Mia Kirshner was the best. I felt offended by the way her story was handled towards the end. Make no sense at all. It was insulting, to her story and to the actress.
Yeah she was definitely a complex character .. I loved that about her.
I agree that Jenny was the best character and it was obvious that she was based on Ilene C. It was difficult for me to objectively judge the character because of my strong attraction to Mia. But I blamed the writers for Jenny's terrible behavior in season 5 when Jenny became the spoiled brat diva movie director.
this is exactly how i felt. her character was completely used as a crutch in the end for comedic relief and it didn’t make sense. it just made me sad for her because she should have had growth instead.
I LOVE JENNIFER F*ckng SCHECTER
She deserved better 😔
JENNY PROTECTION SQUAD! COME WITH ME
I will never get over them slowly undoing all of her character growth, just to make everyone hate her enough to have a motive to kill her. She straight up acts out of character in the most random ways, just so characters hate her. She misgenders Max when she was the first (and only for a long time) person to support his transition, setting up a fundraiser for him and eventually breaking up with him because he was a man and she decided she was in fact a lesbian. Him being a man led to their break up but in s6 she calls him a woman? Hello?
I think your analysis of Jenny as a protagonist is spot on but that’s why I liked her. Bette and Shane are characters you aspire to but know you’ll never be. Jenny is a character that the audience can project on to. But that might just be my experience. When I originally watched the show I was 13 coming to terms with my sexuality and also a writer.
The only thing I liked about Jenny was that she had an affair with Marina, after that she was a throw away character
No, I was pissed when better cheated. Jenny lied to a friend to the group. I liked her with marina, but she only wore her insecurities know her sleeve to manipulate people. Anybody strip on a pole after cheating on their male fiance with a woman? Yeah, Jenny ain't relatable. It ain't that jenny sucks like we do l, and we can't accept it. It's that no one sucks that hard and is well liked.
"I'm sure they don't want waffles, Kit."
I honestly loved Jenny. I know it’s hard to believe but she was so captivating. I do think she marinated in her pain but I’m not sure what’s wrong with that. Jenny’s suicide is so devastating because Jenny was always crying for help.
Jenny was ok until she made the mistake of fell in love with Shane and giving the production of her movie to Beth and her partner, they eat 🍗 her for breakfast and was the end of Jenny🤔
I love Mia Kirshner so much!!! They did her character wrong. She deserved better. 😢 And the character offed herself and you just admitted you were happy about that. That is the worst thing to say.
She was the best until she became the worst. Her and Marina were my favorites but they ruined that storyline. Karina Lombard was so hot, and she was done dirty. I don’t know why Mia stuck around honestly.
Maybe it was ridiculous carnival flash backs that were in most scenes that Jenny was in. Just maybe🤣🤣🤣🤣
Dude...lol
I only watched three seasons of The L Word. I never disliked Jenny, in fact, I loved her. I was far too much in awe of Mia Kirshner's acting - and to be honest, her amazing looks - to take a dislike to her character.
I wasn't sad when Jenny died and that was a new feeling for me at the time.
To go deep into Jenny would created a very serious drama, and the idea was to have a light comedy.
im saving this for later because i just started the l word like way too late and i love jenny shes so silly
I love Jenny from Season 1 to Season 3. She started becoming less and less likeable in Season 4 but I still can't bring myself to completely hate her. I also love Shane.
Jenny is my favorite.
I love u jenny.
Side note, Mia (when younger) played the girl haunted by a ghost dog in “The Tale of the Hungry Hounds” of “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”
I think the writers kept trying to make Jenny the main character too much. It screwed up the show. Eileen was so narcissistic that she had to keep rewriting this character and forcing her down her our throats when she could have easily left the show and it could have gone on for several more good seasons. Eileen also messed up the show empire too.
But I LIKED season 1 Jenny. That show jumped the shark so bad though until no character resembled itself anymore. Marina, Cherie Jaffe, Helena, Jenny... they all became plot zombies. And then those torturous cold opens.
Put it this way... I had a "I killed Jenny Schecter" T-shirt
I liked her all the time. I also identified of her. So don’t date me… And if you wonder, my dog is fine
I have never in my 45 years on this earth identified MORE with a character than I do Jenny. ♥️
Great video! I never knew she was supposed to be liked. I just wondered why she kept getting more unlikable each season. I kinda liked her the 1st season. She was relatable to me. I had a similar coming out story, not super similar, but enough to make her likeable.
i really don’t understand why people hate jenny when she’s literally a relatable character on the show her character goes through a lot just like actual people who go through the same thing on the daily basis jenny came into terms with her sexuality throughout season 1 - 2 not everyone can do that it takes them years to jenny also has a lot of trauma and suffers from depression just like people on the daily basis so saying she’s annoying, sad, self obsessed and selfish etc is crazy she dumps her trauma into her writing she’s really good character and i relate to her jenny is down to this earth in my eyes she can’t do no wrong idc what anyone says she’s the best character on the show she started the show and ended the fact that people hate her character baffles me and to me that means mia kirshner did an amazing job
Dafuq is this? Jenny is the BEST!! She was my favorite characters since the first season. Complex, dark? That was the best part about her.
Season was top quality and Marina & Jenny was the part I was excited the most.
I love Jenny, but also I've been battling mental health and she was a reflection of my own egotistical sociopathic reality.
I hate Alice and everyone loves Alice. There is nothing charismatic or deep or touching about Alice. She’s a salty caricature of an impish sprite. Very one dimensional. I also don’t hate Tina whim ppl also hate after Jenny. I think Jenny as protagonist bears the brunt of the devolution of the entire show.
It started off strong, Jenny was an ideal relatable protagonist, her and Marina were a beautiful couple with tons of tenderness and chemistry. Bette and Tina were a beautiful couple. The show started off portraying lesbians as real people with real relationships and real problems relatable to everyone as well as unique to the lesbian community, the entire show devolved into a cheap nighttime soap. 😢 That was before the so called golden age of TV and I think the same idea and characters could be crafted into a beautiful, quality vehicle of storytelling today. Not merely recycled with a reboot which doesn’t have the same energy.
I relate to Bette and Shane the most btw.
True. I thought Alice was an okay character but she's too one dimensional for my taste yet everyone loves her
I mean how can Alice even compare to the awesomeness that is Jenny? wtf
Jenny is amazing and deserved so much better. I love her. Except for the dog thing that is kind of awful
Jenny is my absolute favorite. Even if you hate her as a person, you gotta admit that she's at least an insanely well-written character. You don't have to be a nice character, to be a good character.
Very true!
I found nothing wrong with Jenny. She was a traumatized person..much like myself.
Jenny was literally the best character, and to this day people side eye me when I say that. Was the the nicest character? No! But was she the most interesting? Yes. Would the series be the same without her? Absolutely not.
I only watched the first3 seasons but I loved Jenny.
Mia was so charismatic.
I feel I didn’t hate season 1 Jenny. I actually really related to her. It was more season4 Jenny that I feel I hated. I don’t think people judged Jenny for her affair with marina, as much as it was she always played the victim and had no accountability. Shane and Bette had remorse which is why I think people forgave them more.
She was so different
She was fine in the first few seasons though? She became evil later on, but even then she was pretty funny
I'm late with this comment but I had a friend who ALWAYS reminded me of Jenny. I loved her a great deal but something I think is hard to admit, self destructive behaviors arent where thinks end. If you dont consider yourself enough to protect yourself, in time, you'll hurt me. And that friend did. Constantly. My own mental health I was working on started to falter.
Jenny killed her role. I never rejoiced when she died.
I liked or at least empathised with season 1 Jenny…and liked Jenny and Marina (in all their toxicity). I was bummed when Karina didn’t come back. The thing that annoyed me about Jenny the first couple of seasons was how much time we spent in her surreal writing world. It felt like a whole different show...and one I wouldn’t watch. But agree on all you said about Jenny of seasons 4-6…and the way Gen Q treated with her.
PS. I believe Chaiken has an exclusive deal with Fox that precludes her show running anything on Showtime. They apparently accommodated her at least being an EP on Gen Q.