Gigi Ghorbani on The L Word Generation Q
Full disclosure, I haven’t seen the original series, The L Word. I started watching Generation Q simply because I needed something light to watch, something I wouldn’t get invested in.. Lo and behold, I clowned myself. I got very invested very quickly, all thanks to one specific character, Gigi Ghorbani.
There was something about her the minute she appeared on screen and while it doesn’t present her in a good light, there’s still something compelling about her. She is messy, but she’s a good mother and when you see her with the kids, you can’t miss that she absolutely adores them. The first scene that struck me was when she and Alice actually speak and Alice makes a quip about the first night she saw Gigi, and that she thought Gigi had lost her mind and she replies with a quiet, “I thought i was losing my family.” Her pain is visible, plain as day. That scene is so beautifully acted, it’s so restrained. But all through that first season, it was so annoying to see her being shit on. The throuple with Alice and Nat was clearly more about Alice and Nat, Gigi was the object. It was always gonna be messy regardless of who the third person was (as was evident in season 2) but I really do think she got the short end of the stick.
Now into Season 2, things don’t improve much for her. Alice sets her up with Bette. Bette who clearly isn’t over Tina and isn’t a big believer in communication. When Bette realises that Gigi is her blind date, you’d have to be blind not to see her disappointment.
She doesn’t get interested till Tina and Carrie show up and Gigi takes control. Bette is clearly using Gigi as a stop-gap arrangement until someone better comes along. She blows hot and cold, going from calling Gigi her girlfriend to then being no one. (Now, i know that situation was not ideal but she took out her frustration on someone who was only trying to help in the most unobtrusive way possible) Also, her expression when Bette refers to her as the girlfriend:
Look at her face, her expression, she never expected Bette to say that. There’s that hope, fragile but there. She thinks that there’s a possibility for them. Of course, that hope comes crashing down. Bette shuts her out at the first sign of a conflict. Also, Bette was extremely harsh with Gigi and it was so uncalled for. Bette was also clearly using Gigi, she called her after she had a bad day, but was obviously not really interested in knowing what Gigi needed.
I think at her core, Gigi is not someone who likes being alone. She likes taking care of people, she likes being needed. She likes being open and communicative. One of the things I hated this season, was Alice and Bette mocking her for wanting to communicate.
Enter Dani. Now these two, the chemistry is off the charts as soon as they meet. I loved how attuned Gigi was to Dani’s moods. She’s gentle and soft with her. She tells Dani to take her time at the flat when her dad starts to bully Dani:
And this same care follows them into pretty much every interaction thereafter.
Dani has clearly had to take care of herself ever since her mother died. When she was with Sophie, they were always on different planes and after the break-up, she felt even more alone. Having to go back to her father, whom she loves but also knows that he won’t support her emotionally, which is what she needs.
They feel so natural together because they each offer what the other needs. I think that they both feel safe enough to be themselves around each other. I loved to see Dani’s walls come down slowly. Also, if someone looked at me the way Gigi looks at Dani, I’d probably have a heart attack:
*brain.exe has stopped responding*
The eye contact always gets me. She gives Dani her undivided attention, looks at her straight-on and you can tell Dani’s not quite sure how to deal with it, she starts fidgeting and looks away, almost as if to collect her thoughts. Gigi’s intense and I think with Dani, she doesn’t feel like she needs to temper it.
This is the moment when Gigi’s feelings started to change (i don’t know about you, but this is not how I look at my friends)
Side note, Gigi never belittles Nat or Alice when she’s with Dani, she never speaks badly of them and that’s so telling. Even with Bette, when she and Dani are talking about the CAC and the newspaper headline, Gigi tries to defend Bette saying that maybe it isn’t personal. It would have been so easy to throw Bette under the bus especially when Dani was already so upset, but she doesn’t do that because she knows that Dani’s hurt because this was Bette’s doing. I love that Gigi is so confident within herself.
Dani is someone who needs space and time to process what she’s going through and Gigi’s secure enough and in tune with her enough to recognise and anticipate her needs. So the hurt hits harder when Dani starts to shut her out, much like Bette (the scenes almost mirror each other). Except with Dani, Gigi actually tries to reach her
She’s not afraid to call Dani out on her bad behaviour but also doesn’t punish her, there’s no silent treatment, she’s not passive aggressive. She tells Dani clearly that she was hurt and then they move past it.
I love those small moments of vulnerability from Gigi who’s usually so self-assured, moments that we only got with her and Dani. Like when she tells Dani that her feelings have changed. You can see the hesitation on her face, that small intake of breath, her look at Dani to gauge her mood..
Another aspect of their relationship that I love is how easily Gigi can calm Dani down. She’s physically so affectionate, that it almost serves to ground Dani every time she starts to spiral. And it’s a very strong step forward when Dani reaches for Gigi at the court room and asks her for help and Gigi immediately pulls her out. (ugh i love these two so much)
The acting by Sepideh Moafi and Arienne Mandi is also just superb, I love the small nuances they add to their scenes. The micro-expressions when they’re listening intently to each other. All of these make their scenes an absolute treat to watch..
Anyway, long story short, I really want a season 3 just so that I can see Dani finally rid herself of her father and cement her relationship with Gigi (these two better be endgame) I want to see more of Gigi, i want to see her life and her perspective and i hope season 3 gives us that. These two deserve each other and I sincerely hope the writers don’t fuck with them.
Shout out to Sepideh Moafi and Arienne Mandi for playing these characters with so much depth and love.
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