The L Word Generation Q - Is Dani into Gigi - Part 2 of 2
We next see them when Gigi accompanies Dani to the prison to see her father. We know that Dani can be prickly where her father is concerned, she loves him and at the same time, she knows that he’s flawed, he’s overbearing and likely more than a little toxic.
When she returns to the car, you can imagine how distraught she must feel, disturbed by everything she just learned. Season 1 Dani would have shut down and I think this Dani wanted to as well. It’s a pity we didn’t see more of this car ride but I think it must have been a quiet one with Gigi giving Dani the space and time to process everything that just happened. It would have been a huge contrast to the scene with Dani and Sophie in the car after the prenup scene. Sophie failed to understand that even though Dani stood up for them, she was still hurting by what her father had tried to do. Dani seems more comfortable in the above scene with Gigi. And she feels safe enough to ask for what she wants, she wants the safety and familiarity of her own space.
Once home, we get another instance of just how comfortable they are with each other. With Gigi, I think Dani feels like she can start letting some of her walls down and we start to see it in this exchange.
I love Dani’s flustered expression when Gigi tells that she will love like that again, soon. She looks away and fidgets. The tension (for Dani at least) again relaxes when Gigi tells her that not everyone would agree with Dani’s assessment of Gigi.
By the time’s it’s evening, you can tell that there’s already a certain level of casual intimacy between them, the way Gigi is so at home in Dani’s apartment.
Another aspect that i really enjoy is that Gigi tells Dani to speak to Micah if she misses him as much as she does. Also, Gigi is completely focused on what Dani is saying, she’s giving her all of her attention. She advises her to reach out without sounding preachy or condescending. This is one of the hallmarks of a good friendship if nothing else. Gigi doesn’t belittle Micah, she listens and actually wants Dani to reconnect with her friend. I think some of it also comes from what Alice told her in season 1, that Nat misses her and their friends and I think on some level, Gigi doesn’t want Dani to make the same mistake.
This leads us to the whole “are you hitting on me?” exchange and this is a goldmine. I think Gigi being older, is more obvious about her interests and desires, she doesn’t try to hide them and doesn’t bother being subtle. I think Gigi’s feelings had already started to change, she probably didn’t want to scare Dani after the day that she had. Dani, on the other hand, is a little more guarded, she’s not used to someone being so frank and honest and you can see her trying to wrap her head around it. Here is a woman who’s honest and upfront, there are no mind-games involved, no damn wordplay, and no mixed signals. And by the end of the scene, Dani is the one who’s looking intently at Gigi. She asks Gigi if everything is alright when Bette texts and then keeps gazing at her, followed by that small happy smile when Gigi decided to stay:
The night at Dana’s, things really come to a head for both Dani and Gigi. Gigi gets a cold brush-off from Bette (entirely uncalled for) and Dani gets to be spectator to Sophie and Finley’s get-together. When Dani storms out, I think she fully expected to be on her own, she doesn’t expect Micah to follow her out and her surprise is palpable when she realizes that it’s Gigi. And she doesn’t stop because she thinks that Gigi will try to persuade her to go back and she finally opens up, confirming what Gigi suspected all along, that she’s not fine.
Another thing that struck me about the Dana’s sequence is when Dani asks Sophie if everyone cheats, but what’s telling is that she asks that after looking in Gigi’s direction. They all run in the same circle and I’m sure that Dani knows why Nat and Gigi broke up and Gigi was the one who cheated. I think on some small level, she’s scared that Gigi might cheat on her (though she’d never say it).
The night ends with Gigi telling Dani that her feelings have changed. Now, I think we can safely assume, that a few days have passed (honestly, the passage of time on this show makes no sense).
When Dani tells Gigi that she think it was shitty, that was Dani being honest, not filtering what she thought with her usual filter. And while initially annoyed, Gigi stays and tries to understand what Dani’s concerns are (communication is key kids)
Gigi stays but gives Dani the physical space she needs to sort through her thoughts and again she listens. Dani can express her concerns and Gigi doesn’t belittle or play those concerns down. An indication that Dani does like Gigi and thinks she’s pretty awesome is when Gigi says that she doesn’t think that Bette had very strong feelings for her and Dani replies with “I find that hard to believe.” That’s like saying how can someone not have strong feelings for you, I sure do. I think Dani is genuinely scared of just how much she likes Gigi.
At the party, I liked that for once, Nat spoke nicely of Gigi and let Dani know that this wasn’t some casual fling for her which is what I think what Dani was scared of. She goes to Gigi, almost looking for a fight and again finds Gigi not taking the bait, instead asking Dani what she wants, effectively getting Dani to vocalise what she wants and what she’s afraid of. Vulnerability is not easy for Dani and it’s a big step forward for her to actually be open about her fears and Gigi immediately assures her.
Also, shout out to Gigi for respecting Dani’s boundaries when Gigi invites her inside but Dani says not yet. Gigi lets it go, instead reassuring Dani again, it’s real, what Gigi feels for her is real.
Things inevitably come to a head, first with Bette biting Dani’s head of instead of talking to Dani and explaining why her actions while well-intentioned might be problematic and secondly the crises with the CAC. She snaps at Gigi, shutting her out and going back to her old self, trying to protect herself and rushes out.
Dani’s relationship with Sophie was not the healthiest, they spoke to everyone else except each other about their grievances. When Dani returns home that night and finds Gigi missing, she goes looking for her, she actively seeks her out.
Even Gigi can’t resist those puppy-dog eyes. And again, Dani apologies and tries to explain why she reacted the way that she did and Gigi listens. Another thing to note, when Dani says that she wishes that her father was separate from the rest of her life, Gigi immediately says that that would never work out. She gets the complicated relationship Dani shares with her dad, because I’m guessing that’s how Gigi feels about her father.
While Gigi is a little closed off initially, she shuts her laptop and gives her full attention to Dani. It’s not easy for Dani to talk about her dad and kudos to both Arienne and Sepideh for acting the hell out of this scene. Dani’s fidgeting to deal with her discomfort and Gigi can see t. And again, Gigi gives her the space to figure out her thoughts and only comes to her when she asks if she did something to make Dani feel embarrassed.
When the CAC chooses to support Bette and Pippa, that’s another blow to Dani on two fronts, one that something she worked so hard on, is literally falling apart and two that it’s Bette who’s orchestrating it. I don’t think Dani deals well with hurt, she instead tries to mask it with anger. I suspect that it’s something that she picked up from her father who likely did not have a strong emotional bond with her. Anger was safer, anger let you keep your walls up and anger kept you from feeling hurt. But under that anger the hurt keeps festering. Here as well, she turns to anger when it probably would have been more honest to say that she is hurt by Bette’s actions, someone she trusted and looked up to.
Gigi and Dani hit a snag again when Dani skips out on Eli’s recital after having a hard day. Gigi is incredibly devoted to her kids, add to that she probably wanted Dani to meet them, so when she finds out that Dani lied about why she couldn’t make it, she is understandably upset. I honestly don’t think Dani thought to continue the lie when they meet, I think she chooses to tell Gigi why she couldn’t make it but didn’t think it was a big deal. This also comes from her dad, who probably couldn’t be bothered to attend her school performances. So Dani can’t understand why Gigi is so upset.
And this is her reaction when it sinks in, how her actions hurt the woman in front of her and again, instead of hiding or resorting to anger, she apologises. And Gigi (good god this woman is perfect) comes forward to hold her, to give her the comfort Dani so sorely needs.
And just look at the peace on both their faces, they look so comfortable with each other with Dani fully leaning on Gigi. Gigi just holds her, no questions, no other expectation except to offer comfort. With Gigi, Dani feels like she can be honest about her feelings without fear of reprisals or that Gigi would use them against her.
The court scene is very important. I don’t think Dani is used to having people she can lean on, people she can depend on. She doesn’t reach out for help even when she needs it, she’s used to looking after herself. And so to see her reach out to Gigi get her out of there is a huge milestone. And Gigi immediately gets her out, no questions asked, her sole focus is Dani and her well-being.
At this point, Dani’s entire world is crumbling, her father had been lying to her, her company is responsible for ruining the lives of many people. I love the scene with her father, Dani’s come so far that she tells her dad that she needs him and that she can’t take the stand and lie for him. His anger doesn’t faze her because it’s normal for them, with her father yelling at her for not being able to clean up his mess. I think Dani stood up to him in part because of Gigi, because she finally has someone who has her back 100% and that love and support doesn’t come with terms and conditions.
I love Dani has come so far that she now doesn’t hesitate before reaching out to Gigi when she starts feeling overwhelmed like when Dani stops Gigi just before they meet her family, letting Gigi know that she’s overwhelmed. I loved that scene, i loved how warmly the family greeted her, especially Gigi’s mother, she was immediately made to feel at home.
Their love language is definitely food and I loved that even though they are surrounded by a whole bunch of people, they still connect with each other, the way Gigi looks at her, they might as well have been the only two people there.
I love this couple because they bring out the best in each other. They are literally the best, most healthy ship on the show and I desperately hope that Dani and Gigi are endgame, they deserve each other. Dani has come so far and I hope to her happy and carefree with Gigi in the next season.
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