As the most recent season of "The L Word" wrapped up the night of my graduation from UNC, I couldn't help but feel anxious for its next season's debut. That's right, I'm a devout "L Word" fanatic. Every Sunday night of this past season a group of lesbians (and me...) would gather 'round fellow "Word" followers Allison McNeill and Jessica Albrecht's projector and take in the latest installment.

This past season was rife with delicious dyke drama. Kit bought the Planet; Marina flew the coop; Jenny got some sanity... and then lost it again; Shane falls in love - it was all just too much! The highlight of the season had to have been Gloria Steinem's ridiculous appearance at Bette's father's funeral (he apparently was also buds with former President Clinton). The best moment - her 30 second speech summing up feminism: honestly!!! It was too ridiculous for words.

And then something strange happened. At some point during the last few episodes this season previews for the upcoming season of "Queer as Folk" started airing after the show. A chilled silence would fill the room - an unfamiliar tension. What was this creature - this show that is marketed at us? The silence was broken by one of my characteristic verbal jabs - and then we'd all join in lamenting Showtime's first queer series (which, really, wasn't very queer at all).

Perhaps Allison said it best when she said that QAF just "took itself way too seriously" - and she's right, it always did. The constant battles with the Community Center and the fight over the anti-gay Mayor stand out in my mind as representative of this fact. I remember one episode when residents of "Pittsburgh" went to the polls to elect a Mayor and the demonized anti-gay candidate lost. Dramatically, a black and white shot panned down "Liberty Avenue" until a bright rainbow flag waved color upon the screen and revelers came busting onto the street. Oh, really.

"The L Word" never took itself so seriously, and it's much more entertaining because of it. QAF tried so hard to be challenging and to tackle "big" issues - its painful efforts always read as artificial and stale. "The L Word" doesn't seem to be quite so interested in QAF's brand of seriousness. Granted, the Gloria Steinem moment was, indeed, a bit much; but, all in all, it's a deliciously exciting show that has me and a number of other UNC graduates on the edge of our seats.