The cinephile lesbian will already know Naomi Watts from David Lynch’s psychological thriller Mullholland Drive, or better yet, from the lesbian kiss she shared with LesbiNerd favorite Lori Petty in the hilarious 90s comic book adaptation Tank Girl. So you’ll be pleased to know that in Netflix’s thrilling original series Gypsy, the steaminess is turned way up.
Gypsy follows therapist Jean (Naomi Watts) as she tries to help her patients… by getting way too involved in their lives. One prominent story line is her involvement with one of her patients’ ex-girlfriends, Sidney (Sophie Cookson), who is a musician and barista about 20 years her junior. As their relationship heats up, Jean is trying hard to keep her secret from her husband and co-workers.
One thing I appreciate about the show is the interesting dynamic between these two characters. A big age gap is not entirely unheard of in lesbian movies (Freeheld with Elliot Page and Julianne Moore comes to mind), but it’s not exactly very common either. Plus, forty-something women aren’t usually portrayed as sensual and seductive. Naomi Watts does just that with her character of Jean, and absolutely pulls it off.
Where Sidney gets the part as the free spirit, the young mysterious woman who sings and breaks young men’s hearts, she’s now the one who is trying to get close to Jean’s alter ego “Diane” – an impossible task, since Diane doesn’t really exist.
There’s a push and pull in their relationship, but it’s not predictable and certainly kept me on my toes. And while a dynamic like that can get old pretty fast, Gypsy only has one season of 10 episode to tell its story – it was cancelled after one season.
Don’t Get Caught
Despite their interesting dynamic, if you’re hoping to find a happy story of blossoming love here, you’ll be disappointed. The tension around their relationship relies a lot on near misses, on Jean almost getting caught in a lie or in a compromising situation. It’s a certain kind of television that will appeal to some more than others.
I’m personally not a huge fan of this kind of story, and never really got invested in any of the other plot lines. Having said that, even if that particular brand of TV is not your cup of tea either, you might still want to fast-forward through to the lesbian scenes as the actresses have undeniable onscreen chemistry.
TLDR: An okay show with an interesting premise that will mostly appeal to people who like tense scenes and thrillers.
Gay and nerdy, she loves a good tv show, movie or video game with lesbians in it. They're not as few and far between as they were in the 90s when she grew up, but there's still a need to catalogue the stuff that speaks to her little gay heart.
5/5
