Jenny Schecter
Encyclopedia
Jennifer "Jenny" Schecter is a fictional character
from the American Showtime television drama series The L Word
, played by Mia Kirshner
. Jenny debuted on-screen during the pilot episode and remained until the series' final episode. Jenny became well documented in the media for her outlandish plots. Jenny was created by series creator Ilene Chaiken
, based on herself as a younger woman living in the lesbian community. Chaiken implemented a series of changes to the character, one of which being the inclusion of a sexual abuse storyline and self-harm, which some critics observed as being attempts to make her likable in the LGBT
community. One storyline that gained mainstream
attention was adopting a homeless dog, only to have it put down for personal gain. Other storylines include pole dancing, directing a film, writing novels, coming out
, self harm, affairs and her possible murder. The final season is based around the lead-up to her death, during which Jenny made herself extremely unpopular with her friends, who became suspects.
Jenny's character was unpopular with both fans and critics throughout the entire series because of her frequent narcissistic tendencies, her prima donna
ways, her egotistical attitude, and selfish persona. She has also been labeled a "love to hate" character. The majority of critics have praised her "polarising personality" and branded it as one of the main reasons to watch the series. One critic stated that Kirshner was too convincing in her portrayal. New York
magazine gave a large amount of praise to Jenny and on one occasion stated: "Jenny Schecter is The L Word, and the death of her is the death of the show." Kirshner herself has stated she loved playing Jenny because she felt like a brand new character during each season. Kirshner has also boldly stated that even the LGBT community does not like Jenny because of her "duplicity and confusion".
Kirshner would often express her concern that she was not challenged enough or not making Jenny as "deep enough" as she could be. Chaiken said it was these qualities that made Kirshner "the bravest and boldest of actors" and branded her "utterly fearless" in her approach to Jenny.
Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe
described Jenny stating: "Dreary, confused, introverted narcissist [...] downcast, secretive, almost Goth in her black moodiness, she is the epitome of an unhappy egotist. She is so consumed with the ups and downs of her own depression and self-loathing, she just doesn't have the energy to look outward. Her misery is her mirror, and she's forever gazing into it." New York Magazine describe Jenny as a capricious yet obnoxious type of character adding that she can be patronizing. They also observe her as looking "fabulous, fun, and sexy but her downfall is her annoying side." Diane Shipley of The Guardian
branded Jenny a "whiny egomaniac". Lesbian magazine Curve
brands Jenny a "narcissistic navel-gazer".
to stay with her boyfriend Tim Haspel (Eric Mabius
). Tim is described as the person who makes Jenny "feel the safest in the world". At which point she is consumed with secrets she does not feel ready to reveal.. She soon becomes aware her neighbors Tina Kennard
(Laurel Holloman
) and Bette Porter
(Jennifer Beals
) are lesbians. Kirshner said that Jenny becomes intrigued by lesbians and attends their party. They introduce her to Marina Ferrer (Karina Lombard
), she senses that Jenny wants some danger in her life. When Marina kisses her, Jenny sees her life going into a tailspin and forces her to reckon with herself. Jenny acknowledges her passion for Marina, but realizes that being unfaithful will ruin "the one stable relationship she's ever had". However, they begin an affair. In the show's companion book "The L Word: Welcome to our planet", they describe Jenny's confusion as leaving her "unmoored". She was alone in battling the heartache, along with facing "an overwhelming identity crisis" in a place that was not yet her home.
Kirshner opined that the situation with Jenny was "not pretty". Jenny loves two people at once, She is the kind of character "who will just grab experiences because of the holes inside her [...] she will leave the casualties in the wake behind her." Kirshner often pushed and encouraged for more truth. She made Jenny's sex scenes "darker, painful, and sometimes not so pretty to watch". Kirshner did not mind portraying sex scenes with other females. She described them as "more fun and easier" and that she genuinely felt there was "nothing to be ashamed of." For her there was a "comfort level that is beautiful". Kirshner had never appeared nude in previous roles, but she requested to go nude as Jenny in certain scenes to add to the reality.
Chaiken decided to keep audiences guessing about Jenny's sexuality. She stated that whilst sexuality can be fluid, that Jenny's sexuality "definitely exists on the edge of fluidity". This was because she had planned to have Jenny romantically involved mostly with females, but with some males too.
monthly magazine The Advocate
, Chaiken commented about the storyline: "Well we all know it was an incident of sexual abuse. I had not wanted to be more explicit about it than that – one because memory of trauma is very strange. Who knows what happened to Jenny? Jenny doesn't necessarily know herself."
Chaiken also didn't want to portray Jenny's ordeal in an explicit manner, confirming this she said: "I am loath to portray rape as a filmmaker. I think it is really hard to do it without somehow becoming complicit and exploitative. And so as much as it's important to talk about it, I wanted to be vague and not milk it." Chaiken has also admitted that the use of dream sequences involving Jenny were not a successful inclusion, but claimed it was necessary to portray Jenny coming to terms with her abuse. Heather Hogan of AfterEllen criticized the storyline because there was no conclusion to it, also stating it was never explored enough, leading everyone to think she was just a jerk.
(Katherine Moennig
). AfterEllen.com stated that Jenny cutting off her hair was a defining moment in her development because it also symbolized her cutting all of the bad stuff that happened before out of her life. Jenny's transition continued into season three, Chaiken stated: "We find Jenny coming together, I predict this [...] that Jenny will be more likable and accessible to the audience than she has ever been. She's recovering."
In 2009, Chaiken was still confused over Jenny's bad reception, of why it might be she said: "People read into the character that she was a manipulator, self-absorbed, and a trouble maker who put other people in service of her own neurotic agenda. I think people react so strongly because Jenny is just a mess in the way that so many people are."
Of her character's changes after season five, Kirshner stated: "I think she'll continue to be just like a tumbleweed and a car crash and I'm happy for that, I don't want it to be wrapped up. She'll never be normal and that's just the way it is." Responding to the criticism Jenny has received, Kirshner states: "Well, I agree with what's said about the character for the most part. But again ... it's my job. So, I mean, it's a fun character."
stated in 2011 that it had originally been written that Niki had pushed Jenny off the balcony after a confrontation, with Jenny's death being ruled as accidental but that the writers later decided to change it to a murder mystery. French also stated that she believes Niki murdered Jenny but did not expand as to the possible motivation.
Kate Aurthur of Los Angeles Times
questioned if viewers would still want to watch the season after Jenny is killed. New York later gave a large amount of praise to Jenny commenting: "Jenny Schecter is The L Word, and the death of her is the death of the show." Diane Shipley of The Guardian stated her death was long overdue.
Websites started selling "I killed Jenny Schecter" merchandise. Lydia Martin of The Miami Herald
said Chaiken was being manipulative not revealing Jenny's killer, so viewers would watch their online series. She also wanted to know "who the fuck" killed her because it did not give a "decent" ending to the show. Heather Hogan of AfterEllen stated that Jenny's ending was a dis-service to the character having never found out who killed her.
at the Iowa Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa
. She won a major literary award and has had one of her short stories published. Jenny dates a man named Tim who she moved to Los Angeles to start a new life with.
) and briefly dates Robin (Anne Ramsay
).
In season two, Tim decides to move out and leave town - his faith and trust in Jenny - and humanity in general - destroyed by her infidelity and outright deception. Jenny becomes best friends with Shane, and invites her to move in. She begins a relationship with Shane's ex-girlfriend Carmen de la Pica Morales (Sarah Shahi
), but Carmen later goes back to Shane. Jenny starts having flashbacks of her childhood in which it is revealed she was sexually abused. Jenny starts writing another book and taking a college writing class to improve her fiction skills. Jenny's teacher accuses her of being a non-fiction writer because of her prose resembling Jenny's past. Mark Wayland (Eric Lively
), a filmmaker who moves into the house to help pay their rent, starts spying on Jenny, Carmen and Shane, with hidden cameras. Jenny is hurt when the truth is revealed because she trusted him. Jenny becomes depressed and in the series finale she self-harms by cutting herself with razor blades.
In season three, Jenny is sent away to a clinic in Illinois home town. There she meets Moira Sweeney (Daniela Sea
), who is transitioning into a male. They begin a relationship and return home. Max begins to take the first steps of his transition. Max's hormone blockers result in his temper flaring; he starts being slightly abusive to Jennny. Jenny later decides to end their relationship. She then writes a story about all her friends for The New Yorker
.
In season four, the story later gets turned into a stage play, then a film titled Lez Girls. Marina briefly returns during the play, portraying Jenny's character. Jenny realizes she is over Marina after being propositioned by her. Jenny becomes more mentally unbalanced when she adopts a dog to get close to a female veterinarian. The vet is a girlfriend of a columnist who gave Jenny's story a bad review. Pretending to be distraught, Jenny has the dog put down. Jenny begins secretly dating the woman as part of her plan to ruin her girlfriend's career. When Jenny is found out, she accused of being manipulative and evil (which is more than a little true).
In season five, while filming Lez Girls, she is promoted as the director. Jenny hires Adele Channing (Malaya Rivera Drew
) as her personal assistant. Jenny then starts a relationship with the film's biggest star, Niki Stevens (Kate French
). While on a camping trip, Jenny and Niki make a private sex tape. Adele then steals the tape and makes numerous copies. Niki, who is a closeted
lesbian and needs to stay in the closet for the sake of her career, is shocked when Adele reveals her plans to send the tapes to the media if Jenny doesn't hand the director's job to her. She stands down and asks Niki to join her; they split up when she doesn't join her. Shane later sleeps with Niki, leaving Jenny heartbroken.
In season six, it is revealed that Jenny is dead. The series then reverts back weeks before the incident, picking up from the previous series finale. Shane's ex-girlfriend Molly Kroll (Clementine Ford
) gives Jenny a letter of apology addressed to Shane. Jenny hides the letter so Shane will not find it. Tina defends Jenny after the original film reels of Lez Girls are stolen, preventing the film from being released. Jenny later starts a relationship with Shane. Jenny steals Alice Pieszecki's
(Leisha Hailey
) ideas for a play which sparks a feud between the pair. Alice tries to convince everyone that the ideas were hers. Jenny keeps up the pretense and convinces everyone it is an original idea. Alice tries to break Shane and Jenny up to no avail. Jenny then reveals to Dylan Moreland (Alexandra Hedison
) that Helena Peabody (Rachel Shelley
) and the rest of their friends are setting her up to find out if she is in love with Helena or her money. Jenny starts teasing Max by buying him feminine gifts for his pregnancy. This alienates Shane and is worsened by her trust issues involving Shane's fidelity. Shane sleeps with Nikki once more and their relationship reaches a breaking point. Helena later finds out that Jenny revealed the truth to Dylan. This makes Helena desperate for revenge on her old friend. Tina and Shane later find Molly's letter in the loft. Tina then finds the stolen originals of Lez Girls and she goes to confront Jenny.
Jenny spends her final days putting together a film of memories for Bette and Tina. The film contains friends past and present sharing their best moments. During the going-away party held for Bette and Tina, who are planning on moving to New York, They watch the film and Jenny is found dead in the swimming pool in the back yard. It is assumed that she either fallen or was pushed from the landing above the back steps, which is unfinished and lacks a proper railing. Because so many people have been offended, betrayed and hurt by Jenny, there are many suspects. They are interrogated, and Alice wrongfully ends up in jail for murder.
Jenny was criticized by Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe for her narcissistic tendencies. Kera Bolonik of New York magazine stated that "Jenny-bashing" became a spectator sport from her inception. She also described Jenny's development as going through different stages stating: "Season 1: Selfish Jenny, Season 2: Victimized Jenny, Season 3: Heartless Jenny, Season 4: Vindictive Jenny, Season 5: Bitchy and narcissistic Jenny, Season 6: Dead Jenny." New York magazine later praised Jenny stating: "We don't condone Jenny's narcissism, her prima-donna-ness, or her questionable writing skills. But she is highly entertaining — and more important, her polarizing personality exposes the people around her." In 2009 by the time season six was on air, the magazine claimed that Jenny was one step away from a Lesbian backlash, joking: "If only she would sing an acoustic version of the show's ear-melting theme song intermittently during the next episode to ensure that the entire Sapphic
nation hits the streets bearing torches and pitchforks, all calling her name."
New York magazine also describe the series and how Jenny took on the whole character traits of the show: "Like Jenny, The L Word was, at any given moment, capricious, obnoxious, patronizing, fabulous, fun, sexy, non sequitur, overreaching, under-reaching, annoying, and yes, unforgettable. Not one other character besides Jenny embodied the whole character of the show." British lesbian magazine Diva
call Jenny "the girl we love to hate." They also opined that "poor old Jenny didn't have much going for her from the start." That after her failed romances with Tim and Marina, she "got all pretentious" when she became an author. They also branded her the most hated lesbian character since Vinegar Tits (Fiona Spence
) on Prisoner: Cell Block H, credited most of the hatred upscaling when she had her dog put down and praised Kirshner for rising to the challenge of playing her.
Jennifer Thomas of Pioneer Press
compiled a list of 12 of the best TV characters of 2009; Jenny was number 7 on her list and stated: "Jenny is a rare combination of destruction, self-destruction, naivety and insanity. You can't help but want to strangle her, but then she goes all needy and fragile." She also claimed that the season finale was a let-down, but Jenny would have been happy that even in death she was the center of attention and meddling in her friends lives.
Thomas has also said: "Jenny has always been a complex, and fascinating character, who you occasionally want to slap and shake. (Or, in the case of the dog, just, well, murder her.) Without her, though, the show wouldn't be half as interesting. Just when you think you've seen every bit of crazy Jenny can dish out, she digs deep and finds some new neuroticism. She's fragile, but she's steel-spined when it comes to accepting responsibility for the havoc she wreaks in her life and everyone else's."
Matthew Gilbert of the Boston Globe compiled his list of most annoying TV characters. Jenny came second on the list and he stated: "Wow. The gods of narcissism blessed Jenny bigtime. She was just too, too self-centered. She sucked the life out of everyone who crossed her path." He also opined that Kirshner's portrayal of Jenny's "vanity and chameleon-like qualities" was perhaps too convincing. He perceived scriptwriters as eventually understanding the "profundity of Jenny's annoying effect", and decided to escalate it. Gilbert concluded that in early seasons, when writers wanted the audience's sympathy with Jenny's journey of self-realization, he "wanted her to leave The Planet for good."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the American Showtime television drama series The L Word
The L Word
The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
, played by Mia Kirshner
Mia Kirshner
Mia Kirshner is a Canadian actress and social activist who works in movies and television series. She is best known for her portrayal of Jenny Schecter on The L Word and for her role in the 2006 crime film The Black Dahlia as Elizabeth Short.- Early life :Kirshner was born in Toronto, Ontario,...
. Jenny debuted on-screen during the pilot episode and remained until the series' final episode. Jenny became well documented in the media for her outlandish plots. Jenny was created by series creator Ilene Chaiken
Ilene Chaiken
Ilene Chaiken is an American television producer, director and writer. Chaiken is best known as being the co-creator, writer and executive producer of the television series The L Word...
, based on herself as a younger woman living in the lesbian community. Chaiken implemented a series of changes to the character, one of which being the inclusion of a sexual abuse storyline and self-harm, which some critics observed as being attempts to make her likable in the LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community. One storyline that gained mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
attention was adopting a homeless dog, only to have it put down for personal gain. Other storylines include pole dancing, directing a film, writing novels, coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
, self harm, affairs and her possible murder. The final season is based around the lead-up to her death, during which Jenny made herself extremely unpopular with her friends, who became suspects.
Jenny's character was unpopular with both fans and critics throughout the entire series because of her frequent narcissistic tendencies, her prima donna
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
ways, her egotistical attitude, and selfish persona. She has also been labeled a "love to hate" character. The majority of critics have praised her "polarising personality" and branded it as one of the main reasons to watch the series. One critic stated that Kirshner was too convincing in her portrayal. New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine gave a large amount of praise to Jenny and on one occasion stated: "Jenny Schecter is The L Word, and the death of her is the death of the show." Kirshner herself has stated she loved playing Jenny because she felt like a brand new character during each season. Kirshner has also boldly stated that even the LGBT community does not like Jenny because of her "duplicity and confusion".
Character creation and casting
Series creator Ilene Chaiken created Jenny. She based her on her own past experiences of coming out and dealing with the everyday life in the lesbian community as a younger woman. Like Jenny, Chaiken had befriended a group of lesbians who ran a cafe and had her first sexual encounter with a female. Actress Mia Kirshner was cast in the role. Chaiken admitted she had been searching for the right actress to play Jenny "for a long time". Kirshner auditioned via video tape, Chaiken recalled that upon viewing it she thought Kirshner was "stunning". She thought Kirshner had "riveting beauty that is unlike anyone else's, and she was so deep and intense."Kirshner would often express her concern that she was not challenged enough or not making Jenny as "deep enough" as she could be. Chaiken said it was these qualities that made Kirshner "the bravest and boldest of actors" and branded her "utterly fearless" in her approach to Jenny.
Characterization
Throughout her duration on the series, Jenny went on a journey from the very first episode, which saw her transform into a selfish egotist and many observers have perceived her as a narcissist. Kirshner has described Jenny as mostly being duplicitous and confused. Jenny often acted "utterly impulsive". Kirshner said it is very hard for people in the series and the viewers to like Jenny because she is "a very despicable character who lies, cheats, behaves and treats other people horribly for no reason, and is extremely selfish, self-indulgent and so terribly truthful... and she does not hesitate to hide any it."Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
described Jenny stating: "Dreary, confused, introverted narcissist [...] downcast, secretive, almost Goth in her black moodiness, she is the epitome of an unhappy egotist. She is so consumed with the ups and downs of her own depression and self-loathing, she just doesn't have the energy to look outward. Her misery is her mirror, and she's forever gazing into it." New York Magazine describe Jenny as a capricious yet obnoxious type of character adding that she can be patronizing. They also observe her as looking "fabulous, fun, and sexy but her downfall is her annoying side." Diane Shipley of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
branded Jenny a "whiny egomaniac". Lesbian magazine Curve
Curve (magazine)
Curve is a lesbian magazine in the United States. It covers news, politics, social issues, and includes celebrity interviews and stories on entertainment, pop culture, style, travel, and a website that hosts an internet forum focusing on lesbian issues, active since 2000.The magazine was first...
brands Jenny a "narcissistic navel-gazer".
Sexuality
When Jenny is introduced on-screen she arrives in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to stay with her boyfriend Tim Haspel (Eric Mabius
Eric Mabius
Eric Harry Timothy Mabius is an American actor known for his work as Daniel Meade on the ABC television series Ugly Betty. He also worked on the Showtime series The L Word and in the films Resident Evil and Cruel Intentions....
). Tim is described as the person who makes Jenny "feel the safest in the world". At which point she is consumed with secrets she does not feel ready to reveal.. She soon becomes aware her neighbors Tina Kennard
Tina Kennard
Tina Kennard is a fictional character on the Showtime television network series The L Word, shown nationally in the United States. She is played by American actress Laurel Holloman. Tina lives in Los Angeles, California, and mostly hangs out in West Hollywood...
(Laurel Holloman
Laurel Holloman
Laurel Holloman is an American actress, best known for her roles as Randy Dean in the 1995 indie film The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Justine Cooper on Angel, and Tina Kennard on the Showtime series The L Word.-Career:Laurel attended the University of North Carolina and...
) and Bette Porter
Bette Porter
Bette Porter is a fictional character on the Showtime television network series The L Word, played by Jennifer Beals. While she is portrayed as the one true love of Tina Kennard, she is a successful career woman who often struggles with commitment in her intimate relationships, often sabotaging...
(Jennifer Beals
Jennifer Beals
Jennifer Beals is an American actress and a former teen model. She is known for her roles as Alexandra "Alex" Owens in the 1983 film Flashdance, and as Bette Porter on the Showtime drama series The L Word. She earned an NAACP Image Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination for the former...
) are lesbians. Kirshner said that Jenny becomes intrigued by lesbians and attends their party. They introduce her to Marina Ferrer (Karina Lombard
Karina Lombard
Karina Lombard is an actress and singer.- Early life :Lombard was born in Tahiti. Her mother, Nupuree Lightfoot, is a medicine woman of the Lakota Nation and was an immigrant living in Tahiti. Her father, Henry Lombard, a banker, is a European aristocrat of Russian, Italian and Swiss descent....
), she senses that Jenny wants some danger in her life. When Marina kisses her, Jenny sees her life going into a tailspin and forces her to reckon with herself. Jenny acknowledges her passion for Marina, but realizes that being unfaithful will ruin "the one stable relationship she's ever had". However, they begin an affair. In the show's companion book "The L Word: Welcome to our planet", they describe Jenny's confusion as leaving her "unmoored". She was alone in battling the heartache, along with facing "an overwhelming identity crisis" in a place that was not yet her home.
Kirshner opined that the situation with Jenny was "not pretty". Jenny loves two people at once, She is the kind of character "who will just grab experiences because of the holes inside her [...] she will leave the casualties in the wake behind her." Kirshner often pushed and encouraged for more truth. She made Jenny's sex scenes "darker, painful, and sometimes not so pretty to watch". Kirshner did not mind portraying sex scenes with other females. She described them as "more fun and easier" and that she genuinely felt there was "nothing to be ashamed of." For her there was a "comfort level that is beautiful". Kirshner had never appeared nude in previous roles, but she requested to go nude as Jenny in certain scenes to add to the reality.
Chaiken decided to keep audiences guessing about Jenny's sexuality. She stated that whilst sexuality can be fluid, that Jenny's sexuality "definitely exists on the edge of fluidity". This was because she had planned to have Jenny romantically involved mostly with females, but with some males too.
Sexual abuse
One of Jenny's storylines in season two was her revelation of being sexually abused as a child. The events were portrayed in a series of flashbacks and dream sequences. Yet, this left viewers confused about what actually happened to Jenny. During an interview with LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
monthly magazine The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
, Chaiken commented about the storyline: "Well we all know it was an incident of sexual abuse. I had not wanted to be more explicit about it than that – one because memory of trauma is very strange. Who knows what happened to Jenny? Jenny doesn't necessarily know herself."
Chaiken also didn't want to portray Jenny's ordeal in an explicit manner, confirming this she said: "I am loath to portray rape as a filmmaker. I think it is really hard to do it without somehow becoming complicit and exploitative. And so as much as it's important to talk about it, I wanted to be vague and not milk it." Chaiken has also admitted that the use of dream sequences involving Jenny were not a successful inclusion, but claimed it was necessary to portray Jenny coming to terms with her abuse. Heather Hogan of AfterEllen criticized the storyline because there was no conclusion to it, also stating it was never explored enough, leading everyone to think she was just a jerk.
Transformation
Jenny was negatively received amongst TV critics and viewers from the very first season. This prompted Chaiken to implement a series of changes to Jenny to help make her more likable. Chaiken defended Jenny stating: "I'm well aware of the response to Jenny. I love the character, and I love that people are passionate about her. I know there are a lot of people who just can't stand her. And that's why it's so important to have that character in the mix." Kirshner defended Jenny stating: "Jenny's a very controversial character. I think the great thing about her is she's so flawed." During season two Jenny is seen coming out, getting her hair cut and becoming best friends with Shane McCutcheonShane McCutcheon
Shane McCutcheon is a fictional character from the American Showtime television drama series The L Word, played by Katherine Moennig.-Backstory:...
(Katherine Moennig
Katherine Moennig
Katherine Sian Moennig is an American actress known for her role as Shane McCutcheon on The L Word, as well as Jake Pratt on Young Americans. In 2009, she starred as Dr. Miranda Foster on CBS Three Rivers.- Personal life :Moennig was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Broadway dancer Mary Zahn...
). AfterEllen.com stated that Jenny cutting off her hair was a defining moment in her development because it also symbolized her cutting all of the bad stuff that happened before out of her life. Jenny's transition continued into season three, Chaiken stated: "We find Jenny coming together, I predict this [...] that Jenny will be more likable and accessible to the audience than she has ever been. She's recovering."
In 2009, Chaiken was still confused over Jenny's bad reception, of why it might be she said: "People read into the character that she was a manipulator, self-absorbed, and a trouble maker who put other people in service of her own neurotic agenda. I think people react so strongly because Jenny is just a mess in the way that so many people are."
Of her character's changes after season five, Kirshner stated: "I think she'll continue to be just like a tumbleweed and a car crash and I'm happy for that, I don't want it to be wrapped up. She'll never be normal and that's just the way it is." Responding to the criticism Jenny has received, Kirshner states: "Well, I agree with what's said about the character for the most part. But again ... it's my job. So, I mean, it's a fun character."
Murder
In December 2008 it was announced that the show had decided to kill the character off. It was confirmed that Jenny would still appear throughout the season in a "flashback" format. The first episode of the final season starts with Jenny's murder. However the final series focuses on the events leading up to her death. Chaiken revealed that each episode would focus and tease with another motive. She described how it would play out, stating: "There's one character at the beginning of each show who comes forward with the motive of the moment. This would be my reason for killing Jenny." The storyline was described as a "sub-plot" which would define the final season, but not "over power" it. However, when the final episode aired there was no reveal to who killed Jenny. Showtime released a mini-series titled "Interrogation Tapes" online, via the official website. Each video featured a fellow character being interviewed over the death of Jenny - although the killer was still not revealed. Kate FrenchKate French
Kate Lauren French is an American television and film actress and model. She is perhaps best known for her role as Niki Stevens on The L Word.-Early life:...
stated in 2011 that it had originally been written that Niki had pushed Jenny off the balcony after a confrontation, with Jenny's death being ruled as accidental but that the writers later decided to change it to a murder mystery. French also stated that she believes Niki murdered Jenny but did not expand as to the possible motivation.
Kate Aurthur of Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
questioned if viewers would still want to watch the season after Jenny is killed. New York later gave a large amount of praise to Jenny commenting: "Jenny Schecter is The L Word, and the death of her is the death of the show." Diane Shipley of The Guardian stated her death was long overdue.
Websites started selling "I killed Jenny Schecter" merchandise. Lydia Martin of The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
said Chaiken was being manipulative not revealing Jenny's killer, so viewers would watch their online series. She also wanted to know "who the fuck" killed her because it did not give a "decent" ending to the show. Heather Hogan of AfterEllen stated that Jenny's ending was a dis-service to the character having never found out who killed her.
Backstory
Jenny grew up in Illinois with her mother Sandy. She disliked her step-father Warren and wanted to leave home as soon as she could. Jenny became a writer of fiction at a young age, she completed her Master of Fine ArtsMaster of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
at the Iowa Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. She won a major literary award and has had one of her short stories published. Jenny dates a man named Tim who she moved to Los Angeles to start a new life with.
2004–09
In season one, Jenny arrives to stay with her boyfriend Tim. On her very first night in Los Angeles, Jenny attends a party with her neighbors Tina and Bette where she meets Marina. They start an affair, showing Jenny fighting her feelings and questioning her sexuality. Jenny begins to outright lie to Tim and everyone else about her infidelity. When Tim finds out about the affair, he forces Jenny to marry him. She later goes back to Marina, goes on a date with Dana Fairbanks (Erin DanielsErin Daniels
Erin Daniels is an American actress. She is known for her role as Dana Fairbanks on The L Word .-Early life:...
) and briefly dates Robin (Anne Ramsay
Anne Ramsay
Anne Elizabeth Ramsay is an American actress best known for her role as Lisa Stemple on Mad About You, for which she shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Ensemble in a Comedy series.- Early life :...
).
In season two, Tim decides to move out and leave town - his faith and trust in Jenny - and humanity in general - destroyed by her infidelity and outright deception. Jenny becomes best friends with Shane, and invites her to move in. She begins a relationship with Shane's ex-girlfriend Carmen de la Pica Morales (Sarah Shahi
Sarah Shahi
Aahoo Jahansouz "Sarah" Shahi is an American actress and a former NFL Cheerleader. She is probably best known for starring in The L Word as Carmen de la Pica Morales and in Life as Detective Dani Reese...
), but Carmen later goes back to Shane. Jenny starts having flashbacks of her childhood in which it is revealed she was sexually abused. Jenny starts writing another book and taking a college writing class to improve her fiction skills. Jenny's teacher accuses her of being a non-fiction writer because of her prose resembling Jenny's past. Mark Wayland (Eric Lively
Eric Lively
Eric Lawrence Lively is an American actor. He played the role Nick Larson in The Butterfly Effect 2.-Early life:Lively was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He has a sister, actress Blake Lively, half-sisters actresses Lori Lively and Robyn Lively and a half-brother, Jason Lively, who played Rusty in...
), a filmmaker who moves into the house to help pay their rent, starts spying on Jenny, Carmen and Shane, with hidden cameras. Jenny is hurt when the truth is revealed because she trusted him. Jenny becomes depressed and in the series finale she self-harms by cutting herself with razor blades.
In season three, Jenny is sent away to a clinic in Illinois home town. There she meets Moira Sweeney (Daniela Sea
Daniela Sea
Daniela Sea is an American filmmaker musician, performance artist, former circus juggler, and actress. She is most widely known for her role as Max/Moira on Showtime's The L Word.-History:...
), who is transitioning into a male. They begin a relationship and return home. Max begins to take the first steps of his transition. Max's hormone blockers result in his temper flaring; he starts being slightly abusive to Jennny. Jenny later decides to end their relationship. She then writes a story about all her friends for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
.
In season four, the story later gets turned into a stage play, then a film titled Lez Girls. Marina briefly returns during the play, portraying Jenny's character. Jenny realizes she is over Marina after being propositioned by her. Jenny becomes more mentally unbalanced when she adopts a dog to get close to a female veterinarian. The vet is a girlfriend of a columnist who gave Jenny's story a bad review. Pretending to be distraught, Jenny has the dog put down. Jenny begins secretly dating the woman as part of her plan to ruin her girlfriend's career. When Jenny is found out, she accused of being manipulative and evil (which is more than a little true).
In season five, while filming Lez Girls, she is promoted as the director. Jenny hires Adele Channing (Malaya Rivera Drew
Malaya Drew
Malaya Drew is an American stage, film and television actress.Drew is most well known for her role as Adele Channing on the cable television series The L Word and for her role as Katey Alvaro on NBC's long-running ER...
) as her personal assistant. Jenny then starts a relationship with the film's biggest star, Niki Stevens (Kate French
Kate French
Kate Lauren French is an American television and film actress and model. She is perhaps best known for her role as Niki Stevens on The L Word.-Early life:...
). While on a camping trip, Jenny and Niki make a private sex tape. Adele then steals the tape and makes numerous copies. Niki, who is a closeted
Closeted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
lesbian and needs to stay in the closet for the sake of her career, is shocked when Adele reveals her plans to send the tapes to the media if Jenny doesn't hand the director's job to her. She stands down and asks Niki to join her; they split up when she doesn't join her. Shane later sleeps with Niki, leaving Jenny heartbroken.
In season six, it is revealed that Jenny is dead. The series then reverts back weeks before the incident, picking up from the previous series finale. Shane's ex-girlfriend Molly Kroll (Clementine Ford
Clementine Ford
Clementine Ford is an American actress who is perhaps best known for her appearance as Molly Kroll on the fourth, fifth & sixth seasons of Showtime's The L Word...
) gives Jenny a letter of apology addressed to Shane. Jenny hides the letter so Shane will not find it. Tina defends Jenny after the original film reels of Lez Girls are stolen, preventing the film from being released. Jenny later starts a relationship with Shane. Jenny steals Alice Pieszecki's
Alice Pieszecki
Alice Pieszecki is a fictional character on the Showtime television network series The L Word, shown nationally in the United States. She is played by American actress Leisha Hailey. Alice lives in Los Angeles, California, and mostly hangs out in West Hollywood...
(Leisha Hailey
Leisha Hailey
Leisha Hailey is an American actress and musician most widely known for playing Alice Pieszecki in the Showtime Networks production The L Word...
) ideas for a play which sparks a feud between the pair. Alice tries to convince everyone that the ideas were hers. Jenny keeps up the pretense and convinces everyone it is an original idea. Alice tries to break Shane and Jenny up to no avail. Jenny then reveals to Dylan Moreland (Alexandra Hedison
Alexandra Hedison
Alexandra Hedison is a contemporary photographer who lives and works in Los Angeles. She is the daughter of actor David Hedison, and is a former actress who appeared on television series such as Showtime's The L Word.She attended the State University of New York at Purchase and University of...
) that Helena Peabody (Rachel Shelley
Rachel Shelley
Rachel Shelley is an English actress and model. She was born in Swindon. , Los Angeles Daily News and graduated from Sheffield University with a B.A...
) and the rest of their friends are setting her up to find out if she is in love with Helena or her money. Jenny starts teasing Max by buying him feminine gifts for his pregnancy. This alienates Shane and is worsened by her trust issues involving Shane's fidelity. Shane sleeps with Nikki once more and their relationship reaches a breaking point. Helena later finds out that Jenny revealed the truth to Dylan. This makes Helena desperate for revenge on her old friend. Tina and Shane later find Molly's letter in the loft. Tina then finds the stolen originals of Lez Girls and she goes to confront Jenny.
Jenny spends her final days putting together a film of memories for Bette and Tina. The film contains friends past and present sharing their best moments. During the going-away party held for Bette and Tina, who are planning on moving to New York, They watch the film and Jenny is found dead in the swimming pool in the back yard. It is assumed that she either fallen or was pushed from the landing above the back steps, which is unfinished and lacks a proper railing. Because so many people have been offended, betrayed and hurt by Jenny, there are many suspects. They are interrogated, and Alice wrongfully ends up in jail for murder.
Reception
In the book Blood Moon's GT Gay and Lesbian Film, Darwin Porter brands Jenny "one of the most annoying, needy characters on television" and calls her a "lost damaged soul". Fellow cast member Leisha Hailey has commented that Jenny is at her best when she is spiraling out of control. Hillary Frey of The New York Observer opined that Jenny provided "voyeuristic pleasure" for straight females in season one. She said she believed Jenny's confusion to whom she should be with was plausible. Also adding the fact she gradually became self obsessed – yet still conveyed the "thrill and pleasure of a fresh sexual experience", while portraying the sadness.Jenny was criticized by Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe for her narcissistic tendencies. Kera Bolonik of New York magazine stated that "Jenny-bashing" became a spectator sport from her inception. She also described Jenny's development as going through different stages stating: "Season 1: Selfish Jenny, Season 2: Victimized Jenny, Season 3: Heartless Jenny, Season 4: Vindictive Jenny, Season 5: Bitchy and narcissistic Jenny, Season 6: Dead Jenny." New York magazine later praised Jenny stating: "We don't condone Jenny's narcissism, her prima-donna-ness, or her questionable writing skills. But she is highly entertaining — and more important, her polarizing personality exposes the people around her." In 2009 by the time season six was on air, the magazine claimed that Jenny was one step away from a Lesbian backlash, joking: "If only she would sing an acoustic version of the show's ear-melting theme song intermittently during the next episode to ensure that the entire Sapphic
Sapphic
Sapphic can refer to:* Related to Sappho, a 7th century BC poetess** Sapphic stanza, a four line poetic form* Sapphic love, related to female homosexuality...
nation hits the streets bearing torches and pitchforks, all calling her name."
New York magazine also describe the series and how Jenny took on the whole character traits of the show: "Like Jenny, The L Word was, at any given moment, capricious, obnoxious, patronizing, fabulous, fun, sexy, non sequitur, overreaching, under-reaching, annoying, and yes, unforgettable. Not one other character besides Jenny embodied the whole character of the show." British lesbian magazine Diva
Diva (magazine)
Diva is a leading lesbian magazine in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 1994 by Millivres Prowler Group Ltd., who also produce the Gay Times. The current editor is Jane Czyzselska, who was promoted to the position in 2004. It includes many articles dedicated to lesbian and bisexual social...
call Jenny "the girl we love to hate." They also opined that "poor old Jenny didn't have much going for her from the start." That after her failed romances with Tim and Marina, she "got all pretentious" when she became an author. They also branded her the most hated lesbian character since Vinegar Tits (Fiona Spence
Fiona Spence
Fiona Spence is a British-born stage and television actress. One of the most recognisable Australian television stars during the early 1980s, she is best known for her roles in the Australian television series Prisoner and Home and Away...
) on Prisoner: Cell Block H, credited most of the hatred upscaling when she had her dog put down and praised Kirshner for rising to the challenge of playing her.
Jennifer Thomas of Pioneer Press
Pioneer Press
The Pioneer Press publishes 50 local newspapers in the metropolitan Chicago area. It is a division of the Sun-Times Media Group. Pioneer Press' headquarters is in Glenview...
compiled a list of 12 of the best TV characters of 2009; Jenny was number 7 on her list and stated: "Jenny is a rare combination of destruction, self-destruction, naivety and insanity. You can't help but want to strangle her, but then she goes all needy and fragile." She also claimed that the season finale was a let-down, but Jenny would have been happy that even in death she was the center of attention and meddling in her friends lives.
Thomas has also said: "Jenny has always been a complex, and fascinating character, who you occasionally want to slap and shake. (Or, in the case of the dog, just, well, murder her.) Without her, though, the show wouldn't be half as interesting. Just when you think you've seen every bit of crazy Jenny can dish out, she digs deep and finds some new neuroticism. She's fragile, but she's steel-spined when it comes to accepting responsibility for the havoc she wreaks in her life and everyone else's."
Matthew Gilbert of the Boston Globe compiled his list of most annoying TV characters. Jenny came second on the list and he stated: "Wow. The gods of narcissism blessed Jenny bigtime. She was just too, too self-centered. She sucked the life out of everyone who crossed her path." He also opined that Kirshner's portrayal of Jenny's "vanity and chameleon-like qualities" was perhaps too convincing. He perceived scriptwriters as eventually understanding the "profundity of Jenny's annoying effect", and decided to escalate it. Gilbert concluded that in early seasons, when writers wanted the audience's sympathy with Jenny's journey of self-realization, he "wanted her to leave The Planet for good."
External links
- Character profile on the Logo website