Bravo to Bravo

This is just a quick note to inagurate the finally functional cable internet at my parents' house and to share how much I've been enjoying watching Bravo this summer season. Project Runway is excellent, plus it has been enhanced by all sorts of fun bonuses. Their website is packed with fabulous extras that make me more of a fan of Runway than I was before. Tim's Take blog and podcast give little behind-the-scenes details and some fascinating perspectives on the designers and the process of making the show. Then, there are also all sorts of fun fan blogs and other recaps not related to Bravo. Personally, I read fourfour and Television Without Pity (which has finally managed a single-show RSS feed!) for recaps on occasion.

But, the suprising thing is that I completely adore another Bravo show, Workout, which hardly seems like it would be my style. When I first heard about it, I assumed that it was crossing Blowout (a miserable, obnoxious show that I watched for 15 minutes and couldn't stand) with exercise, which is not exactly my idea of a good time. But, Jackie, the trainer/gym owner who is the main subject of the show, is a lesbian. That in itself was enough reason for me to watch an episode and check it out. To my delight, I discovered that this show is the most thorough and accurate depiction of a lesbian relationship I've yet seen on TV. The show is at least half dyke drama, complete with whiny jealous girlfriend and disapproving mother. The realities of this woman's life and relationships are portrayed reasonably sensitively, though there may be a little bit of blowing things out of proportion to create drama. The strength of this show is its focus on the real life job and passions of a real person rather than the manufactured drama of throwing a bunch of people together in a room, plus its frank and reasonably unsensationalistic approach to its main character's lesbianism.