Why do we love her? Part one: Jaime Murray.

Jaime Murray, a black-haired 38-year-old is not someone you can not feel passionate about. You either hate her, and find her accent and manner of speaking annoying or tall, slim figure too alien-like, or you are absolutely crazy about her. Guess which one is true for me.

Her filmography may not be very long, but apart from few movies which I am not going to discuss here since it's a tv-series blog, she has starred in some very interesting shows. Obviously she has done a few guest cameos in criminal series like "Poirot", "the Mentalist" and "NCIS", but when she gets more then one episode, her character is usually either frequently on-screen or quite important to the plot.

After watching her in a few different roles it’s hard not to notice a very vivid pattern: all her characters can be described as either crazy or hot/sexy/femme-fatal-type-guys-have-no-chance-against.

I am not saying her characters are one-dimensional though! What I mean is that most of them are written and designed in such a way that they can be described with one of these two words; they of course differ on the scale in which certain adjective fits them, giving us a whole spectrum of characters who go from mildly weird to bat-shit crazy, and from seductively sexy to the one who shows a porn-star level of nakedness. Oh yes, it’s a good news for all of you perverts out there! One thing you can always count on with Jaime Murray is that if the show is not PG-13, you can bet she will drop the clothes and sex it up with whoever is at hand. And if the show doesn't allow that, you can rest well assured that she will at least hit on any woman she can find.
Thanks to her "Warehouse 13" got it's most famous not-really-canon-but-basically-canon pairing that everyone shipped (including Murray herself).

Below there's a very personal list of my favourite roles by Jaime. Enjoy!


6. Grace Valentine from "Valentine"

I am not even sure if "Valentine" should make the best of anything list, but silly as it was, it was actually fun to watch. The show concentrates on a group of Greek gods who try to make ends meet in the modern world, living among humans. The family of Valentines run by beautiful Grace - a.k.a. Aphrodite - is invested in what seems like a family matchmaking business… except that where the gods are involved, the process of searching for a soul mate may be slightly different than you'd expect..

Special bonus: I don't suppose you'll be surprised if I say that the goddess of love is one sexy lady. She may keep her clothes on most of the time, but is a cause of the greatest orgasm in tv-shows since Buffy and Riley lost it and made the whole house experience their bed pleasures in "Where the Wild Things Are" (4 x 18).

5. Gaia from "Spartacus: the Gods of the Arena"

"The Gods of the Arena" is a one-season prequel to the three-seasoned "Spartacus" (titled respectively "Blood and Sand", "Vengeance" and "War of the damned"). I am not going to lie: I wouldn't have touched that series if it wasn't for Murray, and I have finished neither the main series nor the spin-off. 

The main series tells the story of Spartacus, a brave warrior taken into Roman slavery, who is forced to become a gladiator. The show has stunning graphic fights, interesting aesthetic choices when it comes to showing blood but mostly… there's sex. Lots and lots of sex, to the point where the series seems more like a porn with a plot than anything else. 

"The Gods of the Arena" concentrates on Quintus Lentulus Batiatus and his wife Lucretia, who own the ludus and all the gladiators who train in it (including Spartacus). What interests us is that the very first episode introduces to us Lucretia's friend Gaia, a playful, adventurous woman, whose search for a wealthy husband doesn't stop her from getting what she wants: which, in this case, is to get into Lucretia's robes. Otherwise manipulative and with very dubious morals, Gaia cares very much for Lucretia, and their relationship is very sweet and warm, which makes it very special in a world where sex seems to be so common it's became meaningless. 

Special bonus: points for shagging the amazing Lucy Lawless (a.k.a. Xena the warrior princess)!

4. Stacie Monroe from "Hustle" 

Stacie is an interesting one. A brilliant con-artist, who is well aware of her feminine charm and famme fatale aura, and is not afraid to use them to obtain her goals. Comparing with Murray's other roles, Stacie seems very well-balanced and sane so no one can have any doubt that she's an incredibly strong woman, who doesn't owe her success to anyone but herself. Placed between childish Danny and mature Mickey there's a lot of room to play with the character's sexual energy and feminine strength. Which the writers gladly did. 

Special bonus: like in every show which needs a brand new plot every episode, there's a lot of occasions to see her in different different incarnations… and few bizzare wigs and marvelous outfits.

3. Lila Tournay from "Dexter" 

Since someone told me that “Dexter” is a scary show, and the opening seemed to prove them right, I haven't had the guts to watch it until recently. And frankly, I am neither scared nor have I become a fan of the series. One of a few reasons why I still haven’t given up on it, is that I knew Jaime Murray was supposed to show her sweet ass in the second season. And she did show much more than just her ass. 

Lila Tournay is a perfect example of a character who is both overly sexualised and crazy. We meet her as an reformed meth addict, who later becomes Dexter’s “sponsor” when he has to pretend that he's addicted to drugs. They hit it off quick and they hit it off hard, but things quickly start to go downhill even for Dexter. She might not be a serial killer but her fascination with dead bodies and very disturbing sense of art make her actually seem more crazy from the two of them. Which is something, I guess.

Special bonus: her fashion sense is brilliant. I adored all the little accessories that she wore, including characteristic armbands. 

2. H.G. Wells from "Warehouse 13" 

Title warehouse is a place of "endless wonders", where supernatural artefacts are hidden from the public view and kept safe - more or less. The group of agents who is in charge of "bagging and tagging" as they call the process of finding and neutralising artefacts, consists of: grumpy Artie, childish Pete, up-tight but lovable Myka and a computer genius in a body of rebeled teen, Claudia. But things would be far less interesting without a sexy, adventurous, brilliant inventor from the past - no one else but H.G. Wells himse… uhm, herself! Since she joined the cast in the 2nd season she made a full transition between an evil villain and a good agent, but in reality she's always stayed grey.

Special bonus: H.G. Wells is openly bisexual, and even though she doesn't get to have on-screen sex nor even on-screen official love interest, there's more than a little tension between her and Myka and Jaime Murray herself had a big part in creating this relationship as it is now!

1. Stahma Tarr  from "Defiance" 

For me, Stahma is where all the other roles were leading Jaime Murray to. It's a role she's meant to have since the beginning of her career and it couldn't have gone to anybody else. 

In the post-apocalyptic city of Defiance, where people struggle to live among the new alien species which came to inhabit our planet after the destruction of their own, Stahma is an alien, Castithan to be precise, and a wife to brutal and cruel Datak. Among her aristocratic species women are supposed to know their place, and never leave the shadow cast by their men, and at the beginning shadows are indeed a place where Stahma feels best. She manipulates others, including her own husband, to make sure her family's status is high enough, but as the second season shows, she can do as well in the main spotlight. She's attractive, but her attractiveness is dangerous and sharp as an edge of the knife. She smiles and bows, but there's nothing humble underneath it. Where "Dexter's" Lila was a carefree psychopath, Stahma is clever and cruel and she has a plan. She's terryfying in her beauty and beautiful in how terryfying she can be. 

Special bonus: It's another bisexual character, and once again it seems that the sexual same-sex relationship is the only time Murray's character can show her softer side.

                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                          That's all!

                                                                                                                                - Aga

Best Lesbian Couples* on TV

by Ziemia

I am always on the lookout for interesting portrayals of LGBTQ characters in tv shows, and even though most mainstream shows seem to have a token gay person these days, they are usually secondary characters.  When choosing couples I focused not just on their likeability, but also on the way they were portrayed.

Behold, my very subjective list of the best lesbian couples on tv, which frankly was more difficult to compile than I initially thought. Turns out my favorite characters are either single or dating girls I do not approve of. I wonder what that says about me? J

Beware: spoilers for Defiance, Sugar Rush, Skins,  The L Word, Lip Service, Orange Is The New Black, Orphan Black, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

8. Kenya & Stahma Defiance

While technically not a couple (Kenya is a prostitute and Stahma is her client) it is easy to forget about this tiny detail sometimes. Their affection often seems genuine.  Until the very moment she killed her lover, I kept wondering whether Stahma had some actual feelings for Kenya, or was their affair just a part of her elaborate plan to help her husband become mayor of Defiance. This pairing raises not only the issue of interracial relationships (one of the women is human and the other Castithan – an alien) but more significantly, the issue of women paying for sex (with another woman!) which is still a rather big taboo.  

7. Kim & Saint Sugar Rush

Kim is a closeted teenage lesbian with a massive crush on her straight best friend, Sugar. That is, until she meets Saint – the owner of a sex shop for women called The Munch Box by day and a DJ at a lesbian club called The CC by night. Although their relationship isn’t without problems (often caused by the age difference), it progresses rather quickly, and by the end of the 2^nd (and last) season, the girls decide to move in together. Bonus points for not avoiding sex scenes, even though Kim is a teenager, and it may seem controversial.

6. Naomi & Emily Skins

Again, teenage lesbians. You know the drill: coming to terms with your sexuality, coming out to friends and family, dealing with homophobia etc. Sounds like a lot of storylines for LGBTQ characters. And yet I didn’t put this couple here just because they are likeable (which they are).  Naomi and Emily are a good example of how challenging a relationship can be when two people are at different stages of coming out (it takes Naomi more time to admit she’s attracted to a girl). However, what I like most about this couple, is how they handled infidelity. When Emily found out her girlfriend cheated on her,  her reaction wasn’t to immediately leave (which doesn’t mean she forgave Naomi on the spot). Their relationship was pretty strained for a long time, but in the end they prevailed.

5. Shane & Carmen The L Word

I’m not a big fan of The L Word and I haven’t even seen the entire show, but Shane is one of my favorite characters on tv. First of all, she is very androgynous in a show dominated by lipstick lesbians. She is also promiscuous, which is rare for a female character. Since her sleeping around is one of the thing I liked most about Shane, you’d think I wouldn’t like her to be in a relationship. And yet, I loved her with Carmen. They always seemed to have fun together. I do not have a better reason for putting them here. Also, another couple whose relationship wasn’t destroyed by infidelity (at least, not directly).

4. Alex & Piper Orange Is The New Black

Even though I’d much rather see Alex with Nicky (they have so much fun together!), they aren’t a couple just yet, so for the time being, I’ve settled for Piper . I really don’t like her, unless, she is with Alex. Somehow, when they are together, Piper stops being so irritating and pretentious, and transforms into an adventurous woman, who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to have fun. Alex, on the other hand, I like quite a lot, so it drives me crazy when I  see her miserable because of her ex (not that she is a saint).

3. Cosima & Delphine Orphan Black

Unlike most relationships on this list, this is not a case of “girl meets girl” (although it may seem that way at first) but rather “clone girl meets  girl, who turns out to be her monitor and is just gathering data”.  When Cosima falls for the nice French exchange student you just know it’s too good to be true. And wouldn’t you know, Delphine turns out to be working for the Neolutionists. Despite that, the girls have such chemistry, that seeing them together you can actually believe it’s all real. And since Delphine seems to have come to her senses and switched sides, Cosima might get a happy ending after all.

2. Frankie & Sadie Lip Service

Not one, but two promiscuous lesbians!  I think Frankie and Sadie were perfect for each other, even though they dated briefly and Frankie was in love with Cat at the time.  They were both spontaneous, ready to break the rules, and didn’t give a fuck what people thought of them. Like Frankie, Sadie knew what she wanted, and when she wanted something (or someone) she did everything to get it. Compared to her, Cat was really proper and boring.  Why Frankie preferred her, eludes me.  

1. Willow & Tara Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Willow and Tara were one of the first lesbian couples on TV (Carol and Susan from Friends were a bit earlier, but they only occasionally appeared on screen) and they are still my favorite. In the early 2000s, their relationship was still pretty controversial, so there was little physical contact between the two (it took over a year for the girls to kiss on screen!), and for a long time sex was only implied (for example: Willow reaching an orgasmic state while casting a spell with Tara).  However, what I really like about the way they were portrayed, is that issues like coming out, homophobia etc (often main storylines for LGBTQ characters ) were raised, but not focused upon. Willow and Tara were shown as a couple, not a “gay couple”.

I was also thinking about putting Jenny and Vestra form Doctor Who on the list (they are a great couple), put I decided to focus on women who are main characters in their shows. I hope you like it, and will come back for more!

Now remember, you don't need sleep, that's what caffeine is for, so go on and watch something!

*by lesbian couples I mean women in relationships with other women, not all characters on the list are gay