Ilene Chaiken reveals her biggest "The L Word" regret

by Dorothy Snarker

Hey, lesbians, Ilene Chaiken has something to tell you. Lean close, closer, a little bit closer. OK, now brace yourself: She's really sorry about that whole killing Dana thing, OK?

The creator of The L Word and The Real L Word (also Barb Wire we never forget, Ilene, never) said she regretted killing the beloved fictional tennis player and adorable coiner of the term crispay, Dana Fairbanks. MovieWeb.com has an exclusive clip from the reunion special on The L Word: The Complete Series DVD set, which features the cast listening to Chaiken talk about what she regrets. Have a listen for yourself.

There you have it. Couldn't be clearer. The Chaiken has spoken:

The one thing that I most regret on the show is Dana's death. The reaction was so passionate and the grief was so deeply felt and to have be responsible for causing that kind of grief just is hard to live with. If I could go back and do it over again that might be the one thing I do differently.

And then, perfect specimen of humankind Jennifer Beals pipes in to say what we're all basically thinking.

Can I say that it was just like hearing God apologize for taking one of your friends too early? It was really nice to hear.

Well, I wouldn't entirely call Chaiken God, but otherwise what she said.

I'll admit, seeing the (not-entirely) whole gang back together again (MIA are Mia Kirshner, Pam Grier, Rose Rollins, Rachel Shelley, Sarah Shahi, etc.) gives my little gay heart a thrill. It's hard to think of a bigger pop culture lesbian bonding experience in recent years than The L Word. So having Jennifer, Laurel Holloman, Kate Moennig, Leisha Hailey, Erin Daniels and, fine, even Eric Mabius in one room is makes me a little nostalgic. (Apparently, Marlee Matlin is also there, we just don't see her in this clip.)