'The L Word: Generation Q': Finley's growing character arc proves it is never too late to try and get better
This story contains major spoilers for the Season 1 finale of 'The L Word: Generation Q' titled 'Lapse in Judgement'
When Jacqueline Toboni's Sarah Finley started on 'The L Word: Generation Q', she was a hot mess, philandering around Los Angeles, living on her friend's couch, not having a place of her own and drowning in alcohol.
She was also relying on alcohol for giving her the liquid courage to jump in and out of beds and not giving meaningful relationships a chance — well, practically unable to give relationships a chance.
Very early on, it was established that something had happened in Finley's past that damaged her, particularly when she started dating the priest, Rebecca Dowery (Olivia Thirlby).
Despite having feelings for Rebecca, something kept Finley from giving her all to that relationship. Rebecca inferred that this was childhood trauma, that her family had issues with her sexuality.
Fans, on the other hand, predicted that she might have been sent to conversion camp after coming out to her family, which continues to haunt her well into adulthood.
In the finale episode, Finley is forced to stop running from her past and finally confront it. She decides to make her way to Missouri, where she hopes to spend time with her family and resolve the differences.
Having slept with Sophie (Suarez, played by Rosanny Zayas) just before her wedding, Finley finds herself realizing her mistake and how her actions could have potentially ruined Sophie's life.
Guilt-ridden, she shows up at Rebecca's house, where Rebecca reassures her that she is indeed a good person, good people make mistakes and that the changes will happen slowly.
Fans are loving this interaction. "That Finley centric middle bit was so cathartic, my insides are all a MESS. I’ve been reading all of the Finley haterade this season and I didn’t drink one bit of it, said a fan.
The fan continued, "Came here to say how visible I felt, heck feel, watching her character and all of the idiocy that comes with it. Rebecca giving that whole 'taking responsibility' and 'good people make mistakes' schpiel had me so shook I literally paused the episode, switched to Spotify to listen to my lo-fi beats for a hot second, downed the rest of my water and braved myself for the next half."
"Finley was the best, most complex new character and Jacqueline does her justice," noted a fan. "I really like Finley! Good, complex character with a whole lot of backstory and layers to explore. I’m looking forward to exploring her character more next season," said another.
