opinion & features

That’s the point

If you were a young talented lesbian looking for the perfect way to show off your creative works, what would you choose? For Tucky Williams (pictured centre left), the writer, actress and producer of the Internet serial Girl/Girl Scene, there was only one choice. “The web is really the only place to put new content,” says Williams. “It’s where entertainment is moving to – being specialized. We can see the future and what’s happening. People are really going to find what they need.”

Girl/Girl Scene follows a handful of friends (or not-friends as the case may be) as they interact in a middle America town/ Shot in Williams’ home state of Kentucky. The series is brought to life more by the charisma of the actresses than by the stories. Considering that the women spend their time drugging each other, posting sex tapes online, committing emotional blackmail, and a disregarding any social conscience or responsibility – it’s hard to understand why they all stick around.

But maybe that’s the point.

“The show is young, and fun, and about being gay and not being tortured by it. They do terrible things,” Williams says with a laugh. “They’re not very nice people. But not all lesbians want to get married and have a baby. Our girls wants to have fun.” Girl/Girl Scene has moments of genuine brilliance and hilarity. The humour throughout the series is quirky and personal, ranging from a Terminator impression (referring to one of Williams’ favourite movies) to the awful yellow kitchen glove that appears in a few episodes as an unfortunate safer sex aid.

It’s hard to love the characters. Their inability to operate outside of the realm of ego or to show genuine love and develop mature emotional connections reminds one of high school hell. But again, maybe that’s the point. 

Williams’ own history is more complex than one might assume. Besides acting in several indie horror films, she has a degree in meteorology and two years ago, was diagnosed with epilepsy. She takes every opportunity to talk about it. “When someone is having a seizure, don’t put anything in their mouth. You could seriously hurt them,” she cautions. “It’s really painful to watch, but the person having the seizure can’t feel it. Just be kind and take care of the person.”

Unlike her character in the show, Williams doesn’t go out much, doesn’t do drugs or drink alcohol, and has a great relationship with her parents. And in defence of the over-the-top drama, sometimes we don’t want to be redeemed. After all, when we watch television we’re often looking to delve into the realm of our fantasies. “A lot of the inspiration comes from my life,” Williams says. With a distinct change of voice, she adds, “Or what I’d like my like to look like.”

Though Williams has a lot of time to hone her craft as she grows as an artist – her charm, warmth, and good humour already shine through. “I like to stay up late writing – how sexy is that?” she says with a laugh. “I would love to find a girl who thought that was hot. She also has to like to kiss me. But I’m not really a cuddler. I’m working on it.” Not to mention having the ambition and drive to write, star in, and produce your own series – while scoring some pretty sweet sponsorships and quoting a bit of philosophy on the side. 

While Williams was studying in school, she was mentored in creative writing by one a poet laureate in Kentucky. “He was hard on me,” Tucky remembers, which gratitude. “He told me that art was pointless if it didn’t go into the deep recesses of our soul.” The response to that can be only one thing: Give us more than the amoral fantasies and let the soul of the work, the humour and complexity of humans shine through. We’ll wait, gladly.

The newest episode of Girl/Girl Scene was released on October 24. You can view all the episodes and more about the cast at girlgirlscene.com.