who's a heretic now?

so i’ve finally reached the kiss. the thing about Jennifer crying is that even though we know Bette is slightly jealous about Tina’s affairs and has moments of discontent/tension in her relationship with Jodi, nothing in the episode  actually suggests the depth of feeling that Bette still has for Tina that comes out here. the tears in this scene are dredged up from a secret place that Bette doesn’t show to her friends, to Jodi, to anyone, and most incredibly, that Jennifer doesn’t even show to the camera. it suggests that Bette exists outside of all the existing clips we have seen (which is a fucking achievement of acting). and let’s talk about Laurel. Tina finally touches Bette’s body after the most prolonged kiss in which Bette proves her passion for her. and the fact that when Bette reacts to that by crying and shaking in her arms, Laurel doesn’t even (NEED TO) open her eyes - she knows what is happening and is there to comfort her, she uses a little bump of her nose against Jennifer’s forehead to say hey, look up, before kissing her again. these two are so fucking in sync, their love scenes say more than their dialogue. they understand and live in their characters so well. “the truth of those characters” really comes out in this scene unlike ever before.

Bette and Tina’s first meeting - THE EARRING