Chica Busca Chica (Girl Seeks Girl)

For all those who have complained about the suburban whiteness of The L Word, meet Chica Busca Chica (Girl Seeks Girl). Chica Busca Chica is a new Spanish television show with a lesbian perspective. Although obviously inspired by Showtime’s The L Word, Chica Busca Chica is a pleasant inclusion in a genre that likes to paint lesbians as being almost exclusively white, skinny and beautiful and living perfect, power lesbian lives.

Meet Monica, a former Judo champion with self-destructive tendencies that cause her to ruin relationships. Then there is her former roommate Carmen, the token straight friend in the group, who is struggling with her relationship with the cheating Jorge. Monica’s current roommate is Ana, the innocent girl from the country who leads the audience on hilarious escapades as she attempts to learn about the wide world of lesbian sex and culture. Finally there is Nines, the flirtatious and confident lesbian who uses her sex appeal to get what she wants.

Chica Busca Chica is also the name of the lesbian nightclub in Madrid where Nines tends bar and the group hangs out. Many scenes find the women at the club getting tipsy over many less-than-successful quests as the twenty-something women navigate careers and relationships.

Above all, this show is fun to watch. Much lighter than The L Word, and with more lovable characters, Chica Busca Chica is truly a feel-good show, with hilarious scenes and situations. One memorable scene finds Ana on her first date. Apprehensive about making a good impression, Ana decides to cook for her date and a friend advises her to cook something exotic. The friend suggests something with curry. The next scene finds Ana serving her date canned sausages with copious amounts of curry, so much that her unassuming date is unable to eat it.

Of course Chica Busca Chica does include the predictable storyline of the overly confident, overly sexy lesbian (Nines) who becomes attracted to the straight girl (Carmen) who is trapped in a dead-end relationship with Mr. Insensitive. The sexual tension rises between the two women until it becomes obvious that it is only a matter of time until the two find themselves in bed together. Unfortunately, the season ends before the love triangle reaches that point.

Apparently the formula for a show about lesbians is a rigid one. Each episode of the award-winning show is a half-hour long and includes English subtitles. The show is for anyone who is looking for something different and fun in their pop culture portrayal of young lesbians.

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