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I don't trust you. You're one of them now.

Pippa to Bette, "Lake House"

Pippa Pascal is a recurring character in season two of The L Word: Generation Q. She is portrayed by Vanessa Estelle Williams and debuts in "Lake House".

Pippa is a contemporary artist whose work focuses on race and oppression. Brilliant at what she does, she became a superstar in the art world right out of college. However, her once soaring career came to an abrupt end when she publicly exposed the racism of the art elite and was subsequently blacklisted. Being rejected by her peers hurt Pippa deeply, and she disappeared from the art scene for the next two decades.

In Generation Q season 2, Bette Porter comes across a deeply moving art installation by an anonymous artist. She deduces that it is Pippa's work and tracks the artist down to her secluded studio in the mountains. Bette admits to being a long-time fan of Pippa and tries to convince Pippa to return to the art world by signing with her. Pippa refuses initially due to her distrust of Bette, who manages the artist roster for the racist art dealer Isaac Zakarian. Pippa is eventually won over when Bette secures an exhibition for her work at the California Arts Center (CAC), and the two begin a professional and romantic relationship. Pippa and Bette grow closer as they triumph over Dani Nùñez in a dispute over the CAC's funding, but when Pippa meets Bette's ex-wife Tina Kennard, she starts to question whether Bette is truly over Tina.

Background[]

Pippa was born on April 4, 1969, in Los Angeles, California.[1] She is a contemporary artist[1] and is the mother to one son.[4] Upon graduating from Bard College in New York,[1] Pippa's talent was quickly recognized by the art elite and she was promised the world at the age of 22.[4]

Pippa's senior thesis art showcase at Bard[1] had also inspired Bette Porter, then an undergraduate at Yale University, to switch her major from comparative literature to art history.[3] Bette continued to follow Pippa's career, attending Pippa's first post-graduate show at the Amelia Spalter Gallery in New York, her first museum show at the Studio Museum in Harlem, and joining the protests when one of Pippa's pieces, "America's Original Sin", was dropped from the Whitney Biennial.[3]

By the time Bette opened her gallery in the 1990s, Pippa was already a superstar in the art world. She was one of the only mainstream artists who was making art about race, oppression and sexual violence. However, she gained a reputation for being difficult to work with, which Bette says was euphemism for being female and black.[1]

Gen Q S02E03 Pippa Google search 01

Bette's google search results for Pippa.

In 2000, Pippa published an op-ed in The New York Times in which she called the art world anti-black. She was blacklisted after that and disappeared from the art scene.[1][3] Back then, Pippa's sense of self was tied to her work and being rejected by the art world hurt her deeply, making her very wary about ever returning.[4] She retreated to her secluded art studio in the mountain ranges of Topanga, California,[1][3] and went on to become an art teacher.[5] Pippa continues to create art, but because she does not want to be found, she only showcases her new work anonymously in obscure galleries.[3]

Generation Q[]

Episode appearances[]

Generation Q, season 2
Episode Appearance Status
"Late to the Party"Absent
"Lean on Me"Absent
"Luck Be a Lady"Mentioned
"Lake House"Appears
"Lobsters, Too"Mentioned
"Love Shack"Appears
"Light"Appears
"Launch Party"Appears
"Last Dance"Appears
"Last Call"Appears

Quotes[]

Quotes by or about Pippa from Generation Q.

Pippa: "Good god, woman."
Bette: "I'm-- I'm persistent."
Pippa: "You do know trespassing is a crime, right?"
-- in "Lake House"

Pippa (to Bette): "I don't trust you. You're one of them now."
-- in "Lake House"

Pippa (to Bette): "Don't touch me like this unless you're coming home with me."
-- in "Lake House"

Bette: "I'm so happy to be here. There's no other place on Earth I'd rather be."
Alice: "That was really believable."
Bette: "I just... I hate chasing people down. I feel like that's what I do all day."
Alice: "Yeah, I get it. It's very demoralizing."
Shane: "Who are you chasing? 'Cause I know it's not Gigi."
Bette: "Just all the artists I want to work with. The rebels, the disrupters, the game changers. I mean, none of them want to join Zakarian."
Shane: "Pippa still won't sign with you?"
Bette: "She won't even take a meeting with me."
Shane: "What, she's not susceptible to your charm?"
Bette: "Well..."
Shane: "Wow. You're attracted to her."
Bette: "No. It's just that, um... She's everything."
Shane: "Wow."
Bette: "Yeah."
Alice: "Look, I get it. I am also trying to bone somebody I work with."
Bette: "I'm not trying to bone her. I'm just trying to work with her."
-- in "Love Shack"

Gallery[]

Images[]

Gifs[]

Notes and trivia[]

  • Pippa's character shares a lot of similarities with that of Allyn Barnes. Allyn and Pippa were both superstar artists who Bette Porter discovered while in college. Bette credits Allyn as her inspiration for going into the arts, while Bette also credits Pippa as her inspiration for majoring in art history in college. Both artists eventually left the art world, Allyn because she hated the art world and Pippa because she had been blacklisted. Both continued to make art anonymously until Bette found their work and broke their anonymity.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Generation Q, 2x03: "Luck Be a Lady".
  2. In "Light" (GQ 2x07), Pippa says she was 22-years-old 30 years ago, thus making her 52. Moreover, her birthdate is said to be April 4, 1969 in "Luck Be a Lady" (GQ 2x03).
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Generation Q, 2x04: "Lake House".
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Generation Q, 2x07: "Light".
  5. Generation Q, 2x06: "Love Shack".
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