Dana Fairbanks
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Dana Fairbanks is a fictional character on the Showtime television network series The L Word, shown nationally in the United States. She is played by an American actress of jewish origin: Erin Daniels.
Contents |
[edit] Storyline
[edit] Season 1
With a rising professional tennis career on her way, Dana Fairbanks prefers to pretend being straight rather than coming out as a lesbian. A combination of a conservative background and refusal to accept her sexuality have made her a rigid, fearful, and neurotic person. Dana has known her sexual orienation since her teenage years, after falling in love with one of the girls also attending tennis camp. This latter girlfriend's real name (who Dana simply calls "Ralph") is never mentioned, since she is now famous and has chosen to remain closeted.
In order to appear heterosexual, Dana plots a fictitious affair with her doubles partner Harrison, who also happens to be gay. She also evades being seen by "geeky straight people" while she is hanging out with her friends in West Hollywood, and abhors being seen on the streets with anyone that could be easily identified as homosexual. Her major attachment is to her cat, Mr. Piddles (also known as the International Cat of Mystery).
While eating at the country club where she practiced, Dana meets the sous chef Lara Perkins. The overly friendliness of this sous chef towards her led Dana to consider Lara could be a lesbian. Unable to determine because of her lack of gaydar, Dana invited her friends to help her figure it out. Despite their discouragement after concluding Lara was straight, it was Lara's advances which ultimately convinced Dana to start dating her. At the same time, Dana also gets the opportunity to receive sponsorship from Subaru, who might be interested in using her image on upcoming advertising campaigns.
Under the pressure of being rejected because of her sexual orientation and after being persuaded by her manager, Dana breaks up with Lara and focuses on nailing the Subaru campaign. She eventually gets the sponsorship, and Subaru proposes to place her as the "gay Anna Kournikova" under the slogan "get out and stay out". Dana takes the challenge, accepts the strategy, fires her manager, and finally embraces her sexuality. A new challenge then appears on Dana's road: coming out to her parents. Sharon Fairbanks, Dana's mother, is a successful political leader of the Orange County Women's Republican Coalition, and her conservative standards of lifestyle might cause her trouble accepting her daughter's sexual orientation. Considering the scandal was to come national shortly, and with the support of her bisexual friend Alice, Dana decides to confront her parents during the award ceremony held in honor of her mother. Caught off guards, her parents reject her explanations and enter a phase of denial, in which they try to hook up Dana with men. One of these men ends up becoming an interest for her friend Alice.
Once out of the closet, Dana gains the freedom to embrace her real identity. She gets a makeover and starts to visit lesbian bars. She is even nominated to receive a Human Rights Campaign award, and it is during the ceremony where she meets Tonya, who later becomes her girlfriend and moves in with her. After the unexpected death of Mr. Piddles, she decides to take a step foward in this relationship and gets engaged with Tonya (the main reason behind her decision was the fear of losing the people she loves). In the season finale, Alice, who never liked Tonya's attitude and did not believe in her good intentions, lets Dana know she really loves her more than a friend.
[edit] Season 2
Now engaged to Tonya, Dana struggles with her growing interest towards Alice. After a brief discussion, they both decide to come up with certain "rules of unattraction" they are to follow, among them never being left alone together. As the tension between Alice and Tonya rises, Shane notices what really is going on between Alice and Dana. In a desperate intent of Tonya to release herself from all feelings of jealousy, she sets up Alice on a date with a guy, which only serves to prove Dana how much she does care about Alice's doings.
Tonya has arranged her marriage to be an event to mark "herstory": the first corporate sponsored celebrity lesbian wedding. She has already obtained Sharon's blessing, and now she has worked on a project and reunited several potential sponsors for the event. At the same time, Tonya has also reclaimed a 15% manager's fee from Dana's corporate account, something that angers Dana and makes her reach out for Alice's advice.
While preparing the gift bags for her bachelorette party, Dana cheats on Tonya with Alice. The Bachelorette is held, and Alice is forced to give a toast on Dana's behalf. Days after, she clears things up with Dana: she is not willing to become her secret lover, the only way she can expect to have a chance with her is if Dana breaks up her engagement and cancels the wedding. Considering the emotional value the upcoming Celebrity Heineken Jam n' Slamming Tournament might have for Tonya, Dana agrees to break up with her after the event. Dana then speaks to Tonya at the lockers, and here she discovers she had just started a relationship with celebrity Melissa Rivers.
Free from Tonya, Dana immediately begins a secret relationship with Alice. Only Shane knows about it, and the girls plan to announce it at The Planet. Shane has arranged a surprise party for the couple aided by Carmen. The relationship seems to be doing pretty well, until Lara reappears on the scene and causes Alice to start feeling jealous. Alice then attempts to make a fast move by telling Dana to move in with her, but her proposition is declined.
[edit] Season 3
Six months have passed. Dana is now back with Lara, after having a harsh breakup with Alice. Things are uncomfortable between them: Alice's obsession with Dana disturbs all possibilities of friendship.
During an intimate moment, Lara notices a lump in Dana's breast. Dana evades visiting the doctor, but soon after winning the Mercedes-Benz Challenge she decides to get a checkup. It is discovered that Dana has an infiltrating ductal carcinoma, an aggressive form of breast cancer that begins in the milk ducts. Dana is then scheduled for a mastectomy and decides to keep her operation as a secret from her friends, but due to the discovery that the cancer has already spread to her muscle tissue Lara proceeds to call them.
As Dana starts her chemotherapy sessions, her relationship with Lara deteriorates. She becomes verbally abusive towards Lara and asks her to leave her alone and forces her to fly to Paris to take some cooking classes. During Lara's absence, Dana's condition worsens and has to be taken to the hospital. After five days, she finally loses her cancer battle and passes away while no one was around.
Dana's body is cremated and a funeral is held in her honor. During this funeral, which was organized by her parents, Dana's friends are excluded because of their lifestyle. In rage, Alice decides to steal some of her ashes in order to prepare a proper ceremony. Dana's ashes are then spread by her friends in a waterfall at the tennis camp where she first came out.
[edit] The Chart
[edit] Trivia
Dana's parents, Irwin and Sharon Fairbanks, are portrayed by real-life married couple Michael and Susan Hogan. Michael Hogan is better known for his role as Colonel Saul Tigh on Battlestar Galactica.
| the L word |
|---|
| Characters |
| Main characters: Carmen de la Pica Morales | Dana Fairbanks | Tina Kennard | Shane McCutcheon | Helena Peabody | Alice Pieszecki | Bette Porter | Jenny Schecter | Moira/Max Sweeney |
| Minor characters: Gabby Deveaux | Marina Ferrer | Tim Haspel | Angelica Kennard | Peggy Peabody | Lara Perkins | Kit Porter | Other Characters |
| Episode List |
| Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 |
