Wanderlust S1 Ep2 - The SSL REview
Wanderlust
This is a British TV series, but I caught it on Netflix. I really liked this show, and bonus, it involves a long-time married couple's sex lives, so there are things to SSL Review. I already reviewed the 1st episode. Feel free to check it out. Overall this show has a fairly fresh perspective on ladygasms - at least for a TV show. There are a few imperfections, but definitely better than I would normally expect. The first episode got a good SSL Review and this one will have a mixed one. It'll be fairly short (I don't always write a long-winded ass book). So, enjoy, and go check out this show. I recommend it.
An SSL Review (for those that don't know about them)
Only depiction or discussion of female orgasm and/or female masturbation and/or the clit are eligible for SSL Review. Nothing else counts, including plain 'ol sex if it doesn't include anything listed above. I specifically critique the realism (for instance, were the physical things happening to that women while she orgasmed things that could realistically cause orgasm for a woman?) and also speak on what the depiction/discussion reflects from and adds to the larger cultural discussion around lady-gasms and female sexuality.
You can see all the SSL TV Reviews HERE (and as always you can find all the movie SSL Reviews HERE).
Okay - I'll describe the 2 SSL Reviewable scenes, and then I'll give my thoughts on it, and finally (lucky you) you'll get to see the Vulva Rating. That's how this will go.
The First Scene: quick sex on a countertop
I won't get into names. Just know it's a man and a woman. The couple is making out, and they very quickly start taking off each other's pants. Their tops stay on. He gets the condom out, which takes a minute. She sits on some kind of table or counter, and when he gets the condom unwrapped, he puts it on (out of site, of course), and puts it right in her.
They aggressively bang against each other for a very short time (although it cuts to another scene in the middle, so it could be intended to be slightly longer than we are seeing). Anyway, she is kind of grunting and moaning in a sort of 'I'm gonna come' sort of way. He's doing the same. And then they sort of do a final 'uh' like there was a come. They slightly collapse into each other and then untangle.
Honestly, it could be seen two ways - that she did come at the same time he did, or also that she was just making sex noises. I tend to think it plays more towards the former. Granted, I personally tend to see it in the latter (because unintentional faking is a things) but I don't think that's the show's intention or what most people on a casual watch would get from it. I think what was intended and what is likely taken from that scene is that 2 people bang, and it ends in them both being mutually sexually satisfied (assume orgasm). I will say when it ends she seems a bit bothered, as opposed to satisfied and basking in the afterglow, but I think from context that was having to do with their non-sexual relationship not a dissatisfaction with the physical aspect of sex.
The Second Scene: ate the fuck out!
I'm keeping names out of this too. Again, just know it's a man and woman. This scene is super simple. The lady hooks up with a dude. You see them kissing and groping as they go into his place. Then we see a bust shot downward of her laying on the bed in just her bra. It's clear the guy is working on her down there. He is not in shot.
From her face, we can see she is kind of contemplating what's happening, ya know, and getting into it. It cuts to another scene. The next time we see her, it's the same shot, and she is clearly orgasming from a good ol' eating out...or whatever he's doing down there. It's not actually clarified. I assumed.
The SSL Review Stuff
I mean, not too much exciting to say here. The first couple was an example of shit status quo intercourse that would be just fine for getting a dude off, but absolutely shit for getting a woman with a vagina and clit off. Why? Because just as men need their penises stimulated to orgasm, women need their clits stimulated...and you know what? A penis jamming in and out of the vagina is a terrible way to make that happen, because despite popular belief, stimulating the inside of the vagina does not cause orgasms.
But what's even more terrible is the incredibly common situation where some lady in a TV show or a movie or porn or even a book gets banged into an orgasm with no additional clitoral simulation. It's terrible because it's insanely unrealistic but the sheer number of times we all see it happen in our media makes it seem like how sex should happen, how women should orgasm, and feels like we're seeing how other women orgasm. It creates expectations that simply can't be achieved, and confusion, shame, and conflict when those expectations clash with reality. Point being, this type of sex scene is so very, very common and it also is overall negative for the plight of the female orgasm.
On the other hand, the second scene was stellar. It was a one-night stand that didn't focus on what most depicted one-night stands focus on; intercourse. Instead, it focused on a sex act that 1. was totally focused on the lady, and 2. was something that actually, realistically could cause an orgasm for a lady if it were done to her. Well, I'm assuming so, since I'm thinking it was cunnilingus, but even if it were him putting a vibe on her vulva or manually stimulating her, it'd be the same level of realism, but honestly, I think the intention was that she was getting ate the hell out.
Listen, I love any depiction of sex that forgoes the regular ol' shit for lady-gasm intercourse, and instead depicts something that actually might cause a lady to come. We don't have enough of it, and we'd probably need every sex scene to be that for the next 50 years before we even begin to make those take over as the majority style of sex scene above the status-quo, bang-her-into-an-orgasm, shit intercourse scenes that clutter media currently. So, keep 'em coming. As it stands this episode is 50/50 for the two types of scenes.
Vulva Rating
Given that there was 1 stagnant, unrealistic, over-used depiction of "lady-gasm" and one under-used, realistic depiction of lady-gasm, I have to put the vulva rating in the middle of the road. But also a little lower because, ya know, 1 bad apple ruins the barrel.
So, I am giving this episode a 2 Vulva Rating out of 5.
(!)(!)