Dawn French, the woman of
size widely known as half of French and Saunders, or The
Vicar of Dibley, plays Mary Trewednack in "Wild West." She lives
above the post office in the Cornish coastal village of St. Gweep with her neurotic
partner Angela (Catherine Tate). Says French, "I relished the chance to play
a gay woman because I think it's about time gay female couples can be as ordinary
as any other couple on the telly." Mary and Ang are just two of the
odd characters in town, running the post office and a tiny store in which they
have no problem selling stolen merchandise that washes up on the beach. Their
best friend is Holly (Anne-Marie Duff), who manages the local Museum of Witchcraft,
and they're all friends with the guys down at the pub and the local fishermen. The
show only lasted for two seasons, and it is a quirky British comedy with some
good laughs. One sometimes disturbing aspect of the series is the lust both Mary
and Angela have for men, on the prowl for a newcomer, apparently ready to shove
the other aside for a good man. They often seem like the bisexual stereotype of
"lesbians until something better comes along," but they never do actually
leave one another. Says Mary, "At first we only slept together because everyone
else in the village was taken. As the years go by, the feelings grew to quite
a big love." The two end up snug in bed together in each episode. |