because Ilene Chaiken is crazy =( i miss dana, i miss her so bad! i miss her like hell

As a recent fan of The L-Word, I just watched Dana's death episode last night. Honestly, I was shocked at this decision by the show's writers and producers and am asking the same question. My answer, however, is that the writers may not have had any future for Dana. She was in love with Lara - not Alice, anymore - Lara's character is not a regular and Dana's friction with the group (because it was Alice's group) was clear (though well-done to show the group's own love of Dana) after their breakup but prior to Dana's sickness. They had made her an amazing, out tennis player leaving her no where really to grow. I am saddened by this loss and wish the writers had kept Dana around to build up the other relationships we got to see in Dana's memorial episode (her hook-up with Jenny and her acid-drop with Shane). Though frankly, these types of events were impossible with Lara in the picture and yet another break-up for Dana would have shown a lack of commitment and poor character development for her. So they killed her. Another suggestion would have been to make Lara a regular. She was gradually getting along with the group and would have made a nice addition with her personality and strength to be an out lesbian chef. I am saddened to see the loss of her beautiful smile and grounded-ness, a characteristic that is sometimes lost by the other (lovable) but outrageous characters. If any character had to go, I wish it had been Tina. Her presence and sickening life choices along with her seemingly wise and gentle exterior is a frivolous and poor choice for the show. Her death at the point where Dana was killed would have freed Bette in more ways than one from this depressive state she has been in for the last season in the half. I believe Tina has been holding Bette back and without Tina in the picture, Bette would make an excellent single mother, once again returning to a theme I believe the show excudes, that lesbians are people and can face and overcome tough and challenging times. Also, Tina is not attractive enough for the gorgeous Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals). No one that Bette has actually hooked up with has been. I want to see a Bette/ Carmen hook-up. Now that's lesbian HOTNESS!

In all likelihood, it probably had something to do with the actress' wanting to move on or the fact they had nowhere to take the character, but it was also a really good opportunity to present breast cancer as a very real illness with very definitive consequences. For a main character to die gave impact to how devastating the cancer can be and served to draw attention to its cause. (Quick note: As deadly as breast cancer is for women, heart trouble kills more women each year than all cancers combined.)