To be fair, Self does give us a good, sympathetic lesbian in Dr. Jane Bowen, the well-intentioned assistant to Busner. Yet it's possible that such a figure is becoming a regular minor character in the dramatis personae of contemporary misogynist humor. I noticed a similar character in the movie To Die For, written by Buck Henry and directed by Gus Van Sant Jr. The movie was supposed to be a satire about the tabloidization of America, but the most visceral emotions it stirred up had to do with the slutty, cunning heroine, whom we were titillatingly encouraged to loathe, even to wish violence upon. On the other hand, the slut's sister-in-law, a lesbian, was entirely hunky-dory. It's almost as if a good, inoffensive, apolitical lesbian is the best foil in the world--smarter and less manipulative than a straight woman, and less in the thrall of women than are straight men.