Another week, another character bites the dust. It’s as if Lip Service has turned into some kind of eviction based reality TV show.

Frankie hit the road in last night’s episode. She’s off to New York, although she packed at such speed she’s likely to find herself in the Big Apple with one shoe, no trousers and approximately 300 blurry close up shots of Cat’s naked bum. Not really ideal given the fact she doesn’t have any money. Maybe she can trade the photos for food… wait, no, it’s ok. She doesn’t eat.

With her departure, we’re left with the strangest flat share since Bert and Ernie decided to shack up with Lady Gaga.

On the left, we have Lexy. Attractive, a little dull (probably because she seems normal compared to the others) and Australian, although she’s somehow wangled a job as a doctor instead of traditional bar work. Fair dinkum to her.

On the right, there’s recently bereaved Tess, who only stops crying long enough to do something hilariously dizzy, then remembers she’s sad again and starts weeping into her herbal tea selection.

And then there’s Cleopatra-haired Sadie, who seems to have stepped out of a 1970s sitcom set in the East End of London where she played a sarcastic spinster, or possibly a pub landlady. Louche, sturdy and resilient, she’s got a lot of depth but an accent that means it’s virtually impossible to take her seriously.

Welcome to Big Brother 2012: Lesbian edition.

But this odd line up could be good. Great, even. It clears the playing field for some new interactions and while it’ll be hard on fans to see the back of Frankie – even temporarily – it immediately allowed the series to get back to what it does best: sex. Lovely, lovely sex.

Come on, let’s all admit it – we don’t watch Lip Service for the plot: it’s thinner than Ruta Gedmintas. We want to see a 70s landlady taking an Italian tourist from behind in a mess of preserves, cream and assorted condiments.

The boob prints were a particularly nice touch.

However, we’re not out of the woods yet: there’s still the looming spectre of Cat. No, not literally – this isn’t Most Haunted – although ghostliness is probably coming naturally to her given she was paler and more miserable looking than Casper the Friendly Ghost’s emo cousin while she was alive. Despite everyone’s keenness to get back to normal, we still have to pay lip service (see what I did there?) to her death.

Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy as the reactions of the characters can be summed up as follows:

• Frankie: Self indulgent, whiny and miserable. She’ll fit in well in New York.
• Lexy: Quite happy, as Cat’s death means she might have a shot with Sam.
• Sadie: Not bothered.
• Lexy’s Gay Male Doctor Friend: Not bothered.
• Ed: Incredibly, deeply bothered, apart from when horrible women hit on him. Then not bothered.
• Tess: Incredibly, deeply bothered, apart from where the plot demands she do something amusing, like vandalising a theatrical poster. Then not bothered.
• Sam: Largely fine, until she suddenly starts having an impromptu panic attack/orgasm when smelling Cat’s pillow or going for a run.

This mixed bag of opinions and varying levels of bereavement meant the episode felt a bit unbalanced at times. Focussing on Sadie’s sexploits with tourists and magazine editors helped, but the contrast between the merry japes of the less affected characters and the traumatised reactions of the others meant the whole thing was a bit confusing:

“Hey, that’s hot! I feel quite turned on… oh no, they’ve cut to a close up of someone weeping.”

It’s like gay aversion therapy. Maybe this series was paid for by religious fundamentalists.

However, Tess’s mood seems to be brightening thanks to her fantastic new friend Hugh, played by the excellent Stuart McQuarrie. And surly, sad faced Frankie has taken a hike for a while, which means the series might perk up a bit and we won’t feel like we’re sitting though a training video for LGBT grief counsellors.

So long, Frankie: you’re fired. Can’t wait to watch your exit interview on BBC2 with Dara o’Briain.

Conundrum of the Week: Don’t you need a green card to work in the US, or do they waive their notoriously strict residential visa requirements for depressed lesbians? If so, I’m moving to Florida right now.