Ellen had been actively pursuing men in seasons 1 and 2. She had many dates, and more boyfriends than the average 32-year-old female. She also spent quite a bit of time dodging men who find her irresistible, but she was portrayed as a "man-eater" in doing so. She's also very much into Dan, her pizza-man boyfriend, as well as a few other male dates (like the one she met at the museum, whom she turned on to pop culture, and her childhood "weird guy" date, whom she really wanted to date again), and she has recurring "naughty" dreams about both Adam and her male therapist. Then suddenly, in her "coming out" episode in season 4, viewers are supposed to pretend that none of this ever happened. At best, she (her character of Ellen Inez Morgan) should have come out as "bi", because clearly she was into both men and--later--women.
However, it is a common feature of members of the LGBTQIA+ community to pursue heteronormative relationships prior to coming out. Reasons can be complex, and include an effort to "seem normal" to society, or because realization can take a while.
However, it is a common feature of members of the LGBTQIA+ community to pursue heteronormative relationships prior to coming out. Reasons can be complex, and include an effort to "seem normal" to society, or because realization can take a while.
As of Season 3, Ellen's apartment is no longer upstairs: the characters go into the first floor apartment opposite Mrs. Koeger's. An establishing shot regularly shows that Ellen's apartment building is not exactly at ground level, since there are stairs leading to its entrance, from the sidewalk. However, its first floor isn't high up enough to be at the same level with the top floor of the opposite building which is seen on level from Ellen's balcony. Also, a couple of bushes clearly obstruct the view from the downstairs apartment's windows but Ellen has unobstructed view ahead, proving once and for all that Ellen's apartment is clearly the one upstairs--even throughout season 3. Furthermore, the top floor window is lit at night in the establishing shots, proving that it is Ellen's. Finally, the "balcony" seen in said frames appears to not be a balcony at all once seen from the outside view: there isn't nearly enough floor space. The balustrade appears to be smack against the window, with only a slim space to host potted plants, but evidently not large enough to accommodate Ellen's patio furniture.
The scenes taking place at the bookstore's entrance have a set-up that is completely different than the show's establishing shot of Buy The Book. Its entrance is far left of the screen in the close-ups, with a wall to said left. However, in the establishing shots, the front door is smack in the middle of the business, not to its immediate screen-left, with equal distance between the left and right sides.