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Lost Girl: Groundhog Fae

“Oh bitch, I am the naughty list.”

As you can no doubt gather from the unimaginative title, this was Lost Girl’s take on the Billy Murray classic. Not only that, it was also the show’s first full blown Christmas episode (it originally aired in Canada over the festive period).

It is something of a cruel twist of fate that this episodes had its US airing one week after the untimely passing of Groundhog Day writer/director Harold Ramis. Groundhog Day wasn’t the first work of fiction to play around with time loops (Star Trek: The Next Generation’s ‘Cause and Effect’ pre-dates the film), but it was the first use the concept purely for comedy and ultimately popularise it. "Groundhog Day" has now entered the public lexicon as a shorthand to describe a time loop story.

Since the release of Groundhog Day in 1993, time loop episodes (specifically comedic ones) have become a staple of sci-fi and fantasy television, the most notable examples being Stargate: SG-1 (‘Window of Opportunity’), Supernatural (‘Mystery Spot’ – AKA the one where Dean dies again and again), Xena (‘Been There, Done that’) and The X-Files (‘Monday’). Even Buffy got in on the action during season six (’Life Serial’), although that was only for a portion of an episode not the whole thing (still, it was a very memorable portion). Now we get the Lost Girl version and it was completely bloody bonkers. I loved every second of it.

There was so much I loved about this episode (like Bruce in a toga), but I think I’ll start with Tamsin. After being AWOL for the last two episodes, Tamsin was finally back (yay). And I mean really, really back. All that time away has done her some good as she’s now regained her memories, her attitude, her snark, her love of leather and her massive crush on Bo (actually, that one never really went away). Oh, original flavour Tamsin, I have missed you so much. Please never leave us again. We need your sarcasm and adorable faces.

Time loop episodes are normally told exclusively from the perspective of the only person, or persons, who is aware they are trapped in a time loop. This episode, however, gives us multiple perspectives. Downstairs, we had Bo and Tamsin were trying to figure out what was going on. Well, they did for a bit at the start, then they sort of just gave up and decided to get drunk and make out (to the joy of Valkubus shippers everything). I love that Bo just threw her arms up in the air and said “fuck it” and just had fun. She’d had a long day and couldn’t be bothered to deal with this shit time loop right now. Besides, what’s the point of a time loop if you can’t use it for consequence free hijinks?

It is always fun when Bo and Tamsin are paired up. Anna Silk and Rachel Skarsten play well off each other. I’m still not sure where the show is going with these two. I expect them to have sex at some point, because this is Lost Girl and that’s what they do. But I’m not sure whether or not their relationship will ever become more than that. Tamsin is head over heels in love and doing a very poor job of hiding it. Bo’s feelings, however, are a little unclear at this point. She cares about Tamsin, there’s no doubt about that, and she is certainly attracted to her, although she’s a succubus and therefore attracted to almost everyone. But I don’t think she will ever love Tamsin the same way she does Dyson and Lauren. But that’s just me and I could easily be wrong. Maybe the show will end with Bo eschewing the doctor and the wolf and riding off into the sunset with the Valkyrie (and Kenzi, of course, Bo will never go anywhere without Kenzi).

Upstairs, Dyson and Lauren were getting drunk and debating what to do about a mysterious package that had arrived for Bo. This quickly escalated into the doctor and the wolf playing a (friendly) game of “Who Loves Bo More”. We’ve seen these two play this game many times before, but never when they were so very, very wasted. I am so glad that the writers have stopped pitting these two against each other. They are still rivals for Bo’s affections, but they don’t hate each other anymore. Now they’re adorable goofball rivals who act like horny teenagers and perform drunken surgery on one handed mesmers (gotta love that Vex was wearing Bo’s corset throughout the episode). I honestly don’t think there was really any acting in this scene. This was just Kris and Zoie being themselves and relishing the chance to be funny together. I am more convinced than ever that this endearing Lauren/Dyson bonding will eventually lead to that threesome Bo has been itching for. Where Tamsin will fit into all of this remains to be seen.

Further upstairs, Hale, who was also aware of the time loop, used it to try and create the perfect romantic evening for Kenzi with mixed results. This was probably the weakest portion of the episode. It wasn’t bad, in fact it had a few adorable moments, but it just wasn’t as much fun or hilarious as the rest of the episode.

Fae of the Week 

Krampus comes from the folklore of Alpine countries. He is a beast-like creature who is basically the anti-Santa. Instead of giving out gifts, he snatches away naughty children in his sack and carries them away to his lair. In the Lost Girl universe he's more like a demonic Willy Wonka/embarrassing grandparent:


My reaction to him was similar to Tamsin's:


Notes and Quotes

--Last week Lost Girl was renewed by Showcase for a fifth season. Whatever you do, don’t read the press release. It has some pretty big spoilers in it.

--Yes, that opening car wash was shamelessly, ridiculously gratuitous. Which is exactly why they used it to promote this season. Lauren's melting ice creaming was a nice touch.

--I’m relived Kenzi and Tamsin’s big sis/little sis relationship remains intact, despite Tamsin now being back to her former self. More Kenzi and Tamsin, please!

--If the Morrigan had shown up, this would’ve been the first episode since ‘Those Who Wander’ to feature the entire main and recurring cast.

--Tamsin hinted that the Wanderer fathered Bo so that she could be his perfect mate. Ewww. I know Bo is into some kinky stuff (look at her box of supplies), but I seriously doubt she’s into incest.

--They didn’t even try to hide Paul Amos’ hand. I know they wouldn’t have the money to CGI it away, but they could’ve tried better than just covering it up with a glove.

--Typical, Bo finally confronts Trick about what he knows and he is too intoxicated to provide any decent answers. Time snapping back also didn’t help.

Kenzi: “My Kenzi sense is tingling!”
Hale: "I'm gonna mingle with your tingle like I'm single, girl."
Kenzi: "Say what now?"

Bo: “Yo, Valkyrie Lips. What was that?”

Bo: "I see you and Hale worked things out."
Kenzi: "Oh sister, please, I never kiss and tell...within earshot...or do everything and tell because, trust me, we did everything."

Vex: "So, what does the genius get who, ya know, organized this little kumbaya?"
Lauren: "You get your hand, reattached, by me, right now."
Dyson: "Drunken surgery. I'll be the nurse!"
Lauren: "Ooh!"
Vex: "Oooh, this is getting kinky."

Tamsin: “If they make me into a lollypop, I want you to have the first lick.”

Four out of four car washes.
---
Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011. More Mark Greig.

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