Bo: "Let's go kick some eagle ass!"
This episode was much better than last season's finale, but it wasn't great. The group dynamics were fun, and those relationships fit nicely together. Trick's doubts and eventual possession were also pretty well done. The fight scenes were varied and unique to the abilities of the characters, Vex's being the standout.
So what was wrong with the episode? For the most part nothing... except the Garuda. They paid their dues, and built up the villain for a majority of the season. They surrounded him with mystery and portent, they gave him nearly god-like powers and only one weakness. They took time to reveal all the pieces and the parts of the puzzle needed for our heroes to defeat him. But it all fell a little flat when the Garuda appeared in that grey suit.
As a villain, the Garuda did nothing for me. Ever since he was revealed to be a man with fire wings and a flaming sword, all the menace that had been built up around him was lost. I could blame the actor, or the writers. But really, I think the idea for the villain was a good one -- the execution just wasn't quite up to snuff. The Garuda's possession ability might have been the answer. Imagine if he used Kenzi, Dyson, or Lauren as the bad guy. There would've been more of that tension created at the end when the Garuda took over Trick. Then that ending battle between the flame bird and the serpent would've felt epic, finally seeing this mythical creature as something other than human.
Okay, done with the slamming of the villain, which for me was the big weak point of this finale. I liked that they didn't go with the purely obvious, using sleight of hand and well placed misdirection to get us to believe that Kenzi was the one Bo would use the magic healing potion on. I should've seen Trick getting hurt coming, but for some reason it took me by surprise. Of course, the consequence for saving his life is that Bo might be headed down a dark path. Is she going to be the big bad next year? That would be an interesting twist.
Speaking of Kenzi getting hurt; I get that the injury was closed up, but she wasn't fixed entirely. Cauterizing the wound would only be a stop gap measure to keep her from bleeding out more than she already had. She should've been in a hospital after the battle was over. Plus what happened to her at the end of the episode? Her arm had some kind of bumpy badness, and then she bolted out the door. I don't like the idea of Kenzi in trouble. At least Bo was going to go check on her, maybe.
I'm glad everyone survived, and I even started to like Vex a little bit more. Bo was right that he did prove useful, after all. Val (Hale's sister) showing up to help was interesting, but ultimately kind of pointless. Unless you look at it from a purely story point of view, in which case it was nice that at least one member of the Light Fae royal families came to help Bo and the gang with the Garuda problem. It was set up well why the families weren't willing to help, but the lack of back up for this massively important battle was a little alarming. You'd think at the last minute when things were heading in the direction of war, some of the other Fae would've volunteered to help. You'd think at least some of the Fae that Bo has helped over the two years she's been active would've joined the fight. Ah well.
Thankfully the love triangle is back, and looking to be ever more dramatic next season. Dyson may have gotten his love back, but he's keeping that knowledge to himself. (Although I have no idea how he convinced Kenzi not to tell Bo about that one.) Bo basically said that she loved Lauren, copping out at the last minute by adding "you all" to the declaration. Lauren clearly returns those feelings, though. Maybe Lauren and Dyson can keep Bo from turning evil, or maybe they'll both go with her to the dark side.
I liked that Bo's descent into darkness was because of Trick's death. Which brings me to Trick. I don't think he was entirely in the wrong using his powers to write the laws that created the peace, even if there was another solution on the horizon. If he had known, and decided to sacrifice himself for the greater good, would that have been better? Isabeau's death was supposed to be a catalyst for change, according to the Garuda. Yet that change would've been built on a lie, because Trick was betrayed by his adviser and had no responsibility in Isabeau's death. Would that truce between the Light and Dark have lasted? Or would it have eventually fallen apart because there was nothing real to support it?
Bits:
Bo was named after her grandmother, Isabeau.
Vex as a house guest continued to be annoying, causing Bo and Kenzi to slap each other and making poor Kenzi stab her teddy bear.
The romantic vibes between Hale and Kenzi were upped, with him rubbing her shoulders and saving her life. I would definitely be on board if they turned that friendship into something more.
Vex not taking Bo's blood created a hole in her blood bonding power. It wasn't exactly explained, but it was clear that when Lauren injected Vex with Bo's blood, Bo gained a substantial amount of power. That power is kind of scary. What makes it even more worrying is that that is only the legacy passed down to Bo from her mother's side of the family. Who knows what she inherited from her father?
Vex's wrist would've probably earned him a trip to a Fae healer as well.
Normally I wouldn't mention promos for the show, but the one at the end of this episode was really fun. It was the scene with Lauren and Dyson leaning over Bo's body, and she opens her eyes and says: "Don't worry, guys, I don't die. We got picked up for season three!"
Quotes:
Trick: "The Garuda has resurfaced."
Bo: "Let me guess, trail of dead, the lingering scent of burnt chicken?"
Bo: "Trick says he was close to figuring out the Garuda's location. There are stacks of maps and papers in the lair."
Kenzi: "I got a D in geography, babe."
Kenzi: "What language is this? It's like a cross between hieroglyphics and a doctor's prescription pad."
Bo: "The last time we went after the Garuda, he manipulated us into fighting each other."
Kenzi: "Dude was like a Fae Jerry Springer."
I think the overall set up for this finale was well done. They created an intricate mythology and built up the villain really well. I just wish they had somehow made that villain worthy of the build-up. Still I thought this was an excellent sophomore season, and I'm really looking forward to what they do in season three.
3 out of 4 Vials of mystical healing essence distilled from Bo's grandmother.
Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.
We're on very different pages with this show, J.D. I found this finale an underwhelming finish to a subpar season. During last season's finale, I was really invested in the characters and the mythology, and when it was done, I was very glad we were going to roll right into Season 2 on SyFy. But with this finale, at one point I actually found myself wishing Kenzie would die from her wounds, so that I could make a clean break with this show. (No Kenzie = No Lost Girl in this house.)
ReplyDeleteThe flow has been terribly choppy these last several episodes, and as a result, the writers have squandered a lot of the emotional investment I had in the series. For the most part, it just doesn't feel like characters are doing things for logical or character based reasons, or at the right time. Instead, it feels like they do only what the plot needs them to do (witness Val's sudden desire to fight the good fight this week).
I still enjoy the characters enough that I plan to come back for Season 3, but this season has been mostly downhill for me, and I hope they right the ship soon.
I'm not sure Bo-as-action-hero really works (maybe it's the uber-cleavage) but I enjoyed the last few episodes and I thought this one was pretty good -- better than last season's finale. As you pointed out, J.D., the villain sort of fell flat, but I liked that they didn't go with predictable. And I'm surprised at how pleased I was that the Bo/Lauren/Dyson love triangle is finally back -- and that Dyson didn't tell Bo that he'd regained his love for her. It felt like someone was going to die, and I started thinking it was going to be Trick (noooo!). Thankfully, no. Although I would have been okay if Vex had bitten it.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking on Lost Girl, J.D. I'm planning to get the DVDs and I'm looking forward to rewatching the series before season three starts in January.
Thanks for the review, JD.
ReplyDeleteI loved watching Bo and the gang.
From the dark Faes, I like Vex, of course. I kinda enjoyed the episode where Vex made the Morrigan dance. It was downright hilarious!
I love Bo with Lauren. Lauren's unconditional love for Bo makes her Bo's anchor. Lauren balances Bo's existence if not her emotional well-being. Though, come to think about it, a Succubus supposedly cannot be monogamous. Dyson is also good for Bo as her warrior bond in the Fae World, not to mention to help her heal when she gets hurt in those fae battles. Previous episodes affirm that Lauren is cool with that. I should say that Dyson is the one who gets all hyped up whenever Bo shows Lauren some love. :) I think its because of that wolf-mating thing.
Should the Garuda made to look like a mythical creature, instead of a suit-wearing ordinary looking man? I think the writers thought that since the Garuda is so over confident of his ability to defeat everyone and anyone he encounters, (note the number of Lachlan heads he has decapitated, whose venom is supposedly the only thing that can kill it), gave him a human-like confidence that eventually killed him. Hahaha.
Definitely something sinister will result in what's happening with Kenzi's arm. This she got when she accidentally broke a bottle stashed in the house of the Norn she threatened to get Dyuson's love essence back. I'm guessing a storyline - that at the end, to heal or remove whatever that's on Kenzi's arm, the medicine's side effect will totally make her a fae. Kenzi's arm thing will bring about interesting storylines. The writers will have a field day with that. I sure hope they don't waste it and make the most of it.
Very much looking forward to Season 3.
Billie,
I think the uber cleavage parades is necessary to keep up the ultra sexy image succubus needs to live up to, don't you think so?
On another note, wearing those push-ups day in and day out might hurt a lot. hahaha.
J.D., I wanted to follow up my previous post to say that I hope you don't ever take my disagreement with you on a show or an episode as a diss on the quality of your reviews (for any show, not just Lost Girl). I enjoy reading your thoughts, and I always like getting an alternate perspective. Sometimes reading what you appreciated in an episode helps me to change my own perspective. Sometimes not.
ReplyDeleteWe may have different views on the overall quality of Lost Girl these days, but we both have a lot of affection for the characters and want the show to succeed. We apparently just have different definitions of "success" when it comes to this show. :)
PlatinumRosebud, I guess I didn't really say that I caught that it was the effects of the stuff that splashed on Kenzi's arm at the Norn's. But yeah I agree they are totally setting up some plot line that could lead to Kenzi being some kind of Fae. Let's hope it's a cool one.
ReplyDeleteJess, no I don't take what you say personally. I respect your opinions and I try to consider what you say and apply it to the episode to see if I agree. Where we differ, is that I think Lost Girl has just as much value as a show to be critically analyzed anything else on the Syfy channel.
I did think a good chunk of this season had some issues. I believe I know what they were going for. Dyson had all of season one to build a relationship with Bo. To make the triangle effective they needed to do the same with Lauren too. But they couldn't just throw them together, because we wouldn't really get to know her. I was only so-so about Lauren through most of season one. But now she's one of my favorites, and I'm actually leaning more towards a Bo/Lauren ship.
I totally agree that if Kenzi bites the dust, I'll probably lose interest fast. She's about the only character I could say that about. Even though I'm fond of everyone.
It's not that I think the Lost Girl is "unworthy" of critical analysis, in general (that would be horribly snobby of me); it's just that for me, personally, thinking too critically about the show tends to ruin my enjoyment of it. (I'm having a similar problem with Warehouse 13 this season.) It doesn't hold up well under my own critical eye, and works works better as "watercooler" fodder for me.
ReplyDeleteI just wish it was easier for me to turn off my "critic brain" while watching television sometimes. That darn thing has sapped the enjoyment out of many series over the years. :)