Tue
Jan 31 2012 6:58pm

Hot ’n’ Cold: Thoughts on Lost Girl Episodes 1-3

Bo and Dyson in Lost Girl ***Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for the first 3 episodes of Lost Girl***

I’d been curious about the Canadian urban fantasy show Lost Girl long before it started airing on SyFy three weeks ago thanks to Twitter mentions and Canadian H&H blogger Aspasia Bissas’s post Chemistry 201: Top 10 Sexy Onscreen Moments, which called out the Bo/Dyson relationship (more on that in a bit). So I was pretty excited to hear a few months ago that SyFy was picking the show up for U.S. viewers, and Rachel Hyland gave me a good idea of what to expect in her recent Lost Girl primer Kiss of Life: Canada’s Lost Girl Is Must-See UF TV.

And after three episodes, I have to say...I like it! I even convinced my roommate, a paranormal romance and urban fantasy reader, to check it out, and now it—along with The Vampire Diaries, natch—is a show we watch together each week.

Bo and Kenzi in Lost Girl All this is not to say I think it’s the best thing ever, and in fact, I can see myself getting a little snarky about it from time to time (For starters: Was I the only one relieved that star Anna Silk finally got to wear something other than a deep v-neck for a few minutes last night? I know Bo’s a succubus and a UF heroine, but come on...). There are some things that are working for me (Kenzi!) and some things that aren’t (surprisingly... Bo/Dyson?). But overall, it’s enjoyable, and I’m on board for at least the rest of the season.

Given my hot-and-cold feelings about certain elements of the show, I figure some pros and cons of the the first three episodes (1.01 “It’s a Fae, Fae, Fae, Fae World”; 1.02 “Where There’s a Will, There’s a Fae”; and 1.03, “Oh Kappa, My Kappa”) are in order:

Pros

Kenzi, Bo’s human sidekick, is as awesome as Rachel said she’d be, and definitely my favorite part of Lost Girl so far (her one-liners are THE BEST and she was hilarious in her sorority girl undercover role last night)
Dyson, a wolf-shifter Light Fae and police detective, is SMOKIN’ hot (the whole cast is, but I think I’m gonna be a Dyson girl)
While my favorites so far are the secondary characters, I do like Bo—she’s a kick-ass heroine (which is a relief, considering the directions a show about a succubus could go), and so far I’ve mostly liked how the writers have handled the character and her relationships, both platonic and romantic
The **highlight for latter-season speculation/spoilers** m/f/f love triangle developing (between Dyson, Bo, and human doctor Lauren, who hasn’t been in the show a ton so far but who’s had a few charged scenes with Bo) is a nice change for TV
The show’s about Bo; **highlight for latter-season speculation/spoilers while there IS that love triangle developing, it doesn’t (won’t? *crosses fingers*) drive the show (compare this to, say, The Vampire Diaries) — I love love love romance, but not at the expense of a good overall story
I’m super curious about Bo’s back story, and am enjoying the tidbits we get about her mysterious fae birth parents each week (Also: What does Dyson have to do with it?!?!?)
This show’s about the fae, y’all!

Cons

The writing and production value are not the best, so my attention has wandered a few times and I can’t see it ever being edge-of-my-seat viewing
As previously mentioned, Bo’s wardrobe can be a little eye roll-inducing
Bo/Dyson has happened so fast^* that I fear I’m not very invested (which is not to say I don’t find them incredibly pretty together, because I do)
I know that Bo’s a succubus and sex is the name of the game, but it’s still a little squick-y to me when Bo uses her powers to manipulate someone just to get some information or whatever (I feel the same about Damon and Stefan compelling people for no good reason in TVD); but at least the show (through Kenzi) has called her on it—I don’t think we’re supposed to think it’s OK

What did you think of the first three episodes? Are you on board for more?

^{*I feel I should clarify that I’m all for getting couples together earlier in a show (rather than making the show all about their ~tension~ and then not understanding why the show doesn’t work when the tension is gone/has changed) and then doing interesting things with the relationship; I just feel like Bo/Dyson could have used a bit more setup. But we’ll see what happens...}

TV Love: ‹ previous | index | next ›

paranormal

Television | fae

1. taragel

Tuesday January 31, 2012 07:29pm EST

Bo/Dyson is happening way too fast. No connection with them, no chance to root for them as a ship. But I love UST so...I would gladly take seasons worth of tension (and occasional hotness). ;)

Plus I think the guy that plays Dyson is not that cute. And I'm shallow enough that it ruins my enjoyment. Lol.

2. seolmara

view all by seolmara | Tuesday January 31, 2012 08:23pm EST

I just started watching Lost Girl before Christmas, but being Canadian, that means it was already into season 2. It seems like a lot has happened since then, but I think you'll like the direction the story lines go. I'm going to start at the beginning now to get the rest of the back story too, but I believe it's a show that you should stick with (I'll let you know if my opinion changes after watching the old episodes, lol.)

Also (being Canadian) I have a different view point on the production quality. I haven't been a huge viewer of our own programs because they don't have the flash the US shows do but I thought Lost Girl was pretty good considering. I think our shows just don't have the budget that American ones do and it is noticeable but hopefully forgiveable, in this case :)

3. Kiersten

view all by Kiersten | Tuesday January 31, 2012 09:38pm EST

I am digging this series! Enough that I can't wait for next week and am powering watching through Season 1 online. I think the writing is sharp and funny and can deal fine with the production values. And I have to say, I love the fact that we don't have to go through half a season or a whole one or whatever for the Bo/Dyson hook up. Maybe it was too fast, but I think they laid (heh) down enough of the why to make it acceptable. And I'm just so over the when-will-they angst. Every show since Moonlighting has had some version of that trope. It's refreshing to get that outta the way here and actual have them have to deal with feelings after the fact rather than be all resonasonble and adult about it beforehand just to draw it out and build ratings.

Plus, I am 100% behind anything that keeps Dyson flashing that tattoo and those hip bones. I've got a thing for his voice too. Just finished episode 5 and spontaneously laughed out loud at his closing shot at Kenzi and said "oh, I like this guy." It takes a lot to keep up with and hold up against a succubus (I would imagine) and he holds his own. Plus, that was one hot wolf shift. Think I rewound it once or twice (cough 5 times cough). I'll be pissed when they break those two up, which I think is inevitable, right?

4. bungluna

view all by bungluna | Wednesday February 01, 2012 12:20am EST

I like a show or book about others that actualy behave like others. This show is shaping to become one of my favorits. I just hope Bo continues to be kickass and doesn't become emo girl or clingy lovelorn anytime soon.

5. BrittanyMelson

view all by BrittanyMelson | Wednesday February 01, 2012 01:06am EST

I'm obsessed with Lost Girl. I think Bo is sexy and smart (well, sort of, I mean how did she not know she was a succubus?). I could do with a little less snarkiness, but snark isn't my thing, and that's why the Kenzi character annoys me a little even though she's funny and likeable. I love Dyson. I didn't think he was cute at first, but he's one of those guys who isn't classically handsome but has charisma that makes him much sexier than he actually is. So, in general, I'm super excited about it, and I can't wait to see what happens. I hope Bo and Dyson have lots and lots of relationship drama:)

6. missmelthomas

view all by missmelthomas | Wednesday February 01, 2012 10:04am EST

I think Lost Girl is made of awesome and I've loved the three episodes Syfy has aired. I feel the characters work really well together. Kenzi is snarky and hilarious, Bo is strange but in a good way and Dyson is HOT! Thing is I didn't find him very attractive in the first episode but his demenour and sexy accent just totally do it for me. Then he took his clothes off and WOW! Holy frakkin hotness, Batman! That boy is ripped.

I personally like that Bo and Dyson have already hooked up. I have watched so many shows where that is drawn out for what seems like forever and it gets old. Lost Girl just went with it. Afterall Bo is a succubus, she needed healing and Dyson was strong enough to heal her without risk of death. I also understand that since Dyson is the only person Bo has been able to have sex with that didn't die that she would have feelings for him. There will be a lot of sexual tension between them now since he's been ordered to back off. He obviously wants her and I look forward to seeing just how long he can hold out before he's back in her bed.

I think Lost Girl is the best show Syfy has aired since Battlestar Galactica and that's saying something because I loves me some Haven.

7. redline_

view all by redline_ | Wednesday February 01, 2012 12:56pm EST

@taragel -- Yeah, I feel the same about B/D. Maybe I'll feel it once it starts to get angsty, but historically I've needed to be rooting for a 'ship before it sails or I miss the, er, boat. Wow, I went a little over board with th--oh, never mind! You know what I mean.

@seolmara -- First of all, I want to apologize. In retrospect the comment about the production value was me just being a jerk. I mean, Lost Girl, like all small shows (Canadian or American or otherwise), has to make do with the budget it's given, and for a SFF show--which by its very nature requires more money to produce than, say, a courtroom or medical drama--that's even harder. Lost Girl actually looks damn good for what it probably costs to make and even if it didn't, what did being beautiful do for the Bionic Woman reboot, to take just one example? A ridiculous amount of money went into that show, and visually it was gorgeous, but it flopped because it didn't have more important things going for it, things that Lost Girl (at 3 seasons and going strong) obviously does. So...yeah. Thanks for calling me on that! Please don't think I meant any disrespect for Canadian shows, and I'm sorry if it came across that way.

And moving right along! Yes, please do come back and let us know what you think of the show overall. I will definitely stick with it, because I do like it and am enjoying the ride so far. My pros list outweighs my cons list, no question, and I'm excited (and a little jealous, not gonna lie) to hear you say the storylines are going to cool places in the future. Looking forward to it!

@Kiersten --

And I'm just so over the when-will-they angst. Every show since Moonlighting has had some version of that trope. It's refreshing to get that outta the way here and actual have them have to deal with feelings after the fact rather than be all reasonable and adult about it beforehand just to draw it out and build ratings.

You know, that's a great point. I (obviously) enjoy the tension and angst associated with the will-they-or-won't-they situation, but I'll also be the first to admit that more often than not it is dragged out for way, way, WAY too long. My favorite recent example of it being done right (for my money) is Alicia/Will in The Good Wife, where we did have two seasons of buildup but then a little payoff before they were separated again. Now even that's problematic because the on-again-off-again thing is also tired, but I guess that's a whole other issue (and one I'm guessing Bo/Dyson fans might face too). But anyway, back on track. I do agree, it's a refreshing change, and like I said, I do think Bo/Dyson are hella pretty to watch together; I just wonder if I, personally, respond more to TV relationships that develop at a slower pace. It'll be fun for me to watch and see.

8. redline_

view all by redline_ | Wednesday February 01, 2012 01:15pm EST

@bungluna -- I worry about that with Bo too, actually, especially after the end of episode 3, when she was so hurt by Dyson after being with him for so short a time. It's not that that makes her any less kick-ass (I actually think being so in touch with her feelings makes her MORE kick-ass), it's just that it reminds me of how many heroines have lost their agency after similar setups in shows like these...

@BrittanyMelson -- I too find all the characters likeable (even if do have preferences) and I look forward to finding out more about each of them. There's nothing better than a good ensemble cast.

I love Dyson. I didn't think he was cute at first, but he's one of those guys who isn't classically handsome but has charisma that makes him much sexier than he actually is.

I feel exactly the same.

@missmelthomas --

Then he took his clothes off and WOW! Holy frakkin hotness, Batman! That boy is ripped.

Yessssss. He looked DELICIOUS, and I loved the angle of the camera in that scene where he pulls the kappa off Bo. YUM.

Maybe something will click with me with Bo/Dyson, I don't know. Or maybe another 'ship on the show will. Either way, I'm eager to find out.

And oooh, another BSG fan, cool! And yeah, I feel the same--this is the first SyFy show since BSG that I've liked as much as I like Lost Girl.

9. ladyengineer

view all by ladyengineer | Wednesday February 01, 2012 01:31pm EST

I love this show! I'm watching it only on Syfy and my cable's On Demand rerun offerings. So, thus far, have only seen the first 3 episodes.

That being said, I disagree that the Bo/Dyson hookup happened too quickly. Considering that she's a succubous, the sexual thing would be there from the beginning - both from his part (being attracted to her) and from hers (1st guy to be able to break off from her without damage).

I can understand how she can be emotionally so young and vulnerable to a guy she can't kill from a one-night stand. Actually, I loved the tension generated from her first satisfying sexual encounter causing her to feel "in love" with him, from his being cautioned to back off by Trick (which he does), and from his obvious continued attraction to her.

Personally, I will be most disappointed if they don't end up with a long, satisfying relationship (with all of the standard romance misunderstandings, make up/break up tensions, etc.). Although Dyson may not be classically handsome, he is more my cup of tea than many others who are.

10. J_L

Friday February 03, 2012 04:37pm EST

I just started watching, even though I'm Canadian and could have been enjoying it for a while! I actually like where the tension is going with Bo and Dyson. It's the first time she's ever interacted with anyone after sex, so it makes sense she's a bit confused, especially since the sex is for 'healing' purposes. I can see some good tension potentially developing from that.

I don't think it's a major sin to complain about the production value - Canadians complain about it all the time (except for Flashpoint which is awesome). But I do think they're doing a good job on that show by throwing in too many cheesy, cheap effects and instead relying on atmospheric cues to set the tone. Almost all SF type shows suffer from production value issues, which is why I mostly stick to books, but I think Lost Girl isn't bad compared to it's rival shows across the border.