If my count is correct, Bo and Kenzi had three separate conversations tonight that solely discussed the Bo/Dyson relationship. In the first, Bo wears a skimpy outfit; makes sure Kenzi understands that Dyson “would have given up his wolf” for her, which somehow means he still cares about her; and vows to win him back. In the second, Bo says her plan for wooing Dyson is mostly just “cleavage.” By the end of the episode, after another, more forceful rejection from Dyson while Bo holds two wine glasses while wearing a different skimpy outfit, she’s still having the same conversation with Kenzi, only now accompanied by a giant container of ice cream. Each time the discussion came up again, I thought there was no way it could descend into more stereotypical fare, and each time, I was proved wrong.
Not every part of “I Fought the Fae (And The Fae Won)”—I’m seriously done with the terrible pun episode titles, they need a new gimmick—disappointed me, but the one-note tenor of Bo and Kenzi’s conversations dragged the entire episode down. For characters that have almost always had their own agency outside of their relationships to the male characters, it felt incredibly reductive to force Bo and Kenzi into scenes where they only talk about Dyson. This is a succubus of great power, with a loyal friend and a rewarding line of work, but take her man away, and suddenly, she’s a wreck. Bo is more concerned with losing Dyson than she is with her own mother disappearing. That the elusive knowledge of her family and her origin was the driving force of the entire first season makes this romantic focus even more demeaning to Bo’s character.
Even worse was Dyson and Trick’s conversation about Dyson’s feelings. The dialogue felt even more stilted than usual, with Dyson sulking around and complaining to everyone else that he wants to feel something, then shooting Bo down and saying he’s moved on when he clearly hasn’t yet. From the comments last week, I got the sense that this storyline disappears quickly, and I could not be happier about that. Lost Girl made the choice to take Dyson’s love away, and now it needs to swiftly move onto other plots; otherwise, the relationship wheel-spinning will have even more diminished returns.
Sure, the Fae world is still moving forward from Aoife’s attacks on the Light Fae leadership, but it took a backseat to the relationship wallowing. An escaped prisoner named Sabine seeks out Bo for help finding her long lost love, a man who pretends to be over her—which of course draws immediate parallels to the curse/spell/force keeping Bo and Dyson apart. The Blackthorn, a new title-holder, shows up to tell everyone that a competition will be held to choose a new Ash, since the old one is still in a coma. That competition is a stag hunt, and the escaped prisoner is supposed to be the stag. The clunky Romeo And Juliet vibe of the star-crossed Dark/Light Fae lovers obviously kept reminding me of the Bo/Dyson material, which is a major buzzkill at the moment.
If there was one bright spot tonight, it’s that I have even more appreciation for Hale. He’s not quite the same firecracker foil to Dyson that Kenzi is to Bo, but he’s solid, loyal, and apparently a member of a prominent Fae family. That comes in handy when Bo needs to influence the Ash election process in order to save Sabine. To that end, there are still some flashes of the same comedic swagger that made much of the first season so much fun. The gala event is a wonderful scene that builds laughs in bursts from while accomplishing the dramatic plan. Bo seduces and incapacitates anyone she can, Dyson prevents Hale from getting poisoned, and Hale glad-hands with voters while commenting on how much he dislikes the archaic nature of noble Fae rituals, punctuated by the wonderful line “Old people like old shit.”
Hale rejects his prominent family in order to do what he wants in order to be happy, which is easily respectable. That’s the only buoy keeping this episode afloat instead of drowning in an already insufferable will they/won’t they scenario. Last week, I was optimistic that Lost Girl could find a sensible way to slowly wind down the Bo/Dyson romance now that it has an actual barrier from within the Fae world. Instead, by making Dyson even more of a sourpuss and turning Bo into a walking cliché of a spurned lover, the show has squandered my patience. Here’s hoping something new comes along quicker than expected.
Stray observations:
- The Blackthorn doesn’t come to town just to hold Ash elections. He confronts Trick about being the Blood King, inquires about Aoife, and just generally keeps the long-standing plot threads ticking along at a slow burn.
- Lauren seemed the most distressed by the news of selecting a new Ash, and her necklace seems like an important object.
- The budgetary constraints of Lost Girl came out with a vengeance in the hunting scene, which was over all too briefly, but not before a few long takes of running through sparse trees made me yawn.
- Kenzi, on her willingness to attend the gala for the hunt: “Survivor: Fae Island — I would tune in!”
- Kenzi again, on Bo getting a new red dress as a gift from Blackthorn: “Next time ask him if he has Gucci too.”