Review: Lost Girl – Season 3 / Cert: 15 / Director: Various / Screenplay: Various / Starring: Anna Silk, Kris Holden-Ried, Ksenia Solo, Rick Howland, Zoie Palmer / Release Date: Out Now
Lost Girl is one of those odd little genre shows you’re either utterly addicted to or can completely pass by. For the uninitiated, it’s all about Bo – a young lady who just happens to be a succubus. This means that she draws power from intimate contact; the more she gets the better for her, though if she’s not careful she can completely drain the life energy from her lovers, killing them in the process. Bo lives in a world much like our own, but there are similar supernatural beings (called Fae) lurking on the fringes of society and Bo has to navigate between the machinations of the nicer and nastier sort of Fae simply in order to survive.
If this quirky Canadian show sounds more than a little titillating, that’s because it is; the premise of the show is a sexy one and the lead character is an extremely attractive young lady who likes to kiss both men and women. The first episode of Season 3 sees Bo in a special prison for Fae and all the prison guards are Amazons (apparently Amazon’s are mystical creatures). Of course, they carry whips and the warden dresses in tight leather. Despite all this, it manages to walk the fine line between ‘sexy fun’ and ‘tacky and dull’, coming up more often than not on the side of silly yet exciting adventure.
The stories are an interesting mix of high stakes emotional drama and monster of the week fantasy TV. Seeing a bunch of very attractive people kung fu kick their way through stories filled with witches, were-crocodiles and similar horrors, only to then watch them explore their feelings might remind you slightly of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but the approach is more tongue-in-cheek and yet at the same time also more mature.
Season 3 distinguishes itself from the previous seasons by focusing more strongly on the interpersonal relationships between the key players. Though this is essentially an urban fantasy soap opera, it is still far superior to your mundane daytime TV fair. As reasons for not being able to stay monogamous go, being a soul-sucking succubus is one hell of an excuse and it’s handled in an entertaining and engaging way, making you want to watch more. The acting and special effects are okay but this is made-for-TV fantasy, don’t expect it to get too exciting.
If you ever wondered what the lovechild of Buffy and Anita Blake would look like, then this is for you.
Extras: None
