Lost Girl

OK: I might have caught you attention with "Linda Hamilton" in the title, particularly now that the last reboot of "Terminator" is making its rounds in theaters. I'm not baiting; Linda Hamilton DOES do several guest appearances in "Lost Girl" and she never once makes a reference to "Terminator" (unlike her guest shots in another fun series, "Chuck"--see my review elsewhere of this one).

So why do I mention Linda Hamilton in my title, as well as "fun" and "fantasy"? Well all three are true: this series is lots of fun from the plot evolution and characters to the witty writing; it also plays a great deal with fantasy--from fae lore to Greek gods. And Linda Hamilton: well, read on to see this point.

There is lots of fun here. We have kooky character Kenzi (Ksenia Solo) who is a simply joy to watch. There are traditional stand-ins: Dyson (Kris Holden-Ried) who is a male love interest and Lauren (Zoie Palmer) the female love interest--both for our heroine: Bo (Anna Silk). If nothing else, these character move back and forth with the tongue in cheek humor and with the fluidity of there gender performance with such elan.

Fantasy is the second point for recommendation to you. Many of the fae references are simple to Google and find out the story behind them. There is, obviously, Valkyries. Mesmer is an allusion to Franz Mesmer, the "inventor" of hypnotism. We already now about shape-shifters (remember "True Blood"?) Sirens. . .Mermaids. And then, of course, in the last season, we encounter Hades, Persephone, Hera, and Zeus herself (with a great nod to the post-patriarchal writers). Oh, I don't want to forget Hephaestus--the ugliest of the gods and the blacksmith. He is clearly one and not the other!

Which brings us the Linda Hamilton. Unlike her appearance in the most recent iteration of "Terminator," there is no CGI here. She is pretty much shown as her age: wrinkled, but bright; aged, but clear eyed; mature, but mischievous. I relished seeing her as the former Valkyrie teacher of Tamsin (Rachel Skarsten) . What really surprised me was Hades played by Eric Roberts. He captures all senses of the Lord of the Underworld: seduces and murders, tells the truth, but not completely, and is father/betrayer of Bo. Roberts brings a rich sense to this character that I really enjoyed.

So why 8? The series isn't perfect, which is suggested by a 10. There are gaps in the plot on occasion which keeps this from a 9. This countdown leads me to 8: well above average with keen writing and fun acting. I appreciated the numerous post-modern references from Cyndi Lauper to the final play with "The Wizard of Oz." But more than anything else, I loved the idea of family--how in the 21st century, family is just not blood lines, family is those people who love us for who we are and tho' we my argue and even hurt one another, the love always pulls this unit through. Family. Watch and enjoy an anti "Father Knows Best" (and it is about time!)

Bo (Anna Silk) has lived a troubled life. She seems to suck the life out of anyone she kisses. She befriends petty thief Kenzi (Ksenia Solo). Then she discovers that she's a Succubus and there is a secret world of beings called The Fae. She is told to choose between Light and Dark Fae but she chooses to be unaligned. Dyson (Kris Holden-Ried) is a light Wolf shapeshifter and a police detective. Hale (K.C. Collins) is a fellow detective and a Siren. Trick (Richard Howland) is the barkeep and so much more. Lauren (Zoie Palmer) is a human doctor and property of the Ash. The group is later joined by Valkyrie Tamsin (Rachel Skarsten).

At its best, the show is fun and sexy. That has a lot to do with Ksenia Solo. She's a terrific smart-mouthed sidekick. As long as her great lines keep coming, this is a wonderful show. Sadly, she does leave the show for long stretches. Rachel Skarsten tries to replace her with her own wackiness. The mythology of the show is fascinating until it gets too convoluted. This is a good group of characters and the show is quite good most of the time.

I'm excited because this show is about to premiere in the US on SyFy so now I will have peers who have seen it as well. I've watched through into Season 2.

It's not Sopranos, Mad Men, The Good Wife or Six Feet Under, but it is a smart show in its own way. In fact, I prefer a show like this because it isn't a heavy drama. It's funny, campy, sexy (loads of sex be warned), shot beautifully, and has great women characters. Who knew Canadian shows could be so hot and sexy? I love a lot of Canadian shows, but I've never seen anything this steamy.

I hope people enjoy it. Push past the first episode, which might be a little so so, then get into it.

My first thought on the show is that the premise seems very much like that of Nightwatch. More akin to the book than the movie, but with a completely different type of mystical beings.

The acting, unsurprisingly, seems a trifle wooden, but it was just the first episode, so the actors are all still feeling out their characters. I'm certain, considering the actors that I'm familiar with, that they'll flesh out well in very little time, though.

Technically, I like that they kept the effects quite minimal, in an effort to give us more character development and more story, rather than try to wow us with a load of digital nonsense.

I have high hopes for the show, and will keep watching to see if it lives up to those hopes.

I hope people see it as a compliment. Buffy did change the landscape in so many ways, did open so many doors. Still this is its own show and has its own quirks and characters. But it also is way more adult than Buffy ever was. And while one of the major things in the show might seem like a teenage boys wet dream, it also is a showcase that women can be sexual and strong at the same time. It's almost odd to point that out, as I think this should be a no brainer, but especially in America females might have been portrayed either as cute or as strong. You can have both - yes you can.

Still while the show has "adult" situations (yes I mean intercourse, though it serves a healing purpose - well most of the time) and you could argue there is nudity, I don't think you'll be able to see nipples. I'm guessing network restrictions, but that does not matter, since the general steaminess still exists. There still is balance, this is not Sex and the City and the evil fairy tales. Though I guess you could do that argument.

Whatever you take from this, and there are a lot of fine things to take away from it, no pun intended, there are also major flaws or things you may not like. The tone is consistent and borderlines to silly. The amount of fun they must have had making this show - I think it translates well on screen. The drama and character development works most of the time, but there are also quite a few cliche holes this falls into. Depending on how much you care or not, this will play a part in your review and rating.

Overall a fine show, that may be predictable but is here to entertain you. And there is at least one moment where the show dares to challenge the viewer with one new season and you wondering: Did I miss something? But things get back to point and everyone being able to follow easily fast. Enjoy and don't overthink it