Lost Girl

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.

We are living in a new golden age of television. This is the age of the one hour drama. Sure, we've had them for decades now, but never have we had so many good ones available at one time. Chuck, The Walking Dead, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, 24, House, Supernatural, No Ordinary Family, etc, etc, etc.

Now we have Lost Girl.

I won't say this show will be enjoyed by everyone, but any sane person will at least acknowledge it is worthwhile.

Decent acting shows through a veil of light camp as characters develop personally and with each other. This development is rushed at times, but the point seems to be allow for the audience to quickly absorb as much info as they can on a world with a decidedly massive mythos. Understandably, some may find this up-tempo plotting to be counter- immersive, but there is no accounting for personal preference.

Some may be turned away by the sexual energy which charges this show. That being said, the sexuality inherent in the atmosphere is never gratuitous and always essential to the product as a whole.

Finally, it must be said that the possibilities for future plot lines are nearly endless, considering the vast amount of folklore this show can draw inspiration from. Not to mention the possibilities of political intrigue between the two major factions in the show.

I've tried to be as vague as possible in describing the show, as that is what the summary is for. All I seek to do is shine a little light on a prime product that, with all the other great shows on TV, some folks might miss or simply pass up. Trust me, you owe it to yourself to give this a try, even if it's just to see if you like it.

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!)

I've seen lots of sci-fi and fantasy, they are my favorite genres. Few of them do I enjoy enough to get the DVD and watch several times but this is one of those few. Like most sci-fi it requires a stretch of the imagination and like many of these types of shows the budgets don't allow for all out big screen special effects. Personally I don't mind the special effects when you have a team of characters that have interesting, complicated interactions. Each character has a personal relationship one with the other with its' twists, turns, betrayals, redemption plus the group has a dynamic together that feels genuine.

Another thing or two that I like about the writing and direction is that there is not a lot of time spent on the strength of one gender over another. Although there is a heroine she is supported by the ensemble in a way that gives everyone a place of importance in the goals of the team. Also, I can always root for a hero/heroine who sees the pride of privilege and wants to help the underdog without expectations. It's a side we are all capable of and I like to see it portrayed as a reminder of what we can do for each other when we look outside ourselves. There's not always a clear line of what is good and what is evil so it challenges us to decide where the line is where we say no.

So, there are things that might take you a little leap of faith or investing in more than a couple of episodes to tie into the characters. Yeah, like many of our favorite shows you have to invest in a few maybe several episodes before you feel a connection but it's a small investment and you may like the returns.

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