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!)

If you like shows like this, then you'll like Lost Girl.

• The 100
• Once Upon a Time
• Any superhero type show

**especially A.G.E.N.T.S of Shield & Legends of Tomorrow (they have some of the same mythological places & beings and people with special powers)

>> Still interested, then here's more About the show: It has good characters and they make a good and funny group of friends you would like to hang out with. They fight crime and fight against the dark has a good storyline that evolvolves and expands as story goes on. It's set in present day, but the "secret" Fea are all based in Norse, Greek & Roman mythology. Most main characters are a different kind of fea, like a wolf, a siren or a Valkyrie. There are good/light fea and bad/dark fea. > They all lead normal lives in public and knowledge of the fea's existence is kept secret and guarded from the general public. To help keep their secret, fea like Dyson/wolf and Hale/Siren are police detectives and help conceal any fea related deaths from being found out. When a girl Bo shows up they realize she is fea. She was adopted and she didn't know what was wrong with her. > With shows like this you have to be able to expand your range of thinking. Just like when you watch anything with super heros or vampires or alien/space type shows.

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.

When I first heard the premise for SyFy's new show, Lost Girl, I greeted it with a big yawn. Luckily for me, my roommate recorded the pilot. She knows my taste in movies/TV and she insisted that I watch it. I didn't right away, but I did set the DVR to record the series. Last week, I finally started watching the first 7 episodes. I was blown away! First, I can't take my eyes off of Anna Silk. She is stunning. Then the sexuality that's central to the story - outstanding and artfully done. I like the concept. It reminds me of the Easy Rawlins mystery series. Like Rawlins, Bo can move between worlds in a way that others can't and so she is the perfect private investigator for those cases that require a unique approach. I hope this series gets picked up for more seasons. It's great fun!

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.