Who Needs Vampires If You Can Have "Lost Girl" Bo Instead?

A Primer On Your New Favorite Show On TV

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I am talking, of course, about the international hit show from Canada. Lost Girl is a Showcase original fantasy drama set in the world of the Fae, a supernatural species living among humans. It’s unique and entertaining, with lots of action, plenty of humor, a great wardrobe department, and “equal opportunity eye candy” (Bless you, Michelle Lovretta. I really like the way you think.). Its central protagonist Bo, played by the stunning and talented Anna Silk, is a young but already increasingly powerful bisexual succubus who must feed off humans’ and other Fae’s sexual energy to survive.

Yes, I had to say ‘bisexual succubus’, just so I could imagine the look on your face. If you’re anything like me, you probably thought something along the lines of “Bisexual succubus?! Who the hell came up with that?!” Well, the person who came up with that is not a guy. It is… Michelle Lovretta. And here comes the next surprise: Lost Girl is not yet another nightmarishly stereotypical representation of female bisexuals, despite – or maybe because of – its premise. I know, I expected worse as well. I had been waiting for them to screw up the bi lead character throughout season one, and after it never happened, I gave up waiting for it and was never disappointed.

Watch out now, spoilers ahead! I’ll give you the basics on seasons 1 and 2, prepare you for season 3, and take a critical look at my favorite TV show since Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The show starts with Bo, having grown up among humans, not knowing what she is and being thrown into the world of the Fae completely unprepared. She doesn’t know yet how to control her powers, and after she succusmooches a perp to death while saving her sidekick-to-be Kenzi (Ksenia Solo) from being date raped, she is found out and arrested – actually, more like kidnapped – by Fae cops Dyson (Kris Holden-Ried) and Hale (K.C. Collins). She is then brought before The Ash (Clé Bennett) and The Morrigan (Emmanuelle Vaugier), the local leaders of the Light Fae and Dark Fae, respectively.

Here we learn the first thing about Fae politics: The Fae are divided into Light Fae and Dark Fae – which are not synonymous with good and evil – and they want to make Bo choose a side. After she survives that test, Bo makes a decision that will remain a central theme for the character throughout the show: she chooses neither, chooses humans, and thus becomes the first Fae to remain neutral and keep her freedom. For the first two seasons at least, as things will become more complicated in season 3. In addition to that season 1 focuses on Bo learning more about her succubus nature, finding herself a place among Fae and humans while straddling both worlds, finding a mentor in the highly mysterious Fae-bar owner Trick (Richard Howland) and trying to find her mother.

Season two is basically about the re-emergence of an ancient creature that even the Fae fear, the evil – or is he? – new Ash Lachlan (Vincent Walsh), and Bo’s increasing struggles with a pitch-black side of herself. We also find out more interesting bits about Bobo’s family, although we still don’t get to see her father. At least equally as interesting as the cases of the week are the show’s relationships. First, there’s Bo and Kenzi’s BFF relationship that’s both entertaining and gains depth throughout the series. Finally, there’s a show where two women can be friends without it involving cattiness and bitch-fights over men. Lovretta created the series with the Bechdel Test in mind, and it definitely shows.

Then there’s the love triangle Bo finds herself in. Dyson helps Bo from the first episode on, becomes her friend and… well, it’s a little hard to tell what they really are besides that. Judging from the Toollight-esque feel Bo and Dyson’s relationship has to it at times, the show was probably aiming for them to be each other’s true loves. But it definitely reckoned without Dr. Hotpants. Er, I mean, Dr. Lauren Lewis, played by the incredibly talented and charming Zoie Palmer. She is doctor to the Light Fae, a brainy scientist, and has an apartment that’s a lesbian all on its own. Somebody must’ve had a lot of fun decorating that set. Yes, I admit it, I’m clearly biased in favor of Doccubus, as shippers of Bo and Lauren lovingly call them. Palmer and Silk have so much chemistry with each other you think “They’ve just made a baby. Just looking at each other.” Well, that’s how the new show-runner Emily Andras put it, and I wholeheartedly agree. As will you when you see them.

Despite Lauren having had little screen-time in season one, the character and her mature relationship with Bo have quickly become hugely popular and gained a vocal fan-base comprised of all sexual orientations and genders. Palmer has been promoted to a regular in season 2, the character has been getting more and more screen-time, Bo and Lauren’s relationship has been evolving rather delightfully, and after two seasons and the first episode of the third, it’s looking good for our favorite bi succubus and her pervy, I mean professional, highly professional, lesbian doctor. It’s not all roses and scented baths of course, there’s plenty of drama to keep it all interesting and fans chewing at their nails, but Lost Girl is unique in its portrayal of a female bisexual main protagonist’s relationship – the first of its kind on television as far as I know – with another queer woman who, on top of that, we don’t expect to be killed off or turned straight anytime soon either.

In my opinion Bo & Dyson vs. Bo & Lauren clearly had a few problems in season 1. You see, there’s The White Hunk Dyson who is a main character and in whose favor the show was seemingly biased, and then there’s Lauren The Lesbian who wasn’t even a main character and got considerably less screen-time than Dyson. Now, the show doesn’t make any fuss at all about its characters’ sexual orientations, but that’s how it came across to me. In the world of Lost Girl, that’s not an issue at all and I have to say I think that’s a really nice aspect of the show. It’s devoid of the usual queer drama we so often get to see, and while there’s a time and place for that too of course, it’s nice to finally have something on TV that I can simply enjoy without having to deal with that. But those issues also showed that it’s still a mainstream show written in a hetero-normative society, and that it therefore has to work twice as hard for its queer relationships to not look like they’re second best. The good news is that Lost Girl is definitely succeeding at that, owing to the dedication of Silk and Palmer, and a team of talented writers.

However, there has been only one gay male couple so far, and bisexual men are still conspicuously absent, even when there are many female bi characters. And while I’m convinced none of the people making the show are actually transphobic, I do have to say they’re rather clueless when it comes to transgender issues and tend to unwittingly put their feet in their mouths here and there while trying to be funny. And it would be funny, if I knew everyone out there was as well educated about transgender issues as I am, as they would need to be for that kind of jokes to be harmless in our world today.

Season 3 has started in Canada January 6. I had the opportunity to watch the episode, and folks… buckle up for a wild, fantastic ride! In season 3 we’ll get to see Bo letting her dark side lose to play – and become her own worst enemy. According to Silk, “[t]he third season is really about discovery for Bo and her self-discovery, and I think that she really has to come to terms with who she is. And she has to know that being Fae is more complicated than just choosing light and dark; than just being a succubus. It’s more complicated than that; she’s more complicated than that. And there’s parts of her that can be scary, and she has to deal with those, and so do all the people around her.“

Kenzi will also see some interesting – to say the least – changes that were hinted at late in season 2. Rachel Skarsten will join the cast as Dyson’s “sexy, beer drinking, bar brawling, fiercely loyal anti-hero” Valkyrie cop-partner Tamsin who will shake up the group’s dynamic good. Whew, what a description! I like her already. And Linda Hamilton will guest as Tamsin’s boss. Yes, people, you read that right. The Linda Hamilton of The Terminator. Oh, and I have a hunch they’re about to remedy that pesky no-bi-men-thing. 😉

Season 3 started airing January 6 at 9 PM ET on Showcase in Canada. The US will get to watch it January 14 at 10 PM on Sy Fy, and Australia January 10 at 8:30 PM on SF. In the UK season 3 is expected to air in March on SyFy.

Lost Girl also airs in a bunch of other countries, so use your faedar and find out when and where!