All posts by Eleni Armenakis

Eleni Armenakis is a die-hard fan of all things Canadian, including television. She spent almost two years as a critic for TV Guide Canada covering some of her favourite CanCon, including Republic of Doyle, Orphan Black and Rookie Blue (plus guilty pleasure Bitten). When not hooked up to the little black box, she can be found freelancing, growing her collection of Canadian music or snacking.

Review: Lost Girl brings it

Finally, some answers. Or at least some massive hints as far as Lost Girl’s ongoing mystery of the elevator crash and its resuscitated bodies. After weeks of speculating about what could possibly be at the root of the unnamed woman and her troupe of undead, it seems we’ve finally got confirmation of my suspicions—we’ve got some devious Greek gods on our hands.

Although, that might actually be a bigger cause for worry considering the family dynamic of the threatening, glowing woman and Kevin Brown (or at least the god wearing Noam Jenkins’ skin like a flashy post-Jerry power suit), because the only Greek couple I know that could bicker like that would have to be top dogs Hera and Zeus. And if I learned anything during 10 years of Greek school (admittedly questionable), it’s that you really don’t mess with Hera.

Bo got a taste of that lesson this week, getting blown through a doorway and given a strange scar that won’t disappear, no matter how many girlfriend cards Tamsin tries to play. Still, at least the group finally knows what they’re up against and are now getting around to trying to fight it. Just in time too, if that Angel-esque nod to the apocalypse means some serious storms are coming to town. Considering what comes after the rains and flooding was enough to make Cassie and her family gouge their eyes out, this will probably require the full attention of the Fae. Any chance Lost Girl will burn the whole world down during its last season? Unlikely, but building towards that threat is a popular motif for a supernatural fighting drama to make its exit on, and it looks like that’s what we’ve got on our hands.

That, and clearly no resolution whatsoever to Bo and her wandering heart. After what struck me as quite the intimate moment with Tamsin last week, Bo was backpedaling hard, calling Tamsin her roommate and playing her against Lauren in what struck me as a particularly cruel—if dense—way. Surely by now Bo must also be picking up on the rising heartbreak vibes as she communes around the table with her trio of rotational lovers?

Still, at least it was Tamsin’s week in other ways as the series gave us our own versions of Bring It On and Friday Night Lights (“Clear Eyes Fae Heart”). Although I do think Tamsin’s takedown of the head cheerleader, pre-going full Valkyrie on her, was the more satisfying burst of athletic prowess—if only because everyone had been so sure Tamsin would fail at the task. It was a small bump in what was generally a bad week for the winged fighter, even if she isn’t yet aware of the dashed hopes coming her way as Bo bails yet again.

In perhaps slightly better news, Dyson’s love child, Mark, was taking a break from being an irksome pubescent boy in order to alert the others about Iris’ big boom hint. It probably helps that Shanice Banton (another Degrassi alum) as the mischievous Iris tends to rightfully reduce Mark to a quivering, silent mess while leading him along for her own pleasure/convenience. If there’s going to be any in with the gods, it’s probably her—though communicating through Mark probably isn’t the best way to get things done.

Meanwhile, we’re still left to wonder about what else the gods will be bringing with them (Herculids being the tip of that “classic” iceberg), what the triskelion is doing popping up everywhere and what will happen with Kevin Brown’s wife now that she’s on the trail of her husband’s corpse and obviously being offered up as an alternative interest for Dyson. Oh yes, and what Bo’s father—the Greek god of the Underworld—has planned with the world’s creepiest toy box. I’m not sensing a happy family reunion in the works.

Losing it:

  • Tamsin’s nightmare is my nightmare: “The drive-throughs were closed for ever. FOR EVER.”
  • Though still not as creepy as Bo’s dream about Lauren.
  • And speaking of Dyson’s new lady friend, who still prints photos? Especially ones taken with your phone…
  • “He’s famous now. He’s going to be on a protein bar.” Iris is easily shaping up to be my favourite new addition.

Lost Girl airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase.

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Review: Lost Girl’s lucky day

Things are certainly heating up on Lost Girl—and I don’t just mean that surprise hook-up between Bo and Tamsin, although it does feel like this week’s biggest development. Rookie Blue’s Noam Jenkins made his first move as a resuscitated corpse, bringing the ominous words “beginning and end” to screens and teasing something cataclysmic in the offing.

Considering how long things between Bo and Tamsin have remained at the casually teasing phase, I was pretty stunned to see Tamsin finally make a bold move—and, admittedly, even more surprised to see Bo, after a moment’s hesitation, opt for the second of Tamsin’s gifts. Maybe it’s because their friendship has been so rocky, or maybe because I was sort of digging the banter-creating tension between them as they started working together, but I’m not entirely sure how I feel about these two launching into something that looks like more than a chi-swapping fling.

I guess that for all the hints and chemistry between the two, I’ve always assumed Lost Girl would head to some kind of resolution involving the Bo/Lauren/Dyson triangle—though maybe this move is suggesting the show is considering something a bit less predictable for our loving fae and her friends. Either way, it gave Bo someone to confide in, and I can’t think of anyone who would be more understanding about Bo’s need to separate herself from her father’s legacy than Tamsin.

And while I’m certain that whatever’s brewing with Lauren and Dyson’s elevator crash case is closely tied to Bo’s father—both did, after all, begin with a trip to Hell and one cryptically named candle—I’m guessing that final shot of Horatio, a.k.a. the recently-deceased Kevin Brown means solving the elevator crash might take priority over that rune-covered Jack-in-a-box present from daddy dearest.

It’s certainly more pressing for the fae world now that their signatures—and powers—have been taken from the safety of Trick’s lair and are now being used by Kevin, and, presumably, that mysterious blonde woman responsible for his death, to hunt for whatever fae they need to take out (or collect pieces from). With the oracles now blind to any other visions, there’s no one to warn Bo and the rest about what’s coming, or what it may want from the rest of the fae.

Except maybe Dyson’s new kid, Mark, if he somehow manages to get over being a ridiculous stereotype of a teenage brat in time. Right now it seems like he’s on his way to being recruited to the Dark side—a process Dyson should probably explain to him a bit more clearly, and soon. Because while the kid’s aware his new friend stole the book, he doesn’t seem to have any idea what that means, or why it’s important. And sure, he’s dreaming Bo’s dream of being unaligned, but right now I don’t think he’s savvy enough to pull that off. Especially since Vex seems to be the only friend he’s capable of making, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out Vex is the one who orchestrated the whole hook up in the first place. Mark’s recklessness may have been cute enough for Bo last week, but it’s quickly turning into something dangerous. And if Dyson doesn’t step it up in the paternity department soon, there may be more problems than a few broken pint glasses.

And as fun as it was to watch Tamsin deal with Bo’s slow transformation into a kitten (note: a napkin is not a suitable cover for the sudden appearance of paws), or to at least watch Anna Silk take up residence in the soothing confines of a cardboard box, I’m still itching to make a bit more progress on what the hell (pun intended) is going on with, well, everything. Or at least see the team start to connect a couple of the dots and give us something a bit more substantial to speculate with.

Lost Girl airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase.

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Review: Lost Girl’s Dyson goes dark

Of all the possible reveals I’ve been anticipating and speculating about for Lost Girl’s final season, Dyson turning out to be a long-lost baby daddy was not one of them. Although given Dyson’s possible turn from the Light side, maybe this is setting up some final saving grace for him after killing The Hunter (Aaron Poole, Strange Empire) in cold blood.

After the first handful of episodes were easily making this season out to be all about Bo and her search for her father, “When God Opens a Window” seemed to be taking advantage of the extra episode order by giving us an intriguing look into Dyson’s psyche, post-Season 4’s devastating loss. And judging by his grand speech to the unpleasantly returned Vex and his bloodstained face as he nursed a beer and some memories, things have gotten—dare I say—Dark in Dyson-land.

While it seemed like a pointed reminder to Trick to get him back for sticking Vex with Dyson, in hindsight the wolf’s comments about whom he’d sworn fealty to now have more weight. Was Dyson aware he was struggling with being the good guy when he made that oath, or has doing it finally given him the freedom to act on certain urges? Either way, it’s now apparent Dyson’s allegiance to the unaligned Fae in his life is going to be having an effect on him—especially since Bo clearly knew where the blood was from and didn’t confront him about it. And maybe that’s a good thing, looking at the generations of fighting between The Hunter and the Shifters. Moving away from binaries, traditions and old grudges could make for a much healthier Fae world.

Though I’d feel much better if this ended up being Dyson’s only major transgression—mildly justifiable since The Hunter wasn’t all that good himself. As refreshing as it is to see Dyson take a break from his constant do-gooder ways, now might not be the best time for him to totally descend into evil even if it could make for some interesting relations between Dyson, Bo and her father. Of course, if Mark does end up hanging around, there’s always his own path to redemption by hopefully helping Dyson instead of simply living up to the retelling of Vex’s paternal relationship with Massimo. Forgiveness is all well and good from parents, but as we’ve already learned multiple times this episode between Vex and The Hunter, there are serious consequences to those kinds of actions, however much daddy may love you.

Then again, given Bo’s particular allure for Dyson’s son and the awkwardness it immediately brought on, maybe it’s best if Mark takes off for a bit. In between Tamsin edging in eagerly to help Bo heal, her no strings arrangement with Dyson and the lingering tension with Lauren, I’d say Bo’s got her hands awfully full even if she is a succubus. And after that whole stepmom debacle, I don’t now how much more keeping it in the family I’m interested in seeing.

Besides, as much as shipping has become a fun part of the show, at this point I’m far more excited to find out who our elevator lady is, what that lighting she apparently commands is, and especially what another triskelion is doing on a supernatural show (having been a go-to design for Teen Wolf since the beginning). While the symbol Dyson put together apparently fits a more Celtic look, I’m still anticipating the connection of Persephone and Artemis via the candle to mean we’re headed for a much more Grecian revelation. And if that’s the case, I think it rules out Walsh as Demeter, if her behaviour hasn’t already. Though we may have at least some part of the mystery in our hands now after Evony dropped off a very, very old evil at Lauren’s lab—wasn’t that what we were looking for last week?

Lost Girl airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase.

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Review: Lost Girl looks for a leader

“Strong, merciless, vulnerable,” were the words Bo used to describe a good leader in Sunday’s Lost Girl. While the episode may have only touched on the big mysteries unveiled last week as Bo and Tamsin took on a case of the week, in the end Musashi’s story did feed into the season’s bigger arc as Bo questioned what being the Chosen One meant for her and those around her.

And it was the vulnerability aspect that was most important in “Big in Japan,” not just for Musashi and his faux-claim to fame, but for Bo who was coping with Kenzi’s departure in obvious (see: decorating) and less obvious (see: not taking in chi) ways. While Bo may have been able to spot Musashi’s resistance to embrace his own vulnerabilities, in the end it was Tamsin who had to force Bo to confront hers—a nice parallel that ended up moving Bo’s evolution along in an episode that original seemed like it was going to kill time with a case of the week.

For all her bravado going into hell, confronting what may have been the arm of her father and coming back out (with the world’s worst candle) Bo’s challenges this season look like they’re going to be delving into the most personal, and possibly fragile, parts of her life. The show has already alluded to her father’s dark nature and a big part of what’s to come for Bo must be accepting whatever influence that has had on her without letting it define her. But as she pointed out, being who she is has also already cost her plenty and taking time to acknowledge that loss, especially in the face of losing Kenzi, is rightfully another part of her role she has to live with. Though what makes Bo a better leader that Musashi just might be her willingness to see leadership, and its cost, for what it really is and not just the glory of a bar full of Fae wanting to be like her.

Although—and maybe it’s blasphemous to say this—it was pretty fun to see Tamsin helping Bo with this week’s case and stepping into that empty spot next to her. While nothing could replace all of Bo’s years with Kenzi, those heartfelt moments in Lauren’s surgery were a good reminder for Bo that she’s still got plenty of friends with her. And while Tamsin may have a number of strikes against her, she rightfully got recognition for knowing a bit more about her roommate than she’s been given credit for. I expect she’ll been taking Dyson’s suggestion that she leave the shop and join the family business pretty soon, if not in the coming week. Though with this season set to deal with daddy dearest, I don’t know how much time they’re going to have to take cases—even if they do fit as neatly into the story as this Sunday’s.

It was also another week of Dyson and Lauren teaming up with their sass providing a nice counterbalance to all the flirtatious teasing going down between Bo and Tamsin (the writers are just playing with us, right?). There’s a bigger sense of the stakes the season is building towards whenever these two talk since their main common ground at the moment is Bo and how to help her survive what’s coming. Given their flirt-free zone, I’m actually digging the friendship between these two since Dyson’s down a buddy, and the combination of Dyson’s training and Lauren’s science-savvy made for a pretty sweet takedown of the first Fae to come for her.

Though Lauren might need more than her wrist and some ketamine if elevator-lady is still in the lab when Lauren returns to work because I’m getting the sense—from the maniacal face, resurrection stunt and neck snapping—that she’s not your average baddie. I guess the question we’re left with, aside from last week’s “who is she?” is whether she’s very, very old or really new. Any bets?

Lost Girl airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showcase.

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Review: Lost Girl goes to hell and back

If last week’s Lost Girl, “Like Hell Pt. 1,” was all about wrapping up Season 4’s cliffhangers, then “Like Hell Pt. 2″ was clearly meant to set up the rest of the series’ final season. It was hard not to mull the end as Bo made a big play to get Kenzi back and the rest of her team braced themselves for another showdown—but in its second week, Season 5 started to look forward to the story it has to tell before the lights go down, namely all that unfinished business with Bo’s father.

And right now Hades is, predictably, looking to be like the bad guy you’d assume he is—especially as Bo peeled back the wallpaper (The Yellow Wallpaper anyone?) to reveal Aife’s haunting drawings of herself and Bo as she dreamt of ways to escape. That the moment was quickly followed by a mysterious arm, presumably belonging to Hades, as Bo declared her rebellion and stole Artemis’ Candle was just the final piece of damning evidence that began long ago but was really driven home this week with the cage in Bo’s childhood room.

Although I’m feeling pretty suspicious of that candle considering the screaming that echoed over the credits after Bo lit it and evil former Much VJ Amanda Walsh grinned maniacally (I’m assuming that look had nothing to do with her previous pizza order, because no one should love pizza that much). Considering Persephone’s message—that lighting the candle would let her family know she was alive—my initial thought was that Walsh was Demeter but that elevator slaughter doesn’t really gel with the traditional representation of the goddess of hearth and home I’m used to.

Lost_Girl_Bo

Then again, having her daughter imprisoned by the god of the underworld for 6,000 years might have left Demeter feeling slightly less generous towards the world. Or maybe, as is usually the case when you go wandering the underworld, things with Persephone weren’t what they seemed. After all, she’s currently the stepmother who was completely fine with sleeping with Bo and that should be a pretty big red flag. We already know the maze was designed to trick Bo, and Persephone might have been working her own deceptions.

Still, if lighting that candle does mean a storm of violence in the human world—via Demeter or whatever/whoever else Walsh may be, does that mean that hand trying to stop Bo was actually her father trying to keep her, or someone trying to keep the candle from unleashing whatever it is Bo just woke up? I can only assume next week is going to help me tease at least some of that out, and in the meantime I can start to wonder if the things Persephone told Bo are really as true as they sounded. At this point I’ve read just enough mythology to feel confident questioning everything Bo heard and saw—and to be certain that taking something from hell guarantees bad consequences.

And they’re ones Bo is going to have to face without Kenzi. After Ksenia Solo was only listed as a guest star last week, I figured Bo’s best friend wouldn’t be around much longer and the suggestion of a Pt. 2 to the premiere seemed to indicate this would be the last of Solo’s run on the series. Though, since Kenzi only took off for an island as per Hale’s will and not back to the afterlife to be with him, we can continue to hope for one final reunion to go with that brief family dinner they had after Bo’s return. Kenzi may have said it best as she shot the now animated ghost haunting Lauren, interrupting the family yet again. But the moment also made me hope that maybe the finale would end with a similar moment—this time ghost free. In the meantime though, I am so ready for some baby daddy drama.

Lost thoughts:

  • While the continuity critic in me was at least happy to have an explanation for how Kenzi had matches with her, the real life critic in me questioned the wisdom of lighting fires when you’re short on oxygen.
  • Ditto drinking out of a beaker, which is a Science 101 no-no.
  • Kenzi: “So are you going to swallow the ritual blood sausage willingly, or am I going to have to hold you down?” Lauren: “You are going to have to hold me down.”
  • Dyson’s “Always” to Bo was downright Harry Potter-esque.
  • Is anyone else skeeved out that a ghost had sex with Lauren while she was sleeping?

Lost Girl airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase.

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