[SyFy] Lost Girl

[Smoove_B]

Anyone else catch the premier last night? I guess it's another Canadian import doing well enough there that they're sending it our way ~26 episodes into the series. The main character reminds me a bit of Mary-Louise Parker and I wasn't really sure where they were going with all of it until they started showing clips from upcoming shows.

Spoiler:

Looks like they take a page from the Dresden Files and she opens up her own detective agency, I would assume to deal with problems that the dark and light fey are having?

I didn't hate it so I'll give it the requisite 5 episode trial to see how it all unfolds.

[Odin]

Sadly, I didn't hear about it until I saw the ad while watching Being Human (which was awesome, by the way). I've got a season pass set up for it now as it looked decent enough.

When you say "they're sending it our way ~26 episodes into the series" do you mean that we get to start watching it on episode 26, or that 26 eps have already aired in Canada but we're staring on episode 1?

[Smoove_B]

No, I think it's been running for 2 seasons now in Canada and they're now airing it in the U.S. It's not a remake but the original show...we're just 17+ months behind them with the airing schedule.

It was also the first time I can recall seeing quasi nudity, implied lesbianism and hearing curse words on a SyFy show. All that should add up to A+ ratings for them.

[$iljanus]

Just read the wiki entry about the show and it sounds pretty interesting. Luckily, SyFy will probably be running the pilot eps a couple of times and will have to catch it. I wonder if our Canadian brethren have watched this and can give us some impressions. Must turn on the "Calling all Canadians" signal!

[LordMortis]

Spoiler:

Looks like they take a page from the Dresden Files

Does that mean the show will be acceptably good by SyFy standards and still get cancelled after five episodes?

[Smoove_B]

Well that's the thing -- they don't have to do anything but pay for the licensing agreements -- the show is already 26 episodes into the series. All they need to do is sell ad time for WWE wrestling and it's a cash cow.

[Terrified]

Must turn on the "Calling all Canadians" signal!

Mhhhmm? What? Who would be calling Canadians this time of year? Don't they know we're all hibernating?

Just kidding. Lost Girl is actually a guilty pleasure of mine. It's kind of like a grown-up Buffy. Here's a quick rundown with no spoilers other than what you'd see in the first episode.

Basic storyline is that Bo is a fey, a fairy, one of the supernatural folk. They have various houses (like Leprechauns, Trolls, etc.) and the main character is in fact a Succubus and a very powerful one at that. Succubus feed off of sexual energy. Bo has no idea about this at first. Initially, she's on the run from the law because she drained a boy of all his sexual energy and he died. She finds out that she was dropped off with adoptive parents to hide her from the fey world. Once she finally begins to interact with that world, she discovers that the houses are split between the light court and the dark court, the two warring factions of fey. And because she is uniquely part of neither, she's able to be a neutral party between the two. She's given leeway because both factions want to recruit her as well. So she becomes a middleman between humans, light fey and dark fey, getting paid to do the tasks that fall in the cracks between those groups.

Important point: The faction and the house are not linked in any way. There are light Succubus and dark Succubus. As well, don't be fooled and think the light are good guys and the dark are bad guys, although it might seem that way initially. They're more like two political parties.

It was also the first time I can recall seeing quasi nudity, implied lesbianism and hearing curse words on a SyFy show.

The lesbianism becomes more than implied later on... But Succubus feed on sexual energy, any sexual energy. It becomes clear that Bo not only plays for both teams if the conditions are right, but she'll happily play any position on that team... nudge nudge, wink wink. But be warned that the acting is sometimes uneven, the sets/extras sometimes veer into amateur theatre. But it's a nice change from all the vampire shows... If nothing else the fact the fey can go out in the sun means thinks happen during the day.

If you have any specific questions, i'd be glad to answer them.

[LordMortis]

lesbianism

Wait. What? I'm in. Where are the reruns?

[Odin]

lesbianism

Wait. What? I'm in. Where are the reruns?

All over SyFy.

[Hamsterball_Z]

Had not heard of this. Sounds like a premise my wife would be all over. I'm sure I can find elements I'd like too.

Terrified, how bad is the acting? Below even the usual SyFy bad?

[Odin]

Terrified, how bad is the acting? Below even the usual SyFy bad?

I can't speak directly to the quality of this show, however I'm not seeing where this comment is coming from. Sure, their made-for-TV movies are awful (the ones I've seen, anyway), but they've got some fantastic series, including:

- Warehouse 13
- Eureka
- Being Human

And those are just the ones that are currently on. If you go back a ways, you get Battlestar Galactica (grumble) and Farscape, among others.

[hepcat]

"Six seasons and a movie."

[Smoove_B]

Terrified, how bad is the acting? Below even the usual SyFy bad?

I would agree with Odin -- I don't think I've watched a SyFy series that had laughably bad acting. I've rather enjoyed Warehouse 13, Eureka and even Alphas. I stopped watching Haven and Sanctuary because they bored me, not because of acting.

Lost Girl did have a bit of the humor in the dialog. Not quite as silly as Eureka or Warehouse 13, but a little cheeky.

[LordMortis]

Terrified, how bad is the acting? Below even the usual SyFy bad?

I would agree with Odin -- I don't think I've watched a SyFy series that had laughably bad acting. I've rather enjoyed Warehouse 13, Eureka and even Alphas. I stopped watching Haven and Sanctuary because they bored me, not because of acting.

Lost Girl did have a bit of the humor in the dialog. Not quite as silly as Eureka or Warehouse 13, but a little cheeky.

Big fan of Bionic Woman, Flash Gordon, Pain Killer Jane, Sliders (yeah I said it), and Tremors, were ya?

[hepcat]

Bionic Woman and Sliders weren't produced by Scy Fy

[Terrified]

Terrified, how bad is the acting? Below even the usual SyFy bad?

I would agree with Odin -- I don't think I've watched a SyFy series that had laughably bad acting. I've rather enjoyed Warehouse 13, Eureka and even Alphas. I stopped watching Haven and Sanctuary because they bored me, not because of acting.

Lost Girl did have a bit of the humor in the dialog. Not quite as silly as Eureka or Warehouse 13, but a little cheeky.

I'd say the shows you mentioned, Eureka/Warehouse 13, are about equivalent acting quality. The main cast are pretty good, but some of the supporting cast not so much. (Although some are brilliant) What I meant about amateur theatre is less about the skill and more you can see they were working on a budget. There was episode that was supposed to be on a school campus and there were maybe 10-15 extras? And another featured a club scene where there were maybe a dozen people in what was supposed to be a crowded club. But the budget problems improved... Later in first season and by second season things are looking more like they had some money to throw around.

The show is quite wife/girlfriend friendly.

[Freezer-TPF-]

It sounds potentially decent. I'll order my DVR to catch a reairing of the pilot.

Maybe it can replace the disappointing Grimm in my rotation. I haven't watched the last 2 or so episodes yet, so maybe they've turned it around. The main problem is they have focused on monster/myth/fairy tale of the week so far and have taken way too long to get into some kind of longer story arc or big-impact reveals. The generic and boring lead actor does not help. You just cannot let a show simmer for 5-6 episodes before delivering some solid "whoa!" moments unless you have a superb cast, writing, or some other factor to get folks to keep watching.

[theohall]

Will give it a shot. Just have to set the DVR tonight to catch the premiere.

[Smoove_B]

It did feel like they should have aired another episode right after it so my unofficial advice is to get the premiere and then wait until next Monday's show airs to watch them together.

[Kelric]

Did not catch it, but have it on the DVR. I'll wait until next week and then get the fiancee to watch it with me. She made fun of me watching Warehouse 13 until I got her to watch it and then she went and watched it all on Hulu / Netflix. She did not get into The Walking Dead the first time I tried to get her to watch the episode (but she was on the phone and online half the time) and when she gave it a shot she loved it.

Hopefully I can get her watching this along with me if it is any good.

[Odin]

Watching it now. Anna Silk (Bo) is incredibly hot. If I weren't already in love, I'd be in love.

[Smoove_B]

I didn't want to lead-off with that, but yes, she is quite captivating. If it was just a show about a hot chick running around I don't think I would have started an entire thread...it actually seemed good enough to promote. That being said:

NSFW:

Spoiler:

On the show, she seems quite comfortable in her skin.

[Odin]

That picture doesn't do her justice, but she's totally hot on the show. And in the very first episode, she gets in a duel to the death with a twin-hammer-wielding demon guy straight out of Conan the Barbarian!! The good Conan, not the new Conan.

Anyway, I watched the whole first episode and I'm definitely ready for more! I'm totally preferring it to my other new show - The Fades - at this point.

[coopasonic]

The good Conan, not the new Conan.

I think you need to watch the "good Conan" again. the distinction is not as significant as you seem to imply.

On topic, I have added this to my DVR. I told my wife it is like true Blood so she should give it at least a couple episodes before glaring at me for misleading her.

[Odin]

The good Conan, not the new Conan.

I think you need to watch the "good Conan" again. the distinction is not as significant as you seem to imply.

Or I probably ought to watch the "new" Conan at some point. I was totally psyched until the reviews started to come in. Then the final straw was when I found a post online where the writer apologized for the movie. I say again, THE WRITER APOLOGIZED FOR THE MOVIE. It wasn't even one of those "this movie would have been better if they'd just followed my script" apologies.

I've seen the original fairly recently, though. It's a classic. I still love it. And I'm glad they never tried to make a sequel. I said they never made a sequel. No they didn't!! Shut up!!

[theohall]

Then the final straw was when I found a post online where the writer apologized for the movie. I say again, THE WRITER APOLOGIZED FOR THE MOVIE. It wasn't even one of those "this movie would have been better if they'd just followed my script" apologies.

I did see it. I am glad he apologized. The movie made no damn sense. If the bad guys kill the girl, the rule with the world forever. So, the bad guys have the girl, yet mysteriously have to spend who knows how long taking her to a temple to kill her just in time for Conan to save her. There was no mention of any temple/sacrifice/volcano/whatever thingy being required in order to kill the girl. Not to mention the way this skipped from location to location with no explanation or continuity between them. It was really bad.

Lost Girl, I am fairly certain having read this thread, will be very entertaining.

[Terrified]

Lost Girl, I am fairly certain having read this thread, will be very entertaining.

I hope I haven't built the show up too much. I mean, it's an amusing show, but it's not Shakespeare. And I remember one of the early episodes (3 or 4 I think) was just plain bad. I was going to stop watching but I left it on my PVR record list, and later on I had a sick day and caught up with a few episodes and saw enough to keep watching. I'm working very hard not to spoil, but the angle of the show changes a bit after a few episodes and gets more interesting.

[hepcat]

Then the final straw was when I found a post online where the writer apologized for the movie. I say again, THE WRITER APOLOGIZED FOR THE MOVIE. It wasn't even one of those "this movie would have been better if they'd just followed my script" apologies.

I did see it. I am glad he apologized.

It was truly awful. I actually enjoyed the movie adaptation of Howard's Solomon Kane more. While not a terribly true version of the books, at least it was fun in a lot of places.

[$iljanus]

Lost Girl, I am fairly certain having read this thread, will be very entertaining.

I hope I haven't built the show up too much. I mean, it's an amusing show, but it's not Shakespeare. And I remember one of the early episodes (3 or 4 I think) was just plain bad. I was going to stop watching but I left it on my PVR record list, and later on I had a sick day and caught up with a few episodes and saw enough to keep watching. I'm working very hard not to spoil, but the angle of the show changes a bit after a few episodes and gets more interesting.

It had better be interesting or there will be...consequences.




Edit: So I just watched it and I liked it. Had the usual roughness of a pilot but the characters and behind the scenes plotting kept me interested. I've always enjoyed shows that have that hidden world among humans, like Dresden Files or the Vampire: Bloodlines game. The human sidekick is pretty resourceful too. Things seemed a bit rushed but I attribute it to the usual pilot jitters. Looking forward to learning more about the fae world and her role in it. The production values weren't too painful, reminding me of the early seasons of Highlander or La Femme Nikita.

It's on the DVR queue now and there are no consequences...for now.

[theohall]

Lost Girl, I am fairly certain having read this thread, will be very entertaining.

I hope I haven't built the show up too much.

It was better than the new Conan

[Odin]

Lost Girl, I am fairly certain having read this thread, will be very entertaining.

I hope I haven't built the show up too much.

It was better than the new Conan

[coopasonic]

Wife and I watched the first episode. I'm in and she's out. I like th concept. It looks like it will be a Grimm that sucks less. The lead character and sidekick make all the difference. Note to Grimm producers, ignoring everything else, make sure a hot chick is a main character. Have you not watched TV before? This is basic stuff.

[Isgrimnur]

It worked so well for Bionic Woman.

[Odin]

It worked so well for Bionic Woman.

She was good in Dr. Who, though.

[Smoove_B]

I didn't enjoy this episode nearly as much as the first two...mainly because it almost feels like I'm coming into a story that has way more background than they're sharing. Namely, why is it that she can fight so well? I mean, as far as the story goes, it would be pretty boring if all she could do is make out with people (that have heads) or force someone with a touch to do her bidding...but she fights like a lunatic.

Regardless, I could watch her read a phone book for 45 minutes each week, so I'll keep watching.

[hepcat]

How about watching her as Deb, the psycho flight attendant who's trying to quit smoking in a series of Nicoderm commercials?

[Smoove_B]

Well..that might help explain why she can fight like a maniac.

[LordMortis]

I didn't enjoy this episode nearly as much as the first two...mainly because it almost feels like I'm coming into a story that has way more background than they're sharing. Namely, why is it that she can fight so well? I mean, as far as the story goes, it would be pretty boring if all she could do is make out with people (that have heads) or force someone with a touch to do her bidding...but she fights like a lunatic.

Regardless, I could watch her read a phone book for 45 minutes each week, so I'll keep watching.

First two? TiVo has only grabbed a total of two so far. Hmmm. I also wonder why she fights so well. I wondered that in the first episode as well. I'm on the fence about the show so I'll keep watching for now. The premise is better than most of it's type but the execution just isn't quite there. It wants to be taken seriously but the presentation so far doesn't feel serious. The other thing is that I think the supporting chick is cute (She has those perfect eyes or perhaps perfect contact lenses) and that makes me feel creepy. She is far too young to be cute to me.

[Smoove_B]

My bad...I was thinking the first one was a two-hour show...it wasn't. Maybe I'm getting confused with LOSTcatraz. Only two total have aired in the U.S.

[Terrified]

I didn't enjoy this episode nearly as much as the first two...

I think I warned folks earlier on that there's a pretty weak episode early on... I thought was 3rd or 4th before the show starts to come together.

Hmmm. I also wonder why she fights so well. I wondered that in the first episode as well.

They never really address it except that they mention that succubus tend to be fast/strong, and a fed one is superhumanly so. However, in a later episode Bo goes undercover as a MMA fighter, and she's able to go into the gym and not embarrass herself/ look obviously out of place, so that implies that she had some martial arts training before she found out she wasn't human.

The other thing is that I think the supporting chick is cute (She has those perfect eyes or perhaps perfect contact lenses) and that makes me feel creepy. She is far too young to be cute to me.

The actress is named Ksenia Solo, she's actually 24. But she's a former ballet dancer and thus tiny. Ksenia was an actor on a TV show called 'Renegadepress.com' way back in 2005 and I got to meet her because a friend of mine worked on the show. (And by "meet", I mean I was in the same room at the same time. ) I can verify that those eyes of hers are 100% natural. This is how she looked when I met her.



And one of the things I continue to find amusing is that of all the people on that show, Ksenia (Kenzi) is the one that looks the most supernatural because of her eyes and her size, yet quite often she's the only 'human' in the show.