Contributor: Bronzethumb
Written by Michelle Lovretta
Directed by John Fawcett
To borrow an expression from one of the Critical Myth team’s favorite shows, this episode feels like first proper Wham! Episode of “Lost Girl”‘ with the return of old characters and dangling plot threads, some big new developments, and all of it wrapped around a very strong case of the week. It’s something to behold, just how far the show has come from its fun, silly fanservice-laden pilot.
“Vexed” doesn’t waste time and dives into the meat of the episode, which is Bo continuing the search for her mother through contacts in the Fae world and pushing the love triangle to breaking point in the meantime. Leads, dead contacts and interrogations lead Bo and Kenzi to a Fae woman on death row, convicted of murdering several children, but while unravelling the mystery could lead Bo to her mother, it could also bring down the wrath of the Fae world. On the whole, this is the most compelling case-of-the-week that “Lost Girl” has delivered so far, precisely because the case itself is a relatively simple and minor part of the story. It weaves Bo into the sights of Dyson, Lauren, the Ash and all the other characters and factions, creating fresh conflicts around this central nugget. It’s not surprising that “Vexed” was penned by the show’s creator.
Soap operas should start taking notes at this point, because “Lost Girl” is delivering one of the most interesting and compelling love triangles on television in recent years. After getting the players firmly in place only a few episodes ago, the writers are shaking up the status quo from every angle, and letting the ongoing drama be driven by the characters and their personalities rather than the whims of the story. Dyson, who came across as the roguish Veronica to Lauren’s goody-goody Betty, is the one to come through and choose Bo over everything else, whereas Lauren pulls off something so underhanded that Bo’s reaction was probably as strong as the audience’s. A willingness to let the characters and the stories grow out of the status quo makes for great episodes like this and bodes well for the show’s future.
The Fae world gets a lot of details sketched in during this episode. The nature of Lauren’s role in the Light Fae, previously painted as something more like a steady job, winds up being tantamount to slavery – and rather than suggest the hints of the Fae using humans as their slaves, the writers then push it through to its logical conclusion by forcing a character to basically prostitute herself in the name of the cause. Just to keep things balanced, the Dark Fae aren’t portrayed any better as their man Vex, who has all the makings of a good recurring bad guy, runs rampant with the protection of the general Fae realm. He’s a dark, sadistic character who is well-introduced and promises not only a character for Bo to entertainingly butt heads with in the future, but further glimpses into the sordid relationships within the world of the Fae.
The initial hook of the episode, Bo’s quest to find her mother, is all but forgotten in the tangled web of “Vexed”, but somehow it doesn’t matter. An extremely solid A-story delivers a surprisingly fantastic group of characters and relationships and a deeper glimpse into the setting of “Lost Girl”. Almost every episode of the show has been an improvement over the last, with this one easy the top of the pile, and it’s earning a distinguished spot in the Showcase and Syfy pantheons.
Rating: 8/10
