Lost Girl recap – 1×08: ‘Vexed’

Lost Girl gets epic in its eighth episode. Despite a mildly anticlimatic finish and a slightly mundane case-of-the-week, this episode not only reintroduces Bo’s (Anna Silk) quest for familial answers in a big way; it also gives us a huge info dump about the rules governing the Fae world. Added bonus: sex for everyone!

Let’s bitch it out…

Case of the week: Unlike the majority of the episodes we’ve seen so far, this week’s case more or less completely addresses Bo’s personal development (see below). The impetus for Bo’s journey begins with the investigation of death row inmate, Lou Ann (Marie Ward) who drowned her children. After being told that Lou Ann has information on her mother, Bo visits and discovers she is actually Fae. Lou Ann has been framed by the Dark Fae as a warning to other Fae because she fell in love with a human, which is seen as choosing humans over “her own kind.” That’s according to Mayer (Aron Tager), the luck Fae from ‘Dead Lucky’ who owes Bo a favour, which she cashes in to find the true killer. The trail leads her to Vex (Paul Amos), a Mesmer Fae who controls people’s actions, including her own. In the climax, Bo overcomes Vex’s suggestions and almost kills him (an act that would have sealed her own death with the Dark Fae) until Dyson (Kris Holden-Ried) and Kenzi (Ksenia Solo) stop her.

As far as plots go, Bo going to such extreme lengths for a Fae she doesn’t know because she doesn’t think it’s fair is less engaging than the majority of the cases we’ve seen. What this really demonstrated – for me, at least – was Bo’s character: she’s a champion for those who can’t protect themselves, even when they don’t necessarily want her help (like Lou Ann). It’s a good example of who she is and what she stands for, even if it wasn’t the most interesting story the show has ever done.

Undercover Stints: Bo has an ever-so-brief stint as an FBI agent in order to gain access to the prison. Alas, there was no busty FBI shirt or dark sunglasses to compliment the look.

Kenzi Hair-o-meter: Oh dear, Kenzi once again repurposes the babushka blonde wig from ‘Oh Kappa, My Kappa’ and last week’s  ‘ArachnoFaebia’, only this time she’s crimped it! I remember when Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy crimped her hair in season two and even as a child I knew that it was not acceptable. Adding a hipster toque was the piece de resistance of this terrible look. Why, Kenzi, why?!

Bo Personal development: After several episodes of little to no action on this home front, we get some significant development on this storyline. Although Bo ultimately doesn’t find out anything new about her mother, ‘Vexed’ proves the extent she’ll go to for information. Her willingness to go against the wishes of Lauren (Zoie Palmer), Dyson, the Ash (Cle Bennett), Mayer and Trick (Rick Howland) and risk her own life for the “last connection” to her mother is telling. Bo’s rage against Dyson for letting Vex get away is frightening; she’s so desperate to find out more about her past that she would kill the man she’s clearly in love with in the present.

Speaking of love, this episode also marks the first time that Bo has sex with a human (more below) and doesn’t kill her partner. Guess those treatments are really paying off!

Sexnanigans: The discomfort between Lauren and Dyson continues this week (evidenced each time Bo brings up one in the other’s presence – perhaps she should consider keeping some of those intimate details to herself?). In terms of physicality, however, this episode burns: the cold open with Bo’s booty call to Dyson is incredibly hot and verging on not-so-softcore (though did anyone else want them to at least wash the blood off before they got carnal? Blech). The post-coital discussion is less fiery, however, as Dyson reaffirms his position that he will no longer heal her.

The hot sex followed by verbal iciness sets the tone for later when Lauren and Bo finally seal the deal. The doctor – acting under the Ash’s orders – distracts Bo with naked time in order to prevent the succubus from tracking down Vex. When Bo discovers this duplicity, she verbally lashes out. What’s surprising to me is how delusional Lauren is, meekly explaining that she is trying to protect Bo and that she hasn’t “done anything wrong.” Bo rightly corrects her: “You are in my bed because he told you to be. There is everything that is wrong with that.” Kudos to Bo for putting the doctor in her place. I’m officially off Team Lauren. 🙁

Other observations:

• Taking an objective step back from the plot, I have big issues with the portrayal of heterosexual and homosexual sex in the episode. As discussed above the Dyson-Bo sex scene is incredibly graphic, with multiple positions and nearly full-on nudity. In comparison, the Lauren-Bo sex scene is like a Lifetime movie: lots of kissing, close-ups of each actress’ face and all the action takes place under the covers. While I commend the show for its sliding Kinsey-scale approach to sexuality, the visual depiction leaves something to be desired. Why is it okay to show Bo literally riding Dyson, but only kiss Lauren? I’m not suggesting we need Black Swan oral sex scenes, but there’s clearly a distinction between the presumed comfort level of viewers for how graphic and revealing each sex scene can be.
• It’s a bit of a horror trope to have a heroine attacked while she’s vulnerable in the bath or shower, so I appreciate that Anna Silk didn’t fight the Morragh in her underoos. The clash with the First Slayer-like assassin is among the most exciting the show has done so far,  set to a pulse-pounding soundtrack, impressively well-edited and featuring a good amount of set destruction. This also produces the best line of the night from Kenzi (after Bo electrocutes the Morragh): “Holy shit…smells like fried bitch.” Love it!
• For the first time Bo works directly with Trick. He not only informs her about the Morragh, but provides her with a Witchblade rip-off weapon that turns into a powerful sword. One minor quibble: Bo wishes that there was an index of all of the Fae types and Trick immediately plops down an encyclopedia. Considering Bo knows nothing about the world she is immersed in, shouldn’t this a) have been something she asked about earlier or b) something someone else offered? I know that if I was part of an entirely new society, I’d be burning the midnight oil trying to find out everything I could. It’s frustrating when shows don’t make an effort to have their characters act logically (I have similar complaints about NBC’s Grimm).
• This episode was jammed packed with info about the Fae world: we learn that the Ash actually owns Lauren (which is why she wears a necklace bearing his symbol); that choosing a side not only provides protection, but means that the higher-ups will act on your behalf; and confirms that killing a member of the other side will start a war (this was hinted at in ‘Faetal Attraction’).
• Lou Ann calls Bo ‘the foundling.’ Any guesses on what that means?

With this episode, we’re now just over two-thirds through the first season. How are you feeling about the show, Bo’s romantic partners and her quest for more information on her mother? Since Vex escapes at episode’s end, are we excited to see more of the British villain? And finally, did you take issue with the portrayal of the different kinds of sex? Sound off below!

Lost Girl airs Mondays at 10pm EST on Syfy in the US. All episodes are available online in Canada on Showcase’s website