Something is seriously wrong on the set of “Lost Girl.”
Kenzi (Ksenia Solo) and Lauren (Zoie Palmer) are dressed in bizarre, over-the-top costumes, complete with curly, coiffed hairdos. Frenemy Vex (Paul Amos) is on hand. And in front of the camera, Bo (Anna Silk) and Trick (Richard Howland) are having a strange conversation, except Bo clearly isn’t herself. What’s transpiring falls into huge spoiler territory, but it’s obviously an outside-the-norm adventure in the same vein as the body swapping/teenage regression episodes, "Original Skin" and "ConFaegion." From the sounds of it, these types of scripts stir the cast’s creative juices.
“Episodes like this feel like we’re going to acting camp,” says Silk over the phone from her Toronto home. “We’re often all in the episode, we’re all on board and everyone is supremely focused because it’s often a different plane of existence for a while.”
“These episodes are such departures,” agrees Kris Holden-Ried (who plays Dyson), while sitting in his trailer. “You usually get to do something that’s very contrary to your character, which is always a breath of fresh air. The body switching. The parasite. You get to stretch a bit.”
On a warm August afternoon, Palmer, Amos, Holden-Ried, Howland, as well as executive producer Emily Andras, took a breather to talk about the new season of "Lost Girl." Solo and Silk chimed in a few weeks later in separate phone interviews.
Disappearing Act
When “Lost Girl” kicks off Season 4 on November 10, Bo won’t be front and centre. There’s a good reason for that. Behind-the-scenes, Silk had a baby boy and was on maternity leave when production resumed. That allowed the writing staff to create a bit of a mystery behind Bo’s absence.
“Because Anna was effectively on maternity leave, you have to fill the ranks, so Dyson comes back right away,” says Holden-Ried. “It’s a bit of, ‘Where is Bo?’ going on, but with a fun twist.”
“Bo missing definitely changes the team dynamic to a degree,” offers Silk. “Everyone has their own problems to deal with. At the end of the day, it’s still a family. We always do come back together to resolve things. There’s still a lot of Dyson and Lauren. Bo is always searching for more about who she is and that’s certainly no different this season.
“At the end of Season 2, we all grouped together and at the end of Season 3, we all got ripped apart,” she continues. “Dyson and Tamsin (Rachel Skarsten) go off a cliff. For Lauren, we don’t know exactly what her involvement is with the doctor. Bo disappears in a cloud of black smoke. There was a lot of big question marks and so it really set us up well for this season. We have a lot of explaining to do.”
Silk admits giving birth, along with the show’s gruelling hours, have affected her physicality.
“I always try to start every season as fit as I possibly can because the schedule is pretty intense,” acknowledges Silk. “You don’t really get to the gym as regularly as you would like. This season was different because I started back when my son was seven weeks old. It was pretty soon after his delivery. I still don’t feel as strong. I’m getting there, but it was definitely a challenge. I’m still doing everything I did before, but I personally find it difficult not to have that same core strength.”
Power Struggle
Light and Dark Fae share a growing animosity towards each other. Both clans are governed by different elders, live by their own rules and have their own agendas. This year, that political uneasiness will boil over and once again, Bo will get sucked into their war.
“There’s this idea of light and dark, but what does that really mean?” says Andras. “How does that really define you? There’s also this idea of tradition and old-school patriarchy. We’ve said the Fae don’t evolve maybe as much as humans do, that Bo has come and shaken things up with her refusal to stick to her own kind or make decisions. The truth is our world on 'Lost Girl' has gotten up to no good ever since our succubus has shown up. I certainly think there are some higher authorities that may not smile upon all the activity that’s happened in our little colony. We’re certainly going to look at some of the political intrigue and maybe explore some sides of the Fae we haven’t really been able to.”
“There’s a lot of that political upheaval going on,” elaborates Howland. “It’s harrowing for Trick because he always likes to know what’s going on. When things start to get a little bit out of his control, it makes him anxious. He tends to keep tabs on everything. We might find that he does know what is happening, but as usual, he keeps his cards close to his chest.”
Enemy Mine
Bo’s adversaries continually push her to the limit. Her mother was a personal threat. The Garuda almost decimated the team. The Wanderer tore the gang apart. Now, the one-two punch of a new Fae hierarchy and The Wanderer may finally lead to Bo’s ultimate downfall.
“The stakes gets raised every season,” notes Silk. “Just when you think things are settling down, they aren’t. There is a group and they aren’t just a threat to Bo’s friends, but also a threat to Bo as an individual.”
“They're like the new mafia family on the block,” says Solo. “They are the Una Mens. They are mysterious and totally dangerous. The Garuda has nothing on these guys. It’s been interesting having that new power that governs and rules all of us. Even though we don’t like to follow the rules, especially Bo, they sneak into our lives and we have to deal with them.”
Blurred Lines
Then there’s Vex, a Dark Fae Mesmer with the ability to control others through gesture. In the past, he’s targeted Bo and the Scooby Gang on more than one occasion. However, Vex also pitched in against The Garuda and recently took down The Morrigan. That ever-changing allegiance could get him in trouble and where he truly stands will be explored more this season.
“Vex has come back and he does have his powers again,” states Amos. “He might be forced into thinking about who he is and what he wants. Circumstances might play a little bit of a part in it. He’s continuing on that trajectory of trying to figure out where he belongs because he doesn’t belong anywhere at the moment.”
Big Bad Wolf
Now more than ever, Bo will need her friends by her side. Kenzi may be contemplating about gaining a Fae power to chip in, but it’s easy to forget that Dyson is a centuries-old wolf-warrior, who more than equals the odds in any heated situation.
“They try not to get the wolfing out all the time because they don’t want it to get tired,” explains Holden-Ried. “I’ve wolfed out a few times this season. We introduce a new adversary for Team Bo. There’s definitely some strong characters that we come up against. We have to fight for what we think is right.”
Beamed On-Board
Guest stars galore will be dropping by to complicate Bo and company’s lives. Linda Hamilton returns as tough Valkyrie bounty hunter Acacia. New faces include Ali Liebert and Kyle Schmid. And massively increasing the show’s geek cred is “Star Trek" star George Takei, who plays a nasty Fae.
“George Takei is an amazing professional,” praises Solo. “He came in and was such a joy to be around. Literally, the first time I saw him, he had a huge smile on his face. It was really nice to work with someone who's a legend. It was an honour for me. I was giddy and selfishly happy because I thought, ‘I get to work with him. I get to have all these one-on-one scenes with him.’”
“George was fantastic,” adds Holden-Ried. “ He’s such a gentleman. He’s a consummate professional. He’s light-hearted. He delivers. We had him walking around with a tuxedo top. Because there’s a CG element to his character, he was walking around in bright green leotards. It was an hilarious costume and he handled it all with such grace. I’m a total Trekkie too.”
All You Need Is Love
Bo’s succubus nature automatically increases her sexual desires. She’s experienced powerful feelings for both Dyson and Lauren, which created a complicated love triangle. Last season, Bo committed to be monogamous with Lauren, even though there have still been some tender and touching moments between her and Dyson. The question is, did Bo make the right decision?
“I like that Bo and Lauren’s romance has been handled like any relationship out there,” reports Palmer. “It’s not really a topic of conversation. It’s a relationship in the same way as if a mixed-race couple were on television. It’s just a non-issue now. This show has made leaps and strides in that area of making it what it is, which is just a normal relationship.”
As for who Bo should ultimately end up with, that is anyone’s guess.
“Oh my God, I’m pro with whatever is best for Bo,” concludes Silk. “Bo loves who she loves and she loves both of them. I could not pick one over the other. That love triangle is an essential theme of the show.”
"Lost Girl" Season 4 premieres on Showcase on November 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
(Check back to HuffPost Canada TV for "Lost Girl" recaps, starting on November 10 after the premiere!)
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