On January 22, 2021, Netflix released a new TV series: Fate: The Winx Saga. The first season consisted of six episodes running about 50 minutes each. This fantasy series revolves around the original Nickelodeon series, Winx Club. The spin-off show features new upcoming actresses as the lead five fairies include Abigail Cowen, Hannah van der Westhuysen, Precious Mustapha, Elliot Salt and Elisha Applebaum.
The script for the show was definitely directed towards an older teenage to a young adult audience. Plotlines are overlapping and thick but not so complicated that they cannot be followed. The show deals with mature themes such as drug and alcohol use, violence, death and sexual scenes and references. The former story writer and editor of The Vampire Diaries takes this series, originally the Winx Club, and gives it an edge of its own in this suspenseful coming-of-age story. Similar to The Vampire Diaries, the show deals with drama-filled romances and plot twists that will have you on the edge of your seat. In my opinion, I enjoyed the storyline; it was fun and entertaining to watch. Keep in mind, I was never an avid watcher of the original Nickelodeon series, but I am familiar with the original Winx Club.
Some controversy has been raised surrounding the casting for the spin-off show. The original animation show has a diverse group of female fairies ranging from various races. Audiences accused the show of whitewashing the spin-off after the release of the trailer in December 2020. Character Musa is depicted as East Asian in the original but appears white in the spin-off. The actress has yet to comment on her ethnicity, but it has been reported she is one-fourth Singaporean. Flora, a Latina fairy, has been excluded in season one of the series and has been replaced with Terra, a white actress. Brian Young has now confirmed that they are cousins in the series, despite her exclusion. The lead actress who plays Bloom, Abigail Cowen, has commented on these claims surrounding casting, saying that it is important audiences are having these conversations even if she had no say in the cast of the show. Audiences remain upset that the live-action show has not lived up to the original animation and although I was entertained, I agree. Although season two has not officially been secured, it is pretty rare that Netflix shows are only granted one season. One thing I would love to see moving forward is a more diverse cast, as audiences are rightfully asking for.
In season two, I would love to see more colourful and extravagant outfits. Although the show has great fashion and styles that aim to represent the personalities of the characters, these outfits seem to represent a typical teenage drama show like in Pretty Little Liars. Making the outfits more extravagant would add the little extra flair that the original show encompassed.
Finally, Brian Young’s work on this show was substantial and entertaining, but I will remain a bigger fan of his other productions including The Vampire Diaries in which he was a producer, co-executive producer and supervising producer between 2012 and 2016.
After carefully reviewing and forming my own opinions on the show, I would score it a 7/10. It seems as though IMDB has rated the show a 7.1/10 and a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average of 80% audience score.
Sources:
Comics Beat – There is too much wrong with Fate: The Winx Saga