Fate: The Winx Saga – Season Two

Season two of Fate: The Winx Saga takes after its predecessor: interesting concepts, unrefined execution and a heavy reliance on horror tactics and dramatics to make it seem compelling. It also tries a little too hard to be dark and edgy with unsolicited gore and expletives. But the main sticking point of this show is the characters – for instance, most of the couples don’t any have chemistry with each other, which already sucks the realism out of the watch.

Of the five main girls, Musa is the only one with a fully fleshed-out character arc. Her grey morality when it comes to using her magic, as well as her journey of self-discovery, is quite compelling. Stella has an infectious dynamic with Beatrix; the two have one of the only relationships that actually feel genuine. Bloom, being the main protagonist, remains bland. Her constant screen time comes at the expense of the other girls, like Aisha, who have the potential to be more interesting if given the chance.

The long-awaited introduction of original Winx Club member Flora is an absolute breath of fresh air, bringing similar vibes to Vanessa Abrams from Gossip Girl. Paulina Chávez slots perfectly into the role with her vibrant and colourful personality, injecting life both into Flora and the ensemble. Terra, on the other hand, feels as if the writers are trying to overcompensate for her lacklustre personality. They do this by unloading all the stereotypical highly strung bookworm archetypes onto her character and then adding a dash of queerness in the hope that she might become someone relatable.

The series has a lot of clichéd production techniques, but it doesn’t make any creative use of them – for example, timing and using spoken words or song lyrics as a guide for the visuals. There are also some really questionable choices for the fight scenes, with people just milling about for no good reason. Abrupt cuts used to heighten suspense just leave a lot of scenes and context missing, which never gets resolved. The CGI is also poor, save for the final transformation of the girls.

Fate: The Winx Saga and all its bland characters and mediocre presentation may be enough to satiate intrigue on the first watch. But it’s something that a viewer will probably never look back on again, unlike the animated series it was adapted from.

Mae Trumata

Fate: The Winx Saga – Season Two is released on Netflix on 16^th September 2022.

Watch the trailer for Fate: The Winx Saga – Season Two here: