S1E13: "Blood Lines"

[00:00:00] And so like once we understood the way the show was received and we had a sense that if we were doing okay and that it was probably going to return like we had a bit more confidence

[00:00:21] at the end of season two and season three and that kind of thing but we were just in such a darkness so to speak. I know. In that first season. I know.

[00:00:30] My name is Anna Silk for six seasons I played Bo on the hit TV series Lost Girl. I'm so happy you are here for the Lost Girl Rewatch Podcast to take a trip down memory lane with me, the amazing cast and some very special guests.

[00:00:49] I'm so glad to finally be able to say the family is back together again. Hello everybody. Welcome back to the Lost Girl Rewatch Podcast. This is it you guys. This is episode 13.

[00:01:11] In season one I'm going to bring my co-host in right away because who can wait any longer for Miss Zoe Palmer. Thank you again for doing this. Oh it's my pleasure. I'm thrilled to be back. I know it's thrilling to have you and I have to say.

[00:01:30] Oh my God so much thrill. So it's only thrill. It's all thrill all day. Period. That's it. So we're here to talk about episode 13 from season one which was titled Bloodlines. It was written by Michelle of Reda and directed by Rob Lieberman. And both good people.

[00:01:53] Very good people. What were your first impressions watching? How did you feel? It was crazy because there was like a lot of healing in different ways. You. Yes that's true. There was a lot of healing.

[00:02:13] Well where it left off at the end of 12 is when Saskia, she's still known as Saskia to Bo at this point comes in and takes over Dyson in the cop shop and then Bo comes in, breathes chi back into him for the first time.

[00:02:30] Which was like look like this. Just me breathing in Chris's face but it brought him back to life and so yes there's healing, a lot of healing at the beginning of this episode. And then of course a lot of discovery for your character.

[00:02:45] I know I feel like so okay I didn't remember anything about this episode. I mean I remembered roughly what happened but watching it I just loved the intensity of it and the pace because like in the very beginning as soon as Dyson says she's your

[00:03:00] mom there's like this urgent pace. Yeah. Through the whole thing for everybody. Yeah. Which was really exciting to watch. Yeah I remember it's so funny because you know you forget about the scenes you shoot

[00:03:15] until you watch them and the scene where they rush the ash in and I launch myself on top of him. That's my favorite thing in the episode. And it's so funny because like in the world that we're in that made total sense but like

[00:03:33] if you were at the hospital and a doctor flung themselves on top of the moving gurney to do a chest compressions you might wonder about their abilities. You might or you would just envy their commitment. Yes.

[00:03:48] Because I have to say like that was my favorite like visual of the episode. I love to see Lauren straddling the ash. It showed it just showed well your athleticism. Sure. We all know and love. I mean I really just wanted to get that in there somewhere.

[00:04:05] Yeah you were like Bo can't straddle everybody. I have to. It's my turn. Why not the ash? Yeah. No but it was cool. It was cool to see that visual of Lauren's intent. Like I loved all the stuff in the lab because. I loved that lab that set.

[00:04:22] I know. That lab was I think just season one was it not it may have gone into season two. That lab was huge. It was huge and it was just the what I love so much about it is the contrast between that

[00:04:36] set and every other set on the show was often so dark and so dim and so kind of moody and sexy in lots of ways right like that was the vibe of the show was the kind

[00:04:47] of dark moody sexy vibe and then you've got this really clean white clinical set of the lab the hospital lab if you will. And I really loved the play between those two kind of worlds you know. Yeah. You know what you're right.

[00:05:02] I don't remember when that lab disappeared and then what did they give you like a tree with some beakers on it like what happened to that to Lauren. I'm a gurney with all the accoutrements. No it was there was another lab. It was totally different.

[00:05:21] I think there was three in total by the time the show had its five year whatever six year run like I think they ended up being there was an evolution of internal restructuring

[00:05:31] at the end of the I think I was doing science in my bathroom by the end. Yeah. With a kit that you ordered. Yeah from Amazon. That lab I actually remembered when you bring that lab up that we used to like

[00:05:43] between takes I remember we would look in like your little fridges and that lab or like they'd be like growing. Yeah they had made jars with all sorts of stuff. There was mushroom fungus in some jars and there was like bits of styrofoam that

[00:05:59] they had turned into things that was like Skittles. It was. I think it was some Skittles. There were some Skittles. But you know what was great about that lab like to film that sequence.

[00:06:14] Of like the ash rushing in on a gurney like to be able to have that kind of like told me we had the roof. Yeah. There was so much room. I didn't even think about that but but I just thought about how much I loved

[00:06:24] watching everything in that lab in this episode. Well the thing that was interesting little tidbit about that lab was the floor. Was it had little holes. Yeah. And I always had little heels that would go into the little holes.

[00:06:42] And then at some point every episode I would get stuck in a hole in the floor. Yeah. And and oddly and this is a complete departure but I'm going to throw it in as trivia

[00:06:55] when the show that I did afterwards Dark Matter was shot in that exact same studio and that floor was used the entire set. Did your character wear heels. Yeah but they were thick her heels so I never got lost. You were wise to it.

[00:07:11] But I saw that floor and went. I remember I came to tour the Dark Matter set. Did you. Yeah. Yeah. And it was just so cool to walk through the whole space where Lost Girl stuff

[00:07:25] was set up and have it be a spaceship because it was like once you know like when we wrapped Lost Girl and that studio got and so it was very very surreal. Anyway for you. Complete departure of the floor kept was a through line. Yeah.

[00:07:41] The floor was a through line. Yeah. I loved well first of all everyone was so good in this episode. I feel like everyone was just so good. Inga that's who I have here. She I mean first of all that headbutt was vicious. Yeah.

[00:07:57] Actually in watching the episode I took a little screenshot of it and sent it to her like a little video because I was like man she was so the thing about Inga I mean she's gorgeous and sexy and all of those things of course but she really

[00:08:12] gave Ifa a sense of being mentally ill. Yeah. Like it wasn't just I'm bad. He's a beautiful actor Inga Kedrono. She is lovely. She really is. I mean she because you know I think when you are as beautiful as she is

[00:08:29] and then playing like bad it would be very easy to just do it on a surface level and it would still be great but Inga never did that. Like she gave the Sasuke this sense of like you felt sad. Yeah.

[00:08:46] You know there was a slightly unhinged sort of vibe that was with her all the time. Yes. Like she always seemed just just this side of okay you know what I mean like it was a little unhinged. Yeah.

[00:09:01] And then she'd say things to bow in this episode that would kind of break your heart. I mean it was meant to break bows. Yes. And it did. Yeah. It's one of the things that really struck me in this episode too was how

[00:09:14] like you see everyone how much they love bow and how much they're trying to protect her and she's still really believing and hopeful in her mother. Sure. You know it made me yeah. Yeah. I mean you know but yeah the mother the mother wound. Right. Like mother wound.

[00:09:36] I know. I know and in real life I mean Inga Inga is actually a couple years younger than me I think but that's that was the beauty of the Fey world is that it didn't matter. She could be my mom. Yeah.

[00:09:47] I actually believed us as mother and daughter. Totally. Totally. Yeah. I know I know the mother wound. Oh the mother wound. Yeah. I mean what a great thing for them to explore with your character the writers because you know could it be any more relatable.

[00:10:02] And so here we are in this world that is larger than life and full fantasy and you've got a mom who is essentially looks the same age as you and we go there. But the sort of universal story is that of the mother child sort of dynamic

[00:10:18] right that we can all connect to. And that's what we did. Yes. And I loved like I just loved how you know Bo was so angry at Dyson Bo was angry at Trek she wanted answers and was starting to push at the

[00:10:31] people that have loved her the most ever in her life to try to get that answer. You know because that is so that is what you're saying it's it's universal. We want we kind of push into the people that we love the most to who won't

[00:10:45] who won't leave who won't leave. I know Bo and for everyone listening like you have to remember we didn't we had not had an audience at this point. No right in this point of the storytelling which was the end of our season.

[00:10:59] We didn't know if we were coming back. No we didn't know. No we knew we were telling the end of this story for this season. We knew that Michelle and everyone in that room had created this beautiful

[00:11:15] arc for everybody and we were launching into the possibility of more storytelling but we didn't know if we were coming back. Yeah we didn't know anything. We didn't know anything. No one had seen it. No we hadn't seen it.

[00:11:28] No we just we knew that it mattered and we just I don't know it was really interesting to to watch. It was a cool time in that way because you don't get to go back to that right

[00:11:42] like once that that first season was the only time so I don't know what just fell. Stand by everybody. I'm sure it's fine something has fallen. It's fine everything's fine. It was something in a closet. OK that's a bit odd we'll have to investigate that.

[00:12:02] Well I think I have something hanging on a hook in a closet and the thing fell off the hook. OK. And I nearly had a heart attack on air but it's fine. My heart's intact. It's ticking away. I think everything's OK.

[00:12:18] I've literally no idea what we were talking about. Oh yes I do. So yeah you don't get to go backwards right. So we didn't know what we didn't know in that season. Yeah.

[00:12:30] And so like once we understood the way the show was received and we had a sense that if we were doing OK and that it was probably going to return like we had a bit more confidence at the end of season two and season three and that

[00:12:42] kind of thing but we were just in such a darkness so to speak. In that first season. I know and there's something very very special about a new fresh. Sorry. Still laughing at me. I mean personally I think you probably have to clean your closet.

[00:13:01] I mean that's what comes to mind because I've been doing this massive clean in my house and so I just think. You clean your closet. Her closet. I have been. Have you ever read the life changing magic of tidying up. It came out like a decade ago.

[00:13:14] I'm very behind and then all I've been doing. I just want you to know that this right now that you guys are all watching is exactly the types of conversations that we were having. I know. I know. And then they call.

[00:13:27] OK listen I have a book for you. I always give it to you at lunch and it's a life changing thing of cleaning your own closet out. Anasilk.com. And then they'd call action and then we would be like oh you know.

[00:13:43] So is it is it specifically you got to clean out a closet or is just any cleaning. Oh I'm very clean. You actually Zoe is very clean. I will tell you when I think Zoe Palmer I think clean. Literally the next clean.

[00:13:59] With a slightly messy closet but anyway. Yes beginners mentality you know when I don't know if this happens to you. This is the real God. Oh God. If this if if young actors come to you for advice.

[00:14:16] One of the things I always say to them is like where you are right now you'll never be here again. Like you might not have the hours long done set. Yeah. But you have. Okay Zoe and I can't so laugh. No it's definitely happened on set.

[00:14:31] You know a lot. A lot of laughing. But there is something beautiful. Yeah. About being new and not knowing. You know you can't you're right you can't go back there. No you don't get to go backwards right you don't get to do redo.

[00:14:45] So I look back on that sometimes and I'm almost envious is strong but I certainly I have that special place in my heart for the time when we were all together and none of us knew. Yeah. You know yeah there's something about that. Seen it no one had.

[00:15:04] Yeah we were just doing our thing and going hopefully it's alright. Yeah I know best memories from filming this episode. Is anything specific to mine. I'm trying to remember I mean this that scene in the in the lab was pretty large and in charge.

[00:15:25] It was like a whole like I have a thing with the ash and then you come in and then you and I have a whole conversation and I gave you a rock and a kiss.

[00:15:34] Well it's not a rocket look I say take this key but it's a rock. Even this time around. I gave it to you in the scene I was like OK that's the key.

[00:15:50] So I give you the key but when I was watching and I was like that's a rock. Yeah. I don't know what that goes in. That's awesome. Yeah but then and then we have a big kid I go just be safe or come back

[00:16:04] alive or don't die or something really special to you before you go off and do yours do your magical things that rock somewhere. Yeah. Yeah I remember that scene feeling very kind of harried because there was a lot

[00:16:18] of you know like hail comes in and Kenzie's there and the ashes on life support or whatever and like I'm giving you rock keys and we're kissing. And it's like I covered in weapons and yeah there was there was

[00:16:31] yeah there was no rock unturned so to speak in that in that scene. But I have to tell people listening in that scene. Yeah. Zoe you had to deliver a lot of stuff to me. Yeah. Right.

[00:16:47] You always did that so well like I think I took it for granted at the time like OK Zoe is going to say all that stuff that we need to hear. I was more interested in that but here she goes again.

[00:17:00] You just could rattle it off in a way that felt so seamless. It was never stilted. I'm not just talking about knowing the lines. I'm just talking about right there was a seamlessness with you as Lauren.

[00:17:13] Just excited about this role because I've never played you know as an actor you always imagine like there's always the standard things like how would I play a prosecuting lawyer or how would I play you know like the kind of one

[00:17:28] more daydreaming about different roles that would be fun to try and I had always wanted to play a doctor you know and I watch these shows where they would be like going down the hallway and spouting off all of the things

[00:17:39] that they need to do to stop the pleading and whatever you know. Yeah. And so I did find that I get excited about it. Yeah. And the pressure like everyone's under the same pressure. Yeah. That's what makes it exciting.

[00:17:49] It so helps in a scene because you have built in states right. Totally. I mean like that's the freebie for an actor like you have to find the stakes in some scenes that aren't where they're not really obvious

[00:18:01] right you've got to sort of find them because otherwise the scene falls flat and in a scene where you're saving someone's life or you know you're going off to war or whatever you're doing and I'm kissing you goodbye and like

[00:18:12] this the stakes are just right there for you. You get to you get to play the urgency. Yeah. And you don't really have to play it. It's there. That's right. It's all there. It's infused and you just have to be present and open and you know. Yeah.

[00:18:25] And there's even an extra sharpness in the crew during that stuff because they know that there's so many moving parts that they have to be. Oh it's so like that's the thing that that that unfortunately the audience doesn't see the artistry going on to capture these scenes is

[00:18:41] extraordinary like we're watching camera departments walking backwards and jumping over each other and you know trying to like guiding each other. They're doing magical things just to capture the moment. You know it is kind of extraordinary to from our perspective to watch them do that sometimes.

[00:19:00] It is for me anyway. It is. I know you totally don't care but I really I couldn't care less. I mean whoever who. Somebody shot us. I don't know. Yeah there was some camera people there I think no I suppose. Yes.

[00:19:12] No I was in awe of every department frankly but you know what was the most difficult or challenging part. I mean you you were really in the lab. Yeah. I mean it was it was that scene as well I think you know like it was

[00:19:29] it was a challenging scene to shoot I remember you know we did it in pieces as well you know and we did it a lot of times. Yeah. I jumped on him a lot. Yeah. Yeah. Clay and I got to know each other that day. Quite a bit.

[00:19:44] I'm I love Clay. I know he's great. He was so great. I love the scene between him actually and Trick in this episode. Yeah. I love that they were outside. That was kind of interesting to see them outside really brightly lit

[00:19:58] you know because that wasn't what we were used to seeing. Right. I kind of that struck me. I think the most challenging part for me was eating the cookie because and you're going to know why because at that time in my life everything had to be gluten free.

[00:20:13] I was very hot and cold. At that time in your life. Yeah now I'm hot and cold with everything. Are you? I am. So now if we did the ice cream scene you would just have ice cream. You have actual ice cream. I'm sorry Zoe.

[00:20:26] And that cookie I remember you and I eating pizza in a scene and it was gluten free. I just remember looking over at you and you were like because it's like you got to really chew.

[00:20:39] Anyway the cookie Inga gave me was gluten free and I started eating it. Bo eats three times in this episode. And one of them is that cookie and it was so dry and there was so much of it like the more I chewed the more it grew.

[00:20:55] That was that was a challenge. I think you should just never say that sentence ever again. Probably. You know what I think it actually should go into the clip as the teaser for this episode. Yeah. If you ever write your own book just. Yeah.

[00:21:09] It's actually that's the title of my book. My memoir. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. The War of Jew. I know that I ate a lot of things I never would have eaten were not for you. I know and I really love you for that. Yeah.

[00:21:20] And I also apologize. Gluten free pizza shouldn't be a thing. I know. Yeah. I just think if you're gluten free and a lot of people just don't bother. Yeah. It's not pizza. No. What else could you put it on though?

[00:21:34] I mean really what sauce and well the cheese is a problem isn't it. Is it no. No the cheese in the crust. It's just the bread. Right. It's just the bread. Yeah. You can put cheese and sauce on just about anything. I guess vegetables.

[00:21:49] Well anything that wouldn't absorb it. That could be anything. I can't chew it. Okay. Yes. Yeah. Challenging part eating the cookie because and I just remembered how much I tortured you by making you eat so many different things. Yeah.

[00:22:10] The ice cream was by far the worst because I didn't know until I licked it. Wait did I eat the ice cream? I don't even think I ate the ice cream in that scene. You're talking about the car wash scene right. Yeah. That was season four. Yeah.

[00:22:24] I know we'll get there but that was the it's I'm still not over it. Oh my gosh. Because I was so excited to eat the ice cream. I was like oh we're gonna get to eat ice cream and of course when you shoot a

[00:22:36] scene you shoot it a million times we were going to be eating ice cream for hours I thought and we did eat it for hours and hours. But it was it was it was styrofoam and some other thing. I don't know what that was.

[00:22:49] Some melty thing that kind of turned to water I remember. Yeah. Oh my god. Well you didn't eat it because you were washing a car. It was me and who Dyson. Yeah. Yeah. I think it was it was mostly you anyway.

[00:23:00] In eating watching me eat that cookie I remembered how dry it was and then I started to remember all the other things that I made you eat over every season of lost girl. And she just do it like a montage.

[00:23:10] I think I need to take you out for a long dinner. We eat everything that you want a palate cleanser. Yes. Of just a bowl of gluten and and dairy. Yeah. Just a yeah. I think that's what we should do. We should do. The last scene. Yeah.

[00:23:33] Between Kenzie and I I got very emotional watching that because first of all I remember okay it was the last scene we filmed. They tend to do that when filming right. They your last scene in the show or the season you tend to film last on

[00:23:48] the last day of filming. Well they did a lost girl which was lovely. It's lovely. It's and they really do that for us. I mean I think because because they're not going to be like you know.

[00:24:00] Film this beautiful scene and then the next day have like inserts of Bose hands and then they're like okay we're wrapped for the season. Like it's you know it just doesn't have. They certainly did that on the very last scene of this entire show. Oh the entire show.

[00:24:11] Yes. And that was really cool. It was so cool. But they did it in this season too because I remember the last day of filming last scene. I remember holding that amulet and you know kind of had to hold it up

[00:24:23] and then like stare off to the side which feels very unnatural but it looks great on camera. I didn't get the visual of what the story you're trying to tell but I remember like watching it yesterday when I watched this episode my heart

[00:24:36] started beating because I remember beating so fast and I just I love Bose whole monologue and then you know she's saying. Talking about trick and saying you know I thought he was one of the good good guys and it cuts to trick literally bleeding for her. Yeah.

[00:24:53] You know and then Dyson who has now the norm we haven't even talked about the norm. Oh my God. Yes. That's huge. Kate Trotter who was honestly I have thought about her over the years in that role because she was so like you believed she sat in that

[00:25:10] chair for a hundred years or whatever. You know maybe that's not a very flattering thing to say. You know what I mean. Yeah. This is what happens guys with Zoe. One of us usually me says something like that and then

[00:25:28] Zoe very quickly points out with a quick look how ridiculous. What I said was that. So special about her was that you really never lost sight of that she just sat there for a hundred years. When I think Kate Trotter I think she sits for a hundred years.

[00:25:43] No she was phenomenal and she was so good and I loved like I loved her. I loved Dyson in that scene. You know him going to her and her really realizing what she could take from him and you know in Bo's monologue you see him wolfing out

[00:26:01] in the woods. Yes. She's still you know Bo is like it was just such a great ending. You know yeah it was such a great strong ending to such a beautiful season. And it really was. Do you see this tree behind me. I mean I see a tree.

[00:26:22] So if everyone watching there's a tree. This tree goes through my house. Do you mean like it goes through my house. Yes like the Norn except it's not in my living room I don't have a chair

[00:26:33] beside it but it actually goes through our bottom deck and top deck and we have our house built like the deck is built around this tree. Yeah it's kind of cool. Does it come inside of the interior. No it's the outdoor deck spaces. Got it.

[00:26:51] So basically I'm the Norn. Yes no I mean I think we all knew that. Yeah I mean that's the big reveal here. Finally it's come out all these years later. Yes that's right so that was I mean obviously in terms of plot points massive.

[00:27:09] Huge yeah and you know what I had forgotten it happened since season one I don't know why it wasn't until I started watching I was like oh my god Dyson goes to the Norn he's going to go to the Norn and I just thought

[00:27:20] you know it was such good storytelling this whole episode the house that Inga and I filmed in by the way which you did not film in. When Bo goes to find her mother she's surrounded by all those shirtless men.

[00:27:34] That's right who basically you know the way it really works is that there's a bunch of shirtless men standing around the craft service table drinking coffee and chatting while shirtless and then I come in I'm like hey

[00:27:46] shirtless guys and then we do a scene and then they leave and they were lovely and made good choices at the craft. I just hope they found shirts since then and I hope so too because they'd be chilly. Well it's December. It's December. You're in LA you're fine.

[00:28:01] Yeah I mean I'm sure I'm only putting a shirt on right now for this podcast I'm shirtless. 99% of the time. Yeah totally yeah I get a lot of looks. No so that house though was a single dwelling like people lived there.

[00:28:17] Right and it was like a labyrinth that house. It was like it was one room after the next after the next there was some quirks about that house. There was a lot of mannequins in it. So it was not a set of any kind it was a house.

[00:28:32] Right someone's home. Right a lot of mannequins and a lot of birds. I'm just that's that it was interesting. It's interesting because because we put up I don't and probably you don't but people do build the sets. But no put up scarecrows to scare birds away.

[00:28:50] Oh and I would the birds were caged birds that I thought I was imagining just mannequins everywhere with birds on them. No no mannequins were separate than the birds. Okay it was a very eccentric home. Sure it was like a fairy tale.

[00:29:07] It was like a fairy tale home. It was really interesting for our show. It was perfect. Yeah perfect and they have a couple were so lovely I met them that day. They were so generous to let us film there because it was. They were in their shirts.

[00:29:18] They had shirts on. Oh good. No pants. Yeah. But shirts. No they had pants on this poor couple might listen to this. You'll be like oh like we were wearing pants. Yeah we're pretty sure we were wearing pants. Yeah I just was so excited to watch this episode.

[00:29:37] It was great it was really cool. It was so full it didn't stop it just didn't stop and I forgot how exciting an end it was. And I this whole season of course I've watched every episode this

[00:29:49] season and it has been really special for me to do that and to talk to each cast member and have so many great memories. People are loving listening to this. Oh it's so cool to do it. It's so fun and cool to do it.

[00:30:06] Yeah it's like close enough that we can still I can still really connect to it but it's been enough time that it's just really fun to look back on it now too you know. Yeah yeah.

[00:30:15] And then next time we do this the rewatch rewatch will come you come here we'll sit by this tree for 100 years. Yes. Yeah and then we'll do another rewatch without our shirts on without our shirts on. Yeah and then we'll do that rewatch shirtless.

[00:30:30] Yeah and rewatch squared rewatch squared. Okay I think that's it. I think we've touched all the things. Yeah. And sorry. I love you Zoe. I love you. I love Bo and Lauren. I love I can't wait to see where this goes in season two.

[00:30:51] I know because I kind of can't remember how it all unfolds. I do remember us getting back together and breaking up a lot at some point in this this. Yeah there was a lot of breakups. There was a lot of breakups. Yeah.

[00:31:02] But thank you for being here with me. I'm sorry I nearly had an on air heart attack. I'm sure it's okay. It's I'm going to send you the life changing magic of tidying up because even though you're clean something that's not tidy in that closet.

[00:31:14] I'm telling you there is now. There is it just had to have to go. Wow. Goodbye. Thank you everyone for listening. Yeah this is the end of our first season of the last girl rewatch podcast we began and ended with the lovely Miss Zoe Palmer.

[00:31:32] We are very blessed and we will see you soon. Yeah we will. In the future. Love you. Hello everybody. Welcome to today's spotlight and boy do we have a very special guest today. I cannot think of a better person. Oh no here comes the tears guys already already.

[00:31:59] Okay I cannot think of a better person to close out season one of the lost girl rewatch podcast with us other than the woman you are about to meet. Doing this podcast without her voice would not feel complete as

[00:32:18] in my mind she is well the character that I was so fortunate to play and the world that I got to play her in was born from the brilliant mind of this woman. I cannot wait to chat with the brilliant Michelle LaVretta. Welcome Michelle. Hello. Hello.

[00:32:45] I am so excited to see you first of all and lost girl fans listening are so so fortunate I think they will know how fortunate they are to meet you. I feel like you live in a tiny fairy house in the forest and

[00:33:00] that you like you know fly out with fairy dust around you and you've landed here right now is that what happened. It pretty much feels like that yes. I am I am a bit of a hermit as you know I avoid crowds and human beings so.

[00:33:18] But not you've done lots of conventions then. Not enough so you and I did a couple at the very beginning and they're always fun but they're exhausting so unless it's something that I contractually. I tend to not do them but I honest I've missed you and

[00:33:34] I've missed your beautiful face and so a chance to sort of just catch up has been delightful to me and I couldn't say. Thank you very much. Okay so I have some questions for you. Awesome. So I truly have always thought of you as Bo.

[00:33:49] Can you tell lost girl fans about Bo's origins how you went about creating this character and how you went about creating the world of lost girl. I know that's a big question but I will give the floor to you it's very layered but how did this all start.

[00:34:06] Well lost girl started in the way all glamorous things do in a mall food court in Toronto. Best spot ever. And like a cliche. So there was a lovely woman a producer I knew named Karen Wuckey and we had worked together on a previous project

[00:34:26] I think at the time it might have been. It might have been prodigy or maybe the company had a different name at the time I will prep us all this by saying my brain will not have the perfect recollection of everything so I'll try to remember 15 years later.

[00:34:43] It's a long time ago. It is a long time so I was actually packing up and I was about to leave I was living in Toronto at the time I was about to move out of the country and move to the states

[00:34:51] and Wuckey said let's go for coffee I said cool but it has to be fast again getting on a plane. So we met in the food court and she started telling me that they had a project that they had tried to get going

[00:35:03] I don't know too much about it so I don't know how long it had been but it died they were like we can't do anything with this but there's two elements of it that we liked.

[00:35:14] And one of them was that it was a genre show and the other one was that it had to do with sex and so she said could you come up with something original playing with those two elements so that was let me think

[00:35:29] genre and sex I mean those were basically it was really hard at the time to get genre shows made and the idea of doing anything that dealt with sexuality or queerness way long ago in particular was not something that you ever had the chance to do.

[00:35:42] So this was an absolute gift to say you know go play in that area so I said well shit I'm in the middle of you know life change moving but let's see what I can do and I went home and it came

[00:35:52] up with was I'm not currently home right now but I wish it was because I'd run upstairs and try and find a piece of paper where I was like 10 to 12 new concepts different different genres some was horror some was science fiction and the one that I loved

[00:36:07] but that I thought never in a million years would they pick was yours which was fantasy and a succubus. Their first time you and I met when you were auditioning went to the bathroom and we started talking about how we

[00:36:20] loved fantasy and we both loved that one book about fairies and elves when we were kids. I still have that book. Yeah me too. Yeah. But if you think back all this time ago fantasy was something that was sort of looked down upon and and adult fantasy

[00:36:33] in particular so the fact that they were like yes do the succubus one I was like holy shit OK. And started on that sort of journey of being well how do we make a bigger world of this who are the people who are the characters.

[00:36:47] So that was sort of the first part of how the world started but I think the second and most important part which I hope you have always given yourself credit for is just frankly you both could have been a bunch of different

[00:36:57] things even regardless of what I put on the page. She could have been somebody that was inaccessible. Somebody that was arrogant. You came in despite all the leather pants that we threw at you and made her vulnerable. You made her sweet.

[00:37:13] You made her lovable and that I think is always the alchemy of television and why I've stayed in it versus you know trying books or things of that nature. Because of people like you. You will take something that I create and the other all the

[00:37:28] other people involved in the show the directors etc. But you surprise the people who have a certain thing a template in their head. You give it something more and therefore we all get to play together and and that has always blown my mind and

[00:37:43] something I've always been great. That means the world to me really truly but I mean it was it was on the page. It was it I know I've told this story at conventions and stuff before. I don't know if you've heard it when I first got the

[00:37:58] audition I just saw that you know the description of a story which is like you know she needs sex to survive. Like I don't remember exactly what it said but I thought OK. All right. Interesting. But then when I read the whole script because I think

[00:38:15] I read the whole script before my first audition which is rare. I can't remember because usually you don't write you just have little bits and pieces but I certainly read it before before the screen test but it was so like the

[00:38:28] last thing I saw on the page was someone who needs sex to survive. She's this and that's what made its resonate with me so much. And so that's really that really comes down to you Miss Loretta because the rest were called trading credit. Yes I know exactly.

[00:38:46] But yeah it was all there every character on the page was just there and it was a gift. It was a gift beyond a gift. You touched a little bit on this already but what were the the specific challenges in season one of getting the show

[00:39:04] made in terms of the content. I know you mentioned that genre was was hardest particularly fantasy but what about like the sexual content all of those kinds of things were there any. I mean I know that there were specific challenges to

[00:39:16] getting it made but what was that like. Well there are a couple different challenges so the first one was how would I best describe it not structural but. Television goes on waves and the way television is made the way it is bought and sold goes through variations

[00:39:34] that people who absorb television watch television and on the outside of television aren't usually cognizant. One of them is that there was a period of time where shooting a pilot was the cool thing to do even in Canada when we had no money.

[00:39:48] It was a brief window and they're also at one time in the States had been a particular thing where people wanted what was called. Oh shit with the hell it's not the premise pilot. It's concept like a sample episode. OK so it's basically an episode somewhere in the

[00:40:05] season. Right. So we had a very strange scenario where so came up with the concept you know. Sold it to the network pitched it to them they all loved it but we thought it was just going to be a

[00:40:20] pilot which is already amazing because I'm like OK great that will shoot it that'll be fine but they said but make it a sample episode of the season. Now I wanted this to be serialized. I want to I want to the episodic elements as

[00:40:36] well I like the idea of investigation or something that you know which is how you can yeah. Those things are fun but because I was so intent upon using the series to sort of explore sexuality and relationships chiefly from a female and queer lens.

[00:40:52] I wanted to make sure that that was sort of the what you were coming for. You know what I mean if you were just dropping in at the investigation but you were building this real world with real people with real emotions.

[00:41:05] So when someone says just pick a random spot in the season of a season you've never broken because you've never even written the first episode. That's a little challenging so what I knew at that point I wasn't even sure if I was going to

[00:41:19] say it because I was living in a different country. So I was a little worried that this would not come out as feminist that this would potentially end up in the hands of somebody director or some otherwise that did what you were talking about which is

[00:41:31] she's a sexy lady doing sexy things. Yeah exactly and I was like shit. So I wanted to make sure that when I wrote the episode that we played the Lauren dynamic as the one that had the heart in it because a lot of times

[00:41:44] what you were watching at the time was certainly on network television when they would have sweeps week the girl would kiss the girl. Right and it was a stunt and that's all it was and the intent of this series was to very

[00:41:57] specifically push it away from it and I wanted the people buying it to buy in immediately. So I came up with what became episode eight which is start with the hot sex but that's with the guy and then switch to showing that

[00:42:09] your emotion the fact that you felt so deeply betrayed by her the one that you were falling in love with at that stage was Lauren. So I felt like that would establish some things. But when I did that I didn't know we were going to shoot it.

[00:42:22] So when I got the call and they're like oh we ordered the series I was like oh OK awesome the series is going and they're like and we're going to shoot that one as the we're going to shoot a pilot but I

[00:42:30] thought they were going to like pay for me to like write episode one and the other one would be just kind of like a and instead they shot eight that was the very first thing you ever shot. Yeah totally. And so what that did creatively was two things

[00:42:44] one at that point we were hoping to make the show a bit darker than I'll tell you why in a minute. So you can tell you can tell it's a bit different just slightly. And the other is that because the pilot

[00:42:57] was so good you did such an amazing job the director an amazing job. They ordered the series and suddenly I had to figure out everything that happens in order for that episode 8 to make sense. And at one point they thought that was going

[00:43:12] to be episode 3 and I'm like I can't get her together with with and then the other and then break them up so it became like this really weird we got the room together this thing of trying to figure out how to put all the pieces together.

[00:43:23] But that that was one of the challenges and then I would say one of the wonderful things about making the show with the people I made it with and in the country that I made it in is that we didn't actually have any problems with it

[00:43:37] being gay with it being female focused or with it being sexy. Isn't that amazing. Amazing like amazing and not something that anticipated. I thought I was going to have to you know get my dukes out and have a whole bunch of fights. Yeah.

[00:43:52] I feel like we like it we kind of it fell into this period of time with all the right elements that we were kind of protected a little bit like we had we had support and a little room. And I mean it was just we were so lucky

[00:44:09] for all of those elements to come together. Yeah it was it was amazing and it really kind of changed. You know you never really know when you're blessed with a scenario you start to think that that's the way things are and then go out in the world and

[00:44:25] become less naive and start realizing that as you say it was just this lucky little bubble that we had. Things are better now but there was you know a period of time where if it hadn't been made in Canada I don't know that it would have been me.

[00:44:36] That's my I agree. I agree too. Yeah. What are some of your best memories of working on the show. Oh gosh. I'm a big fan of writers. I just think we're just we're delightful dorky people. So I really loved the experience of being in the room.

[00:44:56] We had a great room. Pete and Jeremy and him. Just all of us being around getting to be goofy. And then the other part of that is that once we actually got to production and we had as a cast you were all just really accessible which was lovely.

[00:45:13] You know I remember you guys would sometimes come in and just sit on the on the couch and watch some stuff. Yes. We've talked about it. We've talked about it on the podcast because we remember that too. Yeah and it just I loved Vanessa like just having Vanessa

[00:45:27] on there. She's and she was I believe run of show so she was always sort of watching out those of us that would come and go. I think I fully left by so it's a little early season three. I tried staying as long as I could

[00:45:43] but I was not in the country at that time. So yes. Having Vanessa kind of be the person that was the thread throughout as well. Yeah. It's great. So yeah it was I think we all knew without arrogance behind it at all just with the gratitude.

[00:45:59] I think we knew we were making something special for a select group of people that don't often get told how special they are. Yeah. You're absolutely right and I you know one of the things I was going to ask too is like did

[00:46:12] you know did you know the impact of what the show would have and I get asked that question a lot too and exactly what you just said is kind of what I say too. It's like we did we know it would have impact well no of

[00:46:24] course not but we knew that we had this lightning in a bottle moment and we knew that what we were doing mattered. Yeah. You know it would get out there the way it did I don't I don't know about that but that's certainly how I felt about it.

[00:46:39] Yeah. I agree. I think that the when you make something especially because when you're with a good group of people it's just like going to camp. It is. We're all like hey guys let's put on show. So you don't necessarily predict and I think it would be

[00:46:55] foolhardy and and arrogance predict whether something will have staying powder but all the things I mean it's my baby so all the stuff that I put in there were things that were important to me as a person as a woman. And I think

[00:47:14] that's one of the things that I was most grateful for and I don't think that necessarily this is fun shit about being you know occasionally putting subversive shit in not every partner fully picks up what you're doing. They won't always understand for instance I had a fair amount

[00:47:32] of pressure from and it was well meaning pressure wasn't it wasn't people being shitty at all but from often often directors maybe some other elements as well where they would try to put sexuality between you and Kenzie and I was like no and they didn't understand why

[00:47:48] and I was like I had to go where I was explaining bisexuality and the dangers of sort of portraying somebody who is omnivorsly sexual in the sense of every single person that they encounter which was sort of a very negative stereotype that was put into a

[00:48:05] lot of media at the time. I wanted to make clear that Bo can have and value platonic relationships you know that that who she is attracted to is not because of first of all everybody's orientation doesn't define how they interact with the world or with other people

[00:48:24] that's you have your own version of who you are. So anything anytime I see something over and over in media that shows one particular thing even if it's just straight girls or straight men or whatever it is. I think we all have to look at

[00:48:37] that and say that's why are we doing that? Why are we sending that specific message? So for this one it was very important for me early on. It was also important early on that that we had fun cheesecake that everybody got to be sexy.

[00:48:55] You know that it wasn't all about well let's just show the sexy women we could also show the sexy men. Yeah you know so just just those things early on that I wanted to bake in to make sure that and you can't control the

[00:49:07] messaging certainly after you've left but just to try and put some of those DNA things into the series. Yeah. Well it worked. It worked. You know the Kenzie Bo relationship was always what resonated with people so much is was the sister aspect of it.

[00:49:27] You know like that's really that was the impact of that friendship. It was such a true honest friendship. Yeah I mean Michelle I feel like I mean I've been to probably more conventions than you have at this point. Yeah. I have got to meet people

[00:49:47] up close and personal. I consider it a place of great honor to to listen to people. People come from all over the world to wait in a line to have a minute and a half to tell me their story. Yeah. I really really try to hold

[00:50:06] that space for them because I know how much oh no here comes the tears again because I know how much this character mattered to so many people. And so to end this spotlight I feel like myself as well as well as the fans

[00:50:28] of Lost Girl and of specifically of Bo. I hope that you know the impact of this show and specifically of this character. I hope you know the legacy that you've created and left for people. I hope that you know my deepest love and gratitude for trusting me

[00:50:50] with this role. And I hope that the world gets to keep hearing your voice as it is needed and held in such high regard for all who are lucky enough to feel it. Michelle of Reddack. Thank you for being here. Thank you for being part of my life.

[00:51:15] Thank you for being part of the very end of season one of the Lost Girl rewatch podcast because it wouldn't have been the same without you at all. My deepest respect and love and gratitude and I love you. I am grateful to you.

[00:51:30] I know everyone listening is too. It mattered so much to people and I'm so honored to just stand beside you with this character. Anyway, before I cry my head off. Thank you for being here really truly. Thank you. And I don't know how best to say it, but

[00:51:57] because I am a private person, I haven't put out a lot of messaging to the world about what the show meant to me. A lot of reasons that it was a deeply personal show. Multiple reasons. And I want to thank not just everybody who was

[00:52:16] part of making the show, but no show exists in a volume. And if the people who love and support the fans of the show if they didn't keep this going, it wouldn't have the impact that it has. So that's also my thanks to you, the cast, Emily,

[00:52:35] to everybody who does the things I just personally cannot do. I can't I can't do all the crowds. I can't do all that stuff. It's just it's just not it's not not much chilly. But I love that everybody does and and a thank you to everybody who

[00:52:52] finds the time in their day in their calendar to go to the cons to show love to the world of our show. And I hope they can feel in every element of the show how much they are loved back in return. Thank you so much, Michelle.

[00:53:10] And on that beautiful note, thank you, everybody, for listening to the finale of season one of the Lost Girl Rewatch podcast. We will bring bringing you more. Oh my god, I don't know if I can handle it, but we will be bringing you more.

[00:53:25] We wish you the very best. Thank you for listening to this week's episode of the Lost Girl Rewatch podcast, which is produced by Anna Silk, Rachel Skarsten and Seth Cooperman with the music by our very own blood king, Rick Howland. Please rate, review

[00:53:50] and share the Lost Girl Rewatch podcast. This enables us to grow and to continue bringing you exciting new content every week. If you don't already, follow us on Instagram and on our YouTube channel at Lost Girl Rewatch. You can also subscribe to Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes made

[00:54:09] just for you and to get early access to all of our episodes. OK, Zoe, we are going to play a very quick game. Are you ready to play with me? Never been more ready. OK, I'm putting the same urgency that was in episode 13.

[00:54:30] Yeah, we're going to put into this game because there's going to be a 30 second timer on the clock. I am going to read lines from season one of Lost Girl and you have to tell me which character set them. Oh dear god. All right, ready? Yeah.

[00:54:44] I'm going to read lines from season one of Lost Girl and you have to tell me which character set them. Oh dear god. Yep. OK. And go. What can I say? For me, sexual healing is a literal thing. You? Yes. Well, you better be careful

[00:55:03] because wolves make mate for life. Kenzie. Dyson. Oh, I thought she was talking about Dyson. Holy shitballs. That was awesome. Kenzie. Shit. I can't talk. Make shift surgical tools. Kenzie. Oh, that was you. Which me? Yes. You can stay with me tonight.

[00:55:33] You need more healing than Lauren's little needles can give you. Well, that's got to be Dyson. I'm the insatiably curious human doctor. That's Lauren. And we went 53 seconds. We did it. We did it. I don't know what we did. But we did it.

[00:55:52] I only didn't know my own line. But otherwise, I did OK. You did OK. Actually, there's one more line. You said this. Dude, I have sung my way into a lot of women's pants over the years.

[00:56:03] But I promise you this was the most profound night of my life. Kenzie? Damn. Oh, he was desirous. What did he say? I've sung my way. I think I read all these lines very badly. I got so excited. I couldn't read them properly. I just nailed it.

[00:56:26] But I think you nailed it. And I think we rock. We do. You rock. You rock.