Your Newfound Popularity
Episode 3 of Fate: The Winx Saga Season 2 starts with Sky noticing Silva in the school. He apologizes for what’s happened between them and tries to mend the damage. It’s no good, and eventually Sky tells him to leave and never come back. Silva steps out and comes face to face with Andreas. “How did you find me?” He asks incredulously. Honestly, out of everywhere you could hide… you return to the academy full of these guys and wonder how they found you? Anyway, Rosalind appears too and has him taken to the East Wing. So much for the big escape plan! The Academy itself is prepping for the upcoming Alumni Banquet. It’s a big deal here, and every important Alfea grad from the past 50 years is going to be there. Bloom and Aisha are out together picking up shopping ready for the event, which happens to be part of Aisha’s big 20 point plan to become headmistress of the school. They’re not just out to shop though. The pair appear before Sebastian, who suggests they break Saul Silva out of the East Wing during the Banquet. They deduce this is where the other Fairies are being kept too. Not only that, but this night could also work in Bloom and the other fairies’ favour. Rosalind’s position as headmistress is tentative at best and certainly not locked in stone. Orchestrating a bad night (ie. showing that she’s deceptive and stealing fairies’ magic) would be the perfect incentive to make sure their plan is a success – and Rosalind is knocked down from her position of power. The night is split into two events, which we learn through some handy Stella exposition. There’s a mixer, where the alums and students chat and then the banquet itself, which is just for the alums and VIPs. Stella is, naturally, a VIP even without her mum attending. Everyone prepares for the big day, with numerous influential figures arriving at the gates. Back inside though, Bloom deduces that she should go into the East Wing herself so it doesn’t arouse too many suspicions. There’s still angst between Grey and Aisha after the awkwardness last episode. However, Musa interjects and tells Grey in confidence that Aisha is totally into him. When he leaves, Musa goes rooting through Sam’s bag and finds a vial of Eldwyn Amalgam and a syringe. Sam notices her snooping, and points out that he’s going to get revenge on Rosalind. Sam looks set to leave but before he does, Musa admits she’s been taking his anger away for weeks but didn’t realize it was going to effect him so badly. When Sam finds out, he’s unhappy and demands she stay away. At the Banquet, Rosalind immediately takes Bloom and decides she should stay with her the entirety of the evening. She’s of course being used here as a star pupil to make Rosalind look better. and Bloom is immediately thrown into the firing line by meeting big names in the magic world. With Bloom unable to go into the East Wing, and Sam with his own plan to stab Rosalind, everything is hanging on a precarious knife edge. If that wasn’t enough, Stella’ father appears drunk and immediately berates several of her friends, including Sky and Bloom. Away from the table, Rosalind gives Bloom a pep-talk, pointing out that she’s a special fairy and that she’s on her side, even though she knows Bloom was the one who bust Silva out originally. While this leaves Bloom conflicted, Flora and Aisha head off together, wandering through the abandoned East Wing. Aisha admits she’s worried about her feelings for Grey, especially as she’s never been with a guy before. While they talk, they stumble into an abandoned lab but also, straight into the path of one of those horrible creatures too. It pounces at Aisha but she tries to channel her magic and stops it. It doesn’t work, given we know these things absorb magic. Unfortunately, it appears behind Aisha and tries to ambush her. This girl’s reflexes are super impressive though, and Aisha manages to catch it in mid-air. Flora smashes it with a vial, burning the slug-like thing and snapping a picture as evidence. The duo scramble back to the main chambers, where Bloom has had a change of heart and doesn’t think they should go through with this after all. She’s decided to believe Rosalind but Stella rolls her eyes, pointing out that she’s blinded by her 15 minutes of fame. So instead, Stella takes the initiative and decides to oust Rosalind in front of everyone. As for Musa, she head off to talk to Ben about what’s happened between them. He’s not mad at her for taking away his anger, but admits he’s not okay. He’s leaving Alfea with his father, who can’t teach there anymore after what’s happened. Back inside, Rosalind shows up with Devin, who’s absolutely fine and debunks Stella’s story. Rosalind reveals that she’s actually been trying to help these students, not harm them. Rosalind’s research has helped her learn about ancient creatures called Scrapers, which are native to the Realm of Darkness. This is what’s happened to those students and she’s been trying to find out what these Scrapers are – and how to stop them. It would appear that these scrapers are being called upon by a Blood Witch. Their old foes have figured out how to steal their magic and Rosalind warns that if they continue, fairy magic could well disappear completely. Rosalind goes on to applaud Stella and the others for being vigilant and their part in this, but they’re quickly ushered away. Except for Bloom, who sticks about. Bloom is presented as the fabled fairy who happens to be the key to saving their world, as she holds the Dragon Flame inside of her. In confidence, Rosalind speaks to Bloom and admits she’s pardoned Silva, deciding they should draw a line in the sand. They need to work together to stop the Blood Witches before it’s too late. As the episode closes out, Beatrix is attacked by a number of those scrapers while alone outside in the academy grounds.
The Episode Review
A nice little twist here regarding Rosalind helps to prop this episode up before slipping back into mediocrity again with this “chosen one” cliche. With Bloom the key to stopping these Blood Witches and saving the world, I guess we’re gearing up for a world-ending threat not. Unfortunately, the show really doesn’t have a whole lot of originality about it. The character arcs are formulaic and orchestrated well in advance – minus Rosalind’s twist mind you! – while the romance is simple and not very deep or fleshed out either. However, it seems we’re on the verge of a big fight between these Blood Witches and the fairies, and the ending here certainly hints that things are going to heat up for a dramatic second half to this series. We’ll have to wait and see!
