Kristal Blankinship
Graphic Designer
Terra, played by Eliot Salt, practices her earth powers under the guidance of Headmistress Dowling.
At first glance, “Fate: The Winx Saga” does not seem like it’s based on a cartoon series with major magical girl vibes, but it is.
The new Netflix series, released on Jan. 22, is an edgy live action adaptation of “The Winx Club.” One day after it’s release, it was on Netflix’s top 10 list.
The six part series created by Brian Young; known for creating The Vampire Diaries, follows the coming of age journey of five fairies attending a magic school named Alfea.
At Alfea, the girls must learn to master their skills fighting off life threatening monsters alongside the usual dilemmas that come with being a teenager.
Viewers are quickly introduced to the main character, Bloom played by Abigail Cowven. She is an Angsty and rebellious 16 year old who comes from the human world and never knew magic was real only until a few months before. Bloom tells her parents, who are not fairies, that she is going to an International school in Switzerland, instead of telling them the truth about her powers.
Bloom discovered that she was a fire fairy after she lost control of her powers and placed the lives of her parents in danger. Bloom is brought to the Alfea by the headmistress, Mrs. Dowling, in hopes to learn control.
On her first day, Bloom meets the school’s pretty boy, Sky, played by Danny Griffin, who will eventually become her love interest. She then meets her five roommates, each with their own personalities and backgrounds.
Bloom first meets a light fairy named Stella, played by Hannah Van der Westhuysen. Stella is the crown princess of Solaria. Bloom shares a room with Aisha, played Precious Mustapha, a water fairy athlete who she becomes friends with fast.
Fans of the original series will notice that Flora has been replaced with Terra who is played by Eliot Salt. Her casting on the Netflix series has caused a bit of controversy, as Flora is Latina and Terra is played by a white actress. Many fans believe that her character was also whitewashed, but the actors’ ethnicity has not been publicly discussed.
The series focuses on Bloom’s existential crisis as her origin is mysterious. She learns she was adopted. Bloom is what Aisha calls a “changeling.” This development shows that the writers did extensive research. A changeling, in European Folklore, is a fairy child swapped with a human that was stolen by fairies.
Through the mystery of her birth, Bloom searches for who she really is. The answer to this question, the series suggests, she can only really find through the friendships she forms.
