Netflix’s Fate: The Winx Saga Adaptation Is an Insidious, Mean-Spirited Mess

And… that’s about as deep as this storyline goes. Terra is often the butt of jokes, whether it be for her clothes or her loquaciousness. Even her few moments of empowerment are weak, coming at the expense of other characters insulting her. Salt is one of the brightest young talents in the show—I just wish Terra’s character had more room to shine and the script did more for her, a problem across the board. Dane’s story similarly plays with tired gay tropes that might have been interesting back in the Degrassi days but now read as reductive, tired, and ultimately insulting. The world doesn’t need another story about a queer teen being threatened by his bully with a forceful outing.

But, you know, at least they got an arc! Characters like Aisha weren’t quite so lucky, which is especially disappointing given she is one of two POC characters alongside Dane. Though she occasionally gets moments to show off her powers, Aisha’s character mostly exists to be Bloom’s first real friend at Alfea, a sidekick type whose teacher’s pet tendencies cause her loyalties to sway when the threat of truancy becomes a recurring issue. Stella feels similarly mischaracterized; her parallel from Winx Club was occasionally self-absorbed, but mostly optimistic, stylish, and ambitious. Fate’s Stella is far more cruel, being a rich girl stereotype who condescends to the other girls, occasionally screws them over, and rarely feels like an actual friend.

There’s something bizarrely mean-spirited about the show, which may be thanks in part to the masculinized vision the showrunners have for Fate’s overall vibe. Winx Club’s original art director Simone Borselli once said his inspiration for the girls’ clothes came “from being gay.” The show is obviously a campy show for young girls with a spotty budget, but as a property, it continues to be important for LGBT folk, who make up the bulk of the franchise’s continued following. The original Winx Club reveled in sparkle and fun—the characters were inspired by glamorous women like Lucy Liu and Beyonce.

Conversely, there’s almost no glitz to Fate. In fact, the show goes out of its way to masculinize as much as they can, perhaps to widen the demographic to a general young adult audience. The show is careful not to portray male characters as anything but strong, military-esque warriors, complete with armored cars and all-black tactical gear. Meanwhile, Winx Club’s specialists were running around in gogo boots and capes. This is especially disappointing given how the show prides itself on being inclusive and updating some of the outdated elements of the original Winx Club, meaning the all-male specialists now include female warriors, and some of the fairies are male. Unfortunately, it does this at the expense of cutting out much of what made Winx Club resonant, while also playing into problematic tropes and only featuring heteronormative relationships.

As the show continues, it reveals even more of its malicious politics. It has questionable things to say about foster families, punitive justice, and even genocide, toying with tired both-sideisms that continue to plague TV to this day, and confuse even the show’s main cast with a lack of nuance. This may be a setup for interesting developments in a prospective second season, but unfortunately, I’m left feeling like Fate has little to offer beyond obvious pop culture references and crooning indie pop musical cues. Fate: The Winx Saga fails to dazzle at every juncture, and for that reason Alfea might be better off shuttering their doors.

Fate: The Winx Saga premieres Friday, January 22 on Netflix.

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