Warning: This article contains massive spoilers for Season two of Fate the Winx Saga

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Season two of Fate: The Winx Saga has dropped on Netflix, and compared the first season, the sophomore run has plenty of improvements that not only appeal to new fans, but also to those who watched the original animated series. Season two showcases the friendship between the girls, the relationship between Bloom and Sky, and the politics of Solaria and the Otherworld. But at the same time, it maintained the dark and mature atmosphere.

Season two starts in a similar fashion as season one. A mind fairy and specialist go to a secluded area of the forest for a “private moment.” But they were attacked by a hooded figure and an unknown creature. It is later revealed throughout that the cause of these attacks was Blood Witches, magical beings first introduced last year. And these unknown beings are called Scrappers — creatures who drain the fairy’s powers and are transferred to these witches. That’s right, not all Blood witches were exterminated in Aster Dell all those years ago, as some of them survived.

Speaking of the Winx girls, Bloom, Stella, Terra, Musa, and Aisha have embraced the name. But also in this season, a new member joins them — Flora, Terra’s cousin and a Winx Club original. She’s not just a visitor, but a new Alfea student who has a lot of catching up to do.

The theme of the second season is “trust”. As the girls deal with the new headmistress, Rosalind, and the new head specialist, Andreas (who is also Sky’s father), trust between everyone in the school and the Outerworld is tested. It’s like that famous saying — “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” This makes the show compelling to watch, as there are so many twists that keep viewers hooked.

One thing to note is that some of the characters were recast in the second season. Rosalind is now played by Miranda Richardson instead of Lesley Sharp. And Professor Harvey is now played by Daniel Betts instead of Alex Macqueen. But luckily for viewers, you wouldn’t even notice the changes as the two played their roles so convincingly. It’s such a shame that they were instantly gone in the middle of the series, then. That kinda sucked, because there were some plot points worth extending, making for a significant missed opportunity.

But it’s not exclusively the new content that has fans excited. Season two of Fate: The Winx Saga has brought in multiple callbacks from the original animated series. The first is Bloom’s dress – similar to one the fandom will be familiar with. Beatrix learns that she has two other sisters named Isobell and Darcy, too, a strong nod to the witches, Icy and Darcy, while Riven and Musa finally bond as the two form a mutual friendship. However, the biggest callback comes in the form of the villain — Sebastian Valtor.

In the animated series, Valtor was the main antagonist of season three, who once served under the ancestral witches. He’s powerful and manipulative, and almost had all of the Magic Dimension in the palm of his hand. However, this Valtor is somewhat a hit or miss. He is still manipulative and a witch, but his motives are different.

If anything, this character resembles Lord Darkar from season 2. Both need the dragon flame to open some dimension, they’re also manipulative and have an army of dark creatures underneath their whim. But outside of that, he’s still a strong villain regardless of his original counterpart. He was able to have Alfea under his control, and use the trust of the Winx girls to his advantage.

If there is one thing this show fails on, it’s the lack of magic. While it was really cool to see the girls work together using their powers to free Silva, the show didn’t lean into it enough. Besides the Scrappers being immune to fairy magic, Musa chose to give up her powers because she was afraid she’d hurt others. Also, Stella has her abilities somewhat restrained under the direct orders of her mother.

And most of the issues such as killing the Scrappers, fighting their mind-controlled allies, and saving their fellow students are either done through physical attacks or straight-up chemistry projects. But at least that’s made up for when Stella, Terra, and Aisha finally get their wings during the show’s final battle.

Season two of Winx: The Fate Saga contained multiple nods to the original Winx Club series, yet made the plot its own. We have the return of one of the franchise’s most powerful villains, and it’s up to the Winx girls to work together and save the world. While the show lacked the use of magic due to the nature of the enemies they’re confronted with, all of that was made up for when they learn how to use transformation magic. And the way season two ended with Bloom possibly meeting her mother, not to mention death of the new headmistress, changes the fate of Alfea for good.

Overall, it was an interesting show, especially if you’re a diehard Winx Club fan. It’s dark, gritty, and has improved since season one, leaving us very curious to see where things head next if Netflix opts to pull the trigger on a third batch of episodes.

Good

'Fate: The Winx Saga' improves from the first season with multiple callbacks to the animated series. However, the series tends to lean more on the physical action and chemistry, rather than the magical powers these girls possess.

Review: 'Fate: The Winx Saga' season two contains more wings, but less magic