By John Keegan and Paul Pearson

Gotta love a big finish. In that respect, the season finale of "Lost Girl" certainly delivers and makes up for the string of weaker instalments in the past few episodes. It doesn't lack for action, plot developments or characters moments, all of it played really well and all of it climaxing in the kind of finish that would make "Buffy", "Supernatural" and "Being Human" fans happy and wanting more.
Picking up from the climax of last episode (literally), "Blood Lines" opens with a quick double-reveal that confirms things most viewers had figured out at the end of "(Dis)Members Only": that Saskia – real name Aoife – is not only the real Big Bad of season 1, but she's also Bo's long-lost mother. The huge personal implications, from Dyson and Trick's role in keeping this information from Bo to the chance for her to finally get to know her mother, are only part of what's going on. Aoife is also a baddie of the first degree, scheming to destroy Fae society once and for all, and our heroes may very well be the only ones able to stop her.

The tradition of climatic action-packed finales in genre shows is help up beautifully by "Lost Girl", but it seems like the writers are taking lessons from guys like Whedon and Kripke, because nothing in this episode is as simple as good guys and bad guys. It's all wrapped up in the relationships and dynamics that season 1 has been building up. Even the unduly-accelerated Bo/Dyson romance works in this context, and it's probably the reason why previous writers felt the need to kick it up half-a-dozen unearned notches. Things aren't as simple as our heroine taking the fight to the villain, not just because the villain is stronger but because of that relationship between them, the foundations of which were laid before "Saskia" ever turned up and Bo was just a Fae newbie searching for her family.

All the reveals, the divisions between the main characters, they all feel like real, genuine reactions to everything that's happened and real obstacles that need to be overcome. And then on top of that, it's just nice and heartwarming to see those little moments like Kenzi and Hale's friendly goodbye handshake. It's probably no coincidence that the finale was penned by the show's creator, because it's a return to form on the great character writing of earlier in the season.

Beyond the character intricacies, the story itself is a nicely constructed rollercoaster. The teaser alone gives the audience a nice one-two punch and from there, it's the backstory Trick has been keeping, the plans of Aoife, and then the unfolding of those plans. Every scene gets a healthy dose of those well-written character moments and that just adds to the intensity of what's going on. Kudos to the director and the actors too, all of whom keep things moving at a fast pace and keep the tension coming.

And it all builds to even more of a climax than the last episode, full of action and cliffhangers. The big climactic duel was fun – there's really no other word to describe good-looking ladies in leather battling to the death. And while the nature of Trick's sacrifice to help Bo had been touched on in previous episodes (a great example of foreshadowing), Dyson's was an shock, and an excellent one at that, whether or not you saw it coming a minute out or didn't know what was happening to Dyson until the words were said aloud. Either way, it's a great tease for the character dynamics of season 2.

"Blood Lines" a great finale, doing everything a good finale should, delivering action and reveals and big character beats, paying off some of the big stories of the year and opening up new avenues for season 2. It caps off a strong freshman year, and more than cements "Lost Girl" as one of the best – certainly one of the most fun – genre shows on television right now.

John Keegan is Editor-in-Chief for Critical Myth, a partner site of SciFi Vision. Paul Pearson is Critical Myth's reviewer for Lost Girl.