Television: Problems with Netflix's 'Fate: The Winx Saga'

By Sara Swallow

Back in the early 2000’s, Nickelodeon aired a cartoon called ​Winx Club. In this show, viewers were introduced to fairies of all different elements who attend a fairy college called Alfea. There was Bloom, the main protagonist of the show, who was born in the human world but possesses a powerful fire fairy magic. Then, once Bloom is taken into the fairy world, she attends Alfea and meets her friend group, the Winx. There’s Stella, a princess light fairy of Solaria; Flora, a flower fairy; Tecna, a technology fairy; Musa, a music/sound fairy; and Aisha, a water fairy. This fantastic group of fairies fights against monsters and against witches from Cloud Tower School: Stormy, Icy, and Darcy. Winx Club was one of my favorite shows to watch in the mornings when I was getting ready to get on the bus for school. Its bright story about friendship hooked me.

Flash forward to 2021 and I’m scrolling through Netflix looking for something new to watch. I didn’t notice Fate: The Winx Saga because it was a live-action remix of Winx Club, and it was less colorful than the cartoon with the wild, intense colors that I associated with the show. As soon as I saw it and realized what it was, my partner Brennan and I binged the whole thing in two days. Though, die-hard fans should know that this show doesn't have all the same characters and set-up as the cartoon. No more Tecna or Flora but instead there’s Terra, an Earth fairy. Then there’s no Cloud Tower witches, just an antagonist air-fairy named Beatrix. Even though there were some differences between this show and the original, let’s explore why me and my Biomedical Engineering partner, who hasn’t even seen Lord of the Rings, binged this show.

Aside from tapping into the childhood memories of Winx Club, Fate can stand on its own through its ability to discuss difficult issues, like sexism and dysfunctional families. Though there are moments when the feminism comes in a little too strong and obvious, like when Terra confronts Dane, who blew her off. When her father and brother try to step in, she basically says, “I know the patriarchy wants men to protect women from hard situations, but I’ve got this.” Now, don’t get me wrong, I am so joyful that TV shows are picking up more feminist tones and characters but sometimes it feels a little forced.

Speaking of Terra, she’s one of the characters I related to the most because I also have a borderline unhealthy addiction to plants and one of the first things she does is cover her dorm in houseplants. Also, Terra is one of the only characters whose body does not align with conventional beauty standards. There are some instances of fat-shaming in the show from one of the antagonists, Riven (who was actually Musa’s boyfriend in the original show), but Terra takes care of him by covering him up in tight vines and he then apologizes. Terra also has some social anxiety, which I can relate to, and it’s amazing to see her grow into her confidence throughout the show as she bonds with her roommates. 

However, Terra’s replacement of Flora from the original show has sparked some controversy. In the cartoon, Flora was presented as Latina, and Terra is white (not Latina). The only person of color in the main crew of friends is Aisha, whose character stayed true to the original. The loss in representation really hurts some viewers’ ability to see themselves in the story and decenter whiteness. Hopefully, Season Two will either bring back Flora or just better their representation of POC. The cast of the main characters are predominantly white, which really hurts whatever progressive tones the show is trying to promote. Representation in TV, media, and culture is so important and to see a TV show that originally had a more diverse cast get whitewashed stings. 

Another thing that surprised me about Fate: The Winx Saga was how different everyone is from their original personalities in the cartoon. Everyone seems a lot meaner in this show, and I’m not sure I really liked that. I can understand that Netflix wants to produce something more serious and less fluffy like the cartoon, but the show takes some dark turns in how the characters interact with each other. One of the biggest issues with how these characters interact is the homophobia/queerphobia that goes on concerning the character Dane. Dane presents as someone who may be bisexual and Riven bullies him about it. Riven even uses Dane’s possible crush on him and outs him on social media. Dane is really trampled by the show and all the "diversity" is put on him to be a POC and queer. Aisha also feels the brunt of tokenism by being the only person of color in the main friend group. 

I will still recommend this show to others because a good fairy fantasy show is a great remedy for wanting to escape into another world. However, it is absolutely crucial that the weaknesses of Fate: The Winx Saga be pointed out because criticism can create change. If enough people talk about the lack of representation, the fatphobia, and the homophobia, perhaps we can make this show (and entertainment in general) better. 

Have you watched Fate: The Winx Saga on Netflix yet? What do you think your element would be? Or, if you’re not a fairy, are you a Specialist?