Episode 14: Follow the Yellow Trick Road
Last episode ended with a bang, as Bo found the bodies of her mother and Trick, murdered by her father, Hades. When Dyson found her, Bo was in some sort of catatonic state. This episode starts with her waking up at home … except it’s not quite how she remembers it. Everything is in black and white except Bo’s dress, a red-checked number. Her hair is also in pigtails. That, combined with the episode’s title, makes me think this is going to be a Wizard of Oz homage, though Bo likens it to a rerun of Lucy. Bo can’t get anyone on the phone, so she goes for a drive, and soon realizes that she’s the
only person left in town; all the cars on the street are empty and there are no pedestrians either. In the real world, Bo’s comatose body has been moved to her place and Lauren has her hooked to numerous life support machines. Her friends are taking turns guarding her, as they have no idea what Hades’ next move will be. Tamsin’s pregnancy—she was knocked up by Hades pretending to be Bo a couple episodes back—is proceeding apace; she looks like she’s already well into the second trimester or more.
In fantasyland, Bo runs into Tamsin, who maces her. Turns out this isn’t Tamsin (though 
she does have the same sarcastic manner), but Thomasina, a real estate developer. She says the whole place cleared out when the Pyrippus (the winged, fire-breathing horse we’ve seen before) showed up and she’s stuck trying to unload properties. Bo is surprised, since she thought the Pyrippus was only a symbol representing Hades, not a separate being. When Thomasina finds out Hades is Bo’s father she freaks and tries to leave. Bo tries to use her succubus powers to compel Thomasina’s help, but they don’t work. Thomasina mentions someone called the Maestro, who knows everything but is generally hard to find.
In the real world, Lauren tries to talk to Tamsin about the devil-spawn she’s carrying, but Tamsn refuses to open up. Lauren tells her she’s never going to be alone, no matter
what, but Tamsin is stubborn about not needing anyone. In la-la land, Bo tries to get Thomasina to help her and wonders why she didn’t leave when everyone else did. Bo speculates that Thomasina didn’t have anyone to leave with and that her heart had recently been broken. The Wizard of Oz parallel really ramps up, as Bo suggests if they go see the Maestro together, maybe he can help both of them. I assume Thomasina is meant to be the Tin Man (she’s recently lost her heart, so to speak). Thomasina says the only way to find the Maestro is by following the red brick road, which is impossible since no one can see colours anymore. Bo says she can and starts listing red things—including Cyndi Lauper’s hair—but neither of them seem to 
notice that Bo’s dress is red. Bo has a flashback of finding her mother and Trick dead (lots of red there) and she and Thomasina are whisked to the middle of a field in front of a brick road that turns red. Bo is thrilled that they found it and urges Thomasina to follow her. There’s a quick moment where Thomasina cradles her belly, so maybe she’s pregnant too … though she doesn’t seem to be showing like Tamsin is; it’s hard to tell since she’s wearing black. As they step onto the red brick road, the grass and trees surrounding them lose their sepia tones and burst into glorious Technicolor, though neither of them seems to notice.
Back in reality, Tamsin feels the baby move and suddenly realizes she’s carrying an actual living thing inside her, which kinda freaks her out. Bo’s life support starts beeping and Lauren says the machines aren’t enough … Bo needs to feed—in the traditional succubus manner—or she’ll die. Vex and Mark return from Trick’s lair with a bunch of
his books, hoping that they can help find a way to cure Bo. Dyson gives Mark shit and Vex tells Dyson that the books weren’t doing any good sitting in Trick’s lair. In Oz, Bo and Tamsin are lost in the woods (with the trees whispering the word “Pyrippus”) when they run into the Cowardly Wolf. He looks like Dyson, but says his name is Sgt. Major Nosyd and that he’s part of the Pyrippus Watch. Bo and Thomasina question why he’s alone with no supplies and he admits he was scared of fighting the Pyrippus so he deserted. Bo gets pissed off, wondering how she’ll ever find the Maestro, and Nosyd says he knows someone who can tell her the way. Bo hears a rhythmic pounding echoing through the woods and wonders what it is.
Turns out it’s Dyson in the real world, tapping on the table beside Bo’s bed. He’s pissed off at himself because the two people he’s sworn fealty to—Trick and Bo—are either 
dead or dying and he can’t help them. In the magic woods, Nosyd is still scared and doesn’t want to go with Bo and Thomasina, but he also doesn’t want to be left behind. The women make like they’re going to leave and he reminds them they’ll get lost and starve (Thomasina: “Not me; I’m gonna Donner Party that shit.” [points at Bo]) and finally agrees to lead them to the Maestro, as long as they do it his way. Bo is happy to let someone else lead for once, and she’s starting to figure out the logic of the place, so she expects the Maestro to be Trick … as all of us have been assuming since we first heard of him. Bo hears real-world Dyson exhorting her to wake up and realizes her friends are trying to bring her out of her coma.
In the real world, Lauren can’t find anything to break Bo’s coma and tries to comfort Dyson over his feelings of failing Trick. Dyson notices a hole in Bo’s clothes and figures something bit her and that’s what brought on the coma. He goes through Trick’s books and finds out about a creature called a Shtriga, that can turn from a human into a moth
(or maybe the other way around). In real life mythology, a Shtriga is an Albanian vampiric witch that sucks blood from infants and transforms into a moth; only the Shtriga herself can cure those she’s drained. Tamsin says she’s seen that moth around the house (and figured it was just because the place is musty as hell) and Dyson says they have to catch it, wait till it turns human, and have it spit Bo’s blood back into her own mouth to bring her out of the coma. In fantasyland, Nosyd leads them to an elevator in the middle of a clearing. Thomasina says if she were the Maestro, she’d want to live in the penthouse too, which makes Bo worry that the Maestro might turn out to be Hades instead of Trick. The trio gets on the elevator and heads upward.
Back in reality, Lauren is freaking out because all her knowledge can’t cure Bo of a simple bug bite. In Oz, the three companions reach the penthouse and Nosyd points out a plant on the table—Nepenthe, the Ancient Greek drug of forgetfulness. The penthouse 
owner turns out to be Lauren—called Lola in this world—who’s a massive stoner with some freaky-ass dreads. Nosyd says she knows the way to the Maestro, but Lola says she lost the map. (Lola: “Didja ever think like, oh shit, I forgot to put my pants on, but then you’re like, no, I didn’t, because, you know, they’re on?”) Lola is consuming Nepenthe like crazy because she has too many thoughts rattling around in her head; Bo realizes the “map” to the Maestro is inside Lola’s fried brain and urges her to concentrate. Lola almost bursts a blood vessel, but seems to remember the way to the Maestro. I guess Lola is meant to be the Scarecrow, though he was never this incoherent.
Back in the real world, Lauren also has a revelation: they don’t need to wait for the Shtriga moth to resume human form, they can force it to transform with an elixir and
hold it down until it cures Bo. Seems like Lauren is channeling Trick a bit, going with alchemy over science. Dyson says they have to catch the moth first and they figure the best way to attract a moth is with light. Vex and Mark check the attic and Mark wonders what will happen to the Colony now that the Ash is dead. Vex says he never cared too much about the Ash and Mark asks him about being Dark and whether he regrets any of the awful shit he did. Vex says he does.
In fantasyland, Bo and friends end up in a Hall of Mirrors. Vex is the gatekeeper, with two faces, one good and one evil, much like the real Vex. The mirrors seem to mesmerize Bo 
and Nosyd is ready to smash the whole place, but Vex says if he breaks the mirrors while Bo is enraptured, her soul will be destroyed too. Thomasina urges the good side of Vex to help them and he recites a riddle, which Lola figures out … the mirrors show them as they truly are, not the screwed up fantasy versions: Nosyd is really brave, Thomasina does have a heart, and Lola is smart. The mirrors all shatter and Bo finds herself in front of a curtain, much like the one that concealed the grisly death scene last episode. This curtain hides the Dal, where Bo sees a cloaked figure sitting at a table. She’s sure it’s Trick, but it turns out to be … Bo herself.
Yes, now it seems they’re mixing in some Prisoner references with the Wizard of Oz stuff. Bo tells herself that she’s lost without Trick, but fantasy Bo says she’s a natural leader and points out that she gave all her friends what they were looking for. She says
she can grant Bo’s fondest wish, to go home, but Bo says she’s not even sure where home is since Trick died. In the real world, Dyson and Tamsin check Kenzi’s old room and are surprised when Kenzi climbs in through the window. She says she came when she heard about Bo and Trick and while she’s babbling, the Shtriga moth lands on her shoulder. Tamsin goes for it with a butterfly net and they cage it under a cloche. Kenzi says she got a letter about Bo and Trick, which Lauren assumes came from Hades. Lauren says they can’t wait for the moth to resume human form and she’ll try to extract Bo’s blood from it while it’s still in insect form.
In dreamland, Bo finds herself at home, but there’s still nobody there—until Kenzi shows up, wearing what looks like a wedding dress. In real life, Lauren injects the blood back 
into Bo’s mouth and she goes into convulsions. They realize Bo has to accept the cure inside her own head … she has to want to come home. In fantasyland, Kenzi turns all evil—and her dress turns black—and she and Bo start fighting. Bo naturally resists, but hears the real Kenzi’s voice urging her to accept the “cure” and come home. Bo allows the Shtriga to give her the cure and all the Bo/Kenzi shippers out there get a treat as the Shtriga kisses her and slips her its big insect tongue. So, I guess Kenzi is both the Good and Wicked Witches here.
In her dream, Bo wakes up and Kenzi is back in her white dress, standing next to a big white horse. Bo wonders if it’s the Pyrippus, which she always thought was bad. Kenzi
reminds her that Bo used to be bad until she found her way. Kenzi gives her the horseshoe that Hephaestus forged and says Bo has the key to defeating Hades and if she doesn’t, all will perish. Bo isn’t sure she can do it without Trick, but Kenzi says she can and Bo finally accepts Trick is gone and wakes up. After Bo’s had a little time to recover, Dyson mentions Trick’s will and gives it to Bo, who reads out the bequests. Kenzi gets the Ring of Yggdrasil, which grants her free passage between the Fae and human worlds without having to be claimed. Lauren gets all Trick’s occult books, in 
the hopes she will find a happy marriage between science and magic. Tamsin (the eternal wanderer) gets the Blanket of Skeemotah, woven from the sky, since as long as someone is under the stars, they’re home. Vex gets the Compass of Nirad, to keep his path true since he’s found his light in the darkness. Dyson and Mark get the Dal, which makes sense considering all the time Dyson’s spent there. Trick’s final words are for Bo, leaving her his heart and his gratitude at the woman she’s become, and reminding her that she has his blood too. Since they keep harping on that, I assume it’ll play a part in the climax.
I liked the whole Wizard of Oz thing, but I wish we’d actually gotten to see Trick—or a representation of him—in this episode; I guess that would’ve been counterproductive to
Bo accepting his death, but I can’t help feeling a bit cheated. Anyway, later Vex goes upstairs to give Tamsin her blanket and finds the window open and Tamsin gone. Hades is there though, and says he wants Vex to give the others a message. He cuts Vex’s throat and leaves him to bleed out on the floor. The bodies are really dropping fast now, and things are coming to a head; there are only two episodes left, so it’ll be interesting to see how they resolve everything.