Summary
While this has been a weak season overall in its writing, the ending provided some much-needed entertainment and shocking twists — “A Fanatic Heart” pulled at the heartstrings slightly and gave us a tease of a war that is still to come.
This recap of Netflix’s Fate: The Winx Saga season 1, episode 6, “A Fanatic Heart” — the ending explained — contains significant spoilers.
As we witnessed in the previous episode, Bloom is extremely desperate to get to the truth of her past, which means she has completely disregarded Alfea. She’s willing to do anything to speak to Rosalind. One of the main themes of Season 1 is friendship, and Episode 6 shows how important friends are to Bloom in an eventful season finale. Fate: The Winx Saga season 1, episode 6 opens with Rosalind calling Bloom special. She tells her to access her flames and to lean into her instincts. Meanwhile, her friends wait outside, and Terra wonders what is taking so long. Her friends return to the office without Bloom, and Dowling is furious at them. Aisha stands there guilty; her face says it all — she’s a snitch.
Meanwhile, Bloom uses her powers on the barrier surrounding Rosalind and frees her. By the time Dowling gets underground, they are both gone.
The girls are in trouble
With the rumblings of war incoming, Alfea tries to do its utmost best to maintain discipline, but it almost feels pointless in the grand scheme of things. Stella, Musa, and Terra are in a lot of trouble and Harvey expresses his disappointment. Terra tells her father that he’s lied again and that it doesn’t make sense to punish them. Harvey locks them in their dorms and Stella is furious at Aisha for being a snitch. One of the finale’s most warming aspects is how Stella is viewed as a different character now; she values friendship, and she’s found herself a gang.
Rosalind justifies her actions
Bloom learns who Rosalind really is in the ending of Season 1. Dowling looks for Bloom and Rosalind near the stone circle. Meanwhile, Bloom asks Rosalind about Aster Dell. Rosalind confirms that Dowling’s account of what happened is true. She explains how Aster Dell was rife with Blood Witches, so she used the opportunity to destroy both Burned Ones and the witches. As part of the conversation, Bloom realizes her birth parents are still alive. Rosalind confirms that the Burned Ones are after her power, which is why they keep coming. Bloom is the reason for all of this. She’s the special one. There are so many Harry Potter comparisons to this story.
The Burned Ones breach the school
The threat of danger increases with each scene; Fate: The Winx Saga season 1, episode 6 doesn’t attempt to lighten a dark situation for the fairies. Sam is hurt by one of the Burned Ones in the school, and he warns Musa and the others.
Meanwhile, Rosalind keeps trying to activate Bloom. She wants her to enjoy the feeling of power and also help her recharge. Suddenly, Bloom stops and realizes that Rosalind is using her. Rosalind tells Bloom that she gave her First World parents a second chance because the key aspect of Bloom learning her powers is love. She promises to find her birth parents. Suddenly, Bloom receives a message that the Burned Ones are in the school and she legs it, with Sky conveniently finding her on the way.
Sam is struggling with an infection
Amongst all the chaos, it’s easy to forget that Bloom drugged Sky in the previous episode. Sky is annoyed at Bloom for drugging him — he is upset because he opened up to her before the kiss. Bloom tells him that she doesn’t want to be a “damsel in distress” and that he would have stopped her from carrying out her plans.
Dowling prepares the students for battle
And then the time comes where the school has to prepare itself for battle; there’s no way the teachers can hide the incoming chaos any longer. Dowling secures every entrance to the school. It’s chaos. The Netflix series has been leading to this. It has similar feelings to the Battle of Hogwarts. She announces that the Burned Ones have infiltrated The Barrier, and Solorian troops are on their way. Dowling prepares them for the reality that they may need to defend themselves; she tells them to be brave in a rousing speech. “A Fanatic Heart” does a good job of exciting the audience.
Dowling tells Bloom that she’s being manipulated
Bloom tells Dowling that the Aster Dell was full of Blood Witches and that her parents were not there. Dowling becomes agitated and tells Bloom that she’s being manipulated, and questions where Rosalind is. She learns that Rosalind was at The Stone Circle; it’s a conduit of power to the school and The Barrier. Rosalind is the reason they are fighting for their lives; she’s sucking out all the power.
Riven and Dane help Beatrix
It’s easy to forget about Beatrix, but “A Fanatic Heart” tries to balance the fact that Rosalind has arrived, so her follower, Beatrix, has sneaked into the background. Riven helps Dane give aid to an unconscious Beatrix. While they help her, Riven asks Dane if he is gay. Dane tells Riven that he does find him hot, but he also finds Beatrix hot too in a different way. Beatrix wakes up and immediately snaps into action.
Sam is in trouble; Bloom and Sky kiss before it gets serious
Terra and her father do all they can to help Sam. This is a wake-up call for Alfea. Bloom admits to Sky that she should have been honest and apologizes — she kisses him, confirming that her feelings are genuine. Sky vows that he will stand by her no matter what. Bloom has a plan and grabs Aisha and Stella. There was a moment here where Sky and Bloom did not want to go into battle with regrets, and they laid their stubbornness aside.
Silva confesses to Sky
Before the battle, Silva tells Sky that his father Andreas died during the tragedy of Aster Dell. A flashback shows how Silva tried to stop Andreas from going through on Rosalind’s plans and the pair fought; Silva killed Andreas. Silva was trying to stop Rosalind’s plans, but it was too late. Sky is upset, realizing his father was no longer a hero. It’s surprising how he did not doubt Silva’s story even for a second; it shows how much Silva can be trusted.
The reason Musa cannot come to Sam’s aid
The Burned Ones are now at the school, banging on the doors. Terra needs to recruit Musa for help, who is trying to run away from the situation. Musa struggles because she doesn’t want to feel someone dying that she loves; her mother died a year ago. She felt everything she felt. That’s why she can’t be with Sam. Terra hugs her as Musa sobs. Harvey asks Terra to help keep Sam stay strong until the Burned One is killed. Musa grabs Sam’s hand in an emotional moment to hold off the pain and give him comfort for as long as she can do. “A Fanatic Heart” does a great job to make the audience care. All the characters are coming out of their shell.
Bloom’s plan
One of the Burned Ones enter, but they are all moving together and moving away from the school. Dowling realizes that they are finding Bloom. She’s distracting them with Aisha and Stella. Bloom plans to use all her powers; Stella and Aisha stand by to help her if needed.
A full Bloom
At this stage of “A Fanatic Heart”, the series gives what the fans wanted, with wings n’ all.
As Bloom activates her flames, Aisha conjures swirling water. What follows is a visual introduction of Bloom being fully activated with her powers — this is pleasing to watch. She lands on the ground, and she has flames as wings. She begins to kill each Burned One one by one with ease; her magic is mighty. Dowling appears and gives her praise for what she did. Bloom collapses, weak from using her powers to their full extent. Meanwhile, Sam recovers as the Burned One that hurt him is dead. Bloom returns to school, and she’s made to rest in her dorm. A battle that should have ravaged the school was ended simply by the school. The series is demonstrating how powerful she really is.
Dowling is in deep thought and gives Silva an update
Dowling tells Silva that Bloom transformed — which means she unlocked ancient fairy magic that they didn’t believe existed. She reveals that Rosalind told Bloom that the people at Aster Dell were Blood Witches. Silva feels this is a revelation, and everything he did was for nothing. There are no more explanations of Blood Witches in Episode 6, but we are sure they will flesh it out in the second season.
Dowling and Bloom hug
The next day, Dowling catches up with Bloom after the dust settles. Bloom admits she’s been a brat and that she hasn’t been grateful. Dowling instantly forgives her. Bloom asks if they can hug, but as they do, there’s a slight concern on Dowling’s face, and then she gets slightly emotional before letting go. Dowling admits she should have been more honest, but Bloom believes she needs time.
Just as a side note to the reader; I know nothing of the original material — is Dowling Bloom’s birth mother?
Bloom reveals everything to her parents
Bloom returns home to her First World parents and plans to tell them who she really is. Dowling warned her that it wouldn’t be easy. She also brings her friends with her and asks if they can crash. Bloom tells her parents everything, bringing an emotional moment as she shows them the flames. Her mother walks off, shocked by what she has seen. But Bloom remains patient and goes through the motions of shock and acceptance. Happier scenes follow of Bloom enjoying time with friends and her parents look on, happy.
Silva is under arrest
The Solorians arrive at Alfea, and they are armed. Queen Luna comes out of a car and puts Silva under arrest for the attempted murder of Andreas. In a twist, Andreas leaves Luna’s car. Sky is shellshocked to see his father.
The mentor and the student meet
Rosalind finds Dowling in the woods. Dowling has buried the Burned Ones as they used to be people at one point. Rosalind tells Dowling that the Burned Ones are soldiers from an ancient war, and the legend is about the magic used against them — it created them; she calls it “The Dragon Flame”, and that it burns inside Bloom. Dowling now understands why Bloom was able to transform so easily. Rosalind used Burned Ones to test Bloom at the school because a war is coming. Rosalind does not believe Dowling is good enough to lead the next generation. Episode 6 sees Rosalind’s plans become clear.
The ending
But Rosalind has more immediate plans as well that will shock the viewer.
Rosalind reveals that Queen Luna does not believe in Dowling; she states that she threatened to expose the Queen regarding the cover-up at Aster Dell, but Rosalind learned that Luna has been mad at Dowling for a while due to her daughter and Ricki. Luna has agreed that the school needs to undergo changes and Rosalind believes the faculty will fall in line when she walks through the doors. She then reveals that Beatrix was working for her all along. Rosalind asks Dowling to take a sabbatical.
When Dowling refuses to leave the school, Rosalind uses her powers to lift Dowling in the air and seemingly snaps her neck. The ground then buries Dowling as Rosalind walks off. When Bloom and her friends return, Rosalind welcomes them back. That’s the last thing they were expecting.
The main questions: Is Dowling really dead? It certainly looked so, but in a world of magic, you can never be too sure. What will Bloom and her friends do now that Rosalind has taken over? Will they comply? What will Rosalind plan next for Bloom now that her protege has transformed? There’s plenty to bring for a Season 2.
While this has been a weak season overall in its writing, the ending provided some much-needed entertainment and shocking twists — Fate: The Winx Saga season 1, episode 6 pulled at the heartstrings slightly and gave us a tease of a war that is still to come. There’s life in this Netflix series due to its strength in the last two episodes, thankfully.
