|
|
SANCTUARY |
|
Dr Helen Magnus - Amanda Tapping Dr Will Zimmerman - Robin Dunne John Druitt - Christopher Heyerdahl Henry Foss - Ryan Robbins Kate Freelander - Agam Darshi 
OTHER SANCTUARY SEASONS Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 OTHER HERO SHOWS Birds of Prey Batman Blade Heroes 
|
TempusMagnus has been transported back to the time of Jack the Ripper and has to find Adam Worth to prevent him from messing with the timeline. There is a lot of running around in this episode, partly in order to hide the fact that it doesn’t make a lot of sense under the speed at which it is moving. With two Adams and two Magnuses running around, there are opportunities for some close shaves and lots of shooting with weapons that don’t exist yet. This is jammed into the running story of Jack the Ripper and John Druitt, most of which won’t make any sense to anyone who hasn’t been following the show to date. The creature responsible for the deaths attributed to Jack is one of the show’s less convincing creations. The theme is one about humanity and empathy and how it is missing from the modern world, but it’s all too garbled to have any kind of value. Written by Damian KindlerDirected by Martin Wood Top UprisingThe Abnormals in the camp are rioting. Thousands are pouring out of what used to be Praxis. Can the Sanctuary team cope without Magnus? A hostage situation is always filled with tension. Add to that an impending invasion by thousands of Abnormals and the stakes are high. The situation moves on from the climax of the last season and doesn’t make allowances for new arrivals, but is relatively simple to work out. There is a certain amount of repetition as the advice of the Sanctuary team is constantly ignored in favour of the military operation and everyone keeps talking about a hidden agenda. The pace is high and there are plenty of twists and turns along the way. The ending is a little too abrupt and too neat for its own good, though and the CGI walking fish man is a bit of a mistake though. Written by James ThorpeDirected by Amanda Tapping Top UntouchableThe Sanctuary is being frozen out by the governments that funded it. A team of inspectors come in to examine the operation and to talk about one abortive mission in particular. There are hints of RASHOMON in this episode as the same events are played over and over as new information slowly comes to light about the mission to capture a very important and powerful abnormal, though this has none of the quality of Kurosawa's film. The framework, though, renders the storyline without drama as everything is taking place in the past and the only thing happening in the present is a series of discussions with an unpleasant man. Hardly the stuff of great drama. Written by Gillian HorvathDirected by Steven A Adelson Top MonsoonMagnus goes to meet with her secretive banker on a remote island, but finds herself at the centre of a kidnapping and extortion raid. DIE HARD in a SANCTUARY is the basis of this episode and it's rather fun, though not very believable. The bad guys seem to be very reluctant to take the lives of their innocent victims despite having records of being very bad, bad guys. Magnus is always one step ahead and it helps that she has a plane with automatic defences systems. Written by Damian KindlerDirected by Martin Wood Top ResistanceMagnus tracks down a secret government abnormal research station only to find that it is run by Nikolas Tesla and is under attack by a multi-tentacled being. It is always good to have Jonathon Young back as Nikolas Tesla, but the dialogue that he is given doesn't allow him full rein on the flamboyant vampire's character. The rest of the plot is fairly straightforward SANCTUARY stuff. There's also a really, really irritating subplot about a really, really irritating abnormal back in the Sanctuary. Written by Allan McCulloughDirected by Lee Wilson Top HomecomingWill is mugged in a war zone and finds himself blinded and suffering flashbacks regarding his father. Apparently Will has daddy issues. Well, there's nothing like a bit of character background to flesh out a story, but when the character background becomes the story then there is a tendency for the drama to be flaccid, especially when the drama is as uninteresting and hackneyed as that portrayed here. The rest of the cast, meanwhile, get caught up in some nonsense about saving kids from slavers and the storyline features the second set of really annoying abnormals in consecutive weeks. Written by Damian Kindler & James ThorpeDirected by Robin Dunne Top IcebreakerHenry goes in with a Sanctuary team that is investigating a stranded icebreaking ship that might have been infested with abnormals. When Will and Magnus appear it becomes clear that not all is as it seems. SANCTUARY does THE THING, right down to the wintry setting and the paranoia about who is who and who isn't human. It's a nice change of pace and the constricted setting works toward the plot for a change, ramping up the claustrophobia. This is stripped-down storytelling that really works. It's a shame they had to steal it from somewhere else. Written by Martin WoodDirected by Martin Wood Top FugueWill's girlfriend Abby gets infected by a parasite that starts to rewrite her DNA, leaving her only able to communicate through song. Musical episodes are no longer a new thing and the high water mark is still held by Once More With Feeling from BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. By contrast, this episode doesn't try all that hard, coming up with a reason for Abby's condition that really doesn't convince and only using a couple of songs rather than doing a full-blown musical storyline. As a result, it ends up being ineffective and almost embarrassing. It also doesn't help that the story covers old ground in terms of the fear of being turned into something else. As Will himself says, it's already happened to him twice. Written by Damian KindlerDirected by Damian Kindler Top ChimeraMagnus and Nikolas Tesla enter a virtual world in search of a sentient nanite and find themselves fighting an enemy they thought was dead. Going inside the computer is as old as TRON, but usually adds a little spice to a show, allowing a whole new world to be created. Instead, we find ourselves inside the same old Sanctuary being beset by Adam Worth. Hardly a big stretch and a wasted opportunity. Even the presence of Jonathon Young as Tesla fails to brighten this one up. Written by James ThorpeDirected by Martin Wood Top AcolyteA terrorist cell of Abnormals plan to blow up an important meeting, but Magnus has a hard time convincing the authorities, especially when an old friend is identified as one of the bombers. This is probably about as topical and political as SANCTUARY is ever going to get with a tale about terrorism, brainwashing and the fight to keep our values in the face of extremism. That said, it's mainly a story about a bunch of creatures wanting to blow up some humans, but at least it rattles along at a good clip. And it's nice to see Agam Darshi popping back up as Kate. Written by Alan McCulloughDirected by Lee Wilson Top The DepthsMagnus and Will go underground to prevent the capture of a dangerous abnormal, but find themselves trapped and reliant on a liquid that gives them strength but also brings out and enhances repressed feelings. The resentment that bubbles to the surface here has been hinted at before, but not enough to make the strength of Will's rejection of Magnus believable, even with the liquid as an exacerbating factor. There is a real sense that is setting up the pair for a confrontation that will provide the season's climax. It's certainly better than the hideous subplot about Henry making video messages for his unborn child. Talk about cringeworthy. Written by Gillian HorvathDirected by Martin Wood Top Sanctuary For None - Part 1Magnus sets up a safe area for the abnormals of Hollow Earth on the surface, causing the authorities to reactivate Will's service clause and set him up to capture her. Considering his strong sense of right and wrong, it is all but unbelievable that Will goes back to the human authorities with barely an argument. Everything in this episode is all about setting up the scene for the big finale and the last shot provides a twist to the situation. Where it will lead we wait to find out. Written by James ThorpeDirected by Damian Kindler Top Sanctuary For None - Part 2The authorities are setting themselves up to attack the new safe area for Abnormals and Magnus reacts with a move that nobody could see coming. It's the very last episode of SANCTUARY and the show is given a closure that could easily be reopened, but is satisfying enough if this really is the end. It also goes out on a nice ending that throws a few curveballs and some action and generally ties things up well. SANCTUARY was very much its own show and went its own way, right to the end. You either got that or you didn't. It was never perfect, but it had its moments. Written by Damian KindlerDirected by Damian Kindler Top |
|
|
If this page was useful to you please sign our 
