Everyone I know remembers where they first witnessed the first episode “Children of the Gods” premiered on July 27, 1997 in the United States. Do you remember the science fiction wonder and amazement as the phenomena spread across the world shortly thereafter? I do!
It’s been a long wait since the last episode of Stargate Atlantis aired on January 09, 2009 and Stargate Universe on May 09, 2011. There have been many hiccups along the way, but Stargate fans are loyal and have always been interested in whatever new developments are happening with Stargate including the hopeful fandom yearning for a new series when Stargate Origins was brought forth to great acclaim in 2018.
Since then, many times fans have complained. Some said it seemed as if MGM Studios (the owner of the Stargate franchise) was yanking their chains by offering something new only to pull it away again.
Then, out of the mists and darkness rode our knight in shining armor, ready to offer MGM Studios a new path forward for more Stargate by pitching ideas, hoping that one idea would take hold and we would get another Stargate series.
As the owners of The Companion state, “The Companion is a membership science fiction news, commentary and analysis website that serves up premium content on everything from the biggest blockbusters to cult TV shows we grew up with. Proudly ad-free and clickbait-free, The Companion works with actors, creators, and showrunners to break untold stories. Find out more at TheCompanion.app.”
“Brad Wright’s Conversations in Sci-Fi is an ongoing series in which Wright catches up with some of the actors, writers and creators he’s worked with over his long career in science fiction.
This is the second podcast from The Companion, following the recent launch of Gaters Gonna Gate with Joseph Mallozzi. Hosted by Stargate writer/producer and Dark Matter showrunner Joseph Mallozzi, the Gaters Gonna Gate group also featured a guest segment with Arrow director and Stargate Atlantis stunt coordinator James ‘Bam Bam’ Bamford.”
Image courtesy Twitter
Wright’s podcasts will not only give us access to insider information about Stargate’s many forms but the actors and production crews as well.
I and the Stargate fandom are looking forward to hearing more podcasts from Brad Wright in the future that hopefully result in a new Stargate television series and feature movies as we celebrate the 24th anniversary of Stargate SG-1 today!
Last but not least, many thanks to Jenny Stiven for the heads up about the Brad Wright interview with The Companion, and her ongoing support of the Stargate franchise for the past 15 years which includes her time at MGM Studios and conventions.
The Atlantis Crew Get Together Again at Comic-Con at Home!
Image courtesy MGM Studios
Don’t you just love it when a group of people that you love and admire come together for a visit? There should be canapes and drinks!
I enjoyed the wonderful interaction with everyone. It was simply wonderful to see several friends who love and respect each other chatting again. They take over and leave the host, David Read, struggling to take control back for a few moments, which was hilarious.
David Hewlett, Robert Picardo and David Nykl still have it. Robert Picardo shared that being on Atlantis cracked him up, especially when David Hewlett had something witty to say. Then Robert Picardo said as everyone said goodbye, “Enjoy the pandemic.”
All of the gang admit to really missing the conventions as a result of the shutdown of Covid -19. They also shared with us the projects they are working on and the hopes that some form of Stargate will return to television in the near future. Amazon Prime will now have a lot of pressure on it to bring us more of the series we love.
Unfortunately, other main cast members including Joe Flanigan, Jason Momoa, Amanda Tapping, and Jewel Staite were not available to participate in the Comic-Con At Home Stargate Atlantis reunion panel. The rest of the cast was happy to keep us entertained and it was fun. We include the nice Comic-Con at Home 2021 panel below for your enjoyment.
Thanks to Kenn for staging images, the featured video, and, many thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency!
Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this interview with your friends, or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.
We are honored and pleased to be afforded the privilege of interviewing Primeval New World Executive Producer Martin Wood for a special edition of You Decide when we will discuss his outstanding science fiction series where dinosaurs are running rampant in Vancouver British Columbia!
Science fiction fans are well acquainted with the work of Martin Wood. His fabulous resume includes Sanctuary, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1 where is work has been legend, respected the world over!
Now Martin Wood has tuned his attention to saving our world from the onslaught of an invasion dinosaurs from the past into the present with the hit series Primeval New World, currently completing its first season run in Canada on the SPACE Channel!
Martin Wood is a talented show runner producing great entertainment from his many years in the entertainment industry dating back to 1995. With his well oiled machine capable, Martin Wood oversees production generating episodes is record time effectively leveraging the talents of his co-directors Andy Mikita and Amanda Tapping.
To our absolute delight, Primeval New World is coming soon to the United States on the Syfy channel! This editor is waiting in avid anticipation to see the adventures of the ancient dinosaurs running amok in Vancouver. I only hope that Martin Wood can save the United States before the dinos are stomping silly major cities like San Francisco, New York and Hollywood!
Please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or family. We would also appreciate your comments and look forward to you visiting in the future.
Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and Team WHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!”
We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! During the past several months we have reorganized. Below we have prepared a fun music video documenting and outlining where the Team WHR Crew is going in 2012 and beyond for your enjoyment.
Additional dedicated sites have been prepared featuring your favorite celebrities, shows and events including new ones as yet unannounced. To select the new matrix, simply scroll and click the buttons on the side bar to visit the series site of your choice. Our team will be making additional announcements on Twitter, and here in the near future.
Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article.
Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, WHR on Facebook or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and the WHR team look forward to and will be Seeing You on The Other Side“!
Sanctuary season four begins with Adam Worth (Ian Tracey), obsessed with getting his daughter back, having created and used a time machine to escape the twenty first century and the chaos he caused there to mask his real plans.
When Adam turns it on, it creates a portal to his past. He dashes through, followed by Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping). They end up in Victorian England.
Magnus chases after him as he runs away, shooting a gun at him. Adam is a tortured, but still brilliant personality, who does not seem to want to kill Magnus. He shoots at the corner of a building, bringing it down on top of her, knocking her unconscious. Fortunately for her, Dr. James Watson (Peter Wingfield), comes to her rescue. She has, we assume, been treated and jailed. Watson, having his own very special relationship with the London police, has her freed.
Returning to the Sanctuary in Victorian London, things appear a little different. Magnus comes across crates of things that are familiar to her, likely emphasizing the fact that she is now in her past.
Watson examines the modern conveniences that she has brought with her. Her cell phone, initially, is a complete mystery to him. Magnus, worried that he should not know too much about the future, attempts to discourage his curiosity.
But Watson is a pretty smart cookie, himself, and he puts it all together fairly quickly. Magnus is not from his time line. So, she explains, “if I fail, everything that is meant to be, everything until my present, could be destroyed”. Offering to help, because he knows the truth, Watson convinces Magnus that she has no choice but to let him into her plans.
Watson, although he has pieced together the truth, still seems to be having trouble grasping the reality of his situation. He remarks, “Time travel is actually possible. H.G. would be ecstatic.” For anyone familiar with science fiction novels, the reference to H.G. refers to Herbert George Wells, known for his novel, “The Time Machine”. Interestingly, H.G Wells is also a character in another sci-fi series, “Warehouse 13”, although it is unlikely that the reference in this episode has anything to do with the other series.
Magnus heads upstairs to change into more appropriate Victorian period clothing and, in the process, nearly runs into herself. Fortunately, her other past self does not see her.
Magnus quickly changes and heads down into the basement to what I assume is a nineteenth century furnace, or wood fire heater for the Sanctuary. Watson is tossing her identification into the fire.
He pauses to examine her cell phone again, and reasons that it is a communication device. Magnus reminds him, “no questions”, so he will not learn too much about the future. As she does so, she tosses the cell phone into the fire. My first thought was, ‘uh, Helen, don’t forget about the battery…batteries, when they come into contact with fire, often explode’.
Meanwhile, the Adam from the proper time line is with his daughter, Imogene (Margot Berner). He ducks out for a trip to the apothecary (pharmacist) and our twenty first century Adam enters. Delighted to see his daughter again, he tells her he has found a cure for her condition. He has brought two suitcases with him but, unfortunately, one has a hole through it caused by the gun fire earlier between Adam and Magnus. But Adam reassures his daughter that the instrument within can be repaired.
Back at the Sanctuary Magnus reaches for a revolver in her dresser drawer. As she does so, there is a disturbance outside the room. It is the Victorian era, nineteenth century Adam. He is seeking help. It turns out that Adam’s daughter is missing. Someone has taken her. It really is not hard to figure out who took the young lady. In this case,
it is himself from the twenty-first century Adam who is the guilty party. But, where would he go with his daughter? Magnus and Watson head outside the building to question nineteenth century Adam further. Helen takes it a bit too far, virtually berating the man. Watson has to reign her in, reminding her that, as of yet, he has done nothing wrong.
In an interview, Damian Kindler mentions that, in order to get the effect of a rain storm in nineteenth century London, they used a rain machine. During this particular moment, as Helen Magnus talks to Dr. Watson, she is getting quite soaked. Amanda Tapping pulls off the sexy soaked look very well.
Magnus returns to the Sanctuary just in time to encounter John Druitt (Christopher Heyerdahl) giving her other self a hard time. This Helen Magnus has accused Druitt of being Jack the Ripper. This particular moment gets very complicated. It makes sense that twenty first century Magnus would want to stop Druitt from harming her nineteenth century self. In preparation to do just that, she pulls out the revolver she has been holding on to as she carefully stays out of sight. Christopher Heyerdahl does a wonderful job of being the tortured soul who seems to need to kill Helen, yet cannot bring himself to do so because he loves her.
Downstairs, twenty first century Helen tells Watson that Druitt was upstairs, terrorizing her nineteenth century self. Watson is naturally concerned, and, although she tells him he cannot interfere, he reminds her that she has made a point to tell him about it. Adam Worth, continues Watson, will be at the Pall Mall Club that evening, although he does not know which version of Worth will show up.
At the sound of a door opening, twenty first century Magnus dashes away, so that nineteenth century Magnus does not bump into herself. Why did Helen Magnus tell Watson about Druitt? Writer Damian Kindler seems to have tossed a “red herring”, or information that diverts the attention of the audience away from the main story, into this episode.
At the Pall Mall club, where it is made quite plain that this is a gentleman’s club and women are not welcome, Twenty first Century Helen has a chat with her future counterpart Adam. We can tell it’s him because he doesn’t have the longer side burns of nineteenth century Adam. Clever, no? Helen is so ticked at him, she is on quite prepared to shoot him.
But Adam reminds her that would not be a good idea since it could alter the future in unimaginable ways, not to mention the scandal it would cause for her other self. There is still the underground city of Praxis to consider as well. This Adam is the one who has created all the chaos that Magnus will have to deal with in the future. But they are not there yet. None of it has happened. Adam is quite willing to change the future and says as much to Helen. But, while he is distracting her, she reasons that he is hanging around for a reason that has nothing to do with experiencing the pleasures of the past. She reasons that he is looking for money from the gentlemen at his club to fund his daughter’s cure.
As Magnus leaves the club, we see that twenty first century Helen secretly observes nineteenth century Magnus as she examines the dead body of another female Ripper victim. What this has to do with the current story is a bit of a mystery. But it seems that there will be more that will be revealed later on.
One thing we do learn about twenty first century Magnus is that she is so determined not to interfere with the timeline that she is considering poisoning Imogene if Adam is successful with his cure for her. This is a bit of a surprise. Helen Magnus did not seem to be this dark in previous episodes of Sanctuary. Did Amanda Tapping, Damian Kindler and Martin Wood get together and decide to take the series in an entirely new direction for season four?
Of course, it is only a matter of time before twenty first century Magnus comes across John Druitt in an alley. The rain is still coming down in buckets and everyone is still getting drenched. Druitt has a knife and he seems prepared to use it on Helen. Fortunately, she is quite adept at taking care of herself. She manages to get him against a wall and demands, “How does it feel to have cold steel against your jugular, in the hands of someone who knows how to kill you slowly and is prepared to do it?”
Poor Druitt is completely taken aback. This is not the Helen Magnus that he knows and has bullied for so long. It looks like, regardless how much Magnus wants to avoid changing the future, she already has done so through her new behaviour toward her friends from the past.
A new character is introduced at this point. A creature that Helen knows as “Spring-Heeled Jack” (Fraser Aitcheson) jumps down from a rooftop. He knows her and is very familiar with her background. She attempts to convince him that she can protect him in her Sanctuary. All he has to do is stop killing and she will protect him. But Jack is defiant. He states that “Humans hunt Jack, so Jack hunts humans”. It looks as though John Druitt as Jack the Ripper may now be called into question. The real Ripper is the creature called Jack!
Helen finally finds Adam and his daughter in a makeshift lab. It seems that he has finally found a cure for Imogene. Helen is determined to stop him for destroying Praxis and altering the timeline. Adam fires his weapon at Helen. He misses and she escapes the building. He pursues her chasing her into a blind alley with no exit. Helen continues to fight back, throwing a knife at him and stabbing him in the leg. As Helen continues to attempt to get away, Imogene arrives, no doubt looking for answers about what is going on with her father.
Adam fires his weapon wildly into a brick building, knocking bricks and rubble loose. The material crashes down on Adam’s daughter. He has accidentally killed her. Furious, Adam tries to attack Helen again. She is forced to fire a weapon at him, killing him and turning him to dust. Moments later, the Helen that belongs in this time line arrives and so does the nineteenth century Adam. Distraught, he blames Helen and Watson for his daughter’s death.
The episode ends with twenty first century Helen chatting with Watson. She can’t return to the future. This leaves her in a quandary about what to do. Should she commit suicide rather than take the chance that she will accidentally damage the timeline?
Watson has the answer. She can go somewhere remote and take a 100 year vacation, then rejoin her timeline just after she left it. After 113 years not always staying away from people (Normandy) , Helen Magnus is most likely to become a little eccentric to say the least. I expect that there will be some big surprises in future episodes as a result of this one very pivotal episode where we learned about Helen’s past. What do you think?
Sanctuary returns on the Space and Syfy channels Friday October 14, 2011 with “Uprising” continuing the story arc of the current timeline with the rebellion of the abnormal population after the disaster caused by Adam Worth. We include the exciting trailer below and hope you make sure to turn in and support science fiction by watching Sanctuary live. Thank you.
Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this interview or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.
Hello fans of the lovely Canadian actress Krista Rand!
Recently I had the pleasure of conducting an extensive interview with an up and coming actress, the gorgeous Ms. Krista Rand!
During our time together we touched upon a wide range of entertainment and personal topics including her work in film, on television, in stage plays, dancing and one of her passions, her workbook LIVE updates! (click the banner below to visit Krista at her Workbook LIVE page)
A resident of Vancouver British Columbia, this wonderfully talented actress was kind enough to invest nearly ninety minutes of her time in an intimate interview.
A seasoned stage actress and dancer, Ms. Rand has a flair for professional makeup artistry on the stage, for weddings and other special events! Krista also shared several aspects of her private life with Karen Ford (our former WHR Sanctuary Team Leader) and I such as her leisure activities and discussion about things like her good friend Gina Holden and even a little about a cats life!
Krista is passionate about her charity interests as well including her support of Sanctuary For Kids and the search for a cure to the genetic disorder, Hunter Syndrome and their Once Upon A Cure gala this very weekend.
Perhaps most telling was her recent experiences at the Sanctuary season three wrap parties! Yes my friend you have read correctly, there was two parties in Vancouver the weekend of August 21, 2011, the official studio event and an after party at non other than the home of Robin Dunne featuring a 1980’s motif replete with exciting music playlists from that much beloved bygone era.
Sworn to secrecy after Comic-Con 2011 where Ms. Amanda Tapping revealed that the Sanctuary was credit to house Mr. Dunne, we have not leaked the details of the 80’s Sanctuary wrap “after party” and whether or not Robin Dunne was able to keep his pants on during the festivities in his own home, but YOU can listen to the revelations here, now TODAY for YOURSELF! ZOMG!
I could go on for a long as the wonderful interview itself, but will cease so you can enjoy the vibrant spirit that is Krista Rand! She is an exciting personality to talk with so I know you will enjoy her interview as much as I did in conducting it.
Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article. Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story.
Hello and welcome back fellow science fiction fans.
Boy do I have a treat for you. I would like to introduce you to a new and talented actor. He has been in episodes of two of my favorite series, Sanctuary and Stargate Universe.
I first came across this young gentleman while tweeting. And after a short time of tweeting back and forth, I come to find out that he has never done an interview of any sort – EVER!! Who is this person you may ask? Well his name is Mr. Brian McCaig! Brian discusses many great experiences including his time with James Bamford, Lou Diamond Phillips and acting friend mentor Gina Holden too!
Well with this being his very first one, he done an awesome job. I think I was more nervous then he was. Mainly because if you look him up on Google, there is not much out there on him.
Even his biography IMDb site has very little information, so as a clean slate if you will, I thought you would like to learn more about . A sure way to find out who this young man was and what his likes and dislikes are.
During our nearly one (1) hour chat with Brian McCaig, I arranged, with the help of Kenn of course of WormholeRiders News Agency and another team member, reporter ArcticGoddess1 we talked about number of subjects including his time in Stargate Universe during the 2011 episode “Alliances” where he appeared with MingNa and Lou Diamond Phillips.
We discussed his role on Sanctuary, as well as how he got his guest role on Stargate Universe. We learned a bit about Brian’s personal side of life things including his birthday, his favorite things as well as if he is single or not. I will leave that one for you ladies to actually hear from him!
We chatted as to how he chose Twitter to get his name out there as opposed to Facebook or MySpace. There was even a question I HAD to ask for all the women out there. And if you follow me on Twitter, you all know where I am going with this. But again, I will leave that question and answer to the audio interview you are about to listen too.
I hope you enjoy our interview with Brian McCaig as much as I loved doing it. And now without any further delay, may I present to you, Mr. Brian McCaig. 🙂
Thanks to Kenn for video embedding and many thanks to you for dropping by WormholeRiders News Agency for Mr. McCaig’s interview.
Please feel free to leave a comment below, click on the various buttons below to share this article around the Internet, or you can nab me on twitter by clicking on my avatar. Hope you liked the interview as much as I enjoyed helping to conduct it.
We bring the beloved supporters of the children some special news. In only four weeks from tomorrow, one of the most significant charity events to help children with Hunter Syndrome will occur in Vancouver British Columbia. Often referred to as “Hollywood North”, a superb organization has taken shape over the past three years from humble beginnings.
Of whom do we speak? The organization is known as Once Upon A Cure pioneered by Ms. Deb Purcell, a wonderful person who has dedicated a great portion of her life’s energy to finding a cure and mitigation for the unfortunate young souls who are suffering from Hunter Syndrome.
Known or referred to in the vernacular as MPS-II, Hunter Syndrome is a genetically inherited disease with devastating consequence for the afflicted whereby long chains of sugar molecules (mucopolysaccharides) are not broken down correctly by the victims system and build up in the body.
The symptoms of this tragic disease affect its targets in different ways often with life threatening consequences including organ failure.
Although this horrible genetic disorder primarily affects male children, there are female case studies dating back many decades that this malady can also attack opposite sex of our species with terrible results as well. In any circumstance, MPS-II whose formal scientific name is Mucopolysaccharidosis, can make life a living nightmare for the children suffering from the malady.
In 2010 we had the honor to be present at a charity fund raising event called Taco’s For Trey covered by a former member of our staff. Throughout the course of the past year we quietly provided support on Twitter to the event sponsor to endeavor to raise more money for the Vancouver based chapter of the MPS-II efforts. This year the expanded event will be conducted at:
Sutton Place Hotel 845 Burrard Street Vancouver, British Columbia 1-604-682-5511
All credit for the hard work performed by Ms. Purcell’s team and we have followed their progress which began as an idea, progressed via e-mail and conference call, moved to a concept on Powerpoint and has now blossomed into a full fledged web site charity campaign, a social media movement with Twitter account and Facebook page earning the well deserved support and acclaim of many of Vancouver’s greatest entertainment talents
All of these outstanding actors are appearing at the “Once Upon A Cure” gala September 24, 2011 to raise charity funding to aid those afflicted as discussed in the official press release below from Once Upon A Cure!
For those who live or will be will be in Vancouver, please click the banner below to order a ticket for the event. For those more fortunate financially you may even a reserve a table of eight for your entire charity delegation to demonstrate your support for this worthwhile cause.!
Team WHR respectfully request that everyone, whether you can afford to attend, please visit the “Once Upon a Cure” web site and make a donation. We know that times are tough including for many in the entertainment business in Vancouver, however no child deserves to suffer the horrors of Hunter Syndrome.
Even if you cannot attend yourself, a modest donation can be made by clicking the image to above right to help the children. Thank you.
We include our special music video about “Wish on a Star” to cure Hunter Syndrome for your pleasure and the official press release for your edification. Enjoy!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:HOME INFUSION BREAKTHROUGH FOR RARE DISEASEFor three and half years the Purcell family spent every Monday at BC Children’s hospital, where their son Trey received Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) infusions to treat MPS II (Hunter Syndrome), a rare degenerative disorder with which he was diagnosed at age two. No more! After six months of training, mom Deb Purcell is now the first ever parent in Canada qualified to do the infusions and has begun treating her son at home. This means their family has regained that day each week for living.There were a number of hurdles that prevented the practice of home infusions in BC until now – the most challenging being a personnel issue. The BC health care system allows for nurses to make home visits to begin infusions and to de- access, but they aren’t able to stay for the duration of a long infusion like Trey’s, which lasts 4 hours. With the use of ERT in MPS II treatment, there is always a chance of an adverse reaction, so a physician or experienced health care provider should supervise. With the medication in place, the home supplies provided by the government’s “At Home Program” and the family more than willing, the manufacturer of the ERT hired Bayshore Home Health to train and supervise Deb in the complicated procedure, and continue to retain the home nurses as a reference, resource and emergency contact for Deb and family."Home infusions have given us our life back. Instead of having to cancel Trey’s baseball opening ceremony, a baseball game and a birthday party this past weekend, we were able to reschedule Trey’s infusion for a time when nothing was planned. We can now travel for more than 8 days at a time. Given the progressive nature of this disease, these extra moments mean everything to us.” – Deb PurcellIt’s fitting that Trey’s family is part of this medical advancement in Canada. When Deb learned in 2006 that Trey had a crippling disorder, she successfully lobbied the government & BC Children’s Hospital for Trey to be the first child in Canada, who was not participating in the trial, to receive ERT, which was newly approved in the US, but not yet approved by Health Canada. Remarkable results from this treatment have since been observed in Trey – many of his symptoms have been reversed and the progressions of other symptoms have been halted.Health Canada has now approved the ERT and most provinces have made it available to Hunter patients, but ERT is a treatment – not a cure. So, the Purcell family has created a number of initiatives to raise the funds necessary to continue the research needed towards finding a cure to MPS II. To date these fundraisers have brought in $184,000 with all but 5% (used to cover basic admin. expenses) going directly to research grants applied for by doctors in the field of MPS II Research around the world.With hopes to increase the yearly number of grants made available, this year’s fundraiser, ‘Once Upon a Cure, a Gala for Hunter Syndrome Research’, will be held at The Sutton Place Hotel, Vancouver, on September 24, 2011. Having ties to the film and television industry, they have attracted the attention of a number of Vancouver actors and VIP’s, who will be in attendance to experience the magical Alice in Wonderland themed cocktail reception, plated dinner, live & silent auctions, infamous Chocoholic dessert buffet, live entertainment and local celebrity DJ, to dance the night away. Not only will this event bring in the funding necessary to continue researching a cure, but it’s sure to become an annual event people will look forward to marking on their calendar. If you would like further details about this event or MPS II Please visit us at: Once Upon A Cure.If you would like to know more about this topic, or to schedule an interview with the Purcell family, please call Deb Purcell at (604) 980-0930 or email at dpurcell@telus.net.Contact Info:Jennifer Lo, Media Directormedia@onceuponacure.comAs always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency.
Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article. Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, WHR on Facebook or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and the Team WHR look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side"! Thank you. Best Regards, WR_Systems (Kenn)
Whew that is quite a mouthful and a lot of entertainment planned by Syfy as the time for Comic-Con 2011 at the San Diego Convention Center draws near! The best news for you in the fandom? Fear not fans, the WHR Team will be there for you to cover as many of these fantastic events as is possible!
Very high on our list are programs the great cable network Syfy. As you may be aware, the WHR team has covered many of the programs featured on this fine channel. In fact just prior to Comic-Con we announced yesterday news and review teams to perform detailed analysis and reviews on EVERY television series listed below!
Additionally, we have long enjoyed the entertainment news of E! Online who is teaming with Syfy for an extraordinary gala event at Comic-Con as discussed below in their recent press releases AND many of our favorite Syfy executives and publicists including Brenda Lowry, Craig Engler, Gary Morgenstein, Maureen Granados will be there AND Syfy will be screening their newest web series “The Mercury Men” too!
ZOMG! Can any convention crew such as Syfy and E! Online get geekier than this? We think not!
WHR looks forward to seeing hundreds of thousands of you SciFi Geeks in less than two weeks at Comic-Con as we deploy our largest convention news team in history with eight (8) credentialed senior editors and reporters supported by members of staff!
So as be prepared to “Runaway” to San Diego and Geek Out, we have prepared a special music video with a few sneak peeks and looks back at the wonderful adventuresSyfy has planned for us all! Enjoy!
And who knows... we may even smuggle friend of LadyTron, our little "Runaway" Internet security consultant and resident entertainment expert Adria_the_Cat into the festivities in order for her to squee, errrr purr with and for you and all of our favorite science fiction celebrities! :-P
PRESS RELEASES:NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES – In continuing with its yearly tradition of delivering the ultimate fan experience at Comic-Con – and winding down the convention with the hottest party of the entire weekend – Syfy has unveiled its plans for participation at Comic-Con 2011.As in years past, a multitude of talent from Syfy’s hottest series will participate in interactive panels, where fans can get their burning questions answered and get all the behind-the-scenes secrets on their favorite shows! On Syfy’s docket for this year are hit Warehouse 13, Eureka, Being Human and Sanctuary, as well as new series Alphas, (premiering July 11 @ 10pm). Syfy will also hold a screening on Friday night (July 22), where fans can get an early sneak-peek of that evening’s new episode of Haven as well as the following Monday’s new episode of Eureka.Outside of the convention hall, attendees will once again get a taste of all things Syfy at the fan-favorite Café Diem, across the street from the convention center at the Hard Rock Hotel (207 5th Ave). This fictional local hot spot heavily featured in the popular series Eureka will serve up Syfy fare both on and off the menu and will remain the perfect place for fans to relax and refuel during a long day at the Con.In addition, Syfy Ventures, Syfy’s portfolio of businesses and joint ventures, and Her Universe™, a leader in female genre merchandise, will unveil the first pieces in the Syfy branded collection of apparel and accessories for the growing female science fiction fan base. Comic-Con will be the premier venue for the first launch items, including convention exclusives, starting July 20 and running through July 24. Additionally, the items will be available at both Syfy.com and Her Universe Shop Dot Com.As previously announced, On Saturday, July 23rd, Syfy will partner with entertainment powerhouse E! Online for its most popular Comic-Con event: the star-studded party at the Hotel Solamar in the heart of the Gaslamp district. This invite-only, exclusive soiree has cemented its place as the hottest ticket at the convention and the most talked-about party of the weekend, and this year is no different as Syfy teams up with E! to continue the tradition. E! Live from the Red Carpet: The Syfy/E! Comic Con Party will stream the festivities in real time on both E! Online and Syfy.com, with E!’s Ben Lyons and Jael de Pardo (Syfy’s Fact or Faked) as co-hosts.Syfy’s panel schedule is as follows (subject to change):Friday, 7/22/113:00pm - 4:00pm, EurekaSmall town. Big panel. Syfy’s smash hit Eureka is back at Comic-Con. Colin Ferguson (Jack Carter), Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Allison Blake), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo) and guest star Felicia Day (Dr. Holly Martin) join executive producers Jaime Paglia and Bruce Miller for a chat about the big secrets of America’s smartest little town. Moderated by guest star Wil Wheaton (Dr. Isaac Parrish; Wesley Crusher, Star Trek: Next Generation). Ballroom 20.4:15pm - 5:15pm, Warehouse 13
For one day only, America’s top-secret treasure trove Warehouse 13 is moving from the middle of nowhere to the middle of Comic-Con. Join stars Eddie McClintock (Pete Lattimer), Joanne Kelly (Myka Bering), Saul Rubinek (Artie Nielsen), and Allison Scagliotti (Claudia Donovan) along with executive producer Jack Kenny as they take you inside Syfy’s blockbuster hit series, Warehouse 13. Moderated by Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo, Eureka). Ballroom 20.6:00pm - 7:00pm, AlphasSyfy’s newest original series Alphas has taken the summer by storm – and it’s just the beginning. Join cast members (TBA), co-creator and executive producer Zak Penn (X-Men: The Last Stand; The Avengers) and executive producer Ira Steven Behr (Star Trek: The Next Generation; The 4400) as they reveal why impossible is what Alphas do best. Alphas premieres Monday, July 11 at 10PM ET /PT and stars David Strathairn, Malik Yoba, Warren Christie, Azita Ghanizada, Ryan Cartwright and Laura Mennell. Moderated by Geoff Boucher (“Hero Complex,” The LA Times). Room 6A.9:00pm – 11:00pm, Syfy Screening: Eureka, Haven & The Mercury Men
Imagine Greater with fellow fans during an advanced preview screening of the next all-new episode of Eureka, followed by a special presentation of an all-new Haven. And be sure to stick around for the exclusive premiere of the all-new digital series, The Mercury Men. Room 6A.Saturday, 7/23/1111:00am - 12:00pm, SanctuaryThrilling action, revolutionary green screen sets and more bumps in the night than you can count. Catch Amanda Tapping (Helen Magnus), Robin Dunne (Will Zimmerman), and moderator Josh Gates (Destination Truth) as they take you inside Syfy’s hit series Sanctuary. Hilton Bayfront, Indigo Room.12:00pm - 1:00pm, Being HumanFind out why Being Human Is Harder Than It Looks – especially when you’re a vampire, werewolf or ghost. Don’t miss Sam Witwer (Aidan), Meaghan Rath (Sally), and Sam Huntington (Josh) as they join executive producers Jeremy Carver and Anna Fricke on Syfy’s first Being Human panel, moderated by award-winning writer Nadira Hira (expert on Generation Y; contributor, Fortune magazine). Hilton Bayfront, Indigo Room.NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES – In continuing with the yearly tradition of wrapping up its Comic-Con festivities with the hottest party of the week, Syfy will once again host its traditional Saturday evening celebration, this time with a new partner: entertainment powerhouse E!. On Saturday, July 23rd, Syfy and E! will host the annual star-studded party at the Hotel Solamar in the heart of the Gaslamp district. This invite-only, exclusive soiree has cemented its place as the hottest ticket at the convention and the most talked-about, star-studded party at Comic-Con.This year, E! Online, the ultimate destination for LIVE celebrity coverage, will give its fans a spot on the party’s red carpet with a hosted, online live-streaming event. E! Live from the Red Carpet: The Syfy/E! Comic Con Party will stream the festivities in real time on both E! Online and Syfy.com, and will bring all the excitement of the red carpet celebrity arrivals to fans watching from home.“We are thrilled to be partnering with E! for our most buzzed-about event of the year,” said Blake Callaway, SVP, Brand and Integrated Marketing, Syfy. “As the top brand in entertainment, E! boasts unparalleled access and resources that will not only make the event an unforgettable one for our guests, but will also let fans outside of San Diego participate in the fun via our first-ever live red carpet live stream.”“Comic-Con is a pop culture phenomenon that uniquely blends together celebrity and entertainment with sci-fi and comic book culture – the perfect platform for E! and Syfy to join forces for this extraordinary event,” said Suzanne Kolb, President, Marketing, News and Online for E! “Together with Syfy we will make sure fans get a front row seat online to all of the action at what is sure to be one of the year’s most talked about parties.”In addition to the party, Syfy and E! will be partnering throughout the weekend of the convention to give fans access to Syfy’s convention activities and announcements exclusively at E! Online. E! Online will serve up scoop on Syfy’s panels, interviews with Syfy talent and exclusive online debuts of Syfy’s all-new series trailers premiering at the Con. About E!E! is television’s top destination for all things entertainment and celebrity. E! is currently available to 98 million cable and satellite subscribers in the U.S. and the E! Everywhere initiative underscores the company’s dedication to making E! content available on all new media platforms any time and anywhere from online to broadband video to wireless to radio to VOD. Popular programming includes E! core franchises, “E! News,” “The Soup,” “Chelsea Lately” and “Fashion Police” as well as the network’s hit series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami, “Kourtney and Kim Take New York,” “Kendra” and “Holly’s World.” Additionally, E!’s “Live from the Red Carpet” signature events keep fans connected to their favorite stars on Hollywood’s biggest nights. E! is a network of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.About SyfySyfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 99 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency.
Please feel free to leave a comment here, or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, WHR on Facebook or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and we look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side"! Best Regards, WR_Systems (Kenn)
This is the last episode of season 3 from this very awesome and very cool series. The amount of talent and imagination that comes through each and every episode astonishes me as I watch each one. From the acting, to the special effects, even to the writers who help give us such ‘sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat’ thrill is nothing but amazing and brilliant. And imagine, it all started with webisodes. The shear determination alone to make Sanctuary what it is today is nothing less then total amazement.
The choice in people who plays each role equally contribute to the splendor and enjoyment each week. I can see why this show has such a big and strong fan base. Not just because of the awesome Amanda Tapping, but because each person brings a little of themselves into the characters they play, and thus make them so lovable.
Now onto the reason why you are all here.
With everything that happened from the last episode, we get a sense that something is definitely wrong with Hollow Earth. Abnormals who were living far underground for centuries, have now started to come to the surface. The cause has yet to be determined, but you can bet your bottom dollar it was not going to be something that Helen would have ever thought possible.
They were called for a meeting with a representative of the U.N. and a General of the U.S. Military. Not what Helen was expecting, but I guess she knew it was going to happen eventually. Of course the man in the General role was someone I least expected.
Every time I see this part in any episode, it amazes me that it’s all done by green screen. The whole room is in green. And knowing that, makes me appreciate the actors that much more. Not only do they have to remember their lines, and react like you would in any situation, but to do it all in an empty room. That in itself is WOW!!
Oh lookie who we got here. Yes, you got it. It is our lovable Col. Maybourne. NOT! Do not get me wrong, Mr. Tom McBeath is a brilliant actor, but is there a role that he did not play where he was just as snaky and ruthless as Maybourne? Though General Villanova is not much out of character then Maybourne! Both you want to knock up side the head. Even though with Maybourne, he lightened up towards the end. Maybe – no hopefully – in season 4 he would see that Villanova should have listened to Helen in the first place.
Then we have Dr. Lillian Lee, played by the lovely Francoise Yip. This character I kinda felt bad for. I felt she wanted to side with Helen (Amanda Tapping), but because of her superiors and the General, she had her hands tied as such. I liked her as she knows the good work that the Sanctuary has done in the past. But at the same time felt that this was too much for just one place to handle. Even with all the other Sanctuary’s in the different places around the world, they still did not have the space to take in all these abnormals that was surfacing.
Then we are taken to the make shift camp that the military has set up. Which peeved Will (Robin Dunne) off as it looked more like a refugee camp then a sanctuary to help the new visitors.
They meet up with an officer who when Will offered his hand, he promptly shook it. Unfortunately, when Kate did the same thing, he ignored her. That to me shows that he is one hell of an arrogant, young, (insert bad word), pigheaded, cocky, oh and (insert bad word again). 😛
As the abnormals are being “escorted” into the gates to the tents that has been set up, one of the officers offer a giant creature a bottle water. Not knowing anything about this abnormal, it smacked the water out of the officers hand. Of course being surrounded by military, they went all up in arms with the guns all pointed and being very trigger happy. That is when Kate jumped in to stop a possible altercation. She told the officer that water is toxic to this type of creature. And with that said, she took it inside.
At this point, Will is not happy with the whole situation. They came to them looking for help and all they are getting is being treated like thieves. That was up until Will spotted someone in the line up heading inside the gates.
Hmmm. Now, where have I seen this guy before?? Oh dear lawd, it is Edge (Adam Copeland). Well he did make a great pain in the arse in the WWE. Makes one wonder if he will bring some part of Edge to this character in this episode.
This is a fun episode to watch. Not only am I a fan of Sanctuary, but I do love watching Wrestling. Call me names all you want, but I just like watching WWE, both RAW and Smackdown. But sorry Edge, my favourite is John Cena. LOL
This was a nice section of the show. Poor Kate was a little hurt by the fact that the abnormals there would not accept water from her, but they would from Biggie. It was then that Biggie told Kate that it is her that is the strange one to them.
Then Kate (Agam Darshi)looks over and sees a small table set up. She walks over and makes a comment about the lovely stones. She asks if she could see one of the stones and that’s when the gentleman informs her that they were from his home and all he could carry with him to remember where he came from. She went to lay it back down on the table. This is when he introduced himself to her as Garris (David Milchard). He told her that she could keep it. Kate told him that was fine, but he took it and put it around her neck and tied it in the back. It was a very sweet gesture, I thought anyway, and a nice way to break down the mistrust between the humans and abnormals.
Then of course once Kate walked away, smiling, Garris looks over and sees Thelo and his sidekick, Herusan (Fraser Aitcheson) looking over at him. Just like his alter ego, Thelo looks like he has a plan up his sleeve. And knowing that, it cannot be good.
Well this cannot be good. Sometimes it is Helen calls on John to help her in something or another. But when Druit (Christopher Heyerdahl) is the one who pays a visit, you can bet it is up to no good.
Now we cannot end off season 3 without bringing back Adam (Ian Tracey). And once he came into the picture, you had to know that he was up to no good again. He is one of the best played psychos that I can remember to date.
Helen gets a notion that something else is going on with Hollow Earth that is causing the abnormals to surface. She reluctantly goes with John to investigate. She is so furious with him for letting Adam stay alive, not just once, but TWICE! Really? Is John not looking for a death wish.
Of course, with John’s motive for keeping Adam alive this time, was purely out of love. Or was it? Not in Helen’s eyes. This line of thinking will come apparent little later.
This picture is one of the most brilliant special effects that I cannot imagine they surpassing. And I say ONE OF the most as there have been so many during the past 3 years of Sanctuary that it is hard to find only the one.
Interesting how Fallan goes to Thelo to ask for his help. It is apparent that Fallan wants to abide by the rules by the ‘surface dwellers’.
Unfortunately, Thelo has a different agenda.
On a side note though. I felt really bad for John when he and Helen were walking the tunnels to find Praxia. Only to find it destroyed. Helen was so furious that he would not think of the consequences of going back in time just so he could change things between the two of them.
“If who I am now is so meaningless to you, that you would sacrifice it just to bed me in some other timeline. John, that’s not love.” Can you say Ouch? But oh so true. They have been through so much over the years, that you would think that John would just let it go and stop pursuing Helen. Maybe now he will.
I thought this was a very lovely scene. Kate had obviously changed from when we first met her. The ‘tough-girl’ image is gone. She no longer has to protect herself from people who might want to hurt her. Now she is apart of an awesome family who cares and looks out for each other. With Kate offering Garris a gift as a token of friendship, as well as from the fact that Garris had given her a gift from earlier, proves that Kate is a very caring person. She had proven that time and time again throughout this season. Makes me wonder what is in store for us in season 4.
Meanwhile, all hell is breaking loose in the camp that Will meets up with Kate and Biggie (Christopher Heyerdahl) to see what the devil was going on. That is when Kate tells Will that it was all over name calling. One of Thelo’s sidekicks called Kate a name that Garris took offense too, and that is what brought on this whole situation. I gotta give it to Garris though, standing up for a non-abnormal like he did says a lot about his character.
So Will decides to go and see Fallan, that is when Will realizes he is in trouble. With Fallan killed and Thelo & the gang just outside the tent, things are about to go very bad for Will. Will gets chased by Thelo and the boys until he is trapped at a dead end.
Awww. Poor Will. Knowing what is about to happen, he gives it his best. First he goes for a punch. But that did not do anything to Thelo. Then Will tries a head-but. That too is unsuccessful. Then he tried a few swings at Thelo, again, with no avail.
Then Thelo turned it around and got in a few punches and ended it with a clothes line. He should have done the “spear”. LOL. Poor Will, he should have had John Cena on the side to help him out. LOL. That is when Biggie and the other officers came to Will’s rescue. Biggie stayed to fight Thelo, as Will was escorted out. Of course his next concern was Kate. She was still in there somewhere.
Then back at the Sanctuary, something about this whole mess did not feel right to the guys. What was the whole point to the fight in the first place. Henry then tells Will that Druit came back with some info from Adam’s computers. That is when Henry told Will that the city was gone. And no doubt it had something to do with Adam and his weapon.
But… was it a weapon?
Will and Henry had to do the unpleasant task of having a chat with General Villanova and Dr. Lee. Something just did not feel right. That is when they discovered that this was all just a distraction from something greater. The real threat was coming. Adam’s invention was the cause of all this happening. Only problem was that Will did not have the proof that Dr. Lee was asking for.
That was until they lost the feed from the camp and when it did come back on, they were confronted with something they were not prepared for. Yep, you got it, Thelo and his thugs had taken over the camp and had hostages. One of which was Biggie. Not what they needed right now.
Of course the General wanted to go in all guns a blazing. Will wanted to go in calmly and try to talk to them. Though, do not think any amount of talking was going to persuade Thelo and his gang to back down and let their people go.
But it was too late. The Invasion has already began.
Meanwhile, Helen was working on the computers left behind by Adam, when the lights started flickering. Still not sure what to think, she continues on with her research. After the lights flicker a few more times, she does another search for Adam when John comes around the corner.
After some, with a bit more flickering, Adam finally comes into view. Though, not for long. Then he goes out of phase again.
Helen had tried to max out the power for the computers to bring him back. It worked for some time. Long enough for Adam to tell Helen the true reason why John let him live – yet again.
With John wanting to go back to the year to stop them from taking the source blood and Adam wanting to go back to the year to save his daughter, there laid the conflict.
In the end Adam seemed to have won. He compensated for the power and went out of phase again. Then John had an idea.
With him using himself to max out the power, he hoped to have stopped Adam from going back in time. But he was too late, the portal opened, Adam said his pleasantries in his egotistical manner and walked through.
This cannot be good. With Helen sent back in time, what effect will this have on her own self in that period? Will the future Helen experience tropic cascade failure because of having two of them in the one timeline? Think of SG1 – Point of View, when we had two Carter’s. That did not work out so well, did it?
As well, other things come to mind as to what the possibilities could come from this. Will Helen find Adam and stop him from saving his daughter? If caught, how will this Helen explain a handgun that has not been invented yet? If Adam does save his daughter from death, what will become of the Sanctuary as we know it? So many thoughts and ideas that it is exciting to see how season 4 will play out. And that in itself, makes me very excited to want to watch to find out. And I hope you feel the same.
I like to thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and analysis on this awesome episode. Please do leave a comment, or you can nab me on Twitter. Stay tuned for the fall when I and my team will be back to write up more of our thoughts on this fantastic series.
We include the full episode below courtesy of Syfy via Hulu! Enjoy!
Please feel free to leave a comment below, click on the various buttons below to share this article around the Internet, or you can nab me on twitter by clicking on my avatar. Hope you liked reading as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Every week, I love Sanctuary more and more. It’s a true factuary. I love that this wee ‘show that could’ is not afraid to say “To hell with the box!!! THERE IS NO BOX…”, and take its fans by complete surprise with every new installment of this epic story it has to tell. I love that Sanctuary is not afraid to have its own, unique and strong style. I love that in Sanctuary, what matters isn’t WHAT happens….but HOW it happens. Tasteful, intelligent and artistic!
This is where episode dix-neuf of the third season, ‘Out of the Blue’, comes in.
I don’t know what the writers are trying to do. You know, usually they’re pretty merciful, they get the need that we have for inhaling and exhaling at regular intervals. So what changed in the last four weeks? What did we do to deserve this blissful torture!?
First we were given ‘Awakening’, which brought back the dark sultriness of vampires and the earthy underground, then ‘Normandy’ blew our minds to smithereens with the much expected special effects and the return of the Holy Five into the midst of World War II. Then almighty ‘Carentan’ once again surpassed any expectations by adding to the previous episode with an added humanity, a brief but profound window on Helen Magnus (the elegant Amanda Tapping) and Will Zimmerman (talented wildcard, Robin Dunne) in the face of an ethical dilemma, and their own lives, and sanity, hanging in the balance.
And THEN…there was a little segment called ‘Out of the Blue’. Directed by the brilliant Martin Wood.
Not what we expected. Although with Sanctuary, you kind of learn to do away with expectations because really, our imagination fails compared with what they produce every week.
‘Out of the Blue’ sort of feels like an answer to ‘Carentan’. It does away the drama of physical action altogether and leaves us in a dream world full of confusion and frustrated irony. Like any of our dreams (please keep them to yourself…*COUGH*), little of it makes sense, and while everything is somehow familiar, it’s all somehow completely wrong. Disturbingly so. This is a wonderful character episode, It delves into the psyche, trying to unravel the complexity of human desires in contradiction with reality, and is such an intriguing, and at times painful, insight into psychology of both Helen and Will. It is simple and direct, without heroics or an elaborate storyline.
When we first heard of this episode, the cast and creators warned that it would throw fans off their scent. The fans were teased with the surreal content of the episode, that the characters were unrecognisable, and altogether a bit confusing!
It’s true, nobody could have known, but then Sanctuary fans are renowned for their intelligence and passion, and have quickly learned not to accept events in the show at face value. Besides the obvious, there are so many layers and complexities to ‘Out of the Blue’…it’s one of those episodes that every time you watch, you’re blasted with a new level of understanding.
It’s obvious that something is different from the outset. Will Zimmerman, professional ‘freaky eyes’, in a classy suit running after the garbage truck isn’t exactly how we’ve come to know him. Maybe Robin Dunne would (we could expect anything of that dude), but middle-class suburbia isn’t Will’s regular hangout.
One might jump on the science-fiction bandwagon and suspect alternate-universe-timeline or some other doo-hicky. But then you remember: this is Sanctuary. Convention be damned! There is no box!
Too right! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Heehee.
Couple all that with domestic bliss and pregnant wife Abbie (Corrigan, played by the bubbly Pascale Hutton), and we have ourselves a situation!
Despite the complexities and psychology and what-not, the comedy in this episode is unique. No one-liners, cheeky banter, but simply the funny things that happen to everyone, every day. No effort required to make a dork of yourself! Situational comedy hands down.
Funny things like trying to walk and stalk a talkative kitty that just clawed its way over the warm bonnet of your beautiful shiny Beema.
Funny things like that awkward moment when you have to walk AAAALL the way, breathing heavily, over the street to your hermit artist neighbour (whom nobody REALLY gets), holding a squirming cat at arm’s length and trying desperately to NOT get white fur all over that lovely black, smooth blazer.
Funny things like the deadpan look from Helen Druitt as she stares at you. You, who dares to hold her beautiful white Henry like he’s a filthy football.
Funny things like Monty dropping on Helen’s lawn.
Funny things like Helen. With a lawn. And a house.
WAIT A MINUTE. HOLD THAT TEACUP. Did you say Helen Druitt? *cue shipper squee from the world over* But there’s always so much more to it, we should know this by now! It’s not about mach-making, it’s the fact that tension is so much more satisfying than having every wish fulfilled!
Before we delve into the deliciousness of psychological torture (AHEM), just a few comments on a performance that blew most fans out of the water. Amanda Tapping. Helen Magnus as we’ve never seen her. This was something that was so far divorced from the Helen we know, but at the same time, she was one and the same strong, compelling and complex woman. To see a Helen so confused, anxiety-stricken, insecure and at times crushingly vulnerable, Amanda’s performance was subtly and lightly brushed with effortless English humour, flashes of unique strength and pride, and rippled by a heartbreaking humanity. Absolutely breathtaking… *stops breathing*…
It’s so hard to discuss the intricacies of Amanda’s nuanced delivery without plunging into the psychology of Helen, whom nobody REALLY gets. So back to the Blue we go…
The beauty of this episode is that the prequel to it is important, but is just that, a prequel. It is not until the resolution of the narrative that we really have any idea of the premise, and of WHY all this has happened. Curiously though, it doesn’t matter. Whereas many writers would concern themselves with screening the dramatic events that led to this situation, Sanctuary breaks the mould. Writer Damian Kindler beautifully dispensed with the need for exhibition, and made the point of view to be from the patients: Helen and Will.
The most pressing need for them, and for us as the audience, is to make darn sense of all these disparities, to understand why on EARTH Helen drinks coffee, wears lumpy cardigans and paints all night, and why Will doesn’t understand how he married Abbie and became a surgeon. What engages us is not how they came to be in this situation, but the journey of both these characters as they struggle to make sense of their lives. Ultimately it is about the personal journey from moment to moment, more so than the destination.
The first …well…’abnormal’ clue is actually from the very first moment that Helen opens her front door to rescue her precious feline creature from her fastidious neighbour. “DECLAW?! He’s an innocent creature!” Over her shoulder, Will spies the ghostly phantom of what seems to be…a creature? Symbols? But it is gone from his and from our sight before we can fathom what we are looking at. It is as fleeting and surreal as if it were a dream. He is brought jolting back to his ‘reality’ with an indignant English woman demanding he get out of her house. The true nostalgic spirit of Dr. Helen Magnus shining through in this neighbours-at-war scenario.
Also, I think many fans will be naming their future kittens ‘Henry’. The irony is too side-splitting! What would a werewolf think? Ravaged by self-cannibalism?
The ironic paradox is also Helen the painter. What happened to the feisty, gun-toting 159-year-old doctor, hell-bent on abnormal salvation?! The levels of irony in this 19th episode ebb from hysterically funny, to cruelly tragic. In the real world, Magnus and John Druitt (the versatile and immensely talented, Christopher Heyerdahl) were torn apart by his ferocious demon, followed by a century of revisited pain and anger, torn by what-might-have-beens and the birth of a daughter.
It seems like she can’t have it both ways! In many ways, ‘Out of the Blue’ reflects the innate desires and dreams of Helen and Will; if Helen had followed her young dreams and married the man she loved, if Will had ignored his intuitions, and had become respected in his field. It just goes to show that maybe, after all, everything in life happens for a reason.
As Helen says “I got married because it was supposed to make me happy!”, and yet it didn’t, while in reality having their daughter was everything to her, besides her work. The angst and tension between Helen and Druitt is one and the same, the same betrayed love and trust, the same frustrations. The confrontations between the two of them calls for some of the most sublime deliveries from both actors, as Druitt gently asks, what is it that Helen wants? GOOD QUESTION! Helen herself doesn’t seem to know, her face twists in confusion and anxiety as she tries to make sense of herself, of John, of the whole damn situation! Everything just seems WRONG. Her frustration and loneliness is no different from the real world, and yet back when she was young and in love, it had been everything she wanted. Or so she thought.
And for God’s sake, she’s not Scottish.
Intuitionally, this Helen knows that her life is wrong, there is so much more that she is capable of, work that will actually make a difference to the world!
“I don’t know! Help homeless children! Work with animals….GOD SOMETHING!… BLOODY AGENTS!!”
And once again Helen asks Will to take a leap of faith. And die. Again.
Will, losing patience with Abbie’s “tinky woo-woo crap” (IRONY!), can’t remember the basic names of drugs and medical conditions, not a good headspace to be in with an upcoming bypass surgery. Instead both he and Helen find themselves saying and doing things that, out of context, make no sense at all! Semblances of their real selves start to poke holes in the fabric of this reality, which seems to be making an enmeshed plot out of suppressed desires, which, like all dreams, confuses us as our brain tries to make sense of the disparity between this dream-world, and what it knows to be a fact.
But then again, what would we be without our dreams? WHO would we be? As Will says. “Our dreams are actually our reality”, and while it may be literal in their case, so it could be for the rest of us. Thought-provoking, no?
There is something delightfully homey about this episode. No big guns or historical heroics, but the simple struggle of two human beings who can’t make sense of themselves. It is an episode about the people, not so much about events, and everything within the setting, the plot, the delivery by both main characters, even the glorious music (SOUNDTRACK DO WANT) and pseudo-psycho shimmering mind flashes, all contribute to the very delicious human quality of the story it tells. Flashes of the lost Ashley (Emilie Ullerup), and Will’s mother give a very nostalgic and very anguished frustration to their mindset.
The music. OH the music!! The mere thought of Helen painting through the night in a lumpy cardigan and sound system blasting is hysterical, but Andrew Lockington’s absolutely perfect soundtrack gives Helen’s existence a very artsy, very alternative, very grungy café feel…it positively embodies the hermit and enigmatic painter that she seems to be. The tortured, starving artist. Hah!
This episode bears the true Trademark of Sanctuary. It is not afraid to venture into the unknown, not afraid to demand thoughts and questions from its audience, not afraid to question not only what defines it’s characters, but what defines us as human beings. It tears down the barriers between our internal realities, and the world in which we live.
I’m curious to see what effects the events in this episode have on Helen and Will. Will they remember their experiences? What effects will it have on their respective relationships, in particular, Will and Abbie?
And how wonderful to revisit an old stooge, Virgil St-Pierre! We barely touched on his character in Hero II, so what does this mean for his mercenary relationship with the Sanctuary team? Twisted as he is, there’s something endearing about his arrogant dudeisms. He reminds me of our beloved Edward Forsythe!
And for crying out loud! What in God’s name can be going on in Hollow Earth? What global Sanctuary alerts? I sense another of Damian Kindler’s infamous cliffhangers…
Stay sane for the epic finale of an EPIC SEASON!
If you can. I’ll be sitting here. Chewing up my cushions as usual. Waiting! Rocking in my corner… In the meantime we include the Sanctuary season 3 finale sneak peak courtesy of Syfy via Hulu!
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Thanks to Kenn for staging images, the featured video, and, many thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency! 
