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Category: Andrew Lockington

Sanctuary “Pax Romana” Season 3 Episode 11 Analysis with Video!

Welcome back Sanctuary fans,

The long awaited return of Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) and her core team of Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins), Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi) and John Druitt (Christopher Heyerdahl) finally arrived on our screens to the absolute delight of the fans of the series!

“Pax Romana” came back on Syfy with good ratings as well for a cable series, garnering approximately 1.27 million views for the second half opener of the third season of Sanctuary. “Pax Romana” is essentially the conclusion of the “Hollow Men” cliff hanger episode providing answers to several questions first raised in previous season three episodes.

As we may recall the evil Adam Worth (Ian Tracey) had lured the team to the city of Praxis home of the Hollow Men by telling tales of its wonder and escaping. Back at the Sanctuary previously, Helen and her team had decoded the holographic city map to figure out where the entrance to the fabled city depicted on the holographic maps exists.

Unfortunately for Team Magnus, the people of Praxis are not pleased with their mission success in finding them after Helen’s father Gregory left clues in a Holographic map. Instead the Praxis minions capture the explorers whom are promptly sentenced to death as their reward for being a bit too curious!

Before starting a few words about the outstanding green screen work, visual effects, make up and costuming both in Pax Romana and Hollow Men selected by executive producers Carrie Hall-Mudd, Damian Kindler, Martin Wood who also directed this episode and of course executive producer and actress Amanda Tapping.(which is why she is listed twice in our database).

As always, Brenda Turner for makeup and Christina McQuarrie (whom we followed with glee in Stargate and did the original designs) both do a wonderful job. The creation of cool costumes and the fabulous garb of the various Praxis city characters with makeup to match is superb.

In the area of VFX, Julie Bergman and John Lipskie outshine themselves once again with stunning visuals and CGI effects!

All these team members and so many more are what makes the story telling in “Pax Romana” and Sanctuary so enjoyable.

Meanwhile back at the underground environs, the politically hungry Ranna Seneschal (Polly Walker) had strung up four of our favorite characters to serve “justice” by executing them by electrocution on those horrible Praxis gallows to satisfy her agenda at the expense of our heroes! For goodness sakes people, what is the world (subterranean or otherwise) coming too!?

As we begin Helen is found to be alive in one chamber. In another Adam is taunting John Druitt revealing his vicious scheme to subvert the people of Praxis. Observed injecting himself, Adam obviously has more problems than he is revealing. We leave this sequence with a few people heading towards suspended and seemingly helpless John.

With obviously sharpened knives the fate of John Druitt does not appear to be good for his health. Rather ironic that John “Jack the Ripper” Druitt may get a taste of his own medicine!

Naturally Ranna had other plans for Helen Magnus as we find she is not actually dead. The entire spectacle has been staged by Ranna and her allies to fool the Praxis Senate while their real scheming agenda is about to be revealed. Apparently Ranna and her merry band of apparent troublemakers can reanimate dead folks and she summons Helen to her audience chambers after cooking her in the electrocution gallows before a wee bit of interrogation she does not want the Praxis Senate to observe!

But before the interrogation, Helen is served special Praxis milkshakes that are said to taste like a bit like “babies diapers”. Oh joy! The bad news is that no Big Mac or fries are to be served with the baby diaper milkshakes!

The turn-about for Team Magnus begins after Helen pieces together that something is wrong in the seeming paradise that the advanced subterranean city of Praxis is suffering from. Not only is there political turmoil, but actual earthquakes that threaten the well being of all Praxis inhabitants and us, the feeble dwellers on the surface of Earth as well!

Can you say we’re doomed like the character C3PO from Star Wars? Maybe R2D2 can help? Well be patient we will learn about computers a bit later on in the analysis as we see below.

We also discover that Big Bertha better known by Dr. Magnus as Jaffalis Berteloso and her revenge in the Kali trilogy was stopped in part by intervention from the power of the Praxis society which has stopped the abnormal elements from destroying the surface inhabitants of our world. The Praxis mysterious events are suspected by Magnus that someone intervened to launch the counter wave that Bertha had launched to swamp the world with tsunami in “Kali”.

Praxis a city of tremendous technology, has thrived in peace for thousands of years while we on the surface were in a state of mere technological infancy. Magnus is dismissed but is summoned once again when Ranna realizes she will need Helen’s knowledge of an abnormal creature called “Kannan”, in fact one of the super abnormal creatures that inhabit our world of Sanctuary.

Ranna admits to herself she must work with Helen to regain control of “Kannan”, a Tunisian Theropod, the creature responsible for the quakes threatening Praxis because of an illness that has stopped its critical work, the lovable tunneling that diverts volcanic magma away from Praxis on an ongoing basis.

During Pax Romana we also learn that Helen Magnus’ father, Gregory Magnus (Jim Byrnes) has not perished but is in fact a fugitive from the lords of Praxis! Will we see a reunion between father and daughter? Well of course we will, but not just yet!

Before continuing, a brief note on the fine actress Polly Walker. Many have missed her since her last notable science fiction role in Caprica as Sister Clarice. As Ranna, Polly Walker is delightful and motivated not in a lust for power like in Caprica as is initially suspected. Instead Ranna is dealing with an obdurate Praxis Senate and others who refuse to do what must be done to save the city to maintain peace and order for the entire world, both above and below the surface.

Another lovely guest star is Jody Thompson whom we have had the pleasure of watching from her roles in Stargate Atlantis, Smallville and Fringe to name but a few of her many film and television accomplishments. This time portraying the character Fallon, Thompson is an administrative aid to Ranna, but something does not seem quite right about her. And no I am not talking about her cool VFX slit eyes, but let us leave that particular topic for later discussion, shall we?

In the meantime we learn that much like a lot of some folks we have all encountered in life, the evil Adam has not been quite truthful with good ole Dr. Magnus about his alliance with the city folks of Praxis. Of course he has not been truthful! We need a good villain for “goodness” sakes! Ever since we met this foul character in “Breach” and “For King and Country” we knew this devil, in fact a bastard was up to no good!

Shoot! That danged Adam! If only Dr. Magnus had aimed that rifle at Adam’s head so long ago or only if John Druitt “The Ripper” had stabbed him a few times before he was thought to drown, think of all the trouble we could have saved? Well if that had happened we would not have this wonderful tale to revel in, so let us continue.

The dastardly villain Adam is up to his old tricks and plans to loot Praxis for his own aggrandizement to be remembered “for what every mad scientist wants, doing the impossible” to borrow a phrase from Dr. Will Zimmerman. Personally I would personally like to see Adam served to Big Bertha as a snack! However as I often say, “Patience is a Virtue” so we will need him for at least a few more minutes before we learn his ultimate “plans”!

Before we find out what that bastard Adam Worth is really up to, Ranna, Kate and Magnus head down to help treat super abnormal Kannan the magna tunnel creator.

Low and behold there is good ole Dad Magnus! After several episodes it is nice to see “dad” in the flesh, or what is going to be left of it if they do not figure out how to save the city which is apparently the only thing that keeps the “Super Abnormal Creatures” from destroying all life on the surface of planet Earth!

The sequence with “Dad” giving daughter Helen a hug is nice. After all family reunions are usually a lot of fun are they not? Is it not always fun and games with family during Easter, Thanksgiving, Hanukah and or Christmas? Well perhaps I am exaggerating as bit on that point since we know that some members of a family are not always so joyous to see us or we them!

Fortunately, Gregory Magnus is a good guy and we learn that he has been trying to help Kannan before the end of everything as we know it. He himself had diagnosed the condition as well as renal failure but had overlooked that this was merely a symptom of the root cause of the ailment.

Poor Kannan had been infected by a predatory trachnoid queen whose habitat and nesting area had been disturbed. Once this is discovered by our ageless genius Dr. Magnus and disclosed, a corrective action can be applied. During the discussion we learn that Gregory had sent the message to Helen and that Adam Worth had been assisted by someone else. Care to venture a guess? The answer has been right before our eyes. We will get back to that little gem in a bit and how I theorize that will play out in the future.

As we near the end of this fantastic tale of good versus evil, Adam is confronted and apparently trapped by Will and Henry on the streets of Praxis. Adam is carrying suitcases full of secret stuff for his evil plan to control the fate of all living creatures humans and abnormal alike. Just when we hope Adam will be stopped some of the escorts go white, attack Will and Henry allowing the dirty bastard of a scientist to escape to continue his plan to remake “history”.

Subsequent to Helen and Ranna curing Kannan so the tunneling beastie can resume his important work, Henry and Will figure out that someone has been helping Adam Worth for some time by looking at the Praxis computer systems. Catching the perpetrator comes from discovering the telling of a lie to another supporting character Commander Toland (Nels Lennarson) by Fallon. Will and Henry then ascertain that the missing element in this madness of Adam Worth being free is none other than Fallon herself!

It is her abnormal powers which allowed her to forge Ranna’s computer security credentials so that the evil scientist can access technology and permit him to steal the “Kelloram Device”. The Kelloram Device is a powerful but unstable energy source Adam needs for his scheme to change history by altering the time-line and changing his fate as well as that of the entire world!

Before concluding this review, I offer a word on such foul and despicable tactics as utilized by Adam Worth. Many if not all of us have been betrayed in our lives by people we once thought were allies. It happens all the time in the real world whether in business, families and or interpersonal relations.

We must never forget to watch our backs or suffer the same fate as Fallon who in her own undeniable quest for power in the city of Praxis, became the victim of her own betrayal of that which she claimed to want to protect! And so it is in life, many people are users, not givers and they will lie and cheat to obtain their ends!

With no regard to the lives of anyone else except himself, we observe that Adam also has no qualms about figuratively”stabbing his partner Fallon in the back” using a stun device he also stole from the Praxis vaults of technology!

As the episode draws to a close, evil scientist Adam Worth gets his in three ways. First Helen gets a couple of shots in as he disappears in the underground shuttle system. We are concerned he will escape. Have no fear, John Druitt is waiting to apparently finish him off.

I say apparently because at the very end end as Helen, Kate and Will with guns drawn wait until the the shuttle car returns after the computer system control is restored by Henry Foss. The Kelloram Device is aboard but there is no sign of Adam. Instead, written in blood is a message from John that “All Debts Have Been Paid in Full”!

True to character Druitt vanishes. However the body of Adam Worth is not located. And what of Fallon? My theory is that she somehow saved Adam and that we will see these two characters in the future of Sanctuary since no mention of her fate is discussed at all.

In the final touching moments Ranna and Helen come to terms while father and daughter Magnus are observed chatting. Each decide to go their separate ways once more on their never ending journey to save the world from the evil that lies within and threatens us all!

Sanctuary continues tonight 10 PM EST/PST and beginning April 25, 2010 moves to the Monday night lineup on Syfy. Be sure to tune in and support this fine series as it concludes its third season with more great episodes leading to the epic fourth season! We leave you now with the entire episode for your viewing pleasure courtesy of Syfy via Hulu. Enjoy!

As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Thank you.

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 the WHR on Facebook or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or on See You on The Other Side“! Thank you.

Best Regards,

WR_Systems (Kenn)

April 22, 2011
Sanctuary S3x10 “Hollow Men” Review – Definitely Not A Hollow Mid-Season Cliffhanger!

Hi Sanctuary fans and hello from Sanctuary Team in Europe!,

We have arrived. After ten weeks of adventures, unforgettable quotes and great characters’ moments we got to the mid-season cliffhanger of Sanctuary. We all dreaded that, knowing that with the minute Hollow Men is over, we will have to last through the mid-season break. But my dear viewers, what Sanctuary creators presented us with on 17 December 2010 was just mind-blowing and it is more than capable to get us through the weeks of waiting for the second half of the season.

So, grab a chair and let us do the review!

After we are treated to the ‘Previously on Sanctuary’ part, explaining the current major arcs, we set off with the Magnus (Amanda Tapping) and Adam’s (Ian Tracey) conversation. They have a quiet argument… battle of wits and their strengths, which is a bit ironic seeing as they are both dying of radiation poisoning.

You can easily see, that Adam is a true villain here… he always tries to angry his opponent and undermine their self-confidence. With Magnus he always attacks her feelings for Ashley, and hits the nerve. Although, by the stubborn expression on Helen’s face we can see that she knows his tactics, we can also sense it hurts her every single time.

After that, somewhat disturbing scene, we are very joyful to see the actual Sanctuary team coming down the hall. Kate (Agam Darshi), Will (Robin Dunne) and Henry (Ryan Robbins) all geared up follow Helen, the obvious leader, and like true friends they offer their support, not letting Magnus go on her little trip alone. I am sure, many of you rubbed their hands together upon seeing the team all dressed in the ‘adventure gear’. This episode truly gave us what we know and love about those people.

And when you think it cannot get better… Nikola (Jonathan Young) and John (Christopher Heyerdahl) show up. John quiet and Nikola obviously.. not.
This scene is one of the funniests in the episode. Tesla’s words like “Huey, Dewey and Screwy” describing Kate, Henry and Will (though no one knows if that is the order he had in mind). Or Helen’s “Don’t be bitter” and Nikola’s “But I do it so well.” – all make for the viewers’ good laugh.

And of course, I should not forget to mention Henry’s grimaced face when he utters “I have to pee” just before John zaps them to the gateway. Hilarious.

Couple of zaps later and we are with the team in a snowy, windy and overally cold place somewhere in the Asian mountains. On the sidenote, this still:

looks to me like a sketch taken from a comic book. My thought here is, that it adds to the, a bit gothic and also comic book-like feeling of the series itself.

But back to the action. After John teleports back and leaves the team alone, they spur back into their task. Locating the door quickly, they place all the pieces together.
“This is so Indiana Jones” – Kate

And we can see Helen is really excited for the journey they have ahead of them. But as usually, the problems will not leave them alone and after opening a few inches the gateway stops. Ahhh… but our heroes are resourceful and soon, they are cutting trough the ice with all they have. By the way, have you noticed the expression on Helen’s face when Henry turns the torch on for the first time and it appears small and weak? Looks trully funny. Amanda Tapping‘s comic talents shine through even in small details like this one, lightening Magnus’es character.
But I digress, after a few minutes of fumbling with obstacles and pushing the doors, with the help of a litlle Earth tremor, the team finally get the door open…. and promptly get locked inside when the heavy stone wall slides closed again after the four of them step inside.
Kate and Helen, already back in the working mode, discover a quartz based electronic eye and deduct quickly that this is what detected and got them locked inside. Team work of the ladies there and then, when the boys still try to gain their bearings.

One has to admit, that the moment the team walk inside and we can see the rocks and artificial lights, one can sense that the CGI will be unforgetabble. And Anthem does not fail us.

At the same time, John and Nikola are left at the Sanctuary with Adam… and that spells trouble. The boys’ club is chatting away, visibly provoking and making each other angry. Surprisingly, Tesla throws a few nasty comments but he is actually the “voice of reason” in their group. He proves that by ‘gently’ stopping John from suffocating Adam, stating Helen might need him.

Then we are back to the four explorers. They have already found the “Vampire detector” and as Helen states, “The light’s on” her source blood shield. However, the viewer can see the uncertainty in their somewhat slower movements and unsure looks. Even though, Helen is in charge of the trip (if not at the Sanctuary), Will steps in and offers the three of them will cross the barrier first. To his surprise, Helen agrees and when Henry and Kate pretend to look around Will decides to be the first one.

We see some cool CGI and then we stop breathing for a second when the barrier turns red while Helen is passing through. But everything turns out good and Kate states “I take back all I’ve said about Tesla” … to which Magnus responds quickly “Let’s not be too hasty”, as if sensing troubles. And right at that moment, the barrier comes to live and flashing red, starts to follow them gradually.

And when Hank and Kate jump up on a rock, while trying to avoid the red ‘thing’ (for the lack of a better word), they both stumble not-so-gently down the shaft when another Earth tremor hits. You cannot help but feel sorry for them too, always bruised or beaten, especially when Helen calls after them, fear for her friends visible in her eyes.

But she is not the only one worried. Back at the Sanctuary the Scary Duo, Nikola and John, detect the tracking device signal died. Worry written across their faces. When John is all about rescue, Tesla surprises us again, sitting calmly in front of the computer and investigating the cause of lost singal.

When the team is separated down in the Hollow Earth, we feel a bit sad, because we love the group dynamic. While Kate and Henry try to piece themselves back together, Magnus and Will explore the tunels further. Helen obviously fascinated by each small thing and the realization they “might be the first people in centuries who walk these corridors”.

Here comes a great scene… with a bridge… and a hole in it… sounds weird, huh? But believe me when I say that Helen Magnus can do anything!

Instead of jumping across at once, which as Will says “they can easily do”, Magnus sees the opportunity to cheat the red alarm thing chasing them. To her companion’s surprise, she swiftly does an impressing acrobatic act and is already hanging from one of the bridge’s bars!

It may seem I describe every movement, however, some of them have to be mentioned. They simply are the highlights of the episodes, which are brilliant anyway, but at such moments we go “Woohoo! Yeah Magnus!” or shout something similar in front of our TV sets. Remember Magnus wit a rocket launcher in Kali 3…

When poor Dr Zimmerman slowly follows Helen, we can see that it was a good idea after all (not counting the rockslide which leaves them bruised a bit) as the laser field passes them by and it is them now, who follow it to the city. But before that, we are privy to a nice moment between our heroine and Will. You can see he is worried about her, tries to get her to rest for a bit.

Will: “It’s just adrenaline talking.” Helen: “Well, yeah.. any port in the storm.”

That quote from Magnus is already on my favourites list.

And speaking of moving moments… at the same time one takes place between Kate and Hank. He is resigned, bleeding and bruised, she is too. However, when he wants to give up Ms. Freelander gives him a nice little talk why she needs Henry.

See, those are really the elements that keep us all watching Sanctuary. Visual effects are astonishing, stories breath-taking, jokes hilarious. But it all comes down to the creators trully caring and developing the characters and giving them fabulous interaction moments. In every single episode.

All right, the moving moments are over and we are thrown back into action with Helen and Will coming across the “armed escort”.

Helen: “At least we know there are humans down here.”

Luckily they avoid being detected and the security guards go back to their zeppelin, which Will propmtly states “Is. Awesome.”

Truly the CGI are mind-boggling. After a short ‘deep-breath’ moment and uncovering some ‘leftovers’ from an unknown (yet) species Magnus turns into a researcher. It is fascinating to see the many facades of hers – explorer, scientist, fighter – changing over so often and so quickly in her. Besides, it is always fun to see Will almost vomiting at something which Helen is sort of, fascinated by.

Then the next minute, what you know, they are running away from a basilisk! Magnus catching her wits about her in a record time, pulling her phone out to act as screen, she advices Will not to look at the creature.

“But that’s like saying… Don’t think of yellow rhinoceros!” Zimmerman says, covering one eye and stealing a glance at the creature with another. It looks really funny and gives us a good laugh.

After a bit of running, being almost burnt with fire, the protagonists meet the Nomadic culture representatives who save them from the basilisk. I have to say here, that when the man says “Apparently you speak ours [language]” is a nice twist to the ‘why they speak English’ nagging question appearing when you watch some other shows.

When the didvided team try to make the heads and tails of their respective situations and get to the city in one way or another. Adam, John and Tesla are again ‘chatting’ in the Sanctuary.

While, Nikola and John want to help Helen and the rest and they are truly worried, the change in Adam’s behaviour is obviously suspicious. However, Ian Tracey‘s acting skills are admirable, especially when it comes to the tone of his voice. He modules it whenever he slips from Hyde to Adam.

Meanwhile, Magnus and Will are treated to some food and they can witness what is the cultivation field of the Nomadic culture. Fantastic CGI. After quickly learning that they should have a clearance to get into Praxis (the name of the Holow Earth’s city) they are not at all discouraged in their quest. And by the way, one has to wonder why meeting another culture equals trying their not so tasty food….

While Magnus is still exploring the Nomadic habits, we get a first glimpse at Ranna (Polly Walker), and immediately you feel she is cold and dettached. And when, in calm voice she orders to look for the travelers, you think – troubles.

At the same time, poor Kate and Hank are still trekking through the labirynth of caves… But they find something… Plumbing!

Henry: “And where’s plumbing, there’s…”
Kate: “Toilets!”
Henry: “…Civilizaton.”

But the funny moment is over soon enough when unidentified monks appear and they promptly knock both of them out. Quickly and efficiently. Advanced civilizations like to act in such manners…

Part of the reason why we love the series so much is the way they edit the episodes. Especially those when you follow multiple storylines. In Hollow Men, when we are privy to one conversation and then cut to another one, we are not surprised to see it has already progressed. Actually, we are pleased to see the plots are constantly unfolding. In addition, evertyhing is quickly explained in a few efficient sentences or a quick dialogue.
That way, we are back to Dr Magnus and Will finding, what can only be called, “mass transit”.

Before you know, Helen, always the adventurer, is already getting inside one of the “Ping-Pong balls” and Will quickly follows her, truly surprised at her energetic behaviour. It is not like she is not always like that. However, there is something about Magnus in that episode that makes everyone wonder. Probably, it is the overwhelming need to meet her father mixed with finally seeing the breath-taking Praxis.

When they are both inside, you are able to feel their excitement, it is so huge. They glance out of the windows, outwardly fascinated and when Helen explains how the transport must work, you go all melting in your seat at her techno-talk. I know I did.

See, ther is a moment when Will tries to mimick Helen’s accent. It sounds funny and it is an interesting element of his character, however, it does not sound anyway near as fabulous as when Helen speaks.
But I digress. Even though they figure out they are heading into a trap, we all know there is no other way. So we wait in excitement, to see what is going to happen next.

And next is the scene back at the Sanctuary fort. The scary trio try to figure out a way to get inside the Hollow Earth. It is interesting to see them work together. And Nikola’s face expression when he gets left behind… priceless.

The viewers just know that John is heading into troubles. Do not trust the man with split personality. And we learn there are more pale friends of Worth’s, when they attack and cease John. This espisode nicely explains that there are many different cultures, creatures in Hollowth Earth. Each of them with their own agenda, history.

While that is happening, Freelander and Foss are thrown into a holding cell, and having a “Vista moment” as Henry puts it, after being knocked out. On the other hand we have Helen and Will, being captured upon getting out of the mass transit.

Helen: “And I believe this is our stop.”

Although, we all are sad they are held prisoners, we are thrilled to see how they will get out of it, after all it is what they do…

The duo is being led through an amazingly looking streets of Praxis. It is mind-blowing what Anthem can do with CGI. Just look at that:

And to think it is green screen, is just beyond imagination.

Next thing we know, we are overjoyed to see the gang back together, though in a holding cell. Fascinating to see here is, how much information the writers managed to fit in that short scene. And with a couple of jokes too. Investigating Henry’s wound, he will live. Exchanging information on how they all get there – “Let’s call it a tie” (Helen). Anger at unwelcoming greeting – them being from surface. And last but not least, acknowledging the Earth tremors and power fluctuations, which can be a means to escape, seeing as vast majority of Praxis’ technology works on it.

Personally, I also loved to hear how Helen turns to Kate when she asks about possible plan of escape, it shows the trust between them, again.

And then we are finally at the scene when Magnus and Ranna meet. Many waited for this. Magnus is, in some way, happy Ranna knows her, but that joy quickly fades away upon learning Ranna orders to execute them. Polly Walker does an admirable job here. Her face blank, betraying no feelings at all. The plot transforms quickly into another scene. The Sanctuary team hanging from the ceiling on some sort of electric handcuffs, really angry (politely putting it). We, as viewers, are also surprised when Henry is not able to transform and when, along with the team, we learn the Hollow Earth society is not as tolerant to abnormals as we all thought they would be. Seeing they want to simply kill the newcomers without sparing any moment to hear them out, we know they are not as advanced as we thought. Ranna, even though, answering some of the team’s questions, seems to be cold and distant.

After a few sentences, to our great surprise Helen, Kate, Henry and Will are electrocuted and Ranna walks away, while the screen fades away.

If they are dead, we do not know. After all it is a cliffhanger. I need to add, that the twist on the episode’s title was great, considering what happened in it. It was a cliffhanger with a kick, as it leaves so many plots unanswered and unresolved. The wait feels long, but look at it another way. You have much time to analyse the epsidode again…and again.. and think of possible rescue ways for the Sanctuary team.

Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders and reading my review. If you would like to comment you can do it below or visit me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar.

Best regards,
Katie__5

January 5, 2011
Gate to the Sanctuary, Melbourne: The Amanda Effect! One small drop…

CALLING ALL SANCTUARIAN GATERS!

Gate to the Sanctuary was an incredible Stargate and Sanctuary convention, held in Sydney by Culture Shock Events, and in Melbourne by Hub Productions. On the weekend of 11-12 December, 2010, several hundred extremely blessed fans had the opportunity to meet with some of their favourite artists, including Amanda Tapping of Stargate and Sanctuary, Robin Dunne of Sanctuary, as well as Carmen Argenziano (Stargate) and Chuck Campbell (Stargate and Sanctuary)

Further to my convention report, and the transcript of Robin’s panel, below is the MUCHLY anticipated, sublime and utterly inspiring transcript for Amanda’s hour of magic. Amanda’s panel was the most memorable for its soul, its beauty, its crazed goofiness, the hysterical giggles, the moved tears, and its intelligent and thoughtful Q&A.

Please note that these are written exactly how they are spoken. I chose to leave in the ‘umms’ and ‘aahs’, the little vocal nuances, so that you may read it exactly as was spoken by HER, and not by anyone else. I did not want to filter it, but left it as it is so that you may hear it as Amanda told it. It is not a written report, but a transcript of spoken language, and should be read as such. I have also tried to include descriptions of actions and facials expressions where possible. In the case of Amanda, it’s kind of essential!

I hope you enjoy the panels as much as we did! May you finish with a painful stitch, inspired beyoond belief, a mind in smithereens, and a heart exploding with love…it’s all about the living experience!

A MASSIVE bouquet of gratitude to the lovely @PaganX @MichelleDaGreek and @Abydos71 for your fabulous photographic contributions!

Please also note that this transcript continues on DIRECTLY from where Robin’s left off!

A day NEVER to be forgotten…

AMANDA TAPPING

(Bouncing and clapping in seat)I wonder who’s up next?! I’M SO EXCITED!!!!! (laughter and cheers)

(VIDEO)

Moderator: Amanda Tapping everyone!! (MENTALLY UPROARIOUS SCREAMS AND CHEERS)

Amanda: I look SO MUCH COOLER on TV than I do in real life! (laughter) I can’t believe how COOL I look!

Wow…Can I get a copy of that? Wow…for the days when I’m feeling a little low! I’ve had a lot of bullets in my time…HELLO EVERYBODY!!!!

Audience: HELLO!!

Amanda: Hi MELBUN!…Uh..Melbun, you never say ‘R’s in Australia (laughter). Um ARRRRGH. That’s Olivia’s favourite joke; What’s a pirate’s favourite letter? ‘ARRRRRR!’. Um HI! I’m so excited to be here, thank you so much for having me, for being so gracious. I have to say one thing: Australians. What is it with you guys and your eyes?! I have never seen more beautiful sets of eyes anywhere in the world (AWWWWW). I’m not kidding you!..I’m not, (to an audience member) YOU..HELLO! I’m not kidding! I…every time I…What do they put in the water here?!

Audience member: FLUORIDE! (laughter)

Amanda: YEAH! Brilliant, I’m blown away…I’m not kidding! So there’s..

Audience member: It’s the Vegemite!

Amanda: It’s the Vegemite. I confess, I like it! (CHEERS) But I’m from England originally and we have Marmite which is not that different. (cheers) Thank you very much! My favourite thing to do when I go to London, is to find like a, you know, a grungy little local caf’, and have a cup of tea, and toast and Marmite. And that’s…my start to the day *giggles*. That’s my dirty little secret!

Ummm…what…AH. Okay, I’m in *goofy voice* Australia. Last week I was in Nepal (CHEERS), hence all my accoutrements. But I, for those of you that don’t know, I just..I feel like I have to tell you a tiny bit about Nepal, uh…and then we’ll get into questions.

Um. About a year ago I started a foundation called Sanctuary for Kids, and uh *cups mouth* www.sanctuaryforkids.org (laughter) and uh..one of the charities that we support..- we support really small..it’s a very grass-roots charitable initiative that we started. And honestly we started it because of you guys. It was my understanding after a …decade plus *ironic grin* in the scifi genre – a decade and a half, alright I’ll be serious! – that, um, I have never met a more…aaah…more socially connected, socially aware, generous group of people that is scifi fans. It BLEW MY MIND every time there was an auction, or every time I go to England and do the GABIT events..that there…we raised SO much money for these incredible charities, and I think “What…these people are so CONNECTED, they really GIVE A HOOT” and it’s so beautiful.

So THAT’S why Sanctuary for Kids was born, not only because we see, um, how incredibly lucky we are that we’re working in our industry, but also that we’re incredibly lucky to be connected to such an amazing and generous group of fans! So that was sort of the impetus for Sanctuary for Kids. And VERY grass-roots, no overhead, um..Damian Kindler and I cover all the costs of administration and people and banking and blah blah blah. Um…but we just do small online auctions, and we do, you know, little charitable conventions and things so…Anyway that’s the impetus behind Sanctuary for Kids! Um, and we support really, really small charities. And one of them is the Nepal Orphan’s Home which Kamil, who used to run my website, volunteered at. And he came back, and he sent me the most incredible email and pictures, and he said that “I am transformed, this place is amazing!”. And so I started doing some research, and hooked up with the people who run it, and so…Jill Bodie, who is the other person behind Sanctuary for Kids, and myself got to go to Nepal. And uh…we were in Kathmandu, we visited with Nepal Orphan’s Home, as well as some other groups while we were there, um …groups primarily dealing with trafficked women and children. HEART-WRENCHING stories, but this speaks to the incredible resilience, and open hearts, and beauty of the Nepali people- that EVERYONE we met was so gracious, and so uh…LOVING. And the GIRLS at this orphanage…there’s one house of boys, but I stayed at Sanctuary House. Partly because of the donations that we have made, they were able to open another house, and they called it Papa’s ‘Gumba’ House, and ‘Gumba’ is the Nepali word for Sanctuary. So, uh, again..(‘aww…wow’ from audience)…yeah the power of fandom and the power of just a simple movement.

So twenty-seven more children were added to the orphanage roster, and it united seven sets of sisters, this one house, who had been separated, and potentially would never see each other again, um, and they were reunited because of Sanctuary House. Uh, so we got to go. So it was an incredible gift, to be able to go and see what they needed, to uh..to crank lanterns that our crew all contributed money to buying these crank lanterns, because in Kathmandu, for 15-18 hours a day they are without electricity, and um…crayons, and art supplies. These kids were..phenomenal. And Happy. Brilliant, beautiful children, who will change this world. Um, the one thing that struck Jill and I while we were there was the incredible need and we felt “God we’re just tiny drops in the bucket”, and you know, I feel like that…as an actor in this industry, and sometimes you feel like that as a fan, and we’re…we’re just a drop in the bucket.

But honestly from that drop in the bucket, AMAZING ripples emanate. And that –uh- it was never more clear than when we were in Nepal, that that’s what was happening. That, you know, 132 children at this house are being educated. And you know, they say, if you educate a woman…you educate the village, and therefore the ripple effect! So, uh, KUDOS to you guys for your support. But um, if you wanna check it out, check out sanctuaryforkids.org, and there’s actually a blog called the Nepal Blog. And there’s pictures of some of the kids…so uh…if you get a CHANCE.

(At this point, Amanda’s voice was breaking with emotion)

(HUGE APPLAUSE)

(Moderator asked for cameras to be put away, so that they could bring the microphone to people)

Amanda: Oh great, there’s gonna be a lot of pictures of Amanda in Melbourne…Please don’t post them on the internet. There’s about twenty-seven THOUSAND bad pictures of me on the internet. I ENCOURAGE you to put the good ones on! *GRINS*

(LAUGHTER)

Um…what else can I tell you? WE FINISHED SEASON THREE! We are SUPER-EXCITED about it. I know a lot of you are up to date on it, thank you very much for watching! Um, but I’m still, you know, very much a part of the Stargate franchise, so feel free to ask me questions about that as well. Um… hard to take off those army boots, I tell ya! (laughter). A couple of girls brought two replica P90’s (laughs) during the photos…*smooshes* I WAS SO HAPPY 😀 ! (laughter). It’s just really sick, because I HATE GUNS! But you know uh, there’s something about the zen that I found as Sam Carter with a gun that…belied my inner turmoil *chuckles*(laughter). So when I started playing Helen, and I was wearing stilettos and pencil-skirts, I just like..I…I was doing this scene and Martin said “What’s WRONG Amanda?!?” and I was like *mutters out side of mouth* “Can’t I, you know, just carry a gun?” (LAUGHTER). “You’re going to your library!” – *whispers* I know, but…maybe she has a P90!” (LAUGHTER)

YAH!. But …still. Okay. HI! Let’s start with some *giggling* questions!

Q1: Hey Amanda

Amanda: HI! 😀

Q1: If you could describe the relationship between Jack and Sam in a few words, what would that be?

(scattered laughter)

Amanda: I think it’d be ONE word. FRUSTRATING!!!!!!! (LAUGHTER AND CHEERS) SERIOUSLY…..COME ON!!!

Rick and I actually talked about it not that long ago, and I had been asked so many times “Do you think they should get together, do you think..”. YES DARNIT. JUST ONCE, just get it out of the way! GOD! One night of crazy passion…where they *suggestive gestures*…(LAUGHTER) I don’t think that’s too much to ask…on SO many different levels! (LAUGHTER) But yah, I think it’s really frustrating. I mean, it’s usually respectful and loving and all those wonderful things…FRUSTRATING!!! is what comes to mind.

Q2: (gorgeously British guy sitting behind me): Hi Amanda, um, welcome to Melbourne! So nervous…(laughter) sorry! This is the most nerve-wracking experience since I got married! So um…uh..where to start. So, both Dr. Helen Magnus and Sam Carter, they’re both SUCH amazing characters, and they’re wonderful, I think, to so many of us, they’re STRONG female characters, but they don’t rely on being…you know..adopting male, or kind of macho…I mean they’re somehow so powerful and so feminine. They’re sensational! And my question was, how much influence have you had over the years with both characters, to be able to say to the guys…you know..”Can I go this way with Sam, or that way with Sam”…just you know, kind of put that out there…and …you know…stick up for women, and wave the flag!

(Giggles in audience)

Amanda: Yeah…RAR RAR! (LAUGHTER) It’s a great question! Um…Here’s a prime example: In the Stargate pilot…Sam Carter has that…*rolls eyes*..

(LAUGHTER)

Q2: YEAH the line…the line!

(Audience: Say it!)

Amanda: *Magnus accent* Would you like me to say it?

(CHEERS)

Amanda: It goes..aaaah: Just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn’t mean that I can’t do whatever you can do…

(CHEERS AND LAUGHTER)

Amanda: HONESTLY I think every woman in this room would agree, we’d NEVER say that. (laughter) Even though it’s absolutely true, it…ah…IT’S JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT WE SAY! (laughter). So I remember, it was the pilot and we were under a contract whereby they could fire us after the *chuckles* the pilot if they didn’t think it was working out. So we were all *chuckles* on our ABSOLUTE best behaviour (scatterings of chuckles), so I was like “I WILL SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT ME TO SAY!” (laughter). And then as soon as the contract were, you know, okay you’ve made it through the pilot and you were continuing with you character *chuckles*, I was like *stern look* “OKAY..yeah.” (LAUGHTER)…”women don’t talk like this!”

So, I remember sitting down with the writers and saying “STOP trying to write what you think a strong woman would say…and just write a human being, right? As if you’re writing for a man, if that makes it easier, and I will bring an inherent femininity to it, EVEN if only my virtue of the fact that I’m a woman!” (laughter) This I did bring to the table! “But there will be an inherent femininity, just write a normal human being, don’t write a woman trying to prove herself in a man’s world, ‘cause it..the more you red-flag the fact that, you know *thick Texan accent* “I’m a woman in the military!”, the more boring she becomes! You know, we get it. You’re a chick with a gun…OKAY! Just write a cool, interesting smart character! And uh, the writers, to their great credit, did exactly that, and for me it was…we steered a little bit away from the vulnerability, and I think it deeply important that as much as we show a character’s strength, we also have to show the weakness. And i think the true power of a hero comes in their failings, and the, you know, the learnings from those failings! Um, so that was always my sort of bent with her, and they listened! And honestly after a few years, it was so much a part of each of us, our voices…you know Michael brought so much to Daniel, Chris brought so much to Teal’c, and so on and so on, that it became them. I mean, Don Davis WAS General Hammond!…(stirring of sympathy in audience)….heh…yeah..I can barely say his name without crying, still. Um…but that was, you know, Teryl came in and she WAS Dr. Frasier…and the things that she did. So EVERYONE informed their characters, and so…by virtue of the fact that we were on for so long I think.

Now with HELEN, I got the script that Damian had written in 2000, and aah, really I didn’t deviate from that very much. Except that we…it’s important to me with Helen because I don’t GET her, all the time, I don’t UNDERSTAND the choices she makes. Which is COOL. ‘Cause she’s 160, and I SHOULDN’T understand her (LAUGHTER). Sometimes I FEEL *chuckles* like 160! But there’s a loneliness there, there’s a wariness, and a WEARINESS of the world that she has, that I don’t necessarily understand. But I bring, I think um…aah..when I’m talking to the writers I think she really WOULDN’T make that choice. But she MIGHT make that choice. And at other times I would go I DON’T KNOW if she’d make that choice, let’s make her make that choice, let’s see her screw up! I love it! So, I don’t know *chuckles* if I answered the question or not…I’m just rambling! You see I’M NERVOUS!! (laughter). But um YES. I think After a while the actor does start to… inform what’s happening, and I’m just really incredibly proud, and privileged that I’ve TWICE now been able to play really strong…who I THINK are really cool, interesting women. (APPLAUSE)

Q3: I heard in an interview, regarding the extended season, that I THINK the thing is that because you know that you’ve got the time, that it’s a lot more pressure, but it’s a bit more of a luxury for you…

Amanda: Yes…

Q3: ..um…and that’s how you were choosing to look at it. Then you said “Ask me in ten months”. How has it been? (laughter) Not that it took ten months, but how’s it been?

Amanda: AWESOME! It’s awesome! I forgot, you know Stargate was such a machine; ten episodes, take a little summer holiday, ten more episodes. And you just ground it out. And after ten years of getting up at 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning, and working till, you know, 7:30 or 8 o’clock at night, you know, it just becomes…your life! And with Sanctuary we only did 13 episodes, and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited, and did another thirteen and it was like “OOOH this is NICE! Thirteen is NICE, I have a LIFE!” And then…we got twenty, and still I say it’s a huge luxury. We did what we did with Stargate, modelled, did ten episodes, took a summer break, and we’ve just finished the last ten. But honestly by the end we were all….*audience chuckles*…a little bit coocoo for cocopuffs!(laughter) It’s a privilege. Honestly, because I think the story fits better, the arcs are more interesting, I think, what I LOVE, and I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but I think that fandom…me BEING a member of scifi fandom…I don’t WANNA be spoonfed the answers! I don’t WANT somebody soft-pabbleming (?) me going “HERE, this is what we mean by that!” I wanna wonder, I wanna ask some weird questions and NOT get answers, and go “*STARES*…(laughter)… I guess I’ll have to watch NEXT week’s and find out what the hell they were talking about!” It makes sense to me! Because I think we’re an intelligent group of people, who don’t NEED to be told what’s happening.

Audience member: There’s always more guessing going on…

Amanda: EXACTLY, this season we’re trying to do that, much to certain networks…chagrim *makes face*. You know, “The audience isn’t gonna know what you mean”…*STARES…rolls eyes* (laughter) “well…*goof voice* I THINK they’re SMART!” (laughter). Yeah, so it’s been great.

Q4: Hi, my name’s Gochin (sp?)…

Amanda: HI! 😀

Q4: …I just want to say that, you know, I think you’re an amazing person, and you’re an amazing actress….And…yeah…I just…

Amanda: *goof voice* GOSH! (laughter)

Q4: Um, I’ve noticed that the music of Sanctuary is very beautiful, and there’s a very specific melody, and tune to all of it, and I was wondering if you, personally, had any kind of say in the choices for the episodes? And also, um, whether they were specifically chosen to suit the theme or something…or if it was just “Oh that one sounds pretty”…

Amanda: YAH! I’ll tell you what’s happened.

Okay, so in Season 1 we had Joel Goldsmith, who was the composer for Stargate…was AWESOME, awesome composer. Ah, VERY orchestral in his..in the way that he writes his music, and we were very lucky to have him. But we are really striving to be a 100 percent Canadian show, and part of the issue was that we had an American composer. So we found Andrew Lockington who I think is ABSOLUTELY brilliant, and what Andrew brought to the table was a very world theme, ah, much more um, drumming…less orchestral and much more world music kind of feel to it. What happens, and this is part of the beauty of being a producer, is we do what we call ‘sound spots’. So, we’ll watch an episode with Andrew on the phone (he’s in Toronto and we’re in Vancouver), and we’ll watch exactly to time…and he’s on the same computer..to time. So we’ll watch the episode, we’ll pause- anyone can pause at any given time, and can say ‘here we need some more drum’ or ‘here we need some more of this’ or ‘wouldn’t it be great if we could get a big sweep into this scene’ or ‘let’s not have any music in this scene’. So we actually do, um…to a degree..aah, inform how the music plays out. And then we just leave it in Andrew’s incredibly capable hands, and he comes up with stuff way better than we could *chuckles* ever imagined! So in terms of where the music is placed and the, uh, the sort of temperature of it. Yes. But then it’s up to him. And aah, I think he’s brilliant, personally.

And I…I know that now that Syfy International only shows the ten second opening title sequence…right? (mumbles in audience)…*Amanda makes a face*…YEAH not into the ten seconds! (laughter). We fought REALLY hard, because aah, we have a BEAUTIFUL thirty second opening title sequence, and aah..I think everywhere else in the world, except for Syfy…um…because they decided that um…*snirks* you wouldn’t stick around if it was thirty seconds *makes face* (LAUGHTER). ALL of their shows have ten second opening title sequences. I’m never gonna work for this network again, apparently *chuckles* ‘cause I keep telling people bad things about them (LAUGHTER)…*goofy voice* but I LOVE Syfy, and I owe a GREAT career to them…BUT. Ten seconds. It was like ‘Seriously? The audience is gonna…you guys are gonna stop watching ..AWH *SIGH* it’s twenty-seven seconds *SLUMPS*” (LAUGHTER).” I don’t CARE what happens between John and Helen…*shuffles away*”

Audience member: Bring back the Stargate intros…that were like…

Amanda: YEAH! Exactly, and they just keep getting smaller. So no it’s..ten second into the scene. The REST of the world gets thirty seconds. And that…again it’s now ANDREW, doing the opening title because part of the problem was… that Andrew was having, was that Joel’s music was very orchestral, and he’s trying to feed that into the first scene. You know from a…ah..it was too much of a JOLT in music styles, so now Andrew does it all. So…*chuckles* did I answer your question? (laughter) I tend to RAMBLE on… wow…

Q5: Hi…

Amanda: HI!!! Up there!!

Q5: *mutters* My friend Miranda thinks I have this one game where I like to ramble on…*chuckles*

My question is…now, you’ve done a lot of scenes with David Hewlett when you…went over to Atlantis…

Amanda: Yeah!

Q5: ..and your guest one when you did ‘Grace Under Pressure’, did you enjoy it more…doing that episode, or the one where you were with Jewel and you all fell down into the shaft…

Amanda: OOOH TRIO!…YEAH…I LOVED doing that episode! Aaaaaaaaand I… I couch this by saying I have an incredible and ridiculously paralysing fear of heights. And uh, and I was supposed to be like, the one who walks across the beam all ‘yo, yo!’ and THEY’RE the ones who were supposed to be scared, and they were just, like, hangin’ out on the beam…like..*relaxes*. But we had a BLAST. That episode, just in particular, it was very strange…we were on a gimble set, and this metal box..aaah..up on these rafters, DUST falling on us, DIRT, and aaah…we laughed. Our. heads off. I just…I COMPLETELY remember shooting every day of that episode, it was SO much fun. So THAT for me, um, but not only because of the character interactions, but because of the personal interactions…between David and Jewel and I. And just being goofs in the makeup trailer. I LOVED, you know, getting covered in dirt…you know, I love that kind of stuff..so..it was really fun.

‘Grace Under Pressure’ was, you know, had it’s OWN *goofy voice* sense of fun! (laughter) But that was…aaah…yeah that was *chuckles*. That was a strange episode for me. Ah…David’s..aaah, WIFE was there, not quite then his wife…Jane, was his ‘fiancèe’ at the time. And aaah, so that was…awkward! (LAUGHTER) It was like ‘I love you Jane! I love you…*pulls face*’ (laughter).

Q6: Hi…

Amanda: Hi!

Q6: GOD you’re pretty!…sorry…(LAUGHTER). Much prettier in real life…umm *Amanda’s making shocked faces* (LAUGHTER)….(couldn’t hear what she said)…

Um…I just..we saw you when we were watching ‘The Tok’ra’ and you just peeked in, down there with Robin, and had a peek. What was the thing…what runs through your mind, seeing, like, those images of you from so long ago…with that hair..and…

Amanda: *sobs* I was SO YOUNG!!!! (LAUGHTER)

Q6: ‘Cause it must be stranger when…I mean, a lot of us see photos from we were younger but, like, you’ve got…over ten years of your life on…

Amanda: *Stunned face* YEAH. (laughter)

Q6: So what was that like, to watch back…from your perspective?

Amanda: It’s actually, now I can look back on that with a much greater sense of detachment, and really appreciate what the show was. And go ‘AWW yeah, that was the first day that JR Bourne and I met, and …and we hung out for seven hours talking, and we, you know, these scenes happened so beautifully and…you know, so I can look back on it now…much EASIER than I could. You know… I couldn’t WATCH Stargate for the longest time, ‘cause I was so self-critical about everything. And NOW I step back and go ‘Well…it was a FUN show, and that…’ I remember the moments BEHIND them. The moments. And it is HONESTLY really FREAKY…to see…the videos that are put together *chuckles*, you know, of the transformation of Sam Carter, and of Helen. Uh…it…yeah. *whispers* OH GOD! (chuckles in audience) I’m like, ageing…before my eyes. There’s no denying that!…(Audience member: Aging gracefully!) …thank you VERY much! But yeah. It’s really weird. My DAUGHTER watches , you know, like…I got a video from a fan, and I put it in and she *chuckles* was like *shocked face*‘Mama!’, and I was like *wide eyes*“I know.” (LAUGHTER).

Q7: *mutters* Okay you’ve got the mic, now don’t screw it up! (Iaughter)

Amanda: *grins* NO PRESSURE!(Iaughter) Everyone’s listening!

Q7: Well, first of all I would like to say that, well, for the better part of, well, fifteen years of being just…NOT just a strong role model for women, but also a good match for most men, knowing that…you could probably take them ANYWHERE. (LAUGHTER)

Amanda: *GRINNING BROADLY*

Q7: ..I’d just like to say that, I don’t either way pertaining to Stargate, and Atlantis..and Sanctuary, you’re just a GOOD role model to watch on the screen. So, I just wanted to say that…

Amanda: Thank you!

Q7:..And, my question is..um..I’m not sure if it’ll ever happen. The SG-1 third movie. Would you be in it?

Amanda: *wide eyes* I hope so! (LAUGHTER)

Q7: But if they..asked you, would you…

Amanda: Oh God yeah! Yeah, I mean…aah.. I was asked this in Sydney, and I don’t KNOW if it’s ever gonna happen, it would be great. I …I don’t know if the ship has sailed on that. There was so much BUZZ about it for a long time, and we were all very excited. And then…the buzz sort of died, and after that we heard about MGM having trouble…and you know, all manner of different scenarios were being spread and…and we didn’t KNOW. And now, were just no hearing anything, so I, I don’t know. Maybe…someone would like to write one, and we could all do it! (laughter). (audience member makes a comment, perhaps about the movie campaign?) Oh is there? Yeah, I would ABSOLUTELY. I mean… I will NEVER turn my back on Stargate…that…it’s just such a HUGE part of my life. Yeah. And the boots are SO comfortable!*GRINS* (laughter). Who could say no? I mean it’s….Win, win, win!!!

Oh…HI!!..YOU FINALLY GOT THE MIC!!

Q8: Hi Amanda *very tearful*

Amanda: Hiiii! (laughter)

Q8: (quietly) I’m losing my voice…um…I just wanted to say..thank you, um, you’ve given me a lot more confidence, and you’re an Angel, and thank you…for…*buries face*

Amanda: AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

(scattered laughter in audience and THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE)

Amanda: Oh please! *goofy voice* You’ll make me cry! (laughter)

Q8: Amanda, my question is, back in webisode four…

Amanda: *stares wide-eyed trying to remember*…UH HUUUH…(laughter)

Q8: What did Druitt say to Magnus?

Amanda: What did…?

Q8: Druitt, say to Magnus?

Amanda: *trying to place it* Okay, so we shot it as a two-hour pilot…so…that would be… about halfway through*stares*…(chuckles in audience). Where were we…? (laughter)

Q8: Magnus…was tied to the chair…

Amanda: OH YEAH! And then he…yeah. And I say “Are you gonna carve me up like one of your whores?’ and…

Q8: Yeah…no just before, when he starts like…

Amanda: *staring totally lost* (chuckles in audience)….Let’s call him! (laughter). I don’t…..CRAP! *staring*(laughter). I think he said ‘I still love you, you gorgeous thing’ (awww-laughter). I THINK that’s what he said. Yeah. It might have been ‘I hate your guts you evil BITCH’ *GRINS* (LAUGHTER). I think it was ‘My God, you’re even better-looking close up’ (LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE). Kinda! (audience chuckles)

Q9: Uh Hi! First, welcome to Melbourne!

Amanda: Thank you!

Q9: I hope you’re enjoying your time…I have two questions for you. The first one is just a short…little one, the second one is SLIGHTLY more involved. The first one; If you could live in any of Helen’s decades, which would you live in, and why? And of the decades she’s lived through, if you could live through any of those, which one would you live in and why? And the second is, um, you’ve often spoken of your background in theatre, your training in theatre, you’ve had years on the screen now, and television. And you’ve had a very significant role now, behind the scenes, you’ve done directing, and I was wondering which of those transitions was…the most challenging, but also the most rewarding for you?

Amanda: Uh..okay. First question. Um, I think she would go back to the twenties *nods*…the roaring twenties, BEFORE the *chuckles* Great Depression. Um…at a time when women were a bit more liberated…I’d LIKE to say the sixties but I think Helen is too much of a *chuckles* control freak. (laughter) Except for the sexual liberation part…but I think all the other stuff…she’d…boot it! (laughter). *whispers emphatically* Silly woman, SILLY WOMAN! UM…but I think maybe that the roaring Twenties, I think that was a time of, sort of, decadence and fun and…and political upheaval…and…women were a little, were staring to get a little bit more liberated, uh I think that..YEAH. THAT’S my answer for today *grins*(laughter in audience). Ask me again tomorrow!

Um…second question *stares up*.

Q9: Span of you career..and what…

Amanda: Oh yeah, yeah! Oh YEAH! (laughter). *sings dorkily* HEEEEEEY GOOD LOOKIN’ (laughter). THAT’S what he said to me! (laughter)…I think the transition to…(laughter continues) *chuckles* I don’t know WHERE that came from…I’ll tell you that story in a minute! AH…the transition to producing, for me, has been really incredibly rewarding, because I never quite understood what exactly a Producer did, like the full extent of what they did. And to be able to sort of, have a hand in …in the MINUTIA of putting together an episode, of going through a sound spot after the fact, or doing the final mix on an episode and going ‘Oh you know what, we need another clip of the gun here, a screech of tyres here…’the LITTLE things. I LOVE that. The details. I really, really enjoy that. Um, I would LOVE to go back on stage, um…time permitting, and it just hasn’t been.

Um, a few years ago I got the chance to do the ‘Vagina Monologue’s in Toronto, and um…(scattered chuckles in audience) *grins* (LAUGHTER)..*dorky voice* Sheee saaaaid “Monoloooogues…”(LAUGHTER). And uh…it was to raise money! To raise awareness against violence against women…um…Awareness FOR…AGAINST violence against…*chuckles* you know what I mean (laughter). And I had not been on stage for such a long time, and I literally had this moment, which was very telling for me, which made me think I gotta get back on stage, where…I was about to go on, and I saw the stage door, and I was like *STARES* (chuckles in audience)…*glances around awkwardly-breathless* I wonder if anyone would notice..if I just…left! Then I..I literally PANICKED, I literally went *anxious*. And uh, it was very telling for me, because I used to LOVE that pre-stage rush, you know that moment before *takes huge breath-EXHALES* HOHKAY! I used to LOVE that feeling, and then it scared the LIVING DAYLIGHTS out of me and I thought “UH OH, *dork voice*I’d better get back on stage!” Um, so eventually I would like to do that, I think THAT would be the full circle that I need to, you know. I always say, creatively you need to scare yourself…it..I think IN LIFE you need to scare yourself, as soon as you start to become complacent, do something that scares the CRAP out of you! And you…feel alive, which is what directing is for me. And what producing is. So now it’s going back on stage. I’ll just pretend I’m doing a play right now! (laughter). Yeah…

Q10: Hello!

Amanda: Hi!

Q10: Hi, how are you…um..

Amanda: Good!

Q10: My question was, um, which historical figure or mythological character would you like to see on Sanctuary in the future?

Amanda: *GRINS* Elvis! (LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE) *chuckles* Naw I’m kidding. There’s a bad…you’re gonna leave aren’t you! *thoughtfully* Who should I say that would make you happy? Ummmmmmmm…..John F. Kennedy. I think she knew him well *coy smile* (LAUGHTER).

I think that uh…Yeah I think that there are some amazing political figures that we should explore, because for..Helen has such an interesting history, politically. But I would also really like to see some strong women, from the past. On the show. Um, dive back into that part of Helen’s past. (audience member: Eleanor Roosevelt…) Yeah! Eleanor Roosevelt would be amazing! Amelia Earhart would be amazing. There’s a whole bunch of them; Dorothy Parker would be really cool, ‘cause she’s kinda weird and that would be fun (chuckles). Ummm some great artists. I mean, like..yeah I. Honestly, I think we showcase some really strong men, I think it would be great to showcase some really strong women…from history. Um, so I’ll say Eleanor Roosevelt, ‘cause I want you to be happy!*cheeky smile*(laughter). Molly Brown…*to audience member* yes! We did a brief reference to her in the ‘Next Tuesday’ episode. I TOO am suddenly remembering the names of episode *grin*(laughter). You know, people ask me ‘Do you remember the episode such-and-such from Stargate..?” and I’m like *whispers* “What happened??” (laughter). But yeah. Strong women!

Q11: Hi!

Amanda: HI!!!!!

Q11: Um…two questions!

Amanda: UH HUH!

Q11: The first one is, um, at the beginning of ‘Pavor Nocturnus’ (Amanda: yes!) um, it looks like it was a really difficult one to shoot, and also a fair amount of the set was built, rather than green screen (Amanda: Yep!). Um, it looks really cold and…what was the experience like with the intensity? Because Robin was talking about it as well…

Amanda: It was..aaaah…it was a VERY scary episode. Um, and it wasn’t being wet and cold. We shot the majority of it in-house, on the stages, uhh , besides the matte paintings that you see of the ruined city, most of it was a practical set. And it’s amazing to me what our set decorators were able to do, in creating the city-scape with the, you know the plastic sheets and the..our special *chuckles* special effects guys, have this, like, CRAZY love of Hudson sprayers…which are like fine mist sprayers, and fans. And they put the HUGE fan, and this water, and they all look REALLY happy about it (laughter). Then they throw dirty leaves at you…(laughter). So it was a VERY uncomfortable episode. The shower scene in particular, obviously, was one of the scariest. Um, a lot of our crew members walked off set. Not…walked off and never came back…they were like ‘it’s too much, we can’t handle it’ and they left. Um, because it really…it really was an awful scene to shoot. But it was an IMPORTANT scene to shoot, um, for Helen’s vulnerability, and to speak to the absolute anarchy and chaos that was happening. The WEIRDEST thing was Robin. He walked onset with this crazy hair, and this eye and this MASSIVE intensity that FREAKED me out! (chuckles). And he..in the scene where he sort of yanks Helen up, right off the top, I … I had bruises for weeks. Because he *grits teeth* GRABBED SO…HE WAS MEAN! (laughter). Next time you see him in the autograph line, KICK HIM!!! (laughter and some applause). The whole line…this can be our little secret! *grins* (laughter). But yeah, it was..uh..a VERY intense episode. It was VERY wet and um…but YEAH. That sort of speaks to the whole philosophy of SCARE yourself! It was scary! And so afterwards we were all like PHOOOO!! It felt great!

Q11: And the other question is um, in the sort of …three seconds Syfy told about Season Three, you talked about it being more romantic. Can you, talk more about that?

Amanda: *Exhales frustratedly* Helen should have …more fun relationships than she does *frustrated stare* (chuckles) EVERYONE ELSE…is getting (scattered chuckles). Just get some. (laughter) Get some… dot, dot, dot! Aah…so Will finds romance, Henry finds romance, I don’t know if the five years are up for Biggie and it’s time for HIM to find romance (laughter).

Uh, Helen…There’s only one scene, I think, which is truly romantic in Season 3, and I don’t know if you’ve seen the episode ‘King and Country’ yet (resounding YES!). Right, okay, so THAT SCENE…I would like to take credit for, so I will! (laughter) And um, I had this WEIRD sort of daydream vision, because I think part of the problem with…part of the problem…*dorky voice* Part of the problem with Helen and John *chuckles*, is that. Um. It’s SO HARD to fathom what this love is. Because he’s a DICK! (LAUGHTER) And..but she… He is her FIRST. LOVE. He…he’s her Jack O’Neill *smiles* (laughter). Unrequited! Uh, no but HE’S her first love. He EMBODIES the innocence, the joy, the first BLUSH, um…of True… Love .Until he became this hideous thing! And, she blames herself for that…even still, um, knowing all the other variables in place. And I think that there’s just this…nobody else, besides Tesla, and Watson and Griffin, well Griffin’s now dead and Watson’s now dead! Nobody else understands that! The depth of that loneliness, the history, the…so…I had this vision …

(Mobile phone in audience rings)…do you want me? *grins and mimes holding to ear* (laughter).

Uh. I had this vision, of Helen taking a moment. So I went to the writers and I said “Could, we..in this scene…find a moment where Helen just takes that: It’s safe, he’s not gonna wake up, she just wraps herself in his arms and *EXHALES*. Because he’s the only one…who would understand, the loss of a child, the depth of despair, she’s dying, finally…like…everything. The weight finally hits her, and nobody else who she could turn to. But she couldn’t turn to him AWAKE, because that’s all..you know *dorky voice* ‘cause then all SORTS of weird stuff happens! So that…I asked for that moment of…and I talked to Christopher about it and we both just LOVED it. It’s a great moment to play. So that’s the extent of her romance, with a guy she’s KNOCKED OUT! *chuckles* (laughter). *dorky British* Caught in Cambodia, wraps herself in his arms *chuckles and punches air* WOOOOH HELEN!! (LAUGHTER) YEEEEAH that’s romance! *nods*. I’ll take what I can get!

*To audience member* HEY YOU GOT IT, YAY!

Q13: We’ve been talking a lot about you being a role model for a lot of people in this room, and all around the world. What’s it like now, that you’ve got a career, you’re producing a show, to be a role model and a mentor for a lot of the younger actors that belong to your show?

Amanda: I take it very seriously. Uh, I think that..um…there weren’t a LOT of women, when I was starting out, who were doing…uh…everything that I’m trying to do! Um, or that, basically, had the time! So I’m really…I’m really CONSCIOUS about trying to …to talk to young women. I work with women in film, in the Flashforward program, I do a mentorship program with them. I have a DAUGHTER. And I think it’s really important that she understands that…there’s a whole…you know, there’s a whole world of possibility. And that it’s gonna be hard and crappy at times, but then it’s okay. Um, I…but with Agam. Agam’s constantly coming up and asking me stuff and it’s very cool, same thing with Emilie. I DO take it very seriously, because I think…I was really lucky. And I feel that somehow *chuckles* I’ve sort of stumbled into this crazy life, and I LOVE it, but I’ve been given a great gift…and if I were to not…share it…that would be really…dumb. (chuckles all round). Uh, I remember, before I directed Stargate, I sat on a plane to LA with Helen Shaver. And she was directing ‘Judging Amy’ or something at the time, and she was in ‘Poltergeist’. I don’t know if you know who she is or not, but um. She’s a female director and, um, SHE. WAS AWESOME. She totally mentored me the whoooole flight down to L.A. I was like, you know “this is what I wanna DO with the scenes” and blah blah blah. And I thought “If I can do what SHE’S doing, that’s great”. There’s another director, Ann Wheeler, who’s one of my favourite female directors. And she that kind of woman too, she’s like “Come to editing! Come and sit! Watch what I do!” Which I think is so cool! So, yeah.

Q14: Hi Amanda!

Amanda: HIIII!

Q14: Um, I was just wondering. Aaah Robin was talking about practical jokes on the set (Amanda: AHA :D!) and I was wondering if you had any really, really funny moments that you can remember?

Amanda: Well…Robin’s big thing, as you ALL know, is taking his pants off (LAUGHTER). Which is why I wrote ‘THIS IS MY BUM’, because I’ve SEEN it so many times!(laughter)*makes a face* (LAUGHTER). Don’t tell him I said that! Uuuh, so..the big thing *sighs* practical jokes is hard because our cast is really funny, and so the biggest thing we do is crack each other up off-camera. And it was the same thing that happened on Stargate. It would be… you know, Michael and Chris behind the lens, you know, making stupid faces..or, and trying to get you to break. And that’s the biggest practical joke that actors ever play on each other. I mean with Christopher, it’s taping…duct-taping you to chairs (laughter) *chuckles* It’s funny! …until everyone leaves the room and you have to pee! (LAUGHTER)

But, I told this story in Sydney about Christopher’s flatulence…and I’ll BRIEFLY tell you now. Um, he has this horrifically gaseous body (chuckles in audience), um and…he would constantly clear rooms with like, you’d walk into the room and go *complains*“Oh God… Christopher we BEGGED the caterers not to serve beans!” …and we would, you know EVERYTHING we could do, our ..Our craft service guy had like, bottles of Pino up against the back wall, to stop Chris’s gas, and it never worked. So he finally had his own, when he had to wear a full NASA space suit (LAUGHTER). THE REAL DEAL. And he got bolted into it. And then the helmet came on. And the GUY FROM NASA was THERE, putting this thing on! And…(chuckles all round) We all sat back and were just like *waves hands*..it…it HAS to happen (LAUGHTER)! We watched him go, you know, from his delicious chocolate brown, to this weird shade of green *chuckles* (LAUGHTER). It was nice,…himself. His face was kind of *screws up sour face* (LAUGHTER). And I swear the entire crew had tears in their eyes from laughing so hard (LAUGHTER). That’s KARMA! *grins*. That’s not a joke, that is KARMA. Yeah…I wish we’d filmed it!

Q15: Hi!

Amanda: Hi!

Q15: Um, you have acted with Christopher Heyerdahl in every series from SG-1, to Stargate Atlantis, to Sanctuary. Which character, out of the five that he’s played with you, is your favourite? And why?

Amanda: Druitt. Although..umm.. I really like him as Biggie. Uh, although…ahh..I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Helen never refers to him as any… she never calls him ‘Biggie’ or ‘The Big Guy’ or…she never…One day we’ll actually reveal what she calls him. It’s interesting with Christopher, obviously I have more to do with him on ‘Sanctuary’ than I DID on the Stargates, but um. There’s just such a great connection when he plays John, and there’s such a..aah..well..it’s a very interesting passion between the two of us when we play those characters together, and I LOVE it. Like, as actors we sort of HOOAH! There’s a connection, it feels so real and great! Yeah, but when he plays Biggie, he’s a completely different guy! He walks onto set and he is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GUY. And he’s …a bit more aggressive, and he’s …bigger *chuckles* which is weird, because he’s tall and big as he is! But he’s…he’s SO interesting to me as an actor, how…how he transforms himself. Um, and the relationship between Helen and Biggie is soooo…gentle, and they’ve known each other for so long, and they have such a deep friendship. And with John it’s all about passion. So, but I think John. Because I can actually look at Christopher’s face. When he’s Biggie I forget he’s Christopher, I TRULY do. Wow….till he slaps (laughter). But yeah, I think John.

Q16: Hi Amanda, how are you?

Amanda: Hi! Good thanks!

Q16: Ah, look, just a two-part question! Any chance of, aah, an episode of ‘Sanctuary’ starring Richard Dean Anderson? (laughter, Amanda: OOOH YEAH!). If so (laughter)…If so what…as you’ll be HIS boss, what would be the most interesting abnormal you would make him? (LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)

Amanda: *smiling* I would give him some REALLY special skills (laughter). Ah, we actually tried to get Richard for the webisodes to play , um, Helen’s previous assistant…aaah…and I think there’s this sort of weird video blip that Will looks at. It ended up…ROBIN ended up doing it, in full make up, which is really cool. But we wanted to get Richard to do that, just play this cranky, crazy *chuckles* old FART (laughter)…who’s dying ‘cause of all the experiments he’s done with Helen and…I thought THAT would be really fun. Um, but we have yet to get him on the show…But if we did. I don’t…I don’t think I’d make him an abnormal. WELL I mean he is…*chuckles* just by being Richard (laughter) Dean Anderson *chuckling*. Have you all met him? (YEAH! He was here earlier on in the year) YEAH. So…ah, he doesn’t…*chuckling*…really need makeup or anything (LAUGHTER). He’s just weird (laughter). Lovely. Um, yeah I don’t think I’d cover up that beautiful mug with any prosthetics or anything. I think in one of Helen’s…*cheeky smile* (LAUGHTER)…I think it would be a really lovely full circle if, uh, SAM doesn’t get it on (LAUGHTER), then Helen could at least get it on with somebody who *chuckling* looks a LOT like Jack! (LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE). But yeah. And of course there’s the whole Richard-Dean-Anderson factor for ME! (laughter)

HI!

Q17: Hi, um I’ve got two questions. The first one is; Is there any chance in Season 4, you would come down and film here.

Amanda: Oh I would LOVE to, are you kidding? My God, I think there’s a Melbourne Sanctuary, don’t you? (YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!)

Q17: Um, the second question was; Did you do all your stunts in ‘Breach’ yourself?

Amanda: Um, I think there’s ten…LESS than ten shots that aren’t me.

Q17: Because it …was amazing!

Amanda: YEAH. Thank you! That was aaah, I have an AMAZING stunt double, aaah for fights. Her name’s Ashley. She. Is. AWESOME! And ah, so she taught me all the fights. Rob Hater is our fight coordinator, and uh, the two of them taught me all these fights. But I’m like “No let me do it, let me do it” and obviously it’s easier to FILM if it’s really me. Um, so there’s a couple of things like, when she does the pipe thing over her head, that is HER going over her head, but the rest of the stuff is me. Um, and I think it’s because…that I’m…too much of a spaz (laughter) to have this *chuckling* long metal pipe to swing around my face! (laughter) Um, and that drop from the ceiling is HER *COUGH*…*cough* sorry! *HAAAAACK* (laughter) And uuuuuh, there’s a couple of sequences in the, aah, hammer/machete fight, that are her. Um, but for the most part…YEAH…I got my ASS kicked! (chuckles) But I got to do some kicking too! (Yeah…it was pretty cool!) YEAH, Ian Tracey, too, is a PHENOMENAL actor. We fought REALLY hard to get him, he’s just SO great. Um, so the two of us had a lot of fun *laughing* beating each other up! *smiling* I’ve got a…I’m kind of a fan of his…kind of…I am! I’m a fangirl…ah…so it was like *chuckling* “Uh…okay…*breathes* Really?…uh. Okay…you really want me to punch him?!” (laughter) But it’s really interesting, when you get actors who actually understand, ‘cause he’s done a lot of stunts, of his own stunts, himself. And you get actors who understand it, it’s REALLY FUN to play that you’re…kicking the CRAP out of each other! And very rarely…land a punch! You know, I’ve actually…punched, one of our stunt guys, Clint, on three different shows (laughter). He’s really cute, like…REALLY CUTE. Aaand maybe that’s why I keep connecting him *demonstrates* “Oh…OH!…OH I’M SO SORRY…here let me help you up!” (LAUGHTER) That’s why, I dunno. Umm, but it…it’s…usually I’m pretty good about swinging punches, but for some reason I…actually in ‘Pavor’ I punched him, I elbowed him right in the chin *demonstrates* “oh CLINT!” (LAUGHTER) *goofy voice* I’m blushing now! (chuckles)

Q18: Hi Amanda.

Amanda: HI!

Q18: Just, um, one question about two episodes of Stargate. Um, how much fun was it to do episode 200? And how emotional was it to do ‘Unending?’

Amanda: Uh, okay. Aaaaah. ‘200’ was sort, of, the episode where we got to do EVERYTHING we ever wanted to do! Um, all in one episode. And aah we had a blast! I LOVED ‘100’, I loved ‘200’, because when you get to 200 episodes you ought to be able to do something completely irreverent and silly and fun. And sort of, the things…that a fan had written you about, or things that we’ve asked the writers about or things the network has said ‘no’ to. ‘200’ is like, *goofy voice* “Let’s DO it!” So we GOT to do it, but it was REALLY fun. We laughed a LOT during that episode!

Um, ‘Unending’ was aah, I’ll NEVER forget the moment, um…aah, and I think there’s a lot of pictures that have made their way out into the world. Um. Rob Cooper was really smart, ‘cause he waited until the VERY last scene, VERY last day, for us to step through the Stargate. The VERY last shot we did on the series was…stepping through the Stargate. And…we were bawling. Christopher was bawling. He could barely…he…they were like “Cut. Are you okay Chris? Just your…make up…” (laughter) *does Chris impression, crying and whimpering*(laughter). We, we ALL were. It was, it was INCREDIBLY emotional, and Rob Cooper, again, was REALLY, REALLY smart to save THAT moment. Because we thought “God, this is the last time we’re gonna walk through the Stargate on this television series” It was really, REALLY emotional! And it was RELLY…it was like, WEE hours of the morning, and ALL the production staff stayed. And so like, the entire GATEROOM was FILLED, with people who had worked on the show for ten years. People came BACK, who hadn’t been on the show for a few years, came back just to watch that moment. And then the coolest thing happened, was: Michael, Christopher and I snuck upstairs, we went through the control room, and up the spiral staircase to um…the briefing room. And the three of us just stood there and looked down at the Stargate, and we put our arms around each other and we were like “Wow. So that happened”. Umm, because that’s how we started! The three of us aah, found ourselves around the corner and saw the Stargate for the first time before the pilot. And ah, I remember turning to Michael at that moment, before we had even SHOT…you know…a roll of film, going *chuckling*“Oh my God! We’re working on a really cool show, LOOK AT THAT THING!” (laughter) “It’s HUGE!!” And we were SO EXCITED, and so…you know…YOUNG, and “Oh my GOD this is, you know, our first big series for both of us!” and we were just like “aaah!” and then Chris joined us, and the three of us were just like “WOW. This is gonna be GREAT!!!” Flashforward to ten years later, when we were like “Oh my…GOD ten years!”. It was veery emotional, but REALLY, really beautiful. And it was…we didn’t even say a word! Except for “wow!” Just…we all kinda looked at each other, SO many people, and everyone’s talking and crying…we sort of FOUND each other, and went *wow!*. And uh, it was REALLY beautiful. Yeah, very….*sheepish smile* (chuckles).

Mic handler: One last question…

Amanda: WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?! (groans and complaining from audience) AWwww COME ON! *makes face* (LAUGHTER) I don’t have to be anywhere at the end of this panel!…*mumbles* just the autograph line…*mumbles*

Q19 (Me): Hi Amanda! (Amanda: HELLO!) Welcome to Melbourne! (Amanda: THANK you!)

Um, I’ve got two quick questions…at the end of Season One, you had…um…Babz Chula, guesting with ‘Sanctuary’, and how…how was that to work with her. Because obviously, what happened afterwards (Amanda: Right…yeah…) She seemed like..(Amanda to audience member: Oh she’s asking about Babz Chula…) and she seemed like, before she came on ‘Sanctuary’ as well, um, I know she was a role model for a lot of young Vancouver actors as well. So um, what was it like working with Babz on the show? And also (Amanda: She’s an AMAZING woman…sorry..!) …SORRY! Um, The Sanctuary Experience. The auction…was AMAZING. I mean, I don’t know about everyone else here, but we felt the energy (Amanda: YEAH!) across the oceans. I mean, everyone was just…over the moon, and we were wondering where the fund from that went to?

Amanda: OKAY! Alright, so the first part of the question was about Babz Chula, um….I dunno if..uuh…all of you know who she is. She’s…WAS…sadly..uuh…passed away. An INCREDIBLE local Vancouver actor, activist, role model…amazing, AMAZING, FEISTY woman. And, I had ALWAYS wanted to work with Babz. And we were both being honoured for…a…women in film…I won a Woman of Vision award, and she won Woman of the Year. And, uh, so AT this event, the two of us…uuh… so EVERYONE came up and gave these very nice speeches and thank-yous, there were ALL these different awards being given out. And then I got Woman of Vision, and she got Woman of the Year. And I gave this completely irreverent and goofy speech, and then Babz came up and gave a completely irreverent and goofy speech, and so the two of us were just like “YEEEEEAH!” (laughter) “AWESOME!” And I said, “I would LOVE to have you on the show!”, and she said “I’d LOVE to do your show!”, and I went “…oh…well ALRIGHT!!!” (laughter). And so we wrote her a part. And that was it! Um, I never got to really work with her! *chuckles* Which SUCKED, I was like “Why did you write her a part where I’m not even…I don’t even TALK to her? *stares hard*” (chuckles) “I…I…*sighs* it’s BABZ CHULA, and SHE’S WORKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE!” I’m…I really…I’m peeved! But as much as I get peeved…HMMM *makes face* (laughter). Uhh. So I didn’t get to work WITH her as an actor, which…yeah…SUCKED. SHE brought something…the role is written for a man, aah, originally in the script it was a MALE doctor, and aah, we thought “Wouldn’t it be really interesting if it was a woman, and we played up the MATERNAL side of this …creepy scientist”. And she just…she did a beautiful job. We just…put it in her hands, and said “Do WHATEVER you want, because we know you’ll bring something incredible, to the table” Umm, so yeah. It was amazing. Amazing. Uh, she passed away last year and…aah…there’s a big hole in the Vancouver acting community. She…touched a LOT of people. She passed away shortly after I…ah…one of my best friends passed away, from…from cancer. And so it was a really…it was a tough beginning… it was the beginning of this year! So it was…a tough beginning to the year to lose somebody that special.

Um….*stares into corner* OH! The Sanctuary Experience. Aaah. Sanctuary Experience was aaah run…aaaah a Vancouver convention in the summer! Aand, aah, we raised aah…ALL TOLD, ah, about $100,000, for Sanctuary For Kids, which was…PHENOMENAL, ‘cause there’s 250 people in the audience (amazed mutterings) and, YEAH! It was…ALL the actors donated time, the crew, EVERYONE…I mean everyone donated everything, and we raised…an INCREDIBLE amount of…I thought we’d get away with maybe $20,000! So a hundred thousand was insane. Um, THAT money has gone…uuuh…to, Nepal Orphan’s Home. We’ve also started a new, um, partnership with Next Generation Nepal. Uh, Nepal Orphan’s Home specifically, aah, we were going to but the vitamins, multi-vitamins for the children. And, uh, INSTEAD what’s happened, which is actually WAY better, is they were doing a…they were getting a mid-level grade of rice, they’re now getting the top level which is…packs far more nutrients. They’re getting double the amount of vegetables and fruits, and they’re getting chicken twice a week instead of…once a month! And the energy…aah…I got an email literally THE DAY before I came to Australia, from Michael Hess, who runs Nepal Orphan’s Home, saying “You won’t believe how much energy the girls have, aah, so much brighter, and so much, you know, more focused on their schoolwork, and just…simple nutrition”.

So that’s where…a big portion of the money went. Also to a local organisation in Vancouver called the Atari Tip Program, which deals with…homeless teens, transitioning to housing, and…homeless teens with children. So, it’s getting them off the streets into affordable house…housing, and helping the transition into lives that don’t involve…ah living on the street. So, it’s been amazing, yeah. We donated …aah…a bunch of money for bus passes! Quite simple, right? But when you’re on $600 a month and a bus pass is seventy dollars, that’s…a MASSIVE part of your budget. So, to get a bus pass gives them absolute freedom. They can get to their training, they can get to their schools, they can get to their jobs…aah. We didn’t limit it to bus passes! You know if there’s…there’s a guy who, ah, got an aaah apprenticeship! On a construction site. And we bought him…steel-toed boots! And a hard hat, and now he can go to work! So it’s…it’s the little things, but those are the things that…the little drop, big ripples! But yeah, it’s really done some…phenomenal…but yeah…

(MASSIVE APPLAUSE, CHEERS)

Wow you guys ask great questions!

Carissa: Before she leaves, we’re going to do one of those LOVELY teeshirts…

Amanda: III am NOT taking off my top! (laughter) I don’t look nearly as good topless as Robin! (comments in audience) well maybe…to some people..(chuckles)…I…I’m NOT gonna take off my shirt *chuckles* but I will put it on! Umm…HEY. THANKS guys! I…that was AWESOME. I feel like, you know, I watched the end of Robin’s talk, and it was really funny and…and great, and I felt just a little bit… maybe I was BORING…but um…aah, you asked really beautiful questions and I really appreciate it. And I LOVED Australia (to audience member), yeah thank you!

AAAAAH, so I get to stay in Melbourne for a few more days, ‘cause I have my daughter, Olivia, and my MUM! (“YEAH!” from guy in the audience, punching his arms in the air. Chatter and excitement) YES!! *points* My mum’s new BFF! (LAUGHTER) *laughing* they were sitting in the hotel lobby in Sydney, and Vance *laughing* just struck up this conversation with my mum! And…he’s like “So, you know, you’re a fan?” she’s like “Yeeah…okay…o.O” (LAUGHTER) Y’know: “Where are you from?”, “Vancouver…”, “OOH you came a long way!!” (LAUGHTER). And they had like, this REALLY CUTE conversation where they….and finally my mum was just like *leans over and whispers* “I’m Amanda’s mum…” (LAUGHTER). GOSH….*chuckling* she refers to him as her new best friend *grinning* (laughter).

AH! Okay thank you…*Is given teeshirt and marker*…okay WOW What do I do?! OH MY GOD, Robin is not going to *mumbles*…

(At this point, Amanda put on the shirt and started pulling funny faces as she tried to draw on the left side of her chest) *deep, thick voice, goofy grin* AM THRYING TO DRAR ON MAH SHIRRRRT!! (LAUGHTER) *draws and colours in heart over her own* So I do these heart paintings! And uuuuh, now OLIVIA *trying to draw on very awkward place, making faces* I’m SELF-colouring! (LAUGHTER) I do these, HEART paintings, and aaah, my daughter Olivia has just started doing her first canvases, and uuuh *chuckling* so this is ALL she draws! But it’s beautiful, so homage to her.

*Finishes drawing* Ummm, alright! So I think we should all wear our hearts on the outside. Dorky, I know! I can’t do anything funny, I’m not gonna draw a penis (laughter) aah…or…nipple rings, or anything like that…*drawing* and I apologise!

Umm, alright. Does anyone wanna draw something?! (chuckles in audience). *British accent* NOT ON MYYY NUBBINS!! (LAUGHTER)

(PaganX gets up from front row to draw something…expectant chuckles. She crouches behind Amanda and begins writing. Amanda alternates between a screwed up awkward grin and outright silent giggles, people are laughing at her. She’s muttering about how weird it feels.

PaganX finishes writing and hands her the marker with a big grin, while Amanda twists around to see what she’s written) OH IT’S MY GUNBUM!!!! (laughter and cheers) YAAAAAAAY! THAT’S PERFECT…yeah…I dunno if you guys know it *big grin,giggles *proudly* I have a GUNBUM!!! (laughter) And uuh, on the show (Carissa hands out mic to her) oh right…*yells* ON THE SHOW!!!!! (laughter) Ah…nobody could figure…like…the CREW started asking “where is she getting her GUNS from?”, because I wear these tight skirts, and these stilettos, and all of a sudden I’ve got…like an AK-47 (LAUGHTER).And uuh, so we decided that I have a gunbum *grins* (laughter) AS you do! Um, one of the great things about doing scifi is *laughing* anything is possible! (laughter) I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the show “The Backyardigans”, it’s a little kids show (cries of YEAH! In the audience), I don’t know if you get it here, but they like, produce props…from behind their backs! So aah, and Olivia is OBSESSED with ‘The Backyardigans”, and so…I’ve just decided I’m *chuckling* a Backyardigan, and my special talent is MY GUNBUM! (laughter) Yeah! Umm…

Carissa: Was there someone else?

(A guy gets up and Carissa hands him the marker. He approaches Amanda slowly and she seems terrified)

Amanda: *deep and shaky* I’M AFRRRAID!…(laughter. He goes behind her and begins drawing on the back of her right shoulder. Amanda’s face is torn between looking scared and looking awkwardly amazed) No I’m not afraid! I’m not afraid at all…*awkward facial expressions*…(Writer is saying about how she shouldn’t be afraid, it’s something nice, and it was nice of her to come) Oh thank you! (he keeps writing. She’s grinning expectantly) What is it? What is it?!?! (chuckles in audience) Uh ooh…Uh oooh…UH OH (laughter)

(Writer is just finishing up when we hear a familiar voice from the back of the room):

OOOOOOOOOOOHKAY, HERE WE GO!!!! (UPROAR OF LAUGHTER AND CHEERS. Robin’s standing there nodding his head comically and grandiosely clapping his hands in preparation for the shirt-fest. Amanda is laughing as her writer finishes writing on her shoulder. MENTAL LAUGHTER AND CHEERING)

(Writer finishes and gives Amanda the marker. She peers over her shoulder)

Amanda: “OMG Amanda wore this!” *turns to Robin and exclaims emphatically* See?! NICE..and POLITE! (laughter)

Carissa: *pointing and grinning* I believe there’s a charming gentleman up the back DESPERATE to draw on that teeshirt!

Amanda: *stares challengingly at Robin* Bring it! (laughter)

(Robin swaggers purposefully down the stairs with a grin on his face and hands in his pockets, everyone is laughing. Someone is singing the ‘Star Wars’ march in accompaniment)

Amanda: Oh…OH OH!

(Robin pauses halfway down, throws back his head with a MWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Laughter! He reaches the bottom of the stairs, right in front of Amanda, and approaches her)

Amanda: Wow, look at you walking all… butch-like! (laughter) *leans forward* You’re still in the running towards becoming America’s Next Top Model!!! (LAUGHTER and some claps)

(Robin takes the marker from her and stands back, slightly to the left, so he can choose where to start first. Amanda puts her hands on her waist and pushes her chest right out, emphatically smiling and throwing her head back slightly. Robin has a fit and drops his pen in shock, like some kind of hormonal adolescent. Amanda breaks the pose and folds over, clapping her hands in hysterical laughter. Everyone is cracking up!)

(Robin goes behind Amanda and splits his legs to the side so he can reach her lower back. Amanda’s standing nervously making ridiculously frightened, awkward and goofy faces at the audience and trying to figure out what he’s writing)

I..I don’t trust him!…(LAUGHTER)*frightened giggle* Can you see what he’s actually writing?!….*more faces* (LAUGHTER) IT HAD BETTER BE ANGEL WINGS! (LAUGHTER)…

(Robin has a smug grin on his face, and Amanda’s face is getting more and more anxious by the second, laughter continuously! When he’s done, Robin grasps her by the shoulders and turns her around to face him. Her teeshirt reads: MAGNUS IS HOT!!!! UPROAR OF CHEERS, CLAPPING AND LAUGHTER. He whispers it in her ear and she collapses in helpless laughter. Once the noise has died down…)

Amanda: *very coyly*Would you like to sign your name on it?

Robin: Yes…

(Amanda grasps the back of the chair, and assumes a seductive pinup pose, arching her back, and assuming the most cheesy, wide-eyed, open-mouthed look on her face. Everyone is in hysterics! Robin stands back and doesn’t know what to do, staring at her in awe, like a teenage boy. Finally he drops the pen and grabs his crotch, doubling over, and waddling awkwardly to one side, exclaiming,

Robin: “OH,..OH MY GOD!!…*waddles embarassedly* this is a bit awkward, I gotta go!!!”

Amanda breaks her pose in a fit of laughter. Robin recovers, grasps her shoulders, and turns to face the audience with her back to us so that he can write on her…AHEM…shoulder. Amanda throws her hair back seductively, and pushes her chest out, Robin can’t restrain the grin as he starts to write on her…erm…SHOULDER. Everyone is laughing their faces off!)

(When Robin is done, Amanda takes of the teeshirt, and grabs the marker herself . She lays the teeshirt on the counter and starts writing. Someone yells “Write ‘Property of Jack O’Neill!”)

Amanda: “What?”, (“WRITE PROPERTY OF JACK O’NEILL!!”), (LAUGHTER) Amanda: “YEAH!!!” and she starts to write)

Carissa: So we may start the bidding whilst Amanda is…scribing.We’re gonna start the…

Amanda (interrupting): This is totally dorky! This is exactly who I am. I’m an idiot. Not an idiot, but I’m kinda, you know, lame and dorky, and I ..OWN IT! (chuckles) I uh…I uh…YEAH! (Call from audience: ’Me too!’) YAY! I totally own my dorkiness, so aah.. (calls from audience:’ It’s what we love you for!!’,’You’re our role model!’) THREE of my favourite sayings *holds up teeshirt*…

Carissa: So, can we start the bidding at two hundred dollars. We’ve got 200 in the front row there…220…350..sorry 250! Three hundred! (comment from audience : “yeah I think I’ve got enough in here…” laughter)

(A guy calls out: “One thousand!”, “OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH ONE THOUSAND”, Amanda looks up from the teeshirt with the most shocked, wide-eyed, bunny-in-the-headlights-of-a-car expression to stare at him in AWE. Everyone cracks up at her facials)

(SCREAMS, CHEERS, LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)

Robin: That was GREAT!

Amanda: This is uuuuuuh…*mumbles aside* I’M NOT EMBARRASSED. I OWN my dorkiness! (laughter) ….I’m a LITTLE embarrassed! (laughter)

(silence for some time)

Robin: I think he won (laughter)

Carissa: There are a lot of high-flyers in the audience, I wouldn’t bet on it!

Amanda: *holds up teeshirt* Okay these are three of my favourite sayings: Live Peace, Speak Kindness, and Dwell in Possibility (AWWWWWW applause and cheers). Before my friend Cynthia passed away, I gave her this necklace because she was going through and incredibly difficult time with chemo, and she wore it…and..uh, I believe is STILL wearing it. Um…uh..yeah, the saying “Dwell in Possibility”, because I really believe that it can change…*chuckles* I’m getting sooooo dorky! (LAUGHTER) *goofy voice* I CAN MAKE MYSELF CRY! (laughter) YEAH but these are three of my favourite sayings. So there you go! AND AAAAH. I have a gunbum!!! So…I’VE GOT EVERYTHING! (laughter)

Carissa: One thousand dollars going once!…

Amanda: *remembers to sign* OH…CRIMANY! (chuckles)

Carissa: One thousand dollars going twice…sold for one thousand dollars (UPROAR OF CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(Amanda stares at the winner mouthing silently: ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS *GAPES*…LAUGHTER)

(The winner, of course, gets to take her top off. He walks straight up to Amanda and tries to grasp the bottom of the teeshirt. Amanda embarassedly shuffles away laughing awkwardly, then shakes her hair back, grabs his wrist, and coyly tries to drag him into a dark corner. She finally, with much blushing and giggles, lets him grab the shirt, and he pulls it up off her while her face is blushing and grinning cheekily. CHEERS, LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)

Carissa: Put keep clapping for the LOVELY…(is drowned out by SCREAMS,CHEERS AND DEAFENING APPLAUSE WHICH TRANSFORMS INTO AN EPIC MINUTE LONG STANDING OVATION UNTIL AMANDA, GRINNING AND WAVING, LEAVES THE ROOM, ALONGSIDE ROBIN DUNNE)

Amanda: BEST AUDIENCE EVER!!!!!!! (CHEERS AND CLAPS)

I sincerely hope that you enjoyed these panels as much as we did. From all of the lucky admirers who were able to attend, I think we can say that this day will always be in a corner of our hearts for the inspiration, the stitches and the tears that it manifested.

Thank you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency and reading. Please feel free to contribute to the discussion below, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the button down there, or my avatar at right!

CHEERIO!

JandyraCJM

December 24, 2010
Sanctuary “Vigilante”: The Quest for Hollow Earth

Hello Sanctuarians!

We all saw the controversial move Tesla pulled on Magnus at the end of ‘For King and Country’ and without a doubt, I know I wasn’t the only one waiting desperately to see how that, and all the other story arcs that have been woven, would carry through to the next episode. So here it is, the penultimate episode of 2010: Vigilante.

It starts with a wonderfully intriguing “discussion” between Magnus and Will, with Magnus trying to play the logical side, as always, but still obviously in turmoil over suddenly losing her control of the Sanctuary…again. Then Will, despite suddenly having heaps of power handed to him on a silver platter, seems to take it in his stride, with his “You’re dying, Magnus. He’s played his trump card already.” And with that fact laid bare, Will plays his own trump card too.

The interaction between Magnus and Will at the start is really quite intriguing to watch: the change in power causing them both to re-evaluate themselves which ultimately changes the dynamic of their relationship too. In Will’s case, his strength starts to shine despite Adam continuing his frequent taunts and mystery.

However, I found it interesting how Will’s look back at Magnus could be interpreted. Was it just concern over the events to come? Or was he deferring to her? Through habit, or through respect? Definitely a simple, yet intriguing set-up.

Also, the contrast between Will’s determination and protection of the team compared to Adam’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde’, almost flippant attitude definitely makes their interactions something to behold.

As we head back to the virtual city in the library, it must be said, Anthem just keep churning out such wonderful graphics and it’s been said before, but it deserves repeating, between Anthem and the whole cast, if you didn’t know it was majority green-screen then you’d probably believe the sets are real. Just amazing.

Right before the credits, we are left with the mystery of the keystone. Adam’s found it for them, but what do they do with it? What does it actually do?

After the credits, Magnus works her magic and the location of the keystone is found – Khövsgöl Province, Mongolia. At this point, the gauntlet of the power struggle is taken up again, with Magnus claiming back the reins. Standing her ground with Tesla, Druitt and Will, she carries on giving out orders as though Tesla hadn’t usurped her position earlier on. Although Tesla, with his flippant comment of “Bring me back some Mongolian wine…actually on second thoughts, don’t.” manages to turn the whole feeling of the scene.

This is where the writing for Sanctuary is brilliant, and props to Alan McCullough for this episode; the seemingly flawless cross between the serious and the amusing. Take, for example, Will’s concern for Magnus followed by the light-heartedness of “Running this place, it’s a piece of cake.” Brilliant, and set up so wonderfully for the irony to follow.

The irony, that is, of Will finding out exactly what Magnus’ day-to-day job entails. Followed by Biggie’s priceless comment on how Magnus actually gets all the work done – [She] “stayed off twitter.” I’m sure we’ll all agree that it’s wonderful that the writers reference fandom and realise how important fandom is to their show.

On their little trip to the Khövsgöl Province, we see how the relationship between Magnus and Druitt has progressed. It’s become a little less tense, and more reminiscent of what we saw of their previous relationship in London. Plus Helen landing on top of him, bonus!

At this point, they’re in exactly the right place to find the keystone. Or are they? They keystone turns out to missing, and there’s evidence of someone having been there before them. Once again, the mystery is hiked up another notch as there seems to be no indicator of who was there and where they’ve taken the keystone.

A cut away to Henry and Kate allows the mystery to simmer for a while, frustrating but very effective as it makes the next switch back to Magnus and Druitt all the more exciting. However, back to the ‘kids’ and their bickering over the trivial things in life…there’s never a dull moment! Yet there’s always a twist, and this time it’s a missing shipment and the sudden appearance of an FBI Agent.

It turns out that Will is supposed to know Agent Abby Corrigan, and bless him; he does try hard to pretend he remembers and listen to her spiel. Tesla, on the other hand, pulls another class trick of undoing her shirt button. Hey, those new effects of the source blood do come in handy!

However, right from the start, something seems a little hinky about her turning up at the Sanctuary, knowing Will was there, knowing certain cases…hmm…

Back to Helen and John, and Druitt’s concern emerges despite Magnus’ best efforts to keep to the point. It has to be said at this point as well, that Chris Heyerdahl keeps outdoing himself week on week with his acting. Biggie and Druitt are such contrasting characters and yet he plays both so beautifully and gives the audience such a perfect character to watch and enjoy. He’s truly a class act. Watching Chris and Amanda [Tapping] act off one another is just out of this world, they really do bring out the best in each other’s skills, to the point where “John, take me to London.”/“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard you say that.” became one of the most touching moments of the entire series, for me.

Back to the Sanctuary, and things seem to have gotten stranger since the FBI Agent appeared. Top secret material being given to the team really shows the differences between the characters but it also shows the ways in which they really work well as a team. Their reactions differ, for example, Will’s surprise compared to Kate’s cynical response, but at the end of the day, their goal is the same.

On a side note, I like that when Will looks in the Sanctuary database, the Harper Mites come up as “Not available at Sanctuary”…as though he’s online shopping. The smallest things are often the most amusing! However, it gives us insight into previous episodes, this time “Trail of Blood”, and it’s amazing how the continuation of these story arcs is woven seamlessly into the scripts so we’re being fed new information without even realising it sometimes!

As we arrive in London, we find Helen and John with a stereotypical museum curator one minute, the next they acquire the key for the keystone and the next they’ve disappeared into thin air again. A very quick scene in the grand scheme of things, but despite that, this scene still hikes up the interest what kind of relationship Magnus and Druitt have at this stage, a couple of looks could say otherwise to what we hear from the characters themselves. Yet another intriguing concept, and something else I hope will be confronted with something more explicit than the scenes we’ve had so far this series.

Back to the missing crate saga, and the interaction between Will and Henry is both completely serious and mature yet at the same time, it also just says ‘little boys’…especiall y Henry’s “It’s a really good idea.” It’s great to see that the relationship between these two is pretty much back to where it was before the Kali saga. A little bit of Will and Henry banter can always lighten the day!

As it turns out, the grand idea is “Ziggy”…a bird that will hopefully recover their missing crat e…or maybe land on a Tropicana truck instead. Either way, it seems they have no other option.

In the meantime, Magnus and Druitt have found their way back to the Sanctuary, and Tesla, and it’s time to put that keystone to the test….and watch it fail. Turns out it isn’t the right piece to complete the keystone after all. And to that the ‘uh-oh’ of Will calling the suspect FBI Agent back and it looks like a set-up for disaster.

And disaster can only mean one thing: Helen Magnus goes on the rampage. This time, it’s to Adam and she descends on him with no mercy. As it comes to light that the keystone piece they’d recovered is a fake, it’s startling to see the change in emotions across Magnus’ face. As a viewer, this revelation has the same effect of putting a dampener on the hope that Magnus could still survive…

The quick interchanges between the different storylines in this episode definitely keep you on your feet, so back we go to Ziggy and hopefully, his recovery. It’s no surprise to find out that he has; the original truck driver is found dead in a warehouse. Although the discovery of his body also leads to the discovery of a lone Sypher beetle that turns out to be aggressive…apparently not a normal trait.

With that news, it’s time to find out what Corrigan and Will have come up with…and it has to be said, Will needs a few lessons in lying. Corrigan seems to be able to see right through him, and the fact that she points out that Will doesn’t remember her, adds another layer to the hinky feeling. It makes it seem like she’s asking for him to call her on something…Then she plays her trump card, the comparison between them and the emotional pull that comes with. Will doesn’t look like he stands a chance of resisting!

The next chapter of “Vigilante” gives us more of an insight into how ruthless Magnus and Druitt can be. Dangling a curator off Big Ben is just the start of things to come for the whole team. Kate faces the brunt of things when Henry suddenly turns abnormal and attacks. This second event is so unexpected as we’ve watched Henry and Kate grow and their relationship strengthen to the point where it’s almost impossible to believe that he would turn on her, without good reason. Luckily, Will arrives to save the day, however Agam Darshi’s acting must be noted at this point. Her fear reaches you as you watch and you feel as confused and scared as Kate does. Brilliant acting.

And after the heights of shock and tension, comes the cheer of Tesla’s wit. If only “Shoot your employee day” was actually a recognised holiday… However, it does bring about a nice little bit of praise from Tesla for Will. Unexpected, yet once again it shows the changing dynamics between characters as the season progresses. Understated scenes such as these really do change the pace of a particular story arc, and again, prop s to Alan McCullough for yet more wonderful scenes like this.

Having found out that the beetles had been hijacked as a carrier for a micro-abnormal similar to the rabies virus only further ups the ante and now we’re left worrying not only if Magnus will survive, but if Henry will too.

A quick teleport around the world later and we’re now in China with Magnus and Druitt, still on the hunt for the remaining piece of the keystone. Once again, Helen’s determination is mind-blowing…and arguably just crazy. Taking tablets to fight off radiation poisoning, only to then head to retrieve an option that emits radiation – sounds like a great plan of action…

Luckily, the rest of the team back at the Sanctuary are more sensible when it comes to tracking down their criminal. Not surprisingly, the connection between the deaths is the protection of abnormals, and the next crime scene is set to be the Vigil which was laid out at the start of the episode.

As Will, Kate and Biggie rush in an attempt to stop the next attack, it seems Agent Corrigan has decided to set-up her own stake-out and follows the team into a situation it’s obvious she is unprepared for.

Helen’s genius plan of action seems to be going well…perhaps a little too well considering the artefact is in plain view and the room is empty. ‘Too good to be true’ seems to be proven right here as Magnus suddenly finds a knife to her throat, but teleportation and kick-ass fighting skills are as good as anything to get themselves out of a twist.

Unfortunately, it takes a while longer for the rest of the team to get themselves out of the trouble created by unearthing ‘Father Clark’ as the man behind the deaths. First they have to escape from aggressive Sypher beetles, and then Biggie has to find Clark, surviving a few bullets to the chest in the meantime.

However, Clark makes one mistake in all of this; he threatens Magnus. Over the seasons, the team have grown stronger and their loyalty to one another is not something to be questioned. Plus the relationship between Magnus and Biggie is something special, he’s prepared to fight for her, die for her. Even kill for her, as Corrigan finds out when she crashes the party. Seriously, there is something about that woman that I’m not sure about; the way she goes about things in this episode just makes her looks overly suspicious. Not really the best image to portray, yet she kind of redeems herself with her sympathy for the Big Guy. If the writers keep her around, I’m sure she’ll be an interesting character to explore; her motives are definitely intriguing already.

Also, the depth this episode has brought to Biggie’s character is quite remarkable. We don’t often get to see his emotional side, so his outbursts of both anger and of sorrow are a good step forward in presenting the real Biggie, the one who is more than the butler for the Sanctuary. It’s something I hope they’ll explore more.

As Corrigan departs, we are given more of a push to trust the character, Will certainly does! However, Will trusting her doesn’t necessarily address the level of secrecy she’s perpetuated through the episode. Maybe she’s not so bad, who knows?

And as all those loose ends are tied up, more are unravelled to replace them, as Magnus, Druitt and Tesla discover what happens when the right piece of the keystone is inserted into the virtual city. With the answer being that Tibet holds the gateway to hollow Earth, we are left with another cliff-hanger. Sanctuary sure does love cliff-hangers!

“Vigilante” ends with a mutual reassurance society between Magnus and Will, yet it’s also a touching moment that just proves the strong bond they’ve created and that Magnus’ illness won’t break it.

With the closing words of “We’re gonna find the city.” I’m sure we’ll all be staying tuned for “Hollow Men” and will be waiting with bated breath for a long awaited introduction to the actual Hollow Earth. We can hope, anyway!

Tune in for “Hollow Men” this week, and keep an eye out for the WormholeRiders News Agency review on it too!

Thank you, as always, for reading! Feel free to leave a comment or question on here and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Alternatively, you can follow me or leave a comment on twitter by clicking the image.

~ Gairwyn (Zoë)

December 17, 2010
Sanctuary: ‘For King and Country’…A forty-minute, mouth-gaping feature!

GREETINGS SANCTUARIANS!

Following the overwhelmingly smackdown super-Magnus episode that was ‘Breach’, I think impassioned Sanctuary viewers everywhere could barely expect another episode of such a sheer amount of epic. The utter ferocity of Amanda Tapping’s physicality in that episode, combined with the combination of unbelievably brutal fight choreography and the quiet and poignant humanism left fans all over the world breathless! To exceed the nuclear effect of this episode was inconceivable. And then the following happened:

‘For King and Country’. Sanctuary, Season 2, Episode 8.

Though perhaps the most anticipated episode of this third season of Sanctuary, nobody could possibly comprehend what it entailed. Was it a grossly epic plot? Was it the character catharsis? Was it historical flashbacks? Was it the fantastic visual effects of Amazing Anthem? Was it the personal chemistry? The passionate depths of emotion? The nuances of the sublime actors? The directing?

Truth is, it was every single one of those. Every. Single. Blasted. One.

Unlike ‘Breach’, ‘For King and Country’ started at a measured pace. The initial energy was urgent, carrying on from the close of ‘Breach’, but did not inspire the edgy mystery that the former episode did on opening. This enabled we anxious viewers (perched on the edge of our sofas, chewing our cushions anxiously…nothing unusual here, carry on please!) to be drawn into the plot immediately and smoothly. Sucked right in. Unknowingly. Into the powerful depths of their clutches. And then the mouth-gaping arc began.

Helen Magnus’ (Amanda Tapping) defensive, agitated and emotionally charged state creates a perfect bridge between ‘Breach’ and ‘For King and Country’. As she gradually calms from being smacked around concrete walls by a dead classmate, her determination to understand it all begins a new series of action…

The depths of history that this episode burrows into, the emotional arc and personal development of characters, the beauty and attention to detail of the production, all make this episode feel like an entire film within the space of forty minutes. The tasteful abundance of Anthem’s work helps give the narrative the weight it deserves; they have captured the atmosphere of 19^th century London gorgeously, while the costume design (Christine McQuarrie) and attention to detail is authentic and beautiful.

Not just the changing fashion of the clothing as they progress through the eras, but also in style , where it authentically reflects the social and class status of the Five. The superb directing of Lee Wilson, and the tasteful post-production work, created a succinct and clear narrative despite the constant flipping in time periods! The editing is well thought out, as every single scene in the episode fills out the plot arc fantastically, and at the same time allows the full weight of human interaction, and the importance and consequences of those interactions.

It feels like an entire film, so much information crammed into forty minutes, yet at the same time we’re taken on an incredible personal and emotional journey. Even Andrew Lockington, the musical genius, and the glorious work in the music editing reflects the changes in time period sumptuously (including a repetition of a particular theme from ‘Breach’, which catches my inner drum every time!). There are so many important aspects to consider in this episode, that the task leaves me gasping for air. Where in Hollow Earth do we BEGIN?!?!

Let’s begin with the crowning glory of genii: The Five. Back in their ‘young and passionate’ days these five, talented individuals assembled and set to work with a common purpose in mind. Helen Magnus, following in her father’s inspirational footsteps, had a brilliant and inquisitive mind, shrewd, cautious, and passionate in her study of abnormal life. The lightning-quick James Watson (Peter Wingfield) was not far away, dedicatedly putting his brilliant genius to work in abnormal research.

The arrogant and witty Serbian ex-pat, Nikola Tesla (Jonathon Young), dedicated his genius to their brilliant work, but we are still to gain light on why exactly John Druitt (Christopher Heyerdahl) and Nigel Griffin (Vincent Gale) were active participants. Druitt may have been there simply as Helen’s lover, but are there more scientific reasons to his interest? Jack the Ripper was an avid anatomist…hmmmmmmm thoughts?

The earlier flashbacks in which we see them all together are just delicious, as they labour away at the source blood, trying to unlock its secrets, then interrupted by the nuisance of Adam Worth (Ian Tracey). After Druitt rids them of him, the cocky humour is positively bouncing off the walls:

Druitt: “You have to admit he’s brilliant!”

Griffin: ” …and British.”

Tesla: “Hysterical.”

Magnus: “Does anyone else notice something …odd…about Adam?”

Tesla: ‘He just pointed it out, he’s British *winks*”

The entire dynamic between the members of the Five, and also in their contact with classmate Adam Worth and the outside world, is really given weight in the narrative. As Nikola aptly pointed out, they were young, and even a tad arrogant (young, self-confident, invincible!), and their actions and attitudes remind me a little of the ‘Trust Fund’ kids in Season 2’s ‘Sleepers’: Young, self-confident in their brilliance, feeling invincible, and somewhat cliquish. Although *AHEM* it must be said they they do comprehend the consequences of their actions…at least to some extent!

Adam Worth was more than capable of pushing their work forward, yet they bar him from their ‘club’. After Druitt menacingly drives Adam from their lab, the scene between Helen and Worth, as she watches him work a chemical compound on the wall, is key in their attitude toward such an ‘outsider’.

In true Magnus sensitivity, she sincerely appeals to his vanity, to try and soften the blow of their final decision. It will be interesting to see what the more sound reasons for refusing him were, as Magnus said ‘we’re heading on different paths’, after noticing ‘something odd’ about him. Perhaps they already sensed a dormant obsessive darkness in him?

From that moment on, it seems that the deep chasm between the Five and Mr. Worth began to push apart. Adam was forced to build a desperate bridge in the bid to save his beloved daughter, and despite Helen’s and Watson’s best efforts, the Leukaemia won its war. Was it the loss of his daughter that caused the rift in Adam’s personality? Or, as Will suggested; a betrayed rage at Helen’s pursuit and attempted assassination? Perhaps both. Over to you, Will!

Either way, Adam needed someone to blame for the premature loss of his daughter (much as Helen did), and it fell on Magnus’ and Watson’s shoulders, for their inability to save young Imogene (Margot Berner). The memory is a heart-wrenching revisit for Helen, “The loss of a daughter. It’s a wound that never heals”.

Adam seems to be dealing with it a lot differently to her; the continuing post-trauma of his loss seem to have caused Adam’s hatred grow to irrational lengths, while perhaps his spatio-temporal dimensional travel has adverse effects on his mind? Let’s wait and see….*stuffs fists in mouth anxiously*.

There is definitely a sense of sympathy between Magnus and Adam; she is much more forgiving than most of the men around her, and the grief for Ashley that she nurses could help her to form some sort of bond with him. But to do this, she must speak Adam’s language. Hence ‘Breach’ showed the violence that she needed to get through to the beast, contrasted with the soft humanity she employs in this episode to talk to the gentle genius: “I want to help you, Adam”.

Helen sincerely regrets the awful action and betrayal she had made a hundred years ago; it goes against all her principles and instincts. Now, Magnus and the Five’s sacrifices for the sake of their work have come back to bite them in the behind, the moral sacrifices they have made have brought a huge threat to the very work they meant to protect. The irony wears a bit of a rough edge!

How much the Five have all changed over the past 100 years! And how much has changed…the devastating loss of the bright James Watson feels pacified a little by his return from the past in ‘For King And Country’, and it was utterly delightful to see him in his original habitat, surrounded by his ambitious peers, and to see his working relationship with Dr. Magnus. We don’t tend to feel the loss of Nigel Griffin so much, as we’ve had very little light shed on his veiled past (AS OF YET!).

Obviously, the greatest change has been in Helen and, through the angst of their relationship, Montague John Druitt. The history of their tearing apart by his demon, the resulting fear and resentment, and the loss of their daughter, has really put them through the mill.

Will Zimmerman, poor laddy, is desperately trying to play catch-up in the presence of these ancient genii, yet despite his overwhelmedness, he has learned quickly that he also has his own respectable and capable place in their work. Robin Dunne has, over the entire series, developed with his characterisation the bumpy growth of Will as he continually encounters situations that he simply never imagine possible.

He is loyal to Magnus, but not blind, and has an immensely strong moral integrity…especially for his age! His frustrated confrontation with the fatally ill *WAILS* Magnus shows an ethical consciousness and strength, which is something that the Five seem to have lacked over a century ago. He confronts Magnus with his bitterness: “To protect society, or your work?”. Magnus is not impressed, he’s just a child after all…

His sensitive understanding of the complex and fluid psyche is invaluable in a jungle of chemical and biological scientists. Even Helen admitted, throwing her hands in the air, “We didn’t understand the mind back then, Will! We saw him as a threat!”. Yet she has the unique ability to quickly adapt to new and changing concepts. I think her iPhone speaks for itself…BY the WAY. Is Henry’s iPhone app from ‘Bank Job’ available on iTunes yet?!

At this point, I feel the overwhelming urge to hit PAUSE, and pay awed homage to the phenomenal actors in this episode.

Guest artist Ian Tracey…why on EARTH have we not heard about him before this series?! The man IS Adam Worth…both of Adam Worth! The softly gentle Irish nuances are juxtaposed harshly with the rough and crude ‘bully’ within him. While his character is modelled after Jekyll and Hyde, the original writing (James Thorpe), combined with Ian’s humane characterisation, brings the fable to a living and believable reality.

Ian Tracey IS Adam Worth, a slighted genius traumatised by the loss of his daughter, betrayed, and on a century-old mission for revenge. Ian’s sudden, but smooth, transition between the two personalities are breathtaking, and are so rapid that it takes you a moment to register the change. He is subtle, there is no affectation in his portrayal, but the character opens up in the most organic and quietly natural way possible.

The personal crumbling and fury appears as a natural progression from 100 years ago, to the present day…the actor manages to show 100 years of continuing torment in just a few minutes. The same, of course, can be said for Amanda Tapping, Chris Heyerdahl, and Jonathon Young. Can’t wait to see more of Ian!

Amanda Tapping’s acting especially floored me in this episode. Her expression of the 159 year old Doctor carries so much weight, so much versatility and so much poignancy. Throughout ‘For King and Country’, Amanda’s delivery felt completely organic, unforced, and Magnus’ physical exhaustion, sickness and emotional torment was heart-touchingly real.

It’s the little things that have the most drastic effect, as Amanda once said “small pebbles cause great ripples” and the inconspicuous glances, gentle throw-away comments, and even the moments when Magnus doesn’t speak at all, managed to convey over a century of growth and experience in one fleeting instant.

For Amanda and her character, this episode was a direct contrast to the one which preceded it; a contrast between the raw and gritty physicality, and feminine strength and vulnerability. A sublime delivery, absolutely gorgeous. Perhaps the most beautifully touching scene in the series to date, Helen’s intimate moment of fleeting tranquillity with Druitt is a perfect example where no words are needed, and yet so much can be said.

With the impending doom hanging over their heads, the angst of the past and the uncertainty of the future seem to cloud around their aura of closeness, and come colliding above them during her moment of touching, human need.

Here, Helen is not merely a scientist, but a woman. She is vulnerable, and seems to seek comfort in the relief that he is alive, in the familiarity of his nearness, and the basic need for human comfort. I watched my television screen shudder and melt with ripples of emotion. The delivery was simple, and honest.

It was utterly FANTASTIC to have the sumptuous James Watson (Peter Wingfield) back in the fold, his familiarly suave brilliance reverberated in his classy wit was just DELICIOUS to welcome back. And ever so British. His languorous nationally iconic humour was reflected delightfully in that of Druitt and Griffin, and contrasted even more appetizingly with the Serbian Nikola Tesla, who basically used his own particular brand of wit to throw their comments right back in their faces. The typically English humour is sharp as a knife:

Druitt: “It seems Victoria was wrong, the old boy DOES have a backbone!”

Watson: “He’s not a LORD, he’s a King. And no…go to hell, MISTER Prime Minister”

Druitt: “Seconded!”

I think this is one of the most delicious exchanges in the episode.

Everyone’s favourite ‘Magneto’, Nikola Tesla seems to have found a new setback: his outdated knowledge. He just doesn’t DO humble, and his final admission of finding Henry’s (Ryan Robbins) expertise in tech rather daunting heralds a new kind of emotional maturing. The 160 y.o. genius who finally hit puberty?! Well maybe not in a physical sense, but definitely in his cranial juices. To humble himself enough to make an admission that, just maybe, he isn’t Captain Invincible, is ringing little tingling bells of emotional growth.

Yet he constantly returns to his usual, self-centred, egotistical, conceited…at the expense of his colleagues. Once again, poor Magnus is blinded from the truth by his deceit (“And you are nothing, if not a man of your word!”, though he had good reason for it. Nevertheless, let’s hope it doesn’t go too far though, we love his infuriating snirks!

“I was wrong, there is a God”!

Needless to say, the loss of his Vampiric traits dealt an enormous blow to Mr Tesla, and ever since then, much of his egotistical bravado has been overshadowed by disappointment and a sense of failure. It is as if Nikola has begun to rediscover his new self, and found that he has, like all other humans, his own set of flaws. To live as a Vampire for a century, and then suddenly find oneself mortal, the withdrawals must be enormous!

Even his physical attitude has changed, as we can see in the flashbacks juxtaposed with the present timeline: His normally ramrod straight posture, serenely self-confident, snobbish manner has been melted into a more relaxed and uncertain air. You could even say, more…scruffy-looking. More like a professor and less like Dracula. Even his accent (obviously) has been muted from a strong Slavic “I-vant-to-suck-your-blood’ to sharp-tongued American drawl. Kudos on the accents Jonathon!

Druitt. Oh, Druitt, great to have you back, torn man that you are. Christopher Heyerdahl is a man of mouthgapingly incredible talent. Not only in his versatility with prosthetics and character work, but in the subtleties of his delivery. He has a magnificently theatrical, spellbinding magnetism on the screen. From an over-drugged state, we saw so many stages in his development as an individual in this particular episode.

His character seems to swimming in cruel irony. From that moment on the bridge, in foggy London (thank you special effects!), the fateful promise: ”And when we are done, you and I will begin our dance anew”, to the exchange in the river, where he finds himself (unknowingly) at the mouth to Hollow Earth:

Adam: “She will hunt you forever”

Druitt: “I hope she does”

How will he act from here-in? THE NEXT EPISODE COULD NOT COME SOON ENOUGH!!! *chews fingernails*

But back to the plot. Oh dear goodness, what’s in store?!?! Plotwise, ‘For King and Country’ has the nerve-wracking feel of a season finale cliffhanger. As we’ve discovered, Adam purposefully lured Helen Magnus into his interdimensional wormhole, in the vengeful hope of contaminating her with radiation. Devious b****!!

With the two of them heading down the dark tunnel toward the heavenly (or otherwise!) light, drastic measures to save Helen’s life are no doubt just out of reach of our vision *CHOKING SOUNDS*. Poor Will has been slammed with world-changing decisions, and though Tesla’s actions through the Sanctuary Charter may seem “dude, that is cold”, it may (or may not have been) a wise decision to make. Even Helen does not protest, though looks somewhat frustrated, but knows she is helpless against the Charter which she herself wrote.

Although Magnus’ work constantly puts her life in the line of fire, this is the first time that she is in direct peril….well actually….dying. Helen Magnus, DYING?!? Now all of their fates, the fate of the Sanctuary network, and the life of the beloved Magnus, lies on the young Will Zimmerman.

Helen Magnus and Adam Worth are dying, the remaining members of the Five are back together, and the only chance to save the head of the Sanctuary network is to go to Hollow Earth. The teetering, violent and unpredictable Adam Worth seems to be their only guide.

OH.DEAR.GOD.

A huge thank-you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency and reading!

Please, do feel free to comment, or contribute constructively below by clicking one of the icons below to share this review article. Varied perspectives and discussion make the series all the more enjoyable for everyone!

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Cheerio!

JandyraCJM

December 8, 2010
Sanctuary S3x07 ‘Breach’ Review

Hello Sanctuary fans from all over the globe.

This is the episode that we have been long waiting for. And I know with some of my friends, more so my Sanctuary team members, have been sitting on the edges of their sofas, chairs, maybe even their beds, just waiting for this.

As this has been a while since I actually written a review of an episode from Sanctuary since Kali Pt. 1 from the end of season 2, (mainly because I was coordinating with my team on who will write what), I’m going to do this one a little differently. Usually I write a play-by-play, this time I shall give my thoughts on this episode.

Well sitting and watching Breach, right off the bat it was full of mystery, suspense, a lot of holy crap, and did I mention mystery? Although it doesn’t help matters with Helen (Amanda Tapping) getting her ass kicked by a masked psycho, who apparently knows her father, the hologram city and keystones. Of which Helen knows nothing of, for the moment.

I tell ya, this little weasel is so sneaky with his personal teleportation device thingy. Yes, I may make up words in this one to help get my thoughts across. After much more fighting, Helen giving it right back, GO HELEN!! That’s when Helen got the upper hand and managed to rip off the mask off her kidnapper. Adam (played by Ian Tracey). Or at least one of many living in the one person.

Trapped in the old abandoned building, still looking for a way out and trying to avoid the mad man, she figured out that water from the old pipes caused him not to see her when he’s got his mask on his face. The reason for which will become apparent later.

She managed to get up to the rooftop. Free at last, or is it? She looked about, all that was ringing was what sounded like church bells. Which added to the suspense of the moment. That’s when she looked down and saw Will (Robin Dunne) and Kate (Agam Darshi), in the alleyway. Helen called out to them, but no response. That’s when she realized that they appeared to be frozen in time.

Now there’s a concept that is no stranger to us. We seen TV shows either touching on or based on either time dilation wormholes or static warp bubbles. This seemed to be a bubble that the time is moving at a regular rate inside the building, whereas everything else outside has stood still.

Though I have to say, the fighting scenes were amazing. The choreograph alone was awesome. My hats off to Amanda Tapping and Ian Tracey for giving us such sit on the edge of your seat excitement.

I believe this is the best episode to date. What makes it the best is that there’s only two characters involved throughout, well mostly anyway. Will and Kate were there for roughly ten minutes, then it was focused on Helen and this masked mad man.

Having watching every episode from season 2 right up to this one, I can’t tell you a favorite one. And I said season 2 because we didn’t get season 1 when it first aired. I know, go figure, it was filmed here in Canada and we didn’t get it.

Amanda Tapping done such a remarkable job on this episode. This one only shows just how talented she is and how she continues to amaze us with her performances each week.

Another thing that made this particular episode is the way they touched on teleportation. Why did Adam have to stay totally covered? The answer to that was apparent when Helen was talking to Adam, trying to gain some trust so she can get closer to him. Then once he let his guard down, she grabbed his arm as with all the strength she had, ripped a portion of his sleeve.

This pissed him off and he summoned the “doorway” and walked through. However, upon exiting, he was badly injured. So hence the total body protection. Which gave Helen an idea.

Then there was these light fixtures that at first I thought was apart of the old building, then it was realized that it was apart of the transportation device thingy that Adam was using. It seemed to only let him work it within the building. Still not sure how or why, I’m sure that you (the readers) have your own ideas on that one.

They appeared to have a time limit as well, because before we knew it they were flickering an d emitting some noise that something bad was going to happen.

Trying to convince Adam to come to the Sanctuary with her (she knew she needed his help with the old city), she finally got him up off the floor and get to the exit.

That’s when the movement of time started to even itself out from inside the building to the outside.

With a big BANG from the shot that was released from the glass in the door, poor Kate and Will didn’t have a clue. With an explosion coming from the door that to them they just left from and seeing a beaten up Helen, they were more confused then anything else that had happened.

I’m sure that Helen will fill them in in the next episode (of which i can’t wait to see the continuation).

That concludes my views and thoughts of this episode.

I hope you enjoyed the read and thank you for tuning into WormholeRiders News Agency for your daily tidbits of anything and everything.

You can also leave a message here, visit my Live Journal or send it over to me on twitter by clicking on my name @karenford1. or my image to the right.

Thank you

KarenFord1

December 2, 2010
Sanctuary S3x06: The ‘Animus’ in all of us…

Oh, dear Sanctuary fans! Lions and tigers and bears….Oh my?

Nope. Lycans, ex-vampires and private hidden facilities in the middle of Oldham, England!

‘Animus’ is one of those episodes where we find ourselves being pulled right into the turbulence. It’s also one of the first episodes in which we truly see the HAP (Hyper-Accelerated Protean a.k.a Lycan) in fully-fledged form (Anthem FX), once again, MASSIVE respect for all of you).

We’re taken on a journey, we get to laugh with the characters, tear up with them…and chew through our pillow at appropriate moments. One could argue that this is what most Sanctuarians go through on a weekly basis! However this episode feels more like we are seeing the characters in their ‘natural habitat’, so to speak. It has a particularly ‘Here Come the Boys’ theme to it, as Will (Robin Dunne) and Henry (Ryan Robbins) team up to go off to middle England, visiting Oldham where there has been a recent HAP sighting.

By the way, Oldham is a real English town, about 7 miles outside of Manchester. Being from good old blighty myself, my ears did pricketh up at a story line being set in the cold, damp island… in which I live….

The opener is sneaky, creating suspense from the very first few seconds (thanks in part to the wonderful writing of Andrew Lockington, our ever-present musical genius). We then have what appears to be two friends, in some sort of institution. One can’t sleep, so the other gets woken up in an abrupt manner. Frankly, if you had woken me up by clamping your hand over my mouth, you probably would have come away handless, and had a far more disgruntled customer on your hands.

A wonderfully lilting conversation takes place at this juncture, which warmed my heart because any time I hear regional dialect from the UK, it JUST makes me smile! Settling back down in to my cushions on the sofa after having a mild coronary, I felt that it had just been tipped the wink that it was going to be ‘one of THOSE’ Sanctuary episodes, where my cushion ends up disintegrated into piles of fluff by the end of the journey.

I digress. Things calm down and it looks like it’s going to be an innocent card game, however with the music in the background gearing up, you just know it’s going to end in tears. And it does. Well not really tears. More like, well, Death. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my this is not……..

Now we switch to the Sanctuary. It appears that while the boys are to enjoy this rare opportunity slip away for a wee while, Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) is well and truly ensconced in the Virtual City that we touched on briefly (and tantalisingly!) at the end of ‘Firewall’. Will, turning to Henry, suggests ‘Let’s go. A road trip. Just Butch and Sundance’, to which Henry replies, ‘What about Magnus and the Magnet…?’.

By ‘Magnet’, of course, he means the wonderfully enigmatic Nikola Tesla (Jonathon Young), who is currently also ensconced helping (or hindering) Helen as she works to unravel the city’s secrets. Looking at the excitement on the two boys’ faces, at their thought of doing something…a little bit on the sly… you just giggle knowing that at some point, they are going to land up in a heap of trouble. After all, boys will be boys…

When we cut to Helen and Tesla, we discover that they have indeed been entrenched in their own little world, for 6 whole days so far (during all of which, apparently, Nikola is yet to bathe…!).

Now. I am loving the relationship that we are seeing between Helen and Nikola. We get to see two true colleagues working side by side, and you can sense the immense history they have in even the simplest of sentences. The way Helen knows that Nikola has a tendency to ‘jump the gun’, where Helen would take her time trying to find logical steps through the puzzle presented before them. We get to see their unique thought processes. And we can see each of them in turn, excited in their own way at the tantalising mystery they are working on. Of course Nikola, being Nikola, jumps right in with both feet…every time…

Switching back to that small damp island, we see Will and Henry having a jolly jaunt through the rolling woods of Oldham. Will’s character, I feel, blending with elements that are truly ‘Robin Dunne’ as he entertains us with his drunken accents and his dismissive mockery of the local leprechauns. Apparently, Will’s mother is from Ireland. Dublin to be precise. Who’da thunk; little Will is an Irish lad at heart. Unfortunately the banter is interrupted by the lovely remains of a shredded goat, and this isn’t your average Mongolian takeaway version.

Having ascertained that the bloody trail veers towards the private institution in front of them, they stop by the UK Sanctuary for some much needed information. Declan McRae (played by Robert Lawrenson) happily divulges the information that it is a privately run facility, so they can pretty much do as they please. Twigging that the boys are here ‘unofficially, but on holiday’ he just offers advice to tread carefully, and enjoy their stay. With a quick, English ‘whatever’ and shifty glance from Will, you just know that a plan that has already brewed itself in their minds. Yup. Henry gets himself admitted to unknown territory!

Meanwhile – back to the wonder of mysteries and ancient Cimmerian symbols, Tesla has managed to successfully fudge up what appears to be a holographic combination lock. The whole thing emits an EM pulse, which not only kills Helen’s phone (just as she answers Will with a giddy “hello!”), but also most of the Sanctuary electric systems. Yanking Nikola’s chain pretty hard, (‘there’s an old vacuum tube generator I am sure you could breathe life into’) Helen effectively snaps her fingers at Nikola and tells him to ‘Fix her house’. Nikola, taken aback, asks what is he, her house elf?! To which Helen throws over her shoulder as she is walking away from him ’Thank you Dobby!!!’ At this point I had to pause the telly, as I couldn’t stop laughing…

Henry, having managed to get himself successfully admitted to the clinic after being interviewed by Lillian (Allison Hossack), and then assessed by a rather lovely assistant named Erica (Pauline Egan), quickly finds out that there is more than meets the eye to this facility. After palming the meds they’re each given, he quickly sets to work on hunting down the answers to the mysteries surrounding this institution. Upon bedtime, he steals out from his bedroom and heads toward the morgue, having learned about the early murder that took place; a murder where a patient (Joe) murdered his best friend (Liam).

The discovery in the morgue is a gruesome one for Henry, and you can see the fear, anger and revulsion on his face as he sees that the murder victim appears to be half transformed into a HAP. I feel the remnants of the Kabal science experiments ghosting through his memory as he rounds on Erica who has appeared behind him. He is stunned into an emotionally choked silence when she reveals that she is just like him. That they are all, indeed, Lycans.

While Henry has made the rather lovely discovery that he is no longer alone, Will, on the other hand, comes face to face with a rather large Lycan. Yup. That’s right. It’s Liam, the escaped patient who fled after killing his own best friend, Joe. Will handles himself well, and it is here you can see how far he has, in character and personality, come. How the extraordinary is now the ordinary, in the world he now resides in. But, for the record, Will. When face to face with a Lycan. Just run…..fast.

Whilst things are looking like they are coming up roses for Henry, things get interesting in the Sanctuary. Helen has taken to bed, to recharge her batteries, and is rudely disturbed by Nikola brazenly breaking into her room (after using his magnetic ability to unlock Helens door). After hastily pointing a gun at him, (the lady sleeps with a gun under her pillow. Mucho respecto) she concedes to listen to his elongated and eloquent twitterings as he roundedly gets to the point.

He states that he can make the crystal do their bidding by hitting it with a certain spectrum of light. This little scene, truly, shows the power that Helen Magnus holds. After declaring him brilliant, he decides to push his luck, but she cuts him short with ‘Now get out’, which he obeys immediately. Nikola really does know where the line is drawn, to some degree…pity it’s never before someone wants to head butt him though…

Now here, for me, is where Henry (Ryro) and Will (Robin Dunne) have switched places a little. We normally get to see Will in his boxers, or bare-chested at least once during an episode of Sanctuary. And he (Robin Dunne) is a little famous for dropping his kecks backstage.

This time, we are treated to Henry ‘nekkid as the day he was born.’ After falling out with Alistair whilst having a discussion about the change that HAPs undergo, Erica takes him aside for a chat. It is then that Henry discovers that these Lycans are suppressing their HAP side through propagandised fear and drugs. Here is where we get to see how the Henry has changed since we really last touched deeply on his HAP side.

Henry has a zen-like aura about him as he talks about his true, abnormal self, and you can see his crestfallen reaction when Erica calls the HAP side, ‘That Thing, That Monster’. The wound is deep, and the disappointment evident that they have not truly embraced who they are. Erica starts to walk away from him and, to prove a point, Henry shifts to full Lycan mode, dropping to stand in front of her, then slowly morphing back into his human-form.

At first she is so amazed by what she has just seen, that she doesn’t twig that he is nekkid. And then she does. In true Brit fashion: with a rather soft ‘oh’ followed by Henry’s embarrassment as he realises that he has been standing there, displaying his tatty bo-jangles.

Back at the Sanctuary – Nikola has an intrigued Helen with him as he demonstrates how his idea works. And it does. To some degree, until the crystal scans them, detects the source blood, and then thinking they are vampires, once again shuts down, leaving them a lovely present: A bomb. Clever crystal = 1 ; Magnus/Magnet = 0.

The ‘Human Magnet’ manages to stop the bomb from gearing up to boom, but needs to stand with his hand on it. It is here that Helen, with that brilliant brain of hers, has a light bulb moment and instructs Nikola to deploy an EM bubble around them, blocking them from the scans and thus tricking the Crystal. Open, and on to the next Level…Crystal = 1 Helen = 1.

Switching back to Henry who, enraged with the fact that there must be something in the medication that ‘Aunt Lilian’ is handing out, confronts her in a face-off, desperately explaining that HAPs DON’T kill. Meanwhile, Will has run into the human form of Liam who, bless him, is beside himself with grief. Telling Will that he can’t possibly go back into the Institution, Liam lets him know of a way in.

However, by now Henry has been overwhelmed by guards, strapped to a chair, and the wonderfully caring ‘Aunt Lillian’ (who is FAST becoming Dr Mengala in my eyes) injects him with whatever it is that not only makes the HAPs go postal when they change, whatever it is that makes them attack the first thing in front of them. Henry looks terrified, because (again linking back to the Kabal; well I wouldn’t want to be experimented on again would you?!) he knows it’s all about to go wrong. Will can’t contact Magnus (courtesy of Nikola’s EM shield) and he can’t wait for Declan.

So, following the way in which Liam had indicated, Will walks into the basement where Henry was strapped. Yup. ‘Was’ being the operative word. Yeah. Fully enraged HAP on the loose boys. This could be a ‘clean up on aisle 5’ incident.

(Just to pause for a moment here. You truly do forget that this is all on a green screen. That NOTHING you see on the screen, apart from a few key props, is actually THERE. It really is testament not only to Anthem but also to the actors who bring everything to life around them….Anyway, enough geeking out!)

Henry, CLEARLY under the influence of more than just your average clubber drug, goes nuts and lunges at Will. Will, (obviously sick of being knocked unconscious) pulls off some fairly cool moves to stop himself being turned into a Lycan scratching-post. However in a lovely twist, Erica and ‘Aunt Lillian’ appear just in time, with Auntie waving a gun in Henry’s direction. Erica goes HAP and the two battle. Obviously having burned off the rage, they both then morph back to human form.

Nekkid human form.

The lesson to be learnt: never be afraid, or ashamed, of who you are. (Well afraid, perhaps, if you were Druitt with a malevolent creature inside you, hell-bent on murdering people… maybe then, be afraid).

The UK Sanctuary team then come into the facility. ‘Aunt’ Lillian is led away, and quite rightly so. No Tea for her, Declan! That wily Lycan… Meanwhile Henry, bless him, gets a lovely on-screen Kiss. GO HENRY!

Switching back for the wind up to the pitch that is the seemingly never ending holographic puzzle, Magnus and the Magnet are going through one of Helen’s books, checking off the symbols. Helen is reading them out loud and when she says Gateway (In Cimmerian) the whole thing shuts down leaving only a giant holographic sphere. The orb appears to be permeated with lines and angles, and what looks like a pocket inside it, slightly off-centre. Helen quickly twigs that this is not an ‘off-world’ adventure, but one upon which they are literally standing on.

The sphere…is Earth………

Thanks for popping by WormholeRiders News Agency and reading!

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Or you can visit me on Twitter by clicking my avatar below right.

Surrealvampi (Kate)

November 26, 2010
Sanctuary: A lightly ‘comic-al’ Hero II: Broken Arrow

Hailing all you Sanctuary fans out there!

On this posterior side of the Gemini’s 25th Anniversary Gala, welcome to yet another exciting Kate Freelander (played by Agam Darshi) episode! You know, considering that there was so much controversy raging in fandom when her character was introduced, I don’t think anyone can possibly deny that she has blended beautifully not only into the Sanctuary team, but into the overall tone of the series.

We have been blessed with a thread of deliciously insightful revelations, and small glimpses of her journey from lone ranger, to a woman more comfortable with herself and with her beloved teammates. Altogether,’ the Freelander’ has grown to become more…sociable? Civilised? Loveable?

Okay, well so far it’s been very touchy/feely with the Kate-centric narratives, but this week we saw her juxtaposed with the nostalgic return of everyone’s favourite super-hero, THE ADJUSTERRRRRRR a.k.a Walter (an alias for the always refreshing Christopher Gauthier). Although it is a more-or-less stand alone episode, Hero II provides what could be described as the inevitable employment of Ms. Freelander’s *aherm* “mad skills”. I mean, c’mon really, Hero and Hero II: Broken Arrow are basically as geeky as the geekfest gets; we’ve got scifi, comic books, comic book heroes, comic book movies, San Diego Comic Con quips, corny catch-phrases, and (most importantly) spandex.

These episodes provide the meeting point between every corner of fandom; a blissful unity of nerds, geeks, dorks, and hot people.

While Hero II: Broken Arrow oozes coolness in every way possible, it is not merely a showcase for mindless sensationalism. This is a trait with which the Sanctuary team have gloriously comported themselves throughout every single episode of the whole series. Every narrative in the story arcs has contributed to a gorgeous harmony and balance between sensational ‘wow-factor’, reflective and shrewd thought, and the velvety richness of deep-seated human emotion. The series is intelligent; fans have even been known, having watched one episode or another, to go on the internet and research historical or scientific references from the show. Thank goodness for Google.

In contribution to this ying-yang balance of the show, Hero II: Broken Arrow is predominantly just plain cool. However it also drives home the earnest ethical and moral standards of the powerful Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), and reinforces the symbiotic relationship Kate Freelander now has with her fellow teammates.

The bantering bet between Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins) and Kate at the very opening of the episode sets the fun tone for the entire narrative, right down to Magnus’ motherly reprimands. There are two wonderful character spotlights switched on in this episode, apart from the usual Magnus-centric plot of the series. The first, and obvious, is the demonstration of Kate’s intergratedness with her teammates by the complete opposite means, separating her physically and mentally from their familiar base of operations.

This exile, as it were, from the team and family she has come to love and trust, serves to strengthen her bonds by placing her in the cold solitary confinement of a primal super-hero. It is interesting to watch the effect that the suit (which we mustn’t forget, is a living abnormal; a symbiotic assembly of telepathic bacteria) has on Kate, reverting her social behaviour to the very primal instincts of a female predator.

She stalks her prey with a seductive and deadly grace, while her rational decision-making abilities and judgement are thrown to the wind. Her raw, feminine power is delicious to behold. The climax to her hunt is reached beautifully, as she grabs Magnus by the throat and shoves her up against a piece of iron (whilst deep inside, the hearts of all fans are melting down in horror).

Magnus makes a choked appeal to the humanity inside of Kate, and once again we are privy to the stripping away and the poignant exposure of her soul…it all pours out through her eyes. Magnus and Kate have shared many of these tender little moments where in the midst of chaos and violence, there’s a little momentary cocoon of strength and calm between them. This trust and family bond is repeated at the end in the beautiful closing scene between the two of them.

The other spotlight, which also serves as a filler for goings-on since early Season 2, shines warmly on the endearing Walter. Not only has he now become a ‘somebody’ in the world, but we find that the outside pressure and attractive business ventures of the movie industry have changed him. In a nutshell, it’s a return to the early days of comic book superheroes: the black-and-white division between good and evil, the journey of a normally insecure guy from the fringe of society, to fame, to self-compromise, followed by an epiphany and a redemption of sorts, followed by a fight for his own integrity with the studio bigwigs.

Like any geeky comic-book fan, he tries enthusiastically to turn his fantasy into a reality by continually ghosting the Sanctuary team’s mission, but is ultimately ordered to stay put at the base of operations while the ‘big cheeses’ do their work. As usual. Watching the real action from a distance. Until they need his …erm…expertise, that is.

Obviously his slip leading up to the whole situation with Virgil St. Pierre (bless his parents for choosing that name), guested by Matty Finochio, makes him keen to redeem himself in both the Sanctuary team’s, and his own, eyes. Ultimately, he protects his integrity and stands his ground against the power of the movie industry. The Adjuster indeed!

As for Virgil, well he’s some character. It was interesting, his sneering superiority complex seemed a bit too pretentious at first, but then it turns out that most of his behaviour is pretty pretentious, being, as Magnus blandly puts it, a ‘child with money’ (“how mature!” he says). The way he goes about his business is in direct contrast to the way Magnus does, like a kid who has so much money and no boundaries. Even his tardy exit in pursuit of Kate just cries out as a somewhat foolish childish blunder. Not to mention that he also no sense of ethics of any sort. He’s like a spoiled brat who’s used to having his own way, short-tempered and patronising. Playing with his toys just because he can.

I LOVE the overall stylistics of this episode; the creators have carried the classic comic-book theme of the episode all the way, no holding back! It takes us right back to the good ol’ days of the first comic book movies ever made. Many of the creative camera wipes are from a comic stylised freeze-frame, swiping to another, and then the action continues smoothly from the graphic image.

It makes you feel like you’re reading a series of comic frames, except that they move: FANTASTIC! Even some of the visual effects, such as Kate’s flying leaps and slinky scaling up sheer walls are reminiscent of the old Spiderman or Catwoman superhero movies. Like I said: here is an episode that brings nostalgia in so many forms! Right down to the final ‘A’ shape that the abnormal suit makes in homage to Walter, the comic-styled corniness is utterly ravishing; from the superhero spandex, to the catch phrases, Walter’s adorable melodramatic shirt-ripping, to the stylised dialogue of super-Kate and super-Walter.

Even the grunty voice super-Walter speaks with is just tasty, especially when Virgil imitates it mockingly, and his butt is ultimately kicked. You know, Helen was right: It’s better without the catch phrase. This week’s episode was too much fun to be taken too seriously. A geektastic romp from start to finish, bringing back our favourite geeky memories, together with a sensational appeal all its own.

GEEKS UNITE! LONG LIVE SPANDEX!

Bring on Animus. Every week ups the gasp notch just little. By the end of this spectacular season, nobody will be breathing…

Thanks for popping by WormholeRiders and reading. Please feel free to post constructive feedback or discussion down below. You can also click the Avatar/icons to talk to me on Twitter.

JandyraCJM.

November 23, 2010
You Never Know What Skill Might Get Useful – Sanctuary’s S3x03 Bank Job Analysis

Hello from Sanctuary Team in Europe!

So, it has been another week, another long wait filled with wondering what the new episode of Sanctuary is going to bring, what quotes will be the ones you will laugh at and remember for a long time… And finally the Friday is here and you grab your Earl Grey and sit down in a comfortable chair, tuning in for the next dose of your addiction.

*Notice: There are a few words of adult language in the analysis that might not be appropriate for minors. Also, I spell the creature’s name Pherotopus phonetically, as I hear it.

We begin with a nice view of a small town that is underlaid with Andrew Lockington‘s calm music…. It puts you slowly but effectively in the mood… the music is idyllic, very small-town like. The camera pans out and here they are – the people we all have come to love. They are just hanging outside the bank and the beginning of the episode seems suspiciously peaceful. Kate (Agam Darshi) lifts the mood up even higher with a joke and while you focus on Will (Robin Dunne) smiling, you can also see Helen (Amanda Tapping) grinning in the background while she waits for the door to open.

At that moment they actually do and the team walks inside. Helen goes about the business and Kate and Will take their places at some random table to wait.

Have you noticed that Magnus’es gaze always focuses on one point, on somebody or something and lingers there for a little longer and is more steady, while others’ gazes tend to be more restless.

But I digress. While Helen is talking to the bank clerk named George (Gary Jones), Dr Zimmerman and Ms Freelander check out the lobby by looking around. The camera takes their perspective for a moment there and we, as the audience, are introduced to some of the characters that will take part in the episode. We can see them coming into the bank or, in case of the workers, going about their tasks.

Kate becomes nervous and that might be the first indication of troubles that await our heroes. But on the funny side, honestly, when does the team go on a mission and does not get into troubles? 😉

While Kate is all restless and annoys Will with the tapping of the pen, Magnus is all business down in the vaullt, when Bridget (Chasty Ballesteros) leaves her alone. It is classic Helen – she is picking the bank’s safe! I do not think there is anything she cannot do!

Then there is the music again, but it changes now, it is not so idyllic anymore. Instead its pace indicates action. And there he is, the Sanctuary’s tech geek – Henry played by Ryan Robbins, at his best. The dialogue between him and Helen begins with an easy banter and then, by giving a bit of a backstory, smoothly moves on, to explain the situation and reasons behind Bank Job of the Sanctuary team.

We are then presented with a swift move back to the Kate and Will’s interaction in the bank lobby. When he, annoyed, interrupts her playing with the pen, her observatory skills, caused by the nervousness, immediately kick in. She starts analysing the technical equipment.

By that we get privy to yet another thing about Agam Darshi‘s character, who is, still relatively new to the team. However, her techno-babble got me, personally, the good kind of shivers (Henry is not the only one that can do techno stuff, it seems). Although of course, none of them can be a match for Helen, whose one professional word makes you go weak in knees.

While Kate finishes her little speech, Will makes a sharp remark about “going down the memory lane” which, to be perfectly honest, shocked me a bit. It was so much unlike Will. But then, he might have sensed the troubles too and that made him agitated. However, his words and a couple of things that take place between the two of them later in the episode indicate that Will is still not sure about Ms Freelander joining the team. It also might point out to the rivalry for Magnus preferences, in the professional way, of course.

Then the action goes spiralling back to Magnus in the vault and guess what! Surprise! The creature is gone *gasps* what now? And just while we are at it, the props department does some great work with all the gooey mucus that is left after the creature, makes you wonder how they made it.

In this scene, there is also an interesting shot of Helen looking into the safe, done from the opposite end of it, puts the viewer in a intriguing perspective of a quiet oberver, one may say, it even has a voyeuristic feeling to it, but only for that one moment as then we spur back into the action of the team trying to find the solution to the problem.

“How do we quarantine a bank?” “Everyone down! This is a hold up!” Bang! Kate shoots into the ceiling! Now, certainly no one expected that… At this point Helen storms in with her quiet “We’ll talk about this later” and a stern look directed to the younger woman, though if you look closely you might see a hint of admiration there in her eyes for Kate thinking on her feet. Kate, on the other hand, just rolls her eyes.

Now, here begins the commotion and the audience is presented with yet another surprise, namely Helen’s accent. It changes easily to American one (which might be an inside joke) though the explanation that goes more with the plot is that she uses it to simply disguise herself. And then… shoots the security camera, which you have to admit, is sexy! No one says women robbing the bank cannot be…

But back to the action, we see that Henry is always on top of things, having the police radio chatter in his trailer, informing him that something inside the bank went wrong. It always is nice to have backup who does not retrieve the abnormal with you but just stays under the radar.

Sanctuary‘s episodes are always full of small gestures, face expressions or quiet words or sighs that are really interesting to observe and truly enhance the enjoyment of watching the show. One of those, took place while Thomas (Robin Mossley) closes the bank’s door and gives the keys to Helen, who rolls her eyes, as if thinking “why do we always get in this screwed up?”

While Helen and Kate work on slowing the biological processes of the creature nestled comfortable inside one of the people, Will is trying to organize the hostages, but he obviously is out of his element here and feels incredibly akward about which he lets Helen know by giving her the look of utter annoyance.

At this point the viewers start to feel the tension rising which is immediately relieved by Grace (Mary Black) light line “Hey junior, I gotta pee” and Will’s exaggerated sigh.

When he supposedly goes with Grace, the camera takes us back to Henry, who being his usual joking self, address Helen by “Hey Bonnie, Bonnie and Clyde!” *insert snorting into the tea cup*. After that Helen gives us a very detailed description of what is going to happen with the host and everyone on the creature’s path, once it literally bursts out one of the hostages.At which im sure, many of you went ewwwwwww…. The thought, though certainly unpleasant, peaks the tension by another notch.

Sanctuary episodes are well known for this – giving you a rollercoaster of emotions and suspense mixed with humour, laughter and classic characters’ moments. And speaking of classic characters…Will is now all cool and chilled out in the manager’s office looking for password to the computer so he can check out the video. I need to point out here, that Robin Mossley‘s acting is wonderfully performed – the manager is nervous and agitated, babbling away but serious about not giving away the customers’ data and rather dying. Then Will’s dead serious “Really?” is completely priceless.

While he is still dealing with Thomas, we witness an intimate moment between Helen and Kate.

“I’m going to be counting on your expertise today”… expertise about robbing the banks! Helen had a good hunch about hiring Kate – every skill can be found useful when you work for the Sanctuary network…. and have Magnus as your boss. But on more serious note, there is this beautiful connection between the two of them at this moment. Helen’s utter trust changes Kate and we can see that in her posture – she squares her shoulders and becomes all business “All right. I’ll make sure this place is air tight.” Kate is part of the team now and Helen is trying to nicely incorporate her into the action.

First thing Ms Freelander does is securing the hostages again, “making sure there’s no surprises”. I just feel the need to mention here the play between her and Cheryl (Raquel Riskin), the waitress. Kate’s try at having fun about Will and Cheryl goes flat down when the girl seems even more interested by Will’s supposed violence.

At which point, Kate just sighs resigned and moves forward to securing Adam (Tobias Slezak).

While she is at it, we are back to Henry and his geeky self. I sincerly laughed out loud hearing him unable to pronounce the word, when Helen did that without a single stutter in her voice. And then “You took the word out of my mouth” and Henry’s raised eyebrows were just hilariously funny.

Also the following exchange goes beyond words, it is a testimony to the team dynamic and how well they work together. Knowing what the other thinks.

Now, it is the time for the team consultation!

It shows us lines of dialogue between its members, which we like so much. However, there is an interesting statement made by Will “Orifice of choice” at which Helen shrugs. I truly did not think there is anything abnormal that Helen Magnus has not seen or that makes her shrug and shiver…..

Then, when Bridget starts feeling unwell and you think they will be able, after all, to get her out before police comes, which is promptly suggested by Helen, everything comes crashing down when the sound of sirens resonate outside…

That is it. The team is stranded with a nasty pheropotus nested in one of the hostages that could literally explode any minute… OH MY! *gasps again* The show does not give the viewers even one minute of relieved breath, instead it keeps you on your toes the whole time.

And when the police is on the site the one line makes you laugh again – “Dial them up!” Thoughts? Ideas? (Maybe another inside joke) 😉

But hang on, we are back to the rivalry between Kate and Will. Somehow it seemed to me that Will felt a bit threatened by Kate’s expertise on the matter at hand. “Cop!” “Robber!” they argue and Helen’s moment of decision “It’s your show.”

She trusted Kate completely in that instance and for me, personally, that was the moment Kate truly became an integral part of the team. She takes that really seriously, judging by the look on her face, then she is back to her snarky usual self while making a joke about the line-up at a donut shop.

Will, at the same time, gives Magnus a look of dissaproval, but she will not take any of it answering him with an equally stern I-am-right-about-this look.

While the action is unfolding further and Kate is done with talking to the police officer, Helen plans to conduct a surgery on poor Bridget…

At Dr Zimmerman’s doubtful question she lets us on a bit of her own story remembering “operating in trenches” which might refer to the war, when Helen resided back in Europe. It is truly admirable how the writers gives us this bits and pieces of information about the characters, in the lines of dialouge, mostly when you do not expect it. Thanks to that we always learn something new about our heroes’ backstories.

But back to the fun of the Bank Job episode. The ‘contest’ between Kate and Will is lightened up slightly, after she finishes the second phone call with the police and Zimmerman promptly states “It frightens me that we are co-workers”, at which Kate unmoved and totally calm answers “Good” with a bright smile on her face.

While I am on the topic of co-workers, Bank Job is the first episode when we hear Ms Freelander call Henry – Hank. Although, there is very little interaction between those two in the episode itself, the new name she gives the man points out that perhaps, their overall relationship has changed from slightly distrustful to ‘buddies’, colloquially putting it.

Also truly nice to see, is the scene when Henry walks Kate and Will through the process of converting the bill scanner into the retinal scanner (for the lack of a better word). Team dynamic laid on the table there. When they want, they sure can work smoothly and efficiently – team Sanctuary as we know and love!

And what comes next will sure get you laughing on the floor – “Come on sweet pea” uttered by Henry, his realization of what he just said and the face espressions of Helen, Kate and Will back in the bank, is the classic Sanctuary humour perfectly incorporated into the action.

Ahh… so it turns out Bridget is all right, no bug sitting in her inside whatsoever, just a morning sickness. Hmmm I would like to point out to Magnus here, slowly saying “You did not know you were pregnant.” I find her tone of voice very soothing and calm, and at the same time irritated, that they have not found the host – sound impossible to act that way… but hey, it is Amanda Tapping playing it!

Next up, is easily the best line of the episode! What do you get when you mix James Thorpe‘s writing and Ryan Robbins‘es acting skills? Yes, this “I’m the geek, you’re the doc. I do tech, you do drugs…. You know what I mean.” Delivered by Henry in a innocent voice guarantees to make you laugh and choke on what you are eating at that moment.

While they are on the task again, Kate is back to keeping an eye on the hostages. When Adam asks her to let Grace go, we can see Kate feels uncomfortable and says that she cannot allow that. It is another nice insight in her still evolving character. We might have thought that robbing the bank (or at least posing as the robber) was her element, but no. She is a different person now, working for a good cause. And playing robber is not her thing anymore.

Then the action picks up the pace again, like I said, always keeping you on your toes. While the team lets Bridget out, the bank manager makes a run for it which results in Adam getting shot – seems it is a bad day for the team. Simple abnormal pick-up turns into a mess with one person getting hurt.

When you think there is nothing more that might pop up in the episode…. Surprise! Will finds a transport container and with Helen they easily deduct that one of the hostages is in for the creature as well. *gasp nr 3*

And there you go, one of the hostages (Jason Poulsen) goes all brave and macho thinking he can mess up with Magnus. Oh no, that is not a smart move. Helen proves that by smoothly and (with grace) knocking the man down. She then looks up at Kate, and this is trully a fantastic moment when you can see the shocked admiration in Freelander’s eyes and her bright smile. Then Will, not knowing what to say is obviously shocked too, but in quite the opposite way.

Magnus all angry (politely putting it ;)) takes matter in her hands again interviewing Adam. Now, this is an intriguing conversation. Adam knows they are not bad guys and “starts to feel like he is the crminal there”. Helen throughly penetrates him with her slightly squinted eyes and her sarcastic wit “business must be good”, all that makes you want to be in Adam’s place 😉 This is a brilliant scene and Magnus as we know and love!

While we still keep pondering the scene, we are thrown into another one – Henry is busted while inspecting the root beer smelling pherotopus toxin. But fear not! He does not fail us and gets out in time, looking for a means to knock a hole in the bank’s wall. Uhmmm, you read right….

Here comes the next humourous scene. This time between Magnus and George, namely the writing of the will. Look up close at it when Helen is reading George’s handwriting, it is funny, but I will not tell what is in it… “Okay Buddy?!” Yes, I like teasing you. Look at it this way…. it is one more excuse for you to go and watch the episode again…

And while we are on it… You have to love Grace’s “You remind me of my nephew…. he’s full of crap too.” directed to Adam. Those small things that makes you love Sanctuary even more with each passing week. And did you wonder that Helen is probably twice the age of Grace? Just saying…

But I digress again. We go on with the plot, four hostages cleared, they are let go and then we learn who is the team’s competitor. Gary Jones again does an amazing job playing the man infested with the pherotopus “I thought you were the bad guys!” “What? What’s popping out of me?!” Humours elements put in the dramatic moment.

While the team is rushed up to the vault with George by Dave, the audience cannot be sure if they are just going with the flow or maybe the team has a secret plan…. When you go on wondering, the suspense is picking up the pace.

Our heroes are confined in the vault and Will is not really sure what is going on but we can see he trusts his teammates at which Helen promptly answers that, indeed, it is part of the plan. “You’ll love it” said by Kate makes a nice addition and points out she and Magnus think alike, at least in that moment…

Then while Will and Helen fold the poor, breathing in green George in half, Henry makes a big entrance by taking down the wall and storming in with the cure, which ironically is a toxin. Magnus injects the host with it and we can see a huge! bug getting out of George. It immediately makes a jump for another person, at which Will shoots it down and the pherotopus splashes against the wall.

And team Sanctuary saves the day again!

But wait, what is with the bad guy… Well do not worry, the vault is blocked from the inside and while in his naivete he trusted our heroes, he made a run for the ventilation shaft and got caught by the police already waiting in the alley, while the good guys escape with Henry.

Part of the reason we come back to Sanctuary every week is that the finish of the episodes is always a mood lifter. The action does not just stop. We are privy to the intimate moments of our favourite characters, when they are all back in a safe place. It was the same with Bank Job. While the wonderful ‘feel-good’ music of Andrew Lockington plays in the background already putting a smile on your face, you witness an utterly beautiful exchange between Helen and Kate…

“Holding up the bank? It’s nothing I haven’t done before.” We can see the admiration in Helen’s eyes and the happy feeling in Kate’s. She is appreciated and gets the credit for her skills. We also learn what a good observer Helen is, when she mentiones the empty gun in Kate’s waistband. The younger woman points out that the doctor let her run with the operation when she did not have to. It is a kind of thank you she directs to Magnus for her trust and support. Ahhh, but Helen does not let her off the hook so easily…. she makes a clever notice about Kate not taking any money. However, unlike Will’s remark earlier, the one made by Helen has a good, almost gentle feel to it and puts Kate at a loss for words in the most positive way. And when we hear the doctor saying “Isn’t that depressing?” with a sparkle in her eyes, we know all is good with the world.

As to punctuate that, Kate smiling, answers “Terribly”

and both give beautiful heartfelt laugh. Hmmm… yes Sanctuary makes you feel good…

Now you can grab another glass of wine and a new bar of chocolate and re-watch the episode again while impatiently waiting for the next week’s dose of adventure and humour.

Thank you for visiting Wormhole Riders and reading my analysis. If you have any comments or questions please do not hesitate to write them below or contact me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar.

With kind regards,

Katie5

November 9, 2010
Sanctuary Firewall: Return of the Memories

Hey Sanctuary fans!

After such an amazing season opener, it was understandable that we were all on tenterhooks and waiting for the next and new way in which the Sanctuary team would blow our minds. They did just that by giving us Firewall; an episode full of intrigue, mystery and team relations.

It starts with an exhausted Will, and I mean, who can blame him? The poor guy has just risen from the dead and encountered yet more of the unknown and the unimaginable with Kali. Add to that a frustrated team feeling the tension and an unidentified abnormal and Firewall starts with a bang. A bang of the abnormal into Will’s car, to be precise. With Will seemingly on another planet, the rest of the team band together to take care of the abnormal. The team dynamic in these opening scenes is quite a feat, and a testament to how well Declan and Kate have integrated into the Sanctuary team. Again, with the tech, you’ve got to love Henry and his ingenious inventions and super guns.

Kate’s athleticism keeps her away from the abnormal with a little rough and tumble. Declan, bless him, isn’t that lucky. Remind anyone of Season 2’s Hero? Declan sure gets his fair share of the beatings! Declan’s injury highlights how much the team dynamic has changed from season 2 to season 3, or even from a smaller timescale of Kali to Firewall. Where Declan has slotted himself nicely into the team and has the acceptance and respect of the others, it seems almost as though he is taking Will’s place in this scene because Declan is more of the field operative and receives the attention of the rest of the team when injured whilst Will is seen by himself, distanced from the team.

Maybe this will change again, maybe it’s a one off and Will will return to the dynamic. The question is will it turn into Declan vs Will for that coveted place on the team or will the field team change to incorporate both Declan and Will? And how much say will Magnus have in the dynamic? We all know she often relies on Will, however unwittingly, but her obvious disappointment in him during this scene speaks volumes. It should be interesting to see how the dynamic pans out after this!

The staging of the capture scene is remarkable though, the organisation of the cast in such a small space must take something! Especially with the addition of the special effects and hats off again to Anthem, they keep bringing us not only amazing CGI sets, but also these highly believable abnormals that seem to blend so seamlessly into the Sanctuary reality.

After the credits is when the real tensions of the team start to kick in, a lot of it centring on the future of both Will and the Sanctuary network. However, the fact that the team are willing to bring up Will as a hazard to missions does show the distance forming but it also shows how much Will is valued as part of the team. They still care about him, and this is most likely what prompts the displays of concern.

The echoes of worries are key to this episode as it allows real analysis of Kali and the recent and traumatic events these characters have been through…quite often by the characters themselves! I especially love that “the Big Guy’s stopped smacking him in the head” is thrown in there and acknowledged as a normality! Also, the fact of how well Magnus knows her team is yet another point in her favour…who could want a better boss?! She knows and she understands, and as the heart of the Sanctuary, these qualities are both admirable yet essential, shown by her unwillingness to write Will off straight away.

AND, it deserves an honourable mention. The “Magnuslinger” is just the best name for a weapon…although I would like Henry’s blueprints so I can check that spelling!

A mention must also go to Magnus’ straight talking attitude. Poor Declan is only trying to give advice and keep her apprised of the situation with the Sanctuary network yet I think he honestly forgets how long Magnus has been running the network. She knows how it all works and that sometimes unpopular decisions are the only way to go. However, his mistakes are easily forgiven with the labelling of Wexford as a “tosser”. So true! And about time someone said it out loud. Way to go, Declan! And thank you to Magnus for making this an entirely quotable scene: “Currying political favour, I’d rather drink coffee.” Oh how I laughed. Priceless. Add to that the suitably chastised look and “I’ll be on my best behaviour…promise”, do you need any more reasons to love the character of Magnus?

Onto the relationship between Helen and Kate; it’s honestly amazing how much it’s blossomed between seasons, the openness and trust displayed by both characters, especially discussing work related matters is again, a tribute to how Kate has become part of the Sanctuary family. Also, the presentation of the now barely existing Cabal is an interesting one. I love how Kate talks almost dismissively about them yet manages to imbue a sense of one-upmanship that the Cabal are no longer and that she can pick what’s left of it apart for intel. Then, once again, priceless interaction over the Sanctuary bank accounts and the light banter that follows.

Then the pro ball catching skills of Magnus are uncovered! Okay, okay, back on track, the ensuing sarcasm about the rules of the game is genius. Hands down genius. However the switch to the serious side is seamless, although not without its misunderstandings over who the “liability” is! This whole scene feels kind of awkward, which is testament to the acting of course, because the dynamic has changed. Both Magnus and Will are working through their own problems, yet they both shoulder responsibility of some kind. Balancing the two is sure going to make a tough time, especially for Will because hey, at least Magnus can remember what’s happened to make her a liability. Poor Will has absolutely no idea what’s happened or how to fix it.

Of course, when two stressed and highly strung people interact, those fireworks will fly. And fly they do, the attack coming from a sensitive Will and being logically and rationally placated by a frustrated Magnus. Will however, is relying on sarcasm as a front for his actual fear of not being in control, although really, perhaps we shouldn’t tell him that because after all, he’s “the guy who sits across from people who suffer from it!” Yet once again, Magnus’ knowledge and understanding of her team come to light, and this is surely what makes her team willing to follow her instructions without argument.

Again, and it has to be said, however briefly, special effects: amazing. Stepping away from that though, the extent of the tension is shown in this scene between Will, Henry and the Big Guy. Even watching it, there’s an awkward aura that says more about the situation then the characters do. Although Will is trying to reach out and regain that dynamic, he is met with a buffer and the previously banned kid-glove treatment. All sense of normalcy in Will’s life has disappeared with the change in relations and as can be seen, this highly affects him, especially because the dynamic and banter between Henry and the Big Guy hasn’t changed, so he feels even further out of the loop than before.

Brief flashes of Will’s memory of his encounter with Kali and those on the other side provide an insight into a world that intrigues both Will and the audience because it is a plotline that is unknown yet has the possibility to affect the future of Will or the Sanctuary.

And then the funny business starts, the hearing things but not seeing anything. The thoughts of going crazy. The spine-tingling feeling that you’re not alone in the room. It almost seems the set up of a typical horror movie, each character is alone…or are they? Both shock and amusement when it so seems that Henry and the Big Guy were merely sensing each other, until we find out that their abnormal senses aren’t working. Although even in the strangest of situations can Henry come out with a quotable line, in this instance, the completely off topic “What in the sweet Sidney Crosby is going on?” provides the brief light-hearted aspect of the scene.

Which is followed by the very serious aspect of half-naked Will, which I’m sure pleased quite a few of the ladies’ out there if Will is your man. The sleeping pills seem to trigger more repressed memories and we are led through brief remnants of Will’s time on the other side with Kali, followed by an oddly scary face flickering into vision. Supposedly a nightmare as Will looks around his room, but he’s not that lucky as said oddly scary creature is still hanging around causing Will to fall out of bed…which is amusing, out of context, but understandable within.

This debacle is followed by the contrasting relative calmness of Magnus in doctor mode as they try to decipher what happened and how it was strong enough for Will to overcome the sedatives. The whole previous scene is shown to have dented Will’s confidence further and to have caused him to see himself as more of a liability, even going so far as to label himself “insane”. However, Magnus is not one to believe anything other than the logical medical reasoning at this point, which quite clearly frustrates Will even more. It’s obvious within this scene that the experiences and situations the team were faced with during Kali have caused them to end up on opposite sides of the line for current situations and beliefs.

Once again the show itself alternates seamlessly between the serious and the lighter scenes as we head back to Kate, Helen and the financial situation of the Sanctuary…albeit a comfortable situation with apparently enough funds accumulated to last another 300 years! However, despite the banter, there is a serious aspect to the relations between the two women at this point. Kate’s source came through on the intel for the earthquakes that stopped the tidal waves, and she informs Magnus with her usual jazz and dramatic recount. Yet this type of presentation seems to work for Kate as she strings tenuous links together to actually make a plausible situation for Magnus to consider.

We then return to Will, who seems to be trying to regain the old dynamic by attempting to quiz and tease the Big Guy at the same time, about his medical skills. It appears to work as Biggie jokes back and there is a sense that maybe things could still look up for Will in terms of getting back in the groove and into the team, helped on of course, by the Twilight mention…but I shan’t comment on it! I will comment, however, on the concern shown to Will by the Big Guy. It’s kind of endearing and it lets Will know that he isn’t alone in his ordeal and that despite it all, he’s still got friends…a family to support him.

And is it just me, or did the Big Guy’s voice sound a lot more sympathetic at this point? Only at that point though, it returned to normal with the highly amusing announcement that he was going to read a book. I loved the little quirk of the Big Guy’s bookmark being a feather too.

Throughout this, the conference call between all Heads of Sanctuaries is taking place, with Declan seemingly as the mediator. In this scene, we see Magnus and Declan working together to relay the new information about Bertha. Theirs is an interesting dynamic, because whilst Magnus is in charge, even under her command, Declan still has a certain amount of authority when it comes to abnormal matters. Not that the thorn in the side that is Wexford pays any attention to authority…although maybe he should have, Magnus’ put down i s so classy and undermining towards his integrity.

This is followed by Declan jumping on the offensive like a knight in shining a rmour…with a broken arm, causing Magnus to step in and put a stop to what would most likely have descended into a playground squabble between Declan and Wexford over who had more to answer for. However, due to those actions, we learn more about Gregory Magnus and how and why he set up the Sanctuary and passed it on to Helen, a concept I hope will be further explored at some point this season. In the end, it all concluded how it should, Magnus came out on top and Wexford fell in style…all through unanimous voting. And for the record, I love the timing of those lines. Absolutely perfect in terms of making the effective point needed. Also effective was the classic and totally quotable Magnus response of “Cheeky bastard!” Funny and so Magnus!

Then we return once again to the Sanctuary infirmary where Biggie’s senses are on high alert; however he can’t see anything so returns to his book. And Will continues with is brief flashes of memories. We see a little more of the events of Kali, and are introduced, though by sight alone, to two other characters…perhaps other abnormals with powers like Kali? They certainly looked to be of the status in that world that signifies power. The flashback continues as we saw in the Kali episode, but with an additional split second that adds all the extra intrigue you could want. Who are the four people? Maybe guards? And why is Will’s arm the focus? Why the hissing, burning sound? Like I said, upping the intrigue to levels of ‘just tell me already!’ Which of course, TPTB don’t. Instead we are taken back to a drugged and sleeping, yet still somehow innocent looking Will with his ever faithful bodyguard still reading, though still on alert.

And of course, the Big Guy was on alert with good reason; the appearance of the newest abnormal is not altogether unexpected when it happens. However, the split second of action before the Big Guy is taken out, is a surprise…until we get to see the creepy abnormals up close. Gaunt, pale and covered in veins doesn’t begin to describe them, neither does their dress code which seems to comprise of a tight lycra cycling outfit! There are also a couple of unidentified symbols on their chests, not that it clears anything up for us, just adds to the mystery of the whole Kali arc because they are obviously there for Will, and we presume, his repressed memories.

This time, it is Henry to discover the appearance of the abnormal…something I doubt he expected during his routine computer switch-on, judging by the choking on the snack! Although to give him his due, he responds quickly enough to suddenly have Magnus and Kate running for the infirmary and to a confusing sight. The abnormals hovering over Will’s body obviously look suspect and on closer viewing, with suspicions confirmed, Magnus spontaneously decides to announce their presence. At this point we also see that the abnormals have the unidentified markings all over their outfits.

Always a woman of action, especially where a member of her team is concerned, Magnus and the kids enter the infirmary only to find that the abnormals have turned invisible again. It’s no surprise that a split second later they’re visible, however it is a shock to see them kicking ass so quickly again. Who could think that these small, barefoot creatures could cause so much damage?…and then just escape, albeit with Henry hot on their invisible tails. With the immediate threat gone, the next priority is obviously poor Biggie flat out on the cold concrete floor and the patient and focus himself, Will.

Then the real hunt commences with Magnus barking out orders like the seasoned pro she is. The seasoned pro who still wants to learn about previously unknown abnormals, a fact that causes Kate to look distinctly unimpressed; she’s a live ammo kinda girl!

Whilst we presume Kate is off setting up a search and capture plan, Magnus is left examining Will to find out what the object the abnormals had forced upon him. It didn’t seem to have affected him psychologically; he still chooses to hide behind the sarcasm and inane comments to avoid the truth of the matter, that he is a target. Magnus hits the nail on the head, or the hole in the head as the case may be when she finds that the abnormal device has left two small holes in the back of Wills head, near the hip pocampus. Basically, a memory recall device. Interesting.

Back to Kate and Henry on the hunt with all of Henry’s super-tech strapped to their ar ms, chests, legs…wherever something can be strapped to! Not that it seems to be helping much, the abnormals s eem to be one step ahead, theoretically with early warning sensors and the ability to mask their smell and body heat. Kate’s comparison of the early warning sensors of these particular abnormals and Henry don’t seem to sit too well though, at least not judging by Henry’s glance over. However, he manages to latch onto her train of thought with no trouble, which sparks a whole new plan in Henry’s mind. A plan which involves modified-super-tech along with the usual banter and creative names for the weapons followed by the usual issues that abnormals can cause during the hunt, namely cutting power and getting away from attempts to take them down.

While Kate and Henry are together, a twitchy Will is hunting alone, or so it seems to the abnormals. We all of course know that he’s bait, and with the abnormals cornered, Magnus and the Big Guy execute a tactical take down of both abnormals, managing to recover the oh so mysterious device at the same time. Kate and Henry arrive late to the party but amusingly manage to integrate themselves into the scene as though they’ve been there all along. Once again, a testament to how the Sanctuary team have grown and bonded up to this point.

We next see the oddly scary abnormals strapped to beds in the iso rooms, and sound asleep with neutral features definitely makes them decidedly less scary! After the recap of coincidences and Will once again identified as being the focus – at which point he gets a little uncomfortable talking about his own death…something which Kate is quite happy to put into idioms for him. Gotta love the girl and her blatant follow-up insult to psychology! Which of course Will counters with the insomnia and subconscious mind equalling the fact that these repressed memories must be important.

What’s also important though is the newly acquired technology which according to Henry is so “cool” that the word bears repeating a few times, followed by the tenuous link that maybe these abnormals aren’t from Earth! Oh Henry, such a geek, but we love you for it.

Returning to the iso rooms, we are witness to the recently captured abnormals waking up and they don’t appear to be too happy about this turn of events. Although neither does Henry over the ‘alien’ tech and the simple frustration of turning it on, not helped by the fact that it apparently ‘likes’ Kate and hates himself. Little jealousy issues over technology. Bless. This maybe, just maybe turns into a little tantrum and knocking the device out of Kate’s hands. As always, it’s the unexpected that bring things to fruition because low and behold, the device suddenly turns on and transforms into the image of a mechanical spider.

With Henry now satisfied, we return to the still unhappy abnormals who supposedly telepathically decide to take the extreme course of action: setting themselves alight. This looks to cause their bodies to turn into a ceramic type material and subsequently crumble, much to Magnus’ shock and dismay. Self destruct at maximum effect and minimum damage. Quite genius, really.

As the team gather to discuss the recent events, all with varying amounts of interest in the demise of the abnormals, because come on, the intrigue is obviously drawn more towards that ‘alien’ device. While Magnus and Henry delve into their excitement of explaining the device, Kate and the Big Guy look decidedly confused whilst Will understandably seems more and more uncomfortable with every word he hears…not helped by Kate’s admission of dropping the device. The poor guy is at the feet of his team, there’s no backing away from testing the device and ending the mystery, especially not when the whole team are involved! Although to give her credit, Magnus does manage to offer him the way out, not that he believes it.

Again, a tribute to the close-knit bonds of the team as Will trusts Henry to attach the device to the back of his head, with only his word that it will work. Anticipation builds…and builds…until we are sent back into Will’s memories, only this time with his narration, an interesting decision because it gives us the view of what happened at the time but also the insight of what happened upon reflection. As we follow the events of Kali, the experience is mapped out for us in Will’s own words, meaning that this time we get to see the true events that happened after Kali’s collapse and the true understanding of Will’s sacrifice to save the world. It really brings home how brave he was to agree to die without knowing if he would be revived, and all for the sake of the human and abnormal races. We find that this sacrifice though, is ultimately what stopped the impending mass destruction.

The intriguing and unexplainable is still to come though, as we get a closer look at the four guards surrounding Will and learn that one of them is none other than Gregory Magnus who apparently has a message for Helen. A message that involves burning two numbers and a symbol into Will’s arm on the other side. Nice guy is Gregory!

Back to the present and an obviously emotional and confused Will, I mean wouldn’t you be? You’ve just recovered memories and find in them that you met a guy who you haven’t heard from or seen in goodness knows how long and probably presumed them dead. Wake up call for sure. Especially when he gives you an indecipherable code, or at least you think it is. I feel for Will here, as if he hasn’t already been through enough over the Kali arc, he now has to deal with being the messenger for something he doesn’t know about and doesn’t know what will happen because of it.

The whole re-introduction of Gregory really throws a spanner in the works, even Helen is visibly shocked and it takes a lot to shake that woman. Although as always, her ability to compartmentalize and focus on the here and now is remarkable. Straight away she’s questioning the possibility of avatars for abnormals and who caused the earthquakes to stop the tidal waves. Will is quite insistent however, that she remains on th e track of her father’s message, ensuring that she is able to quickly link together the clues and unravel the hidden message. Because a paperweight placed in a certain place on a book obviously equals a holographic, yet touchable city.

At this point, Anthem and Lee Wilson again need another huge shout-out. The effects in this final scene are just mind-blowing, right down to the tiniest of details like the lights in the buildings. Absolutely amazing work. And also amazing work from the cast to have been so talented as to act as though they can see every minute detail themselves. Everything has come together seamlessly in this episode, although if the mystery of this final scene is anything to go by, we should definitely have an intriguing season following this arc through to its end!

As always thank you for reading WormholeRiders and I hope you enjoyed my first review for the site!

Please feel free to leave a comment or question on here and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Or you can follow me on twitter by clicking the image below.

Remember to look out for the next Sanctuary review, “Bank Job”, coming soon!

~ Gairwyn

November 4, 2010

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