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Tag: Alan McCullough

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 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 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
Sanctuary Kali Part III: The Return of Team Magnus!

United Kingdom Sanctuary Team Reporting

What do you get when you combine Helicopters, Boats, A Tsunami and a Giant Arachnid abnormal?

The beginning of Sanctuary Season 3……

Let me set the scene slightly. You have been listening to the build up for weeks. You have been watching the adverts and Squeeing with utmost delight when you have glimpse what you are going to be seeing. You have been tantalised with count downs, thrown titbits’ from interviews, and finally, FINALLY the long wait is over. It’s Here!!!!

Bring on the Popcorn. Or in my case, chewing through my own hand in excitement.

As season openings go, the story arch in this is absolutely huge. And to be honest, I was more than a little worried about how this was going to go. The Sanctuary production team, cast and crew have set the bar SO high that one expects big things. And one is rarely disappointed. We all have episodes we love more than others. And we all find something sometimes we feel could be done better.

But on the whole? So far no failure in delivery. AND BELIEVE ME they deliver that high quality we have come to love once again with Kali part 3. Somewhat speedily I will admit, but they definitely deliver. This was one of those episodes I was literally bursting to talk to someone about. So contacting a fellow Worm Hole Riders Reporter, the poor love having not long been awake, had no choice but to rally her thoughts quickly, as I began my onslaught barely pausing for breath. What you read is a collaboration of ideas. Not just my own. And this was also after watching for the second time. I was just far too excited the first time through.

Kali Part III

After a brief synopsis of where we left off, you are barely left to gain your footing before the ride begins. And to be frank, seeing Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) back on my screen was worthy of applause on its own. For me, whilst the conclusion to the devastation is the episodic story. The Characters is what Kali 3 is made of for me. Kali 3 shows us, that as a team how deep that level of intrinsically felt trust goes. How they seem to know that the other member of the team is pulling in the same direction, even when no communication has been given.

That even though they are at one point, all working as individuals, you can feel that they are still a team. A family. And the characters themselves have gone through some major developments. I’m going to dive right into the one who stood out for me in terms of development and that’s Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi). She especially in this shines brightly for me.

Gone is the stand alone, singular, ‘Hit for Hire’ persona. And in its place is someone who has integrity, a willingness to help. Someone who has a sense of ground, a home and morals. Penance as we saw, was the turning point for Kate. And since, she has shone brighter for me with a defining place in Magnus’s team. Helen has a way of bringing out the best in people. Of seeing what others don’t. In Kali 3, we see Kate putting her life on the line for people she doesn’t know as she aids the evacuation.

We watch as she tries her best to move heaven and earth to save people. And you can feel the genuine care coming through as she tries in vain to help everyone in peril. It’s an unachievable target and the sorrow in her face as she discovers a family still in their homes with the Tsunami imminent is tangible. She knows, and they know that the end is about to swallow them. And taking the young boy and running, you can see this is hurting her beyond what we have seen before. Kate, it appears, has a heart. A rather large one at that……

Now moving on (I’ll come back to Kate later) and switching to Magnus, Henry (Ryan Robbins) and Wexford (Paul McGillion). Wexford quite frankly, since appearing on my screen, well I have just wanted to watch the Big guy wollop him round the back of the head. Or I at least have the chance to punch him. (Grrrrrr) Focus, Vampi, Focus…..(I digress) Back to Magnus. Ah Magnus. Our favourite kick arse, slightly eclectic dark haired heroine is back. And I’ll tell you now; I felt her teeth in this one. For the record? Never piss off the British. It’s not a terribly sensible idea….

When we see Magnus for the first time in this episode, she is in full action stations mode. She is switched on to that shouting out orders, logical, ‘got to get this sorted’ frame of mind which just makes me smile. Because it is sooo quintessentially British in its delivery. (Give us a crisis…. etc…) Henry, having just looked like he has taken a baseball bat to the skull, is floored by the devastation around him. It looks like Armageddon has hit. And in a way, it has.

Wexford (Grrr) on the other hand is stomping around with little man syndrome. Now he is an interesting little man. Annoying but interesting. You feel as if there has always been a hidden agenda with him. Taking over the Sanctuary network perhaps? Was that your little game plan Terrance? Yet even though I will admit he drives me nuts, because he grates my cheese, I can’t help feel that he originally came into this with good intentions.

For all his bluster, pomp and appalling people skills, he is trying to do what he sees best for the Sanctuary network. Ok the ‘angering a powerful abnormal and causing devastation to millions of people’ aside…… *ahem* I do wonder how Helen has managed to not plaster him across the nearest wall. That said if I had over 158yrs of practice coping with people like him, maybe I would have the patience to.

Although by this point it is blatantly obvious that Wexford (Grrr) has clearly let the power of the recent appointment in the network go to his head, and inflate his already over inflated ego, you would have thought that with the impending Tsunami and the devastation around them, that containing the situation and starting rescue efforts would be at the top of the list. Well No. Because Wexford (grrr) is still stomping around with little man syndrome and is hell bent on going after Bertha. (*sigh* you know, sometimes, some people NEVER learn). And in Magnus’s own words……’Bloody Hell…..’

Now, the production team are a little mean I feel as we have only just got Magnus back onto our screens….. One of the parts of this episode that is vividly still in my mind, was when Magnus bravely (or insanely, I can never tell with this woman after Veritas… bloody frogs) Jumps into a helicopter and decides to try and herd Big Bertha back into the water. Exactly how does one herd a giant Arachnid???? Apparently with not much success. Because Bertha is not particularly pleased with what appears to be a Gnat flying around her head, and sends out an EMP pulse.

Which is never a good thing. Especially when you’re flying a Helicopter at the time.

And Yup. You guessed it. Magnus takes a nose dive into the drink. However on the way downwards, we are treated to one of my favourite sentences in the whole episodes. A very simple, very Magnus, ‘Oh dear….’

Now……. on the back of this was a reaction that moved me to tears. And that was from the Big Guy. Christopher Heyerdahl hands down to me is a phenomenal actor. To be able to act with that much prosthetic makeup on and still be able to produce the emotions that he does, I feel is amazing. When biggie gets the news that Magnus is effectively presumed dead……The look on his face? Oh my word. The depth of the loss, the shock and the way you can see him struggling to wrap his head around this news being delivered by Wexford (Grrr) is just beautiful in its complicated simplicity. And Henry is just devastated. You can see how deeply tied they all are to Magnus. The depth of respect they have for her, and the faith in her ability to pull off the unimaginable. You can feel the world has been tilted for them. Especially I feel this is so for Henry.

And Wexford pushing Henry to help him is just so unnatural you really do want decapitate him, the further into the episode you progress. It’s interesting though because I feel you can see Wexford (Grrr) starting to un-hinge slightly here. It’s almost as if the pressure as the head of the network is taking its toll. Big shoes to fill – aren’t they Wexford….?(Grrrr, I will say though, the reason that Wexford is so easy to want to punch is because Paul McGillion does a fantastic job as him.)

Changing track slightly before I end up down a one Way Street of Wexford pain, one of the other things that got me in this episode was the humour. In some places it’s very subtle, but Kali part 3 is litter with snippets of humour. Especially, for one character in particular.

Oh Mr Forsythe (Callum Blue) I believe the floor is yours.

Now to begin with, I really didn’t understand the sudden shift to the Lasifair attitude. He had been so driven and so focussed in Kali part 2 that for a moment, I was completely thrown. However, upon fishing a very cold, very vulnerable Magnus out of the water we discover that the Macri is dead. And therefore, so is Forsythe. Almost every line that Forsythe delivers in Kali 3 is dripping with Frat Boy Humour.

Even when Magnus is beating the crap out of a guard, which is done so powerfully, for a moment I was slack jawed with awe. Upon grabbing the gun and pointing it into Forsythe’s face saying in a deadly tone of voice ‘This is not a social call.’ He is stood there saying. ‘Really? Why do I bother hiring these people…..’ *grins*

After I realise that he is effectively a ‘dead man walking’, his whole attitude and demeanour snaps into place. And as my fellow WHR reports pointed out, this frat boy attitude has really been there all the time, it was just a lot more focussed in a particular direction in Kali parts 1 & 2. Still, it is a delightfully funny juxtaposition. When all around him people are trying to save the world, and he is happier playing with his squeaky stress ball and lounging on the sofa and waiting for his end to come.

You see an almost Mother – annoying Teenager relationship balance appear between him and Magnus. My favourite part, is when he drops the ball. You see it roll to under Magnus’s foot, and he asks for it back. Magnus, levels a force 10 steeley glare in his direction, picks up the ball, and throws it out the nearest port hole. From the squawk of a seagull you can guess it’s smacked the poor unsuspecting bird in the process. (Honest to god, how much did I laugh……)

A Magnus force 10 glare……..

Now Henry. Our loveable, sometimes highly strung geek. Currently unaware that Magnus is alive he is trying to balance out the loss he is feeling with continuing to do his job for Wexford (Grr) who is still stomping around with little man syndrome. (Frankly I’d have gone wolf and had myself a snack….) Henry has been tasked with getting the systems back online in order for Wexford (Grrr) to go and kill some giant Arachnid butt. However, he instead our nippy little geek is banking the much needed information on Bertha’s whereabouts and simultaneously blocking and delaying Wexford’s (Grrr) attempts to do the same. All this whilst slipping the odd piece of tech into his pockets at the same time…… Ponderous no?

Magnus makes contact with Wexford (grr) and Henry learns that she is indeed still with us. The relief on his face is palpable and Wexford, slightly shocked. The following exchange just goes to show how far down the rabbit hole Wexford’s sense of reality appears to have dived, and upon ending transmission with Magnus, you just know that he is slowly loosing the command chain with the people around him. Removing Henry from working on the ships computers, Wexford treats us to a display of his abnormality. Which, in Henry’s words….Is just gross as he hocks one into Henrys face. In fairness this was retaliating to Henry going Wolf. But, there is never a right time to hock into someone’s face. Ever.

Henry, of course knowing Magnus is alive uses the tech he stashed to get the information to Magnus. To be honest the lesson here is…..never piss off your system administrator. It will only ever end in tears.

I’m going to leap back to Kate here. Whilst the story line continues towards contacting Kali again and convincing her to stop the wave, Kate’s relationship with Will here really touched me deeply. Gone is this cocky, slightly arrogant, defensive Kate. And here we see A Kate intrinsically woven into the everyday lives of the Sanctuary team. And with Will, this is something not previously seen. We discover that Kali will appear to a host one last time at the Gates to the Spirit Realm. Now there is an interesting transaction that goes on here between Magnus and Will, with Kate as an outsider on this particular point.

We all remember Requiem. We know that Will had to Kill Magnus to save her and bring her back. And we all had that heart stopping moment where we thought that this wasn’t going to work. So, between Magnus and Will, is this such a big ask? Will knows that he is basically dying. Magnus knows it too. They have literally walked this path before, but the roles reversed. However Kate doesn’t know this. Her reaction, one of disbelief that they are even entertaining the idea. Which is why I feel Will asks for the room. Ravi respects this immediately, but Kate, you can see her wanting to object strongly. The discussion ensues, and true to Magnus’s character, she is honest and direct with him on the risks and the gamble they are taking. But resolutely refuses to let Will go completely.

When we enter the room, where Will is to be shocked into Cardiac arrest, he starts to tell her about a letter in his bottom draw. Kate Freelander is a woman whose eyes do the talking, and to me they are shouting in this scene. The depth of anguish, pain and love you see in them for Will is breath taking. And although it’s such a small scene it carries such weight. She point blank resolutely refuses to even entertain the idea that Will is not going to come back from this.

As much as Will knows in his heart he is going to die, Kate is almost at the polar opposite end of this scale in her conviction that he won’t. He goes under, Is met with a cornfield – note the sly smile, this is to Magnus’s reference of field of dreams……And takes his leap of faith to the bottom of a gulley, where he meets what I feel is the Abnormal version of a high council. 3 Formidable Abnormals including Kali….. *Ponderous……*

And so the twists of the stories start to intertwine as the story reaches it’s conclusion. Will is down for the count of 5 mins to talk to Kali one final time. Kate stands watch like a guardian hovering, keeping him tied to the world of the living. Magnus once again places herself squarely between Wexford (Grrr) and Bertha by utilising Forsythes boat. Terrance who is hell bent on destroying Bertha will not budge an inch and this just puts Magnus’s back up even further. The Tsunami is bearing down on all fronts poised to create maximum impact when the report comes over the radio to Magnus from the Big Guy, who ‘for the record, wasn’t worried’ that the one of the waves has been neutralised. Yup,

Will, who is currently clinically dead, has managed to convince Kali to try. By this point Kate and Ravi are desperately performing CPR trying to pull him back to the land of the living and once again Kate is just beautiful. Ravi wants to call time, as they are now on 8 minutes with no brain activity. Kate just eyeballs him pointing and saying ‘Push’. And they continue CPR. You can feel the whole episode gearing, and climbing towards its finale, humming on the final top note as Magnus takes the rest of Mr Forsythes crew (and Meme) and abandons ship. Mr Forsythe (Edward) giving his life to enable the rest to get away. It’s the Magnus effect I swear….

Meanwhile Wexford (Grrr) having lost the plot by now through sheer blind anger orders the captain of the sanctuary ship to fire. Which by this point they find out the ship they’re firing on is now a Civilian ship and the captain won’t do it. Wexford relieves him of duty and screams at someone else, who dutifully fires blowing the ship to smithereens. Magnus manages to bring down the guidance system with a well aimed RPG (This woman is seriously cool) but does this halt Wexford……um, no. He punches the buttons regardless of the fact the missiles have no guidance system……. And Kali goes down…….

(Yes I was chewing through my pillow by now)

Magnus storms on board, her steely gaze never faltering. And comes head to he with Wexford and she just owns the word battlefield. A few well placed sentences and we see Wexford (Grrr) deflate like a balloon with a puncture………

The wave hasn’t been stopped on all fronts yet. There is no time left, and Will who is still clinically dead is pleading with the others in the nether world he is in. Suddenly what should appear……..Sentient mist…… Coinky Dink? Hmm perhaps not. 3 Earthquakes are detected sending a wave in the opposite direction neutralising the third wave front.

Annnnnnnnnnd Will comes back from the dead……

All together *Breathe in…..Breathe out*

Now. If you think reading it sounds good. And you haven’t watched it. Leave now, and go and do it. Because the Sanctuary Team once again fly you through their world holding on by your fingernails and flying by the seat of your pants.

The wind down is sudden. Will remembers nothing. And the final scene in Magnus’s room is filled with unanswered questions, and a weight of something far greater to come. The best bit? Watching Helen Magnus do her famous chin tilt right at the end. *Beaming grin*

Welcome back Sanctuary. You were sorely missed………

*In Memory of one no longer with us, the season opener was dedicated to Cynthia H Semon.

For further details on this remarkable woman…. http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/publicist-cynthia-semon-dies/04HRdrS1efg79

I hope you have enjoyed my second review for WHR. I will be back in the future with more Sanctuary review and analysis! In the meantime the WHR Sanctuary Team will be working together on more Sanctuary surprises for you to enjoy!

As always we appreciate your visit to WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a comment or question here or select the social media avatar of your choice to share this review. Or if you prefer, visit me on Twitter by clicking my text link or image below. Thank you.

SurrealVampi

October 22, 2010
Sanctuary Season 3 Premiere: Kali Part III – It Moved The Earth More Than Big Bertha Ever Could

Hello from Sanctuary Team in the heart of Europe!

It has been exactly nine months after Sanctuary season two finale could be watched on our TV screens. 15 October 2010 witnessed a madness over Canada and United States as those two countries got the chance to watch the long awaited Kali III, marking the beginning of season three of Sanctuary.

A question comes to mind, was it worth it? I can hear your surprised sighs. Yes, it was a mind-blowing episode that has certainly made the nine months period of re-watching season one and two well worth the wait.

I would like to explore the elements of the premiere that made us all draw in our breaths, smile, or shiver with excitement in our seats while watching last week’s Sanctuary. The most crucial factor in TV series, as well as movies, is the on-screen dynamic between the main and supporting characters. I will try to analyse a couple of them in this review.

Let us start with Agam Darshi‘s Kate and Robin Dunne‘s Will. These two certainly present a very interesting and still growing dynamic.
Kate Freelander being relatively new to the Sanctuary team still tries to catch up with the pace of her new found friends and, more importantly, let them know they can count on her. I am not talking here about fighting or shooting skills, though she showed pretty good moves already in season two and we know she can take good care of herself when needed. What I am thinking about are feelings, usual human feelings, such as friendship, concern and will to belong. Kali III shows us an amazing change in Agam Darshi‘s character.

Although, personally Kate won my heart already in previous episodes, she really makes those not convinced and new fans rethink Kate’s agenda. She shows an admirable compassion for the people of Mumbai, even though in Kali I – II she was not so willing to go with a traditional Hindi attitude hinted to her by Ravi, played by Shaker Paleja.

However now, we see her become more soft-edged and truly willing to help, not caring about herself. Having said that, she still conveys amazing self-confidence, which can be noticed in her “I’ll be all right” and “I’ll have to get back to you on that” directed to Magnus and Ravi, the head of Mumbai Sanctuary.

On the other hand, we are privy to the incredible change in Will’s character. From previous episodes we know him as the logically thinking, down to earth psychologist, not so willing to see or accept less conventional solutions. However, in season three premiere he is a different person.

After everything he went through with Kali (Sahar Biniaz) he seems unusually calm and straight thinking. Saying that, I have in mind his conversation with Magnus about the need for him to die in order to communicate with Kali. When he says “Walk me through it” I thought – is that truly Will? It is almost like what he went through made him less afraid of death. And the field of wheat is heavily symbolic. It represents the gate between life and afterlife.

(Later in the review I will again address Will and Helen’s conversation, which gives much insight into this relationship.)

Coming back to the Kate and Will’s dynamic, we are witnesses to a really moving moments between those two. First, Kate kind of ignores Magnus, not wanting to let Dr. Zimmerman even consider what Helen’s proposing. Ms Freelander is simply sceptical to the method and we can see she values her collegue’s life more than what Big Bertha might still do.
The second scene takes place before Will undergoes the procedure.

He does something uncommon, namely he trusts Kate with the letters in his drawer. One might argue he would do it anyway, seeing as he thought his end was close. However, it takes more to trust someone with secret such as this. Thanks to the impressive acting skills of Robin Dunne, we can see this trust conveyed in Will’s eyes and the flicker of hope and faith at Kate’s words “When you get back”.

Even though her little speech is done with a use of harsh-sweet words and tone, the viewers can see Will gathering courage and focusing on the task at hand. We cannot forget the third scene when Kate straightforwardly refuses to give up on Dr Zimmerman’s life, believing in him and, I got a feeling at that point, believing in miracles. This relationship certainly makes the viewers feel good and promises a lot more to come in the next episodes of season three.

All of the next three relationships I would like to highlight involve Dr Helen Magnus, played by the incredible and amazing Amanda Tapping. There is no surprise here, seeing as Magnus is the lead character that integrates and keeps together all other dynamics.

Let us start with Helen and Henry (Ryan Robbins). Although, there is not much on-screen interaction between them two, the little we can see goes straight to our hearts. We begin the whole episode with Helen helping survivors and patching them up. It already is so Helen-like. The brief interaction that then takes place between her and Henry certainly points to great friendship. However, later in the episodes, when Henry is let to believe Helen did not make it (three crashes in 160 years) our hearts go out to him crying aboard the Sanctuary ship.

Personally, I see Henry as a son figure to Helen and his mourning her moved me deeply. However, what I like to point here is, that even while he thought Helen was not alive, Henry keeps on conspiring behind Wexford’s back, trying to find Big Bertha and by that carrying on Helen’s task (one may even go further and say that was a symbol for continuing Dr Magnus’ legacy). Whether Mr Foss did that believing he has to complete his boss’ task, or had he sensed that Helen is alive, remains untold, but still makes us, viewers smile.

And when we watch his tears-glistening eyes seeing Magnus alive and well on computer screen, and Helen’s “Henry” spoken in soft voice, we almost shed a tear ourselves. The short but powerful exchange between these two characters makes for a really emotional part of the episode.

As an addition I would like to mention the short Helen/Big Foot exchange over the phone. The fact, that Christopher Heyerdahl‘s character “was not worried” indicates how much faith he has in his friend. And you simply have to grin when you see Helen’s smile “It’s good to hear you voice old friend”.

Next up, is the Helen/Will dynamic. Now, this is certainly intriguing. As mentioned above, Will seems much more different in this episode than in the previous ones. He is more independent. However, as seen in the conversation between him and Magnus, being aboard the Forsythe ship, he stills relies on Helen’s opinion and takes a huge “leap of faith”, as Magnus puts it, with dying to meet Kali once more. We notice here, how resigned Will is.

He still wants to help humanity as much as he can and for as long as he can. However, he knows he will not get out of it alive. Amazing and very admirable is the intesity with which Helen states “The decison to do this may be yours, but the decision about how far to take it is absolutely mine. No argument Will.”

It clearly shows how much Magnus believes in Will and how much she values him. Then when the man is already ‘dead’ and on the field of wheat (mind-blowing CG effects by Anthem), he echoes Helen’s words “Leap of faith.” In pivotal moment of his life, he reaches out inside his mind to recall her words. Helen always guides him, even if she is miles away or in another realm of exsistence, she is still a mentor and a guide for Will. The viewers had many opportunities to see this relationship grow and expand through the course of the last two seasons and we will surely see more in the upcoming episodes.

Last, but certainly not least to discuss, remains the Helen and Edward Forsythe (Callum Blue) characters’ relationship. One can even say this is the most crucial one. Forsythe undergoes a huge change over the course of the episode. Pivotal here is the ‘admiration factor’. Forsythe clearly states he is “a huge fan”. Also, the tea served to Helen by him is an important symbol.

They are both British. Even though Magnus is a cosmpolitan person, she regards herself as very British. We do not know what Forsythe tried to achieve, but when Helen smoothly disarms his guard, he knows it is not a game… especially when Helen states in single words “This. Is not. A social call”.

I need to point out here that Amanda Tapping does an incredible stunt and coordination work in this scene and it is yet another proof of her phenomenal ‘multi-skills’.

Back to the action, though… Helen, ever polite – “I appreciate you saving my life”, still stands heavily on the ground. An ice-breaker between her and Forsythe comes in the scene when he presents to her the dead Macri. Magnus seems to quickly work on another plan and she does not fail us.
The dynamic between them still gains momentum and we can see that she easily overpowers him. She gains control and Charles now works with her. Here comes a funny and yet symbolic scene.

Forsythe playing with the ball which escapes him at one point and Helen promptly stepping on it and throwing it out of the porthole. It comes to mind, that she does not have high heels on. This whole exchange which almost lacks words is even more powerful because of that. It symbolises how Magnus takes control and is now in charge. I have to admit that, when the man states “Could you pass me my ball please”, he sounds like a little boy to me and Magnus shaking her head and rolling her eyes seems to say “Why do I always have to deal with such kids”, although she does not utter the words.

Finally, the apogeum of the dynamic comes when the bad guy turns into a good guy, and offers to stay on the ship while the rest escapes to safe the day. Helen is the only one to recognize Forsythe plan to create Pangea. Even though, she does not aprove his method, the scientist and researcher in her admire the courage of the man. She observes “It’s a rare qulity these days”. And to make viewers’ hearts even softer, the writers made Forsythe offer his first name to Magnus. At that point everyone feels sorry for him, even Helen, as she gently says his name and walks away.

What we see occuring in this relationship, proves that not every character is what they seem to be and can still redeem themselves but only with a help of another person.

At this point in the review, I would like to highlight some classical and/or funny moments of the episode which make fans go laughing or, colloquially speaking, go squeeing.
Certainly those moments mostly involves Dr Magnus. Having said that, I need to mention again Helen smoothly beating the guard and the scene when she holds the rocket launcher and disables Sanctuary ship.

These are classic elements of the series. Also, very interesting and noticable is the scene when Magnus, in the helicopter, gently prompts Big Bertha to “go back in the water”. You can almost feel Magnus’ concern. She is ever the protector of abnormals. The closure in the building of Sanctuary was a perfect ending. It felt like coming home. Magnus’ mention of Elvis gently lights up the mood and lets the audience know all is right.

Another thing worth mentioning is Henry ‘going werwolf’ on Wexford.

You almost want him to eat the lizard-man. Paul McGillion does a fantastic job and you really hate his character in the episode.

Kali III is full of a breath-taking CG effects, the jewel being the field Will finds himself on and the crash of the two waves.

There is also a shot on Forsythe’s ship when Helen meets Bibi, played by Balinder Johal. Magnus is beautifully framed and backlit with the sunshine.

In many cultures light symbolises good and victory, which in Kali III may hint that Helen will win again. And the CG sets…. you cannot distinguish what is real and what is not there. It pays homage to the incredible Anthem.

Also, at one point, the crew member of the Sanctuary ship hands a laptop to Wexford. The laptop has a Sanctuary organization logo beautifully embedded on it.

It is great to know how much even the smallest details are remembered of and by that the audience get so much more bigger experience.

At the end, I would like to point out that I liked the new music. It really drags the viewer into the world of Sanctuary, into its mood. Andrew Lockington is a true genius when it comes to composing the music and it does so much for the overall feel of the series.

Summing up, Sanctuary premiere of season three was mind-blowing. Try as I may, I cannot mark out every single thing that made it the incredible viewing experience it was. It is a testament to the people who create it – Amanda Tapping, Damian Kindler, Alan MacCullough, Martin Wood, the amazing skills of all the actors and the combined effort of the whole team.

One thing left to say – marvelous work!

Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave it below or follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar.

With kind regards;
Katie5

October 22, 2010
Sanctuary Team Analysis: Kali Part II

Hello from the Sanctuary Team United Kingdom!

As openings go I don’t think you can get any more dramatic!

We see Will being wheeled through the Mumbai Sanctuary Corridors with a very focused Magnus (Amanda Tapping) performing CPR. Coupled with the fact we know that the Macri is gone and what happened to the previous host, we pretty much know that things aren’t looking rosy for Will (Robin Dunne). Poor Will. Magnus is feeling the sting of her decision weighing down on her heavily at this point as will goes through a series of horrific seizures.

Now here’s a turnabout. Usually we see Magnus in complete control. We usually see her comforting and offering justification to others for the decisions that they have made. What we don’t usually see, is Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi) , giving Magnus the justification for the decisions that she makes. And you can see that Magnus genuinely needs to hear this at this time.

She has had Paul McGillion portraying Wexford (Grrr) bashing away at her decisions. (Honestly, can I just ask whoever peed in his cornflakes to get him another bowl?) He has been eroding that stoical Magnus steel for most of Kali part 1, and doesn’t appear to be letting up much in Kali part 2. When all is said and done, Magnus is human. Ok, one that happens to be 158 years old, but still human. And eventually some of that brittle she has been feeling from Wexford (Grrr) has got to seep in somewhere along the line. Kate gives Magnus just enough reassurance without over stepping the mark and then hands the reins firmly back. It’s so seamless you would miss it if you blinked.

Just digressing here for a moment, I have to say that the Vis effects in this are amazing and the Set Dec people are worthy of mention. (More than worthy. The Slums of Mumbai? The Studio parking lot….) And the way the cinematography is cut? Just stunning. We have high camera angles, crane angles, zoom lenses, tilts the full works. All without the cameras actually present in most of these because they are Vis effects. And sometimes you forget that this is shot predominately on a green screen.

Take for example the scene we have between the Sanctuary boat and the Mumbai Sanctuary. You zoom lense in from a Vis effect. Into a Vis effect, that HAS Vis effects in the shot. I mean seriously Anthem do a Phenomenal job. The lighting, the windows, the computer screens? Vis Effects…. Honestly it’s just ram jammed with them. Some, you wouldn’t even think would be a Vis effect because they are just that good. Remember the standard lamp behind Magnus? The one with the blue lampshade? Vis effect….. Yeah. There you go you see. You didn’t know about the lamp…..

Moving on before I disappear down the proverbial rabbit hole and completely geek out, I have to say that I had a tickle of an idea that Will was going to go through the mill. However, I had NO idea that he was going to be dragged flailing and hallucinating along the road to its conclusion. Robin Dunne does an amazing job of acting, well, a bit barking.

But the scenes between him and Magnus are heavy with heart, and just make me tear. You can see she wants to do so much for him, but can’t, because she doesn’t know what to do. I am seriously loving that fact that Kali connects with Will as a loyal Dougar; but won’t even so much as whisper past Forsythe’s nose. So we have Will speaking Hindi, Kate on the Mumbai streets looking for clues, Henry trying to locate Bertha, Declan reporting in more Abnormal disturbances and Magnus keeping watch over a very poorly, very dying Will.

Kate, brings in the money though when she discovers a young boy following her who is part of the Kali Cult. Informing Magnus that Kali is a ‘sea spirit’ I.E. Yup, Big Bertha, the reason that Will is speaking in Hindi suddenly becomes very clear. The young boy also states that he must dance the ‘Rapati Sungu’ which is a dance of invocation for Kali (Sahar Biniaz). If Will dances well, Kali will hear him. If does it very well, then Kali will follow him….. Again, Poor William…..

As you may have gleaned, there is a character in here that I would quite happily punch. For free I might add. And that’s Wexford (Grrrr). And who should happen to appear in Mumbai to inject himself into the forefront of this operation? Wexford. He irritates me, and I can’t figure out why, but I can’t help feel there is more to this than meets the eye with him……*Strokes chin in thought*

Now Henry, being our faithful, lovable, cute uber Geek, comes up with the goods and tenfold. And Magnus now knows about Forsythe. Now, Forsythe at present is cutting a merry swath through the waves whilst unsuccessfully trying to make contact with Kali. This is in spite of having Bebe whom he calls his ‘tech support’. The sheer arrogance of this man makes me chuckle and he is full of dry quips and snarky comebacks. However, when trying to get Bertha to do what he wants. He can’t and has to resort to electromagnetic pulses to get the Macri to pull Bertha’s strings.

Enter Will Zimmerman please…. Will still has the connection to Kali, and I must say that Sahar Biniaz is stunning, and plays Kali beautifully. Will then finds out that he must Dance the ‘Rapati Sungu’ in order to find Kali and to be honest his face is an absolute picture when he finds out he has to dance. Waking from what I can only describe as a coma, Will takes off leaving behind a worried Magnus who (never being one to shy away from a challenge), looks to less conventional methodology to track Will. (Any abnormals in the house with psychic abilities please raise your hands; you’re wanted on the floor…..)

We then see Wexford (Grrr) poke his aquatic/lizard nose into things again, and the tension between him and Magnus is palpable. And quietly rightly so! How he manages to survive the Magnus force 10 Steel glares levelled at him, I will never know. But sadly he does. The resultant conversation in private between them is uncomfortable for both parties. Magnus’s temper is very close to boiling over as her authority and integrity are challenged by him. Audaciously delivering the 72hour window that the heads of house have imposed, you see Magnus swallow this information whole, and watching her closely you can see it burning in the pit of her stomach. However ever the lady, she graciously keeps her tongue, whilst lesser individuals, (namely myself) would have tipped Wexford out of his aquarium……

Switching to Kate, who is back out on the streets of Mumbai, we see her frustration at not being able to locate Will boil over, as she loses her patience with the people she is asking for help. And it’s only because she cares. But, we get to learn a little bit more about her. She was born in Mumbai, in India, but did not grow up there, instead growing up in Chicago and learning the tools of the street.

This we have learnt from Penance. However with literally nothing to link her to these people culturally in depth she is stepping through them with hob nail boots, and getting rankled in the process. The exchange between her a Ravi makes me giggle as he yanks her chain about his parents not liking/liking/not liking her and lo and behold, with a little softening, and a little respect, she gets the information she needs. Someone has seen Will.

Will, upon waking up on the streets of Mumbai and still having not found Kali; takes off again in a random direction, as he can feel Forsythe forcing Kali (or Bertha) to perform tasks. Magnus, meanwhile has headed for the Sanctuary ship that Henry is on, along with Terrance. Having had her authority and decisions being challenged once today already, Wexford, I feel is walking a thin line twofold. One, because he has already hacked Magnus off royally, (Never upset a Brit) and two, because you can see him tipping over into his own self centred overly inflamed ego, where he feels that he knows best and that in his opinion, Magnus has ‘taken her eye of the target’. Magnus takes off in the helicopter, with Henry in tow, and they discover that Bertha is making Land not earthquakes.

The ramifications of this act are huge, and Magnus already knows this, but Wexford (Grrr) starts on his little man stomping around act and you watch him COMPLETELY undermine her authority. (Forgive my time keeping, but I don’t believe that the 72 hour window has passed yet *taps watch*) He then turns to the captain and demands that the Depth Charges be readied, and arrogantly proclaims, ‘If she can’t finish this, then we will.’ Arrogant little Lizard. (Anyone else notice that the further on we progress into this episode the greener Wexfords eyes get????? *ponders*)

Now this is the part when things start to kick into high gear. Will, who is still staggering around looking like he has been swallowed by the rabbit hole and spat back out, remembers that to find Kali he has to dance. Randomly shouting ‘I can dance!’ at people, the music starts and the dance begins. But not just for Will, it begins for all.

Will starts to pull off the most fantastic bit of Bollywood dancing which is just so funny and brilliant at the same time. You see the shots switching between his version of reality and everyone’s else’s. And basically? Yup he is really just randomly dancing in the middle of the street. The next succession of scenes are without words. And the message is just crystal. Will, is dancing to stop Kali, to find her. Magnus is on route to stop Kali, to find her. And Forsythe realises that he is losing her.

One of the things that I love about Sanctuary, is the script sometimes just makes you giggle. And one of my favourite parts is when Forsythe (Callum Blue) is told there is a helicopter nearing their position. He knows its Magnus so just asks for it to be shot down. And so weapons lock is detected by Henry on their position in the air.

Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins):- “He has Missiles???!!!!”

Magnus:- Oh, of course he has…….Mucho laughter from the sofa where I am sat giggling into my cushion. Magnus ever so coolly deploys counter measures, which leaves Henry giggling like the geek we know he is as the missiles miss their Helicopter completely.

We then see Will has found Kali. We see Forsythe lose the connection. We see Kate realise what Will is doing and demands that their people pull back. And Will finally, after going through hell and back, with the unconsciousness and the dying and the flailing and the dancing, gets to talk to Kali. He reasons with her, in a way that Only Will could. He gets her to understand what will happen if she continues to listen to the other ‘Herald’. And everything is just peachy.

Until Wexford (grrrr) who is still stomping around with little man syndrome, decides to take matters into his own hands. (Um, 72 hour window HELLLLLOOOO!!!!!) Deploying depth charges to Bertha’s position, he cuts Magnus off from the rest of the ships. Will is still talking to Kali, and its still working. And then we see Magnus’s look of sheer disbelief as she watches the depth charges fly from the ship, Will’s shock as Kali falls to the floor. And as Kali looks up? Oh man one very very very angry Arachnid…….

Magnus having landed, rounds on Wexford (Grr) the minute she walks in through the ships doors and the betrayal is complete. Magnus is relieved as the Head of the Sanctuary Network. She stares in some disbelief as the pieces fall in to place, and indeed believes that Wexford has had this planned from the start. Wexford is convinced that his course of action is the best, and will have the least ramifications possible. Then the sirens on the ship go nuts. All rushing outside, Wexford gets to see exactly what he has achieved first hand. The resultant Tsunami? The tip of a very large abnormal iceberg. Bravo Terrace, Bravo.

If destroying the region of Mumbai was your aim, give yourself a gold star mate….

I hope you have enjoyed my first review for WHR. I will be back very soon with Kali part three! In the meantime, our newest Sanctuary Team member Katie__5 will be posting here first review for you to enjoy!

As always we appreciate your visit to WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a comment or question here or select the social media avatar of your choice to share this review. Or if you prefer, visit me on Twitter by clicking my text link or image below. Thank you.

SurrealVampi

October 22, 2010
Sanctuary Team Reviews: “Kali” Part I

Heya Sanctuary Fans!!!

The WHR Sanctuary Team has long planned to roll all three Kali reviews back to back after the airing of Kali part three. It took a while to get the new team coordinated to bring this out to you, but good things are worth waiting for! And as I always everything in its own good time!

This is my review of the Sanctuary’s episode Kali Part 1. Parts 2 and 3 are being written up by my good friends and new Sanctuary Team reporters with WormholeRiders News Agency, SurrealVampi and Katie__5.

I hope you enjoy all our Sanctuary reviews.

Kali part one starts off on a quaint little beach with boats of all sizes in the water and a lovely cityscape in the distance. The place is Mumbai, India. Kids running around in the alleyway, train moving along it’s tracks, people just moving about their business when around a corner runs a man, telling some kids to “run run”. With him is an older woman. Running through the very narrow alleys. Obviously trying to get away from whoever it was chasing them.

Still being chased, they reach what appeared to be a dead end. Some sort of monument was before them. The man told the older woman to leave, hide, come back to this place after to retrieve whatever it was that he was going to leave behind. No doubt it’s what the men looking for him was after. With reluctance, the woman left and hid. Leaving the gentleman to discard his package. He then turned to the monument, lifting up the sculpture on top, turning it, it opened up. With him looking like he was going to get sick, he then holds out his hands to catch his package. The only way I can describe the creature is being like a spider.

This thing crawled out of his mouth and into his hands. He then inched this “spider” into what looks like a small ornament. The “spider” went inside and hid. Although, just before it did, it let off some sort of what appeared to be a sonic burst, which spread all over the world. It was even felt in space. That’s when the man closed up the monument and started to run away from it as to not bring any attention to it’s whereabouts.

Well it worked because when the men chasing him caught up, he was nowhere near his drop off point. The leader of the pack was displeased when he sensed that the man wasn’t carrying the bug within him anymore. Apparently the host, for a lack of a better word, once the bug leaves the body, the person dies. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to have a regular death as the mercenary, I guess you can call him, ordered his men to “take care of him”.

Upon arriving in Tokyo, Japan, one of Helen’s contacts and an abnormal met up with them on what looked like the docks. Apparently a lizard-type creature, Szuki, appears who has been living in the waters of Tokyo for a long time, suddenly woke up and started causing massive panic. They now have her sedated and is getting her ready to transport elsewhere.

As Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne) and Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) walk through the streets of Tokyo, Will informed her that for now the people think that there was some sort of big Hollywood movie being filmed there and that everything has calmed down. That’s when Helen was starting to say things that really didn’t make sense to Will and he put up his red flags. Of course he asked her what’s up basically, but only to get told that she would tell him what he needed to know, when the time came for it. And no amount of coaxing is going to get her to give up any information. At least, not yet.

That’s when Henry called Magnus on her phone and told her that he had something he really needed her to see. So patching his video feed to her phone, she shared it with Will. Of course Will wasn’t too sure what he was looking at. But Magnus did. Now, I’m not sure if you all agree with me or not, but it looked like a pterodactyl, a very dead, very extinct flying dinosaur. That’s when they head back to London, England.

Back at the Sanctuary, the very big “bird” was caught and put into a think glass enclosure. Although, still a tad agitated, Helen informed them that she was getting reports from Sydney, Rio and Largos, all claiming that one or two abnormal were suddenly acting up, and for no apparent reason. They all knew, Magnus more so, that they had to figure out what was the cause of all these incidences and get it rectified before someone gets hurt. Luckily, no one has,,, yet.

In another section of the Sanctuary, Will, Helen and Declan Macrae (Robert Lawrenson) were having a video conference call of sorts with the other members of the Sanctuary, one of which is Henry. They were discussing what could effect some abnormals and not others. That’s when Terrance (Paul McGillion) jumped in and voiced his opinion that the debate of the cause is not important, they needed to put out a full global alert. To which Helen strongly objected, “we’re not there yet”.

Helen gave the member instructions as to what they need to do, when Terrance tried to interrupt. It didn’t work as Helen cut him off and ended the meeting. As they were about to just go about other matters, Ravi didn’t shut off his video feed and had cut in to inform them that, although he was unsure of any connections, but a man was found dead with the mark of the Kali on his leg. Helen informed Will of Kali and the beliefs of the people. Declan suggested abnormals but as Helen was unsure since she’s never actually met them. She thanked Ravi for the info and after saying that anything is possible and warranted some checking into, she subtly suggested that Will go to Mumbai and investigate – and to take Kate with him. This was going to be interesting.

Well they reach Mumbai and upon walking into their destination, sounding like a married couple, which makes me chuckle every time I watch it, they drop their bags on the floor next to an oversized arm chair. With much more discussion and looking around their new surroundings, Ravi walks in and greets them in their traditional manner, hands together as if to pray and a slight bow. With respect of course, Ravi greeted them with their respected names, Dr. Zimmerman and Ms. Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi).

Will and Kate greeted them in kind, then Will extended out his hand and told him to call him Will. Will was thrilled to have a shorter name to call their host for their stay there. Ravi informed them their rooms are ready if they wish to get some rest, Kate was going to until Will suggested that they get right down to why they were there and to go to the crime scene.

Meanwhile, in Eastern Desert, Egypt, Helen met up with one of the members of the Sanctuary to check out the rare creature that came to the surface in the middle of its hibernation.

Back to Will, Kate and Ravi, we find them at the crime scene. In discussion as to who and why could have done this. Ravi said that the police suspect that it’s drug related but Will had to disagree. With the way the blood splatter, was no way that the type of gun used in those kind of shootings would cause. Something more high profile. That’s when Will found a shell casing and used a pen to pick it up. Will handed it to Kate, she offered it to me a 9mil, most likely Russian and very pricey.

They left the taped off area and took a look around for some clues as to why this place was the mans end. Will came across a monument and when ask, Ravi told him that, that’s where the people worship their god – Durgod.

Kate walked up to the pedestal and noticed some markings and motioned to Will, he walked closer and gave it an in-depth look. Feeling around, he noticed that the top part lifts up and rotates, for which it opens to reveal a smaller ornament type figure. Will asked if the ornament was supposed to be there. Ravi told him no, and once Will took the object out of it’s holding area, the pedestal shut back down. As Will informed them about taking it back to the Sanctuary, neither of them noticed an older woman peering out from behind a metal storage area. The same woman from earlier.

With Helen in a make shift lab still in Egypt, she was studying the creature under a microscope. She offered her companion, Peele, (again sorry for spelling mistakes, I spell it as I hear it), to take a look and see if they had the same conclusion. The sample they were studying showed signs that it was in a lot of pain before it’s death. It was still all a mystery to them both, that’s when Helen informed Peele that she would compare notes when she got back home. As Peele was about to exit the tent, Helen asked of her opinion on Terrence’s new position within the Sanctuary, of which she answered,, “too much”.

With Will examining the artifact they were discussing on what connection this thing had to the “dead guy” as Kate eloquently put it. That’s when Will said he’d run some scans. Ravi entered the room calling out to Kate and informed her that there’s been no military of any kind on record to be in that area during the time of the murder. Which leaves them to check other outside sources as to why and what they were doing here. While their backs were turned to the object, a spider-type bug crawled out of it and went into Will’s jacket.

As the discussion turned to the man in the morgue, and the mention of an autopsy, that’s when Will found out just how tired he really was. Making his obvious squeamish exit, he suggested that they’d go over the results in the morning, leaving Kate with Ravi. After Kate told him that he’s not the type of doctor who likes autopsies, she left as well.

As Will slept, with his jacket draped over the headboard, the spider crawled out of the sleeve and into Will’s mouth. Unbeknownst to Will, he jerked a little in his sleep, but didn’t wake up.

The next morning, Kate went to Will’s door and gave it a knock to get the day started. But when Will didn’t answer, she knocked a little louder, then a little louder still. She informed him through the door that she didn’t really want to venture in his room. Giving one last loud knock, Will opened the door. Poor dear didn’t look well. Will tried to shake himself awake, though it didn’t seem to work that well. That’s when Kate informed him that Ravi was downstairs and he’s got some information for them. Will turned towards his bed and get dressed as Kate left and headed down the corridor.

With the scans done on the bug’s housing container, which came up clean, Ravi then brought up the results on the man in the morgue. He informed them that he’s human, but when examining his internal organs, the man was over 200 years old. With Ravi running the scan three times and came up with the same end result. He’s one hundred percent human, but how he managed to reach 200 yrs old had them baffled.

Back at the monument, the “mercenaries”, for a lack of a better word, found out that only twenty feet away from the execution, is where the bug was hidden. Now finding it was going to be a problem, but not impossible. They then wondered on where the old woman might have gone. That’s when one of the men had a young boy by the arm and brought him before their boss. He was asked if the man that took the little statue was “white like me?” The young lad, terrified, shook his head yes. That’s when the ring leader flashed a bit of money and the young boy grabbed it and ran off. Only other person that could have taken it was one of Magnus’s men. Now the search begins.

Back in London, Helen was greeted by Declan and was being briefed that most of the creatures have calmed down and the effects of what caused it had disappeared. That’s when Declan brought up an atlas with the places highlighted in red of the areas that have been effected. The cities are too spaced out for them to have anything in common. Helen mentioned that she will get Henry on satellite to try and figure out the connection.

After a little while, Henry informed Helen via computer that he used a Chinese weather satellite and he was able to track down the source. The signal originated in Mumbai. Only conclusion Helen can think of was that it’s connected to the cult of Kali.

Back at Mumbai, Will was feeling even crappier then earlier that morning. Kate offered him a bottle of water of which he graciously accepted. However it didn’t seem to help much. Kate noticed that Will wasn’t feeling all that great and told him he should go back and rest. From which he took her advice and headed back to their lodgings.

As Will started walking back through the little alleyways, somewhat disorientated, that’s when weird things started happening to him. It was as if he was in a dream state, everyone around him seemed to fade out and then a women in a beautiful blue dress came into his view. She appeared to be looking for someone. Will started heading in her direction. The brisk walk turned into a run as he tried to catch up with this woman. The dream state disappeared and he found himself at a dead end. Unsure what to think about this encounter, he was about to head back when he collapsed. That’s when the old woman and a young man caught Will before he fell to the ground and brought him inside to get him out of sight. Fortunately, they hid him just in time as a group of men just came around the corner.

Now Helen joins them in Mumbai, curious as to where Will could have gone. Kate informed her that she had told Will to come back here and get some rest that he wasn’t feeling well. As Helen was making suggestions as to where to look, Kate had an answer to every one. That’s when Ravi informed the women that he’s got men out there in search of him, with a picture to ask around. Kate with the look of concern and Helen noticing, told her that they will find him. That’s when Helen asked for all the information they have so far, especially the holding container they found. Kate took her gun out from her backside and armed it. Helen knew that there was no talking her out of it, that’s when Kate told them that “he’s out there, so am i.” I think Kate cares for Will a little more then she’s wanting to let on.

Back at the bad guys head quarters (cause I really haven’t got a name to call them yet), Charles informed the Boss that Helen is in town, that she just landed ninety minutes ago. He wasn’t all that pleased with the news. Things like this just doesn’t happen out of the blue, but to his dislike, Helen doesn’t travel by a regular airline, she has her own. And you’d think he’d know that, silly man. 🙂

Helen read what was written on the artifact, a language she picked up when she was in Brazil, as she informed Ravi. That’s when Helen came across a word: Doot. Loosely translated it means Prophet or fortune teller. Then upon closer examination, she noticed that the patterns are somewhat different. Then she realized,, something’s missing.

Back at the old woman’s house, she was crushing some herbs to help with Will’s fever. That’s when Will went into his dream state again. Apparently this seems to be the only way to talk to the creature inside him. Will was standing in some sort of big gymnasium size room. To me, the place resembled something from the Greek era. With the tall walls and a rounded open ceiling. Very beautiful. Upon making his three hundred and sixty degree scan of the area, he stopped at the place where he began and there she was. Standing a few feet in front of him. She gave him the name, Dooda (forgive spelling again). She continued with her questions to him of which he couldn’t or wouldn’t answer. Dumbfounded by this experience, he faded back to reality, from which we see the old woman sitting by his side, feeling his forehead, waiting for him to wake up. Even the young boy with her was concerned.

Back with Helen and Ravi, Helen was searching for a match with the scanned tissue sample from inside the housing container. To her surprise it was that of an abnormal spider who needs a warm-blooded host to survive – the Macrae. Something so rare, Ravi figured it would be worth a lot of money. Until Helen cut him off and told him that this is much worse. These types of spiders are the cousins to “big Bertha”, that there’s some sort of bond between both abnormals. And that the person who’s host to the Macrae has the potential of controlling the most powerful abnormal on Earth. To Ravi’s surprise, he’s been led to believe that Helen killed big Bertha four years ago, unfortunately, she had to disappoint him.

Ravi wasn’t that pleased that she had hidden that fact from everyone, especially those in the Sanctuary network. But Helen’s argument was that by killing her would cause much more damage then by keeping her under guard. With Bertha’s link to the Earth, who’s to say that by her death that there wouldn’t have been massive earthquakes, tidal waves, volcanoes. To Helen it was too much of a risk, so she let her be. Ravi still wasn’t pleased, but understood Helen’s point of view.

He sided with Helen and started suggesting that they get their ships out there in search of her but Helen’s main focus was to find Will. He was the link to Bertha weather he knows it or not and needed to be found before the mercenaries did. Helen is convinced this is what they were after.

Back in the little house, Will finally wakes up. Still a little confused as to what happened, the woman told him, that the former host to the Macrae was killed, so it sent out a call for a new one,, Will answered it, unknowingly. Unfortunately, that’s when the woman told him that it’s not safe for him to go outside, and the Sanctuary might not be all that safe either. He will need training. This confused the bejesus out of him, as he still didn’t truly understand what and how it all happened.

Just what Helen needed after a day she’s had so far, to get interrogated by Terrance, and via computer at that. He’s got news of what Helen had done and didn’t agree with her decision. Offering to come to Mumbai to help out, Helen told him she’s got it under control. He felt it prudent to inform Helen that not everyone agrees with having Bertha alive, but on the up side, told her that he’s on her side. Though something tells me he’s only saying that to catch Helen off guard. And I think deep down she knows it too.

Back with Will, he continues to ask questions as to who and what this thing is. That’s when Will came to the conclusion – Kali. He noted that, she must be the woman in his dreams, from which surprised the woman. It usually takes a long time to reach that level. She told him that their connection must be very strong for him to see her already.

That’s when the young boy rushed into the room and told the woman in their language that “they found us.” The old woman sprang up from her chair, opened the door slightly and peered out. A few houses down she can see the men coming towards them, checking each house as they come closer. She told the young boy to just go and hide. So leaving through a different door, he walked down the little alley and hid behind a couple of small crate-like boxes. He watched the men come closer, until one of them seen the small opening and went inside.

Back with Helen, we find her sitting having a conference video call with Henry, who’s back at the Sanctuary in London. She told him to get the weapon ready as quickly as possible and be on the next chopper to Mumbai. But Henry had to tell Helen some bad news. That with Bertha’s wakening, she answered the “call” of the Macrae. It wasn’t until Henry was able to do a full scan that he was able to pick up a pulse that had now altered the tectonic plates and shifted magnetic north by 100,000 of a degree. Now that’s power and definitely not something you want ending up in the wrong hands.

Now with Will captured by the bad guys, again, he really wasn’t sure their plans. They walked over to a back wall of some sort of warehouse and strapped Will’s hands together. Hooking it to a chain, they raised it up, forcing Will’s hands up over his head and his feet barely touching the floor.

Will asked on who he was, but knowing he really wasn’t going to get an answer. And he didn’t either, only told him that he’s “just a guy with a lot of money”. Just taunting Will is what he was doing, though for me, just being a royal pain in the ass. Then he gave the order to start up some machine. This didn’t look good for Will, more like painful if you ask me.

It wasn’t until Will asked what they were going to do to him that he started to put two and two together. Poor guy. The most powerful creature on this planet and he’s only now realizing his connection to it. Unfortunately, the way the bad guy was going to get it out of Will was with a low level magnetic pulse, of which the little bug will definitely not enjoy. And unfortunately it’s painful as well to the host. But as Will tries to squirm, which doesn’t work, Charles picks up the devise with both hands and walks over to Will, who’s still hanging there. Situates the machine on Will’s abdomen and turns it on.

Of course the “just a guy with a lot of money” turns the device up full. Apparently the low setting wasn’t good enough for him. Will starts convulsing and screaming. As Will continued to scream and shake, the boss kept turning up the pulse, until Charles was given the order to stop. That’s when both the Boss and the old woman went over to Will to catch the Macrae, until the woman was pulled back out of the way, and Will is forced to “throw-up”, for a lack of a better word, the spider into the hands of the bad guy.

Once the spider was freed, it again needed to send out a pulse to “call” for a new host. Unfortunately, the pulse had spread global, and fast, no doubt Helen and her team had already pinpointed their location. Which means, they had to leave. He gave the order to pack everything up while he needed a moment. And we all knew what he meant by that. Yeppers, he was going to force the bug into him. Gee, i’m a smart cookie. lol

The boss looked evilly over at Will, still hanging around, with the woman by his side, placing the bug in his mouth, forced swallowed it. Ewwww. He placed a mat on the floor, took off his shirt and was about to start to meditate when the woman interrupted him.

That’s when he told her that he’s been in fact training for years, eating their diet, doing the meditation, studying their ways. He’s been waiting a long time for this moment. With that, the woman went back to Will’s side.

Unfortunately, at the same time as the boss was starting to control Bertha, the Big Guy detected movement in her last known coordinates. Helen knew this wasn’t good. Even the sedative wasn’t working. “Bloody hell, they found her.”

Now in control of Bertha, Charles informed them that they, referring to Helen and her team, was tracking her. With that the boss opened his eyes and spoke, “watch this.” As we get a view of Bertha under the sea, her body starts to light up and she sends out a small burst. The tracking device have been severed. With the two Sanctuary ships now dead in the water, and the homing beacon nonoperational, he can now freely go about and continue with his plan without having to look over his shoulder for Magnus.

Helen tells the Big Guy to reboot the system, as she radios Kate’s position. With Kate and Ravi running through the alleys, she answers back, “almost there.”

Now with the Boss standing next to Will, he informs him that it’s just business, from which Will answers, “go to hell.” Charles intercepts and informs them that the Sanctuary people are closing in on their location. That’s when they were told to get put a move on it quickly, taking the old woman with them. When asked about Will, he just answered that he’s “already dead.” They walk away leaving Will still hung there.

With the re-boot done, it still didn’t work. Having Bertha use her pulse, they have now blinded the Sanctuary as to her location, even by satellite.

Kate charged into the warehouse door, gun pointed out as far as she can stretch, she turns and sees Will still hanging there. Tucking her gun into the back of her jeans, (Magnum P.I. style), she ran over to him to help as they lowered him down. They then checked for a pulse. None. Ravi then started chest compressions as Kate ordered the others with them to call Magnus.

Thus takes me to the end of Kali Part 1. I hope you enjoyed the read, and stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3 by Surrealvampi and Kati__5 .

Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. You may leave a comment on here or as so many of our visitor do you can tweet it to me by clicking on my text link, twitter picture or the choose the social media of your choice below.

KarenFord1

October 21, 2010
Video Press Release: SyFy Sanctuary Digital Press Tour Panel Featuring Robin Dunne and Erika Kennair!

Hi Sanctuary fans!

As promised and with all thanks to SyFy and their wonderful Digital Press Tour, we are pleased to bring you the Sanctuary panel featuring Robin Dunne and Erika Kennair. Mr. Dunne and Ms. Kennair discuss Sanctuary Season 3. The panel video is provided courtesy of SyFy.

The SyFy Digital Press Tour was attended by our Senior Reporter Ash0283 with the entertainment industry media event conducted earlier this week in Orlando Florida at the Loews Portifino Bay Hotel located at the fabulous Universal Studios Theme Park Orlando home of Harry Potter’s Wizarding World!

Warning: Season 3 SPOILERS are discussed. If you do not enjoy advance information about the series we suggest you do not watch this video press release at this time. Thank you.

I hope that you have enjoyed the Sanctuary panel interview from the SyFy Digital Press Tour 2010 with the talented Robin Dunne and professional as well as lovely Erika Kennair. Sanctuary series returns this evening October 15, 2010 10 PM eastern and Pacific time on SyFy in the United States. Make sure to tune in, watch live and tweet to help Sanctuary trend on Twitter! Please feel free to leave a spam comment here or by visiting me on Twitter by clicking my text link or my image avatar below. As always, thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency! Best Regards, Kenn

October 15, 2010
Sanctuary: A Haunting of things to come…with Season Three on the horizon!!

Hi Sanctuary fans!

WELL…’Haunted’ is definitely an episode over which shippers will squish and thud about, the world over! That said, I must warn you that I am heavily Magnus/Druitt (when appropriate) so please stay with me on this one. This eleventh episode of Sanctuary Season 2 comes as a heavily, profoundly poignant narrative in the series.

Primarily, of course, it gives us a chance to …ahem…rip open (figuratively of course) the mysterious John Druitt (Christopher Heyerdahl) and his relationship with Magnus portrayed by Amanda Tapping, and examine his trouble consciousness. In a manner of speaking, it’s an attempt to shed more light on the man-come-beast who has inhabited a sizeable corner of Magnus’ heart for over a century.

Arguably, as of yet, no other supporting character’s life story has held quite as much sway over the entire plot arc as has Druitt’s; not only because he is so personally close to the enigmatic Helen Magnus, but simply as a member of The Five, and due to the impact of his judgment and actions across the Sanctuary Network itself.

Druitt confronts Magnus in ‘Sanctuary For All’

We first met Druitt in the pilot of Sanctuary (which was yet another testament to the weight of his presence in the narrative), where we first encountered him in his violent exchange with Ashley, and then via Helen’s apprehensive familiarity. Helen and Druitt’s impassioned meeting was mysterious to us then, but over the development of the series we have had the chance to come to understand SOME of the historical weight and the profundity of their personal relationship. I say SOME because, obviously (unless NASA’s space program rockets to new heights), most of we mortals will never experience a relationship with someone or something for that long, or with such intensity.

It was in this revealing and fiercely emotional meeting that we first learned the secret of Ashley’s existence, and since then, we’ve been on some sort of astronomically emotional roller coaster ride, being thrown from a state of hysterical laughter to a state of hysterical grief, and visiting every shade in between on this delicious journey.

Magnus dreams in ‘Kush’

We have seen brief flashes of Druitt’s and Magnus’ history in ‘Sanctuary For All’, ‘Kush’, and notably in ‘The Five’ where we saw the integral part he played in the early days of the group, as well as being shown the more human side to the savage rage that fills this man. ‘The Five’ was rather a special episode, it was the first time we were really shown the man behind the beast, a brief touch on the heart, a brief window to the soul of John Druitt, a touch which has been expanded into a fuller, more rounded, symphony in this episode ‘Haunted’. We began to come to terms with his hopes, the dreams he held closest to his heart, the desires of Jack the Ripper through his relationship with Ashley, and revelations of his relationship with her mother.

Druitt joins Magnus and team to chase the Cabal and find their daughter in ‘End of Nights’

At the cliffhanging conclusion of Season 1, and the concussive opening to Season 2, Druitt was really welcomed into the fold as a team member, with the reuniting of the Five, and the personal affiliations of their mission. These impacting episodes really served to consolidate his strong presence in the series, his work with Magnus and the other members of the ancient club giving him his own rightful place as a resonant personality and a strong undercurrent in the story arcs. From an independent outsider, he was reunited with his old colleagues (somewhat apprehensively and not without some adolescent animosity), and embarked side by side with them in the greater mission of fighting the Cabal.

Magnus and Druitt torn over the fate of their daughter, Ashley, in ‘End of Nights’

His and Magnus’ personal feelings were brutally ravaged as their daughter became un unwitting victim, and the Network that Helen had spent decades establishing was shaken to the very foundations. ‘Eulogy’ brought a renewed, painful separation once again; torn asunder by their loss, Helen’s grief and his bloodthirsty revenge.

The grieving parents, in ‘Eulogy’

Druitt seeks revenge, in ‘Eulogy’

Since episode three, we viewers have been given a chance to regain our own emotional footing after this onslaught, have been diverted to other developments. Now, with ‘Haunted’ we once again have the delicious chance to delve into this tragic relationship, and really come to explore more and more of the complex and torn Druitt. The narrative once again poignantly juxtaposes the pressing urgency of the Sanctuary mission, with the personal history and tragedy of the two characters, Magnus and Druitt.

‘Haunted’ is not an episode that can be discussed as lightly as some others, perhaps, could be. The history behind the two weighty characters, and the gravity and urgency of the narrative make this episode cry out for the full and weighty attention it more than deserves. ‘Haunted’ provides a insightful and poignant petri dish that is key to the series. Both these wonderful characters arc hugely in this episode, and there is a definite learning curve between them, or if anything, a series of revelations between them as the struggle to contain the latest emergency (a stricken boatload of Ugandan empaths).

Magnus and her team in the midst of the rescue effort

Amidst the chaotic urgency of the opening sequences, there is a definite undercurrent of mystery surrounding Druitt’s presence in this mission; Why is he here? What are his motives? What has he been DOING since we last saw him? Druitt lives on a constant battlefield between his human form, and the unfathomable beast within him, so he is never wholly readable or trusted by anyone, onscreen or off. The intensity of the rescue mission is eventually marked by a scrutinising confrontation between Druitt and Magnus; he, mesmerised by the blood on his hands and she, warily familiar with his possessed focus.

Magnus searches Druitt for signs

She searches his face for signs of simmering bloodlust, reads nothing and returns to the task of containing the chaos on her hands. Almost as if in answer to Helen’s suspicious scrutiny, the scene closes with Druitt, and the audience gets to see what Magnus missed: the ultimate evil death glare in the history of evil death glares. Actually, this final shot in the scene sets the ground for the menacing events to come, as we are introduced to two key refugees.

Helen’s statement “I couldn’t have done it without you” is interesting; we know that in the past, Druitt depended heavily on her skills in his treatment. Their roles have been briefly reversed.

Helen’s initial edgy suspicions are confirmed at the discovery of poor Nozipho in the hallway closet. Interesting point: In the episode commentary it was mentioned that the victim was originally one of the Ugandan men. Although it was later changed to a woman, Christopher Heyerdahl did comment “See! He kills men too, not just women!”. It sort of makes you think, well…so far we only hear about his victims being female. Perhaps they are easy prey, and when he has a hankering for a real adrenaline rush he hunts the Cabal. Nozipho was an easy target for Druitt, not just as a woman, but as a gentle refugee seeking asylum in the enclosed Sanctuary.

The refugee victim is found, and Magnus has suspicions

As Magnus aptly put “Exactly… they’re the perfect target”, and her suspicions are realised. Perhaps her request for camera footage of the corridor was a bit of a show for the benefit of her team, or simply to confirm what she dreads she already knows. Magnus seems to know very well who is responsible, yet she never voices it. Throughout the episode, with all the action that goes down, she never discusses it with her staff. Perhaps the personal baggage is something she doesn’t want to open to the world, and so in her usual enigmatic and secretive way, she guides her staff through the situation without having to actually explain anything to them.

“Beautiful”

AHA…the notorious confrontation in the hallway. Just a side note, but the close-up on Druitt’s face as Helen points her gun is just SUBLIME. The rapid shift sideways from his face gives a dramatic edge to their exchange, and warms us up for the chase. Druitt’s comment “Beautiful” is enigmatic at first, does he really mean the view out the window? No likely, the demonic side of the man almost seems to relish the violence of his relationship with Magnus.

Druitt forces Helen’s hand

Everyone cringes inside to see Druitt (whom we love despite his evilness) brutally smack his paramour down, so why in the Great British Empire does he menace her so coldly?!?! If you haven’t heard the podcast or commentary for this episode yet, DO…DO! It saves you much angst BELIEVE me. Christopher Heyerdahl’s insight into Druitt’s motives, at this point in the action, gives a slightly touching but violent reason to explain them.

Magnus takes action

Druitt trusts and depends on Magnus. In the pilot episode of Season One we witnessed his desperate and forceful demand for her blood; her thick, crimson life-force being the only thing that can help keep his power in balance. He knows that as he can’t control, nor end, his wretched battle, Helen must do it. He also knows that she is strong, but she will not let him go. Neither will she will submit to grovelling or pleas. So he does what he knows he must, drive her to the point where she has no choice but to take action, and end his sorry existence.

The only way is to mercilessly prove how dangerous he really is, is to let his demon take him all the way to the brink of utter chaos, and force her to face what she must do. It’s painful…All his language is geared toward convincing her just how dangerous he, Druitt, is: “I am who I am, and it’s high time you did something about it”, as with lightning speed he flings his blade into the wall beside her (note: not AT her), and runs. Helen Magnus has no choice.

Kate looks on while Magnus is desperate

Inevitably, Helen tries to bring him back, which young Kate absolutely CAN’T fathom. It seems Magnus knows what Druitt’s motives were, that unspoken understanding of people who have known each other for two lifetimes, “It’s more about compulsion than murder…he wanted me to kill him”, and Kate is dumbfounded, “you guys have a seriously messed up relationship”. Obviously such a long-term relationship is completely out of this world for any of us to comprehend (well, maybe in fantasy *COUGH*), but her forwardness with Magnus really shows how enmeshed she has become into the Sanctuary family.

Rather than spend a precious entire eight days explaining her reasons to Kate, Helen ends all questioning with a clipped “it’s complicated…charge the defibrillator”. Kate has no option but to comply. Magnus’ determination to bring back Druitt becomes apparent to her when she is instructed to raise the power output dangerously, which ultimately surges the electrical system, and causes events to spiral from here in. The confusion on Druitt’s face is evident; to see him awake from what he thought was a peaceful end to the torture, to a completely alien peace of mind and a strange calm.

Something has changed

He questions Helen “Why did you bring me back?” Well, we know why. Nevertheless, over 100 years of distrust seems to have become a sort of habit with the doctor, she’s not taking any chances, therefore into the Shoe it is. Please note that it’s a VERY long time before that gun lowers from its target.

Helen doesn’t take any chances

It’s a fun awkwardness with the Sanctuary lock down! Every single person is at their complete discomfort, and it allows a whole new look into each of their personalities. Let’s have a look:

Kate and Biggie communicate through the oldest intercom ever made

Kate and Biggie in the jammed elevator.

Biggie is trapped in a giant shaft, and he can’t take care of his friend and mentor as he usually does. Logical, wise and calm that he is, he also happens to be trapped with the young wildcard of the team, who never ceases impatiently chattering in his year. Kate’s cellphone has no reception (CRISIS ARGH!) and hates rides, which is interesting for the tough cookie that she is, but it also makes her more human and…normal. She’s trapped with a big, smelly abnormal who really doesn’t say or explain much…and puts his hands in inappropriate places.

Trapped, Will looks on while Henry can’t calm Musa

Henry and Musa in O.R, Will on Medical level.

Henry spreads loveage to his machines, people; he’s not so comfortable with. Yet he’s trapped in with a distressed post-operative patient, whose language he doesn’t speak, and whom he can’t help either medically, nor with councelling (he’s just not that good at it). Not only that, but he has a technical breakdown on his hands, is away from his equipment, and is locked out of the mainframe.

Ironically, the person who CAN help calm Musa is two metres away behind a piece of glass. Will, the forensic psychologist-come-monster-hunter, is trapped on his own in Med level, and with all his intuition and experience, he can’t help calm the refugees. Poor Musa is isolated from her loved ones, in pain, distress, and can feel the darkness swamping her from all around. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t explain it to her rescuers. She can sense the mingled panic, confusion, frustration from everyone in the vicinity.

Lockdown.

Magnus and Druitt, in the Shoe.

She has a gun but he can unlock his cuffs. Druitt is experiencing the first inner silence he’s had in over a hundred years, a forgotten peace, and feels completely out of his zone. Meanwhile, Magnus has lost complete control of her facility. Magnus not in command does NOT go down well, as we saw for the first time in ‘Requiem’. It scares her. Not only that, but she’s locked in a high security vault with her, potentially homicidal, former lover.

What is going on?!

Helen’s frustration at losing control of her facility mounts, and as the lights flicker “WHAT IS THIS?!” vents her confusion and frustrated helplessness. On his knees, gun aimed at his head with his hands in the air, Druitt’s mind visibly ticks over as slow realisation dawns on his features. Inevitably the two of them put two and two together, and thus the perpetrator is identified.

Now Magnus has a footing, and regains control of the situation as she assertively delegates tasks to her worthy staff. Once again, she is in control. It is a difficult thing for her to accept; that, after 100-odd years of pain and having somewhat resigned herself to her loss, it may in fact be due to none other but an abnormal creature, intertwined within the very soul of John Druitt. She knows this is too good to be true, though Druitt hopefully suggests it:

“It’s as if a part of me has been severed”

“The darkness within me is gone, far more than when Tesla shocked me. That was appeasement, this….is so peaceful…”. Helen’s reaction is hesitantly doubtful:

So peaceful…

“Oh John, I want to believe you, but it’s far too easy to blame everything you’ve done on something else”. Ultimately, Druitt has the last word. The feeling of peace and release inside of him is too convincing to be dampened by Helen’s doubts “That thing WAS my rage, I am sure of it” and Helen’s face is a torn battlefield between her hopes, desires and the reality she dreads.

Ahem. If you’re not aware, the next time you watch this beautiful episode, listen out for one Robin Dunne’s Bruce Willis impression a la Christopher Walken as he crawls through the heating system. As each of the pairs commence their work, the music at this point is fabulous. Slightly funky, with an edge that mirrors the situation, it drives the narrative forward with its building rhythm.

Our resident geek, Henry, is a true techie to the letter. As soon as he mingles a Eureka-moment with the frustration of a man pushed to his limit of patience, the guy becomes UNSTOPPABLE with his determined zeal. We can see why Magnus relies on him so; Henry owns his job. Gadgets are his life, he understands the language better than anyone. So, at this point, ‘Electra’ doesn’t stand a chance.

Henry Foss is on the warpath, as he sweats and frets, curses away and bit by bit regains some control over his domain. Though Henry is not much good with counseling, Musa can feel his determination, the joy of his success, and feels the darkness slowly weakening around her. It seems to do her more good than any amount of talking could have. Henry is the direct opposite of Will, Will understands the psychology, he dabbles in the ebb and flow of emotions and the enormous maze that is the human (or abnormal) mind.

So um…now what, Big Guy?

It’s fortunate that they both ended up trapped on the same level. Or rather, we have some flipping clever writing to thank. CRIMANY!

Henry finally manages to gain control over the facility as Will restarts the main power. The lights flicker back into normality, Biggie and Kate still clinging to the top of the elevator shaft. As it becomes apparent that the situation has been contained, the retreat of the energy being to the lab is reminiscent of what Dr. Magnus stated earlier, as she and Druitt mulled over the situation :

“Energy beings behave like a virus, they form a parasitic relationship with whatever host they can invade”. Not only does this echo John Druitt’s historic internal battle with the creature, but it labels him as a carrier for the being. As they reach the door to the lab, he knows that as the carrier for this creature for over a hundred years, he is the only possible solution to this dilemma. The clock is ticking.

It is moments like these in the series, when listening to cast and crew pod-casts is absolutely invaluable. At this point in the podcast there ensued a heated debate between Damian Kindler, Martin Wood and the wonderful Christopher Heyerdahl concerning Druitt’s motives into re-hosting the bloodthirsty parasitic entity.

A key point from this debate was reiterated in the commentary, namely, that some part of self-sacrifice is selfish. We won’t be assigning percentages here, but one of the more obvious reasons for Druitt’s actions is the tragic hero that he is. Despite the pain he has caused Helen Magnus, he will do anything to keep her safe (as seen in ‘The Five’), the act of a man for the woman he’s loved for over a lifetime.

Yet there is another side to this impetus. Is it possible, that although he loathed the violence and chaos that had plagued him in the past, half of him craves the vicious freedom and satisfying bloodlust that came with it? It’s as if he has a dark craving for the irresistible attraction of vice. His haste in his actions, in his speech with Magnus, is half that of a smitten man who would sacrifice anything for her, and half that of a man plagued with a hunger for the familiar bloodlust which has invariably been a part of him for over a century.

This scene, outside the lab door, is one of the most poignant and soul-stirring of the entire series. Beautiful in it’s simplicity, even Henry and Will realise the weight and significance of the moment; the two protagonists wrapped in their own bubble as it were, an entire century of pain, love, and doubt passing between them.

Druitt’s words strike deep within Magnus, yet she is still, it is perhaps the first time she has heard the words fall from his lips for many decades. It is a promise that will hold despite anything that has happened, or that will happen, yet the slight guardedness in her eyes mirror what is perhaps a sense of the demonic hunger that stirs deep within him.

“For all eternity…” the very weight of this sentence, and everything it implies, is underlined by a gruesome irony. These words echo that which he uttered in their passionate youth, and since then they have been torn apart. People say “till death do us part”, but in their case it seems to be the very opposite which applies. This moment between the very depths of their souls is at once the climax and resolution of the entire episode. It carries all the weight of their past, but also rings the knell for what is in store for John Druitt.

The final, electrifying melding between the ever-torn John Druitt and the parasitic being completely motivates a whole new phase in the history of Druitt, and all whom he touches. From the passionate, calm gentleman to the violent and unpredictable killer, the change is sudden and confronting. “I don’t need your help!!” the brutality of this is in direct contrast to the history of he and Helen Magnus; she has always been the one he turned to for help, to keep his demon at bay, to guide him.

Having spent most of her life negotiating the demon in Druitt, Helen Magnus is calm in her acceptance of his fate “It would have killed a lot more if it were not for you. You kept it at bay”. Perhaps Druitt really is the only person who can possibly have any control over this destructive force, having spent most of his life with it, his whole body and consciousness are geared to harbouring it.

For the record, the fan speculation at the conclusion of this weighty episode was HUGE! Druitt’s last words “I have no destination in mind”, reacted distraughtedly by Magnus, inspired a massive debate as to his fate. Don’t worry guys, we have the whole of Sanctuary Season Three to witness (MASSIVE SQUEE). And the commentary does provide some comfort. To quote Damian Kindler: “If he had wanted to kill himself, he would have teleported to Mars”. ‘Enough said. Thank goodness *wipes brow*.

“I don’t need your help!!”

Throughout the entire episode of ‘Haunted’, Helen Magnus exercises a wary air of caution. Although she is usually one of the most rational and calculating of scientists, her caution throughout the events of this episode is unwavering with a wary sense of familiarity. The arcing of her character takes place on a delicately personal level, as she comes to experience what she hasn’t for over 100 years, while Druitt himself embarks on a journey of self-discovery, taking his audience (and Helen) with him.

This is the first time we have been able to see the enigmatic John Druitt through a magnifying glass, and the experience is invaluable for us, allowing us to appreciate the rough edges of his personality, to understand his unrelenting inner battle, and the sheer power of his possession.

“I have no destination in mind”

Since Druitt was integrated with this demon over a hundred years ago, Magnus has had to wage an unrelenting battle with the consequences of his bloodlust, and her relationship with him has become one of suspicion, alertness and some accusing disappointment, heavily underlined by the warmth of their past. Druitt is complex too, he’s not a villain, he’s not some sort of one-sided antihero from a comic book. The tear between what he was, a passionate gentleman, to what he has become is an ebb and flow, and we as the audience get to see this wavering battle between the two essences of the man.

As the FABULOUS James Watson once said “Time is a great healer. Redemption, that requires a little more”. The man had insight.

As always thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

Please feel free to leave a spam free comment or contribute to discussion on the episode below. Discussion makes the series all the more enjoyable for everyone! Or as so many of our visitors prefer, visit me on Twitter with your comments or questions.

JandyraCJM

October 15, 2010
Absolute Analysis: Sanctuary ‘Sleepers’: Not So Sleepy After All!

Hello Vanctuary Fans!

NB: Please note that the legend stated in my previous review will henceforth apply to all reviews >8D.

Okies…we can all agree that Jonathan Young is downright BRILLIANT 8D. He entered the cast of Sanctuary mid-season One with pomp, flair and an attitude to match, which has added such a deliciously sophisticated spice via his character of Nikola Tesla, antagonising in a most irritatingly satisfying way! In a manner of speaking, Jonathan Young, as Nikola Tesla, sort of punctuates the dynamic of the Five, nothing is EVER dull when he’s lurking, as he stirs up the relationships between its’ members. And really, let’s face it, besides his obvious genius he’s quite simply a hormonal teenager with an outstanding talent for egocentric preening 8D. In spite of, or maybe BECAUSE of, his irritating ego, we Sanctuary-obsessors have fallen hopelessly in love with Tesla’s sophisticated quirkiness, his blunt quips and dry wit. His self aggrandizement is almost as endearing as it is annoying. Maybe that’s the reason why Helen Magnus still puts up with him after all these decades!

Episode 10 of Sanctuary Season 2 provides a WONDERFUL analogy for Tesla’s striking characteristics, and the personal drive that impassions him in his work. ‘Sleepers’ showcases a vivid, even COOL, illustration of what Nikola Tesla is all about, every nuance of his, every propensity that drives this brilliant abnormal. Besides its’ overwhelming coolness as an episode, it is a turning-point for the character in his relationship with the abnormal world.

We were first introduced to this member of The Five in Episode 7 of Season 1, where we also discovered the secret of his work, a devious, nostalgic one, carried out in complete covertness. Having gone into hiding sometime during the 1940’s (which Magnus covered up with a well placed memorial service), he was given ample opportunity to work on his resurrection project. The fact that Magnus did not question the nature of the work that he was carrying out speaks volumes for her faith in him, if not her trust (I don’t think anyone would go THAT far 8D). Helen Magnus knew that whilst he was in hiding, he was carrying on a project dear to his heart, but did not question its nature, and lost touch with him for over 50 years.

In the episode ‘The Five’, in Season One, we learned of the unique enhancement, for lack of a better word, of Tesla’s natural abilities and genetic makeup. The rare and precious Sanguine Vampiris blood, as sourced by the resourceful Helen Magnus, brought out extraordinary and unexpected dormant genetic traits in the arrogant genius, whilst bringing out various other phenomenal traits in Magnus, Druitt, Watson and Griffin.

Since this discovery, Nikola’s primary desire has been to discover more about the origins of his abnormality, the secret truth of his ancestors, and resurrect what was once the most powerful race in human history. Over time, Tesla’s passion for this mission has escalated into a growing obsession. In ‘The Five’ the lengths to which he was prepared to go were revealed to us, a violent confrontation with each of his oldest friends really didn’t help with their trust factor 8D.

He proclaimed his love for Helen, following up this declaration with a violent exposing of his secret project, and the threatening of her life. I wonder if despite his manic obsession, he really would have allowed his pawns to harm Dr. Magnus? In Druitt’s case, the threat was sort of understandable, considering the continuing tension between them. Tesla’s behaviour is more like that of a hormonal teenage boy, as observed by Helen in Revelations; “Really, I’m surrounded by adolescents!” 8D.

Despite his apparent hankering after Helen’s affections, which he knows can never be returned because of the impassioned John Druitt, Tesla’s life ambition and obsession is the resurrection of the race of his ancestors, the “greatest abnormals ever to walk the Earth”. Whilst in hiding, due to Helen Magnus’ blessing, he worked diligently and devotedly to reawakening, or even introducing, the Vampire gene into human DNA. We saw his first prototypes in ‘The Five’, with his creation of the vicious, if “dumb as tree stumps” vampires before Helen’s very eyes. He demanded her help (after confronting Druitt) to help him in completing his project, but of course the insightful Dr. Magnus refused. Since it was the first time Helen had met him since his disappearance, the intensity of his obsession evidently shocked her.

In this episode of Season Two, “Sleepers” we’re privy to the further story of Nikola Tesla’s efforts in his egomaniacal, albeit genius, scheme. We realise that his first prototypes weren’t quite sufficient in his grand plan, and in view of his obsessive determination, we sort of take for granted that he wasn’t going to let the setback stop his efforts. We haven’t seen Nikola since the traumatic events in ‘End of Nights; Part 2’, so this episode is a bit of an eye opener as to his activities since his brilliant and, FOR ONCE, helpful efforts at the beginning of Season 2 8D. The discovery of his progress is somewhat of an accident for Magnus and her team.

Despite the global ramifications hanging in the balance, ‘Sleepers’ just seems too much of a fun ride to be taken too seriously in the greater story arc of Season Two. The overwhelming grooviness of the episode, the overhanging irony, the downright hilarity and the dry wit bouncing to and fro like a pinball machine all make us view the entire show as a delightful comic relief in what is otherwise a weighty and darker second season. It’s not really until the very end of this entertaining tale that we are more or less brought back to Earth with a sober thud, as we see a rare moment of brief grief and panic in the brilliant Vampire, as he seeks solace in the rock-solid presence of one of his oldest friends and colleagues, and also in her wine cellar.

The panic in his eyes as he realises all that he has worked for is virtually null with his ‘de-vamping’ (*COUGH* O.o) and the sudden and unexpected discovery of a latent skill…it is a rare, and very touching moment for both the character, and the actor (please see the credits for further enlightenment)…and slightly rocks the ending of the show with a tragic but hopeful touch. It leaves the viewers with a a gently pulsating glow of fresh beginnings and new, exciting things to come.

It could be supposed that over the heavy story arc weaving throughout this season, ‘Sleepers’ could be seen as a stand-alone episode, although it definitely has it’s place, albeit a small one, in the arc for the brilliant character development and insight into Nikola Tesla, and all with whom he associates with.

On a personal note, I find it a little hard to admit when an episode is strictly ‘stand-alone’, it may well be stand-alone within the greater plot arc, but it almost always contains absolutely priceless background and insight into certain characters. In the long term, it simply makes the greater arc fuller and weightier because we understand and appreciate on many more levels. Here’s an analogy: If you ever studied biology at school, it’s like studying the basic structure of a plant, it’s functions and growth, but to fully understand it we must look through a microscope to perceive the structure and functions of its’ very cells. So, it’s not so much diverting or pausing the story to take a breather, as diving even deeper into it, and usually on a much more personal level.

As we move through this fantastic episode, it’s a great chance to gain insight and understanding into the technical aspects of Nikola Tesla’s work. Of course initially we don’t realise that he is directly responsible, but we nevertheless discover key points, beginning in the very first scene. The perplexing factor is not so much the death of Trust-Fund-baby-come-recovering-drug-addict Chad Spencer, but the disappearance of his body, without any trace whatsoever. The subsequent footage showing the dead man strangling his own friend (also a Trust Fund sapling), is nothing short of baffling, but isn’t that what scifi is about… explaining the impossible? 8D.

After the LOVELY little homage to San Diego Comic Con 8D the shrewd Magnus and her team trace the young rehab patients back to their clinic, a prestigious health spa, aptly named ‘La Casa de la Nueva Vida’ (The House of New Life) on some sunny, cheap tourist beach in Mexico. Magnus and Will make their way to the elusive clinic and all mystery is blown wide open as they discover that the devious ‘Dr. Baumschlager’ is none other than the brilliant, the arrogant, the infuriatingly irritating Nikola Tesla.

As Magnus and Will arrive in the cheaply exotic area of Mexico, Helen herself already has a sense of foreboding as to the truth of the mysterious demises. It’s all uncovered as she comes face to face with the elusive ‘Dr Baumschlager’, none other than her arrogant genius friend. Upon meeting the annoying Doctor, Will closes his eyes in frustration and leaves Helen to dig deeper, and chastise the little precocious boy that is Nikola Tesla.

The vampire himself has no reason to be disappointed, it seems he wasn’t hiding from the shrewd and insightful eyes of Helen Magnus, (they’ve known each other too long for that), more that he might develop his grand research in the peace and quiet of a hermit, aw heck and why not some sun and girls to go with it? 8D. The true collateral damage of his dear project is all too soon dawned on him, as Helen figuratively slaps him upside of the head and demands to know the extent of his work. Much in the attitude of a mother reprimanding and interrogating an errant adolescent after a wild night out on the town “Come on, out with it, I want to hear you say the words!”

As Tesla confesses the true nature of his research, pretty much the whole situation is self-explanatory, and Tesla follows the Sanctuary colleagues back to Old City to both assist in undoing the mess, and no doubt also to revel in the success of his own handiwork >8D.

Meeting the Trust Fund ‘babies’ for the first time is just plainly awesome for the audience. Arguably, the round, liquid black pupils are the coolest visual effect in scifi to date 8D, it sort of makes one want to go down to the closest goth/Specsavers shop and buy the largest, blackest contact lenses you can find >8D.

The relationship between Nikola Tesla and Helen Magnus is delicious to watch in its’ pendulum fluctuations. It swings from being one of colleagues, working towards a common goal, to that of a chastising mother and teenage son, between that of a lustful adolescent and the self-respecting scientist. Most of these flips are driven by Tesla, himself being the egocentric, witty genius that he is. He has no cause to feel guilty, the repercussions of his actions rarely concern him in their far-reaching consequences, unless, as we saw in ‘End of Nights’, the very fate of human-abnormal relations hangs in the balance. Even then, it could be argued that his motives were purely of self-interest, out of his age-long vendetta with the Cabal, and their responsibility for not only driving him into decades hiding, but for the very downfall of ‘his ancestors’, ‘the greatest abnormals ever to walk this Earth’.

This humorous callousness allows him to play his friends as a game of Texas Hold ‘Em. He enjoys manipulating, enjoys being in control as much as Helen Magnus does, although for completely different reasons. He sort of tries to take on the role of puppet-master, although given the nature of his work it rarely works out in his favour for any lengthy period of time. Like a child trying to control the ball game, he pulls strings, gets the participants in his little game all riled up and spitting in frustration at him (it’s all very amusing you see 8D), but inevitably, either the ball gets too big, or the ‘adults’ take over. In ‘Revelations Pt 2’ and ‘End of Nights’ we saw him at his scientific best, a true member of the team, despite his grumbling and self-martyrdom, as he struggled and sought to find a solution to help Helen Magnus and her team. Compared to what we had previously experienced of the Great Tesla, it was a beautiful breath of air, and a rare insight into another side to the ego-centric and witty brilliance in the character that we have come to love.

Seeing his toned-down, more sober side, it drew us, as an audience, even closer to understanding and bonding with this melodramatic character. As with any personage, be it on T.V, film, movies, stage, or written, one of the key elements to holding the audience captive and allowing us to develop a rapport with the character, is to keep us on our toes, swaying us this way and that, letting the unexpected happen…allowing us to see the many facets of the person that makes them so relatable, or at least magnetic. We don’t have to like a character to find them interesting either. In Tesla’s case, it’s simply side-splittingly funny, to watch his foiled attempts at global domination, his brilliant wit, and his fallible genius and as we delve deeper into the plot of ‘Sleepers’. To be perfectly frank, it’s really such a delicious exercise in basking in the dry wit and foiled brilliance of our favourite Vampire (HANDS DOWN!). There is a also a touch of poignancy in the episode, adding a slightly darker lining to what is otherwise a fun ride, and this poignancy gives the episode the perfect amount of weight to make it a memorable and touching anecdote in this second season.

Nikola Tesla’s guinea pigs (for lack of a better analogy) are nothing more than pawns in his Grand Plan. Unfortunately for the doctor, he completely underestimated his pawns’ self-awareness, resolve and intelligence. It is utterly devastating for him, as it turns out their aspirations for the resurrection of Sanguine Vampiris are almost more determined and motivated as his own. It’s simply downright FANTASTIC to watch the ongoing exchanges between Nikola and the young Trust Fund brats, almost like watching a person arguing with a 134-year-younger version of himself! One can fully picture the young, wealthy, dependent and brilliant Nikola Tesla, fresh out of college, walking through the world as its’ Master, usurping dominance and revelling in a ‘peering down the nose’ view of ‘commoners’. These kinds of people are always convinced that they are superior, confident in their own precocity and intelligence; they exercise this sense of dominance over every project they undertake. Age and experience are irrelevant! Fortunately, in Nikola’s case, these annoying traits are paired with an adorably dry sense of humour 8D.

It’s comical watching Tesla move through the plot of this episode, becoming more and more entangled in his own web, himself becoming frustrated with these precocious, wealthy kids, finally experiencing a taste of his own medicine, a sample of the angst and resentment he causes his own colleagues 8D. Not sure if he actually realises it, but he suffers from it nevertheless.

There is definitely some cold, calculating callousness that is going hand in hand with the young ‘prototype’ Vampires’ desire for power, it may either be a side effect of the Vampiric trait, or it could well have been that cold selfishness that often emanates from those who have had everything in life. Such people are often perceived to have a cold, brittle shell about them, impervious to human sympathy or emotion, which we see not only in the relatively coldly regarded death of Steve, but also in the mere fact that Chad Spencer simply paces coolly through the episode, shooting his friends frigidly, and gloating with them over their instant successes. The cool pacedness of their actions almost make it seem as if they have no goal in sight, they’re simply along for the ride, although we later discover otherwise when Nikola Tesla comes face to face with his ‘protégées’.

Besides the obvious exposing of Tesla and his work in the episode ‘Sleepers’, by association, though also in their own right, we very much see a further development and understanding of those around him; particularly, in Magnus, the rest of the Sanctuary team, and in their relationships with the exasperating Nikola. Aside from the interesting and amusing ebb and flow of Helen and Nikola’s relationship, the energy and communication between her protégées and the Vampire are quite something when take a moment to think about it.

Let’s take a look at Will for instance. In the very first scene, back on the exotic Mexican coast in his and Helen’s discovery of the irritatingly predictable Nikola, Will almost hangs back in some tentativeness. It’s almost like a child looking on while the ‘adults’ are talking, definitely something Nikola would gloat over, and yet Dr. Zimmermans’ own special abilities and specialist knowledge and experience press him to take some firm authoritative ground where it suits. After listening for some time to the chastising going on between the two age-old friends, it’s almost as if Will can’t NOT say something when it calls to him, and he bursts into the conversation to input his own train of thought with the line “We’re talking about vampire blood here, it’s not cold medication”.

For all Tesla’s superiority complex (PARTICULARLY over Helen Magnus’ protégée, whom he dubbed with some scoffing amusement in ‘Revelations’), he himself is very much the immature young brat in this circle of professionals, though he definitely has much weight of years and experience behind him. Will, in terms of age, may very well be a baby by comparison, but he definitely makes up for it in emotional maturity…something which Nikola seems to lack entirely 8D. Both of them are brilliant and reading into the human mind, though very much from a different approach. Nikola tends to use his years of experience and blunt irony to get straight to the pin-prick of a person’s motives, while Will uses his psycho-analytical skills and EXTRAORDINARY instinct to decipher and unravel the mysteries of either human or abnormal phenomena.

Although Will often hangs back as an underling in awe of the presence of The Five, which we especially saw in ‘Revelations’ upon meeting Druitt and James Watson, he very much holds his own ground and even impresses the older and more experience with his observation and incredible instinct. His own predecessor, James Watson, was particularly impressed with his budding qualities, and I wonder if we will see Dr. Zimmerman step in to play Watson’s role in The Five’s adventures. Let’s not jump to conclusions, because as we all know, in Scifi, NOBODY DIES }>8D.

We even see an interesting relationship between Kate Freelander and Nikola Tesla budding to develop in the episode ‘Sleepers’. Though they only meet briefly in this particular show, their separate actions, leading up to the confrontation, give some precursor to the potential growth of the relationship. Let’s ideate on Kate for a minute here. After her intense initiation in ‘Penance’ we are seeing more and more of Kate fitting and settling into her work at the Sanctuary with a comfortable and confident ease. Her pride in her work and her devotion to Magnus gives her a hugely respectable place in the team, and on occasion when she is required, she falls into place by Magnus side as a respectful colleague, and sometimes, as a student. We see her strengthened, and often FIERCE determination to defend hers and Magnus’ honour, such as in her interrogation of Laura.

Hers and Magnus’ relationship is definitely relaxing into it’s own rhythms, as we see in their ninja-like approach to the Trust Fund penthouse, and even the brief “Are you kidding? I invented it!” exchange between them speaks volumes for their comfortable association.

Kate’s responding smile is open and almost gratified in her expectation of the wise and accomplished woman inventing some of the coolest of moves. I’m just going to jump in here and say WELL AS IF WE’RE SURPRISED….Helen Magnus is, and always will be, the ultimate in kick-butt heroines, who look good in leather and are more intelligent and insightful than anyone WE’VE ever imagined 8D. BUT…I digress, and as we finally see the younger and emotionally immature Kate come face to face with the older and equally emotionally immature Nikola, the sparking chemistry between them is delicious….and totally giggle-worthy 8D. Nikola Tesla’s throw-away comment “Young people nowadays” and Kate’s indignant reaction is nothing but a prologue for what could potentially be a SPICY association 8D.

Oh and also, this particular scene is just deliciously funny in every way, but especially in the biting relations between the coolly feminine Helen and her hormonal and shameless friend. I think most of us burst out at LEAST a snort of laughter, if not a tirade of giggles at the spicy exchange between them in the scene.

“You know, I’ve often wondered what this moment would be like, me…you tied up…it’s a shame you brought the children”

“Nikola, focus!”

In a way, it mirrored their conversation at the beginning of the episode, although probably with some more adult overtones 8D. Like Helen said, she’s surrounded by adolescents 8D. The most Sanctuary-crazed of us, I can say without a doubt, probably include it in our list of favourite Sanctuary quotes, if not, favourite quotes of all time! We simply MUST bask in the genius wit of the writing of Jonathan Young’s lines, and even more in his tight-lipped delivery of them. I don’t think anybody could pull off such a brilliantly ironic manner of speech as deliciously as J-Yo can! But where would his snaps of wit be without Magnus to coolly rein him in and figuratively slap him upside of the head with a loving but firm hand?

Given the very nature of the overall plot arc, and the protagonists we love so much, it’s a direct contrast to what we’ve experienced so far. Our heaviest driving personalities (by the way, I’m mainly referring to the members of The Five here) give us the weight of their tens of decades of life experience, their scope and vision of the world is so much larger and all-encompassing.

They understand much of the very core of human nature, and not only human, but those creatures living on the fringe of what we perceive of the ‘normal’ world.

They’ve witnessed the passing of many loved ones, the knowledge these mountainous characters have gained over a century and a half is invaluable, and was not attained without a tragic cost. Not only the members of The Five, but the younger members of The Sanctuary network are all acutely aware of the global importance and the far-reaching consequences of their work…entire civilisations are hinged on their savvy and their finesse.

Within the Sanctuary Network, it’s not only the intellectual understanding that is valued, but also the life experience, as in the case of Kate and Will, the instinctual understanding of human nature, its’ seediness, its’ virtues, as well as the ability to think on one’s feet.

Holding the spoiled Vampire terrors up against the constant underlying force of the Five is like comparing Lady Gaga to Fauré’s Requiem. The young, wealthy, spoon-fed drop-outs all have no scope of the implications of what they hope to achieve. Considering their breeding, they’ve not had any life-experience, no wakeup call to violently shake them into the reality of the world they live in. These young brats simply get caught up in the fresh high they’re enjoying; they’re very much in it for the joyride. First designer drugs, then vampirism…it’s all the same, it’s a wicked high, a careless joyride, though this new phase definitely seems to have some attractive long-term rewards! They arrogantly exploit the decades of questionable work put forth by Tesla, and as Nikola so delicately (and memorably!) accused of his test subjects “You’ve turned a symphony into Rock and Roll…..FRENCH-CANADIAN Rock and Roll!” 8D.

As far as the young vampires themselves go, their group dynamic is pretty typical of any middle-classed, adrenaline junkie, young adults, comfortable in their own popularity, prepared to risk the lives of those ‘beneath them’ in order to promote themselves.

Take Chad for example, the first ‘accident’. Good-looking, way too cool for his own good, the girls trail after him, his friends are equally as arrogant yet they acknowledge him as their crowning glory. He is the pusher, the ring-leader, in a sense the ‘alpha-male’ 8D. Darrin, his closest sidekick, is almost as a young Tesla would have been. A cold genius, detached, dangerous in these very qualities, and Nikola cannot believe his ears at the news of his dropping out of pre-Med ‘because the parties were lame’.

Despite Chad’s cool demeanour and determination, it is perhaps Darrin who, in his quiet, brilliant genius, would have been the most dangerous element in their little global domination project! No doubt Tesla would be more than a little disgruntled by his obvious intellect anyway >8D.

The girls of the clique are pretty much just the faithful followers, Laura perhaps a little higher in the echelons because of her relationship with Chad, but the reality of their endeavour hits a little hard when she accidently sucks Steve to death XD. Steve is the red-shirt…the guy who wants to be in the clique, whom they lead by the nose and dupe with their attractive promises, whose destiny is to merely become their pawn, but ultimately becomes the unfortunate mishap.

This tenth episode of Season Two of Sanctuary is especially interesting in terms of filming locations. Almost the entire show is external, on location, and very VERY little of it is filmed within the Sanctuary set. From the initial woodlands setting (which was filmed just around the corner from the studio), we briefly visit Magnus’ office within the Sanctuary, also Will’s office is briefly touched upon, before we are whisked away into town to watch the antics of our precocious Vampires, an exotically cheap location on the coast of Mexico, and the contemporary penthouse, Trust Fund HQ.

It gives this particular episode a peculiar edge, a fresh view on the world in what has otherwise been a tensely emotional season. It also serves to give ‘Sleepers’ an overhanging ‘hip’ feel, much of it is set downtown, we see designer shopping strips, a luxurious penthouse suite splashed with monochromatic modern decor. It’s a very ‘young episode’ in terms of style, the characters driving the plot are young adults, carried away with their own precociousness, and their haunts are edgy, exciting, extremely fashionable and hip from beginning to end.

As a whole, this AWESOME tenth episode of our favourite show (come on…admit it…ADMIT IT 8D) has been an incredibly exciting and fun Ferris-wheel ride. At first glance, it seemed to be nothing more than an excuse for a cool and hip episode, with wow-factor, but on a second take I don’t think we can deny that ‘Sleepers’ has not only be a giggle and snort from beginning to end, but also has been very a very thought-provoking show, not only for we the viewers, but for many of the characters, especially Nikola Tesla, and also to a certain extent, Dr. Helen Magnus.

Their final interaction is merely a short scene, but the quiet exchange between them says volumes for the sober strength of their relationship, which stand despite all of Nikola’s infuriatingly hilarious propensities. It’s almost as if, despite the tens of decades of irritatingly arrogant selfish projects, Tesla values the friendship of his closest colleagues just as much, or at least acknowledges his dependence on them, and seeks solace in their comfortable familiarity.

BRING ON EPISODE ELEVEN!! Another FABULOUS production from this groundbreaking show! 8D

Thanks for reading, and DO feel free to post feedback, as well as your own perceptions of the episode!

Spinning ideas makes it all the more enjoyable for everyone 8D.

JandyraCJM

July 29, 2010

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