A few years ago while fans were still reeling over the announcement of Stargate SG1 coming to an unexpected end, I started surfing the web for interviews with cast members to see what their reactions were to the cancellation. During one of my searches, I found an interview with Amanda Tapping (who played Samantha Carter on SG1) on a Vancouver morning show. In this interview she mentioned a new project in the works. This new series, Sanctuary, was being produced and released directly to the web. With a host of Stargate regulars both in the creation and production of the show, it was certainly a promising idea.
I looked for anything I could find on Sanctuary and stumbled upon a creaking and rattling gate that said, “Coming Soon.” I bookmarked the site and checked back regularly for updates. One fateful day, I noticed the tiny print added to the corner of the screen: Join the Team. Of course, I jumped on that right away. A few days later, I received an email inviting me to participate as a beta tester on the website before it publicly launched and so began my Sanctuary adventure.
It was an incredible experience. Everyone was so excited to be a part of this new idea and we spent months crawling through every nook and cranny of the website reporting any issues we encountered and providing feedback for the team. While we patiently waited for the launch of the show, we started getting to know each other. We speculated over the characters, the stories and the world we were about to delve into. We also did a lot of goofing off while we waited. Tons of inside jokes formed as a result (Trollops, Okra and Channel 13 Action News being among the most pervasive) and fan fiction sprang up exploring and speculating on the world of Sanctuary.
Finally the day came and thousands of people waited up all night long for the launch of the first webisodes. No one was disappointed. From the beginning, we were drawn into the world of Sanctuary and became permanent residents of it. We discussed everything from technical achievements and visual effects to character development and the mythology behind creatures and inhabitants of Sanctuary. By the time the 8th webisode aired, Damien Kindler, Amanda Tapping and team had garnished fans for life. While millions of us anxiously awaited more episodes, the news broke that they were in talks with television networks for a re-launch on T.V. The following fall, we finally got a look at the new, polished and shiny television version of Sanctuary.
The 8 webisodes were reworked, edited and expanded into the first 3 episodes of the T.V. series with new footage added in to flesh out the story to cover over 120 minutes. The first 3 episodes were a tiny bit hard for me to watch the first time around. I kept seeing the original incarnations and had trouble reconciling the changes at first. Beginning with episode 4, Folding Man, that problem went away. Here, we began to explore the world we had first begun to delve so many months before. Over the next 9 episodes, they continued to draw us into their fantastical world of monsters and mystery.
Our introduction to this mysterious world is through the eyes of forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne). While investigating what the police insist was a massacre by a criminal with a violent past, Will comes up with a very different theory. After witnessing a boy leaving the crime scene and going in pursuit of him, Will encounters Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) for the first time. After continuing his search for the boy despite discouragement from the police, Magnus approaches Will about joining her team. As Will gets more deeply immersed in the world of the Sanctuary, we are taken along with him and what he discovers is amazing.
In the two part premier, Sanctuary for All, we learn that the Sanctuary is actually a global network of facilities created to protect the creatures (or Abnormals) of the world who need protecting and to imprison the creatures the world needs protected from. At the heart of the Sanctuary is research into the amazing genetic secrets hidden within every living creature on Earth. Each episode follows the adventures of the enigmatic Dr. Helen Magnus who is assisted by her feisty and fearless daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup) and her gadgetry-wizard, Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins). Will becomes Magnus’ protégé as the team searches the world over for creatures believed to be only myths and legends that prove to not only be real but in many cases living among us.
While the stories deal with what we might consider monsters (there are lots of them in there, too), the series also explores the soul of humanity. After all, what is it that makes someone a monster, what they look like or what is in their heart? As the series tagline puts it, Even things that go bump in the night need protection.
The look and feel of the show reminds me of the books I grew up from authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard and Jules Verne. The mixture of science fiction, history and mythology with just a hint of Steampunk influence blends together to create a unique, living and breathing world. There are no limits to the stories that could be told here. Anything you can imagine or dream could be found here.
The award winning effects are almost always flawless and it’s hard to believe that most of this world is completely CGI. Filmed against green screen, the actors rely on their talents rather then props and report it’s quite like acting on stage.
Helen Magnus has so much history in her past that I can’t wait to learn more about her life and experiences. While Amanda Tapping is as always a wonderful lead, I find myself highly interested in the entire cast as an ensemble. I want to see more of everyone and what tidbits we learn feel like appetizers and I look forward to the real in-depth exploration of the rest of the team.
Will is a combination of Adrien Monk and Shawn Spencer from Psych with a twist of Nick Stokes from CSI tossed in for good measure. He uses his observation and profiling skills to get inside the head of the beings they encounter (Abnormals are people, too, after all).
My favorite character is Ashley Magnus. A real hardcore and unstable, darker character in the webseries, her T.V. makeover toned her down, softened her up and added more depth to the character. She’s a tough and mouthy fighting machine (loving referred to by fans as Kick-Ash) with just enough femininity to round off the rough edges. With certain revelations made early in season one, the mother-daughter relationship has a lot of room for exploration.
Henry Foss is cute, geeky goodness and adorable in every way. He quips and wise-cracks his way through technical solutions from electromagnetic fields to sonic weaponry. When the big guns can’t do the job, he’s usually got something up his sleeve to solve the problem.
The cast is rounded out with recurring roles by the smoldering Christopher Heyerdahl (pulling double duty as two characters on the show), Jonathon Young and Peter Wingfield. The guest stars throughout the season is a virtual smorgasbord of sci-fi regulars such as Chuck Campbell, Kandyse McClure, Kavan Smith and Christine Chatelain .
I really enjoy this series and look forward to seeing much more of it. My only issue with it is that, with only 13 episodes in the first season, there wasn’t enough exploration of the characters and relationships. I love character driven ensemble casts and they have assembled a marvelous cast here. Sometimes an episode began to explore those relationships but then rather than continuing to explore those themes in further episodes, they sometimes move on too quickly with the next show. I understand they want each episode to stand alone so it doesn’t feel like a soap opera but some things could be subtly continued from episode to episode to further develop and emotionally involved the audience with the show.
This 4 disc sets includes all 13 episodes of the first season as well as the original webseries, Behind the Scenes featurettes and photo gallery, Audio commentary on all 13 episodes, bloopers and a Season 2 sneak peek.
Sanctuary: The Complete First Season is now available on Amazon.com and other retail outlets where you normally purchase your favorite DVDs. Be sure to check it out and remember to watch Season 2 now airing on the Syfy channel, Space Channel and dozens of other networks globally.