Sanctuary: Season 1

Every now and then I watch a show that nobody has recommended to me, just on a whim.

Sanctuary is one such show that I sat down and watched the first season of this past month. It turned out to be a surprisingly interesting show, although I was skeptical for a handful of episodes.

The show’s pitch is that the world is full of strange creatures, some humanoid, some not - they are labeled as abnormals, creatures that are outside of the describable and expected norms of this world… but they are real, they are out there… and many need help and protection.

Who’s the one providing this protection? A woman named Helen Magnus, following in her father’s footsteps, is taking on the task of providing these creatures a safe haven - a Sanctuary.

[ some mild spoilers after the jump, but nothing that would ruin the series ]

And there is an actual sanctuary… well, several really; but Helen Magnus seems to be the woman in charge. She also seems to be connected with the who’s who of the world as well. No matter where their work takes them Helen knows people that may surprise you; it certainly surprised me, at times… at least at first.

You see, this world they’ve created in Sanctuary really requires a leap when it comes to checking your disbeliefs at the door. You’ve got everything in this show, the undead, mutants, faerie creatures, werewolves, witches, lizardmen, mermaids, you name it… in this world all of these exist - which means pretty much anything can happen and anything goes.

This alone is both a strength and a hindrance to the show. They try to present the show a little too serious at times, but this world they’ve created can seem rather silly - they never find a perfect balance. If the show loosened up a little, without going all campy mind you, I think the series would be stronger overall.

There’s another aspect of the show that kinda bugs me, and it’s all got to do with the series’ main character, Helen Magnus. Whenever you read any synopsis of the show by the series’ creators or the show’s network, they always push the aspect that Helen Magnus is this amazingly beautiful woman. But the way the character is portrayed in the show in comparison to how she is described by other characters and in series synopses, you expect more of a young runway model bombshell - it just feels weird at times.

And I think the reason why she, the character, is described this way is that the woman that plays Helen Magnus is also the show’s producer - coincidence? Doubt it.

The woman that plays Helen Magnus is a stunning woman though. I am sure fans of hers know Amanda Tapping better as Colonel Samantha Carter in the Stargate television series. She’s been playing that gig now for 12 years… I am sure it must be a breath of fresh air for her to take on a new role in an different series.

And despite me be unsure about the show as the episodes rolled by, in the end I was able to get into the show and enjoy it. It’s a pretty fun watch, despite some of the strange decisions they made during the first season, but the show does get its legs around the half-way mark. And yeah, the show is back for a second season too; it started up again October 9th. So if you have the time to rip through an entire season you can still catch up before this season ends - I know I’ll be tuning in.