Sanctuary Discussion (Spoilers for the most recent episode)

[Steve 2]

That didn't bother me much. Ashley does not have the temperment to run Sanctuary. She's good at what she does, but she's fairly limited - least at the current time. Helen knows her daughter - well, mostly- and had seen how she reacts. Guns blaze first. Helen might do that in some instances, but she has 157 years of experience to Ashley's 23.

imo.

suse

Well, see that's sort of it. Ashley doesn't have the temperment to run the Sanctuary. Right now. Yet. As of season one. From a long term show perspective, one of Ashley's arc, if not her primary arc, could be (and, imo, should be) growing into the person who is destined to continue Helen's important work. Dare I say it, it's her destiny, it's in her blood. In season one Ashely was constantly denied this role in favor of Will. And it just seems a bit too convenient that Helen has now just found the oh-so-perfect protege to take over for her. I mean, what did Helen ever expect to happen to Ashley when she grew up? Maybe she'd go to law school? No, Ashley's in the family business, the business of Sanctuarying. At some point you've got to think that Ashley is going to feel that Will's job of continuing the legacy is hers by right. I suppose one could argue that such a conflict would be interesting fodder for stories. It would be. However, the resolution of that conflict (at least according to tv writing tradition) would likely be a Will/Ashley romance. So. There you go.

Much of this comes from my desire to see anyone other than Will get some screentime, particularly some screentime with Helen. Will bores me. I'm biased against him.

[suse]

Well, see that's sort of it. Ashley doesn't have the temperment to run the Sanctuary. Right now. Yet. As of season one. From a long term show perspective, one of Ashley's arc, if not her primary arc, could be (and, imo, should be) growing into the person who is destined to continue Helen's important work. Dare I say it, it's her destiny, it's in her blood. In season one Ashely was constantly denied this role in favor of Will. And it just seems a bit too convenient that Helen has now just found the oh-so-perfect protege to take over for her. I mean, what did Helen ever expect to happen to Ashley when she grew up? Maybe she'd go to law school? No, Ashley's in the family business, the business of Sanctuarying. At some point you've got to think that Ashley is going to feel that Will's job of continuing the legacy is hers by right. I suppose one could argue that such a conflict would be interesting fodder for stories. It would be. However, the resolution of that conflict (at least according to tv writing tradition) would likely be a Will/Ashley romance. So. There you go.

Much of this comes from my desire to see anyone other than Will get some screentime, particularly some screentime with Helen. Will bores me. I'm biased against him.

Unfortunately the premise is Will her Helen's pretege. She's had others. And seriously, it would take longer than the show is likely to run (think decades) for Ashley to learn the restraint needed. It's her personality.

That being said, I'd love for others to get more screentime with Helen.

suse

[JenniferJF]

Unfortunately the premise is Will her Helen's pretege. She's had others. And seriously, it would take longer than the show is likely to run (think decades) for Ashley to learn the restraint needed. It's her personality.

I think they showed that rather cleverly in Sanctuary for All when Helen and Will's rooftop conversation was juxtaposed with the fight scene between John and Ashley. Helen needs to find a protegee to take over the Sanctuary because Ashley didn't inherit the traits necessary to do so. Ashley takes after someone else. At least, unlike a lot of parents, Helen seems to realize that and to appreciate Ashley's strengths and talents for what they are and not try to mold her daughter into her own image. Which goes back to the earlier conversation. Helen must value the traits Ashley does have or she'd never have choosen to have Ashley in the first place.

Though I tend to think Helen needs to make that more clear to Asley than she has done.

[Tittamiire]

I have the impression that Ashley has the freedom to walk away from the Sanctuary. A protege is in a definite role, with a future and an obligation. The impression I get with Ashley as that while she's been taught to be a fighter and abnormal hunter its just what she's doing now. I think there is an element of Helen wanting to spare her daughter the burden of "you MUST carry on my work!"

Plus Ashley wouldn't be able to do it as she is now, as others have said.

[AstraPerAspera]

I have the impression that Ashley has the freedom to walk away from the Sanctuary. A protege is in a definite role, with a future and an obligation. The impression I get with Ashley as that while she's been taught to be a fighter and abnormal hunter its just what she's doing now. I think there is an element of Helen wanting to spare her daughter the burden of "you MUST carry on my work!"

Plus Ashley wouldn't be able to do it as she is now, as others have said.

I agree that Helen has certainly intended for Ashley to have freedom of choice when it comes to her involvement with Helen's work. But I also think, as Jenn said, that by her very nature Ashley isn't cut out to step into Helen's shoes should that become necessary. Not now and probably not ever. She is her father's daughter in temperment far more than her mother's.

I also think that, while she may have the freedom to leave if she so chose (setting aside the events at the end of Revelations and just speaking in general...), there are few other places where she could feed the innate need she has for the thrill and rush that she gets from doing what she does now. At least not within the context of normal society. So while Ashley could leave, and (again, setting aside the current plot line for the moment) might leave (which, in itself might not be a bad thing, as all kids need to get out from under their parent's shadow), I think ultimately she would end up back at the Sanctuary, doing what she does.

Which is what makes the current plot twist so interesting and with the potential for being a long story arc, IMHO. Because the Cabal *will* give Ashley the outlet she needs to hunt and...aside from her mother's work...it's the only place where her unique skills (made now even more unique...) can be plied to their fullest potential. Of course...just not for benevolent reasons....

[Tracy Jane]

I was going to respond, but my OCD is in full swing and I just cannot get past the whole spelling of protégé(e).... *chunters about listening to the shape of the vowel and the potential genders of the candidate*

I really... nope. I'll come back later.

[Mandysg1]

I was going to respond, but my OCD is in full swing and I just cannot get past the whole spelling of protégé(e).... *chunters about listening to the shape of the vowel and the potential genders of the candidate*

I really... nope. I'll come back later.

Well TJ, I don't know if you know this, but our keyboards from the US and Canada don't have the accents on them.

[suse]

Well TJ, I don't know if you know this, but our keyboards from the US and Canada don't have the accents on them.

Thanks for saying that Mandy.

I'm sure there's some stuff I can download to get the accents in the right place, but it's way too much bother for what is supposed to be a place to talk, discuss and have fun. I'm hardly writing a paper or attempting to speak in the language.

<<shrug>> Whatever.

suse

[antoa]

Thanks for saying that Mandy.

I'm sure there's some stuff I can download to get the accents in the right place, but it's way too much bother for what is supposed to be a place to talk, discuss and have fun. I'm hardly writing a paper or attempting to speak in the language.

<<shrug>> Whatever.

suse

There is a way to do the accents on a standard US keyboard, but it involves typing a sequence of keys before hitting the vowel key and is entirely too complicated to remember when you don't use it on a regular basis.

[Inward Wind]

I'm not so sure that Ashley's inability to run the Sanctuary at this time has so much to do with personality as it does maturity. Both of her parents, to me, seem to be people with competent leadership skills. Druitt even seems to be a very rational person since he's become "good". Ashley already has shown that she cares about abnormals; when she tries to convince Henry not to have surgery and when she was talking with the Cabal lady, comes to mind. Druitt has talked to her about trying to get her to "think" rather than "act" first, which suggests to me that she could mature into that type of person. Many people over the course of years change their priorities and how they react to various situations when they gain more maturity.

She has also already shown leadership skills, more so than Will has anyway. I know that in the Five, Helen evidently thought enough of her to leave her in charge of the Sanctuary, based on Bigfoot and Will's conversation. Just based on her history alone, she has more qualifications to eventually run Sanctuary. I don't think it would take much maturity for her to get there. Will seems to have an awful long way to go to have the same understanding of abnormals and obtaining of leadership skills. But, what is ironic to me is that throughout season 1 they pushed him into almost all discussions about abnormals and tactics while pretty much leaving Ashley out of those same conversations, yet I still would feel more secure in her being in charge than Will.

[Mandysg1]

There is a way to do the accents on a standard US keyboard, but it involves typing a sequence of keys before hitting the vowel key and is entirely too complicated to remember when you don't use it on a regular basis.

Me being a luddite and all

[NZNeep]

I was going to respond, but my OCD is in full swing and I just cannot get past the whole spelling of protégé(e).... *chunters about listening to the shape of the vowel and the potential genders of the candidate*

I really... nope. I'll come back later.

We all have pet peeves, but hey as long as we understand each other it's cool. Not everyone majored in languages.

[Skydiver]

yeah, i'm in the same boat. If i have t typed out in word and it does that nice auto correct thing i can get the cool accented characters. but the forum doesn't support that feature, i'm sorry

[Tracy Jane]

I'm calm again. Whoot. It's passed. Actually, the big one that got me was on a European keyboard that can easily do a grave accent (it's near impossible to do any other accent on a standard laptop keyboard, which annoys me no end. The character codes just. don't. work.).

Just a quick OT explanation... I occasionally get these really, really screwy OCD attacks. They can be about the strangest things and today was accents. It's passed. I'm back to normal again. They're irrational, they're weird, but you know...!

Anyway, all that aside, my comments on Ashley's role. I think Helen has provided Ashley with a balanced education, allowing her to play to her strengths and choose her path herself. It is obvious that Ashley has received some medical training (or so I am led to believe by her assistance in Warriors), but I think she herself chose to go the route of the fighter.

There is also nothing to say that Will, as a protégé, is not being trained up to head a Sanctuary, rather than the entire group. I'm sure that if Ashley matured into a role where she had the training, skills, objectivity and temperament to run the enterprise, and expressed a wish to do so, Helen would be more than able to do so.

I wouldn't say that Ashley is being overlooked, so much as being allowed freedom in her choices. One of my friends has parents that are both teachers. She was actively shown alternative career paths and she always felt she was being discouraged from the profession. However, it was out of respect for her autonomy and a desire to see her make her own way in life, and not just automatically choose the path of her parents.

With Requiem, I didn't find Helen's assessment of Will as a future leader a problem at all. She has been following his career for a long time, not just these few months. Personally, I don't think he has the balls to pull it off (and killing Helen once isn't going to change my mind on that one), but hey, I've only known Will for a couple of months, so what do I know?

Quite frankly, I wish we'd seen some more character development for Will. He had so much screentime in the series and yet seemed so bland. How is it that he can dominate the show and have so little to actually care about, other than a rather aesthetically pleasing body (which coincidentally seems to be displayed every other episode).

I'm sure I have further thoughts on this, but I shall come back later.

[Tracy Jane]

I'm calm again. Whoot. It's passed. Actually, the big one that got me was on a European keyboard that can easily do a grave accent (it's near impossible to do any other accent on a standard laptop keyboard, which annoys me no end. The character codes just. don't. work.).

Just a quick OT explanation... I occasionally get these really, really screwy OCD attacks. They can be about the strangest things and today was accents. It's passed. I'm back to normal again. They're irrational, they're weird, but you know...!

Anyway, all that aside, my comments on Ashley's role. I think Helen has provided Ashley with a balanced education, allowing her to play to her strengths and choose her path herself. It is obvious that Ashley has received some medical training (or so I am led to believe by her assistance in Warriors), but I think she herself chose to go the route of the fighter.

There is also nothing to say that Will, as a protégé, is not being trained up to head a Sanctuary, rather than the entire group. I'm sure that if Ashley matured into a role where she had the training, skills, objectivity and temperament to run the enterprise, and expressed a wish to do so, Helen would be more than able to do so.

I wouldn't say that Ashley is being overlooked, so much as being allowed freedom in her choices. One of my friends has parents that are both teachers. She was actively shown alternative career paths and she always felt she was being discouraged from the profession. However, it was out of respect for her autonomy and a desire to see her make her own way in life, and not just automatically choose the path of her parents.

With Requiem, I didn't find Helen's assessment of Will as a future leader a problem at all. She has been following his career for a long time, not just these few months. Personally, I don't think he has the balls to pull it off (and killing Helen once isn't going to change my mind on that one), but hey, I've only known Will for a couple of months, so what do I know?

Quite frankly, I wish we'd seen some more character development for Will. He had so much screentime in the series and yet seemed so bland. How is it that he can dominate the show and have so little to actually care about, other than a rather aesthetically pleasing body (which coincidentally seems to be displayed every other episode).

I'm sure I have further thoughts on this, but I shall come back later.