Sanctuary For All (101-102)

[StarSancFar]

Yay!! just got my sanctuary season 1 dvd's delivered! havent seen series 1 or 2 yet!! Can't wait to watch!!

[Elorendil]

Well, I have finished watching Stargate Universe and am now in search of a new series to watch. I'm currently part way through episode two and I have absolutely no idea what I think of the series so far. I always give it a few episodes before I decide if I like a new series or not, so we shall see!

[selene0789]

There was only one grievance I had with the new Sanctuary for All... It introduced Druitt, but also at the same time introduced the concept of Druitt needing Magnus' blood to survive. It's an interesting concept to introduce (because it instantly introduces Magnus' longevity as something communicable-- a different interpretation from how it was presented in the webisodes), but at the same time, they haven't really revisited that or explained it any further.

How often does Druitt need the serum derived from her blood? Is that how the Nigel and James survived so long as well?

I've written a fanfiction to kind of give myself an explanation, but it's not canon and it still kind of bothering me that I don't have a definite concept from the show to work with. You know?

[JanSam]

Re-watching the season Premiere, I still prefer some parts of the webisode version over the Season Premiere of Sanctuary For All.
-The webisode version of Will and how he is introduced to Helen and The Sanctuary. Glad they added the call from Ashley to show how Helen knew where the boy was located.
-the whole police investigation was beyond belief for me. I could shallow the police trying to cover it up, but their rush to convict was just too far fetched for anyone to believe.
-John's reason for finding Helen. I just prefer his looking for his family and his anger with Helen for hiding Ashley from him. His confrontation with Helen was good but seemed anti-climatic compared to the webisode.

I do like John seeking entrance into the Sanctuary by using Ashley to get in.
I just love Henry in the Season Premiere and so glad they added his parts.

I remember being intrigued with the song John sung as Silvio subdued him and then later on when he tells Helen, "The others, will come."

[blueray]

i remember watching the pilot for the first time and getting hooked. and having just rewatched it, i can see why. some things i noticed.

it is interesting to see how the world is open up to will. and how helen hit will with a car lol. also interesting thing i noticed was that biggie doesn't say a word to will until the end of the show, which is his way of showing respect to will.

and its interesting how henry isn't really a main character, but will become one later on. and i am also so glad they added him into the pilot.

[fems]

Okay, onto the pilot for the rewatch! It'll be interesting to see the differences with the webisodes since I've watched those for the first time for this rewatch.

I'm already dreading the scenes at the apartment and the police station...

Okay, I enjoy the view we get of Old City in the opening scene. I still think it's weird how the police just breaks open the door. I don't think they're allowed to do that unless the law is different in Old City... Police officers are stupider there too, I take it, from how impatient the man is with a seemingly traumatized child hiding under the bed.

Bad introduction of the Will character in the diner. Oh my, he's so very observant! I don't really care, just makes him look pathetic that he eats there (alone) often enough to recognize when someone else makes the dinner. And really, if it's the chef's night off then who made it? Most diners I know have more than one chef anyway...

I can definitely see why no one takes Will seriously at the bureau or the police department. Instead of sounding interesting and smart he comes across as annoying and a know it all. He may blame Magnus for always keeping things to herself later on but he can be very vague about everything as well. I also don't understand the significance of the 'hidden' comic book, considering it's implied that the boy isn't allowed to leave the room/apartment because of his deformity so someone in the apartment would have bought it for him and thus there's no need to hide it.

I much prefer the introduction of Helen and Will in the webisodes than her running him down with her car (although I can understand the impulse ), though I guess it's possible it was an accident with her and Ashley following Alexei and him getting in the way. Her line about not hoping this was how they'd meet doesn't make much sense when it's revealed that she was there when Will was a little boy and his mother was attacked by an abnormal (considering that means they've already met).

If the homicide detective and others don't like Will or need his help then why was he paged in the first place? And why was the Russian woman IDing the suspect while he was held down by the police in the hospital? That just makes it clear the police suspect him and makes her biased.

The scenes in the morgue are from the webisodes, aren't they? The lines are similar (or exactly the same, I don't recall) but it's Magnus' hair that looks familiar and wig-like.

I'm not sure which introduction of Druitt I prefer, this one or from the webisodes. I like the reference to his early days when he kills the hooker who gave him 'directions' but at the same time I don't like the idea of the Sanctuary being known on the streets by normals. I like the locket with Helen's picture and how Druitt appears, it makes it more... sinister, knowing he looks dangerous and is looking for her, or at least thinking of her.

Nice introduction with Magnus, one where she remains mysterious and gives us a bit more information about Will and the show's plot. Too bad they didn't keep the part where she gives him the cool business card from the webisodes and had her give him a normal one this time around.

On another note, I wonder why they changed the scene where Will sees the boy and Ashley and Magnus are chasing him (by motorcycle and car respectively) from the webisodes. Not that the bike isn't a cool look on Ashley.

I'm not too sure about the scene at Will's own apartment, with Meg. I guess it is to show us not even his girlfriend believes him and that the whole ending of their relationship is the extra push he needed to call Magnus instead of how he was brought to the Sanctuary. However, Meg says their relationship lasted two years and yet he's only been with the police in Old City for six months after getting fired from the bureau... that either means she moved with him to Old City, got a job as a nurse at the hospital or they were already living in Old City meaning 'the bureau' is nearby...

Nice glimpse of Biggie in the rearview mirror and excellent shot of John arriving at the Sanctuary. However, I was under the impression the EM field would kill teleporting abnormals instead of just spitting them out as we see her.

I like Magnus' outfit here (outside when meeting Will as well with the hat), but I also liked the one in the webisodes. But I think this and most of her other outfits throughout the show is a good look that can be sexy without being too revealing, which could be leftover from her upbringing in the Victorian era. It seems to be truer to herself than what we saw in the webisodes, especially when comparing what we will see about her past in future episodes versus the glimpses of her past from the webisodes.

Is it just me or is Will kinda rude to Magnus, after she has picked him up and is about to show him around the Sanctuary? She's offered him something and he's just being pissy and moody, petulant even.

I like how Ashley took out the two guards to protect them from the boy but at the same time I liked what we saw in the webisodes, with Druitt taking care of the boy and giving him one of the guards...

Magnus' credentials are more elaborate here than in the webbies, or at least what she shares with Will about her specialties. I like Sally better than the other version. I can't recall if Helen actually shared the Sanctuary's purpose with Will (and the viewers) in the webisodes, but I like how she elaborates about her work and the abnormals present. Her view of abnormals and Sanctuary as a whole are much more attractive than what I saw in the webisodes.

I'm glad with how she treated Biggie (who's dressed normal here), more as an equal and the longtime friend he is to her, compared to her behavior in the webisodes to him (and Henry too). Great conversation with Will when they're having tea. I also like how the stuff about 'great doctors' was changed here in its execution.

The introduction of Ashley in the tunnels was better than in the show, in my opinion. Again Will is quite rude with his "who the hell are you?". Glad they took out the bit about Helen having a police scanner (the delivery of that line as well as the fact of having one were odd to me).

Alexei's thing seems better here than in the webisodes and I prefer this scene (with the lines about who Ashley was) too. The scene in the infirmary seems more pleasant as well. Overall, Ashley seems more pleasant. Like how they changed the lines about Silvio and her going there instead of the hot date with Ernest.

I don't get why Will suddenly seems so reluctant to talk to the boy. Why else did he think Magnus offered him a job? I like how they expanded this scene with her basically coaching him and Will talking about Alexei's condition.

Yay, Henry! His introduction here is excellent and I think it's more plausible than what happened in the webisodes, with Magnus and Biggie staying there while Will talks with Alexei. More responsible of them. I like how Henry is being a bit insensitive about the kids in Chernobyl and the dead hooker and how Magnus chided him. Their interaction here is much more friendly and familial than what we saw in the webisodes.

Will's talk with Alexei showed why he's a good addition to the Sanctuary team and Magnus' "Magnificent" makes more sense now that Will has really gotten through to Alexei and the two of them were talking etc. I have to say though that I don't recall Will doing this kind of thing often in future episodes (only the Morrigan and that folding dude come to mind), which is a shame. However, I'm not sure he's actually qualified for that kind of work considering he's a forensic psychiatrist, not a regular one. I think they should have kept the story about him and his occupation from the webisodes, combined with him losing his mother at the hands of an abnormal.

I like how it seems that Henry stole the footage of the surveillance cam considering what he said about the police having no clue and there being no witnesses.

Much prefer Silvio over Ernest (webisodes) and his conversation with Ashley. Also like how he handled being hit by Druitt's weapon and how Ashley responded by pulling him to safety etc.

This is actually the first time I realized what Magnus was truly saying up on the roof of the Sanctuary when Will came looking for her.

WILL
Magnus? Don't do it. You've got your whole life ahead of you.

HELEN
If only you knew.

WILL
Aren't you a little cold?

HELEN
Opinion seems to be divided.

Never noticed before how she referred to her personality while he was talking about the weather. Now I'm also wondering if she just came up there to reflect or if she was also keeping an eye out in case Druitt was around. Or if she needed to reflect because of him.

Enjoyed the fight between Ashley and Druitt. I like how he tested/challenged her to shoot him and she hesitated, unlike him if the roles were reversed. I also like his comment about her manners, in the same way I liked what he said about her in the webisodes. Certainly couldn't be what he'd expected when looking for her. While I enjoyed his anger at Helen keeping the baby from him and that being his motivation to looking for them in the webisodes, I prefer his uncaring and sarcastic side when fighting with Ashley.

I never realized what Druitt was singing when Silvio electrocuted him!

"Only the chosen left alive, immortals all, the holy five."

It fits with what we see later on in the show and how he, unlike Magnus and the others, was unaware of what had happened to Nigel. But it definitely fits with Druitt coming back for Helen's blood and saying the others would come! It reinforces my theory that Nikola is immortal and Helen's gift is longevity, while the others only lived as long as they had because of her blood and that she must have given it to them at least once.

I think I must have missed the part where Henry and Will got introduced. Did they remove it because Will knows who Henry is when he's unconscious.

Gah, how I've missed evil and anguished Druitt! I really like the scene in Magnus' office with him, her and Ashley. I also really liked the part where he abducted Ashley in the webisodes and how that turned out with Helen coming to the rescue, but I also like it here. I wish they'd mixed the two but I guess that's impossible considering they changed his background. I must say I prefer him being able to teleport to timetravel. But I liked how Helen confided in Will that John Druitt was her worst fear in the webbies.

CH and AT gave a terrific performance in her office after he took Ashley away!

I think they forgot the scene from the webisodes when Will and Helen were on their way to meet John (who had Ashley) and she told him his name was Montague John Druitt wasn't in this pilot. I always wondered how Will came up with googling John Druitt before telling Magnus about Jack the Ripper because he hadn't even seen the man, let alone heard his (full) name.

[Skydiver]

With Will and 'the bureau', to use the FBI as a model they have branches all over the place. So you can live in California and work for the bureau, which I think is what they were implying

the morgue scenes were repeats, the only line that changed was the one about 'four more coming', which is how they revealed that alexi's symbiote killed everyone instead of 'it's a bloodbath' They just changed the voice over to remove that

And I agree about the 'lineup'....get tossed out of court in about 30 seconds. An ID with only one person will not stand up in court, in fact a DA will toss it before it gets to court.

I only saw part 1 today, so just to the interrogation of Alexi. But the chairs did change...in the webbie it's a vinyl padded one, in this episode it's 2 wooden ones.

[ClassicCouples]

This review for "Sanctuary For All" is longer than I intended. I didn't do a regular chronological review, but rather focused on Helen, John, and Will as characters. I tried to remember what it was like to watch this for the first time.

Helen Magnus
It is crazy to look back at this episode and think of everything we have learned about Helen Magnus, yet still how much we don't know. We have a very interesting introduction to Helen Magnus. I was little confused by her at first. Her run-in with Will in the alley had me laughing and scratching my head at the same time. It would have been one thing if she didn’t know who he was, but she had been keeping an eye on him since he was eight years old. Everytime I think about it, I get stuck on it.

Right away I loved her. She is bold and confident yet scared and loving. The time has come for her to recruit Will to the Sanctuary Team and she is very bold in her approach. Also, she is confident in his curiosity. When he leaves her at the hospital, there is a knowing look on her face that says, “He’ll be back.” This is whom we are introduced to her as. She is an intelligent, educated woman, who does what she has to do to get the job done. So, when we start to see that wall penetrated by the news that a working woman was stabbed to death in an alley, we start to see this other side of her. I love that her reaction is a slow progression, from when Henry tells her the news, to when she watches the video, up to when she asks Ashley to remain home for the night due to some “fluctuations in the EM shield.” This all builds to the moment when Ashley tells her that they brought in “some superfast psychopathic dude” who had “pretty hot moves for a tall guy” and “had a great accent.” We have seen from the tour that Will was given, that Helen deals with scary abnormals all the time, so when she starts freaking out about this guy, we know that this is not going to end well. Of course, we should have picked up on that already, but you get what I am saying.

Then we have my favorite part in this episode. When I found out that Ashley was her daughter, it added a whole other level to the character. It is the part of her that we can relate to. We aren’t 157 years old, we don’t hunt abnormals, but we do know what it is like to be/have a mother. Once we find out that she had the embryo frozen “until [she] could bare the loneliness no longer” it makes her character more real to us and we now have a connection with her. We care about her. There is so much about her character that we don’t know, but we know that she cares about her family and those she brings into her team.

John Druitt
When John went to teleport into the Sanctuary and was promptly kicked out, the look on his face was priceless. Of course, it is funnier after the fact, when you know that he knew she had it in place for him. Probably the scariest I have see him. We are shown why Helen was so freaked out when she found out that he was in the Sanctuary. When we are first introduced to him in the alley and we see him pull out the locket with a picture of a much different Helen, the fact that there was a relationship there at one point is obvious. Because of the look on his face showed such emotion, I knew that the locket belonged to him. This instantly piqued my interest. He didn’t know where the Sanctuary was, so this was the first time that he had been there. So it would be interesting to know how long she had been at the Old City Sanctuary. I don’t think I really thought of this before.

Will Zimmerman
Seriously!? That was the first thought I had about Will. When he asked the waitress if it was the chef’s night off, because he noticed that the drizzle was ccw rather than cw. I had to laugh! I am totally like that sometimes. I didn’t dislike his character, but I wasn’t instantly drawn to him either. I kind of felt bad for him and sympathized with him. It must be hard going through life not being taken seriously. He is so smart and yet has gained no one’s respect. And when even your girlfriend thinks that “you invite the ridicule” it can’t be good for your self-confidence. I understand why Will doesn’t want to take Helen’s offer. First of all, he thinks she is talking crazy. At least that is what he thinks. But, there is also the fact that despite how much he wants to be taken seriously, it is not something he is familiar with. He seems to have become comfortable in his box, and having someone who doesn’t even know him (from what he knows so far) have that much faith in his abilities can be scary. But after he has been given a little time, and is reminded of how much his life is lacking, the whole idea becomes a possibility.

I am a huge Stargate SG-1 fan, so I can't help but make comparisons between these two shows. Helen is kind of like the Catherine Langford character who took Daniel Jackson from a place where he wasn't understood and brought him to a place where his unique talents were appreciated and needed. Of course, Will Zimmerman is like the Daniel Jackson character. Again, watching this episode and knowing how much their friendship deepens, makes me smile. He thinks she is crazy! His character is a great match for Magnus. He is confident in his skills, but hasn't had anyone who believed in him. I think he is a little overwhelmed with everything that Magnus has shown him, as well as her confidence in him. I love how she wanted to put him right to work!

[NumberSix]

Rewatched part 1 yesterday and part 2 today. Gave me bittersweet feelings to hear Helen and Will say the lines that will be repeated in the S4 finale.

I prefer the "geeky Will" to the one in some of the eps of later seasons.

Reference to monster.com struck me funny.

Helen's card: M.D. D.T.C.X.B -- what do the last 5 letters stand for? Doctor of Teratology, Cryobiology, Xenobiology Biology?????

John says "immortals all the holy 5" -- so what did Griffin die of? Was his cause of death ever revealed?

Impressed by CH's acting more than ever. Druitt was so gentlemanly (when he wanted to be)and yet so menacing and tormented.

[blueray]

i think he died of old age. my guess is he refused to take more of helen's blood. thats the only thing i can think of to be the reason why he and watson lived as long as they did (and john too).

[ClassicCouples]

Helen's card: M.D. D.T.C.X.B -- what do the last 5 letters stand for? Doctor of Teratology, Cryobiology, Xenobiology Biology?????

John says "immortals all the holy 5" -- so what did Griffin die of? Was his cause of death ever revealed?

Impressed by CH's acting more than ever. Druitt was so gentlemanly (when he wanted to be)and yet so menacing and tormented.

Doctor of Teratology, Cryptobiology,Xenobiology - yes! and I am guess you are right about Biology as well.

I believe Griffin died of old age. John was the only one who got Helen's blood. Helen is still alive because that is her gift from the Source Blood. John is alive because Helen gave him her blood. Nikola is a vampire, so he is immortal. Watson was still alive because of the machine he created. Whether Helen ever gave Griffin her blood is unknown, but I have a feeling she never gave him any. I think at the time she was feeling very guilty for having given John her blood and therefore helping a killer live for a very long time.

[fems]

Doctor of Teratology, Cryptobiology,Xenobiology - yes! and I am guess you are right about Biology as well.

I believe Griffin died of old age. John was the only one who got Helen's blood. Helen is still alive because that is her gift from the Source Blood. John is alive because Helen gave him her blood. Nikola is a vampire, so he is immortal. Watson was still alive because of the machine he created. Whether Helen ever gave Griffin her blood is unknown, but I have a feeling she never gave him any. I think at the time she was feeling very guilty for having given John her blood and therefore helping a killer live for a very long time.

She had to have given Griffin and probably even Watson her blood unless the Source Blood had temporarily prolonged slowed their aging considering some of the flashbacks and/or episodes set in the past and their respective appearances.


I know someone here on GW once suggested: Medical Doctor, Doctor of Teratology, Cytology and Xenogeneic Biology, but that doesn’t jibe with what she said in the pilot and xenogeneic biology specializes in immune compatibility and transplants (not something Magnus does a lot).
* M.D = Medicinae Doctor (doctor of medicine)
* Doctor of teratology: Teratology, from the Greek "teratos" meaning "deformity, hideous creature, unknown being." (Sanctuary For All)
* Doctor of cryptozoology (Sanctuary For All)
* Doctor of Xenobiology (Sanctuary For All)
* But what does the B stand for? Biology? That is very broad and I imagine teratology, cryptozoology and xenobiology are specialties within biology.

[suse]

Botony? Plants can be abnormal...

[Skydiver]

ah, so the reboot of the webby

intro'd to will in the diner where we learn that either he's very observant or he was a prototype for SHeldon

the scene at the apartment was changed, instead of everyone dying, only 3 do and we have the disturbing occurance of the mother fingering an innocent man to protect the kid. On the other hand, a lineup of one guarantees that the suspect will walk. and catch his name? Vern Kovacs???? little shoutout to amanda's hubby (Alan Kovacs)

Will is now a forensic psychiatrist that was booted from 'the agency'.

john's intro is different with him killing the hooker and the fact that he knows about the sanctuary.

instead of will being kidnapped by biggie he goes voluntarily.

john and alexi's relationship (which was kinda pervy) is gone and a guard survives although Ash beats up the other subway cops.

the sanctuary is less prisony and more refugey. even with helen saying 'it's a refuge not a prison'....yet she does keep some nasty critters in the basement.

Ash's runin with druitt is in spite of Helen trying to keep her in. and we have a first instance of helen's need for secrecy having a price.

Henry is added, but in the beginning he's a cocky but rather submissive employee and less the equal he becomes.

Instead of will being afraid of monsters, he has a totally different back story, and yeah, those that have compared him to Daniel do have a point. the cliched 'visionary that recanted under peer pressure' theme. also we discover that helen was there when his mom died - and that critter is in her shu (I know it reads Shoe on the screen, but Special Housing Unit is SHU...mistake?)

I gotta say helen cuddling 8 year old will kinda creeps me out in the will/helen shipping angle. talk about robbing hte cradle.

we have an intro of the five, but i think they end up differently than they were intro'd because from druitt's words, I envisioned them as a police force or disciplinary group, not clutch of old buddies as they end up being.

biggie and will still come to an understanding, but we do have a more ominous 'there is such a thing as monsters' from biggie.

better than the webbie in some ways, weaker in others. It's lost some of its uniqueness and quirkyness (network suggestions i'm sure), but it's also stabilized a bit. I mean it is creepy for Helen to kidnap future employees.

[NumberSix]

Doctor of Teratology, Cryptobiology,Xenobiology - yes! and I am guess you are right about Biology as well.

I believe Griffin died of old age. John was the only one who got Helen's blood. Helen is still alive because that is her gift from the Source Blood. John is alive because Helen gave him her blood. Nikola is a vampire, so he is immortal. Watson was still alive because of the machine he created. Whether Helen ever gave Griffin her blood is unknown, but I have a feeling she never gave him any. I think at the time she was feeling very guilty for having given John her blood and therefore helping a killer live for a very long time.

I guess it's possible either she refused to give him any, not wanting to prolong his life unnaturally after seeing the consequences of using the blood, or maybe he chose not to accept it because he wanted to live a normal life span (once he married and had a child).

She had to have given Griffin and probably even Watson her blood unless the Source Blood had temporarily prolonged slowed their aging considering some of the flashbacks and/or episodes set in the past and their respective appearances.


I know someone here on GW once suggested: Medical Doctor, Doctor of Teratology, Cytology and Xenogeneic Biology, but that doesn’t jibe with what she said in the pilot and xenogeneic biology specializes in immune compatibility and transplants (not something Magnus does a lot).
* M.D = Medicinae Doctor (doctor of medicine)
* Doctor of teratology: Teratology, from the Greek "teratos" meaning "deformity, hideous creature, unknown being." (Sanctuary For All)
* Doctor of cryptozoology (Sanctuary For All)
* Doctor of Xenobiology (Sanctuary For All)
* But what does the B stand for? Biology? That is very broad and I imagine teratology, cryptozoology and xenobiology are specialties within biology.

Ahh, that's right. Griffin is still young in "Normandy" so he would have had to have had some of Helen's blood at least for a while, or else had his own life prolonged from the injection. Perhaps then after he married and had a family he chose to age along with his wife?

Agree about B standing for "Biology" but I couldn't think of anything else it could stand for.

Botony? Plants can be abnormal...

Could be.

Thanks Skydiver for typing up the differences between the webisodes and these eps.