Pavor Nocturnus (205)

[Less]

Excellent episode!

The story was quite cliche, but haven't "all the stories been told"? This show was a really good example that it's HOW YOU TELL IT that makes the difference.

There were only two minor annoyances, and they were both with Will.

1. A Mullet, really? Or was that the same wig that Big Guy was wearing last week? Just dirtier. It was a distraction and took me out of the story.

2. Am I the only one annoyed by Will's lower jaw? He juts it out a lot, it's like that's his "acting technique" to show he's determined or something. Made me think the term "mouth breather" was made for him. Again, distracting and took me out of the story. I've noticed it in other episodes, it was SEVERE in this one.

Anyway, those were minor. This show is great.

Please, don't make Kate date anyone yet!!! I understood the mention in this episode, but it's all the more reason to NOT do any romancing for a while. They do really well with the brief glances. They could go the whole season with some glances between Kate and Henry as they get to know each other.

The Will/Clara thing was so forced and unnatural, just weird. The only genuine sexy/heat that I've seen on the show has been between Helen and Will. Did you SEE how Will looked at her when The Adjuster mentioned x-ray vision? That kind of half-a-second and it's gone thing is terrific. They don't need to take it any further.

Just my opinion.

[jckfan55]

having just listened to the podcast, I have to say I think they

Spoiler:

were so right to reshoot the ending so it wasn't a business as usual ending. What they wound up with was just right, imho.

[Skydiver]

i think the only negative thing i can say about this, it should have aired before hero. it would have flowed better, helen was noticably 'down' in hero, calm and reserved. didn't make sense right after ash, but would if it was right after this

[EvenstarSRV]

Nicely put. Poor Helen. What a thing to have to come to terms with.

Indeed. It's something that rings true to life for me, for how people deal with devastating losses like that, so I like how the show has handled it so far.

Hehe. Can't you feel it? It's like sunshine....

LOL, I didn't even think of that reference.

having just listened to the podcast, I have to say I think they

Spoiler:

were so right to reshoot the ending so it wasn't a business as usual ending. What they wound up with was just right, imho.

I agree, I think the transition from the destroyed Sanctuary to the brightly lit, pristine one was enough of a return to 'business as usual'.

EDIT: Yeah, I get the feeling that this was suppose to come after Eulogy, but maybe the network didn't want 4 heavy/angsty episodes in a row so they switched the order with Hero.

[Inward Wind]

ok. I'm going to try this again. I tried posting last night but evidently there were some major issues with this site. My take on Pavor Nocturnus:

Overall: pretty decent episode. I wasn't blown away like most, though. I don't generally like episodes that only have 2 main characters. Requiem and Kush were not my favorites last season either.

The Bad: Sorry, did not like Will in this episode. I have come to the conclusion that I like him best when I can believe him in his character. This was not it. He was suppose to be some vengeful, kick-butt, ruthless bad-a$$ but all I saw was a punk-rock kid getting ready to attend an 80's Poison concert. He also had to tear his shirt off, I suppose to again try to make us believe in his buff "Die Hard" attitude. At least he didn't have on the Hulk suit . Also, I can't believe they actually had him taking on what... 20-30 of those zombie creatures all by himself and winning??? Fata Morgana...Ashley did it better and was much more believeable.

Didn't like the references to Kate regarding her and Will's baby?? and, Magnus asking about the fate of Kate. It actually has nothing to do with liking the character or not. I just think it's too soon in the season. I haven't even absorbed her into her role yet, let alone care about her fate. It just seemed like it was forced into the conversations.

The Good. Liked the lighting and effects they used for this episode. It helped set the mood very well as to what was going on. The only thing I found a tad odd was that with the lighting and coloring, when they ripped off Helens clothes and hosed her down, it reminded me of "Shindler's List". Don't know why.

Loved Helen in this episode. She did a fantastic job. Now she is someone who could have held her own if she was the only main character in the episode. To be honest, I think it would have been better if it were just her. That way she would have to find out what happened slowly by asking complete strangers. It would have made her seem even more alone in that episode.

Not my favorite, but not bad. Of course nothing is going to even reach the bar for me as long as Ashley isn't around.

[majorsal]

It really was a great episode, and the fact that Helen was the patient zero simply becasue she was trying to find a way to end her longevity and age normally, because of Ashley was heartbreaking. It really shows how much Ashley's death had affected her than we've seen.

Amanda did another amazing job!

here's something that popped into my head... (fodder for fanfiction)

what if helen was really there, and it was no simulation of a future? after she's found out what *she* did, how do you think she would have handled it?

just from my mind going with it, i could see her going through her memory, seeing if there was an abnormal that had time traveling capabilities. and if finding this abnormal, seeing if she can go back and stop it from happening.

i know, too stargatey , but still...

[majorsal]

Amanda did fantastic, especially the hose scene which made me very uncomfortable at first before I realized what was happening.

i think helen thought she was going to be raped. do you guys think that too?

[majorsal]

EDIT: Yeah, I get the feeling that this was suppose to come after Eulogy, but maybe the network didn't want 4 heavy/angsty episodes in a row so they switched the order with Hero.

you know, at the time, i was a bit irritated that everyone was so casual, instead of grieving for ashley. BUT, now that i've had the entire thing to take in, i'm glad they broke up the intense eps -with 'hero' in between- because it made 'pavor nocturnus' even more powerful for me!

and as skydiver said, helen was 'down' in 'hero', so there's something.

(but 'hero' should have had a mention or scene of grief)

[Ian-S]

I thought the shower scene was a radiation decontamination, the kind of thing you get if you get too exposed to radiation when working in a Nuclear Power plant. It was a similar scene to the one Sarah Connor got in TCC.

Will did say later that the Government nuked all the cities before it fell to try and kill the abnormals, and i took it that they assumed she had been exposed to radiation so gave her a washdown, I didn't look at the machine but think it was like a kind of radiation detector.

Otherwise I can't really see the relevance of the scene within the story, other than to imply that the future was apocalyptic and brutal.

[majorsal]

I thought the shower scene was a radiation decontamination, the kind of thing you get if you get too exposed to radiation when working in a Nuclear Power plant. It was a similar scene to the one Sarah Connor got in TCC.

Will did say later that the Government nuked all the cities before it fell to try and kill the abnormals, and i took it that they assumed she had been exposed to radiation so gave her a washdown, I didn't look at the machine but think it was like a kind of radiation detector.

Otherwise I can't really see the relevance of the scene within the story, other than to imply that the future was apocalyptic and brutal.

i agree, but i was just wondering if helen thought this was going to be a rape.

[Rocky89]

I agree. In projects I know of where her character is explicitly nude, she's always had body doubles.

Just to clear something up for ALL of you, and that means you too Suse , Amanda was NOT naked in that scene, she was wearing a body-colored bra and what not. It saws so here-

Amanda Tapping – Sanctuary 2×05 Pavor Nocturnus HD 720p (WARNING THIS COULD LEAD TO A HOT GIRLS IN HOLLYWOOD POPUP!)

We all know Amanda doesn't do nude scenes, so it makes sense she had something done to keep her decent in the scene.

It really was a great episode, and the fact that Helen was the patient zero simply becasue she was trying to find a way to end her longevity and age normally, because of Ashley was heartbreaking. It really shows how much Ashley's death had affected her than we've seen.

Amanda did another amazing job!

This episode was possibly the best one yet. I've given the CGI department some bad grief in the previous episodes, but this time they knocked it out of the park. I think the CGI just looks better in gritty/dark scenes and it was amazing in here. I only noticed the green screen aspect once and that was when Amanda was walking around with the blue flashlight. It would outline her and not the CGI background.

Great storyline, a bit cliche, but I think they made it work well. Amanda did fantastic, especially the hose scene which made me very uncomfortable at first before I realized what was happening.

Will and the mullet made me giggle, but overall, I though Robin did a great job.

A+ across the boards, this is what makes the show awesome!

I give it an A+ even though I don't like zombies, flashbacks or dream episodes. Amanda's acting in the hose scene was excellent and she was very courageous to do it.

Another thing I liked was Helen talking about Ashley. I hate shows that never mention an absent character, like they were never there. And Helen seeking out a normal life span, because of Ashley's absence (I said absence because I sorted through the facts of her disappearance and believe Ashley could be alive). Helen caring for the girl. Helen trying to treat Will (when he was wounded) as cold as he treated her, but caving.
Amanda shines in episodes like this and Requiem. This episode (and episodes with Ashley is them) is the Sanctuary I love to see.

[shel]

i think helen thought she was going to be raped. do you guys think that too?

Yes, i thought so too! The first time i watched it i didn't really notice cause i was just so caught up in it and horrified at what happening to her. But after watching it the second time and paying more attention... you can totally tell just by her expression that she thought she was going to be raped.

[majorsal]

Yes, i thought so too! The first time i watched it i didn't really notice cause i was just so caught up in it and horrified at what happening to her. But after watching it the second time and paying more attention... you can totally tell just by her expression that she thought she was going to be raped.

there's *so* many layers to this scene!

*applauds amanda*

[Skydiver]

Rocky, you need to mention that that link is a 'bad' one in that it goes to 'hot girls in hollywood' and when i clicked on it i got an popup offering me adult entertainment in my area

that site can get people in trouble if they click on that link on a work computer.

[Eternal Density]

Wow, this ep is up there with Requiem!
With all the talk of manipulating time, I'm not sure whether the whole thing was in Helen's mind, or whether she was sent to an actual real future and then brought back. I kinda like the doubt about that.
Funny how they didn't use the word zombie
I didn't expect Jessica being 'turned'. Will either, actually.
Podcast-listening time!
[edit]Forgot to say, it was great that Ashley was mentioned and was in fact a catalyst for Helen seeking out a 'cure'.
And I think it was good that Hero was before this: we needed a bit of light-hearted stuff in between this and the first three eps to remind people that Sanctuary isn't sad all the time.