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- TV Series: Sanctuary
- Episode: Eulogy
- Starring: Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, Ryan Robbins, Christopher Heyerdahl, Jonathon Young and Emilie Ullerup
- Written By: Brendon Spencer
- Directed By: Sara B. Cooper
- Network: Syfy
- Series:
Sanctuary: Eulogy Review
Mind the Mess By
Rob Vaux
October 25, 2009
Sanctuary Review
© Syfy/Bob Trate
I understand the need for a light episode to balance out the gloom and doom of the season opener, but "Eulogy" can't properly mix the grim with the gleeful. We're dealing with the fallout of Ashley's (Emilie Ullerup) apparent demise, as Dr. Magnus (Amanda Tapping) becomes convinced that she may still be alive and the rest of the team struggles to make peace with her loss. That covers the tragedy end of the equation. The farcical end concerns the placement of refugee Abnormals, left homeless from the Cabal's recent attack and shipped in crates to the Sanctuary where they will remain until the network is rebuilt.
Both halves of the episode have their problems, though a great deal of interesting stuff comes as part of the package. Magnus's inability to acknowledge her daughter's death carries a fair amount of poignancy, topped by a few timely flashbacks and Ashley's recurring appearance in her mother's plane of vision. That works fine until Magnus suspects that Ashley's spirit is integrated into the security systems or some similar piece of Sanctuary-style poppycock (which can be a hoot in the right circumstances but clashes badly with the somber tone here). A few brief glimpses of John Druitt (Christopher Heyerdahl)--hell-bent on vengeance and tracking the Cabal down for some Ripper-esque mayhem--hold a lot more punch. It's frustrating watching Tapping fumble around with mediocre material while the really juicy stuff takes place off screen with Druitt. Future episodes will presumably re-balance those scales, but in the meantime, we're stuck waiting.
The comedic end of things presents an equally awkward fit. The remainder of the team has to unpack the crates and find spots for the various beasties within. It makes for some cute pratfalls as giant claws reach out from the boxes and various boggies spit up various bits of green goo at anyone who comes into range. Less amusing is the big effects centerpiece--a wise-cracking pixie with a Brooklyn accent whose very conception smacks of writer's desperation.
Then there's Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi), the self-serving con artist who the team insists on keeping around for reasons which aren't yet clear. Yes, she helped save them during the Cabal's attack, but her motivation remains spotty and the character's overall abrasiveness continues to grate on the nerves. "Eulogy" hands her the tusks from a valuable pair of creatures kept in cryogenic stasis, which she covets even though Henry (Ryan Robbins) tells her stay away. As a result, she inadvertently releases the monster's spawn--a perplexingly cute fanged bunny-dog--and various cast members then spend the remainder of the episode chasing it through the halls. The idea has enough problems without adding Freelander's off-putting snark to the equation, and while the monster holds its share of charms, it fails to justify the amount of screentime spent on it.
As for Freelander herself, we see shards of an interesting character there which the show simply doesn't know what to do with. Defined in such broad strokes as she is, her potential continues to wither on the vine, eclipsed by more interesting stalwarts like Tesla and Druitt. Indeed, with Ashley apparently out of the picture, she seems to exist solely to fill the Hot Chick quota, with her simplistically divided loyalties standing in for a real personality. Sanctuary needs to do some serious work on her if they want to keep her around for any length of time.
The various flaws and problems would be easier to overlook if the twin plot threads hung together more elegantly. Instead, they compete with each other for control of the episode's tone, draining their various strengths which might otherwise help it overcome its shortcomings. As it stands, too many of "Eulogy's" elements fail to catch fire, leaving its assets struggling too hard to assert themselves. Ashley's gone, but the show must go on… and this one bites off a little more than it can chew.
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So, is Emilie Ullerup actually off the show or will she make a miraculous return? I hope so because I`m not a fan of the Freelander chick. I don't mind her being abrasive but it just seems like a too conevenient spot to put her in. She's pretty much, just Ashley-lite.
I did feel like there were 2 different shows going on this week, tonally. I preferred the scenes with Druitt and Magnus. They packed much more of a punch then the rest of the group running around for a sabretoothed bunny.
And that Brookyn pixie thing was horrible. As a New Yorker , I was offended.