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- TV Series: Sanctuary
- Episode: Hero
- Starring: Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, Ryan Robbins, Christopher Heyerdahl, Jonathon Young, Agam Darshi, and Chris Gauthier
- Written By: Alan McCullough
- Directed By: Martin Wood
- Network: Syfy
- Series:
Sanctuary: Hero Review
Halt, Evildoer! By
Rob Vaux
November 01, 2009
Sanctuary Review
© Syfy/Bob Trate
Before we begin, a quick question: does anyone know why Sanctuary insists on painting its cast members orange? I've never seen more garish make-up and while I know it's Halloween, those pumpkin faces are really starting to creep me out. Is it a side effect of the green screen? A necessity to make the sets look right? Or is the make-up artist just color blind? Enquiring minds want to know.
Anyhow, complexion-based snarking aside, Sanctuary provides reasonably amusing diversions for this week's installment. The premise appears a little stupid at first--a doughy Abnormal (Chris Gauthier) uses his abilities to emulate four-color superheroics--but they play things out with just enough imagination to make it all fly. Said Abnormal started life as an insurance claims adjustor, but now dons cape and tights to fight crime throughout the city as "The Adjustor." The Sanctuary team, believing him a danger to himself as much as the people he saves, endeavor to bring him in and figure out how the hell he can do what he does.
Though "Hero"indulges in a number of embarrassing clichés (the Adjustor is an overweight comic book nerd with no friends) it makes up for it by looking a little deeper into the character's soul. His heroism may actually be killing him, but he truly believes that he matters now, and Gauthier (who Smallville fans may recognize as the Toyman) shades that pathos with just the right amount of sympathy. That allows us to see him as more than a walking cliché while developing his personality into something worthwhile. The odd bit of hand-waving intended to shoehorn his powers into the Sanctuary universe feels almost unnecessary as a result.
On a more superficial level, the episode knows its comic books, and parlays the geek trivia into some very funny exchanges. For example, the Adjustor cobbles a phony back story together from multiple fictitious sources, which the team buys hook, line and sinker. Only Henry (Ryan Robbins)--a fellow cape-and-tights nut--spots the inconsistencies. The gags poke quiet fun at Sanctuary itself, but more importantly, they crib from actual comic book figures (like the Juggernaut and Green Arrow), giving fans in the know a sly wink along the way. When coupled with the Adjustor's thoughtful development, it makes the central plot thread a great deal of fun.
Unfortunately, the supporting narratives don't bring much to the table. There's an odd bit of silliness involving a newly discovered monster egg--turning into a run-of-the-mill bug hunt--while Designated Hot Chick Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi) conspires to get her brother out of trouble with the local thugs. The former feels like space filler, while the latter suffers from Freelander's constantly off-putting sneer. Darshi seems like a decent sort, but she struggles to sell the bad-ass routine, and while she develops a semi-clever means of resolving this week's problem, it's hard to cheer too loudly for a figure still lacking in interesting qualities. It doesn't help that the Sanctuary team continues to accept her unquestioningly, despite the fact that they're well aware of her duplicitous proclivities.
Thankfully, the secondary arcs never rob the principle thread of its momentum. Sanctuary is all about quiet pleasures, which "Hero" provides in ample abundance. The remainder, while rickety, never descends to the actively insulting, letting us endure it until the better elements pick up steam again. In the middle of it all, it finds a mildly creative concept and takes it as far as it can go. For comfort food like this, we need never ask for anything more.
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That actor, Chris Gauthier, is also a regular on Eureka.
You're really damming the show with faint praise.
Kara S