Sanctuary (TV Series) Requiem (2008) User Reviews

life out of balance..

[wilbad-717-276905 · 10/10 · 19 April 2010]

I loved this episode so much I wanted to lick it. I did not see any of the flaws touted by another reviewer, the acting was too exceptional. Both of the actors offer intense performances, much more character depth than I've seen in any other performance by Amanda. Well-directed, Amanda's dominant nature feels true, the dialog is excellent, very tight script. (There's background info that describes the character of Magnus, unnecessary to the story, but helpful for a fan of the series.) This episode is undersold. Sigourney Weaver couldn't have been more of a badass than Magnus. There is an undercurrent of domestic abuse that makes this episode. frightening on another level. The setting of the submarine increases the tension as the characters are forced into an increasingly unsustainable environment.

One reviewer claims that knowing the end before it begins is a flaw, untrue....watch it and see what I mean.

Oh, I'm not a fan of the series, but this episode stands alone.

The best episode from Season 1

[cutecat93 · 10/10 · 10 September 2009]

It is probably the best episode from Season 1, well at least from what I've seen until now. Amanda Tapping does a great role, one of the best "bad girl" roles in her life. It's really creepy, much more than Replicarter. But in this episode, she does a great role, it's very convincing. I would say that is better than her role in "Entity", although the story is kinda the same thing. The difference is that in "Entity" you weren't so scared. Believe me, this is one of that episodes that keep you at the edge of your seat! The episode begins with her dying, so it's not like in 'Entity" where she dies in the last ten minutes. And the thing that's inside her...well, let's say it's not willing to sacrifice itself so easily. It leaves only when the host is dead. (Yes the ending is almost like "Entity", without the memory transfer, though). To me, this episode shed some light in Helen's past, and I've always wondered if she is immortal or she just lives more than normal people. Well, this episode clearly gives the answer to this question. She can be killed, but is it able to bring her back?

In which they try to break out of the "monster-of-the-week" formula with mixed results

[jumbopasatebos · 5/10 · 21 March 2010]

MANY SPOILERS AHEAD...

This episode had a great opening which depicts Dr Helen Magnus dying inside a submarine a scene continued by a flash-back... Overall it was a decent episode but I find it has a lot of storyline gaps and a very uneven pace, the exact same problems which have hampered the whole series so far...

Basically in this episode they tried to break out of the "Monster-of-the-week" formula established so far in the series by injecting a parasite inside Magnus's body. The parasite is found when they do an autopsy on a dead Mermaid inside the Bermuda Triangle.The parasite, which inflicts madness to it's victims, infects Dr Magnus so Will must find a way to cure her and bring them out in the surface before they end up in the deep ocean...

In the end, they solve the cause of the Mermaid tribe's death, but they do nothing more about it, so the whole thing remains half solved and this is a part of the problem here, because the whole thing is extremely formulaic... Magnus makes a speech about Will taking over her part on the Institute and then she gets infected by this parasite, so she is on the verge of dying, so Will must prove himself, it's a pure "a" to "b" to "c" procedure... Also the recap covers 95% of the episode so you know Magnus is not going to die at least until you see the opening scene reproduced. And in the end they just revert to their original conversation about Will taking over one day, so the whole episode looks pointless and trivial. Another thing that bothered me was the fact that the whole Bermuda Triangle thing had nothing to do with the story, they just tried to impress by giving us an" exotic" location... They also give the impression that Magnus had the whole thing cooked up which is at least absurd and tasteless.... The resolution was pretty tacky too the virus just turns itself into a worm so that Will can burn it over...

On the plus side the visual effects look clearer than ever and the story has some nice moments especially the brief dialog between Will Henen and Henry in the beginning, other than that it was mediocre and boring... Let's hope they'll get some more creative ideas really soon...