Sanctuary Team Analysis: Kali Part II

Hello from the Sanctuary Team United Kingdom!

As openings go I don’t think you can get any more dramatic!

We see Will being wheeled through the Mumbai Sanctuary Corridors with a very focused Magnus (Amanda Tapping) performing CPR. Coupled with the fact we know that the Macri is gone and what happened to the previous host, we pretty much know that things aren’t looking rosy for Will (Robin Dunne). Poor Will. Magnus is feeling the sting of her decision weighing down on her heavily at this point as will goes through a series of horrific seizures.

Now here’s a turnabout. Usually we see Magnus in complete control. We usually see her comforting and offering justification to others for the decisions that they have made. What we don’t usually see, is Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi) , giving Magnus the justification for the decisions that she makes. And you can see that Magnus genuinely needs to hear this at this time.

She has had Paul McGillion portraying Wexford (Grrr) bashing away at her decisions. (Honestly, can I just ask whoever peed in his cornflakes to get him another bowl?) He has been eroding that stoical Magnus steel for most of Kali part 1, and doesn’t appear to be letting up much in Kali part 2.  When all is said and done, Magnus is human. Ok, one that happens to be 158 years old, but still human. And eventually some of that brittle she has been feeling from Wexford (Grrr) has got to seep in somewhere along the line. Kate gives Magnus just enough reassurance without over stepping the mark and then hands the reins firmly back. It’s so seamless you would miss it if you blinked.

Just digressing here for a moment, I have to say that the Vis effects in this are amazing and the Set Dec people are worthy of mention. (More than worthy. The Slums of Mumbai? The Studio parking lot….) And the way the cinematography is cut? Just stunning. We have high camera angles, crane angles, zoom lenses, tilts the full works. All without the cameras actually present in most of these because they are Vis effects. And sometimes you forget that this is shot predominately on a green screen.

Take for example the scene we have between the Sanctuary boat and the Mumbai Sanctuary. You zoom lense in from a Vis effect. Into a Vis effect, that HAS Vis effects in the shot. I mean seriously Anthem do a Phenomenal job. The lighting, the windows, the computer screens? Vis Effects…. Honestly it’s just ram jammed with them. Some, you wouldn’t even think would be a Vis effect because they are just that good. Remember the standard lamp behind Magnus? The one with the blue lampshade? Vis effect….. Yeah. There you go you see. You didn’t know about the lamp…..

Moving on before I disappear down the proverbial rabbit hole and completely geek out, I have to say that I had a tickle of an idea that Will was going to go through the mill. However, I had NO idea that he was going to be dragged flailing and hallucinating along the road to its conclusion.  Robin Dunne does an amazing job of acting, well, a bit barking.

But the scenes between him and Magnus are heavy with heart, and just make me tear. You can see she wants to do so much for him, but can’t, because she doesn’t know what to do. I am seriously loving that fact that Kali connects with Will as a loyal Dougar; but won’t even so much as whisper past Forsythe’s nose. So we have Will speaking Hindi, Kate on the Mumbai streets looking for clues, Henry trying to locate Bertha, Declan reporting in more Abnormal disturbances and Magnus keeping watch over a very poorly, very dying Will.

Kate, brings in the money though when she discovers a young boy following her who is part of the Kali Cult. Informing Magnus that Kali is a ‘sea spirit’ I.E. Yup, Big Bertha, the reason that Will is speaking in Hindi suddenly becomes very clear. The young boy also states that he must dance the ‘Rapati Sungu’ which is a dance of invocation for Kali (Sahar Biniaz). If Will dances well, Kali will hear him. If does it very well, then Kali will follow him….. Again, Poor William…..

As you may have gleaned, there is a character in here that I would quite happily punch. For free I might add. And that’s Wexford (Grrrr). And who should happen to appear in Mumbai to inject himself into the forefront of this operation? Wexford. He irritates me, and I can’t figure out why, but I can’t help feel there is more to this than meets the eye with him……*Strokes chin in thought*

Now Henry, being our faithful, lovable, cute uber Geek, comes up with the goods and tenfold. And Magnus now knows about Forsythe. Now, Forsythe at present is cutting a merry swath through the waves whilst unsuccessfully trying to make contact with Kali. This is in spite of having Bebe whom he calls his ‘tech support’. The sheer arrogance of this man makes me chuckle and he is full of dry quips and snarky comebacks. However, when trying to get Bertha to do what he wants. He can’t and has to resort to electromagnetic pulses to get the Macri to pull Bertha’s strings.

Enter Will Zimmerman please…. Will still has the connection to Kali, and I must say that Sahar Biniaz is stunning, and plays Kali beautifully. Will then finds out that he must Dance the ‘Rapati Sungu’ in order to find Kali and to be honest his face is an absolute picture when he finds out he has to dance. Waking from what I can only describe as a coma, Will takes off leaving behind a worried Magnus who (never being one to shy away from a challenge), looks to less conventional methodology to track Will. (Any abnormals in the house with psychic abilities please raise your hands; you’re wanted on the floor…..)

We then see Wexford (Grrr) poke his aquatic/lizard nose into things again, and the tension between him and Magnus is palpable. And quietly rightly so!  How he manages to survive the Magnus force 10 Steel glares levelled at him, I will never know. But sadly he does. The resultant conversation in private between them is uncomfortable for both parties. Magnus’s temper is very close to boiling over as her authority and integrity are challenged by him. Audaciously delivering the 72hour window that the heads of house have imposed, you see Magnus swallow this information whole, and watching her closely you can see it burning in the pit of her stomach. However ever the lady, she graciously keeps her tongue, whilst lesser individuals, (namely myself) would have tipped Wexford out of his aquarium……

Switching to Kate, who is back out on the streets of Mumbai, we see her frustration at not being able to locate Will boil over, as she loses her patience with the people she is asking for help. And it’s only because she cares. But, we get to learn a little bit more about her. She was born in Mumbai, in India, but did not grow up there, instead growing up in Chicago and learning the tools of the street.

This we have learnt from Penance. However with literally nothing to link her to these people culturally in depth she is stepping through them with hob nail boots, and getting rankled in the process. The exchange between her a Ravi makes me giggle as he yanks her chain about his parents not liking/liking/not liking her and lo and behold, with a little softening, and a little respect, she gets the information she needs. Someone has seen Will.

Will, upon waking up on the streets of Mumbai and still having not found Kali; takes off again in a random direction, as he can feel Forsythe forcing Kali (or Bertha) to perform tasks. Magnus, meanwhile has headed for the Sanctuary ship that Henry is on, along with Terrance. Having had her authority and decisions being challenged once today already, Wexford, I feel is walking a thin line twofold. One, because he has already hacked Magnus off royally, (Never upset a Brit) and two, because you can see him tipping over into his own self centred overly inflamed ego, where he feels that he knows best and that in his opinion, Magnus has ‘taken her eye of the target’. Magnus takes off in the helicopter, with Henry in tow, and they discover that Bertha is making Land not earthquakes.

The ramifications of this act are huge, and Magnus already knows this, but Wexford (Grrr) starts on his little man stomping around act and you watch him COMPLETELY undermine her authority. (Forgive my time keeping, but I don’t believe that the 72 hour window has passed yet *taps watch*) He then turns to the captain and demands that the Depth Charges be readied, and arrogantly proclaims, ‘If she can’t finish this, then we will.’ Arrogant little Lizard. (Anyone else notice that the further on we progress into this episode the greener Wexfords eyes get????? *ponders*)

Now this is the part when things start to kick into high gear. Will, who is still staggering around looking like he has been swallowed by the rabbit hole and spat back out, remembers that to find Kali he has to dance. Randomly shouting ‘I can dance!’ at people, the music starts and the dance begins. But not just for Will, it begins for all.

Will starts to pull off the most fantastic bit of Bollywood dancing which is just so funny and brilliant at the same time. You see the shots switching between his version of reality and everyone’s else’s. And basically? Yup he is really just randomly dancing in the middle of the street. The next succession of scenes are without words. And the message is just crystal. Will, is dancing to stop Kali, to find her. Magnus is on route to stop Kali, to find her. And Forsythe realises that he is losing her.

One of the things that I love about Sanctuary, is the script sometimes just makes you giggle. And one of my favourite parts is when Forsythe (Callum Blue) is told there is a helicopter nearing their position. He knows its Magnus so just asks for it to be shot down. And so weapons lock is detected by Henry on their position in the air.

Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins):- “He has Missiles???!!!!”

Magnus:- Oh, of course he has…….Mucho laughter from the sofa where I am sat giggling into my cushion. Magnus ever so coolly deploys counter measures, which leaves Henry giggling like the geek we know he is as the missiles miss their Helicopter completely.

We then see Will has found Kali. We see Forsythe lose the connection.  We see Kate realise what Will is doing and demands that their people pull back.  And Will finally, after going through hell and back, with the unconsciousness and the dying and the flailing and the dancing, gets to talk to Kali. He reasons with her, in a way that Only Will could. He gets her to understand what will happen if she continues to listen to the other ‘Herald’. And everything is just peachy.

Until Wexford (grrrr) who is still stomping around with little man syndrome, decides to take matters into his own hands. (Um, 72 hour window HELLLLLOOOO!!!!!) Deploying depth charges to Bertha’s position, he cuts Magnus off from the rest of the ships. Will is still talking to Kali, and its still working. And then we see Magnus’s look of sheer disbelief as she watches the depth charges fly from the ship, Will’s shock as Kali falls to the floor. And as Kali looks up? Oh man one very very very angry Arachnid…….

Magnus having landed, rounds on Wexford (Grr) the minute she walks in through the ships doors and the betrayal is complete.  Magnus is relieved as the Head of the Sanctuary Network. She stares in some disbelief as the pieces fall in to place, and indeed believes that Wexford has had this planned from the start. Wexford is convinced that his course of action is the best, and will have the least ramifications possible. Then the sirens on the ship go nuts. All rushing outside, Wexford gets to see exactly what he has achieved first hand. The resultant Tsunami? The tip of a very large abnormal iceberg. Bravo Terrace, Bravo.

If destroying the region of Mumbai was your aim, give yourself a gold star mate….

I hope you have enjoyed my first review for WHR. I will be back very soon with Kali part three! In the meantime, our newest Sanctuary Team member Katie__5 will be posting here first review for you to enjoy!

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SurrealVampi