Sanctuary for None pt 2
I didn't get to watch the episode until later and am just now writing my reaction because I was on a trip when it aired. I've had a few days to think it over, so this isn't an off the cuff reaction post. Weirdly, I sat down to write my reaction to it as I watched it again, but once I got started I found I had no interest in doing that, so it's just a little reaction. Not really enough to cut, but vaguely spoilery, so just in case.
Overall, I liked the episode, and if it doesn't get a season 5, it's a decent place to end. But it left me kind of... unsatisfied? I thought at first I felt that way because I was really tired the first time I watched it, but I'm not so sure. I still don't understand why it was necessary to make Will get out of the picture, unless she was afraid he'd figure out her plan... except that she had to have confided in someone, several someones over the years to build that new Sanctuary, so why leave out those closest to her? Was Will finding the new Sanctuary part of her plan? (I'm guessing so, with the retinal scanner.) What about Kate and Henry and Declan and Tesla? Surely Declan would have noticed all the other Sanctuaries closing down and his not being touched. Did she tell all the other heads of house why she was closing their facilities? She would have had to explain or they would have thought she was crazy and tried to take power from her.
I did like Will and Abby in this episode because they weren't coupley, they were all business, and I think that's what the writers need to stick with if they intend this to be a long term ship, instead of making Abby stupid and ditzy. They make a good team when they're working together but they're nauseating when they are coupley. When they are being badass together, it makes it more believable that he'd see something in her, but when she's flaky and silly and asking Henry to go HAP like in Wingman, it makes her look stupid and I can't see why they'd be together. I don't like main characters with "outsiders". Erica never feels like an outsider when she's around because she contributes something outside of her relationship with Henry. Abby always feels like an outsider, but she didn't in this one, which was an improvement.
I also think they need to put Will in a shirt and tie more often. It's a good look for him. I also enjoyed him rescuing the abnormals, and his reaction to watching the Sanctuary blow up was perfect.
"It's supposed to be different when it's me and you, Magnus." I love that alley scene in the rain, it makes me think of their meeting in the rain in the pilot. And I like that they used the music from Eulogy in the scene where she says goodbye to Ashley. (and her next-to-last scene in her office, them using the music from Pavor, and the Kali music at the blowing up scene, were nice touches, too.)
Kate was vastly underused in this two parter (well, all season) and I am not sure why we needed so much detail on them beating up Biggie. It felt a little gratuitous to me and I don't believe for a minute that Biggie is actually dead. He's got skin like armor that stops bullets so I'm sure the beating didn't actually kill him. That felt a little like yanking my chain and I don't appreciate it when shows do that.
The Helen/Tesla kiss felt weird to me. I just didn't buy it. It felt tacked on and pointless and... yeah. Didn't like it.
The end was lovely, nice call back to the pilot, and it felt like a nice place to end the series if that's what they want to do. But I'm still unsatisfied. I feel like it is the weakest of the season finales in the series.
And finally, I am so, so, SO tired of seeing comments like "Will needs to just follow her blindly now and stop questioning her." Will is NEVER going to stop questioning her. He just isn't. It isn't who he is and it never will be. Magnus LIKES that he questions her. AT has said over and over that Magnus doesn't WANT Will to be her "yes-man" and kiss her ass all the time. How fucking boring would that be?
This entry also posted at http://ceilidh.dreamwidth.org/1151102.html, where it has
comments. Please comment there. LJ comments have been disabled due to the new site scheme.
Overall, I liked the episode, and if it doesn't get a season 5, it's a decent place to end. But it left me kind of... unsatisfied? I thought at first I felt that way because I was really tired the first time I watched it, but I'm not so sure. I still don't understand why it was necessary to make Will get out of the picture, unless she was afraid he'd figure out her plan... except that she had to have confided in someone, several someones over the years to build that new Sanctuary, so why leave out those closest to her? Was Will finding the new Sanctuary part of her plan? (I'm guessing so, with the retinal scanner.) What about Kate and Henry and Declan and Tesla? Surely Declan would have noticed all the other Sanctuaries closing down and his not being touched. Did she tell all the other heads of house why she was closing their facilities? She would have had to explain or they would have thought she was crazy and tried to take power from her.
I did like Will and Abby in this episode because they weren't coupley, they were all business, and I think that's what the writers need to stick with if they intend this to be a long term ship, instead of making Abby stupid and ditzy. They make a good team when they're working together but they're nauseating when they are coupley. When they are being badass together, it makes it more believable that he'd see something in her, but when she's flaky and silly and asking Henry to go HAP like in Wingman, it makes her look stupid and I can't see why they'd be together. I don't like main characters with "outsiders". Erica never feels like an outsider when she's around because she contributes something outside of her relationship with Henry. Abby always feels like an outsider, but she didn't in this one, which was an improvement.
I also think they need to put Will in a shirt and tie more often. It's a good look for him. I also enjoyed him rescuing the abnormals, and his reaction to watching the Sanctuary blow up was perfect.
"It's supposed to be different when it's me and you, Magnus." I love that alley scene in the rain, it makes me think of their meeting in the rain in the pilot. And I like that they used the music from Eulogy in the scene where she says goodbye to Ashley. (and her next-to-last scene in her office, them using the music from Pavor, and the Kali music at the blowing up scene, were nice touches, too.)
Kate was vastly underused in this two parter (well, all season) and I am not sure why we needed so much detail on them beating up Biggie. It felt a little gratuitous to me and I don't believe for a minute that Biggie is actually dead. He's got skin like armor that stops bullets so I'm sure the beating didn't actually kill him. That felt a little like yanking my chain and I don't appreciate it when shows do that.
The Helen/Tesla kiss felt weird to me. I just didn't buy it. It felt tacked on and pointless and... yeah. Didn't like it.
The end was lovely, nice call back to the pilot, and it felt like a nice place to end the series if that's what they want to do. But I'm still unsatisfied. I feel like it is the weakest of the season finales in the series.
And finally, I am so, so, SO tired of seeing comments like "Will needs to just follow her blindly now and stop questioning her." Will is NEVER going to stop questioning her. He just isn't. It isn't who he is and it never will be. Magnus LIKES that he questions her. AT has said over and over that Magnus doesn't WANT Will to be her "yes-man" and kiss her ass all the time. How fucking boring would that be?
This entry also posted at http://ceilidh.dreamwidth.org/1151102.html, where it has
comments. Please comment there. LJ comments have been disabled due to the new site scheme.