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sff: Sanctuary, through latest episode.
So, Sanctuary. I'm caught up through 'For King and Country' now. (note: Even shutting off my brain, I'm still pretty critical of the show, so, if you're fond of it, this isn't the post for you)
Let's get the stuff I like out of the way first:
1. I really like Helen a lot, and I could seriously watch an episode that was nothing but Helen wandering the planet and doing science and be happy. 'Breach' was an episode that made me very happy, even if, erm, not much seemed to happen, in reality. But then again, an entire episode of Helen running around beating things up and being SMART, yes. Awesome. Even with the whiny white boy villain.
2. Kate Freelander (I like Ashley, too, and it really makes me angry that she had to die so they could bring in another woman). She's amusing when they actually give her screentime, and far more interesting than Will and Henry put together. Even when she's being lectured on politeness by a man. I'd love to see more with her brother, or for her mother to actually appear, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
3. Tesla. If you'd told me when I watched the first season that I would <3 Tesla like chocolate, I would have thought you were insane. I think my dislike of Will and the way the show constantly focuses on Will made Tesla much more desirable? Idk. ALL I KNOW is that he now fills me with glee with his amoral-maybe-taking-over-the-world-ness that usually ends in failure. ALSO. He was so SAD when he lost his vampiric powers. Poor baby. *pats* (also 'I was wrong, there is a God' OH TESLA, be still my heart)
4. Henry. As long as he's not stuck in a bad romance novel plot. I like that he's got control of himself, and I even grudgingly enjoy the Henry and Will Investigate Things Show. But only when there's not a lot of it. I highly enjoy the Henry and Tesla Geek Out Over Shit Show, though.
5. I love the atmosphere and most of the cinematography (it fails on shadows and lighting on occasion, where the whole thing looks too flat due to the CIG, though).
6. I even enjoy the sciencey bits and most of the creature bits.
Things I'm "whatever" on, ie stuff I wouldn't miss but doesn't bug me.
7. Druitt. He's... there? idk. Not really interested in him much.
8. Big Guy. Not missed when he's not there, doesn't really add much when he is.
9. ...um. Closure on the Cabal stuff. Well, that's not true. There wasn't any and it's sort of eye-rollingly crap and makes the entire arc POINTLESS. Seriously. You wanted to get rid of Ashley, there were much less fail ways.
The stuff that, well, yeah. I could do without.
10. Will. Thank god for the fast-forward button. 's all I'm saying. If I could punch him through the screen, I would. HOLY GOD I would. I pretty much say "SHUT UP, WILL" any time he opens his mouth.
11. The women on the show rarely speak. The show passes Bechdel by accident most of the time (if it manages. Breach didn't iirc, and FKaC managed it because they randomly made the Evil Asian a woman instead of a man).
12. The racefail.
- Kali was possibly one of the squickiest "did you rly go there" bits with the OH LOOK. THE WHITE DUDE WILL TELL THE POOR, BACKWARDS WOMAN OF COLOR HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD AND WHAT IS RIGHT. Because as a Goddess, she doesn't care about mere mortals. Meanwhile, Kate gets lectured on how she should be polite.
- Speaking of Kate, though. The show only uses her when they suddenly remember OH RIGHT, WE HAVE A WOMAN OF COLOR WE SHOULD GIVE HER A LINE. She isn't even IN half the episodes, despite being (apparently) main cast. She is constantly side-lined and has managed to have exactly, what, two episodes about her life? I suppose that's better than it could be.
- Hero 2. So. So, this episode had the wacky supersuit thing from the previous episode when the writer-insert-geeky-white-boy got to save the day, get published and win chicks and influence. I was giggling when Kate got the supersuit on, and was like "And now Kate will--"
get knocked out.
get tortured (and writhe for the camera)
GO EVIL, because that's the only thing she can do. Obviously. And it's not like she went evil because she wanted to, no, there was something wrong with her brains.
Meanwhile, the geeky-white-boy got to save the day again. (and let's not even talk about how stupid everyone was to not see this as a set-up, considering how obvious it was)
- People of color only show up to be victims/MAGICAL/evil, they're rarely their own hero.
- I think the show is TRYING, but as always, they don't really care enough to try harder.
13. Adam Worth. WHAT A FUCKING WASTE OF TELEVISION THAT WAS. It probably didn't help that the actor was too short and really crap at making me at all interested in his whiny whiny diatribes. I'm highly saddened that they didn't put a bullet in his head and put me out of my misery. (again, fast-forward buttons saved me from the black hole of shitty suck that were every scene he shared with Will)
Also, I'm sorry, but Magneto delivered lines like that, and even in the fucking 70's, Magneto was more compelling.
14. The lack of women on the show. They try, but they're still under the impression (like Stargate, surprise, surprise), that having more than one woman is bad and wrong and ONE WOMAN has to be everything to everyone. you could make Will, Henry, Druitt, Tesla (ok, mebbe not), Watson, Big Guy--any of them a woman, and it wouldn't change much. And you'd have another woman. But of course, the show can't do that, because, like, men are more compelling and besides they gave us Helen Magnus and that should be enough for everyone so what the fuck am I complaining about anyway? (fuck you)
15. The show might be an ensemble, but nine times out of ten, Will drives the storyline.
16. the entire Wexford Coup subplot. It was pointless, over the top, and like being hit with a sledgehammer. Just. Ugh, what a waste of time (again, fast-forward was my friend, even if it meant I missed Helen).
17. That Ashley is only brought up when they need a "Helen needs to be sad/look maternal" moment. She's like some cheap parlor trick they haul out when they need to remind us that Helen Is a Human Just Like the Rest of Us. Ugh.
18. Sometimes, the writers have to dumb everyone down to make a plot work. Kate escaping from Henry back in that episode she first appeared in? Yeah, Henry slipped on a bar of soap in the shower so that he'd be dumb as a box of rocks. Hero 2, where no one thought to check the atmosphere sensors for tampering/faults, but just merrily handed things over to the Bad Guys? Again, slipped in the shower. Those are the examples off the top of my head, but there are others.
19. The 'magical city' plot isn't... all that interesting. I think I'd like it more if I gave a shit about Helen's Daddy (who was Always Significant in his gift-giving, how fucking pretentious), and didn't assume it would end (as these things do) with some sort of boring bullshit about how Abnormals are created by the people in the city or whatever (I enjoy Tesla and Helen investigating it, but beyond that, I just don't CARE).
I'm sure I had more thoughts, and for the most part, I get along fine with the show--but only if I shut my brain off. Sadly.
Sigh.
Let's get the stuff I like out of the way first:
1. I really like Helen a lot, and I could seriously watch an episode that was nothing but Helen wandering the planet and doing science and be happy. 'Breach' was an episode that made me very happy, even if, erm, not much seemed to happen, in reality. But then again, an entire episode of Helen running around beating things up and being SMART, yes. Awesome. Even with the whiny white boy villain.
2. Kate Freelander (I like Ashley, too, and it really makes me angry that she had to die so they could bring in another woman). She's amusing when they actually give her screentime, and far more interesting than Will and Henry put together. Even when she's being lectured on politeness by a man. I'd love to see more with her brother, or for her mother to actually appear, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
3. Tesla. If you'd told me when I watched the first season that I would <3 Tesla like chocolate, I would have thought you were insane. I think my dislike of Will and the way the show constantly focuses on Will made Tesla much more desirable? Idk. ALL I KNOW is that he now fills me with glee with his amoral-maybe-taking-over-the-world-ness that usually ends in failure. ALSO. He was so SAD when he lost his vampiric powers. Poor baby. *pats* (also 'I was wrong, there is a God' OH TESLA, be still my heart)
4. Henry. As long as he's not stuck in a bad romance novel plot. I like that he's got control of himself, and I even grudgingly enjoy the Henry and Will Investigate Things Show. But only when there's not a lot of it. I highly enjoy the Henry and Tesla Geek Out Over Shit Show, though.
5. I love the atmosphere and most of the cinematography (it fails on shadows and lighting on occasion, where the whole thing looks too flat due to the CIG, though).
6. I even enjoy the sciencey bits and most of the creature bits.
Things I'm "whatever" on, ie stuff I wouldn't miss but doesn't bug me.
7. Druitt. He's... there? idk. Not really interested in him much.
8. Big Guy. Not missed when he's not there, doesn't really add much when he is.
9. ...um. Closure on the Cabal stuff. Well, that's not true. There wasn't any and it's sort of eye-rollingly crap and makes the entire arc POINTLESS. Seriously. You wanted to get rid of Ashley, there were much less fail ways.
The stuff that, well, yeah. I could do without.
10. Will. Thank god for the fast-forward button. 's all I'm saying. If I could punch him through the screen, I would. HOLY GOD I would. I pretty much say "SHUT UP, WILL" any time he opens his mouth.
11. The women on the show rarely speak. The show passes Bechdel by accident most of the time (if it manages. Breach didn't iirc, and FKaC managed it because they randomly made the Evil Asian a woman instead of a man).
12. The racefail.
- Kali was possibly one of the squickiest "did you rly go there" bits with the OH LOOK. THE WHITE DUDE WILL TELL THE POOR, BACKWARDS WOMAN OF COLOR HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD AND WHAT IS RIGHT. Because as a Goddess, she doesn't care about mere mortals. Meanwhile, Kate gets lectured on how she should be polite.
- Speaking of Kate, though. The show only uses her when they suddenly remember OH RIGHT, WE HAVE A WOMAN OF COLOR WE SHOULD GIVE HER A LINE. She isn't even IN half the episodes, despite being (apparently) main cast. She is constantly side-lined and has managed to have exactly, what, two episodes about her life? I suppose that's better than it could be.
- Hero 2. So. So, this episode had the wacky supersuit thing from the previous episode when the writer-insert-geeky-white-boy got to save the day, get published and win chicks and influence. I was giggling when Kate got the supersuit on, and was like "And now Kate will--"
get knocked out.
get tortured (and writhe for the camera)
GO EVIL, because that's the only thing she can do. Obviously. And it's not like she went evil because she wanted to, no, there was something wrong with her brains.
Meanwhile, the geeky-white-boy got to save the day again. (and let's not even talk about how stupid everyone was to not see this as a set-up, considering how obvious it was)
- People of color only show up to be victims/MAGICAL/evil, they're rarely their own hero.
- I think the show is TRYING, but as always, they don't really care enough to try harder.
13. Adam Worth. WHAT A FUCKING WASTE OF TELEVISION THAT WAS. It probably didn't help that the actor was too short and really crap at making me at all interested in his whiny whiny diatribes. I'm highly saddened that they didn't put a bullet in his head and put me out of my misery. (again, fast-forward buttons saved me from the black hole of shitty suck that were every scene he shared with Will)
Also, I'm sorry, but Magneto delivered lines like that, and even in the fucking 70's, Magneto was more compelling.
14. The lack of women on the show. They try, but they're still under the impression (like Stargate, surprise, surprise), that having more than one woman is bad and wrong and ONE WOMAN has to be everything to everyone. you could make Will, Henry, Druitt, Tesla (ok, mebbe not), Watson, Big Guy--any of them a woman, and it wouldn't change much. And you'd have another woman. But of course, the show can't do that, because, like, men are more compelling and besides they gave us Helen Magnus and that should be enough for everyone so what the fuck am I complaining about anyway? (fuck you)
15. The show might be an ensemble, but nine times out of ten, Will drives the storyline.
16. the entire Wexford Coup subplot. It was pointless, over the top, and like being hit with a sledgehammer. Just. Ugh, what a waste of time (again, fast-forward was my friend, even if it meant I missed Helen).
17. That Ashley is only brought up when they need a "Helen needs to be sad/look maternal" moment. She's like some cheap parlor trick they haul out when they need to remind us that Helen Is a Human Just Like the Rest of Us. Ugh.
18. Sometimes, the writers have to dumb everyone down to make a plot work. Kate escaping from Henry back in that episode she first appeared in? Yeah, Henry slipped on a bar of soap in the shower so that he'd be dumb as a box of rocks. Hero 2, where no one thought to check the atmosphere sensors for tampering/faults, but just merrily handed things over to the Bad Guys? Again, slipped in the shower. Those are the examples off the top of my head, but there are others.
19. The 'magical city' plot isn't... all that interesting. I think I'd like it more if I gave a shit about Helen's Daddy (who was Always Significant in his gift-giving, how fucking pretentious), and didn't assume it would end (as these things do) with some sort of boring bullshit about how Abnormals are created by the people in the city or whatever (I enjoy Tesla and Helen investigating it, but beyond that, I just don't CARE).
I'm sure I had more thoughts, and for the most part, I get along fine with the show--but only if I shut my brain off. Sadly.
Sigh.
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