Review - Sanctuary Season 2 Episode 12 + 13 Kali Part 1 + 2

A mediocre season ends with a mediocre season finale. Not surprising, but I want the show to be good. The concept of the show has endless possibilities that the writers don't want to explore.

If the episode is supposed to be 2 hours long, the writers need to start writing scripts that maintain the same pacing as a normal episode. It's not just Sanctuary; 2-hour continuous episodes rarely work. The episode could easily have been condensed to an hour and a half, or even an hour. It just went on and on to the point where I had to pause and collect myself before diving back into the never ending mundanity. Sanctuary usually has stories that don't quite fill one hour, but it was especially evident in this episode.

The mythology behind the episode was utterly absurd. I can understand how Jack the Ripper or Nikola Tesla fit in, but Kali? She's a deity older than the ancient Egyptians. Since when was the Indus Valley Civilization that old? And then there's Kaili. She's a giant sea/land spider named Big Bertha by Magnus. Yeah, the same one from "Veritas." The smaller spider everyone is after is the genetic cousin of Big Bertha, and whoever swallows it can control Kali, but only sometimes.

The writers tried to insert some inter-Sanctuary politics, but we learned little of how anything worked other than that Magnus has far less power than we thought, and guys with funny skin played by Paul McGillion shouldn't be trusted. His character kept warning Magnus over and over, becoming a total annoyance. I was tired of him about the second time he appeared, so the final usurpation at the end made me go ballistic since he acted like he did a good thing. He wasn't crazy like Boyd was in the Dollhouse, but his demeanor was something between arrogance and goodwill.

Sanctuary rarely does a good job with the villains, but last night's was terrible. The writers tried to make him a tough guy by having his henchman kill the Cult of Kali member. But really, just look at him! He has the classic boyish look, and was acting completely crazy.

Last but not least, Will's Bollywood dance. What The Fuck. Awkward, weird, stupid, pointless, misplaced. It was all of those and much more, none which are complimentary.

Since I have to say something positive, the tsunami at the end was a fun cliffhanger. It can either lead to an awesome arc for season 3 or be wrapped up quickly like the Cabal story in season 1 and beginning or season 2. Given the track record, I really shouldn't be too excited. In fact, Sanctuary is probably at the top of shows I'm ready to bail on.

Kate was helpful for once and she seemed genuinely involved. Now all she has to do is stop talking and maybe people will like her.

Score: 8.3/10