Genre: Sci-Fi | Fantasy | Mystery
Directors: Martin Wood, Steve Adelson, Peter DeLuise, Amanda Tapping, Lee Wilson, Any Mikita
Writers: Damian Kindler, Alan McCullough, James Thorpe, Gillian Horvath, Miranda Kwok
Cast: Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, Ryan Robbins, Christopher Heyerdahl, Agam Darshi
Summary:
Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) is a beautiful and enigmatic scientist who seeks out all manner of monstrous creatures. Aided by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), tech expert Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins), professional con artist Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi) and the mysterious and unpredictable John Druitt (Christopher Heyerdahl), the Sanctuary team tracks down, studies and protects the strange and often terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world.
If you’ve not seen the series… hm. Ok, the idea is that there are beings on earth who are … unusual. People and animals who would be considered “monsters” by most but are referred to as “abnormals” by Dr. Magnus, who runs the Sanctuary in New York. The Sanctuary is the headquarters for the team who search for, protect, and when necessary, imprison the abnormals. Dr. Magnus happens to be over 100 years old because back in the 1800s she and a couple of her friends at university tried some “source blood” which gave each of them special “gifts”.
Dr. Magnus’s father started the Sanctuary in London; there are Sanctuaries scattered throughout the world. Most world leaders know about the abnormals and the Sanctuaries but keep it secret. Watch the “previously on” bits at the beginning of each episode and you should be good to go.
It’s a great premise, and a recommended series for any fan of creatures, CGI (almost the entire set throughout the series is CG), time travel (yes, there’s some of that), and sci-fi in general. There are epic episodes like the first one of the season, and smaller, more “enclosed” episodes like the second one, and everything else in between. There is enough variety in this season that you should find something that every sci-fi fan will like at one point or another, and hopefully throughout. Season three of Sanctuary was, like season 2, a somewhat mixed bag, but a rich and satisfying one as well, particularly as it’s a full 20-episode season.
In watching these DVDs I am once again reminded of how much better it is to watch tv series on DVD than on broadcast TV. I wouldn’t miss the broadcast TV experience because I wouldn’t want to wait to see episodes of great shows, but series like Sanctuary really benefit from the no-breaks viewing pleasure that you get with DVDs, not to mention the fact that the picture seems that much better.
This DVD set has one of the most user-friendly things I’ve seen in DVD packaging. It has the fairly standard setup of a tri-fold case which slides into a slipcover, but the great thing is that on the back of the tri-fold case is a list of the episodes on each disc, and a description of each episode. HOW COOL IS THAT? No wondering which disc holds the episode you’re looking for, and no wondering if the title is the episode you’re thinking of; it’s all right there on the case, not even on a separate and easily-misplaced booklet. THANK YOU.
The only disappointment, and I found this somewhat bizarre, was that there’s no indication, either on the packaging, the discs themselves, or even on the menus, as to who is doing the commentaries on the episodes that have them. I had to listen carefully to get the information, and I’m providing it here as a service. The episodes that have commentaries are noted with a red dot on the index I describe above, and there is a notation at the bottom of the index that states: “Commentary tracks with cast and producers on select episodes (featuring Actor/Executive Producer Amanda Tapping, Executive Producer/Writer/Creator Damian Kindler, Director/Executive Producer Martin Wood and more)”. Okay, but who is on which one?
That oddment aside, the commentaries are great if you’re interested in the behind-the-scenes info you often get with such commentaries, and as long as you don’t get easily irritated with periodic giggling and in-jokes. For me, it was fun to listen to the fun they were having together, and the information on an effects-laden show like this is particularly interesting. They are aware of the bonus features and therefore don’t often stray into information that would otherwise be duplicated there.
Presumably you’ve already seen these episodes if you want the DVDs, and if so I highly recommend watching the bonus features before diving back into the episodes. There are quite a few really well-done and interesting behind-the-scenes pieces that will definitely enhance your appreciation of several episodes specifically as well as the season in general. As an example, I can no longer hear the season 3 theme song without picturing Amanda Tapping dancing to it. Yes, that’s a good thing.
Here’s what you get with the Season 3 DVD box set:
Disc One
Episode 1: “Kali Part III” with available commentary by Director/Executive Producer Martin Wood, Actor/Executive Producer Amanda Tapping, and Actor Robin Dunne
Episode 2: “Firewall”
Episode 3: “Bank Job”
Episode 4: “Trail of Blood”
Disc Two
Episode 5: “Hero II: Broken Arrow”
Episode 6: “Animus” with available commentary by Director/Executive Producer Martin Wood and Actor Robin Dunne
Episode 7: “Breach” with available commentary by Director/Executive Producer Martin Wood, Actor/Executive Producer Amanda Tapping, and Executive Producer/Writer/Creator Damian Kindler
Episode 8: “For King and Country”
Disc Three
Episode 9: “Vigilante”
Episode 10: “The Hollow Men” with available commentary by Director/Executive Producer Martin Wood, Actor/Executive Producer Amanda Tapping, and Actor Robin Dunne
Episode 11: “Pax Romana”
Episode 12: “Hangover”
Disc Four
Episode 13: “One Night”
Episode 14: “Metamorphosis” with available commentary by Director Andy Mikita and Actor Robin Dunne
Episode 15: “Wingman”
Episode 16: “Awakening”
Disc Five
Episode 17: “Normandy” with available commentary by Director/Executive Producer Martin Wood, Actor/Executive Producer Amanda Tapping, and Executive Producer/Writer/Creator Damian Kindler
Episode 18: “Carentan”
Episode 19: “Out of the Blue” with available commentary by Director/Executive Producer Martin Wood, Actor/Executive Producer Amanda Tapping, and Executive Producer/Writer/Creator Damian Kindler
Episode 20: “Into the Black”
Disc Six
Multiple Making-Of Featurettes: Visual Effects of Sanctuary Season 3, Amanda Tapping Directs “One Night”, Hollow Earth, Damian Kindler: In the Director’s Chair, The Music of Sanctuary, Behind the Scenes: Normandy, Character Profile: Nikola Tesla
Bloopers/Outtakes
A good if sometimes uneven series but with a lot of variety and chock-full of sci-fi goodness, 20 full episodes, great bonus features and good packaging, this DVD set is happily recommended as a great gift for yourself or your favorite sci-fi fan.
I give Sanctuary: The Complete Third Season on DVD Four out of Five Stars.
