Fata Morgana - Review
25/10/2008 04:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rachel500Fata Morgana is the 3rd episode in Season One of Sanctuary.
Review
Fata Morgana provides a good continuation for Santuary delivering a cohesive, action packed story along with some good character moments as the audience sees Will Zimmerman begin to settle into his new job. The acting, directing and story are top notch and the overall production is high but the graphic backgrounds do get a little shaky here and there.
Having complained about the lack of action in the pilot, here there is a good mix of action and exposition. Both Ashley’s fight with the chameleon and the Morrigan’s revelation of their power provide action mid-way through but the two main action sequences at the beginning and at the end nicely bookend the episode; they are exciting, tightly choreographed and well directed. There was a danger they could have got repetitive but there is enough of a difference in location and build-up for them to be very different.
Both scenes highlight the mother-daughter relationship between Ashley and Helen very well while demonstrating Will’s relative fighting incompetence – there were two lovely moments in the first; one where Will inquires about the hand signals between the two women and the second where they sandwich him protectively between them in the fight. The end sequence with Helen noting they need Ashley and Ashley helping Will shoot the monsters is also very good.
All are nice character moments in the story which is packed with them; Helen and Ashley’s mother-daughter moments, Will’s call to his ex-girlfriend, his disgust of the forensic dissection that Helen performs and her gusto for the same; her almost forgetting his presence as she begins her study; the building of respect between Will and Helen as they discuss what is to be done with the Morrigan.
The Morrigan themselves make a good story – excellent use of flashbacks and loved the seamless transfer from future to past and past to future – very cleverly done. The three powerful women choosing their own fate is the key to the story and nicely worked in without the audience being hit over the head with it. The introduction of the all-powerful Cabal and the informant Squid also provide the show with extra depth and colour.
Speaking of which, it’s incredibly dark. Very Angel-esque. Please can we have some light? That nit-pick aside, there are two other main areas for improvement: first, is the graphics – the background graphics are impressive and the majority of the time the effect is really believable but they do appear shaky in action sequences – as Will comes flying down the stairs into the main atrium to discover the Morrigan floating, in Ashley’s fight with the chameleon and as Helen and Bigfoot face the Keepers in the house.
Secondly, I’d personally like more banter between the characters. It still feels a little too serious for me. Will’s occasional dry remarks such as the ‘sock on the door’ go down well, his exchange with Ashley on the ‘I’ll play to my strengths’ was good, Helen’s remark that she would fix Ashley’s bandages later after Ashley claimed she wasn’t injured was also good but these are few and far between. The stuff with Henry was also good but I think it would benefit if Ashley was showcased more with her mother and Will. Emilie Ullerup does a good job with the role and the character’s more direct nature tends to prompt the moments of banter. I’m not saying it needs to be a comedy but for me it still needs to lighten up more.
Those things aside, the episode was well-constructed and well-acted. Overall, not a bad outing. If it keeps up this standard I may even sign on as a bona fide fan of the show.
Review
Fata Morgana provides a good continuation for Santuary delivering a cohesive, action packed story along with some good character moments as the audience sees Will Zimmerman begin to settle into his new job. The acting, directing and story are top notch and the overall production is high but the graphic backgrounds do get a little shaky here and there.
Having complained about the lack of action in the pilot, here there is a good mix of action and exposition. Both Ashley’s fight with the chameleon and the Morrigan’s revelation of their power provide action mid-way through but the two main action sequences at the beginning and at the end nicely bookend the episode; they are exciting, tightly choreographed and well directed. There was a danger they could have got repetitive but there is enough of a difference in location and build-up for them to be very different.
Both scenes highlight the mother-daughter relationship between Ashley and Helen very well while demonstrating Will’s relative fighting incompetence – there were two lovely moments in the first; one where Will inquires about the hand signals between the two women and the second where they sandwich him protectively between them in the fight. The end sequence with Helen noting they need Ashley and Ashley helping Will shoot the monsters is also very good.
All are nice character moments in the story which is packed with them; Helen and Ashley’s mother-daughter moments, Will’s call to his ex-girlfriend, his disgust of the forensic dissection that Helen performs and her gusto for the same; her almost forgetting his presence as she begins her study; the building of respect between Will and Helen as they discuss what is to be done with the Morrigan.
The Morrigan themselves make a good story – excellent use of flashbacks and loved the seamless transfer from future to past and past to future – very cleverly done. The three powerful women choosing their own fate is the key to the story and nicely worked in without the audience being hit over the head with it. The introduction of the all-powerful Cabal and the informant Squid also provide the show with extra depth and colour.
Speaking of which, it’s incredibly dark. Very Angel-esque. Please can we have some light? That nit-pick aside, there are two other main areas for improvement: first, is the graphics – the background graphics are impressive and the majority of the time the effect is really believable but they do appear shaky in action sequences – as Will comes flying down the stairs into the main atrium to discover the Morrigan floating, in Ashley’s fight with the chameleon and as Helen and Bigfoot face the Keepers in the house.
Secondly, I’d personally like more banter between the characters. It still feels a little too serious for me. Will’s occasional dry remarks such as the ‘sock on the door’ go down well, his exchange with Ashley on the ‘I’ll play to my strengths’ was good, Helen’s remark that she would fix Ashley’s bandages later after Ashley claimed she wasn’t injured was also good but these are few and far between. The stuff with Henry was also good but I think it would benefit if Ashley was showcased more with her mother and Will. Emilie Ullerup does a good job with the role and the character’s more direct nature tends to prompt the moments of banter. I’m not saying it needs to be a comedy but for me it still needs to lighten up more.
Those things aside, the episode was well-constructed and well-acted. Overall, not a bad outing. If it keeps up this standard I may even sign on as a bona fide fan of the show.
