Sanctuary

Pavor Nocturnus

Season 2, Episode 5, Aired 11/6/09

Episode Summary

A confused Dr. Magnus finds the Sanctuary and surrounding city has been destroyed, but she has no idea how it happened. While searching the remains she is pounced on by a vicious creature, leading to two armed men rescuing her and taking her to a nearby abandoned building. After being hosed down and dumped in a room on her own Magnus becomes fearful when an aggressive man, with a familiar face, enters.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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Amanda Tapping

Dr. Helen Magnus
Robin Dunne

Dr. Will Zimmerman
Ryan Robbins

Henry Foss

Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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Pavor Nocturnus

9.0

"Superb"

By TrueTvWatcher, Apr 09, 2011 Report Abuse

Pavor Nocturnus was a superb and very entertaining episode of Sanctuary. I really enjoyed watching this episode because it was a Sanctuary take on Zombie Apocolypse as they call it. I thought the episode came out of no where, and it is more or less a stand alone episode, yet it had some interesting character development. It was neat to see possible versions of the future. This was a stylized and well put together episode with dark and apocolyptic tones. It was cool what Magnus discovers in the end and an interesting take on the Mayan Culture. I look forward to watching the next episode!!!!!moreless

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0 0
Magnus awakes in a dilapidated version of the Sanctuary and when she gets to the tower it is revealed that the city is destroyed. She must find out if there is anyone left alive other than the roving bands of creatures in the streets.moreless

8.0

"Great"

By jyarter, Oct 16, 2010 Report Abuse

Talk about a filler episode. In itself this episode was entertaining. Of course it really had nothing to do with the Sanctuary, but that is secondary to the plot of this story. It had everything to do with Helen alone.

Helen is alone. She keeps seeing a glittering pattern of flickering lights at one time or another. Obviously we seem to understand they must be something important. In the end of course they are.

***** Spoilers *****

Helen finally finds Will, or more correctly he finds her. He claims she's been dead for five years. Everyone else is gone as well. Each having a spectacular ending in one way or another. I especially liked the teleporting into Boston with a nuclear device scenario. Humanity has been ravaged by a plague that has destroyed mankind and created a world much like the Resident Evil world. In not revealing the ending I'll leave it too you to find out what happened. I will say it was an interesting final piece to the puzzle and very enlightening as to what has occurred. For arguments sake though Helen eventually returns to the world she lives in and is much the wiser for it.

Again, with the technology they use and the situation involved this had to be one of the least expensive episodes of a hour long scripted show ever made. The majority of the sets have to be green screened and they already have the halls to make it look like Armageddon has occurred. Interesting story with nods to many movies and TV shows in the past. Well acted and an interesting side step to the current season of Sanctuary. Let's hope we get back on track next week. Thanks for reading...moreless

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7 3
Apocalypse the Sanctuary way

9.5

"Superb"

By Lyta_499, Oct 16, 2010 Report Abuse

Well, I must say, I loved this episode! I am always partial to the theme of the world ending in one catastrophic, horrible way or another, and even though it has been written, filmed and otherwise presented many times before, each take is unique and has its own merit. Searching for completely original themes in sci-fi will be a difficult task indeed, with the genre being so expanded and in some cases, overdone. After Arthur Clarke, Philip Dick and William Gibson, what more is there to say really? Who can blame anyone for overlapping?

So I will judge this episode for itself. Even though there were no other characters involved apart from Will and Helen, the atmosphere had the right balance between dramatic tension and adventure, the special effects were very believable, the creatures especially were very well done, and there was something eerie about Helen wandering in an abandoned, wrecked Sanctuary trying to find traces of her past work there. With what Helen and the rest of her crew are usually up to, one has to wonder whether their intervention might cause some kind of disaster. The mind-travel in the future provides Helen with a glimpse of the catastrophic effects of her transporting an ancient Mayan artefact into the modern world. Sometimes it's better to leave the past buried where it is. Respect it, but not try to change it. I didn't see this as a filler episode given the way it is connected to Ashley's death. We haven't seen Helen try to deal with accepting her daughter's death. By trying to find something to end her longevity she was somehow punishing herself for what happened to Ashley. She was trying to intervene in the facts. The grim, unbearable future she would've created is a lesson for her too, as shown at the end of the episode where she returns to the present. There are still things there to be appreciated, her colleagues, a beautiful day, her work and her establishment. This was an indirect way for Helen to accept Ashley's death.moreless

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2 2
Great episode!

9.5

"Superb"

By KieranMac, Oct 16, 2010 Report Abuse

A great "apocalyptic"-style episode. Magnus wakes to find herself several years in the future, on the floor of a completely gutted Sanctuary. The building is torn apart inside and out, with several holes in the roof that let in the rain which never seems to cease.

I thought its premise was interesting from the start, but the explanation at the end was very cool, and it was great to see Robin Dunne play Will in a new way. Most of the regulars got this episode off, it seems - though listed in the opening credits, Ryan Robbins, Agam Darshi, and Christopher Heyerdahl do not appear in this episode (aside from a picture of Henry).

This show keeps getting better and better!moreless

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A different kind of story

9.0

"Superb"

By Parricida, Nov 11, 2009 Report Abuse

I most say, I really liked it. In some way, the story seemed not to be most important aspect of that episode. It was probably just a stand alone thing, nothing of that storyline probably will ever get to reality, so you can call it a filler, but in artistic way, it was stunning. I mean, they had spent so much focus and attention to the way it looked, to the dynamic, costumes, camera work.. that someway it took over. I most say I specially loved the camera work. It gave a change to have so dynamic, so moving story telling. And the way, as a viewer, you felt so confused at the first, it added so much.

I really liked the way this episode was special. I loved the "world end" theme.moreless

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5 1

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- The episode title, Pavor Nocturnus, is Latin for "night terror" - a parasomnia (sleep-related) disorder characterized by extreme terror and an inability to regain consciousness. The person may appear to be awake, but is confused and unable to communicate. They do not usually respond to vocal cues and can be difficult to fully awaken. Edit
Notes
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- Christopher Heyerdahl and Agam Darshi are credited but do not appear in this episode. Ryan Robbins is seen briefly in a photograph of Henry after his infection, but otherwise does not appear. Edit
- Original International Air Dates
  Canada : November 6, 2009 on Space
  U.K. : November 9, 2009 on ITV4
  Australia : March 4, 2010 on SciFi Australia
  Czech Republic : February 17, 2010 on AXN Sci-fi
  Edit
Quotes
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- Helen: More fun and games? Will: Don't move. Helen: Will!? Will: (knocks Magnus back down) I said, "Don't move!" Helen: What the hell is going on? What the hell happened to you? Will: Who are you? Helen: Will, it's me … Will: Your name! Helen: Helen! Magnus! Satisfied? Will: I don't think so. Helen Magnus died … three years ago. Helen: (shocked whisper) What? Edit
- Jessica: They'll find us, you know. They always do. Edit
- (Magnus watches a computer video log recording of "her" speaking) Recording: Hearing this, we will abandon the last Sanctuary. All efforts to find a cure for this plague have failed. Our only hope is to find safe ground to protect what few of us remain … I'm sorry for everything. Helen: Dear God. Edit
Allusions
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- Title: Pavor Nocturnus means night terror and is a sleeping disorder sometimes suffered by children. Edit
- Will: Let's do the time warp again - typhus, smallpox, cholera, yellow fever, scarlet fever, malaria. They all bear no relation to this disease. Have you caught up yet? "Let's do the time warp again" is a line from the song "Time Warp" in the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Edit