Sanctuary

The Five

Season 1, Episode 7, Aired 11/14/08

Episode Summary

When Magnus encounters an old acquaintance in Rome, he tells her that the Cabal is planning to seek revenge on her for the events of "Fata Morgana". But she soon learns that his loyalty is not as intact as it was in their earlier days, when they were both part of a group called "The Five", within which members are connected by a secret protected for ages.moreless

9.0

EPISODE RATING: Superb

207 votes

Your Rating: 10

"Perfect"
Your Rating: 9.5

"Superb"
Your Rating: 9

"Superb"
Your Rating: 8.5

"Great"
Your Rating: 8

"Great"
Your Rating: 7.5

"Good"
Your Rating: 7

"Good"
Your Rating: 6.5

"Fair"
Your Rating: 6

"Fair"
Your Rating: 5.5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 4.5

"Poor"
Your Rating: 4

"Poor"
Your Rating: 3.5

"Bad"
Your Rating: 3

"Bad"
Your Rating: 2.5

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 2

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 1.5

"Abysmal"
Your Rating: 1

"Abysmal"

Rate It

Watch Online

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Amanda Tapping

Dr. Helen Magnus
Robin Dunne

Dr. Will Zimmerman
Christopher Heyerdahl

John Druitt/Big Guy

Fan Episode Reviews (6)

See All

Dark Secrets And Old Friends Come Calling

10

"Perfect"

By DBizTV, Nov 17, 2011 Report Abuse

Wow, this show just keeps getting better and better (which is the mark of a great show). Both John Druitt and The Cabal return to action. The nice touch of bringing in an actual historical figure (Nikola Tesla) as an old friend of Helen Magnus works well - making him a vampire is inspired. This brings the whole alternate/secret history gambit into play. Jonathon Young excels as Tesla, nicely mixing humor and terror, erudite polish and pure insanity. Even better is Christopher Heyerdahl as John Druitt. This is his finest Sanctuary hour yet. The power of his presence alone is worth the price of admission, but it is his rich, sonorous voice which pulls you in even deeper. He conveys pain and anger in equal measures of eye contact and vocal tonality. He also says more with a pause than many actors do with a well-crafted punch line. Here's hoping that John Druitt (now that he's revealed as Ashley's father) is featured as a regular part of the Magnus family. There is so much in this episode that it can't all be covered here. The recap alone took over three pages. As mentioned, Ashley discovers that John Druitt is her father. She also learns that her mother is an abnormal by choice, not genetic heritage. What does this portend for her future? Another new storyline is opened when Henry the tech guy is revealed to be an abnormal. The Cabal is unlikely to be any happier with Dr. Magnus after their team is eradicated. And what of Tesla and his creatures - is he dead, can he even be killed?
Finally, the vampire effects are great (check out Tesla pulling away when he is impaled on the wall), as are the flashbacks. Flashbacks often fail to look believable. Here all three principals look believably younger (especially Amanda Tapping as Helen Magnus). The reptilian creature, on the other hand, clearly reveals the budgetary constraints of this series and is more interesting when left off camera - as it is until the end of the episode. I just hope Sanctuary draws enough viewers to survive. The Sci Fi Channel has had a quick trigger finger lately. Perhaps, in these tough economic times, the show's lower production costs will give Sanctuary time to catch on and grow its audience. Spread the word : science fiction is alive and well at the Sanctuary.moreless

DO YOU AGREE?
7 2
The Five

10

"Perfect"

By TrueTvWatcher, Apr 05, 2011 Report Abuse

The Five was a perfect episode of Sanctuary. I enjoyed watching this episode because there was a lot of character and plot development. It was very interesting to learn more about the past of Dr. Helen Magnus, as well as her old colleagues. Ashley had her own seperate adventure with one of the Five, and learned more about herself in that time. I thought the approach to vampirism in this series was cool and I hope to see more about it. Will learns more about Henry in this episosde as Henry's secret comes to light. I enjoyed the intertwining plot lines. The actors really play their parts perfectly! I really look forward to watching the next episode of Sanctuary!!!!!!!moreless

DO YOU AGREE?
0 0
One of Helen's associates from "The Five" group comes back to look for her but does he want her help or wants to use for another purpose?

9.0

"Superb"

By marvelfan89, Feb 04, 2011 Report Abuse

"You're a killer you live for the thrill of the hunt"

Overall good episode. Helen's associate from The Five group, Nikola, comes back to look for her. As they began to get reacquainted, they are attacked by Cabal agents. At first Helen thinks they are after but they are really after Nikolai. Nikola has a special power he is a vampire. But what does he need Helen for?

Meanwhile John Druitt and Ashley are having a pleasant reunion. LOL. Druitt is trying to convince her that her mother is in great danger. However, she will need a long explanation before she even will consider what Druitt has to say. Meanwhile as well something is loose in the Sanctuary with Will "in charge" but what? It's a good episode, they explain more about where Helen came off including how some of her powers came to be especially her long life span from a special serum her group made. I think this is the first time they had a vampire in the show (I believe in the webisodes there's also a episode about a vampire of which Ashley has a fight with) I don't know if I want to give too much away here but I liked a couple of the scenes with zombies. I liked the scenes with Nikola and Helen. Helen is smart but she still is a very vulnerable woman. I also liked the scenes with Ashley and Druitt especially when he tries to psychoanalyze her. The episode went back to serious sci-fi unlike the last episode with Nubbins which had a lot of comedy. This one did have a few funny lines the "You look so sexy with a gun" comment by Nikola, the "I am not really in charge" line by Will to Bigfoot,the "I thought you said you loved me" line by Helen followed up by Nikola's "Did I?" reply, last but not least the "if you call my mother your ex again I will have to kill you" line by Ashley.

My only small nitpick is that I expected "the thing" in the Sanctuary to be better. The guy playing Nikola was great playing the villain here whose only purpose was to use Helen for his own purposes while telling her what she wanted to hear "I love you", yada, yada, yada. I thought then this was a pretty good episode with all the characters here maybe more for Ashley because she began to get a bigger story about her mother.moreless

DO YOU AGREE?
4 1
The show is getting better and with its own mythology and character developing this episode is the beginning.

8.0

"Great"

By AegisAtreyu, Dec 16, 2010 Report Abuse

When the show was originally broadcast I saw the first 3 episodes and found them quite mediocre. Having recently started watching the repeats I realise that the show once it got past that introductory period has become really good. Unlike the previous 2 episodes which were heavy on the movie references (the thing/gremlins etc.) this in fact develops an original idea. The fact that Helen was originally a part of a group of 5 (a few of which were famous) that experimented by injecting themselves with concentrated vampire blood is something I don't think I've seen before. I also like the fact that vampires were the creators of civilisation, but were wiped out by the Church literally demonising them. Only unpure vampires survived which led to the dark ages. This was one heck of a back-story.

Tessler's (one of the 5) revelation that he wanted Helen to give his newly created braindead vampire minion's intelligence. The way he brought them back plays very nicely on the fact that vampires usually rise automatically. In this case Tessler had to jolt them back to life after feeding them his blood. Braindead they may have been but they defeated the Cabal soldiers with ease once they were let loose.

Also in this episode was the badly thought out revelation that Henry was a man-wolf. As soon as you realise he's ill you jump to the conclusion straight away. This was badly handled therefore, not saved by the creature lurking the corridors not actually being him. Don't get me wrong, it's a good development for the character, just could have been handled better.

Lastly, is John Druitt and his kidnap of Ashley, which contributed well to the backstory of the five, by revealing that the blood had given each a special ability (John's is his teleport). However the main conclusion was to reveal to Ashley that John was in fact her Father. This worked better than Henry's strand and was quite enjoyable.

I'm curious about the five and the revelations revealed here and want to know what Dr James Watson's increased intelligence has brought him. He's not actually shown in profile but we do know he is one of the five. Hopefully he'll turn up soon as he is mentioned by Tessler a few times during his and Helen's conversations.moreless

DO YOU AGREE?
3 1
All those dark secrets crept into daylight

9.2

"Superb"

By Parricida, Dec 16, 2010 Report Abuse

Wow, I loved the way this episode started - so intense start with such a big surprises - to get a note that you will be dead in next three minutes and then walk away into catacombs of Rome with a vampire - intriguing. And if that was not enough, Ashley gets kidnapped again by John Druitt and there is something weird going on in Sanctuary where Zimmerman is left quite alone to deal with things.

I most say - the whole dark secret thing and Druitt trying to make Ashley to make her own decision that help save Magnus and help him too.. The whole tension, she still not knowing who Druitt is and then finally, getting it.

And the whole theme with vampires and what Nikola thought about all going on, the things we learned about his, Magnus' and Druitt's past.. the five.. how they got their powers. It was just so intriguer and I am sure they can continue that storyline.

So, an amazing episode.moreless

DO YOU AGREE?
3 1

Write a Review

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

Trivia
ADD TRIVIA
- The way Druitt tries to kill Tesla in the catacombs (by teleporting behind him and putting his fist through Tesla's stomach) appears to be a favored tactic as it's the same way Druitt tried to kill the Big Guy in Webisode 4. Edit
- Discontinuity: When Druitt materializes in the catacombs, he drives his left hand through Tesla's body, covering it in blood. However, after he teleports Ashley and Helen away and rematerializes, it's his right hand that's bloodied, not his left. Edit
Notes
ADD NOTES
- Original International Air Dates
  Canada : November 14, 2008 on Space
  U.K. : November 24, 2008 on ITV4
  Australia : July 2, 2009 on Sci Fi Australia
  Czech Republic: September 7, 2009 on AXN
  Edit
- Although we need to remember that this is a work of fiction, the use of Nikola Tesla as one of the Five is perhaps the biggest stretch of all. But … it is by no means implausible. In 1886, the year the Five injected themselves with the vampire blood, the "real" Tesla had broken off with Edison, lost control of his own company (Tesla Electric Light & Manufacturing) and was supposedly working in New York as a laborer in order to raise funds for his next project. Given laborers wages then, and now, is it really practical that Tesla could raise sufficient funds working as a day laborer? Perhaps a trip to London to raise venture capital is not so farfetched? In any case, the "real" Tesla resurfaced in 1888 - demonstrating his brushless AC induction motor to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, after which he began his work with George Westinghouse. Besides working on an ion-propelled "flying saucer" - and a host of other futuristic technologies - Tesla, who had demonstrated wireless energy transmission almost fifty years earlier, did indeed work on what he described as a "superweapon that would put an end to all war" (1937) - what today we would call a "directed-energy" or "particle beam" weapon (which the press of the time labeled as a "peace ray" or "death beam"). Apparently, before Einstein alerted FDR to the incredibly destructive scientific power being unleashed by the Nazi's (1940), neither the U.S. nor the European powers he offered his technology to were interested enough to fund the manufacture of his device. Supposedly, the "real" Nikola Tesla died poor and alone, of heart failure, on January 7, 1943. Only after his death did the United States Supreme Court uphold his patent on the technology that formed the basis for radio communications in the United States. At the time of his death, Tesla was still working on the "Teleforce" weapon, or "death ray", that he couldn't get the U.S. War Department interested in. However, shortly after he died, Tesla's papers, prototypes, project notes and lab properties were impounded by the United States' Alien Property Custodian office - despite the fact that he was a legally naturalized U.S. citizen. After being contacted by the War Department, J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI seized - and, along with other federal officials, microfilmed - his papers and personal effects, before declaring them potentially dangerous and "Top Secret". Edit
Quotes
ADD QUOTES
- Tesla: Helen Magnus. Kiss me and I'll save your life. Helen: And if I don't? Tesla: Aw-w-w … It's been over sixty years, just plant one on me already. (Tesla indicates his cheek but turns as Helen leans in, kissing her on the lips) Helen: Nikola Tesla. You always did know how to get attention. Tesla (takes her arm and begins walking): And you're still boring as ever when it comes to giving a lecture. But to business : Cabal agents are all over the building. If we don't leave now, things are going to get … rather bullet-ridden. Helen: And why should I believe you? (Tesla turns her attention to the armed Cabal agents entering the lecture hall and she resumes walking) I assume you have a plan other than kissing me? Tesla: Genius, remember? Helen: Ah. Edit
- (pursued by the Cabal, the pair are attempting to escape through the catacombs) Helen: I'm assuming there are other exits further on? Tesla: Should be. My contact said there would be. Helen: Contact? Tesla: Mm-hmm. Concierge at my hotel. Don't you love Rome? Edit
- (Will is unhappy the meeting he called was cancelled, the Big Guy is dusting) Will: I mean, she put me in charge and, you know, I wanna take that very seriously. So, we've got patients to discuss, possible cases that need investigating, and, you know, other stuff that needs attention. Big Guy: Meetings are boring. Will (laughs): Yeah. Yeah, they really are, aren't they? (the Big Guy chuckles and returns to dusting, whistling) Okay, I'm cool with that. No meeting. So, uh, what do you guys do when you got the place to yourself? You know, poker night, maybe a little blackjack, you blast some tunes in the main library or something? Big Guy: Henry's in the lab, Squid requested a meeting with Ashley - and I'm making things look nice … Perhaps you have some work that needs attending to? Edit
Allusions
ADD ALLUSIONS
- Tesla: You saw how my Mini-Me's handled those trackers earlier tonight. Tesla is alluding to Mini-Me, Dr. Evil's one-eighth size clone - the character played by Verne Troyer in the second and third "Austin Powers" movies: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). Mini-Me himself was a parody of Nick-Nack, Scaramanga's dwarf henchman in the James Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun (1974). Edit
- Druitt: Griffin's molecules became photosensitive … "Griffin" is the name of the title character in H.G. Wells' famous science fiction novella, The Invisible Man (1897). In Sanctuary's mythology, it is implied that Nigel Griffin of The Five and Wells' Griffin (a brilliant but deranged young research scientist) are one and the same person. Although Griffin's first name was never given in the original story, in the well-known1933 Claude Rains film, scriptwriter R.C. Sheriff named the character "Jack Griffin". However, in the countless films, comics and TV shows which have followed, The Invisible Man has had many other names. Edit