Sanctuary

It is ok. Actually barely ok. There are moments where the behavior of people and most events don't make any sense and you will laugh out loud and maybe shout at the screen.

It is not a police procedural drama, it's more like a lightweight soap opera with a semi-good witch who everyone blames, for a murder of a not-good-at-all guy who everyone adores, and a stupid, oh so stupid police department.

The actors try to act according to this preposterous script. I am all for magic, spells and drama but this is not it. It is borderline a satire. If you go in expecting Broadchurch you will be disappointed.

It is the kind of series you can have in the background while you are doing something else or when nothing, and I mean NOTHING else is on. I watched the whole thing while working on a home project because I was curious on how stupid they would choose to do the finale.

Keep your expectations very low and you will be alright.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. The show starts with a death and a set of prejudicial and/or false conclusions. Yes, people behave irrationally, but they stay well within the confines of normal human ignorance and lack of critical thinking. The magic aspect of it is fine. The story would work just as well if you replaced the word "witch" with any other misunderstood group that's the target of bigotry and discrimination. With the magic theme we get some special effects and an enhanced feeling of uncertainty. It's a good choice.

Revelations are made at an optimal pace. Often in crime shows the "twists" elicit a yawn, an eye-roll and a complete lack of surprise. However, in this show i felt more of an: "Ohhh....interesting." They keep these coming throughout the series. For me, this is a win.

By the time you get to the last episode, the tension is remarkably high. The situation seems hopeless....

Let's pretend for a moment that the fit of utter stupidity didn't occur.

...Unexpected but totally plausible things happen and the show ends satisfactorily. In the denouement some additional revelations are made which totally add value to the story and tie up some loose ends that you didn't know were loose. Well done.

Let's go back to that fit of utter stupidity. Everything I wrote above is sincere. The ending is good. The shark-jump is irrelevant. But, at 39:45 into the last episode, it's there. I actually laughed out loud. I won't spoil it (because I want people to read the review), so here are some comparable things you might see in a sillier series:

1. A person gets a pillow held over their face for seven seconds and is suddenly dead.

2. A car drives over a sharp rock and explodes into a ball of fire.

3. A person drops a toothpick onto a table and it ricochets around the room to stab somebody fatally in the heart.

It's that bad. Anybody who knows anything about objects that might be on a stage would have called BS on this event. Is this a 1980's B-movie? Why did they include it? The rest of the show was great. Why do something completely unnecessary and ridiculous? It ranks in the top two of the most ludicrous things I've ever seen in a "serious" show.

Why?

That being said: despite the one jarringly obvious forehead-slapping error, I think it's a really good show -- neatly wrapped. There are no breadcrumbs for a second season. But, if there were one, I would totally watch it.

Welcome to the enchanting and magical hamlet known as Sanctuary, a place supposedly dedicated to providing solace and haven for witches against persecution. Basking in the town's benevolence is the presence of a lone witch family, as the beacon of all magical prowess. Not just any ordinary witch family, mind you; the illustrious Fenn family is one where the manifestation of witch power appears to have escaped both the character's mother and daughter. Yes, you heard it right - leaving the protagonist, Sarah Fenn, as the sorcerous elite, and the official representative of witchforce and witchdom in a town, that has a grand total of one officially registered witch. Bravo, Sarah!

Of course, the makers decided to christen both the town and the series with the grandiose title "Sanctuary", because nothing says magical refuge like a place with just one witch, right? But wait, there's more! In this modern benevolent utopia, anyone can casually point fingers at anyone else, accusing them of witchcraft. It's like a community potluck, but instead of bringing casseroles, you bring accusations of spellcasting. How quaint!

And then there is the real star of the show - Abigail Whithall, the grieving mother, the narcissistic friend, the cheating wife, the blackmailing neighbour, what-have-you. Her performance is so stellar that it makes you want to enroll in an anger management class to cope with the desire to repeatedly punch her in the face. Ah, the wonders of brilliant acting - or as I like to call it, facial-punch-worthy theatrics.

Cheers to the magical-bewitching world of Sanctuary!

While there is a central fantasy element with the presence of witches and magic, those simply add complexity to the efforts of residents of a small town to solve a murder (or prove that it wasn't one), rather than being an end unto themselves.

The magical hand movements seem to have come straight out of The Magicians, but work in this series as well. Nothing about the fantasy element is particularly innovative, except perhaps combining it with a crime genre and setting it in a community where witches can live openly among their non-witch neighbors.

The acting is good and the script gets the job done without being unduly annoying. The teenage drama is fortunately kept to a minimum, and focused only on the central plot points thus far. Some misogynists may be upset about the plethora of strong female leads, but there's more than enough relevant guys in the story to satisfy a reverse-Bechdel test.

It's an easy and enjoyable watch.

There are few likable characters certainly none of the main characters. The story is hopeless and endless repeating of the same emotions. It's like being beaten over the head. Who the hell wrote this revenge porn? The whole town turns on one woman beacause her Karen best friend wants to save the reputation of her dead son? It's too much and just so so bad. I gave it 5 only because I was interested enough to skip to the end to see if there was any possible resolution. Most of the characters are trite and mean and make shallow stupid decisions. How is it a sanctuary town for witches with only one witch? Even the DCI is weirdly ineffective though the actress did as good a job with ridiculous writing as he could.