Sanctuary – Folding Man

SciFi

(Season 1, Episode 4)

Tonight’s “monster” is actually a whole sub-society of men. Men with the ability to fold their bones, allowing them to get in through places no one could or should be able to. The whole concept of the folding men is fascinating, but the taking it one step further, and having a gold-based drug developed that is not only highly addictive to them but also crippling, is pretty cool.

I like that the folding men have their own society, but I didn’t see any folding women. Is it a male only ability that sits dormant in the ladies? It’s also nice to see another “monster” that isn’t. In fact, Malcolm is as much a victim as any other drug addict. And poor Aaron’s fate was all too common for those who live in that world, although maybe not the exact scenario of his fate.

Hah! I psyched you out as much as the show tried to. Actually, on the show it was a bit more obvious than I would have liked that Malcolm was the mastermind and not the victim. His throwaway line that the leader wouldn’t allow himself to be caught unless he wanted to was just a bit too overt. Maybe Sanctuary was trying to be too clever.

Still, in the end it was a pretty typical drug bust, only with folding men instead of regular folk. That said, I like that we’re starting to populate our regular world with these abnormals. I’ve always enjoyed a show that could sell the premise that all of these weird and wonderful things could be happening right now in the world I live in, if I just know where to look.

Random Specimens

• Tapping’s accent makes “pawn shop” sound like “porn shop.”
• Isn’t it racist, or prejudiced or whatever the term would be, for Helen and Ashley to compare the folding men to animals? Is that what they think of all the abnormals? They’re sentient beings, if not completely human.
• The guy who got his wings clipped. How does that happen without him knowing? And why would he try to fly … or did someone do it while he was airborne (now that’s a skill!)?

We got another glimpse into Zimmerman’s life before he joined the Sanctuary, and this time it was to show us that he had tremendous potential as an agent. I still want to know to what extent he still tries to live in that world. Is he full-time in the Sanctuary now, living as well as working there, or does he still go home? I’m still not ready to say this is a great show, but it’s a fun popcorn show for now.

Clacked by Jason Hughes
on Oct 18, 2008 @ 14:00 EST5EDT