I’m going to be honest. This week just didn’t do it for me. I enjoyed “Trail of Blood,” saw “Animus” as fun, squeed over “Breach,” and had a week-long orgasm after “For King and Country.” However, this week and last week didn’t do it for me. Were they good? Sure. But, this week’s old city encounter felt like a typical season two exploration episode and didn’t compare to the angsty, adrenaline rush of Magnus fighting a teleporting schizophrenic or tracking down her drugged, psychotic ex. Maybe “Breach” and “For King and Country” were so good that nothing else compares. And, maybe, chemistry-wise (or talent-wise) the Oxford five operate on a level different from the Sanctuary four. The O5 are to the Justice League what the S4 are to the Teen Titans. The intense history of the Nikola-Druitt-Watson-Magnus-Adam collaboration/contentions seems leagues above the pigtail pulling, after-school name calling of “Huey, Dewey, and Screwy.” While the new kids are alright, the old school adults are absolutely fabulous. Episodes seven and eight made me visually invested in the talented interactions of Amanda Tapping, Christopher Heyerdahl, and Ian Tracey. While I enjoyed Kate and Henry individually in “Trail of Blood” and “Animus,” I want to re-enjoy their team participation. Despite my hesitation, I did find moments I enjoyed for each character:
My favorite magnetic moments included Tesla:
-calling the gang “Huey, Dewey, and Screwy”
-calling bitterness his best asset
-continuing to up his hotness by operating as the voice of reason
-showing off his responsibility by technologically tracking the team, calming Druitt, and demonstrating his new-found self-awareness
Although I found Druitt’s shock at Adam’s betrayal with the teleporting ninjas surprising, my favorite Druitt moments included:
-watching him rock the hotness in his new leather trench
-watching his split screen coatless concern for Magnus
-watching Adam psych him out (seriously, baiting Jack the Ripper? dude is crazy)
-watching him psych-out Tesla
Last week Ryan mentioned the need for a Magnus-Will bottleneck. Although I enjoyed the miniature asides between the dynamic duo for the past two weeks, the rockslide gave us the season’s first real Will-Magnus team up. While it didn’t feel like old times without Will’s overt expressions of concern, nice Will bits included his:
-“Bloody hell” interchange with Magnus
-protective arm on Magnus
Surprisingly, I didn’t have any favorite Magnus moments. But, I’m glad that:
-James Thorpe/Kindler didn’t mute her personality this time around while balancing the other actors.
-We see a return to the explorer Magnus who willingly jumps into traps and over cliffs. Wow. Magnus and her alter ego have some SERIOUS upper body strength. Does Magnus bench press 18th century printing presses every week to maintain it?
-Magnus rocked her leather jacket under her winter wear
-Magnus used her iPhone underground as a basilisk avoidance device
Between Tesla’s maturity and Kate serving as the voice of reason, this is clearly opposite week. I also liked that Magnus called her out for escape routes. Clearly, they’re trying to shift Kate away from the skinny pretty girl with the too-tough attitude.
Overall, I think the writing staff have started to show different facets of the characters. I love the improvements in Tesla, Kate, Henry, and the Big Guy. Seasons one and two hinged on the Will and Magnus relationship. Now, we’re starting to see a change in the dynamics by upping Will’s responsibility while simultaneously giving him more time with his mortal co-workers. While the change shows us Will’s playful side, I miss watching him operate on Magnus’ level. Plus, initially this week I didn’t sense the usual strength in the Will-Magnus bond.
So, what did people think of the ending? How about the partnerships? Are my standards too high for the last two episodes?
Clacked by An Nicholson 
on Dec 18, 2010 @ 20:12 EST5EDT
I actually preferred this week to King and Country/Breach. I get that a lot of the fandom loves the Five, but I don’t–I like them, but I prefer Magnus’s current team and I think they’ve been underused lately in order to showcase more of Tesla/Druitt. So I was glad to see that Will, Kate, and Henry accompanied Magnus. Druitt freeing Adam and going after them annoyed me, and I think Magnus will be pretty ticked off at him when she finds out.
The lack of Will/Magnus screentime lately has been bugging me, and while there were some great scenes with them this week, it wasn’t enough, especially considering the upcoming hiatus. Those two are the heart of the show for me. I hope we get a bottle show with them soon after the hiatus.
*POST AUTHOR*
What?! You don’t like the five?! * gasps, clutches pearls *
I will admit that “Huey, Dewey and Screwy” received less screen time recently and I felt Thorpe\Kindler used this episode to re-showcase them.
I think I’m the only one who didn’t mind the loss of the Will/Magnus interaction because I loved all of the recent episodes and “For King and Country” gave us some nice Will/Magnus asides. However, I wonder if I didn’t feel the old W-M magic because Kindler kept them apart through this season’s new partnerships.
I like the Sanctuary team just as much as The Five, so I was fine with the finale. Loved all the Jules Verne flair to Hollow Earth, as well as the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal. It was good to see Polly Walker, and I spent the whole episode wondering if the mushroom farmer’s wife was a very pale Rachel Luttrell (it turned out to be Luvia Petersen.
I was happy with all the shifting partnerships, especially with the short emphasis on Will/Magnus. I just feel these two operate on a more mature level when they’re on their own. My favorite scene was Magnus doing a spinning drop off the edge of the bridge, followed by Will slowly and carefully lowering himself down, just the way I would do it.
We should note that while The Five operated in a more august and austere period, they proved to be even more prone to arrogance, immaturity, jealousy, impulsiveness, and, in the end, madness and betrayal. I don’t think the Sanctuary crew comes off badly in comparison to their legacy.