"Sanctuary" ended its second season with a killer cliffhanger.
 
Will (Robin Dunne) was left dying on the streets of India, a huge spider is creating a massive tsunami in the middle of the ocean and Magnus (Amanda Tapping) has lost her position at the head of the Sanctuary network.
 
The episode was just epic enough to feel like a valid finale to a good season, and it left us biting our fingernails for the return of the series next fall.
 
The episode blended a sort-of Indian fairy tale with a monster battle worthy of the Syfy network. The fairy tale was that of Will and Kali, him desperate to find her and performing a dance for her to win her over. Thankfully the cheese factor of the dance wasnt too overwhelming -- it was just right for a story that takes place in India. Knowing their emphasis on music, it fit right into the plot.
 
The monster spider was perfect for Syfy -- it would seem strange to not have a large spider on a channel known for its quirky monster movies.
 
What Worked

Callum Blue was a great villain. Im glad he wasnt killed in this episode; perhaps theyll decide to do more with him next season. Good villains can be hard to come by; I suggest they do something with this one more than just defeating him in the Season 3 premiere.
 
All in all, Season 2 was great. They moved Henry (Ryan Robbins) to the front of the show, they added another girl in Kate (Agam Darshi) -- though annoying ... theres time for her to turn around -- and they added some humor to the show. Season 2 was a vast improvement on Season 1, and hopefully Season 3 will be even better.
 
What Didnt Work

The mind melding of Big Bertha and Kali was a bit far reaching ... though both stories worked well separately. Its hard to imagine the spirit of a giant spider working through millions of little spiders and appearing to men as a beautiful woman that infiltrates their minds and bodies. Its just a bit hard to swallow, though the episode was pretty dang good.
 
The major bummer of this season was the demise of Ashley (Emilie Ullerup). Shes still presumably dead, but fingers crossed, shell come back again. No one is ever really dead in sci-fi!
 
Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

"Sanctuary" stars Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, Ryan Robbins, Agam Darshi and Christopher Heyerdahl. "Kali I" and "Kali II" were directed by Martin Wood.


"Sanctuary" airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on Syfy.