There it is!

"Normandy" - the saviour of the season for Sanctuary.

It was going to go better than previous episodes for two reasons:

1) Very little Will

2) A whole lotta Tesla!

But before we get going on how great "Normandy" was, let's review "Metamorphosis" and " Wingman".

Both were much better episodes than Sanctuary had been putting out recently, even if both were pretty Will-centric. One plus of how they shot "Metamorphosis" was that we saw far less of Will than anyone else, even if he was in almost every scene. I know there are a ton of Will fans out there, and I don't wish to step on toes, but as I have previously said Will is not a character for whom an entire episode should be written. So I was a tad concerned that we were getting another "all about Will" ep... to the point where I was groaning aloud. Thankfully the focus was more on how the other team members were dealing with Will's ongoing changes, allowing us a different view of the Sanctuary than the usual "go out and bag us an abnormal" storyline. In fact, the best moment of the episode occured when Will was missing out on the mission. Discovering the Big Guy's hidden still and whiskey tasting room made this one of my favorite eps of the third season.

I do have to put a bit of a dig in on Amanda's acting in this one, though. I found she's just not as strong when she's acting to the camera, rather than to her co-stars. It's like she's too cognizant of the camera and is afraid of just reacting. I kept getting distracted by the fact she was rarely blinking, and her gaze was very intense, with far fewer of the sideways glances that are a normal part of a conversation. On the other side of the scale was Agam Darshi, who was far and away the best of the cast in this one. Her reactions were natural and perfectly in sync with her character. For an actor who's taken more than her fair share of criticism, Ms. Darshi is continuing to show her proffessional growth. Good on you, girl!

Moving onto "Wingman", we are treated to the fantastic return of Pauline Egan as Erika, Henry's fellow werewolf/HAP/lycan and apparent love interest. It is also the third episode in which Pascale Hutton plays FBI agent Abby Corrigan... and thankfully, this one is much better than the last.

*wipes brow in relief*

Now, this episode is actually a "clips show" something which usually sets my teeth on edge. Flashbacks should be used sparingly not as fodder for an entire episode. As my wife said "It makes it seem like they've run out of ideas. Why can't they just write a new episode?" She has a point, especially as Sanctuary is only in its third season. Do we really need a review?

That being said I felt that "Wingman" managed to work as a place holder episode as there was a storyline around the flashbacks, the acting was spot on, the episode was tongue-in-cheek the whole way (Mothman? Really?) and it was directed by the awesome Peter Deluise (who also plays the abnormal dealer with used car salesman aplomb). And the best part was that the flashbacks were kept to a minimum and well edited. Best moment for me was when Henry and Abby were stuck in the van, being attacked by a testosterone powered mothman, and Abby, for the umpteenth time says "What's going on now?"

Henry's epic response: "Yeah, still don't know. In the same van as you."

Seriously, how did this woman get to be an FBI agent? That aside we also get to see Henry not fly away to England with Erika, coming to the realization that the relationship needed more in common than both of them being werewolves. Who knew?

So, a couple of decent episodes dealing with mothman legends and Will almost turning into an angry angry gecko. (And yes, there's a Geiko joke in there for those who have yet to see "Metamorphasis")

But both pale in comparison to the greatness that is "Normandy". Which requires a blog all its own. Which shall be written as soon as I actually get more into my stomach than Mellow Yellow and BioBest drinkable yogourt.