For days I’ve been trying to figure out what it is about the latest article with Damian Kindler that has made me so angry.
From the beginning of Sanctuary’s Season 2, I didn’t understand the logic in killing off Ashley, played by Emilie Ullerup. Even though I thought that they had underutilized her in Season 1, she was a great character that had tremendous potential. She had become the focus of the last couple of episodes of Season 1 and the first couple of the new season, and Emilie Ullerup had finally gotten the chance to shine. Even with no dialogue, she gave an amazing performance and really showed what she’s capable of as an actress.
With no real explanation from Team Sanctuary about their ballsy and bold decision, we the viewers were left completely in the dark as to why. That is until Emilie Ullerup’s interview with ÜberSciFiGeek is posted and she lets us in on her health problems as well as what she had been told were the reasons behind the death of Ashley. It had nothing to do with her surgery, it was a network decision, or at least that’s what they told her. This was good news since we now have somewhere to direct our frustrations with emails, letters and phone calls.
By this time of course Team Sanctuary has heard the fan reaction to the death of Ashley, and since it got kicked up a notch after Emilie Ullerup’s interview came out, they seemed to try a bit of damage control. Amanda Tapping stated that she fought the decision to get rid of Ashley, and was pitching an idea to bring her back. Damian Kindler said that it was a decision they had all come to together, but the impression given was that it was the network that forced him to make the change. He also said that she was never intended to be killed of permanently. And of course my favorite no one ever really dies in sci-fi. Martin Wood said that he loved to kill off a main character every once in a while just to give an element of danger. No damage control there, just honesty. I don’t agree with his philosophy but at least he’s honest.
Now comes the interview from Cinemaspy.com, and I guess that Damian Kindler figured since the season has aired that there would be no harm in telling the complete truth right? Wrong.
After months of being mislead and misdirected, (how many of us have sent emails and made phone calls to SyFy?) Damian Kindler comes clean and says that Ashley was too much within the conventions that were laid out in the Sanctuary world. HUH? You mean the world you created and got me hooked on? He wanted a character that wasn’t under Helen’s control and a little bit of a wild card and even though he had that with the programmed, drugged and altered Super Ashley, he opts to go with a completely new character. That along with the systematic destruction of the Five and the off camera destruction of the Cabal, pretty much cancels out all of the storyline and plot we had from Season 1. What we were left with was a directionless and plot hole filled season of filler episodes.
Damian Kindler also shares that he wasn’t aware that Henry was a popular character and yes he still loves season two and the cool (overused) split screen shots that most fans seem to hate. Not a mention of the fact that there have been so many fans that range from not as happy with Season 2 as they were with Season 1 to actually changing the channel and removing it from their DVR.
Amanda Tapping has said that she, Damian Kindler and Martin Wood talk to each other every day. She seems to be fully aware of who is popular on the show, and that fans weren’t happy about Ashley’s removal. She has also commented on the backlash and Kate hate. Damian Kindler acknowledged the Kate hate too, in an earlier interview, so he must hear some of the fan opinions. He promised that most fans would love her by the end of Season 2 but from what I’ve read, the majority of fans still dislike or merely tolerate her.
To give an idea of what all of this change has cost them, the number of people that tuned in for the Season 1 finale of Sanctuary was 1,990,000. The number that tuned in to the Season 2 finale was 1,493,000. To me, that shows that 497,000 more people cared about Ashley, the Cabal and the Five, than they did about Kate and Will and the giant spider. When Amanda Tapping said they were taking a big risk, she was correct. That risk did not pay off. Not only did they not increase their fan base, they didn’t even maintain the one they had. Even SyFy couldn’t spin this into a good thing.
I do realize that this is Damian Kindler’s show and he can write it any way he chooses. I also realize that I have the option to watch something else. However, I feel that the creators of a show such as this, especially this one which was born on the internet and has had so much fan participation and input from the beginning, should have a bit more regard for their audience. TV shows do have to grow and change in order to survive, but this was too much change and it happened too quickly. It was also unnecessary, and has left me with the feeling of being cheated out of something wonderful.
It was Albert Einstein that said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.“ That appears to be exactly what we can expect from Season 3 of Sanctuary. The only thing that I truly regret is not being able to see more of Helen’s history. I won’t see it because I’m not that interested in Helen and Will’s relationship, nor am I interested in fast-forwarding through more Kate scenes. And just for the record, this viewer will not be satisfied with just a couple of Ashley episodes.
Some people would argue that Ashley wasn’t the whole show and we should just get over it and move on. Sorry, but that’s not going to happen. To me, she was a vital part of the show’s dynamic and sadly, that dynamic died with her. Even though I’m still a fan of Amanda Tapping, the ‘new’ Sanctuary simply isn’t enough.
{ 92 comments… read them below or add one }
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Bruce, thank you for honoring everyone’s right to free speech. I truly appreciate it. I feel that as long as you are not bashing the actors personally, I do not see anything wrong with posting a comment about not liking a character or plot or direction of the show, as long as it is done respectfully and without name calling or vulgarities.
My family has also stopped watching Sanctuary during season 2. My kids and I were both heart-broken that Ashley was killed off. Kate’s actions when she was introduced and then her quick acceptance by the Sanctuary team, was something that I did approve of for my kids to watch. This is just my personal opinion, I understand that other parents may feel differently depending on their children’s ages, etc., so I am speaking for my family alone.
Our family continues to follow Ms. Ullerup’s career as I feel that she is a talented actress and an excellent role model. She if fluent in four languages and supports the charity, Caleb’s Hope, which is a great cause. And as other’s have said previously, she handled this whole situation with class and kindness. This is NOT a slam against the other actors, I guess this is just a clumsy way of saying thank you to Lisa Scott for writing this story. As I said, my kids were upset that Ashley was written off the show, and it is nice to finally get a better understanding of why this happened.
I understand that TPTB are free to take the show in whatever direction they choose, however, I just think that if the death of one character and the introduction of another causes this much anger and fighting among the fans, there is something wrong with those changes.
Bruce, I thank you again for creating the great site and allowing us to state our opinions in a respectful manner.
Lisa, I have heard that Ms. Ullerup has several new projects in the works, and I look forward to your next article.
Hey Ben’s Mom… thanks for the great words. If you want to see what else I’ve written about EMILIE ULLERUP, at the bottom of the post, under “related posts,” click on Emilie’s name and that is a link to all articles about Emilie on Brusimm!
I do hope they reconsider and they find a clever way to bring Ashley back however I am not sure they will. I think season 1 was far better then 2 and it was becasue of Ashley. I understand on killing people off but maybe they should listen to the fans before they loose the show all together. No Fans usually equal no show. They should bring Ashley back and not just for a few episodes either.
Many people wish the creative forces would reconsider, but Amanda Tapping officially fessed that Emilie is not returning to the show. (Click on the “tagged” link, on her Emilie’s name to see the latest info I put up on the matter.)
@Bruce Simmons: Thanks for all your efforts. It only stands to reason that EU would not be returning to Sanctuary. Just like the rest of us, when someone is let go from a gig they try to find a new one A.S.A.P. Got to keep bread on the table! After this happens, the actor is generally unavailable based on schedule constraints, among other reasons.
Bashing the cast, crew or show is not going to get them anywhere at all. What makes them think that AT/DK/MW are going to respect the views of people who are so intolerably rude to them, those and a project they care deeply about.
I think that Ashley’s ark with the cabal and her subsequent death brought more to the Ashley character and the show in general then her character ever did while she was alive.
I also don’t personally understand the comment about missing the mother/daughter relationship. What mother/daughter relationship Again that was explored in more depth on Ashley’s death then it ever was while she was alive. Helen has had more meaningful conversations with Kate then she ever did with Ashely. So perhaps it was the missed potential that they miss.
Kate is definitely not an Ashley clone. She is an interesting and well rounded character with a depth of character development already to date.
As for the person who wrote that article commenting on the majority of fans hating the split screen affect, I for one love it. And being that it is in s2 it is most likely just one of the differences they choose and decided they hated.
But at the end of the day Ashley was one character, and I personally can’t fathom how people can watch a show for 13 eps when the soul reason for doing so is one character.
And as for the comments that the show is doing badly because of the decision to kill Ashley, I ask how can a 20 episode S3 possibly prove anything other then that the show is thriving. How can the numerous awards the show and cast has been nominated for prove anything other then that their peers see how far the show has come.
And how can people say that those who created S4K and who gave their time for TSE are not decent people. I have never cared about the behind the scenes aspect of a show before Sanctuary. The love and devotion of Team Sanctuary is one of the things that I love about the show.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but they are not entitled to bag decent people. Just don’t watch the show. I for one am extremely disappointed about SGU but the only comments I have made online are to outline my grievances and ask for those who like the show to explain them to me. I actually had civil conversation going and people actually thanked me for being so thoughtful of those who like the show while trying to get some answers.
@Ben’s Mom
Thank you so much for the kind words! It means a lot to me that you enjoyed my blog. I feel the same way about EU and I do look forward to seeing her in the many projects she’s been in since she left Sanctuary. Thanks for taking time to comment.
@Rocky89
I loved Sanctuary S1, I do not like the new Sanctuary. I respect the fact that you do, but there is now nothing at all that they could do to fix it in my eyes. That’s fine because it’s a television show and luckily there are MANY more out there to choose from, so I will take my viewership and my consumer dollars elsewhere. Even if they announced that Emilie Ullerup was coming back full time it wouldn’t make a difference because to me, they failed miserably at retaining the core of the original show and took it to a place that I didn’t care for. You say that the death deepened the other characters but I didn’t see this at all (and yes I have now watched all the eps). Except for sad faces at the funeral and the occasional wistful look from Helen, no one has shown any emotion at all except for Druitt. His was the most realistic reaction of all.
If you didn’t see the mother/daughter relationship that was present in S1, then you wouldn’t miss it now. That’s fine too, but I saw it. It was a large part of the reason I liked the show in the first place and when it was gone, so was I. It’s funny that you are suddenly a Kate fan. I have dm’s from you where you didn’t care for her character much, but hey, people change their minds and opinions all the time. I respect that too.
My problem is not with the Sanctuary Team as people. It’s how they have handled this particular situation and because of how they handled this, I don’t trust them to not do it again. That is the reason I’m not supporting them in this or any other project. They started a charity, good for them. I love to see people using their fame to help others. I’m not going to feel guilty about not supporting this show, because I give to other charities that help children too and that’s the important thing, right?
About the show thriving, that’s up for debate. Yes they have a S3, and yes it’s for 20 eps but S2 was less successful than S1 in the ratings. That was the point I was making in my article and so far no one has disputed the numbers. Losing that much of your audience and that much of your demo rating is not a good thing and does not equate to thriving IMO. Sanctuary might have a wonderful S3 and their ratings may climb, or they may continue to have adequate ratings like they did in the last half of S2. It will be interesting to see how they do without the higher rated Ashley episodes to pad their average like they had in S2.
Rocky you say you don’t want the Ashley fans back because they’re not “true” fans? Be careful what you wish for. In a couple of months you might wish we were still around.
@Lisa
Well said.
Lisa,
You’re not the problem, it’s those two jerks, Tim and Badinfluence, they are like a disease spreading the net trying to bash AT and the show. Team Sanctuary is just that a team. They care about those they work with at all levels and treat everyone as a valued member of that team. But despite this if stories weren’t working out with Ashley they are under no obligation to keep her on especially if that call came from SyFy. Do the Ashley only fans expect TPTB to risk the entire show over one person, it’s not realistic and dumb. They could never have made S4k and helped all those kids who now will have a better life. AT and DK have mentioned that it was a hard call, Amanda said she cried filming the last scenes and they have both said if there is a way to include Ashley in a story without cheapening her death they are all for it. Which I’m personally glad of because I hate the reset button. And having a charity attached to the show is something that they are looking at encouraging all sci fi shows to do. It’s an honourable goal.
I can’t wait to see what s3 has in store for Kate. And if the longer s3 and all the nominations to date is any indication Sanctuary has a long future ahead of it. I also don’t think that EU would appreciate people attacking those of Team Sanctuary in her name. She knows she is in the entertainment industry and that jobs come and go. Some people seem to be trying to suggest that she is saying in interviews that things weren’t on par. But at the end of the day the timing allowed her to focus on her health.
I do not believe I will be sorry, why would I wish that, so you can continue to bash and trash it? I think not. True fans stay with the show, like me and MANY others, the show does not need fans who will be ready to trash it something does not go their way.
@Pioneering: Thank you for the kind words.
@Rocky89: I agree, the last story line with Ashley really brought great character depth to Ullerup’s role. Too bad it was all designed to fire her!
@*
There are different reasons and complexities as to why someone would become a fan of a show. And a fan, is a fan. It doesn’t matter why, they just are. And if the ingredient of the show that made people fans changes, then that is how it is. Cast changes are daring moves by production companies and when they make changes, they hope their new change will compensate for the loss of fans that come with an actor leaving a show.
I’ve got people I follow and when they leave a show, that show isn’t always the biggest draw for me anymore. But to each, their own and such.
Thanks for keeping it all civil folks… appreciate it!
@Bruce Simmons
A lot of people here are trash talking a wonderful show, and they’re being babies about it. Sanctuary raised over %90,000 for sick, and homeless kids, and a lot of people here still choose to bash them because EU left. These are GOOD people, if they were so bad why would they even start S4K, and raise all that money to support all those charities?
I don’t really care why EU, but at least everyone on the show dealt with it with class, which is more than I can say for the EU fans. I find their behaviour outrages and disgusting, especially Tim Miller and Badinfluence. They want to boycott a show that many fans that I know of love, and a show that raises thousands of $ to raise money for homeless kids? And why would you want to help them do that?
Anyone who tries to hurt and bash this show are fools, and by attacking the show, they are hurting the true fans as well, and the kids who will have a better life thanks to them.
Once again I’ve been pulled into the Ashley vs Kate debacle and due to a friend asking me to come here and voice my opinion, and not being able to say no, I’m going to try and have my two cents worth.
I love Ashley, well and truly and I sobbed with the best of them when she died and Eulogy, well that episode damn near broke my heart. I loved the Ashley/Helen dynamic and I pray that one day Ashley will be back, even though we now know that it won’t be in season 3. I’m not fond of Kate at all, she grates on my nerves, but that is due to the character she is meant to be, not down to Agam’s portrayal of her or me seeing Kate as Ashley’s ‘replacement’. In fact I think Agam is a talented actress as is Emilie. Personally I think there could and should be a way to have both characters in the show and that that would create an interesting dynamic for Sanctuary as a whole.
All this blame of Damian, Martin and or Amanda is, quite honestly pathetic as it is pure conjecture. I have heard, in person, from Amanda how much they would all love her back and that it was a NETWORK decision. Now colour me stupid if I sit here and think that this went way beyond the executive producers of the show. There are different levels to the television show hierarchy which means not all decisions have the final answer from the exec producers. Again something everyone here seems to have forgotten.
Also has anyone bothered listening to what Emilie has had to say on the subject? The fact she has stated there is no bad blood. That it was a decision that was made and she doesn’t hold any ill will? If the actress herself can state that I think it’s about time for everyone else to try and look at this with common sense and a little bit of rationality.
Let’s look at the positives that have come about from Sanctuary shall we?
- a charity (Sanctuary for Kids) has been formed
- money for said charity came from both AT4 and the recent TSE events, both organised by Gabit Events who will also be running AT5 (which I cannot wait to go to)
- people have been brought together as friends and have found a common interest that creates a bond.
Of course there is the downside with the loss of Emilie and I’m not going to deny that, I dearly want her back. But boycotting a show with such obvious talent behind it, that uses its status to raise money for disadvantaged children all because you’ve decided there is some evil plot at hand? Yeah that’s pushing it a bit far beyond the realms of reality. Before you make a rash decision and jump on any bandwagon, perhaps having all the facts and considering them carefully would be a good idea. Sci-fi fans are classed as the most intelligent fans in the business, why not actually show that to be the case and make an informed decision?
I confess that I am baffled by all the talk of a boycott. Do the people who are arguing against it not realize they have given more press to a boycott than would ever have been possible without their posts? Differences of opinion on the quality of the show aside, the best way to fight a boycott is to let it die. Not fan the flames.
Ah, but the beauty of opinion and the different perspectives people bring to a situation are what CONSTRUCTIVE conversation is all about.
Whether I agree or not with someone doesn’t give me OR ANYONE any right to call them names in reference to their perspectives. Calling people babies and fools and jerks is not a cool use of constructive conversation… let’s try to keep that in mind. I want BRUSIMM.COM to be a place we can all voice our opinions without being called something for it. The fact that I’m saying this a 2nd time is pissing me off. If people want to boycott a show for reasons they see, it’s perfectly alright. That’s their call. Why call anyone some derogatory name for having an opinion or effecting an action to demonstrate?
I’m going to hate to do it, but if I see more name-calling, commentors will be put in a filter-queue that needs approval. I usually will only say or try something twice before I change my course of action. I’d rather not because I enjoy the conversations we’re having here.
Now, back to my regularly scheduled activities for the day. Thanks gang!
Wow, I can’t believe how much negativity there is going on here about a show that is doing so much good in the world.
Can you really call yourself a fan of a show if you immediately boycott it because something happened that you didn’t like? Ashley was a great character, and Emilie Ullerup played her magnificently, but she’s not the only great character on the show. If anything, they’re keeping the show more true to life by having the unexpected happening, by creating hardship for the main characters, and by bringing in people that you don’t always love or even like. The show is amazing and has been pushing boundaries from the very start. They keep it fresh and exciting and continue to take us on new twists and turns that we don’t expect. The cast and crew are made up of brilliant people that are so talented and excellent at what they do, that it’s extremely unfair to them to just write them off because something happened that you didn’t like. Change is a good thing – even though it often feels like a bad thing when it’s happening. As the saying goes “Hindsight is 20/20″, so they can’t always know how a decision they make is going to impact the story, the characters, or the audience. But props to them for actually taking risks. I’d rather watch a show that is exciting and constantly changing and finding ways to improve, even if I don’t always like what’s happening, than watch a show where they stick to the same storylines over and over because it’s their comfort zone. At any rate, just the fact that there are so many people commenting on this topic proves how dynamic and influential the show is, because if noone cared about it, then noone would be writing/blogging/complaining about it.
My opinion ?
No matter what sanctuary will be still my fave sci-fi series !
They didn’t broke anything with Ashley’s death. Of course I like the Mother/Daughter things between Ash and Helen but Sanctuary team made decision and I accept it. Ashley was really the dynamic part of sanctuary but Kate is too. They made good choice with Agam and Kate Freelander is very good written character with potential. I can’t wait to see more in season 3.
We will learn more about the show. About The Five, Helen … atc.
Amanda Tapping is great actress … and Sanctuary is amazing show !
I always try to respect other opinions but what is too much is too much …
So my opinion ? If you like the show watch if not stop watching it … it’s veeery simple … !!!
@ Nicole
I totally agree with you
Couldn’t say it better 
Well said Nicole and Martina. All these Ashley fans bashing anyone and everything Sanctuary need to grow up and move on. EU has, and at the end of the day it’s just a show and not something to get so publically nasty about. If they want to gripe do it with each other on MSN or via email.
And it is much better to have lost one character then the whole show, which could just as easily have happened.
@Rocky
Or they can do it right here, which is what Bruce was trying to say. As long as people keep it civil, then they’re welcome to speak their minds.
It’s funny that I’ve read three different versions of “why” the decision was made, someone still thinks that it was a brave choice made by the producers, a few think it’s the network and one still thinks it was due to EU’s surgery. You must have missed the article that was linked above so here’s a quote from Damian Kindler regarding what the network wanted:
“They wanted blue sky and a bit more of a wide open, accessible look and feel. They didn’t really want changes in cast. They loved the cast, they loved the concept, they loved the idea and the design.”
I don’t and never will believe that the decision came from anyone but Kindler and the others agreed and went along with it. I’ve come to believe this from reading and listening to interviews, it wasn’t just conjecture on my part. I’ve given links and quotes to back up my opinion. It was the producers themselves that created this drama by first trying to say it was their bold decision (which I could have lived with) and then after the backlash started, they decided to blame the network.
I completely understand how you can love a show and only want to see the good things. I still watched SGA after Beckett and Weir were killed off even though I was infuriated by the decision. The difference here is how it was handled by the producers. They pretty much said “too bad, we don’t care what you think”, and as strange as it sounds, I respect that more than the multiple excuses we got from Sanctuary.
So even though I hope to never even see a Sanctuary commercial again, I do hope that this season will make all your fangirly dreams come true. I honestly mean that.
I will be enjoying Sons of Anarchy on Tuesday nights this fall.
Thank you, and can you please tell your freinds Tim and Bad to leave as well. And I’m sure I will.
Bye.
@Rocky
Is that what this is all about? I think you might have a distorted view of my influence on others. I haven’t seen a comment from either one of them in a long time, and even if they had, I have no control over them or what they say.
It’s impossible to silence someone on the internet. Sometimes you just have to let it go.
Like others have stated above, our family did not see why one character had to be written off to add another, why not have both? And like Ben’s Mom, our children also had to stop watching the show for the same reason, Kate. Our children are too young to view a show with a charater that committed those kinds of acts and then was immediately accepted by the Sanctuary team.
While severly disappointed in season 2, my husband and I continued watching in hopes that we would find a storyline we enjoyed.
The constant conflicting interviews about why Ashley was removed and if she was coming back, was frustrating and did not help in our decision to continue to watch the show.
What kind of ruined it for us, was the over the top push to get fans to like Kate. TPTB, by their own admission, were aware that fans would not like her at first, and rather than just let things progress at their own pace, they pushed. The actress who played Kate, seemed to be interviewed the most, and understandly, as she was new, she spoke only of her character. However, in addition, anytime the other actors were interviewed they seemed to discuss Kate as much or even more than their own.
The final straw from us was Ms. Tapping’s first interview regarding season 3, where she not only discussed the actress who played Kate, but she only discussed Kate’s storyline for season 3 and NO mention of Magnus’ storyline. That is when we basically deleted the show from our DVR.
I understand that they wanted Kate accepted by the audience, but the push to do that got to the point that it seems that she is all they discussed. The show had a great emsemble cast in season 1, and in bringing on Kate, they killed off Ashley, minimized the role of Druitt, and now it seems that even Magnus is being overshadowed, because of Kate.
I truly understand that some fans do like this character, she is just not for our family. I wish the fans that are still watching the show all the best. We think the world of EU, and are looking forward to her new work coming out. The same goes for any future work of JY and CH, who are both brilliant.
While we did not like that Ashley was written off, we didn’t stop watching because of one character, we stopped watching because of ALL of the reasons stated, the storylines, the plot holes, the resolution to the Druitt and Tesla storylines, and the shift from abnormals and Magnus’ family for Kate, the conflicting interviews, and the push to get fans to accept Kate, the show has changed it’s focus and it is no longer for our family.
Bruce, THANK YOU, for allowing us to voice our opinions, I truly respect that you allow people to discuss the show both the good and the bad. It is great to be heard. Thanks!!
Lisa, you are a truly talented writer and my husband and I were impressed with your work, like Ben’s Mom, we look forward to future articles from you. Did you sway our opinion? Nope, you just said exactly what we were already thinking and let us know that we were not alone in opinions. So thank you!!
@Rocky89 (or Sybil, GateworldRocky, uytre etc)
It has been months since I reacted here and yes I have reacted on a couple of interviews I read about Sanctuary and yes I have been (and still am) pissed off at the way Sanctuary execs have handled the situation.
Previously I was actually only pissed off at DK, but after I read that AT said that if they would get a green light on a S3 they would and I quote “definitely have an Ashley story” and “No one really dies in Sci Fi” and all the other crap she tried to feed us and after almost a year says that Ashley won’t be back afterall, I was so dissapointed in her because I never would have imagined that she would actually LIE to the fans just to try to keep us around. Because that’s exactly what she did.
I never said anything in name of EU, I would never suggest that the reactions that I give are from EU or would “blame” her for anything I say. The only thing I did say was that EU herself said that she was never contacted for S3. Just stating that fact.
You are a very aggressive person and I know you have been bashing myself and Tim on twitter and on every other opportunity you get, just because we expressed our opinions on the matter. I’d like you to count the number of reactions we gave and place them against yours, I think even combined Tim’s and my reactions wouldn’t exceed yours any time soon.
The only thing you care about is your precious AT. And that’s fine, I have no problem with that, nor with the fact that you love Sanctuary. The only thing you need to accept is that not everybody can share you admiration and (let’s face it) obsession for Ms. Tapping.
I stopped watching and supporting the show for a couple of reasons, the main reason because of the lies. Because there was no need to lie. They could have just said “we wanted to go into another direction and therefor sacrificed the character of Ashley” period. That’s where they lost my respect and support. Am I angry that not everyone has the same opinion? No, to each their own. But if I choose to be pissed and choose to express my dissapointment then I’m free to do so.
So you can keep crying about Tim and me, maybe if you didn’t actually try to put that much attention to it, you wouldn’t even notice us. But it almost seems like you like to bring attention to it, because you like the attention on yourself.
I apologise, I didn’t want to become personal, but you have that effect on people (and I think you like it too).
So to end my reply, I will tell you again: I have no problem with Sanctuary fans, nor with AT fans. I do have problem with liars, period.
The view of this ex-fan on the whole Ashley firing.
It looks like this is just one more show in a long list that was damaged by Network meddling. I for one did not boycott the show after Ashley was killed off, I merely found the show more and more unwatchable as season 2 progressed. The Kate character doesn’t do for me, at likely never will. If they had to kill off Ashley(dumb move) a much better replacement choice would have been to go with Clara Griffin. She was a more likable character, and lets face it, an invisible girl could prove a lot more useful, than an brash unlikeable thief. But the powers that be killed Clara off too… so much for that.
At this point it doesn’t matter as I’m one of the 100′s of thousands that they already lost as a fan. I only did a little searching today after I saw a commercial for the new season, and figured I would check the web to see if they decided to right the wrong they did in season 2. It appears they did not… so now I know there is no point wasting more time with season 3.
Besides SyFy is just about a worthless channel now. They canceled SG1 & Stargate Atlantis, to air more cheap reality drivel (scare tactics, ghost hunters), while rerunning old network TV shows(Ghost Whisperer) and the WWE. Why would anyone think they would see the light on this particular show and ask the producers to correct a mistake. SyFy doesn’t really care, the creator doesn’t care, so why should any of us.
For those of you who still like Sanctuary, I honestly hope season 3 is better than season 2.
I was highly disappointed in when Ashley was killed off. I still like the show and will likely continuing watching it but to be honest, I want to see Ashley back in and SOON!!! To kill off a charcter that had SOOOO much to offer was just stupid!!
Get her back in and the dark hair girl off, I like her but the show with Ashley and that is who needs to be on it. Or keep both girls, but no matter what put back together waht you screwed up!
As far as I heard, there was network mixing things up. As much as I like Ms. Ullerup and Ash character, I admire Sanctuary team for this decion. I’m sure it wasnt easy on them. I wasnt convinced about kate but gave it time, and she really does have an impact and makes for some interesting team dynamic. Bringing Ash needs to make sense, they cant just throw in an episode outta blue.
I respect everyone’s opinion. Let’s just not get alla ngry at each other. You have a choice to not watch or watch.
I loved reading your opinions about this show. I completely agree with your views. I fell in love with Ashley and I kept waiting for her return. Its a huge disappointment that she has been cut and the new female role that has replaced her is flat and annoying.
I do also agree with the use of the split screen shots. These shots drive me nuts!! I find them overused and really tacky!
Destroying the five and Cabal; I guess they really didnt think they would film a 3rd season and wanted to be dramatic. Now that they are doing season 3 what is going to be left in the plot???
Final note: Amanda Tapping is beautiful, wonderful and great to watch!
I just happened to come across an episode of Sanctuary S3 while flipping channels (as anachronistic as that phrase is), and I was curious as to the state of things; a little googling and here I am.
I haven’t followed any of the backstory, the sidestory, the understory. All I know is that I lost interest in the show through the wacky Ashley freak and doom event. I didn’t finish season 2 because of it. And no, not a snap decision based on a simple math of cast change +/- 1. The story affected change across the board in how it affected each character, and the whole atmosphere changed. I watched Buffy from day one, I’m no stranger to the shock and pain of character murders. It wasn’t simply removing a character I liked – and make no mistake, I liked that character -it was that the process of getting to that event was a process that estranged me from the show as a whole.
I never finished season 2. If Ashley had come back, I might have considered season 3 (and going back and watching season 2). I also might not have. But tonight I watched a chunk of a season 3 episode… and nothing stopped me from change the channel.
Thanks for the post. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.
I have read the perspectives of everyone here…but I have to disagree with the majority. I liked Ashley char…hated Kate char. That is the majority, but most of the people here are saying….they have to do things in a “progression” of char development. What show have you guys been watching? I like the show don’t get me wrong, I will continue to watch it, but don’t kid yourself. Every episode is a 180 of 1/2 the chars…like they did a demographic test for every episode, and changed everything to make it be recieved better. Yes, I realize that is a very common occurance, but the personality changes they make from episode to next is huge. The purest example is the Kate char, she is nothing but a greedy, self involved, narcisitic person. Then out of no where for no reason, in Kali 2, she is suddenly the savior of hundreds of people. With no thought to what she would get out of it. That is nothing but bad char development. If you look at all the chars they are doing the same, Kate is just easier to notice. The thing that annoys me personally…the insane amount of bait and switch this show is doing with the Ashley char. They make a press release that she is coming back in season 3….nope not gonna happen….they put her on the new season pictures…put her name in the credits. The only reason S2 did as well as it did was because of these bait and switch tactics. Now for season 3, they are trying to do it again? Quite simply…they are just stringing extra viewers along, in hopes of a impossibilty. This will bite them in butt, if they can’t deliver very very soon. Yes, I know this a normal tactic for shows to keep a viewer base. But, this show is taking that to a extreme. Helen’s char is boring, they make Will into a useless char, Kate has always been worthless, I like the small changes they made with big guy and Henry, and Druitt was a good char base…too bad they wrote him so badly in S2 that he is nothing more than a time filler. So as of right now, in my own opinon, Henry and Big Guy are enjoyable to watch, and what they have developed them as chars…but they are “side kicks” they are not strong enough to carry the show. So the major way they are keeping a fan base? Yep, the empy concepts of Ashley returning. Wendy…I feel this is the reason they ae pushign the Kate char so much. They have a char, to help carry the show. They are out of ideas for all the others, killed off or neutered, all the other chars. So all they got is a carrot called Ashley.
But, as I have stated..this is only my opinion.
@facepalm
I can’t comment on the “new character” developments, at least not concerning s3 as I am not watching it. But as you also pointed out, these developments already started in S2 and the way I can interpret it, continue on in S3 and not in a good way. Which, to me, isn’t surprising at all.
Also, I agree completely on your view of how they are stringing the fans along with empty promises of an Ashley return. Recently I read another interview from Amanda Tapping where she basically said that we shouldn’t expect the return of Ashley any time soon. Still they continue to “tease” us with mentioning Ashley and suggesting we should be expecting her return.
And they only do that to keep the fanbase, because they are already feeling the aftermath of losing the character of Ashley. They are indeed taking it to the extreme, which is, in my opinion, embarrasingly low of them. But they have already proven to me how low they are by continueing to feed us crap.
I have never seen this happening before with any other show, so the only explaination I can think of is that they are desperate.
Sad but true, Emilie Ullerup deserves better than this, and us fans too.
I didn’t realize there was people that really cared for that Ashley character. Personally I could not stand her. I thought the character had zero depth and to be honest… I always thought Emilie Ullerup’s wiry and twitchy portrayal did nothing for me. Frankly I think she’s a bad actress playing a bad character. As Rocky89 pointed out, the only time her character ever became interesting was with the whole arc leading to her death… and for me it was really great to see her acting reduced to an emotionless drone rather than the wiry and twitchy insufferable performance Ullerup gave her.
Sorry to all the Ullerup fans but I guess I’m not the only people out there that thought the show was better off Xing her out.
Incidently I’m not a huge fan of the Kate character either, but I’ll take her over Ashley.
@rocky89 and @halfbloodme.
You say that we shouldn’t say anything negative about the creators of the show, because they support charity. Now that’s just stupid. No matter what charity anyone supports they shouldn’t get immunity from critisism . One could argue that they have hurt their own Charity by, alianating the Ashley fans. The ratings aren’t excactly going up after season one. au contraire mes amis.
If they ever decided to bring Ashley back, I’m pretty sure this show would get the highest ratings ever.
I just have to start out by stating that I am a huge fan of Amanda Tapping, ever since I watched the first episode of Stargate SG-1. And when Sanctuary was being advertised, I will admit I was a bit hesitat of watching it. It was mainly due to the dramatic change for Amanda. Going from a blonde to a brunette was a big change and not to mention the new British accent. Course it was just something new and was actually for then best. She made a complete turn around from being always known as ‘Samantha Carter’.
But, when the first episode aired for Sanctuary, I was instatly hooked. It was one of the best shows to air since Stargate and Firefly. In my opinion. I found myself recording all the episodes and watching them all the time. I even bought the complete first season when it came out on DVD. It was an instant favorite for not only me but my family. Then the unthinkable happened in the begining of season 2. The killed off Ashley Magnus.
This character meant a lot to me because I am around the same age as Emilie Ullerup. There is a three year age difference but I related to Ashley in some things that took place on the show. Between seeing her kicking ass and all the things that she said. (Nubbins episode, anyone? Come on, funny episode!) Between Amanda’s character as Helen and Emilie’s character as Ashley, those two where my favorite character’s hands down! I was really looking forwards to seeing mre interaction between the mother and daughter. But to my disappointment, they dumped Ashley and came up with ‘annoying kate’.
The moment that I realized that the Character of Ashley Magnus was not coming back, I had to say goodbye to the series. I held out for a while thinking it was just part of the storyline. Then I held out even longer once I heard about health issues that Emilie had to take care of. So I was like, oh I see why they did this. She needs time to recover and she’ll be back. Sadly, I was mistaken. I haven’t watched one episode of season three and don’t plan to watch anymore.
This isn’t just because Ashley is no longer apart of the cast but I just can’t seem to watch Kate in any of the scenes that she’s in. The director made a huge mistake in letting Emilie go. Course, this has happened before when the creators of SG-1 and Atlantis. (Dr. Elizabeth Weir, anyone?) How long did Stargate: Atlantis last once they wrote Tori Higginson’s charactor out?? (It lasted 2!!) Mainly because the season after she left, they brought on Amanda to save the show then replaced her with Woosley! They are doing the same thing with replacing Ashley with Kate.
Course, I don’t have any say in this production (Wish I did. I’d give them a swift kick in the–) But, the only thing that I can say now is ‘Emilie we miss you on Sanctuary and wish that you would return!!’
Has anyone considered the possibility that she was written out deliberately because Damian Kindler found out about her aggressive spinal tumor which required immediate surgery? Surgery she was putting off to film Sanctuary? I think there was a lot more to this decision than has been spoken about publicly and people should learn to read between the lines.
@RedWolf
If you had read earlier comments, you would have seen that this question has already been answered. Emilie has said in more than one interview that she didn’t know about her medical problem until after she had been written off the show. It had nothing to do with the decision.
ok i have just watch season 1 and start season 2 ashely is need to come back i think she being the fire to the show but i just start to be a fan and i do not see why everyone is fight over this Senctuary is a great show i pray the see get well soon and syfy come and my a good way to ask her to come back the show need here we all need her
After Ashley was cut from the series & all this bait & switch, & the new character Kate is a big let down from the Ashley char. Taking Ms Ullerup off the show was like shooting yourself in the foot. The writing has gone down hill & the show does NOT have the SPARK & freshness it had when Ashley was on. It had an electricity to it & ever since she’s been gone, the show has gone down hill & so has the writing!!! The way SYFY channel is run now is a complet joke!!! WHERE does the WWF wrestling come in as science fiction??? Ghost Hunters, is a complete waste of film stock. This channel is in a death spiral spin when you see SMACK DOWN & WWF on it!!! ALAS, I knew that channel well in its good years!!
To subscribers of this post… I apologize that you had to bear the brunt of the 2,746 word comment that was just left. This is not the place for what that comment was focused on.
To the commentor who left that diatribe, your info didn’t add up. Your IP address(es) seem to be associated with a spammer’s IP address.
If you were real, I apologize, but then again, this site is not the place for your focus. This article is about how we feel about a favorite actor being let go, not the nuances of an industry.
The management.
I’m half way through season 3 now and ya I always wondered if Ashley was “really dead”! I really liked her character but after two seasons of Kate I definitely prefer Freelander! It was touch and go for a while but she really grew on me and now the five main characters and the storylines are why I keep watching!
I’m the kind of person that after one season of a show I either commit or give up! Sanctuary would have to try very hard to push me away now! I feel it gets better as it goes on, characters and all! Ya Ashley was nice and I’d like to have seen the mother/daughter thing expanded upon but the fact that Helen is still dealing with the loss of her daughter really helps me see the up side of it all!
I don’t like that Emilie was let go and I really wish that it was done it a much better way that honours the character she played and what she meant to the show! That being said, I think the show has definitely improved the more I watch it!
At this point I’m not sure where I’m going with this but I love Sanctuary! I don’t like behind-the-scenes drama affecting on-screen happenings so I’m glad that each character now has their own qualities, both good and bad, that makes them real! I’m even warming up to Tesla! He’s a douche but he steels every scene!
I have to disagree with some of the comments written here. I started watching Sanctuary last month. It was a string of episodes from season 4 that got me hooked. I bought seasons 1&2 on DVD and have just gotten to the third episode of season 2.
I didn’t really see the parent/daughter relationship as anything that blossomed until evil Ashley. Really, until that point, Ashley was mostly underwritten. Out of all the characters she was my least favourite because it seemed that the writers didn’t know what to do with her. The episodes where they actually got her character right were the news reporter one and the nubbins one. Other than that, I saw her character as being flat. It just goes to show that in one episode Tesla far outshone Ashley in an entire season.
But since they didn’t know what to do with her, they had to lose the character. When they killed her, they gave her a death that was legendary. For the first time, I was glued to the set, entirely focused on Ashley, Helen and John’s relationship. It was some of the most engaging tv I’ve seen. And as much as I would like to see Ashley return from the grave, if she doesn’t, her performance was brilliant.
I look forward to more of season 2,3 and 4 of Sanctuary and if the author of the article walked because of Ashley’s death, my partner and I signed on as fans of the show. By my books that means a gain for Sanctuary, not a loss.
I assumed Ashley being replaced on the show was because her limited acting ability was compromising the believability of the plotlines. I personally found the performances weak and detracting from the rest of the cast.
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