Yearly Archives: 2015

Featured, Masterchef Canada

Review: MasterChef Canada winner returns

Competing on a show like MasterChef Canada is an exercise in skill and humility. You may be excellent at what you do, but if you show up your competitors too much or—even worse—the judges, you will get burned for it.

Such was the situation Michael and Cody found themselves in on Sunday night.

Michael, who has never shown a lack of confidence in anything he’s done, was once again slapped down by Michael, Alvin and Claudio for his pretentious plating during the Elimination Challenge. Roasting three vegetables, creating a cylinder of truffle mashed potatoes and grilling a hunk of lamb and placing them on a long white plate may have looked cool, but it made him a target. Claudio especially took umbrage with Michael’s plating and ripped him for salty potatoes.

Cody, meanwhile, one-upped Michael in his douchebaggery by nullifying his Mystery Box win and participating in the Elimination Challenge. Why? Because he really wanted to cook with Season 1 winner Eric Chong’s favourite ingredient: truffles. Clearly riding an adrenaline high, Cody’s decision to compete was a slap in the face to the judges who had given him the win. Dude, if the judges tell you you’re safe and to go to the gallery … YOU GO TO THE GALLERY. Instead, Cody tried too hard to impress everyone and was on the verge of going home.

Thankfully for he and Michael, Kevin once again crashed an burned with an insipid-looking egg and asparagus dish that had a smattering of truffle on it. Kevin, the chef who included puff pastry wrapper in one recent recipe, was shown the door.

Next week, team captains David and Sabrina lead their teams to the University of Guelph where they’ll make poutine for a bunch of students.

Notes and quotes

  • I would have made a pizza with caramelized onions, roasted garlic, brie, smoked gouda and proscuitto on it.
  • When did Cody injure/burn himself? I either missed it or it happened off-camera.
  • “Essence of unicorn… angel tears…” — Jennifer mocking Cody
  • “They seem like they’re just overpriced little turds.” Quote of the night from Kwasi
  • “That’s like me … yellow magic.” Um, what, Alvin?

MasterChef Canada airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET on CTV; the show is pre-empted for the JUNOS this coming Sunday.

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Featured, Heartland

Review: Separation anxiety on Heartland

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“Sometimes you make decisions for people even though they’ve told you it’s not what they want.” And with that Georgie finally got through to Lou.

Yes, Heartland fans, it looks as though the writers are going there. Lou and Peter seem set on separating, even though by the end of “Eclipse of the Heart” they were smiling at each other. Of course, there are still a handful of episodes left in this season for the pair to right their listing marital ship, but those smiles looked rueful and full of what has been instead of happiness to come.

Or perhaps, over the next few weeks as they prep for Amy and Ty’s nuptials, Peter and Lou will realize their marriage is fighting for and we’ll see a vow renewal alongside the wedding. I’m kind of on the fence about how I want things to play out. Part of me is interested in how Heartland‘s writers would handle the Lou and Peter being apart and the affect it would have on the girls, while another wishes they would stay together and have them both make some changes in the way they treat each other.

Marriage consumed the other two major storylines as well, with Jack stopping Tim from driving to Moose Jaw and possibly making a fool of himself in front of Miranda and her fiancé. I was thankful for the back and forth between the men by the side of the highway, first when Jack told Tim his truck wouldn’t start (an obvious ploy to slow Tim down) and then by taking his truck keys and pretending to throw them into a field.

As for Amy and Ty, they’re full speed ahead on wedding prep, with plans to use the hall for the ceremony and Amy narrowing in on the perfect dress. I was actually surprised she didn’t tell Lou she’d rather wear her mom’s old dress, but I’m sure that’s to come. After all, having the girls in the dress shop enabled the writers to continue Lou’s flashbacks to the good and bad times in her courtship, marriage and child-rearing with Peter and reflect on whether all that is worth saving. What do you think? Will Peter and Lou really separate? Will they renew their vows at Amy and Ty’s wedding? Comment below or via @tv_eh.

Notes and quotes

  • Congratulations on Heartland‘s season renewal!
  • “You’re not planning on driving to Moose Jaw and making a fool of yourself, are you?” Jack to Tim.
  • “The heart wants what the heart wants.” — Caleb
    “I don’t think you’re thinking with your heart. Or your head.” — Amy

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.

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Orphan Black

Link: Orphan Black creator John Fawcett promises answers

From Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly:

Orphan Black creator John Fawcett promises ‘we get a lot of answers this season’
Orphan Black has left us with plenty of question marks heading into season 3. And those question marks are often wrapped in mysteries. And those mysteries are often wrapped inside another layer of enigmas. So the point is, there is a lot we still don’t know. But Entertainment Weekly Radio (SiriusXM, channel 105) sat down with Orphan Black co-creator John Fawcett on set this week where he is directing the season finale, and he promises that when the show returns, we can start to expect to get some answers. Here’s what else he told us. Continue reading.

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Featured, Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays

Interview: Matt Watts on the life and death and life of Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays

Except that the official announcement got scooped by a tweet, one of the biggest surprises on CBC’s 2015-16 schedule was the return of Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays, cancelled a few years ago amid low ratings. Created by Bob Martin and Don McKellar and “based on the neuroses of Matt Watts,” the show featured Martin and Watts as maladjusted therapist and anxiety-ridden patient.

The news of its return was met with joy and puzzlement, particularly on the heels of low-rated Strange Empire‘s cancellation. Co-star and co-writer Watts offered some answers to pressing questions like “WTF?!” in an email interview:

How did the revival come about? Did you guys approach CBC, or did they approach you?

I think Sally Catto [CBC’s general manager of programming] approached the producers … I’m not entirely sure how it happened, really. All I know is I got an phone call from Bob one day saying, “We’re doing Michael again!” I was never really consulted.

Given it was based on your own neuroses, you co-wrote and co-starred, it was critically acclaimed but cancelled, now revived … it seems like the cancellation/revival has the potential to be even more of an emotional roller coaster than if it was less tied to you personally? How do you feel about it? Are you approaching this season differently?

Well, I think I made a huge mistake by getting so attached to the show in the first season. The truth is, MTT was never really my show, it’s always been Bob’s. I allowed myself to get sucked into the whole whirlwind because I play Michael, and yeah, it’s based on me. The line got blurred. The cancellation hit me really hard. I took it way too personally… and it wasn’t even my show, really.

So, this year, I’m going to throw myself into the writing and performing, but as soon as we wrap, I’ll just go back to working on my own projects.

I’m really excited to see everyone again. When we wrapped season one, I arrogantly assumed I’d get see the crew again the following summer. That was actually the biggest heartbreak: not getting to see the crew again. I loved the crew on MTT.

Will the show be retooled for the reboot?

We’re going to take advantage of the five year gap. I think that’s the part of the relaunch that really intrigues me, because I don’t think a TV show has ever really done it before.

Maybe there should just be one season every five years. That’d be cool.

Actually, as I write this, I realize that the first episode has a line about Michael and David working together for 15 years. So this would be 20. It’s almost like we could make it look like the show has been designed to come back every five years for one season. Like the 7 Up series.

There you go. How’s that for a premise? A co-dependent relationship between a therapist and his patient, over a long period of time, seen at various intervals. (I’m drunk as I write this btw, so this may be ludicrous … again, it’s not my show.)

As for the show itself, within the season we’re going to stick to a serialized story that plays out over the course of the season. It’s not going to become an episodic sitcom or anything. Although Don and I often talk about bringing the show back as a time-traveling farce, just to blow the audience’s minds. Bob hates the idea though.

Will it be set in Ottawa or Toronto or both?

That would be spoiling the fun!

How far into planning and writing the season are you already?

Not that far. We had developed a second season when the show was cancelled. We’re trying to salvage what we can from that (a lot of it doesn’t work because of the time gap) and then we’ll go from there.

Do you know if all/most of the cast will return?

Right now we have it so most of the characters will return, yeah. But it’s tricky since no one is under option and they’ve moved on to other projects. For example, Tommie [Amber Pirie] is on Bitten now. That could be a conflict. Technically, I’m not even signed on. Maybe the show will end up just being Bob talking to an empty chair for a season. Every five years.

It got what you called “boutique ratings” the first time around. Do you think there’s an opportunity to grow the audience? Obviously there’s been a change in management but what’s different now about CBC’s programming that makes it ripe for Michael to return?

The support is there. Michelle Daly [CBC’s senior director of comedy], Sally Catto and Heather Conway [executive vice-president of English services] are all fans of the show and want it to do well. I think they plan to advertise this time — that might help. There wasn’t a single poster anywhere in Canada the first year. Even if the CBC puts up one poster somewhere, that’ll be 100% more advertising.

I hope it does better. It’d be disingenuous to say ratings don’t matter. They should, because why else do we do all this if it isn’t for the work to be seen?

That being said, I’m keenly aware of the possibility that after all this, it could get cancelled again.

How crazy would that be?

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