All posts by Greg David

Prior to becoming a television critic and owner of TV, Eh?, Greg David was a critic for TV Guide Canada, the country's most trusted source for TV news. He has interviewed television actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes folks from hundreds of television series from Canada, the U.S. and internationally. He is a podcaster, public speaker, weekly radio guest and educator, and past member of the Television Critics Association.

Review: Haven gets morbid

Well, that lasted one whole week. The secret about Charlotte not being from the Center for Disease Control, I mean.

So, the big question at the end of Thursday’s new episode, “Mortality,” was: who the heck is Charlotte and who sent her to Haven? Of course, that question should be answered next week … unless Dave is unable to get cell service or drive back to Haven on his own.

Charlotte and Dwight spent a bunch of time together, mostly with him trying to convince her that a thing called the Troubles existed in Haven. She wasn’t buying it at first–she suspected Dwight had hired a sniper to shoot him at the same time she took target practice–but finally caved.

Other than that, “Mortality” didn’t have a ton of reveals. Audrey picked up a dose of the contagion, meaning she has some sort of Trouble after all, Pete was the one spreading the contagion amongst the Troubled folk (stress will do that to poor Pete), and a guy named Kirby was able to see how people will die and told Audrey he saw how she and her “twin” will meet their dual demise.

Duke appeared to be firmly in the “bad guy” camp with Mara after she brainwashed him into thinking the town hated him–he even unshackled and allowed her outside on an emergency run to the hospital to try and get to the bottom of the contagion conundrum–but was in his right mind by the time she killed Pete to stop the contagion. Mara re-attaching the handcuffs and telling Duke she wants to help him was either the biggest play this season’s villain has or she is genuinely softening towards the big lug. I’m hoping the former over the latter because I just don’t buy them as a couple.

Overall, not the best episode of Haven in my opinion but I view “Mortality” as more of a transition episode to bigger things to come.

Notes and quotes

  • “Easy on the turns, Thelma.”–Mara
  • I would like a Grey Gull baseball cap
  • Stan is the slowest cop on the Haven force
  • I’d love it if anything I touched turned to cake

Haven airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showcase.

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Tonight: The Nature of Things, Haven

The Nature of Things – “The Secret Life of Pigeons”, CBC
The long-running science series tracks the history of pigeons, from domestic pet to important wartime ally to big-city vagrant.

Haven, Showcase
As Audrey’s health deteriorates, Nathan races to find a cure for the mysterious illness before it is too late. Dwight struggles to contain the contagion but faces interference from Dr. Cross, who has a few secrets up her sleeve as well. Meanwhile, Duke realizes that some old loyalties may be shifting and decides he needs to take matters into his own hands to protect Haven.

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Wab Kinew to host Canada Reads 2015

PANELIST- wabkinewheadshot-thumb-300x281-388296

From a media release:

CBCbooks.ca is thrilled to announce that Canada Reads 2014‘s winning defender, Wab Kinew, will host Canada Reads 2015. Kinew becomes the fourth host of CBC’s battle of the books, now entering its 14th year.

Earlier this year, Kinew successfully defended Joseph Boyden’s The Orenda as, “the one novel to change the nation.”  He is the interim Associate Vice-President for Indigenous Relations at The University of Winnipeg and a correspondent with Al Jazeera America. His hip-hop music and journalism projects have won numerous awards, including an Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards for Best Rap/Hip-Hop CD, an Adrienne Clarkson RTNDA Award (from the Association of Electronic Journalists) and a Gabriel Award.

This year’s theme is “one book to break barriers.” Panelists will debate books that change perspectives, challenge stereotypes and illuminate issues. Canada Reads will consider both fiction and nonfiction books. Readers can submit their suggestions at CBCbooks.ca until Sunday, November 30.

The Canada Reads panelists and their chosen books will be announced on January 20, 2015.

The Canada Reads debates will take place in front of live audiences over four days from March 16-19, 2015, and will be broadcast on radio, TV and online at CBCbooks.ca.  Each day of the competition, one book will be eliminated by the panelists, until the winner is chosen as the must-read book for Canadians in 2015.

Every year, the five shortlisted Canada Reads books see a significant rise in sales, and past winners have become national bestsellers. Past successes include The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis, which began as a self-published book and won Canada Reads in 2011; and The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, the 2009 winner, which will be broadcast as a mini-series on CBC-TV beginning January 7, 2015.

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Preview: The Nature of Things celebrates pigeons

I’ll never look at pigeons the same way again.

Living in Toronto for over a decade has taught this small-town boy a few things, including watching out for the ubiquitous grey-feathered beasts fluttering around the downtown core. They bob and coo their way up to people sitting on park benches, eager to dart in and scoop up any morsel of food that tumbles to the ground. I viewed them with scorn and labelled them as pests. But I’ll show them a little more respect the next time we cross paths.

This week’s excellent episode of The Nature of Things, “The Secret Life of Pigeons,” pulls back the curtain on a bird that was once an important part of our daily lives. Written and directed by Scott Harper (The Age of Anxiety), “Pigeons” goes back in time to reveal that they were the first animal on earth to be domesticated and the crucial role they played during wartime of old by flying important messages to troops.

And the suckers are smart. Among the uncanny skills revealed during the episode: pigeons recognize human faces, spread themselves out amid food scraps so each gets some, and their young are among the fastest-growing on the planet. The highlight of the instalment for me was not only an explanation into how pigeons find their way back home from long distances, but the moment an HD camera was strapped to a bird’s back, offering a glimpse into what life is like for a pigeon in flight.

My second favourite segment? A peek into the life of pigeon fanciers, who strive to prolong the life of some of the world’s rarest–and pretty freaky-looking–pigeons.

The Nature of Things, “The Secret Life of Pigeons,” airs Thursday at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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Tonight: Dragons’ Den, Republic of Doyle

Dragons’ Den, CBC
The mood in the Den is amplified when the Dragons are thrown into the mix; an entrepreneur wants to paint a greener picture for the future and hopes the Dragons can handle his past; and a hard-working family hopes to cook up a deal. Plus a multimillion-dollar ask leaves one Dragon questioning the appraisal.

Republic of Doyle, CBC
Jake has to solve a baffling case that has literally been dropped off at his front door; Ned Bishop (Mark Critch) is acting stranger than usual which jeopardizes an important day for Christian Doyle (Jonathan Goad), Leslie faces pressure from a new source as her past actions come back to haunt her.

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