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.
Featured, Haven

Review: Chris Brody returns to Haven

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If only Chris Brody had flown to Haven, perhaps the town wouldn’t be in the pickle it is now. Instead fans had to settle for Chris (Jason Priestley) and his charms via Skype as he attempted to stop Dr. Charlotte Ross from investigating the weird wound on Dave’s leg. Dave rightly supposed that once Charlotte laid eyes on Chris–and was affected by his charm Trouble–she would lay off her investigation of the town.

And it worked. For awhile. Unfortunately, a double Trouble (the ghost of a dead father in a bear suit and bubbly lip disease) revealed the Troubles to Charlotte and she called the CDC to order a big “Quarantine” sign plopped down over Haven. Duke–with some help from an electrical Trouble–took out the cell tower and ended her conversation, but I’m not sure that will stop her for long. Again, if only Chris was there to apply salve to the situation. She certainly won’t be trusting Dwight anytime soon. And that’s too bad, because I really liked the fact that he and Charlotte were bonding over lobster and their military backgrounds (she from the Navy and he an ex-Ranger). It was definitely taking away the sting of Dwight losing his sister to her Trouble in Cincinnati.

Getting back to Dave for a second; his latest dream had him looking through the eyes of someone at the site of the tree carved with Croatoan, surrounded by dead bodies and a black smoke (the aether?) beckoning to a thinny shimmering in front of that person’s eyes. Are these dreams from the other side, or are they placed in the present’s past? There weren’t any answers to that one, and I don’t suppose there will be any soon, seeing as the major storyline will be the outbreak and Charlotte for the immediate future.

Meanwhile, Mara used her feminine wiles–and I think her first shower in weeks–to woo Duke. Duke, who is always left just on the outside of Haven’s in-crowd, fell for Mara’s body and her mind games. By episode’s end he had sided with Mara, who described them both as outcasts that should be taking down Haven together. Duke’s sudden switch to the dark side was stunning but not unexpected. As several readers have hinted over the past few weeks, Duke may have separated Mara and Audrey with the intent on keeping Mara for himself. If that’s the case, joining her in the cause to fight back against Audrey, Nathan, Dwight et al. makes total sense. And they would be a powerful pair.

I think the citizens of Haven has better watch out. The disease outbreak and the CDC may be the very least of their Troubles.

Notes and quotes

  • Why did everyone run when the bear took his head off to reveal a blasted-off head? This is Haven and weird stuff happens all the time. Maybe they were tourists.
  • “It’s the locals. They get upset when we run out of lobster.”–Dwight, after Charlotte heard screams
  • Kudos to Dwight for still being able to eat after Charlotte talked about oozing pustules
  • “You’re on with each other. And yes, it’s weird.”–Duke to Audrey and Mara
  • “What if my bears expose us all?” Only in Haven

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

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19-2

Link: 19-2 Season 2 Premiere Tackles Montreal School Shooting

From Amber Dowling:

“19-2” isn’t a series known for pulling punches, in French Canada or in its English-Canadian remake that debuted earlier this year on Bravo.

Season 1 of the English version depicted what series star Jared Keeso likes to describe as the “blood, piss and puke” of cop shows through graphic, documentary-style scenes, like a female officer being beaten with a baseball bat or an elderly man sobbing while his son stood over him screaming. Season 2 is about to up that ante. Continue reading.

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Uncategorized

Link: Move over Lena Dunham, Mohawk Girls is where it’s at

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From Ashley Csanady:

If you’re already sick of all the chatter about the fourth season of Lena Dunham’s Girls, which won’t even air on HBO until January 2015, the Canadian television gods are offering an antidote.

The cure is Mohawk Girls, and it looks like Sex and the City had a baby with a Joseph Boyden novel produced by Shonda Rhimes.

The characters are all strong, Cosmo-clutching women looking for the answers to life and love, all within the tight-knit setting of reservation life. Continue reading.

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Featured

Michelle Alexander breaks ground in creepy homegrown Darknet

Halloween may be over, but that doesn’t mean the scares need to end. Thanks to Netflix, there are numerous spooky series available all year long. And while there are the requisite flicks featuring chainsaw-wielding killers, frightening dolls and slithery things in closets, nothing is quite like Darknet.

Based on the Japanese horror series Tori Hada, Darknet is a Canadian anthology series airing its second window via the online broadcaster (it was available on Super Channel first). The project, made up of six intertwining half-hour stories, explores serial killers and axe murderers, but it also tips the horror genre on its head by offering unique views on society’s paranoia and some surprise character reveals. One gal, for instance, appears to be a mousy, quiet office worker but is anything but, and a medical student named Alison defends her privacy in a very unique way.

“I kept saying to the writers, ‘This is such a gift,'” Michelle Alexander says of her character, Alison. “One of the producers, Steven Hoban, and I were saying that we can’t think of a character in modern TV that has a big a swing from a the beginning of the series to the end. I’m usually cast as the first girl you meet, the girl who is sweet and lovely.”

The Vancouver Island native, who also works as Associate Artistic Director at Toronto’s Nightwood Theatre, assumed she was done playing Alison after filming the pilot episode. She was surprised to be called back after Alison was written into two more vignettes, including the season finale, a twisted trip that leaves a trio of characters in a cliffhanger ending.

Season 1 of Darknet was written by six different writers (each one wrote an instalment each) and six different directors–the result is unique take with regard to story and imagery–starring veteran and new faces from the Canadian television and film industry. Among those appearing in the scary tales are David Hewlett (Stargate: Atlantis), Ari Miller (Orphan Black), Martha Burns (Slings & Arrows), Peter Outerbridge (Orphan Black), Cara Gee (Strange Empire) and Arnold Pinnock (Combat Hospital). All embody characters counter to roles they’ve played in the past: Hewlett is a businessman who finds a mysterious locker key; Burns a mother seeking a babysitter for her unique son; and Pinnock portrays a seemingly loving husband who runs afoul of Alison.

“The problem with a lot of modern horror now is that you kind of get the formula. It’s so popular with young people right now that you just kind of pump out this formulaic horror shows,” Alexander explains. “This is more like a throwback to Alfred Hitchcock horror where there are twists and turns. Even if you’re looking for the twists, it’s better than just the shock and awe. Darknet is more character-driven and story-driven.”

Season 1 of Darknet is available on Netflix Canada.

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Industry News

Say Yes to the Dress Canada gets W Network debut date

W_Network-80

From a media release:

Dreams come true this winter as Corus Entertainment’s W Network captures all the excitement and joy of finding the perfect wedding dress with the premiere of Say Yes to the Dress Canada. The series features brides from across Canada as they shop for their dream dress with loved ones at the exclusive Amanda-Lina’s Sposa Boutique in Toronto. Each episode of Say Yes to the Dress Canada invites viewers to join wide-eyed brides as they face the exhilaration and emotion of saying ‘yes’, before they walk down the aisle and say ‘I do’. Say Yes to the Dress Canada premieres with back-to-back episodes Wednesday, January 7 at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Produced by Temple Street Productions in association with W Network and based on the popular format created by Half Yard Productions for TLC, Say Yes to the Dress Canada brings the heart of the U.S. series north to our beautiful Canadian brides. The series stars bridal stylist and fashion dynamo, Joseph, who brings his extensive experience working for some of Canada’s top fashion retailers and A-list celebrities to the show. It also features bridal boutique owners Sam and Rachelle, seamstress Maria and Amanda-Lina’s team of seasoned bridal consultants.​

In Say Yes to the Dress Canada, brides-to-be are on a search for the perfect gown to match their style, image and budget. It’s not always easy with family and friends at their side offering their unfiltered opinions. Filmed at one of Canada’s leading bridal destinations, Amanda-Lina’s Sposa Boutique in Toronto, the series goes behind-the-scenes and uncovers the hurdles every staff member faces to ensure each bride is completely satisfied on what may be the single most important day of her life.

This season includes Canadian bridal appointments including Olympic Bobsledder Emily Baadsvik and fiancé, CFL star Dimitri Tsoumpas; Sharon, whose 88 year-old Matron of Honour and grandmother helps to pick out the perfect dress; best friends who fulfill a childhood dream of shopping for dresses together; and the bride who has tried on 50 gowns before coming to Amanda-Lina’s Sposa Boutique.

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