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, Motive

A new detective joins the Motive team

As the final season of Motive rolls, Tuesday’s newest instalment, “Index Case,” features one of the show’s most expansive storylines yet, and the city is in danger. The main storyline also marks the debut of a new cast member in Karen LeBlanc (Cracked), who checks in as Det. Paula Mazur. Here’s what we can tell you without giving any major plot points away.

Motive goes international … sort of
The episode begins in the rain forest of Chile, where the murder victim is mapping out the best route for an oil company’s pipeline. His return home—and regular spa appointment—sets in motion events that put citizens at risk.

Five-yards for unsportsmanlike conduct
I’ve personally loved Det. Mitch Kennecki’s brash assumptions and cockiness. He did push the boundaries of professionalism, however, when he asked BC Furies quarterback Russell Bowman for an autograph. That indiscretion gets Mitch called to the carpet in front of Vega.

New-ish kid on the block
Det. Paula Mazur makes her first appearance of the season. She’s accomplished, confident and catches Angie off guard. Matt MacLennan’s script leads to some great awkward moments between the two ladies … and an extra coffee for one lucky cop.

Lucas vs. the Librarian
Lucas goes in search of clues at the local library and runs afoul of a militant marm.

Betty’s in danger
Let’s just say certain details regarding the victim cause an uproar in the morgue and Betty’s not safe.

Awwww, Bega…
You’ll know what we mean when you see it.

Get out the Purell
You’re going to want it after watching this episode.

Motive airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Featured, Wynonna Earp

Wynonna Earp invades Canada in snarky style

After filling up my Twitter feed during its Friday debut on Syfy, Wynonna Earp debuted Monday in Canada on CHCH. One of the interesting things I read during the social media barrage was the comparison folks have made between Wynonna Earp and the dearly-departed Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I certainly get the comparison, and showrunner Emily Andras has mentioned Wynonna and the beloved Buffy in the same sentence. I didn’t watch Buffy at all, so I didn’t have that as a reference during Monday’s debut. Instead, I went in with clear eyes and ready to judge Wynonna on her own merits.

I was very, very impressed. It takes less than a minute to learn Wynonna is headed back to her hometown via bus for her uncle Curtis’ funeral. Moments later, the bus has broken down, a silly girl has ventured into the woods for a pee and Wynona’s unique abilities—and family history—are called upon. She’s the great-great-granddaughter of legendary gunslinger Wyatt Earp and she is fully capable of kicking demon derriere. Good thing, because there are a lot of them; those who Wyatt killed during his time have returned from the dead and Wynonna—with help from sister Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley)—must return the red-eyed beasties from whence they came.

Based on the IDW graphic novels by Beau Smith, the only holdover is Wynonna. Andras and her team concocted the supporting players in Waverly, Agent Dolls (Shamier Anderson), a head demon named Bobo Del Rey (Michael Eklund) and Wyatt’s one-time best bud, Doc Holliday (Tim Rozon). Those players, set in the backwater burg of Purgatory, gives Andras plenty to play with. I watch a lot of television. So much that, as my family can attest, I can often guess what the next line of dialogue or action will be. I couldn’t do that with Wynonna Earp because I never knew what the hell was going to come out of their mouths or what they were going to do next. Wynonna asking if her aunt if her uncle’s body was “intact,” using the promise of coitus as a way to question a ranch hand about Curtis’ death, and a demon literally holding another’s tongue are just three of many snicker-worthy moments.

The pilot episode of a series is usually the weakest because so much needs to be crammed in with regard to the characters and main story, but I didn’t find that here. By the episode’s closing moments viewers picked up Wyatt’s gun, now in Wynonna’s possession, is the only thing that can send them back to hell and they want it. Wynonna can deliver roundhouse kicks with a little extra on them, and Agent Dolls has enlisted Wynonna as a member of his black badge division of the U.S. Marshals to investigate the unexplained. Also? Waverly and Wynonna are quickly becoming a one-two punch in demon-bashing badassery. I’m looking forward to more.

Wynonna Earp airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CHCH.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

W Network launches latest in Love It or List It franchise: Love It or List It Vacation Homes

From a media release:

W Network puts a new twist on the internationally popular Love It or List It franchise with an all-new spin-off series, Love It or List It Vacation Homes premiering Monday, May 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Produced by Big Coat Productions, in association with W Network, Love It or List It Vacation Homes showcases vacation properties with unique architectural designs in Ontario and British Columbia. The series introduces designer, Dan Vickery (HGTV’s Design Star) and realtor, Elisa Goldhawke as hosts who face off against each other in an attempt to persuade vacation homeowners’ to either keep their renovated property or move to a new vacation home.

In Love It or List It Vacation Homes, the homeowners’ love affair with their vacation property has fizzled and they are faced with the dilemma of whether they should love it or list it. And so begins the rivalry between designer and realtor. It’s up to creative designer Dan, to renovate and re-design the homeowners’ current vacation property so that they will “love it” and stay. Whereas fearless realtor Elisa must pull out all the stops to find the homeowners a beautiful new vacation property that checks all the boxes on their wish list, persuading them  to “list it” and put their current property on the market.

Each episode takes viewers on an emotional roller-coaster ride, as Dan and Elisa battle it out for the homeowners’ allegiance. Dan will have to overcome the hidden surprises that come with every reno, and deliver a breathtaking transformation. Meanwhile, Elisa will have to do everything in her power to find a beautiful vacation home for clients with high expectations and zero tolerance for failure. Whether Dan has to deal with a septic tank calamity or Elisa has to track down that perfect waterfront location, each episode ends with that all important question – will they love it or list it?

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Featured, X Company

Denis McGrath teases X Company’s season finale

First, the good news: X Company has been renewed for a third season. The bad news? Our favourite Allied spy team is up to their necks in trouble heading into Wednesday’s second season finale. Will Aurora and Alfred be successful in turning Franz Faber? Will the squad be able to help the Canadian soldiers stranded on the beach at Dieppe?

We spoke to X Company‘s writer/co-executive producer, Denis McGrath, about what’s in store and the stunning real-life story behind Episode 8, “Butcher and Bolt.”

Congratulations on this season of X Company. It’s been spectacular.
Denis McGrath: You never know how good it’s going when you’re doing it. In the beginning, you’d see footage of Torben [Liebrecht] and think, ‘Oh my God, he’s taking it to the next level,’ but it doesn’t really connect until it’s finished. We all see the episodes when they’re in their rough cuts, and the music isn’t complete and the editing is still a little wonky. It’s takes a lot to get a jaded television professional to watch the finished version and go, ‘Oh my God!’ I’ve been doing that this season.

Was there anything that showrunners Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern wanted to explore specifically this season?
We wanted everyone to be a little more bashed up this season. The reference points we kept going to were the amazing pictures of soldiers before they went to Afghanistan and then one year later when they rotated back. It was haunting because you could see in their faces that none of these guys would ever be the same again. We wanted that sort of aspect to it. And the main thing they brought to us—and I was skeptical about it at first—was that they wanted to have a very compressed timeframe because they wanted to start with the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup of the Jews in July of 1942 and end with Dieppe, which is a little over a month later. That’s very compressed for 10 episodes and we had to figure out the timeline.

X_Company

We actually had a calendar up in the writers’ room that was the summer of 1942 and we penciled in, ‘Episode 1 takes place here and Episode 2 takes place here.’ The other thing that they brought—and we loved—was Sinclair in the field. There was a good mix where they came in with a backbone and then from there it was pretty easy to fill the bones in. We locked in very early with what we were doing.

What does the Episode 9 title, “Butcher and Bolt,” mean?
The more you look into Dieppe, what’s cool about it is that that 75 years later or whatever it is, there is still a legitimate argument about what the hell they were thinking. David O’Keefe’s book, One Day in August, basically said that the whole Dieppe raid was a cover for an intelligence operation and they were trying to get an Enigma machine. All of the books seem to agree that no one knew what the Allies were going for with this raid.

What was supposed to be a bigger invasion was scaled down to what it became and they changed the name of the operation. There is a line in the communications somewhere where Churchill refers to it as a “butcher and bolt” operation, which is a bit of cockney slang in there. To take a butcher is to take a look, so it was to go in, take a look around, and then get the hell out. That was the whole plan.

“We always said in the writers’ room that if anyone felt safe, we weren’t doing justice to the era.”

Talk about the radar part of the storyline.
We kept circling back to the radar thing because there is a truly amazing story. It happened with a real Canadian named Jack Nissenthall, who actually did the mission that our guys do in Episode 9 and 10. He was a guy who knew about radar and his job was to hook up with a group of soldiers and he was supposed to infiltrate the German radar station and get their secrets and then blow it up. Things went south and they couldn’t get there, but at one point the literally found themselves on top of a tank and had to take it out. In the end, they didn’t get into the radar station, but they got the intel in a different way, which we will show. Essentially, the mission competed by the X Company spies really happened.

What can you tell me about Scuba Man? He created the diversion at Camp X and then nothing.
[Laughs.] The only thing that I will say is that we do leave some threads hanging.

What can you tell me about the season finale, “August 19”?
There is a sense of finality. We do close off the story. There are a lot of scenes of closure that were inevitable and some horrible stuff that happens. There is some amazing stuff that causes you to think, ‘Oh my God, what’s going to happen in the next chapter?’ It’s a tough watch, man. We continue to do what we did to the audience all season and that’s to drive a lot of emotion, action and the feels.

Is there a chance someone from the core group doesn’t make it?
What I will say is that we always said in the writers’ room that if anyone felt safe, we weren’t doing justice to the era.

X Company‘s season finale airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. on CBC.

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