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Dark Matter, Featured

Dark Matter delivers its biggest “Holy crap!” moment of Season 3

I’ve made a public statement that last week’s episode of Dark Matter, “Isn’t That a Paradox?” was my favourite of the season. It was the perfect blend of science fiction and comedy and allowed the cast to let loose and show their comedic sides.

With that in mind, how did this week’s new instalment, “Built, Not Born,” serve as a follow-up? Quite well, in fact. Here’s what Space has released as the official synopsis for the episode written by Joseph Mallozzi and directed by Melanie Orr.

A distress call from the Android’s friend, Victor, leads to answers about TWO’s past.

And, as always, we’ve got a few more plot points to reveal after watching a screener.

The Android takes centre stage
Zoie Palmer has been given a lot to do this season and takes on even more this Friday. After revealing her “robot” friendships to the Raza crew and that they gave her the upgrade, Android reunites with Victor. Turns out Victor and another android need help getting out of a major bind. As an aside, Mallozzi’s script allows for some very sweet moments; Android really comes off like a teen in the midst of her first real relationship. Nerves abound and emotions are a jumble. And Two and Six are like her parents.

A question of free will
Yes, there’s sweetness on Friday, but also some pretty deep discussion into android ownership and free will. Some members of the Raza have very rigid beliefs while others are more open to change. As if that wasn’t deep enough, Victor has big plans for his group of androids and suggests Android join them.

Three consults with Sarah
Some vital information revealed to the crew has everyone scratching their heads, so Three meets with Sarah to get her take. We learn some pretty major stuff about Three’s thoughts on freedom and that he’s got a pretty good sixth sense about situations.

Two’s past revealed
We’ve been waiting for more intel on the Raza’s captain and we get it this week … big-time. See below.

Say WHAT?!
There is a HUGE reveal midway through “Built, Not Born,” that will leave you spinning. Easily the biggest “Holy crap!” moment in a season chock full of them. It involves the Android, Two and Five and … nope, we won’t spoil it.

Dark Matter airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Space.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

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Featured, Saving Hope

Saving Hope co-executive producer previews the series finale

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When you have a chance to talk to one of Saving Hope‘s writer-co-executive producers, you take it. I ran into Patrick Tarr earlier this week in North Bay, Ont., where he is doing pre-production work as the showrunner on Season 3 of Cardinal. Tarr, who has written for Showcase’s King and CBC’s Cracked and the Murdoch Mysteries web series The Curse of the Lost Pharaohs, penned several instalments of Saving Hope, including last week’s “First and Last.”

Now, with the finale “Hope Never Dies” just two days away, we asked Tarr to tease his thoughts on Charlie and Alex’s final storyline.

“I don’t think that there is another ending that is true to what the show is about,” Tarr says. “I asked Adam [Pettle, Saving Hope‘s showrunner], when we were breaking the final episode and we had the idea we did: ‘What is Saving Hope about?’ This is what we’ve been doing for five seasons.”

Tarr acknowledges that, after a handful of seasons, fans are definitely going to have strong feelings if anything untoward were to happen to any of the key characters they’ve fallen in love with. To have something other than a happy ending for Charlie, Alex, Zack, Shahir, Dawn, Dana or Jackson would be incredibly upsetting. That said, Saving Hope is about life, death and everything in between. And, as the writers have proven over the show’s run, no one is safe from injury.

Tarr joined Saving Hope in Season 3 and has been involved in the last 54 episodes and exits with fond memories.

“I’ve been lucky to come on board a successful show that works really well and has great characters and directors,” he says. And now it’s coming to an end this week.

Saving Hope‘s series finale airs Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

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Amazing Race Canada, Featured

Amazing Race Canada hangs ten—and delivers a Fast Forward—in Bangkok

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It’s been a little hard for me to connect with the teams during this season of The Amazing Race Canada. I’m not sure what it is. No one is particularly annoying or deserves my scorn. Everyone seems to get along not only within their own duos but with each other too. Perhaps that’s it; I’m used to villains and heroes distinguishing themselves by now and it hasn’t happened. These folks are just so nice.

And while I haven’t been outright cheering for a pair yet, I was sad to see Zed and Shabbir eliminated. The father-son duo have a great story—Shabbir battled cancer and won, and Zed looks like José Bautista—and they’ve been strong performers so far both physically and in the mental game. Unfortunately, they stumbled in Bangkok, Thailand.

Sam and Paul, who began the Leg in first place, made a costly blunder at the top of the hour, dropping their instructions and train tickets to Shanghai in the street as they walked away. Incredibly, no one had sauntered along and picked them up and the boys reclaimed the ducats when they retraced their steps. And credit to the pair for keeping cool heads and looking for the tickets rather than wasting time blaming each other. They did, however, lose their clue instructions. But even then, Adam and Andrea gave them help without a blink of the eye. Yes, they want help in return, but this being a competition, I’m still surprised everyone is willing to help.

A quick stop at a Montreal-themed restaurant in Shanghai for some Sinorama product placement and teams were on a plane to Bangkok and a cat café in search of their next clue. It also introduced the first Fast Forward of the season, a special challenge that would score the first team to complete it a straight shot to the Pit Stop. The catch is always that you could waste time going there when another team had already completed the task, and many teams choose to skip it altogether. Ivana and Korey and Adam and Andrea both picked the Hoop Takraw. (The others all elected to stick with the Route Info and took a river cruise to their next clue.) I’m not sure how long it took them—and it appeared to be a total fluke—but Adam’s kick landed the ball in that small net, vaulting them to a temple Pit Stop in top spot and a return trip to Bangkok. Ivana and Korey were forced to return to the Route Info.

An intricate, word-free puppet show was the test for everyone but Adam and Andrea, a mixture of body movement, puppet coordination and silence that all members struggled with. Shabbir kept talking, resulting in failure. Sam and Paul and community theatre actors Bert and Karen nailed the performance on their first try and zipped off to the Detour: Bling It involved decorating a tuk tuk in a specific way while Shred It tested the ability to surf and snag flags for a clue. After eight tries, Zed and Shabbir re-read the clue and realized they were supposed to be silent during the puppet show. By the time they did, they were in last place.

After a few practice tries surfing, Sam and Paul nabbed a flag each and quickly departed for the Pit Stop. Andrea and Ebonie completed the surfing next, followed by Kenneth and Ryan. Clearly, the surfing was the easiest of the two Detours, but how could you know until you were there? Still, Shabbir had troubles surfing and after a particularly bad fall, they decided to switch challenges. That put them far behind everyone else and the only thing that could save them from being sent home was if this Leg was a non-elimination. It wasn’t.

Here’s how the teams placed at the end of this Leg:

  1. Adam and Andrea (won trip to Bangkok)
  2. Andrea and Ebonie
  3. Sam and Paul
  4. Kenneth and Ryan
  5. Karen and Bert
  6. Korey and Ivana
  7. Zed and Shabbir (eliminated)

The Amazing Race Canada airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

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21 Thunder, Featured

21 Thunder: Diversity

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A “show about soccer,” they say. “Lots of sex and violence,” they say. OK, it is summertime and not much is going on. I will check it out. Admittedly, I know next to nothing about the game. I never played it in my youth. My kids never played soccer either; hockey and basketball were their choices. A lack of soccer in your life is fine because unless things change, the premiere episode of 21 Thunder on CBC actually showed much less soccer than it did the lives of the players involved with the franchise.

And this just may work. With the influx of new Canadians, and the popularity of players like Messi, Neymar and Agüero, soccer is gaining a strong foothold in the public’s consciousness—particularly our youth—and so what better foil to tell the story of diverse backgrounds than a football pitch? Toss in storylines that appeal to millennials, and we have 21 Thunder. CBC’s newest drama explores the diversity that is so prevalent in urban Canada through the storytelling of co-creators Riley Adams (Flashpoint), Kenneth Hirsch, and Adrian Wills.

The opening scenes in the premiere episode of CBC’s 21 Thunder  welcomed viewers to the Thunder family and introduce viewers to Christy Cook (Stephanie Bennett, The Romeo Section) turned coach, unwanted and ignored by the coaching staff but nonetheless slotted into the coaching team by upper management; Davey Gunn (Ryan Pierce/Ryan O’Leary, a former professional Scottish footballer) a soccer superstar on the run from his past; former gang member Nolan Gallard (RJ Fetherstonhaugh, Wayward Pines) struggling to resist his wayward habits of youth; Ivory Coast midfielder Junior Lolo (Emmanuel Kabongo, Hemlock Grove); and team captain, goalie and academic prodigy Alex el Haddadi (Andres Joseph, The Flash) who all play under the leadership of head coach  Albert Rocas (Conrad Pla, 19-2). They’re all part of the struggling U-21 Montreal Thunder soccer franchise. Yes, there are big egos here, but you just know that with hubris comes gigantic falls and that spells drama!

Following the introductions—as much backstory as you can cram into 15 mins—the pace quickened the moment Nolan ran into a former friend/gang member from his youth: “Special K” (Kyle Mac). The call of Nolan’s past rang deep and with barely a second thought he jumped headlong back into his criminal ways. Nolan followed Special K and the rest of the Point Soldiers as they tried to recoup their losses from a drug deal gone bad. The gig quickly went sideways and ended in bloodshed. Nolan narrowly escaped capture by the police—good thing he is such a fine soccer player! However, the Point Soldiers have Nolan’s participation recorded on video, and “K” found Nolan’s missing medallion which was lost at the scene of the crime. Seems our pretty boy Nolan has a whole lot of ugly coming down!

And just in case you didn’t think Nolan had enough going against him in this opening episode, we learned about his father, Declan Gallard (Colm Feore, whom I had the privilege to see play Romeo at Stratford in 1984!) currently serving time at the same facility where “Special K” served out his sentence. I suppose we have to wait to learn how far-reaching Declan’s past will interfere with his son’s future. Or in a twist, will Declan’s connections be what saves Nolan from his impulsiveness? In any case, Nolan’s play on the pitch was affected by his extra curriculars and the coaching staff took notice.

Other questions that remain as we await next week’s episode: how will Christy and her brother, Peter (Chris Cavener), manage to care for their ailing mother, and how will that affect Christy’s coaching responsibilities? How are Junior Lolo (Emmanuel Kabongo) and his younger brother coping as they adjust to life in Montreal? And how is Assistant Coach Davey Gunn going to influence all of the various players on the team as the season plays out?

Overall, I found this episode visually appealing, looking more akin to the productions we see coming from BBC. I was also reminded of the cult-favourite Dream Team, which appeared in the late 90s to 2006 on SKY; the football drama featured an underage team in the English Premiership, chockablock with crazy storylines, lots of sex and gratuitous violence. It remains to be seen if 21 Thunder intends to follow that same path, or if it will generate the same fan following that Dream Team did two decades ago.

A couple of little things did niggle at me. Coach Cook’s little “header hack” was a bit too amateur for pro soccer, and actor RJ Fetherstonaugh is just too pretty and clean to portray a former gang member—yes, I know, I am falling for the archetypes here. Both were distractions for me as I watched. However, those aside, I am very curious to see how the show evolves and I am quite interested to see how both newcomer Pierce and veteran Feore’s characters develop through the season.

What were your initial thoughts following tonight’s premiere? Let me know in the comments below!

21 Thunder airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

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Featured, Saving Hope

Saving Hope says goodbye with tears and triumphs

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This is it Saving Hope fans. The last episode before the doors of Hope Zion close forever this Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV. It’s been one hell of a ride, hasn’t it? I distinctly recall watching the first episode of the show back when I was at TV Guide Canada. “Another medical drama?” I thought. Yes, Saving Hope is a medical drama, but with one heck of a twist: a doctor who can see dead people. In the wrong hands, the premise would be cheesy, over-the-top and unwatchable.

In the right hands, it became a bonafide ratings hit for CTV. Stellar writing from co-creators Morwyn Brebner and Malcolm MacRury and a whos-who of scribes like Fiona Highet, Waneta Storms, Adam Pettle, Patrick Tarr, Noelle Carbone, Amanda Fahey and Jennifer Kassabian established the characters. Actors Erica Durance, Michael Shanks, Wendy Crewson, Benjamin Ayres, Julia Chan, Huse Madhavji, Joseph Pierre, Michelle Nolden and Daniel Gillies breathed life into them and made us care. Thanks to them—and all those behind-the-scenes folks and dozens of additional actors—who put in the long hours to make a truly great Canadian television series.

Here’s what CTV revealed as the episode synopsis for Thursday’s last episode “Hope Never Dies,” written by Adam Pettle and directed by James Genn.

In the shocking series finale of Saving Hope, following a mass casualty accident involving a bus full of teenagers, Dr. Alex Reid and Dr. Charlie Harris rush to the scene to try and save the kids while waiting for backup to arrive. The Hope Zion Hospital family must band together to overcome the tragedy, and move on to the next chapter of their lives.

Are here are a few more tidbits to get you through to the broadcast.

So, do Alex and Charlie finally tie the knot?
They were on the verge of it last week, but an injured bride-to-be got in the way. Now, the road is clear for these two to make it official, right? It would be a major bummer if, after five seasons, they didn’t get married. But, this being Saving Hope, nothing is easy, is it?

A truly shocking moment
I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop on a series like Saving Hope. Even I gasped because of what occurred just minutes into the episode. It was unexpected and takes “Hope Never Dies” in a stunning place made even more effective with Pettle’s storytelling, Michael Shanks’ and Erica Durance’s performances and Genn’s direction.

Guest stars aplenty
Keep your eyes peeled for Alden Adair from Workin’ Moms, Lisa Codrington from Letterkenny, Paul Popowich (Cracked) and Dempsey Bryk, who appeared on Heartland earlier this year.

What happened to Jackson?
Last week’s liver surgery went south thanks to the longtime nurse having an allergic reaction to the anaesthetics. We find out Jackson’s fate.

Related: Here’s what writer-co-executive producer Patrick Tarr says about the series finale!

Want to send the folks at Saving Hope a message? Post in the comments section and I’ll pass it along!

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

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