Last week, the team avoided disaster when Sabine (Livia Matthes) sided with Faber (Torben Liebrecht) and chose not to out her husband’s double-agent status to her father (Morten Suurballe). In this week’s new episode, “One for the Moon,” Sinclair’s (Hugh Dillon) prized asset is again threatened after Faber is transferred to Poland. Meanwhile, the spies attempt to get Rigaud’s (Milo Twomey) message of hope out before all of France is occupied by the Nazis.
Here is our preview.
New shades of Sinclair
Expect to see the team’s fearless leader in a new light as he tries to keep Faber on board and make plans to stop Operation Marigold.
“We wanted to see a side of his character that we hadn’t seen before,” says Daniel Godwin, who penned the episode. “The cost of war is really starting to wear on him.”
Faber under pressure
When he receives new orders from his father-in-law, Faber feels caught between his obligations to the Party and his new deal with Sinclair.
“The other thing we wanted to do with this episode, in particular, was to see Faber’s relationship with the team move a little more onto shaky ground because he’s feeling undermined by their actions at the party involving Sabine,” Godwin teases.
Neil and Harry to the rescue
Neil and Harry come up with an ingenious plan to help spread Rigaud’s message to the people of France.
Alfora forecast
Cloudy with a chance of heartbreak.
“We’re not trying to say what’s right and what’s wrong. We’re just trying build a place where the debate can happen.” That, says Caroline Dhavernas, is at the heart of Mary Kills People, Global’s newest original drama.
Debuting Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the network, Mary Kills People will certainly elicit discussion about the subject matter. Dhavernas is Dr. Mary Harris, an emergency room doctor and mother who—with the help of her friend Des Bennett (Richard Short, Covert Affairs)—assists those who want to die. Mary struggles to keep her two careers in order while keeping her night job a secret from her family as the authorities—led by Det. Frank Gaines (Lyriq Bent, Shoot the Messenger)—investigates her. Add to that Mary’s intense feelings for a terminal patient named Joel (Jay Ryan, Beauty and the Beast) and her plate is full. (Look for Bitten‘s Greg Bryk, Rookie Blue‘s Matt Gordon and Charlotte Sullivan, and InSecurity‘s Grace Lynn Kung in key roles.)
Created by Tara Armstrong and executive-produced by Tassie and Amy Cameron alongside Armstrong, Jocelyn Hamilton and director Holly Dale, the six-part event provides plenty of dark comedy to go along with the serious subject matter. (That’s 19-2‘s Adrian Holmes in the opening twisted, gruesomely giddy opening scene.)
We spoke to Dhavernas about her character, the subject matter and where the show goes in the next six episodes.
(l-r) Bent, Ryan, Dhavernas and Short
Can you give me some background on Mary?
Caroline Dhavernas: She’s an ER doctor and a mom. She has this side gig where she assists people in their wish to die. Of course, it’s completely illegal and she will get in trouble for it. It comes from a place of compassion, really, because she has been very close to people who have had to make that decision and she deeply understands where that desire comes from. She doesn’t judge it and she also knows it’s not about her.
It’s a very emotional debate and there is a lot of grey zone. It becomes a lot about not knowing what death is all about because no one has come back to say what it is. We’re very afraid to send people over the edge because it almost feels like pushing them into a place that’s too dangerous. But the place these people are in is so damaging to them that they would rather go to the unknown. I think she gets all that. Not everyone does, and that’s why she gets into real trouble. What’s fascinating about this show is that we’re not trying to say what’s right and what’s wrong. We’re just trying build a place where the debate can happen. It’s fascinating subject matter and a great part. There are a lot of levels to play.
Where do you stand on the debate of doctor-assisted suicide?
I’m on Mary’s side. [Laughs.] It’s good, as a society, to have both sides to the discussion and hear what everyone else has to say. The more you talk about it, the more you know where you stand. If anything, this solidified how I feel about it.
Describe Mary’s relationship with Des.
We don’t really explain where they’re coming from, but I’m pretty sure they went to school together and have been friends forever. Des is going through a hard time because he’s done things that are very wrong for a doctor to do and she is trying to include him in all this and make him feel like a doctor again. They’re in this together and they have a very strong bond.
How many people know what Mary is doing? I feel like she’s going to get caught soon.
It is very illegal, so she will get in trouble for it. She is trying to not let too many people know but these people have families and diaries that she can’t control. Mary has one partner at the hospital, a nurse named Annie, who sees who needs help and meets with people who are asking for that help.
Related: Our podcast chat with Mary Kills People creator Tara Armstrong, executive producer Tassie Cameron and co-producer Marsha Greene
What were your first thoughts when you read the script?
I like bold, daring subject matter and this is certainly that. I like the fact that we’re not judging anything. And, also, a strong female lead is so rare still. The director is female, the writers are female as well … that is so rare and it’s so great to be part of this team. When I met with everyone there was an immediate connection. I’d never worked with Holly Dale before, but when she showed me the mood boards and the water theme … visually it’s going to be stunning as well.
Mary Kills People airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global.
The tears and laughter shared by the Lawson family is no more. This Life will not return for a third season on CBC.
“It’s with great sadness that we say goodbye to our viewers, as #ThisLifeCBC will not be returning for a third season,” the drama’s Facebook page read on Tuesday afternoon. “Thank you for your loyalty, it has been an honour bringing you this show. May the Lawson family live on in your imaginations.”
“I was, of course, hoping to continue the story, but I’m grateful for the two great seasons, for the chance I’ve had to collaborate with a brilliant team of writers, for an amazing producer in Virginia Rankin and everyone at Sphere Media, and for an incredibly talented cast and crew,” Kay said in a statement to TV, Eh? “And thank you to our loyal audience who engaged so passionately with the show online.”
Adapted from Radio Canada’s Nouvelle Adresse by showrunner Joseph Kay, This Life starred Torri Higginson as Natalie Lawson, a single mom of three kids who is told her cancer has returned. Natalie struggles with the prognosis while dealing with the daily struggles of motherhood, a job and a family that doesn’t always get along. This Life also starred Rick Roberts, Lauren Lee Smith, Kristopher Turner, Janet-Laine Green, Peter MacNeill, Marianne Farley, Louis Ferreira, Julia Scarlett Dan, Stephanie Janusauskas and James Wotherspoon.
In a bitter twist, This Life is nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards: Best Dramatic Series and Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Smith.
Wow, did I miss a lot while I was away! A three-week vacation in France meant I missed out on James Gillies’ final appearance (is he really dead this time?!) and my usual Murdoch Mysteries‘ writer chats. I’ll get going on those beginning next week; in the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at Monday’s new episode, “The Missing.”
Maureen Jennings wrote the episode
Fans know Jennings created Det. William Murdoch and his world, and she concocted tonight’s instalment: 20 years after a child was kidnapped, Murdoch investigates the identity of a man claiming to be the wealthy heir.
Spooky starter
The episode begins with a flashback, and it’s super-creepy. We’re not talking James Gillies level odd, but the first few frames definitely made us feel uncomfortable.
Hooray for Detective Watts
I’m a big fan of Daniel Maslany’s offbeat—and brilliant—Det. Watts. He’s the ying to Murdoch’s yang, and I took particular pleasure in him teaming with Jackson on the missing women case. Aside from some funny moments between them, Watts reveals tragedy in his past.
Crabtree’s still hurting
I was hoping Nina and George would patch things up and rekindle their romance, but as “The Missing” began they were still apart, much to Crabtree’s chagrin. However, a certain lady he’s spoken to this season does walk back into his life, offering an opportunity he hadn’t considered before.
Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on CBC.
On paper, Detective John Cardinal is a man of few words. The central figure in Giles Blunt’s Cardinal book series prefers to keep his thoughts on investigations in his head, much to the dismay of his co-workers and partner, Lise Delorme. The fact Cardinal isn’t one to share his intuitions was a challenge actor Billy Campbell embraced.
“I love that kind of stuff, particularly because I have fewer lines to learn,” Campbell says with a laugh. “No, it’s this kind of brooding thing. [Director] Podz and I were talking [before production began] and he said, ‘If you could give one adjective to describe Cardinal, what would it be?’ I said, ‘tortured.’ And he said, ‘Exactly!’ And a lot of that is internal. I like all that stuff that’s between the lines and you don’t see or get a lot of that on television.”
Impressive in scope, beautifully filmed and impeccably cast, CTV’s six-part serialized drama Cardinal—debuting Wednesday on CTV and Thursday on Super Écran—breathes life to Blunt’s first Cardinal novel, Forty Words for Sorrow. Filmed in and around Sudbury, North Bay, Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in Northern Ontario and Toronto, the project stars Campbell as Blunt’s tortured hero, who is called upon to track down the killer of 13-year-old Katie Pine. His partner is Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse), a recent transfer and someone Cardinal doesn’t trust. Additional cast includes Brendan Fletcher as Eric Fraser and Allie MacDonald as Edie Soames, a young couple in town; Deborah Hay as Cardinal’s wife Catherine; Glen Gould as officer Jerry Commanda; Kristen Thomson as Sergeant Noelle Dyson, Cardinal’s commanding officer; David Richmond Peck as Corporal Musgrave, an officer in charge of a tightly guarded investigation; Alanna Bale as Cardinal’s daughter Kelly; and Robert Naylor as Keith.
What executive producer and showrunner Aubrey Nealon (Orphan Black) and Podz (19-2) have done is successfully translate an atmospheric novel to the screen. You can feel the fear gripping the snowy community of Algonquin Bay after Katie’s body is found. Did a drifter commit the crime or someone in town? A washed-out colour palette, cold temperatures and chilling examination of the body all contribute to a feeling of dread, something that came off the page in waves.
“Giles was a big part of the project early on, and then he handed it off,” Nealon says during a break in filming. “As a fan of the novel, I respect his writing so much and wanted to be true to the novel while trying to find my own voice in it.” Some parts of Forty Words for Sorrow didn’t make it to the television series and other content was added. Nealon explains Cardinal’s internal monologue was vocalized through adding new characters and activating past cases referenced in the book and making them part of the current storyline.
“This is so different from writing Orphan Black because these characters were fleshed out and living and breathing [in the novels],” Nealon says. “I wanted to explore Delorme’s personal life a little bit more than happened in the books.” When it came to casting the lead role, Nealon was looking for someone with warmth and humanity that draws viewers in while also presenting a troubled side to him. They got it with Campbell. Pair that with Vanasse’s Delorme, a young, eager cop full of good intention, and the duo simply crackles on-screen.
“Lise made some choices in the past that were safer for her,” Vanasse says. “She is finding in this new role that this is something that she’s always wanted to do. The closer that she gets to Cardinal, working on the case, he moves her. She recognizes how invested he is in the case and follows her instincts more and more.”
Cardinal airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET beginning Jan. 26 on Super Écran.
