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19-2, Featured

19-2 closes out Season 3 with conflict and a cliffhanger

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Season 3 of 19-2 has been energetic, dramatic and harrowing. There’s been an awful lot of the third thanks to Amelie’s exit, Tyler’s alcoholism, Audrey’s anger-filled past, Isabelle’s transfer and J.M.’s assaults on Justine.

Last Monday’s episode, “Gone,” culminated in a rift between Ben and Nick, with the former announcing to the latter he was transferring to the SQ in Morin Heights to escape the 19. We also know that, because Frank has agreed to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter rather than murder, Ben is looking to dole out his own frontier justice. Will 19-2‘s by-the-book cop put his career on the line to avenge Amelie’s death?

Here’s what Bravo’s official episode synopsis says about “Water,” the Season 3 finale:

Denied justice, Ben sees an opportunity to take his own revenge. Watching Ben spiral out of control, Nick makes a desperate attempt the save his partner. As her case against Ciarelli falls apart, Elise takes extraordinary measures. Nick and Ben confront each other over what they’ve done, and discover the truth of what happened to the woman they loved.

And here’s what we can tell you after watching the episode.

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Ben’s gamble
The above image shows just how desperate Ben is to get all the information he can on Frank. Skulking around in the shadows? That’s not the Ben Chartier we’ve been cheering for three seasons. Seeing him like this left an awful feeling in our stomachs, and—sorry 19-2 fans—there’s no light at the end of this tunnel.

The Ciarelli case goes in another direction
An extreme act by Charlie Figo has Elise flummoxed, and—after what happened to Amelie and Martine—reconsidering the actions she’s taken to try to have Ciarelli incarcerated … and what line she’ll cross to make things right.

Isabelle returns
Maxim Roy teased Isabelle would re-appear in Episode 10, and she wasn’t kidding. We can’t say anything regarding the circumstances, but it’s a big deal.

The cast brings their A-game
19-2‘s cast is simply incredible week to week, but the season finale offers truly gifted scenes. Jared Keeso puts in a standout performance not only in the spots where he has lines, but those ones when nothing is said. Ditto for Dan Petronijevic, who deserves a damned Canadian Screen Award for his portrayal of J.M. not only for the finale, but for this season overall.

Let me know what you think of 19-2‘s third season finale by commenting below or @tv_eh.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Working It Out Together: Two-Spirited Gifts

Series host Waneek Horn-Miller opens this episode with the statement: “Love is a special kind of magic that people have between them, and everyone is allowed to have that magic.” This is the theme that is repeated throughout as we explore what it means to be two-spirited, both in traditional communities and in today’s society.

Waneek continues: “Sexuality should be something that acts as a strength rather than a fear as we grow and mature.”

Prior to colonization, Two-spiritedness—one body containing both the male and the female spirit—was held in high esteem. Gina Metallic, Social Worker, explains that two-spirited people were medicine people, pipe carriers, marriage counsellors and teachers. “They especially made good social workers and counselors because they were able to see both the male and female sides equally.”

Traditionally, Indigenous people saw sexuality and gender  as something that constantly evolves during the lifetime. However,  at the time of colonization, the settlers sought to destroy this practice, using the influence  of the Jesuits. Christian indoctrination removed the influence of the two-spirited advisors within the community, effectively breaking down the social structures. This  attitude was perpetuated for generations within the Residential School System; children who exhibited non-normative behaviours grew up ostracized.

Ms. Metallic also discusses how today, those who are two-spirited continue to feel  like an outsider in their home communities due to homo and trans phobias and oftentimes gravitate to larger urban areas in order to find acceptance. However, many times those who do seek refuge and find anonymity in larger centres then encounter racism. As a result, two-spirited people often turn to sex work to survive and “have the highest rate of suicide of any population.”

Robbie Masden shares his journey as he comes to accept and learn to celebrate his two-spirited self.  Growing up, Robbie was subjected to “gay bashing” and turned to alcohol and drug abuse as a means to escape himself. It was not until Robbie returned to his home community and explored the history of two-spiritedness that he began to understand and recognize the gifts he had been given, and began to heal himself.

This episode also features Pasha Partridge. Pasha shares her experiences as a bisexual, and is currently in a serious relationship with a woman. Pasha and her girlfriend left their remote northern community and now reside in her father’s community,  Kanahwa:ke, QC in order to avoid social persecution.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Working It Out Together: Wayne Rabbitskin–The Long Road Home

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Prior to colonization, Indigenous men and women treated each other as equals. They had different roles to fulfill but they still regarded each other with equal respect. But at the time of colonization, governmental policies created social dysfunction, essentially crippling the role of the men within traditional communities, even criminalizing their role as warrior within their families.  This has left men without a role to fill and has ultimately disconnected them from the land and their culture.

Throughout this episode we accompany Wayne Rabbitskin, Chisasibi, QC, as he travels his own journey of reconciliation. Wayne suffers from multi-generational trauma as a result of his parents’ experiences at Residential School. Included in footage are his heart felt words of apology for the pain he caused. He admits to alcohol and drug abuse. He also admits to abusing his former wife and destroying his marriage. This form of dysfunctional behaviour is commonly  referred to as lateral violence. Lateral violence refers to acts of destructive aggression against one’s peers rather than bullying to establish a sense of superiority. It is a means to share pain in order to alleviate pain rather than exerting force to create a social hierarchy.

Wayne is now working to end lateral violence in communities. Following his stay in a treatment centre, where he re-learned his role as a man and came to understand that women are sacred, Wayne committed himself to a 1000 mile walk, visiting other communities like his own to share his testimony. His own admissions are acting to expose lateral violence and inter-generational trauma, and allowing others to heal, while hecontinues to make amends for his own actions.

Traditional Story-teller Isaac Murdoch explains that prior to colonization, ” Women were literally a walking ceremony. They were the water carriers.  And because water is our first teacher, our first medicine, it’s the very thing that gives us life there was a high respect of women because of their strong connection of the land.” Because of this there was a balance in order to preserve life for the generations to come. However, with the arrival of the settlers came the arrival of both sickness and alcohol. Since the men were the ones who traded goods, it was the men who fell prey to the effects of alcohol, destroying the accord between men and women. Isaac believes that men must look back to the days before the settlers arrived and reconnect to the traditional ways in order to heal.

Shawn Iserhoff, Mistissini Youth Chief, also shares his experiences on the land and describes how this connection brings humility and harmony to his life, contrary to his experiences in the city.

Having participated in healing circles myself, witnessing the bravery of Mr. Rabbitskin admissions in order to make amends was particularly moving.

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Featured, Killjoys

Situations become dire as Killjoys’ season finale approaches

With the Sept. 2 season finale quickly approaching, Killjoys has shifted into high gear. D’Avin’s control over the green plasma, Dutch’s search for Aneela and Pawter’s discovery of what those walls are for come together in Friday’s new episode, “Full Metal Monk.” Here’s what the official episode synopses from Space says:

Clues from Khlyen’s Red 17 transmission lead Dutch, D’Avin and Alvis to an old research facility on Arkyn while Johnny and Pawter try to rally outside support in the impending war for Westerly.

And here are some non-spoilery tidbits from us.

D’Avin shows off his wizardly ways
D’Avin proved has been showing his connection with the green goo for the last couple of weeks. In tonight’s episode, Turin is an eye-witness when the pair chase down a baddie … with eye-popping results.

Is there something on my face?
Is there something on my face?

Pawter shows her power
Pawter flexes her muscles and works to have Johnny released from custody. But Jelco isn’t easily swayed by her tough talk, however. Meanwhile, Pawter reveals the real reason behind the walls and what evil plans are in the works. (Wynonna Earp‘s Shamier Anderson stops by for a guest gig.)

Does Aneela really exist?
Khlyen says she does, but can he really be trusted? D’Avin argues Dutch should be concentrating on other things, but she’s become so single-minded, is that possible? Will D’Av choose to help her, or his brother? What would you do? Dutch’s journey for the truth necessitates a visit with Olin, and tales of green-tinged rivers of death and—perhaps—monks who once battled a devil. (Keep an eye out for veteran actor Julian Richings in a key role.)

Killjoys airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Space.

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19-2, Featured

Tattiawna Jones talks Amelie’s journey on 19-2

It seems like no one on 19-2 is allowed to have nice things. After Ben Chartier revealed his secret spot away from the world to Amelie De Grace (Tattiawna Jones) and she recently saying “I love you” to him, her life was cut short. In typical brutal 19-2 fashion, Amelie died violently at the hands of Frank Ferney (Spiro Malandrakis), a recovering drug addict who blamed social worker Amelie for him not being able to foster his niece, Martine.

Now, with 19-2‘s season finale around the corner, we spoke to Jones about her role, her experience on the gritty Bravo drama … and her stand-up career.

Congratulations on your portrayal of Amelie. Sadly, I’m talking to you because she is no more. How did you find out? Did showrunner Bruce Smith call to tell you the news?
Tattiawna Jones: He did, and he was really great about it. I can’t imagine it was a fun call for him to make. ‘Hi, um, you’re getting fired and this is how it happens.’ [Laughs.] It wasn’t like that at all. He was so lovely and the 19-2 family is a group of artists that are there wanting to tell a good story. He said, ‘Amelie is going to meet her end, and this is how it’s going to happen and how it works into the story.’ I was super-excited and thought it was unbelievable. No one was going to see it coming. It gives 19-2 heart. It’s such a personal show and a personal story. Amelie dying in that way makes it even more personal. When I read the script, I’d felt like I had lost someone and that’s how I do feel when I watch 19-2.

I love to do action stuff, so the stunts were really fun and my screen partner was super-fantastic. In between action and cut was as terrifying as it should be.

Fans certainly didn’t see it coming.
I think it speaks to the courage of the writers. It’s something that I had overlooked as an actor; the people who live through these characters first are the writers. I got Amelie as a toddler and was able to grow her up a bit. The writers have to live through this first and are blamed [when something bad happens]. If a writer has the courage to do something like that for the sake of the story, they should be commended for it. That’s how I felt when Bruce called me up and when I saw [writer] Lynne [Kamm] on the set. It’s bravery to take people by surprise.

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What about working with Spiro? Did you talk about the scene in advance? He had a tough job to do too.
He had a really tough job and I’m glad you said that. People often think the victim in the partnership has the tough job but his character is the abuser in this case and that is a tough job. You’re into all kinds of politics with our characters: man and woman, race politics, all kinds of politics at work. The writers want people to think and to look at their own sensibilities. We didn’t talk about it beforehand. We got on-set and are relative newbies in the stand-up comedy world, so we were talking about that beforehand. He was a pro and I never felt unsafe.

Did you do research in preparation for playing Amelie? Did you speak to social workers?
I did. Lynne really helped out a lot and gave me a bunch of information. I spoke to a couple of people that I knew, did some Googling. You have to do research if you’re going to play any kind of public servant.

It’s a tough job.
Oh my God, I couldn’t do it. I could never, never do it. I cannot believe the kinds of things these people go through. But also, it’s a thankless job. These people are underpaid and get no accolades and yet are doing good work at the ground level day in and day out. There are selfless and want something better for someone else.

What did you learn about your time on 19-2?
I learned a lot about how to make a really great piece of art and not let money stop that.

I have to ask you about your stand-up career. What’s the status of that?
It’s sitting at home. I’m scared to go back and work on it. I’m at the stage where I have a ton of material written and now it’s up to me to go to an open mike and go on at one or two in the morning like any other comedian ever in the history of comedians has and earn it.

Is stand-up something you’ve always wanted to do?
It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and been afraid to do. I’m kind of good enough at it that when I’m with my friends, but I’m not that good at it as a profession because I haven’t put the work in. Now I’m putting the work in and learning about the craft of stand-up comedy.

19-2‘s season finale airs Monday at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.

 

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