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Featured, Motive

Motive readies for its final goodbye

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This is it, Motive fans. The penultimate episode is upon us. It’s been one hell of a ride, hasn’t it? We’ve loved this four-season peek into the lives of Angie Flynn, Oscar Vega, Betty Rogers and Brian Lucas. They’ve solved crimes, faced adversity and enjoyed copious adult beverages together. But before the final farewell—will Angie move to Paris?—we’ve still got this week’s story to cover.

Here’s what CTV has to say about “Chronology of Pain”:

When Detective Angie Flynn (Kristin Lehman) and the team investigate an explosion at Judge Natalie Rodman’s (Joanna Cassidy, CALL ME FITZ) home, Angie is grateful her mentor survived. But when the Judge dies a short while later, Angie races to catch a sophisticated killer who’s an expert at covering their tracks—and may strike again.

And here’s what we can tell you after previewing the episode, written by Julie Puckrin:

Motive2

Angie as … staff sergeant?
She may be a fill-in for now and says she’s not interested in the gig, but is Angie telling the truth? Her thoughts on her years as a detective, and possible next steps, are challenged when Judge Rodman is found dead.

Kennecki returns!
We’ve certainly missed the wise-cracked, over-confident cop, haven’t you? Thankfully, we get a dose of Det. Mitch when Angie investigates the incident at the judge’s house. The two have a nice little tête-à-tête that hints Angie could be one heck of a mentor.

A.J. Buckley returns to TV!
Oh, how we’ve missed Buckley on Canadian TV. The former CSI: NY forensics expert checks in to Motive as a car mechanic who is key to the case.

Motive gets vice-presidential
OK, he played a vice president on The West Wing, but we were giddy to see Tim Matheson guesting as Brent, the judge’s husband. Sure, he seems worried about his wife’s well-being, but did he have reason to off her?

Let us know what you’ll miss most about Motive using the Comments section or via Twitter @tv_eh.

Motive‘s series finale airs next Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media

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Featured, Your Morning

CTV welcomes a new day with Your Morning

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It’s been just over two months since Bell Media announced Canada AM was being cancelled, replaced by a new morning show called Your Morning and hosted by the team of Ben Mulroney and Anne-Marie Mediwake, with Melissa Grelo as Late Morning Anchor, Lindsey Deluce as News Anchor and Kelsey McEwen handling the weather.

So, how did the new crew and show do on its first day on the job? Anyone expecting an innovative way of delivering morning news and entertainment was going to be disappointed. There are only so many ways you can package news, interviews, weather and talk into a three-hour program, though Your Morning does it with a glitzy, energetic vibe. Boasting a lead-off sit-down with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and performance by Florida Georgia Line, Mulroney and Mediwake welcomed Monday with smiles, sitting on a bright set highlighted by blue with yellow piping. (Your Morning‘s theme music—a jaunty affair—was composed by Grammy nominee Stephan Moccio.)

“Here’s what’s topping your morning,” Mulroney said before the headlines of the day were presented in a package like an eTalk bundle, with music and pictures covering a Summer Olympics wrap-up. National and regional headlines and weather were presented in an easy-to-read crawl at the bottom of the screen. After a brief back-and-forth between Mulroney and Mediwake, Lindsey Deluce jumped in to cover more serious news stories before throwing back to the co-hosts, who chatted about what Deluce had just reported. Like other morning shows, Your Morning is big on reaction to the news, aiming to connect with viewers over something they’ve said.

Kelsey McEwen from CTV Calgary was doing her thing with weather across the country. McEwen used easy-to-read map icons and augmented her delivery by utilizing YouTube video of a volcano spewing ash and Twitter images of weather that was reminiscent of Canada AM‘s Jeff Hutcheson.

Mulroney’s much-ballyhooed interview with Trudeau wasn’t the love-in I was expecting. He queried the PM on his inquiry into murdered Aboriginal women and girls tied to possible police misconduct and Indigenous boys and men in Manitoba in jails connected to a racism issue in Canada. Filmed in Gatineau, QC, with Parliament Hill in the background, talk turned to back-to-school issues for Trudeau’s kids and how he’s urging them to listen to The Tragically Hip.

Your Morning‘s first show ended with country duo Florida Georgia Line playing just before 9 a.m. in the Bell Media parking lot in front of a hundred or so fans, and this is where the program sets itself apart from competitors. Being at the corner of Queen St. and John St. rather than Canada AM‘s Scarborough digs means access to big stars staying in the downtown core. That will make a big difference in a few weeks when the Toronto International Film Festival arrives and celebrities drop by.

Like I said, Your Morning isn’t doing anything innovative, but what it is doing is packaging it via a new look with new voices. And it is entertaining. Say what you want about Mulroney—and many, many do—but he’s a capable ringleader, able to drive conversation and elicit responses from the rest of the team. I feel like Mediwake may be figuring out exactly where she fits in—she’s used to reporting the news and is being called on to be more personal here—but that will come with time.

What did you think of Your Morning? Comment below or @tv_eh.

Your Morning airs weekdays between 6 and 9 a.m. ET on CTV (Ontario, Québec and Eastern Canada) and nationally on CTV News Channel.

Image by Adam Scotti

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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.

19_2_2

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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