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Comments and queries for the week of March 4

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Highway Thru Hell on DVD?
I would love to order all seasons of Highway Thru Hell on DVD. Can you help me on how I can? I live in the States and I have friends who live in Canada. I just love this show and would like to get all seasons of this show. —Gail

There’s good news and bad news. First, the bad news: at this time no seasons of Highway Thru Hell are available for purchase on Blu-ray or DVD. The good news? Four seasons of Highway Thru Hell are available for purchase via the iTunes store.

Let’s talk skinny basic

In December, don’t they have to completely unbundle? So what, $40 a month for FX, $5 a month for OLN? $80 for HBO, $2 for Comedy Gold? In theory, this was a good idea but so was eliminating three-year cell phone contracts. Did the consumers actually save money? No. Did Bell, Rogers and Telus recently raise their cell phone prices-again? Yes, but not everywhere. Where didn’t they? Manitoba, Quebec and Saskatchewan. What’s different about them? MTS Mobility, Videotron and SaskTel. I wonder why a lot of people want telecom competition? Anyone else see a lot of brands all linked to a few of the same names? Doesn’t that look like a problem? —Dan

Great article! I really liked it. I’m 33 and I’ve always been a cord cutter (or cord never had it). I watch Netflix, but that’s basically it. I’ve actually been watching YouTube more and more and I was curious what your thoughts are on that trend? 18-25 watches more YouTube than TV or Netflix combined. And 26-35 isn’t far behind I think. YouTube made $8B in ad revenue last year and with YouTube Red being the biggest app in the app store at the end of the year, it’s likely to continue. Thanks for the great article. I’ll be back on the site soon and have followed on Twitter. Definitely want to see more of your thoughts. —Somnia

These offers from the cable companies are not surprising, they are tailored to fit the flawed CRTC new rule which explicitly excludes equipment. If you get only a few OTA channels, it could be that your antenna is not up to the job. Before even looking at those cable packages, see if you can upgrade your setup. A new/better antenna, with installation (if required) may cost you a few hundreds, but it will quickly pay for itself. We cut the cord two years ago and switched to high-speed unlimited internet with VoIP landline phone and to a rooftop antenna connected to a Roku and a Tablo DVR. With 23 American and Canadian over the air TV channels, we never looked back. Our own setup was not cheap ($800) but was paid back in eight months. Not having any kind of cable package is by far the best way to respond to any cable company offer! —Jerome

Life imitates art for X Company‘s Sandra Chwialkowska

This show is the best show on television. These articles help bring it more and more into the light. Waiting for each new episode with anticipation is one thing but the ante is upped with each new insight, interview, and article that comes out. Yes, I await each glimpse into this masterpiece with almost the same excitement with which I await each new episode. With great pride I have nudged, nieces, nephews and friends toward this show, and with great joy share in their addiction of same. Thank you for this quality gift called X Company. —Linda

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh.

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Featured, Vikings

Athelstan returns to Vikings

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I’ve missed Athelstan, so it was great to see Ragnar’s Christian buddy show up in Thursday’s new episode. Yes, after being teased for weeks, Bjorn finally had his bloody showdown with the grizzly bear, but that bloody battle actually took a back seat (for me at least) to Athelstan’s guest appearance.

The episode’s title, “Mercy,” was the singular word Athelstan spoke to Ragnar, who took it as a sign he should release Floki from his cave trussing. The late monk appeared to King Ecbert too, in the chamber where Judith’s teachings have taken place. Both Ragnar and Ecbert pleaded for Athelstan to stay with them, but he quickly disappeared. The thing I love about Vikings is Michael Hirst’s ability to successfully interweave scenes of intense emotion with those of chaotic battle or violence. Athelstan’s visit came on the heels of Bjorn’s triumph over the bear, an awful affair that included claws, knives and a well-timed axe.

Bjorn, after skinning the beast, dove into the frigid lake water and emerged, screaming. The symbolism couldn’t have been more obvious: Bjorn plunged into the water a boy and emerged a man. (Did anyone else feel badly for the bear? I know it didn’t really die, but still…) Bjorn’s triumph over the bear should prepare him for his next challenge: surviving an assassination attempt by the berserker Kalf and Erlendur have hired.

Aethelwulf, meanwhile, was proving his own worth. He successfully delivered Kwenthrith and Magnus to the safe haven of Wessex and was rewarded for his troubles by a roll in the hay with Kwenthrith. Little does Aethelwulf know his father is sleeping with his wife. That’s going to make family meals an awkward affair, no?

As for Rollo, he’s still trying to figure out where he fits in in Paris. As he was in Season 1, Rollo is pretty much a laughingstock in France, unable to communicate and unable to win over Gisla. Pair her divorce demand with that priest calling him a savage, and Rollo’s having a pretty crap time in the City of Light. The thing is, you can never count the big man out. (And seeing as history documents a viking dude named Rollo being part of the Paris upper class, we know things are going to work out eventually.)

What did you think of Thursday’s new episode? How will Floki react when Ragnar tells him he’s free because of Athelstan? Let me know in the comments or via Twitter.

Vikings airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on History.

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Featured, Orphan Black

Photo gallery: New Orphan Black images revealed

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The return of Orphan Black is just over a month away, and the folks at Space are getting us primed new images for Episode 1!

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As previously announced, Season 4 of Orphan Black returns Thursday, April 14, at 10 p.m. ET on Space.

In Season 4, Sarah returns home from Iceland to track down an elusive new ally tied to Beth’s past. With the stakes higher than ever before, Sarah follows Beth’s footsteps into a dangerous relationship with a potent new enemy, and seeks to uncover the missing chapter of the clone conspiracy.

What do you think of the Season 4 peeks we’ve gotten so far? Comment below or via @tv_eh.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Firsthand tries to solve a mystery in “Looking for Mike”

In 2002, filmmaker Dylan Reibling’s friend, Michael De Bourcier, died under mysterious circumstances. Reibling has a copy of the death certificate from the province of Ontario and has been to his unmarked grave in Vaughan. Trouble is, De Bourcier wasn’t who he said he was, something Reibling uncovered over a decade ago and is the topic of this week’s Firsthand documentary.

“Looking for Mike,” airing Thursday at 9 p.m., begins at the beginning, with Reibling describing when and where he first met De Bourcier. They worked at a tech startup and bonded over their small-town upbringing. They had drinks, hung out and stayed in touch even after they’d been laid off. When De Bourcier asked Reibling to witness a new passport application so the former could jet to Berlin, the latter didn’t hesitate. De Bourcier never made the flight; instead he was discovered dead in his apartment.

The circumstances surrounding the death were strange and information found in his wallet were suspect. Shocked by what the authorities had uncovered, Reibling began his own investigation and discovered the man he thought was Michael De Bourcier wasn’t at all. “Looking for Mike” is engaging as heck. Reibling’s narration, coupled by barely-lit reconstructions and spare music score, is like a visual season of Serial, complete with play-by-play delivered by the filmmaker and highlighted by interviews with their old co-workers, private investigators and  police. And, like Serial, you can’t help but be sucked in. Why did De Bourcier create a persona and manufacture forged documents? Why did he lie about where he grew up, yet know intimate details about that area of the province?

Who was Michael De Bourcier? Tune in to “Looking for Mike” to discover what Reibling uncovered. You won’t be disappointed.

Firsthand airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

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Featured, Schitt's Creek

Review: Schitt’s Creek – “Moira’s Nudes”

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This show gets stronger every week. This episode was brilliant. I could not stop giggling.

Moira thinks Jocelyn has found the “tasteful nude photos” of her youth and is horrified that she uncovered them in the “middle of a political campaign.” She asks Stevie to search the Internet and find them. And when she doesn’t find them, she goes to David, explaining, “Darling, I’m afraid that you and I have arrived at an awkward moment in our relationship.” Poor David. He needs to search the Internet for nude pictures of his mother.

Later that day, Johnny asks David if he can borrow money. He apologizes for the awkwardness of the situation. David says, “Believe it or not, this is not the most awkward parent-son request I’ve gotten today.” Dan Levy is fantastic in this episode. He is a very physical actor. His body movements and facial expressions convey so much. It reminds me of the actors from silent movies. Charlie Chaplin would have been impressed.

Unfortunately David can’t find the nude photos either, but Stevie has found some “incriminating” photos of Moira with would-be murders. No nudes though. Well, unless you count the one where Moira’s face has been put on the body of what Moira assumes is “an Indonesian lady boy.”

Moira is actually upset that the photos are gone — and with them her youth and her “firm” body. She tells Stevie to take a thousand pictures of herself, telling her not to think that she is too spooky or that people won’t want to see those small breasts. No one but Moira could or would say say these things. She is so outrageous and so self-centred that she has lost her humanness and her sensitivity. Is that what too much money does to a person?

There are other great scenes in this episode — Johnny and Alexis have some great lines. Episode 9 gets two thumbs up from me.

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