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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries, X Company

Comments and queries for the week of February 26

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Murdoch Mysteries showrunner explains heartbreaking episode

I don’t agree with Peter Mitchell that “the mystery of where [Roland] came from was ultimately solved.” Detective Freddie Pink’s research was fuzzy on details that just did not add up. Example: there was an official record of the mother going into labour and a midwife attending, so how could the record also say, without raising eyebrows, that no baby was born? The record said that the mother went into labour “before her time,” but it must have been close to full term because Roland was a fully developed, healthy, energetic baby at nine months. (Julia made a point of saying he was physically “perfect”.)

Maybe the midwife, Joanne Braxton, pretended that the mother went into labour before the baby was developed and so it was a miscarriage, not a birth? OK, the birth took place on an “out-of-town” homestead, but it wasn’t all that isolated because a midwife was summoned from Brantford. Wouldn’t there be at least one person (a sister, mother, neighbour, friend, her husband) who knew the mother and would know how far along she was? Even if a baby is stillborn, it would have to be recorded as such and buried in a legal manner. With so many details not known, could it be that the mother did not have a complicated pregnancy after all, but Joanne Braxton, as midwife, murdered her in order to steal her baby? Murdoch should order the mother’s body exhumed. If the midwife’s report was correct, an autopsy would find the body of an unborn fetus in the mother’s womb. That would confirm that Roland was not Harold Connor’s child. An autopsy could also determine if a live birth took place, but not that the baby was Roland. The Braxtons were professional thieves and could have stolen baby Roland from any one of many couples, or from a hospital, orphanage, or even just bought him from a poor mother. —Patricia

X Company shines in Season 2

I said on Twitter a few weeks ago that it is not just good Canadian TV, it is just good TV.

I do wish people spoke their native tongues all of the time. But, I imagine that would require the main cast to speak German and French which might be difficult. I think audiences are no longer afraid of subtitles (if they ever were).

Seek out Heavy Water War (a Norwegian show about the German nuke program) and Generation War (a German show about WW2, amazing), they are both excellent. —Dave

Why are there subtitles for the German speakers when they are, at times, not on the screen long enough to read? Of course the Germans speak German. I get that! The French speakers speak English! It seems an unnecessary frill that does not add to the story and, in fact, takes away the obvious struggle of emotions that the German officer and his wife are dealing with. And, to top it off, “The Corporation” will slap a banner ad across the bottom of the screen at the most inopportune times: when there is a subtitle being displayed. Otherwise, we both love the series. It was an amazing period of history when ordinary people became extraordinary and made huge differences to the outcome of the war. We have been aware of the Camp X/Oshawa/ Whitby/Bowmanville contribution to the war for years. Thanks for letting me gripe about the language thing. —DB

Wolverine documentary: A CBC-TV first

I always record The Nature of Things and in particular I like the wildlife docs. I’ve only seen a wolverine once in the wild, while at a place called Wolverine Lake, B.C. (maybe three hours north of Prince George) and it was swimming. It took me a while to figure out what it was because it was all wet and I was looking through binoculars but after it went on land it dawned on me. I also saw a caribou swimming in the lake as well later the next day. Having spent a lot of time up in the northern forests of western Canada, I’ve seen plenty of wildlife but that remains my only wolverine sighting and it was incredibly exciting. —Alicia

 

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

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Featured, Vikings

Aethelwulf attacks on Vikings

After last week’s Season 4 return catching viewers up with what was going on with the viking side of the story, Thursday’s instalment ventured into Wessex while following Floki’s misadventures and Bjorn’s icy journey of survival.

“Kill the Queen” covered a lot of ground, announcing Queen Kwenthrith had been overthrown after Merican nobles refused to pay homage to Ecbert and imprisoned she and her son in a tower. That meant Aethelwulf was put in charge of breaking her free as he coordinated an attack against the nobles. To this point, Ecbert’s son has been a bit of a joke, but what he proved to be an astute tactician in the field and saved Kwenthrith. (She did her part in deadly hand-to-hand combat in the tower when her female guards attempted to murder she and her son.) Aethelwulf is proving himself a man to his father, something Bjorn can certainly relate to.

As for King Ecbert, I’m not sure what his plan is regarding Judith. Last season it appeared he was trying to steal her from his son. Is offering her freedom to do anything—including learning to gild pages of the bible—part of that plot or does he have something else up his sleeve? As someone who is getting bored of Judith’s watery-eyed stares, I’m glad she’s finally got something to do story-wise other than simper around covering her ear hole.

Off in Paris, the power-hungry Rollo was only too happy to help Odo plan against any future viking attack by showing how to stop the longboats from advancing upriver. Little does Rollo know that machinations behind the scenes are working against Odo and towards Ragnar’s brother becoming the Emperor’s right-hand man.

Meanwhile, there’s poor Floki. He’s always been one of my favourite characters, especially in earlier seasons when he was very much the comic relief. His crisis of character and questionable moves against Ragnar have put him in an awful place. For awhile it looked like he might escape capture and head into the woods, but instead he’s been laid even lower: chained in a cave with water dripping on his head and only his thoughts to keep him company. Will he go completely insane upon learning of his daughter’s death or will he earn a place back in Ragnar’s heart? He seems too dangerous to for the latter, unless he’s willing to swallow his pride, and Floki doesn’t seem the type.

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

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Featured, Heartland

Heartland’s Michelle Morgan relishes Lou’s tough journey

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Lou Fleming has been through a lot over the past two seasons of Heartland. While she stood next to her sister, Amy, as she married long-time love Ty, her own marriage was crumbling. Now it’s completely kaput. Lou and Peter are divorced, he’s got a new girlfriend and Lou is dipping her toe in the dating pool while juggling being a single mom to daughters Georgie and Katie.

It’s been a challenging, but fun, journey for Michelle Morgan. The Calgary born actress wasn’t keen on her character’s current experiences and had to be convinced it was the right way to go story-wise. We spoke to Morgan while she was in Toronto visiting family and out for an audition.

What was your reaction when Heather Conkie came to you and described what Lou’s storyline was going to be?
At first, I was pretty against it. I never would argue with Heather because she always has the best interest of the show in mind. But I was really hesitant and nervous and it took me a few conversations with Heather and the producers for me to get on board.

I also spoke to Gabe [Hogan] about it, and he was really excited. He said, ‘This is great, Heather is going to give us lots of fodder and some great scenes.’ I hadn’t really thought of it in that way, but it’s true. As an actor, this has been a really fun, challenging season for me. And, as an actor, you always want to be challenged. It’s been great, but I was very hesitant at first.

Once you go down that road with Lou and Peter, you can’t go back. We’re past the point of reconciliation…
Are we?

Really? Do you think everything could be turned around?
Absolutely. People get back together. They can be divorced and be apart for years and then get back together.

But you don’t see it turning around this season…
Absolutely not, no.

Did you do any kind of research into couples or families who have been through this? You can’t go into a storyline like this lightly.
I’ve been playing Lou for so long and I have such a strong relationship with all of the other actors that, rather than do any kind of research into divorce, I really just stayed in the moment. I prepared for the scenes emotionally and then just was in the moment, telling my daughter, Georgie, that Peter and I were separating. I just went with what I was feeling. There was enough there that I didn’t need to sit and talk with people who were divorced. I have had hard breakups, and I looked back on those breakups.

“When you’re watching television that really resonates with you or is a reflection of your life and who you are, it’s comforting.”

Heartland is a family show. You’re very much showing the reality of many who are watching every Sunday. You want to represent that truthfully and without sugarcoating it.
Exactly. You don’t want to sugarcoat it and you don’t want to portray it as the end of the world. That was one of the ways that I was convinced this was a good idea. One of our producers, Jordy Randall, comes from parents who are divorced and said, ‘This will be good for children that are watching it.’ I think when you’re watching television that really resonates with you or is a reflection of your life and who you are, it’s comforting.

What kinds of discussions have you had with Alisha over the course of this season?
Alisha is such a visceral, natural actor, we don’t really talk that much about the material. We just hang out. We’re buddies. We may run scenes and our trailers, but she is just so in the moment … I don’t even think she has to prepare that much.

She’s really, really grown as an actress on this show.
Oh my God, it’s incredible. She started when she was only 12, right? You look back on her appearance when she started on the show, she was a baby. I think you’re going to be seeing Alisha in huge, box-office projects soon.

What have the fans thought about this storyline?
There has been a lot of negative feedback. There have been some hardline Christians commenting that this is a negative portrayal of marriage and that they don’t want to watch the show anymore. That’s their opinion and that’s fair, but we’re not trying to show Candyland. We’re trying to show reality and the real world. Some people don’t like that, but it’s their prerogative.

Heartland

Where does Lou go from here? She has been dating, which has lead to some funny moments.
Oh, it’s been so fun. As an actor, once you get married on a show you kind of get locked in. The romantic part of it is pretty much over. It’s been fun, because I didn’t expect Lou to be dating again. As a woman with children and recently divorced, you’re approaching dating from a totally different place.

I’ve enjoyed the comic moments you’ve been able to play up.
It’s been great playing with Kevin McGarry, whose Mitch is becoming a bit of a love interest for Lou.

Do you think Lou needs a boyfriend?
Needs? I don’t think so. But after what she went though in Episode 10, when she met Peter’s girlfriend, I think she needs a confidence boost and to feel attractive again.

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC. New episodes return on Sunday, March 6.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Murdoch Mysteries’ showrunner explains heartbreaking episode

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**SPOILER ALERT: This story contains key plot points about Monday’s newest episode of Murdoch Mysteries, “Wild Child.”**

And just like that, William and Julia no longer have a child. Monday’s latest episode was a heartbreaker for fans who loved seeing the series’ lead characters as parents. By the conclusion of “Wild Child,” Freddie Pink had learned the Braxton’s weren’t Roland’s parents after all. Turns out his real father was Harold Connor, a carpenter. By episode’s end William and Julia had done the right—if painful—thing by presenting Harold with the son he never knew he had.

Fans who’d grown attached to the little sprite—me included—were quick to take to social media, asking why Roland was brought onto the show, only to be taken away weeks later.

We contacted Peter Mitchell, Murdoch Mysteries‘ showrunner, to explain the situation. Here’s his answer:

“Hard question to answer. I guess that it was just a chapter in the ongoing story of ‘William and Julia.’ There are many more chapters to play out and we don’t really know where it is going to end.

We thought it would be interesting to see another side of both Murdoch and Ogden, and giving them a child was a way to examine their paternal instincts and give us opportunity to play them as both husband and wife and mother and father. I think we were also aware that as this show is a procedural-based drama as opposed to a domestic drama and that the situation could not last. We wanted to keep the baby around long enough that the decision to return him to his father was of consequence (as well as allowing for some humour—William becomes a dad and immediately takes up golf). It was also important that this decision to give up the child was not thrust upon them. Instead, the appearance of the natural father was a result of one of our characters doing “the right thing.” In doing so the surrendering of Roland illuminated the strong character of both our leads.

Murdoch_Mysteries

Pragmatically, we wanted this to play out over part of the season as opposed to dropping a baby on them in the finale. Much like with their wedding, we didn’t want what, on the surface, is usually considered the “big event” of a TV season to be our “big event.” I think this forces us to work harder to come up with engaging stories. On a practical level, it leaves open the possibility that ANYTHING could happen in the last four episodes if THEY have already done that to US.

It is also true that one of the reasons for the success of Murdoch is that the engine under the surface of the engaging characters, amusing lines and nice hats always has to be driving forward. Murdoch is one of those shows that gives me little leeway in the editing room. The scenes feed into each other in a way a multi character ensemble drama doesn’t. The narrative drive can occasionally be interrupted by domestic moments but the show would not ‘click’ if we have too many of them. As Paul Aitken, one of our writers, constantly reminds all of us when we are coming up with stories, ‘where’s the mystery?’ is the one question we always have to address. In the Roland arc the mystery was there from the beginning—who is this kid? Many of the fans doubted the people who were purported to be his parents actually were and in the end, the mystery of where he came from was ultimately solved. For some, the result was heartbreaking. For others, Murdoch and Ogden once again demonstrated why they are heroes.

But the kid(s) who played Roland were cute as a button. And much like real life the biggest fight we had in the room was not how long to keep the kid around but what the heck we should name him.

Some are still divided on it….”

—Peter Mitchell

 

What do you think, Murdoch fans? Sound off below in the Comments section.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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Featured, Schitt's Creek

Review: Schitt’s Creek – “Milk Money”

This week, after Johnny drinks Bob’s milk he finds out it was raw milk and the cost to replace it is a lot more than pasteurized milk. He starts thinking he might get some of his own and sell it. The only problem is it’s illegal to sell raw milk in Canada and many US states.

Some of the interactions that follow over the raw milk are farcical – Johnny could easily be trying to sell drugs instead of milk. In fact, it might be easier for him to sell drugs. As Alexis points out, “it’s fast easy money and no one would suspect you.”

The issue of selling raw milk in Canada is very much on a level of selling drugs. That’s what makes this work. People in other parts of the world where raw milk is legal wouldn’t find this funny. It would seem too ridiculous; and raw milk in Canada has bordered on the ridiculous.

Meanwhile, Moira is busy campaigning for the upcoming election. When she finds out David has helped her competition (Jocelyn) pick out a new outfit, she’s not happy.

The scene where she confronts David is typical of the interaction between these two drama queens sparring. Her comment that Jocelyn’s outfit looked like it belonged on an aging airline stewardess strikes a nerve with David who says, “I told her not to wear the jacket with the skirt.”

He goes on to say that he felt very conflicted, but Moira isn’t buying it. In her droll melodramatic voice she says, “Now will you be a doll and fetch mommy a knife – you’ll find one lodged in my back.” This round goes to Moira.

I’ve come to expect great acting and great writing from this show. I wasn’t disappointed.

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