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Blackstone, Featured, Haven

Comments and queries for the week of January 1

Haven limps across the finish line

I enjoyed the finale, but I haven’t loved the last two seasons for the reasons you gave, so when it was time for the finale, a part of me was like “finally!” And as much as I like the Shat, I wish they’d cast someone with more of a dangerous vibe. They had all that build-up of this dangerous, malevolent Croatoan, and it ends up being Capt. Kirk?? You mentioned Priestley’s cameo at the end, but I also enjoyed seeing Nicole de Boer popping up too, as well as that artist girl who gave Nathan that nice drawing at the end. And as much as I loved the ending with Nathan’s lovely monologue, I almost groaned when he came across the car at the side of the road because I knew it was going or be the new edition of Audrey. On the one hand, it’s nice that he can start over with Paige, but that was almost too sweet an ending that came close to souring everything that just come before. —JeffDJ

I liked the ending. I also knew it would be someone who resembled Audrey; the payoff was James in the back seat. I also hated the show’s turn in the last couple of seasons. Not the Audrey, Nathan romance—I wanted that from the beginning—but too weird, even for Syfy, as they went into off-the-wall events. I just loved the Troubles they had in the early seasons, then the solutions. —Gerry

Blackstone closes down for good

I am going to miss Blackstone. Favourite actors and favourite show. —Lana

I just wish Blackstone had not ended. The show dealt with many realistic issues that are in today’s world. All the actors and actresses all great. A very powerful show. Please bring it back on. —Charlene

Wishing Blackstone would come back!! Such an amazing series!! —Josse

 

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

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Win a 2016 Murdoch Mysteries calendar

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The new year is upon us, and what better way to celebrate 2016 than with a Murdoch Mysteries calendar? Courtesy of TV, Eh? and Shaftesbury, this 16-month calendar features 12 full months, plus four small bonus months boasting images from beloved episodes from the last two years.

Winning this calendar couldn’t be easier! Simply comment below listing your favourite Murdoch Mysteries episode of all time—including the episode title, a short episode synopsis and why it’s your favourite. We’ll select a random winner from the comments. The contest closes on Friday, Jan. 8, at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT, so get typing. And don’t forget to vote for Murdoch Mysteries in our TV Ehwards poll!

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

First Dates gets messy for Slice (and Global)

Update: Season 1 of Slice’s First Dates is being re-broadcast on Global starting this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. Here’s what I wrote about the show when it debuted last September on Slice.

There’s a wall-sized sign on the wall in the restaurant where First Dates is filmed. The sign says: Things Can Get Messy, and it’s a pretty apt discription of Slice’s latest original series.

Filmed in one of Earls’ Vancouver locations, First Dates uses Big Brothers setup of filming with a multitude of cameras and microphones that capture every step—and misstep—single Canadians make on the dating scene.

Tuesday’s debut focuses on a trio of blind dates that run the gamut from success to bona fide train wreck. This being a nice Canadian production, however, there are no tears and screaming when a match isn’t made, though you can tell from Billi-Ann’s body language she just isn’t feeling it with Charles. Perhaps it’s his penchant for speaking in the third person, or his intimate knowledge of drinks with college-level amounts of booze in them. Regardless, it doesn’t take long for viewers to realize this HR dude by day, party guy by night, is no match for Billi-Ann.

Shaw Media

Much more successful are Denai and Edward, who flirt their way through dinner, aided by her numerous comments about his cuteness, his endless muscle flexing and a shocking moment where he undoes his pants during the appetizer course. Is this the way the kids act during dates nowadays? Are they at the point where twenty somethings throw caution to the wind and flash some skivvy to attract attention? Apparently.

That’s not to say First Dates isn’t highly enjoyable. It is, if you’re looking for pure guilty pleasure entertainment. First Dates the perfect show to sit and watch with friends so that you can laugh, poke fun at—and perhaps commiserate—along with for an hour.

First Dates airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET on Global.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Timber Kings returns for Season 3 of incredible log home builds

Log homes are a work of art unto themselves, but what the team from Pioneer Log Homes of B.C. create are truly works of art. Bryan Reid Sr., founder and owner certainly thinks so.

“It’s truly like an orchestra,” he says on the line from Vancouver Island. Reid Sr.’s voice is filled with pride as he talks about his veteran crew being able to build homes with nary a word, communicating through hand signals—voices would be lost under the scream of crane hydraulics—as logs are guided into place and homes are created.

Reid Sr., and his artists return for Season 3, Sunday, Jan. 3, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV, with bigger projects and more laugh-inducing hijinks. Sunday’s return has a little bit of both, as Reid and Joel Roorda jet to Russia to put the finishing touches on an 82,000-square foot home—it more like a compound—boasting an Olympic-size pool and 13 sets of stairs; the log veterans teach a team of Russian builders how to construct the steps on their own.

Timber_Kingd

“Every time I went over there, the homeowner would pull me aside and tell me, ‘Bryan, I use your company as an example in my company, as the way to treat a customer,'” he recalls. “He didn’t have to do that. He didn’t even have to show up on the site, but he was there almost every day. He loved his home and what we did.” The massive home outside of Moscow is in sharp contrast to the challenge Peter Arnold takes on: creating a log raft—complete with motor and barbecue—that will triumph over white water rapids … with predictable soggy results.

Also on tap for Season 3? Projects see members of the team head to Germany, Philadelphia and the aforementioned Vancouver Island where Reid Sr., is creating something a little off-the-wall that will be shown later on this season.

“We’re building a log car,” he says with a chuckle. “It’s going to be electric, with a turbine. I’ve always wanted to do some kind of log car and now it’s a reality. It’s probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done.”

While much of Timber Kings is spent focusing on the homes being built, HGTV turns the tables on the guys with Under the Hard Hat. The six-part special, beginning March 13, provides in-depth peeks at each of the cast members, exploring their most impressive builds and over-the-top pranks unleashed on their co-workers.

Timber Kings airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.

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Featured, Haven

Haven limps across the finish line

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After five seasons, Haven finally came to an end. I’ve made no bones about either my love and support of this series in its first two seasons, or my derision for it over the last three, when story arcs went from head-scratching to downright ludicrous.

A science-fiction/fantasy series is always hard to keep on track, and the introduction of the barn went from being what I hoped was a minor wobble into a full-on shimmy with the addition of The Guard and a complete coming off the rails when the legend of Croatoan—itself an interesting real-life mystery—was turned into a being in human form in the shape of William Shatner. Listen, I love Shatner, but introducing him as Audrey’s father and an all-powerful being in control of the aether caused me to flap my hand at Haven in disgust more than once.

So while much of Sunday’s finale, “Forever,” cleaned up the messy tale that was Croatoan, it also offered a sweet goodbye to the key characters I’ve always liked. That meant giving Audrey, Nathan and Duke some major screen time. The seemingly endless back and forth between Audrey and Croatoan over whether she would join him and rule together forever was finally decided; she did team with him but not to cause pain, but rather to absorb all Troubles and then lock them and the pair (along with Vince) away forever in another barn. I must admit I expected Duke to return from the dead—via a Trouble—but that never happened. And perhaps that was for the best, story-wise. Always just outside of Audrey and Nathan’s relationship, having Duke sacrifice himself last week was a heroes’ way to go out and keep him looking good in everyone’s memory.

Most touching scene of the night goes to Lucas Bryant, who narrated Nathan’s final thoughts about Audrey in an articulate and loving way that was more expressive than any of the dialogue the writers gave him to utter on-screen. Juxtaposing Nathan’s speech over Audrey’s glowing exit and the dissipation of the Troubles (I giggled like crazy when Jason Priestley reprised his role of Chris Brody) was effective and I admit to welling up a couple of times. It was the perfect ending to their relationship—Audrey sacrificing herself for the Haven’s citizens (something I suspected would occur anyway)—and a natural jumping-off point for what happened next.

Audrey may be gone, but Croatoan and Vince wiping her memory and sending her back to Haven as Paige gave Nathan the happy ending (and sorta son in James) he deserved.

What did you think of Haven‘s series finale?

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