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Ascension, Featured

CBC’s Ascension stylish, twisty sci-fi mini rockets into primetime

A young woman is murdered, shot aboard a spaceship were no weapons of any kind are allowed. How is was possible and who did it are just two questions posed in Ascension, debuting Monday on CBC.

A co-production between Syfy and CBC, the six-parter is a unique blend of retro science fiction meshed with the classic locked door whodunnit. Viewers are quickly brought up-to-date with the premise of the series, a century-long space mission to find a new world for the human race. Launched over 50 years ago by President John F. Kennedy at the height of Cold War tensions, Ascension the series (it’s also the name of the ship) catches up with the grandchildren of those who first stepped onto the vehicle and launched into space.

Among those aboard are Captain William Denninger (Brian Holt, Cougar Town), Dr. Juliet Bryce (Andrea Roth, Rescue Me), chief steward Viondra Denninger (Tricia Helfer, Battlestar Galactica) and Harris Enzmann (Gil Bellows, Ally McBeal), the son of the man who created the Ascension project.

“When I got this script, it was original and substantive in a way that I felt would not only be a great idea to launch a show but sustain itself for a very long time,” Bellows says. “I love the character that I get to play.” That character, Harris, is driven to continue the work his father started on Ascension at whatever cost; at one point, Harris uses the word “god” to describe what he’s doing.

The investigation into the death of Lorelai (Amanda Thomson, Totally Amp’d), found dead on the ship’s fake beach, is met with confusion. Guns aren’t allowed on board, so where did it come from? And how did the killer enter the beach area and elude being captured on any of the security cameras trained on that part of the ship? It doesn’t take long for several suspects to come under the scrutiny of Denninger and his officers. Those characters are as colourful as the setting they’re placed in; because Ascension was launched in 1963 all of the clothing, furniture and other stylings have remained unchanged and serve as a visual contrast to the washed-out greys and blues that make up Harris’ earthly storyline.

A major plot point early on in the mini-series raises a ton of questions, and Bellows couldn’t be happier a show like Ascension is willing to go in a bold storytelling direction, especially on a network like CBC.

“Quality is important, originality is important and provocative ideas are important to share,” he says. “Not everything needs to be folksy and appropriate.”

Ascension airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

Review: MasterChef Canada cooks up its first twist

Unlike some reality cooking shows that spend weeks on naming the Top 25, MasterChef Canada wrapped things up quickly within the first half-hour of Sunday’s new episode and then got rolling on the first Stress Test challenge of the season.

It was a doozy. In a nice twist in the game, judges Alvin, Claudio and Michael told the group of 25 there were only 16 cooking stations available. After a few moments where the nine not awarded a station were sure they were packing up and going home, it was revealed their plates so impressed the judges during auditions that they didn’t need to cook this week.

Did I chuckle to myself when Michael, the villain of the season, had to cook? Absolutely. Did I know the producers made that call so that myself and other viewers would react that way? For sure. Did I know that Michael would get through anyway? That would be an affirmative. The show needs a bad guy, and Michael is it. I also knew that former CFLer Jon would advance; there was simply too much time spent on his backstory for him to be eliminated in Week 2. Well, that and the fact I think the judges were scared he’d tackle them if he was eliminated.

There were also hints as to who would be cut by the end of the night. Inder’s elimination was assured when Michael reminded him the Stress Test had to involve red and white ingredients and the home cook didn’t add any.

The favourite of the week award went to Line, a 45-year-old computer specialist from Moncton. Her story? After joining the military because her family was too poor to pay for her education, she spent 17 years in service until a knee injury caused her to leave. A life of being told she couldn’t succeed, she did just that, wowing the judges with her audition plate of venison and lobster velouté during the Stress Test. She’s definitely one to watch this season.

Notes and quotes

  • I’m glad the wooden packing crate motif is no more now that we’re into the kitchen.
  • “You know that clock there? That clock is your life.” Well spoken, Jon. It’s as if he’s a former professional athlete who learned the gift of the sound bite.
  • Alvin cracks me up every time he yells “NOW!” It looks like he scares himself when he bellows it.
  • Does Line have a chip on her shoulder or is she just tough and feisty?
  • Why did Robert wear ribbons all over his shirt? Was that ever explained?
  • Michael’s steak looked well done, not medium. There was no juice.

MasterChef Canada airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

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Bitten, Featured

Interview: Bitten bosses bite into horror-centric Season 2

According to Daegan Fryklind, Season 2 of Bitten is horrific. But in a good way. The fantasy series’ showrunner, alongside fellow executive producer J.B. Sugar, warned fans of Space’s No. 1 original drama are in for one heck of a ride as the sophomore season hits the ground running this Saturday and doesn’t let up.

Based on the best-selling novels by Kelley Armstrong, the pair divulge this season’s go-round of 10 instalments more action-packed, funnier and bloodier than the rookie season. It’s also one of change, as a trio of witches led by Ruth Winterbourne (Tammy Isbell, Paradise Falls) aligns with Elena (Laura Vandervoort), Clay (Greyson Holt), Jeremy (Greg Bryk), Nick (Steve Lund), Logan (Michael Xavier) and Rachel (Genella Williams).

We spoke to Fryklind and Sugar about what’s in store.

How does it feel to be the No. 1 original series on Space?
J.B. Sugar: To get a show made is a huge coup. But then to actually do well and be embraced by fans … that’s the most amazing thing.

Daegan Fryklind: You’re kind of in the bubble of making the show in the first season and not entirely sure. We had a gut feeling we were doing something special but you never know until it goes out, to the fans, how it’s going to land. We had the added bonus of having the built-in fan base through the pre-existing material, but we had also changed some stuff too, so there was a fear of losing that fan base.

JBS: It’s definitely a double-edged sword having the existing fan base and the expectations that come along with an adaptation living up to the minds-eye of the reader. There were a few naysayers who said, ‘That looks nothing like in the book!’ which is really, ‘That looks nothing like what’s in my head!’

What’s it like attending conventions and meeting these fans face-to-face or interacting on Twitter? Do you read the tweets and listen to fans’ concerns and ideas?
JBS: Didn’t one of our fans write the season finale script for Season 2?

DF: [Laughs.] I’m a bit masochistic with the feedback, especially in Season 1. Not so much lately because we feel we know what the show is by now with regard to the writing and the directing and what the fans and network expect. We’re all on the same page. When Season 1 came out and we were in that interim between making the show and airing the show, I was masochistic about the reaction and there is little you can do about it. It’s already shot and in the can and all you can do is ride the wave.

JBS: The masochism comes in because you read 15 awesome, glowing reviews and there is just that one naysayer …

DF: And that’s the one you hang on to! You say, ‘I’m going to win you over!!’

Was the introduction of the coven a milestone you were ready to cross in Season 2? Did you already know that was going to happen in the midst of Season 1?
DF: It was in the discussions and there were two paths that we could have gone. We went the coven path. And once that decision was made, we had to figure out a way to bring that in in a way that both honours the source material but honours the show that we have built, the tone that we’ve built and the world that we’ve built.

JBS: Supernatural credulity. That’s something that we always think about a lot here, both tongue-in-cheek and seriously. The show we’ve strived to make is grounded in a real world and we just happen to have supernatural things going on. In translating the show and adapting it to introduce the coven, we’ve been very mindful of tempering how much magic we incorporate and what that magic looks and feels like and how it resonates in the world we created.

Bitten_witches

The other challenge is bringing in a new set of characters to interact with characters fans love from Season 1.
DF: We pick up sort of what we consider to be Episode 114. We are blending in this new world while being responsible to where we left off in Season 1 so that it’s not a blindside when it happens.

We’re going for a more horror tone in Season 2 than what we were playing last year.

JBS: That’s what bringing the whole witch element is all about. It’s given us lots of entry points for horror tropes and we’re kind of replacing the push and pull triangle of Season 1—that storyline has run its course—and it’s been replaced by this coven of witches. It’s made for a start to the season, and an overall pace, that is much more action-packed and has more gags. A lot of blood.

DF: A lot of blood!

Is it a goal that Greyston must have his shirt off in every episode?
DF: It’s not a box that we tick.

JBS: If he’s not shirtless in one episode he has to be shirtless twice in the next one.

What can you tell me about this season?
DF: One of the advantages of going in this direction in Season 2 is that can go off-book if we need to and readers of the books won’t have an preconceived notions. We use parts of the second book and then we just go to town.

Greyston was telling me there was a scene he shot earlier in the season where everyone acted very differently from what they usually do on this show.
JBS: Yes. Episode 7 is kind of an island in the middle of turmoil and that’s the first time that Clay and Elena really get to take a breath and smile.

DF: It’s an intense season. As J.B. mentioned, we don’t step off the gas pedal at all. We have this little breather in 207 but there are elements in 207 that are still putting our characters through the grinder. My boyfriend and I joke sometimes and wonder what it would be like to go out on a date with Clay and Elena? They are an intense couple! That would be a very serious dinner! There would be a lot of meat.

JBS: You’d have to eat quick. Distract Clay and grab a chicken leg.

Bitten airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT on Space.

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Featured

Comments and queries for the week of Feb. 6

I was not able to view the  documentary Clara’s Big Ride and I was wondering if there is anyway to access it anymore? Thank you.—Gwen

Yes, you can view Clara Hughes’ inspirational cross-country adventure spotlighting mental health on CTV.ca.

First of all I LOVE your “Notes and quotes” on Heartland and completely agree with them. Secondly, when I first saw Brooke, I knew I recognized her from somewhere. After some research, I found out the actress who plays her was Stephanie, one of the finalists of the CBC reality show Over The Rainbow a couple years back!—Luiza

Thanks for reading my weekly reviews of Heartland, and good eye! I recognized her too, but couldn’t recall where.

I still don’t understand Peter’s anger about the specialist on Heartland. It was a non-invasive consultation Katie probably won’t even remember next year that could have potentially improved her quality of life. All the other points seemed “relative” to the issues they’ve (not) been dealing with but that seemed unnecessary. Plus, although Peter hated the idea of the doctor he still attended the appointment. It’s not like Lou went behind his back.—Melissa

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

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Featured, Sunnyside

Review: Pushing boundaries and poultry love on Sunnyside

Sunnyside is a very funny—and admittedly odd— little program and I applaud Rogers for putting it on the air in the first place. It’s rare that a series featuring a dude who falls in love with a live chicken is going to make it to primetime (if ever), so kudos to the company for allowing co-creators Gary Pearson, Dan Redican and the improv cast breathe life into these folks.

Thursday’s “Chain gang” continued to explore many of Sunnyside’s established characters, including the meth girls, who wanted to cheer up Georgette by taking her on a shopping spree … in a homeowner’s closet. (The program’s hidden gem might be Georgette, the meth gal who utters nary a word and whose eyes are constantly downcast. Alice Moran’s portrayal cracks me up every time.)

Kathleen Phillips continues to play memorable citizens, like Claire. An over-the-top poke at those folks who claim a Starbucks table as their “office” for the day, Claire showed up at Dark Roast with a bulky typewriter and announced the table she was at would be “her office from now on” and began clacking away on her food blog article “Croissant My Heart and Hope to Die.” She, of course, annoyed everyone in the place at first … until they got caught up in her out-loud reading of romance in a coffee shop.

Pat Thornton, meanwhile, continued to get away not only with playing every clueless simpleton in Sunnyside but as a dude who held deep, deep love for a live chicken. (“The heart wants what the heart wants. Sometimes the heart wants a chicken,” a poultry farmer advised his confused daughter after Thornton’s character grabbed a bird and ran off.). I cannot unsee those moments where he held the chicken close, romantic music playing, before ushering her into the bedroom and gently closing the door behind them.

Notes and quotes

  • The teeth on those meth ladies. Oh god, their teeth!
  • Shameless plug alert! Claire was entering a writing contest in Chatelaine magazine, which just happens to be owned by Rogers, owner of City. I’m sure that was totally a coincidence.
  • Who else caught the street sign that read “Pearson” on it? I’m assuming it was an homage to Sunnyside co-creator Gary Pearson
  • Only Pat Thornton could pull off a scene describing kissing a girl like holding a jar of change and pretending to lick a chocolate off the front of it “before it falls off and stains your date pants.”

Sunnyside airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on City.

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