Everything about Remedy, eh?

Tonight: Big Brother Canada, Remedy

Big Brother Canada, Global
One houseguest will win the coveted Power of Veto—the ability to veto a nominee up for eviction.

Remedy, Global – “Secrets & Lies”
As Cutler tries to figure out where he stands with Mel and at Beth-H, a woman mysteriously goes into toxic shock and she and her husband must face the meaning of sacrifice. Mel catches Griffin involved in illicit activity and refuses to believe him when he swears he is clean. Allen butts heads with the new chief-of-staff, while Sandy learns a valuable lesson treating a prisoner admitted to Beth-H.

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Review: Mothers and children on Remedy

After a couple of weeks where Allen was a big part of its episodes, Remedy really opened up the floor for the rest of the cast to shine.

“Life in Technicolour” jumped ahead three weeks in time from last Monday. Mel and Cutler are a major thing—she’s addicted to sexy times with him and ignoring her co-parenting responsibilities with Sandy—and Griff has advanced from pills to cocaine. Monday’s storyline also featured the return of Rebecca, who played a key part for all the wrong reasons.

I’ve been a fan of Martha Burns since Slings & Arrows, so I was giddy to see her get some major screen time, even if things didn’t turn out so well for her. Who else felt badly for Rebecca when Maya tumbled off the change table and onto the bathroom floor? As Sandy said at the end of the episode, it could have happened to anyone. But not everyone has the track record Rebecca does; her history of alcoholism had everyone on the attack. Dudes, she felt badly enough. Cut her some slack. Luckily, Maya turned out to be OK, but I’m not sure Mel is ready to give Rebecca another chance at babysitting.

If anything, the incident has re-focused Mel. Sure, rolling around with Dr. Stubble is fun (just how does he get that stubble so perfectly trimmed?), but her job is to save lives, not let her hair down (literally) in a storage room whenever she feels the need for some wiener. As an aside, I really did enjoy “rocker” Mel in the O.R. Listening to alternative rock and cutting without a guide was cool to see, but it’s clearly not who she really is. She could have killed the guy after going ahead and trying to remove that tumour without help or a consult.

Of course, the complications meant Sandy was able to seize the day and smooch with Gord, Mr. Spleen’s friend. I noticed Gord (Falcon Beach‘s Steve Byers) is around next week too, so expect a little more between he and Sandy. She needs that kind of attention after devoting the last eight months to taking care of Maya. No dates does not a pretty young lady make. (The writers may throw us a curveball with Gord. He kissed Sandy, but why is he listed as Mr. Spleen’s sole emergency contact?)

Finally, we have Griff. Yes, he redeemed himself by the end of the night by dumping his coke and pills down the toilet, but if it wasn’t for Leona and Zoe, I wonder how far he would have gone? His attempt to have the estranged women reconnect was thwarted by Zoe, but he learned a valuable lesson about love and loss from Leona. That knowledge cut through Griff’s high and he realized he needed to stop what he was doing before it led to a lifetime of regrets.

Notes and quotes

  • “You are a bad influence. You are one of the bad kids.” Of course Mel likes a bad boy. Who doesn’t?
  • “Put some makeup on. You’re starting to look splotchy.” Rebecca, always with the great lines.
  • “Anal singeing” is a term? Cool.
  • “Why is your hair down like that? You look like you’re in a shampoo commercial.” — Sandy
  • “This is what it’s like dating me. It’s not all incredible sex. I hope you’re up for it.” — Mel, to Cutler

Remedy airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

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Tonight: Remedy, Big Brother Canada, Tiny Plastic Men, Blood Sweat & Tools

Big Brother Canada, Global
One houseguest will win the coveted Power of Veto—the ability to veto a nominee up for eviction.

Remedy, Global – “Life in Technicolour”
Mel’s new relationship with Cutler is causing a rift with Sandy, who recruits Rebecca to babysit against Mel’s wishes. Zoe has agreed to a bone marrow transplant to save her estranged mother, but Griffin is acting strangely and can’t seem to pull it together to support her. Mel, riding a high from her relationship with Cutler, takes an uncharacteristic risk in surgery. The whole Conner family is rocked when Rebecca’s first time looking after Maya results in a crisis.

Tiny Plastic Men, Super Channel – “Crisis on Infinite Octobers”
The very fabric of reality itself is threatened, and October is to blame! Can he set things right with Crad’s help before the multiverse is destroyed?

Blood, Sweat & Tools, Discovery – “What’s Up, Dock?”
The teams get up close and friendly with water. In Challenge One, the teams must install a window. Chaos ensues as they cut holes into walls and precariously perch their glass and frame. Water is then blasted against the window to test the seal (raingear required!) Challenge Two is a quintessential cottage test: building a dock and diving board. Challenge Three requires some rudimentary plumbing skills: installing an outdoor shower and pump. Not surprisingly, the teams struggle with how to get the water from the lake to the showerhead. Some swim and others sink.

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Review: Allen saves the day on Remedy

I’ve been a fan of Enrico Colantoni’s for a long time. I had the incredible luck of interviewing him when Veronica Mars first hit the small screen (I nervously called it “Victoria Mars” during our interview), then a couple of times during Flashpoint‘s run. He plays characters you can’t help but cheer for, get behind and support. I think that’s why it’s been so fun to watch him portray Allen on Remedy, especially this season.

I’m not sure if it was Remedy‘s showrunner, Greg Spottiswood, who deserves the credit, but demoting Allen to the emergency room was a masterstroke in storytelling. I referenced the long-running NBC medical drama ER in last week’s review and I’ll revisit it again by saying my favourite part of that show during the first season was seeing the ER through Dr. John Carter’s eyes. Now we’re getting that on Remedy with Allen.

“Blood and Guts,” written by Ellen Vanstone, spent a lot of Monday’s episode tracking Allen as he went through stages I’m sure all doctors do. He was viewed as a hero by the staff when he massaged the heart of a gunshot victim, got a kick to the ego when he accidentally put his finger (gulp!) through the guy’s heart, then was bucked back up again and feeling pretty good about life when the man made it through surgery. Because I care so much about Allen, I’m right there with him, laughing when his shoes get sprayed with puke, or worrying when he’s stressed over a mistake.

Weirdly, I just didn’t connect with Zoe’s storyline this week. It’s not that I don’t care about Zoe—I think she’s great for Griff and her back story makes my heart ache—but I wasn’t emotionally invested in her struggle over whether to help Leona or not. Maybe it’s just me, and I’d love it if readers let me know how they feel.

As for Griff, I couldn’t be any more pissed off at him right now. Back on drugs, he just couldn’t help but meddle in the life of Tommy because of his own issues with Allen. The fact he got in the father’s face was so over-the-top I wonder if that will come back to haunt him. I get that Griff is taking pills to numb the pain he’s feeling from Jayne’s death but come on man, get it together!

Finally, we all knew this was coming, didn’t we?

Remedy2

Yep, we did.

Notes and quotes

  • Enrico Colantoni is known most recently for his dramatic television work, but he’s got comic chops too. That short scene of him carrying the plant had me giggling like a fool.
  • “You gonna eat that or put it under your pillow?” Nice zinger from Sandy.
  • Kudos to the effects folks who made that human chest look so realistic, complete with spraying blood.
  • Those numbered coffee room mugs are cool. Anyone know where I can get some?

Remedy airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

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Tonight: Big Brother Canada, Remedy, Organic Panic, Blood Sweat & Tools

Big Brother Canada, Global
One houseguest will win the coveted Power of Veto—the ability to veto a nominee up for eviction!

Remedy, Global – “Blood and Guts”
Zoe is blindsided when her mother shows up to Beth-H unannounced, just as she’s getting ready to start her shift. Zoe hasn’t heard from her in 20 years – and the more she learns about her mother, the better she understands why. Allen performs a heroic emergency procedure and saves a patient’s life, but must contend with the psychological aftermath. Griffin becomes overly involved when he tries to play matchmaker to a pair of love-struck teenagers.

Organic Panic, VisionTV
An organic revolution is taking place in homes and business around the world. Organic products account for over $64 billion dollars spent worldwide annually. But what does organic really mean? How can consumers make informed decisions and separate fact from ‘greenwashing’?

Blood, Sweat & Tools, Discovery – season premiere
Set in the iconic cottage country of Northern Ontario, BLOOD, SWEAT & TOOLS features duos of hapless handypersons performing all manner of home renovation challenges, from installing toilets and outdoor showers, to building gazebos and repairing roofs. The teams work to impress three experts – Rob Koci of Canadian Contractor magazine, fourth-generation tradesman and carpenter, Helder Brum, and power tool expert Hillary Manion – with Do It Yourself (DIY) home repair projects in a bid to be named “Most Improved.” The couples must perform these DIY tasks quickly and to exacting specifications. Then, following eight episodes of hammering it out to stay alive in the competition, the final decision is left up to Canada with viewers determining the winning couple LIVE during the season finale episode.

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