From Annette Bourdeau of Huffington Post Canada:
Allan Hawco Reflects On Last Season Of ‘Republic Of Doyle’
For Allan Hawco, “The Republic Of Doyle” has truly been a labour of love. He has sacrificed sleep, among other things, to serve as the show’s writer, producer, showrunner and charismatic star for six exhilarating seasons. Continue reading.
Jake Doyle has a way of attracting a lot of attention, and it’s mostly bad. So, as Republic of Doyle sets a course for its series finale, it’s no surprise that Jake is surrounded by danger and uncertainty.
“Dirty Deeds,” written by Allan Hawco, threw everything but the kitchen sink into the mix–and I believe there would have been one involved in the prison fight if it was possible–by having Jake in prison and surrounded by men he and Malachy had helped put in there over the course of their careers. Kudos to Hawco and the producers for snagging Jason O’Mara in the role of dim bulb but oh-so-good-looking Seth Rankin. Last seen on The Good Wife, O’Mara was able to flex his comedic muscles as he elicited Jake’s help in a tit-for-tat agreement: if Jake helped keep Seth’s girlfriend, Molly, safe outside of prison then Seth would hand over some of the diamonds he had stolen to pay for Jake’s bail.
Throw in Taylor Gossad (who wants Jake dead), a prison superintendent (played by Megan Follows) who wants Jake to find out how drugs are getting into the prison, and Jake’s plate is pretty darned full. Add in the fact no one knows where Sloan has gone with all of the Doyles’ money and Leslie is in a coma and things are looking dire for the bestubbled P.I.
Speaking of Leslie, she may have ultimately been saved from Taylor’s long, deadly reach, but what was the deal with the gift-wrapped box the killer was carrying when he entered her hospital room? Tinny was there to put the collar on him before he cut Leslie’s throat, but no reference to the package was made before the episode ended. I can only imagine it pops up in the coming weeks.
Placing Leslie in a three-week long coma was a ballsy move and I’m glad it didn’t last longer. That means things will move at a brisk pace; she’s awake and can finger Blake Brogan for the death of Mayor Clarke, so he’ll need to move fast to keep her quiet. Speaking of brisk pace, fingers crossed Jake gets out of prison soon too. Having him in there is a nice departure setting-wise, but a contained Jake is a less entertaining Jake. It means he’s tooling around St. John’s in the GTO.
Favourite quotes
Republic of Doyle airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.
From Samantha Sobolewski of the TV Junkies:
Q&A with Republic of Doyle’s Mark O’Brien
We caught up with the star a few months back in a phone interview before the show wrapped to talk saying goodbye to the series, his favourite ROD episodes, directing an episode in the new season and continuing to work in Newfoundland when Doyle and Doyle closes up for good. Continue reading.
From Adnan M. of The Arts Guild:
Mark O’Brien Discusses ‘Republic of Doyle’ Season 6 & Future Endeavors
Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Mark O’Brien has spent a good chunk of his career perfecting his craft, juggling various different roles including director, writer and actor. Starting off in the world of theatre, he soon found his way into screen work, starring in a variety of critically acclaimed performances. Notable productions include Grown Up Movie Star, opposite Tatiana Maslany, and of course his iconic character on Republic of Doyle, Des Courtney. His directorial efforts can be seen in Republic of Doyle, as well as a number of shortfilms, recent of which is Sweetieface starring Katie Boland and himself. Beyond his work, O’Brien enjoys reading and playing hockey. Continue reading.
Allan Hawco says he had a panic attack at the CBC upfronts when announcing this coming season would be the last for Republic of Doyle. “That day was the hardest for me, because once you say it out loud it’s real,” he said in an interview at yesterday’s Vancouver media and fan event with some of the cast from the show.
He and co-creator Perry Chafe had started to worry they would run out of fresh stories and were happy to get a final season of 10 episodes to wrap things up on their own terms. Hawco points out a sixth season wasn’t a sure thing, nor was it a given that CBC would allow them to bow out after that.
He’s been filming The Book of Negroes and Hyena Road, but Caught was recently announced as the next project where he’ll produce and write — though that news going public caught him unprepared. “It’s still a ways away,” he says. “The announcement came out that I was starring in a new series and I was thinking, ‘Wait, I haven’t written it yet.'” Based on a book by Newfoundland writer Lisa Moore, the series is another collaboration with CBC.
Doyle costar Sean McGinley — who is not from Newfoundland himself — was the one who’d pushed Hawco to read Moore’s writing, and who points out that Republic of Doyle has now left the province with more of the “infrastructure and body of experience to tell their stories to the world.”
Born and raised Newfoundlander Marthe Bernard agrees, adding that there has always been a strong voice and strong arts community there, which has been shown to the world in a big way in recent years.
“As soon as a cab driver picks up someone from the airport, they want to go to The Duke,” laughs Lynda Boyd.
“I should’ve bought shares in that bar,” Hawco interjects.
The final season of Republic of Doyle begins tonight on CBC.Â
Dragons’ Den, CBC – season premiere
Two new Dragons breathe fire into the Den. A married couple vow they’ll get a rise out of the Dragons; an entrepreneur hopes he has enough material to write the Dragons into his next chapter; and a major solution to a minor problem heats things up between the Dragons.
Republic of Doyle, CBC – “Dirty Deeds”
Jake must fight off his enemies while trying to solve a case for a hapless inmate as he struggles to come to terms with what happened to Leslie. The Doyles adjust to life after Jake’s daughter stole their life savings. Guest Stars: Jason O’Mara, Megan Follows, Jason Gray-Stanford, Sean Panting, Joel Thomas Hynes, Arnold Pinnock, Karen Cliché, Paul Wilson, Chris Eustace.
