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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Featured, Mohawk Girls

Review: Dating Mohawk Style on Mohawk Girls

Written by Carolyn Potts

“Dating Mohawk Style,” as the title suggests, is yet another 22 minutes that revolve around, you guessed it, dating. But wait! Hold onto your hats! I guarantee you have not seen a show quite like this one. Tracey Deer pushes the boundaries for primetime TV  in this installment and does so in hilarious fashion (I will, however, try to keep this summary PG).

We begin this lighthearted look at Mohawk relationships with Caitlin (Heather White) planning a candlelit evening for Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother). Sadly, he remains “Blockheaded Butterhead” and refuses her romantic overtures, leaving Caitlin to explore alternative solutions to her dilemma. Team Thana (Maika Harper & Kyle Nobess) follow up on last week’s “What’s Your Number” and lay the blood quantum system beast aside. Thunder agrees that there are failings within the system, and despite Anna’s 48.2% Mohawk blood, he finds her to be an incredible woman that he wishes to be with. Bailey (Jennifer Pudavick) is still without her prince and so Leon (Alain Chanoine) proposes that she attempt speed dating. Caitlin admits to the girls that she and Butterhead are currently not having relations which leads to Anna shocking the girls with her three-month rule. Meanwhile, Zoe (Brittany Leborgne) sets up her profile on AltMontreal.com, a fetish dating site.

Now that we are all caught up, dating advice flies from every direction. Danny (Jess Nobess), Caitlin’s assistant at the hair-shop, supplies her with his explicit instructions to ensure a man remains satisfied, and Caitlin gives Anna her five rules for Dating Mohawk Style (nothing terribly different from Non Mohawk Style but hilariously lampooned by Maika Harper and Kyle Nobess). Meanwhile, Zoe comes to learn the rules of a proper submissive partner from one of her many interested potential Doms.

The subplot in this episode (and our weekly lesson on Mohawk culture from Tracey Deer) involves Anna and Thunder. Anna is still fighting to fit in (an interesting use of the punching bag as a reinforcement of her struggle). She is reminded time and again that she is different, and more precisely, an outsider. This time Deer employs the Thana storyline to demonstrate there are many ways to be Mohawk. The blood number is not the only means, nor is behaviour. Reverse racism exists. The phrase, “No one can possibly know what it is like to be a Mohawk unless you grew up here,” is the commonly held attitude that our Anna is fighting to overcome in her quest to belong.

Which brings us to the climax of the show (pun intended). Following Danny’s advice, and desperate for some action from Butterhead, Caitlin coordinates an evening involving both Butterhead and bestie Zoe. Zoe and Butterhead share some of their more intimate secrets as Caitlin keeps the drinks flowing. Her plans for a “healthy compromise” do however go awry, and the evening ends abruptly as her victims recoil in disgust (I simply adored Meegwun Fairbrother’s facial expressions in this scene!), leaving Caitlin alone once again.

Will Thunder and Anna be able to iron out their cultural differences? Will anyone discover Zoe’s unconventional persona? What is in store for Butterhead and Caitlin? Can Bailey ever find her prince? Let me know in the comments below!

Mohawk Girls airs Tuesdays at 9 and 9:30 p.m. ET on APTN.

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Tonight: Air Farce New Year’s Eve, The Big Picture

Air Farce New Year’s Eve, CBC
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau gives his thumbs-up to the year’s biggest movies; YouTube superstar Lilly Singh (Superwoman) avoids her parents’ New Year’s Eve curfew; Heartland star Amber Marshall saves the ranch from the path of the Keystone pipeline; and it’s all downhill when Canadian Olympic heroes Maxime, Chloé, and Justine Dufour-Lapointe introduce their fourth skiing sister. Jon Montgomery stars in The Amazing Race’s new spin-off, where Canada’s political leaders run for office—literally—with special appearances by this summer’s winners, Mickey Henry and Pete Schmalz, as well as celebrity chef Vikram Vij from Dragons’ Den. Singing sensation Nikki Yanofsky takes part in the annual dropping of the infamous F-Bomb.

The Big Picture, CBC
Comedian Ron James weighs in on the year that was – the fall of Rob Ford, the rise of Netflix, and the sequel no one saw coming, Iraq 2: The Redeployment. He looks at World Cup madness, reporting news in the era of “click bait,” and his well-meaning but doomed attempts to “take time for mindfulness” while keeping half a dozen plates in the air at the daily circus of multi-tasking.

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Featured, Flashpoint, Lost Girl, Orphan Black, Podcast

TV eh B Cs podcast 10 – Doug Slater’s Designs on Television

Doug Slater

Doug Slater has been Set Designer on Lost Girl, Orphan Black, and Flashpoint. He’s worked as a Set Designer or Art Director on The Listener and Nikita and on such films as Resident Evil: Retribution, Total Recall, The Thing, Devil, Death Race, Lars and the Real Girl, 16 Blocks, and Dawn of the Dead.

He’s currently working on the upcoming science-fiction series Dark Matter and talks about how The Brady Bunch led him to design the deck of a spaceship.

Listen or download below, or subscribe via iTunes or any other podcast catcher with the TV, eh? podcast feed.

Want to become a Patron of the Podcast? We’ve got a Patreon page where you can donate a small amount per podcast and get a sneak peek of each release.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Blackstone, Featured

Review: Blackstone ends with uncertainty

And just like that, Blackstone‘s Season 4 finale was upon us. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a lot of closure.

Instead, “There Will Be Blood,” written by Damon Vignale and Ron E. Scott, had more of a mid-year finale feel rather than season-ender. An eight-episode run will do that, especially when compared to 13 or 22 instalment seasons. A part of me wishes Scott had tied everything up nicely and there was resolution on all sides, but of course life isn’t like that, so why should a TV show like Blackstone?

If there was some sort of happy ending, Gail would be it. She’s been on quite the journey, diving back into alcohol and pills and managing to lose custody of Wendy in the process. After seeing Dr. Crowshoe, she’d begun to turn things around, mending fences with Greg, Leona and the community by helping organize the Elder Feast and she was front and centre during the blockade against Shale. Sadly, it doesn’t look like Wendy will be returned to the ladies anytime soon: by episode’s end Darrien had scooped her up and escaped down the highway in a stolen car.

Speaking of Shale and the oil drilling, that was cleared up by episode’s end. Sort of. After stopping Shale from drilling on Blackstone land, the company had made an agreement with Daryl and Andy to test on their private land, meaning the Frasers could be in for a windfall of cash the band will never see, unless the old treaty is called into question. It’s not all good news for the Frasers, however. Alan suffered severe burns thanks to a Molotov cocktail thrown at the blockade and his status was unknown. I imagine Season 5–if one is ordered–will see this as a wake-up call to Alan to perhaps return to Blackstone and become a valued part of the community, perhaps even chief.

He certainly can’t do a worse job than poor Victor. Not able to live up to expectations with regard to keeping Blackstone’s financial affairs in order and waffling on the Shale deal, he’s ripe for being unseated.

Jumbo, meanwhile, had earned his way back into Daryl’s good graces. After returning the $55,000 he owed to his former boss, he was hired back on. I’m glad that storyline has been resolved, but I’m not sure where the money came from. Did Jumbo win it back while gambling, or did he kill Jack? That wasn’t clear, unless I missed something last week.

Like I said, I’m a little bummed so many loose ends were left untied by the end of Tuesday’s finale. The girls who ran the prostitution ring  in Edmonton were never caught, Victor’s budding romance never advanced past lingering looks and we never found out if the prison inmate who told Andy he was his son really was. I’m guessing at least one of those will be addressed–along with the other stories left unfinished–in Season 5.

What did you think of Season 4 of Blackstone? What questions do you still have after Tuesday’s episode?

Notes and quotes

  • Where can I get one of those sweet Blackstone jackets like the one Andy wears?
  • “You’re the only person in my fucked up existence who knew me. I mean really knew me.”–Andy at Deb’s grave
  • Every scene in Blackstone means something, including that shot of the oil drilling trucks blowing past a Blackstone member pushing a shopping cart full of empty cans for recycling
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Link: It’s F-Bombs away for Air Farce New Year’s Eve

From Bill Brioux:

It takes a whole year — and a couple of new cast members — to make an Air Farce New Year’s Eve special. The holiday favourite returns with the 2014 year-ender Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBC.

After 40 years, the Farce has earned its wings as Canada’s longest-running comedy troupe. While the weekly series has been grounded since 2008, the New Year’s show continues to be a hit with Canadians, with last year’s effort the highest-rated yet, drawing over 1.5 million viewers.

Joining founding members Don Ferguson and Luba Goy this New Year’s are “second generation” players who date back to the series days: Craig Lauzon, Alan Park and Penelope Corrin. Continue reading.

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