TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 795
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television

Four in the Morning goes out in a blaze of surrealistic glory

CBC ended its eight-episode run of Four in the Morning with the airing of the final two episodes back to back. The first, entitled “Four Christs,” riffs off of The Three Christs of Ypsilanti by Milton Rokeach (Parker hands us this one on a silver platter: William overhears a summary following a very long montage of memories). At any rate, all four of our protagonists are upset with each other, and yet all are feeling entirely blameless. After last week’s big reveal, William (Mazin Elsadig) and Mitzi (Lola Tash) sleeping together, Mitzi admits to William that she was mistaken, Bondurant (Daniel Maslany) and Jamie (Michelle Mylett) did not sleep together.

But, they did, long before Jamie and William got together. Despite his own adulterous guilt, William wallows in his delusional belief that he is the affronted party. The rest of this episode is angst-ridden with a little soupçon of string theory. The episode closes with a long shot on an empty booth at the diner setting the stage for “The Music.”

A few weeks have passed and this final episode begins like the first: in the Patrician Grill, the clock flipping over to 4:00, indicating that we have come full cycle. However, Tatiana Ratowski (Alison Brooks),  the ratty admissions director from Julliard, has come to notify Bondurant he is the worst trumpet player to ever approach her school. To console himself, Bondurant again breaks into Massey Hall and takes centre stage for a final time. Leaving his trumpet at centre stage, he finds a jet pack and rockets off in search of Shangri-La.

But Bondurant has been preyed upon by the backstabbing Ms. Ratowski. Seems she and Rat Man Tom (Micheal Therrault) are guarding a secret about the music program at Julliard.

Meanwhile, William recognizes he is in love with Jamie after-all. In a weak moment, he contemplates suicide and unwittingly shoots himself in the ear.

Mitzi, having had her apology rejected by William, heads to Amadeus’ falafel shop, and asks for the washroom key.

This is where things get weird … or weirder.

Instead of a washroom, the key unlocks a deserted hospital where Mitzi has a miscarriage, giving birth to a pig. Albert the talking pig returns to explain to Mitzi that she is not at fault for all of the disharmony in her friends’ lives.

The season closes with Jamie, Mitzi and William leaving the hospital with baby Margaret whereupon they see Bondurant, a.k.a. a shooting star, blazing across the morning sky.

Four in the Morning has been such a fun little show. The characters, despite their narcissistic tendencies, won me over. There has not been any word yet whether CBC will pick this up for another season. I hope it does. I really enjoy programs that don’t spoon feed you, but rather make you think. But should it not, I am content where the story closed.

What did you think of Season 1? Comment below or @tv_eh.

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Link: Trudeau government OK’s tax credit for TV talk shows

From Elizabeth Thompson of CBC News:

Link: Trudeau government OK’s tax credit for TV talk shows
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has quietly moved to make talk shows eligible for a lucrative tax credit, CBC News has learned.

While her office can’t say how much the retroactive tax credit will cost Canadian taxpayers, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly is praising it as a move that will create jobs. Continue reading.

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Link: Orphan Black producers see bright future for Canadian TV

From Simon Houpt of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Orphan Black producers see bright future for Canadian TV
“There wasn’t enough money in the [Canadian] system to make great shows. Now, we’re in an era where there’s way more buyers, and Canadian broadcasters are much more inclined to support higher budget shows, because it’s actually in their own interests.” Continue reading.

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Link: This Life writer on the challenges of deep character dramas

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: This Life writer on the challenges of deep character dramas
“As a writer of character drama we really have to have an empathy gene to us. We talked about our lives but also talked about the lives of people we knew. But more than writing our own experiences, it was bringing these characters alive so that they felt like they existed.” Continue reading.

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Murdoch Mysteries gets fired up for Season 10

The wait is over, Murdoch Mysteries fans and we’re plenty thankful Season 10 is finally here. After a dramatic Season 9 finale, “Cometh the Archer,” that saw a final showdown between Julia and Eva Pearce, the series returns on Monday to tackle one of the biggest events in Toronto history: the Great Fire of 1904.

It all begins with “Great Balls of Fire, Part 1″—written by showrunner Peter Mitchell—and a debutante ball where a handful of the city’s most notable single ladies vie for the affections of bachelor Rodney Strong (Kyle Cameron). Among the gals are Elizabeth Atherly (Wynonna Earp‘s Dominique Provost-Chalkley) who has the unwavering support of her mother, Lady Suzanne (Downton Abbey‘s Samantha Bond).

Here are some other non-spoilery episode notes to get you primed for Monday night.

Crabtree is a gossip hound
George always has his finger on the pulse of the latest “thing” in society, and the debutante’s ball is no different. A very funny scene between Crabtree and Murdoch has the former educating the latter about who—and who doesn’t—have a shot at winning Rodney’s heart.

Julia isn’t herself
The events of “Cometh the Archer” has affected Julia in a very dramatic way, and while those closest to her try to help, Julia is in a fragile emotional state. I personally like the fact Eva’s death isn’t just glossed over, and that Brackenreid steps forward to help the good doctor.

Who started the fire?
A certain constable has picked up a dirty, smelly habit, and may very well be the person who starts the conflagration that consumes part of Toronto.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

Related—Videos: Unlock the Mysteries of Murdoch: The Ultimate Insider Conference

 

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