From Chris Dawson of BayToday.ca:
Canadian TV Series to set up in North Bay
A Canadian produced TV series will be calling North Bay home.
Later this month officials from the TV series Hard Rock Medical will be making the formal announcement that they will be shooting a third season and the production will be done here in North Bay. Â Continue reading.Â
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Mohawk Girls creators confirm Season 4
Get ready to head back to the rez! Mohawk Girls Season 4 is happening.
“We are developing the fourth season,†showrunner Cynthia Knight confirmed to The TV Junkies. The APTN comedy’s fourth year will be an extended run since “it’s going to be eight half hour episodes instead of six,†says Knight. She also said that they are aiming “to shoot around the same time as last year, hopefully around the end of May to mid-July. It’ll then air next fall.†Knight and Mohawk Girls creator and executive producer Tracey Deer also confirmed that the writers’ room for Season 4 of the critically acclaimed show will have six women in it. Knight calls it their “biggest story room yet by far,†as they get set to begin writing this week in Toronto. Continue reading.
“Flat Line” was an apt title for Blackstone‘s final episode. It, of course, referred to Andy Fraser, the one-time chief of the band, but the series itself. After years of being the big man around town, pushing others around and enjoying the spoils of his plots and plans, Andy was laid low by AIDS, succumbing to the pneumonia that weakened his immune system to the point he couldn’t fight anymore.
“Nobody needs you,” Tom, long dead, told his son. And with that Tom—the one who had haunted Andy for so long—jumped ship and left him to die alone.
Andy died alone because everyone else were focussed on moving forward. Alan, shedding his past life and planning for a future in business, left Blackstone for the city and an education. Daryl—after having accepted Jack’s $260,000 for both bars—left the city for a small farm and home on the Fraser’s family land. That scene reminded me of Tim Riggins in Friday Night Lights, and I was warmed by those feelings. I’ve always liked Daryl and was sincerely hoping he’d make it out of the club business unscathed.
Gail was headed for the city too, moving in with Luke—a genuinely good guy—and a bright future as an artist. Even Wilma had a happy ending (I was surprised by that turn), discovering a mix of traditional and modern medicine shoved her cancer into remission. Only Leona was on the downslide in this final instalment, suffering panic attacks at the losses in her life before Dr. Crowshoe sat her down for a chat.
For a series that has spent a lot of time dealing with the dark reality of life on a First Nations reserve—addiction, physical and sexual abuse, murder and rape—”Flat Line” was positively upbeat. Characters were smiling, laughing and joking and the soundtrack during that happy montage was light and airy. At least, until viewers were brought back to the stark reality of Andy’s last breaths. Blackstone‘s biggest character has had quite a ride over the past five seasons. And despite the fact it was fitting he die alone after stepping on everyone to get where he wanted to go, I’m still going to miss him. Just like I’ll miss everyone else on Blackstone.
With just one more episode left—the series finale is set for Dec. 22—Blackstone is hurtling along. The show is dense, with lots of moving parts and some storylines that have been around for several seasons. That’s a lot to try and wrap up with just two hours left, and I’m pretty sure not everything will be nicely wrapped by then either; this is Blackstone after all and nothing seems to conclude happily.
“Retribution” does advance several storylines, however, as a number of characters see light at the end of the tunnel or prepare for the worst. Last week’s instalment, “The River’s Edge,” was a horrifying and realistic peek into sexual assault as Trisha was attacked by a trio of thugs. The tale took an equally awful turn when it was revealed Jack’s nephew was the ringleader, leaving Daryl caught in the middle between family and his business partnership. Daryl decides what side he wants to come down on and the repercussions of his actions will resonate in the finale.
Andy, always quick to make things happen (especially when it’s in his favour) is positively sprinting around Edmonton, threatening Jack and Travis and begging for money to get Blackstone’s girls off the streets and given some support. It’s almost as if he’s trying to get as much done before something bad happens. Andy’s cough is getting worse, and with nothing else to lose, I can’t help but wonder how far he’s willing to go to help Daryl get out of his jam.
Gail continues on her artistic path, growing in confidence so much—was it really just a couple of weeks ago she was hiding her work?—that she’s painting in the middle of the band office. The fact she’s continued to paint is inspiring in itself, but what happens between she and Trisha put a lump in my throat. Gail has grown so much during the past two seasons, it’s inspiring to not only see her take control of her life, but inspire others to do the same.
But with just one week left after tonight, there are still questions that need to be answered.
The series finale of Blackstone airs Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 10 p.m. ET on APTN.
I’ll never skip reviewing episodes of Blackstone again. Of course this is the final season, but by skipping reviewing the last two weeks, I missed out on opining at length about two major characters.
Two weeks ago, Julian Black Antelope turned in an incredible performance as Darrien Tailfeathers. The man everyone has loved to hate over the past two seasons—especially when he kidnapped Wendy—showed a side of him we’ve never seen: a man abused when he was a child and fighting to keep off that same path. When Darrien took hostages, I feared the worst: he’d go down in a hail of bullets, a victim of violence. Instead, we saw a tearful, tender side to Darrien and he turned himself in. I’m hoping the producers supply the Academy with his scenes and he’s nominated for a Canadian Screen Award. Yeah, he’s that good.
As for last week’s instalment, Blackstone said goodbye to Victor. The victim of an apparent broken ankle, Victor almost made it back from the brush before collapsing on the reserve’s border, expiring from exposure. After flirting with a bit of romance last season, Victor came under fire as the new chief and never really lived up to expectations. Of course, Sarah doesn’t believe Victor died simply of a broken ankle (I don’t either), and it remains to be seen if anyone will be brought to justice for his death.
There was a lot going on this week too. As “Back in the Saddle” began, Andy continued, and was successful, in his plans to resume being chief of Blackstone with Leona as his only challenger for office. Right off the bat, the episode featured a simple, yet dramatic scene as Francine spoke of long-past better days on Blackstone, before leaders stole from the people. But can Andy change his ways now that he’s had the murder charges dropped? (The fact that Francine could see and was talking to Andy’s dad clearly freaked him out.) On the surface, Andy’s plan for Blackstone to build timber homes is a step in the right direction, but after so many scams and false promises, can anyone trust him?
Unfortunately, by episode’s end it looked like Andy had been bluffing the whole time. But I’m not buying it. I think his declining health (coughing up blood is never good) is a message to Andy that now is the time to turn things around and make a lasting, positive legacy behind.
Gail’s life, meanwhile, has taken an interesting turn. Her visit to Wilma’s new home has clearly opened a new, artistic door for her to express her feelings. Sure, she’s still quick to bark at people—the artist was just trying to help—but seeing Gail spread paint out on the page is a wonderful outlet. She obviously loves it.
Blackstone airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on APTN.
