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Blackstone closes down for good

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“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.

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Blackstone, Featured

Comments and queries for the week of December 11

Blackstone prepares for the end

Sorry to know that Blackstone is ending. Do hope there will be DVDs made available for us who weren’t able to get APTN. Where will we be able to follow what’s happening with the cast? —Carol

We’ll be keeping you up to date on everything that the cast is up to. As for catching up on Blackstone, you can watch all of the past seasons on APTN’s website. Carmen Moore update: she’s co-starring in Fox’s drama, Second Chance.

Is House of Bryan the Last Straw for Bryan and Sarah Baeumler?

Watched the final reveal episode—blech! My husband and I preferred the original over the final house. That powder room … ugh. I’m sorry Sarah, but an interior designer you are not. —Bev

Quality, quantity and creative questions for the CRTC

While this writer has a point, Blais isn’t entirely wrong either. Quantity means that there will be more but more isn’t necessarily good. Having to hit quotas could actually encourage laziness as people just put out the bare minimum to meet the levels they are forced too. This in turn makes it harder for quality to break out the sea of weakness around it.

Blais’ theory is by pooling more resources into fewer projects those projects have a better chance of making an impact, and people won’t be lazy because they have no backup project to hide behind so what they put out is expected to be strong with all the resources it gets. The fact is U.S. shows would crush us in the fall so winter and spring is a better bet for Canadian TV anyway.

Now, quality in art is subjective. If you want something to be watched a lot and be profitable, procedurals like NCIS are your way to go. If you want accolades and prestige you need smaller but meaningful shows like Orphan Black. You want initial buzz, you need a big concept like the upcoming The Expanse. Buzz, prestige and high viewership is hard to do all at once unless you are Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead. —DanAmazing

 

Some insightful points made by all here! And a relief to hear some WGC voices that are aware of the particulars of that incessant guessing game with our CRTC re: future standards on production. I do believe, however, that we have some challenges here on an entirely different “platform,” if you will: the challenge is, as someone has already thoughtfully pointed out here, one of interpreting “quality,” but *before* becoming, typically, titillated by the busyness of quantity.

Once upon a time, a few years back, I had a show in development with the CBC: everyone was nice … well, that’s about it. No one knew how to speak to the (proposed) quality of the possible show. No one. Everyone claimed they knew, but very simply put, no one had the *skills* to speak about what makes a story palatable to what makes a show even compelling. No one. Who possesses the skills that can deepen the quality of a story? Where does one, as a skill and not from a résumé, gain the knowledge of how to develop the art of a story? Where is this quality of development?

We don’t know how to develop stories anymore. Where we need quantity is in thoughtfulness, consultation, and caring discussion within the discipline of story development. Slow down everything! Humbly, let’s learn what quality is as creators, and apply that *knowledge* to our attempts at Development *before* “rushing” to principal photography. There needs to be more—get ready!—faith in creators. And there needs to be more resources in development. (Good Lord! We had so few on our show.)

So, Mr. Blais may have opened up the possibility for consultation on this highly artistic matter named “quality.” Maybe it’s our responsibility to truly wonder what this word is and remove ourselves from this addiction as Canadians and consumers to “keep busy.” Death to our TV. Long live our TV.

Be well.—Ross

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh.

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Blackstone, Featured

Blackstone prepares for the end

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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.

  • Will the remaining kids stay with Smokey?
  • What’s causing Andy to cough up blood? Will he survive the series finale?
  • Will Daryl lose the club?
  • Will Wilma pass away?

The series finale of Blackstone airs Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 10 p.m. ET on APTN.

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Blackstone’s new/old chief

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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.

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Blackstone returns seeking happiness

It’s kind of ironic that the focus of Tuesday’s Blackstone return dealt with happiness. APTN’s drama, ending after this final fifth season, hasn’t featured a lot of lightness or positivity. Instead, it’s reflected the real issues affecting Native Canadians, from alcoholism and drug use to sexual abuse and murder. So, to hear the word happy even uttered was a little strange.

And yet there it was, used by Gail, the one person on Blackstone whose life is anything but happy. Wendy was kidnapped by Darrien and shows no signs of returning her, throwing Gail and Leona’s lives into disarray. Wilma is dying, and Gail is engaged in a daily battle with the bottle. But as Dr. Crowshoe suggested, discovering what makes Gail happy is her key to getting better. That included getting up in front of those at the band office and apologizing for her sins of the past.

Happiness was a big part of “Beginning of the End” for every major character, albeit in subtle ways. It seems like the only thing that will make Andy happy is reclaiming the chiefdom from Victor. Andy loves power and everything that comes with it—money and women—and blames Victor for Debbie’s death and Alan’s injury. But to become happy, Andy is going to make desperate, rash decisions to get there and I worry things will end badly. Nothing good can come from digging up a buried body. Daryl, meanwhile, is happy just running a successful club. If only things were as simple for others.

I know Darrien is a monster to most, but his most tender moments on Tuesday were reserved for his quiet time with Wendy. He may puff himself up like a tough guy, but Darrien clearly wants to connect with his daughter. I’m not sure kidnapping her was the right decision, but it’s where his brain went first. And then there was that little cough; clearly things aren’t right in Darrien’s lungs.

As for Victor, well … I’m sure he’d be happy if someone finds him before he dies out there in the forest.

Blackstone airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on APTN.

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