Tag Archives: CBC

Anne, Featured

Anne gets schooled on Sunday night

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Eight one-hour episodes is a lot of time to break down Anne of Green Gables. Perhaps that’s why last Sunday’s instalment, “I am no bird, and no net ensnares me,” didn’t contain anything from the source material. Anne didn’t make it all the way back to the orphanage, earn a ride helping the milk delivery man or sign the Cuthbert’s bible.

It certainly didn’t detract from my enjoyment. Yes, some of you let me know none of what happened was in the source material, but you also noted you’re enjoying Moira Walley-Beckett’s take on L.M. Montgomery’s classic. That’s pretty high praise, I think, and Walley-Beckett and CBC should be proud of that accomplishment.

But on to Sunday’s new episode, “But what is so headstrong as youth?” Here’s what the network had to say about it:

Anne is excited to begin school and make friends, but is unprepared for the bullying that occurs when she doesn’t fit in. Marilla too, is testing new waters as she accepts an invitation to join a “Progressive Mothers” group.
And here some notes from us after watching a screener.

Amybeth McNulty is a fantastic Anne
Playing such an iconic role is tough, but McNulty makes it look easy. As Walley-Beckett told me earlier this year, “Amybeth is fiercely bright and independent, spirited and incredibly sensitive and also has a worldly perspective, which is something we touch on again and again in Anne. She was it.” She most certainly is it, showing an incredible emotional range for such a young actress and able to go toe-to-toe with her veteran co-stars. I can’t help but smile every time she delivers a rat-a-tat-tat piece of dialogue, not waiting for an answer from Marilla or Matthew or anyone, really. Anne’s long walk to school is full of conversation … more of a soliloquy if we’re being honest.

Imagination vs. reality
We know Anne’s head is full of fantastic stories and characters, and she certainly has dreamy expectations of what school will be like. Unfortunately, she runs into bullying and meets her academic nemesis in Gilbert Blythe (Lucas Jade Zumann). School isn’t all bad for Anne; there is a very funny moment between she and Diana as they discuss babies and pet mice. I’m interested in hearing what fans think of Gilbert, so let me know after you watch the episode.

Marilla joins a club
Anne isn’t the only one trying to fit in. Now that Marilla has a daughter, it opens the door for her to become a member of the Progressive Mothers Sewing Circle. The group meets to discuss how their daughters should be educated, to do needlepoint and sip tea. Her attendance at her first meeting causes Marilla to wonder if she’s up to the task of raising a child. And not everyone is a fan of her being part of the Progressive Mothers Sewing Circle.

Anne airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Canada: The Story of Us

Link: Nova Scotia premier says Story of Us miniseries must be corrected

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From Michael MacDonald of The Canadian Press:

Link: Nova Scotia premier says Story of Us miniseries must be corrected
The premier of Nova Scotia has added his voice to a growing chorus of complaints about a TV docu-drama about Canada’s history.

Stephen McNeil said the CBC program Canada: The Story of Us was wrong to assert that the country’s first permanent European settlement was established in 1608 near what is now Quebec City.

The premier said the history of Canada started three years earlier, when French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded a settlement at Port Royal, N.S., now a national historic site in his riding. Continue reading. 

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Bellevue

Link: Bellevue: Adrienne Mitchell and Jane Maggs talk “The Problem with the Truth”

From Victoria Nelli of The TV Junkies:

Link: Bellevue: Adrienne Mitchell and Jane Maggs talk “The Problem with Truth”
“I think he’s speaking her worst fears in those moments because I think she always sort of thought at some point he’s going to get tired of this and he finally does. So that happens and it affects her greatly, and eventually through some other things that shake down in Episode 7, it sends her into a huge spiraling self-awareness that she has to face with him and it’s not just with him.” Continue reading.

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Canada: The Story of Us, Featured

Another side to Canada: The Story of Us

Sunday night saw the premiere episode of Canada: The Story of Us on CBC and with it came some controversy.

Throughout its history, the CBC has been the messenger of the government of Canada, promoting policy and ideology of the Canadian government. It has been guilty in the past, like much pop culture media has, of re-telling the Indigenous story to suit its own agenda. However, in light of recent events such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its Calls to Action, the inquiry into the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and #NoDAPL, the public has become a little more savvy or has at least developed an awareness of CBC’s tendency for prejudicial perspectives with respect to the Indigenous story.

During the airing Canada: The Story of Us, Dr. Hayden King tweeted that he regretted his participation in this episode, stating he had tried to convince producers to include a critical narrative about Samuel du Champlain. What was included in Sunday’s episode was the following statement from King: “When the French initially came to North America, they came in small numbers. They undertook trade on Indigenous terms. Indigenous peoples dominated the relationship, and controlled the terms of the relationship.”

For the series to have a speaker with the gravitas King and his reputation brings, and to then edit his appearance, I must ask: “What is missing?” Followed by, “Why is something missing?”

We reached out to King to give him the opportunity to clarify and educate all of us as to this side of history. That request has gone unanswered. I, for one, would love for King to share his knowledge of Champlain and would welcome the opportunity to hear it.

In the meantime, I reached out to a colleague of mine, an Elder from Aamjiwnaang (formerly Chippewas of Sarnia, Ont.), historian and author David Plain to offer his knowledge of Samuel du Champlain that was not included Sunday evening. The following is his statement about the history many of us never have the opportunity to hear:

David Plain

Hi David, could you please introduce yourself?
David Plain: Aanii. I am an author and historian from Aamjiwnaang Territory. I am Oak Clan. My grandfather’s name was On the Plain, his father’s name was Red Sky. His father’s name was Little Thunder and his father’s name was Young Gull. My grandfathers were all Aanishnabeg Chiefs. Young Gull was born around 1640.

Please educate us, and share with us the history of Champlain that has been passed down to you?
Champlain did meet some natives on the southern shore of Georgian Bay when he was exploring that way. Champlain was the first to make contact with us [Aanishnabeg] in the early 1600s introducing us to some European trade goods by way of gifts, like an axe and a knife, but these people were not direct ancestors. He also gave us the name ‘High hairs’ because of the style we kept our hair. There are some historians that believe it was the Ottawa and some believe the Chippewa he met who were hunting on the southern shore of Georgian Bay.

The thing that I noticed in the film that I watched, they did not even attempt to describe the consequences of Champlain going up the Richelieu River and shooting those two Mohawk Chiefs. This was the first time the Iroquois had seen firearms.

Champlain was always trading with the Algonquin and the Wendat and not with the Iroquois. They talked about that in the episode but not the consequences of that action [the shooting]. It was a very rash thing that he did and it caused a rift between the Haudenosaunee [Iroquois] people and the French that still exists to today.

So all of the things that followed that, the fur trade and the fighting of the English and the French would have happened a different way if Champlain had not shot the Iroquoian Chiefs. All that he did was ensure the Iroquois trade with the English, and the Dutch before that. They would not trade with the French.

They did not mention the demise of the Wendat, which was also a result of that shooting of the chiefs. This was a consequence of the war and the trade policies that event established. There were three nations that were totally wiped out because of the French trade policies: the Wendat Nation, the Tobacco Nation and the Attawandaron Nation, all Iroquoian speakers. The French trading policy from the early 1600s to mid-1600s said no guns to the Wendat. As a result of the no gun trade policy, the Iroquois were able to decimate the Wendat.

Later, in 1635, the beaver hunting grounds south of the Great Lakes had become depleted. The Iroquois were trading with the Dutch at Albany. When the Iroquois were trading with the Dutch near Albany, for 20 or 30 years, they were trading for guns and goods for the furs. Meanwhile, the Wendat north of the Great Lakes were trading their beaver furs only for goods with the French. The Bishop of Quebec and the Governor of Quebec had a policy of no guns for trade. With the depletion of beaver to the south, the Iroquois needed to expand their fur trade territory to meet the demand of the Dutch for pelts and easily did so with their guns, essentially wiping out the Wendat. The Iroquois started sending raiding parties north of the lower Great lakes, raiding the Attawandaron ‘the Neutrals,’ the Tobacco Nation in the Bruce Peninsula, and the Huron [Wendat] in Huronia north of Lake Ontario. All fell to the guns the Iroquois received in trade, and can all be traced back to that moment Champlain shot the Iroquois Chiefs ensuring the Iroquois ally themselves to the Dutch.

Chi Miigwetch to Elder David Plain of Aamjiwnaang for taking the time to speak about this aspect of Canada’s history so many of us never get to hear.

Canada: The Story of Us airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

David Plain B.R.S., M.T.S., is the author of Plains of Aamjiwnaang, From Ouisconsin to Caughnawaga, 1300 Moons and has an upcoming book The Exmouth Chronicles: A Memoir due to be released April 2017 by Trafford Publications.

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Bellevue, Featured

Bellevue: The (hidden) “Truth” may bite you in the ass

Spoiler alert! Do not read until you’ve watched Episode 6 of Bellevue.

Welcome back Bellevue-ites! We meet again to go over what we learned in this week’s episode of Bellevue, “The Problem with the Truth.” The pace is picking up, so a lot of information is parsed during this episode, on many different fronts. And, as the title suggests, the truths uncovered may have unsavoury consequences.

We pick up where we left off, Eddie (Allan Leech) is staying the night at Annie’s (Anna Paquin) following his statement to Peter (Shawn Doyle). Annie is discussing her theories with Eddie and feels if she combines the information she has now gathered with the information that would be contained within her father’s old memo books she could solve Sandy Driver’s murder. Annie puts in the request, much to Peter’s objection. However, with Annie’s reminder that Peter burned down the shed at the New Horizon’s property, Peter reluctantly backs down and agrees to sign off on Clarence Ryder’s last notebook.

Annie revisits the witness statements in her father’s notes. First, Randy Olding (Kent McQuaid) who discovered Sandy’s body, and then Helen Spencer (Laura Mitchell), the pageant organizer. Upon questioning, it is Helen who reveals Sandy had always been unkempt and lacked friends. But for her brief moments as Mary, Sandy Driver never felt love. She also reveals Lily Mansfield (Janine Theriault) was not very “biblical.” Later, in a follow-up visit, Annie questions her directly. Helen reveals Lily “Mother” Mansfield had an abortion, and the father was rumoured to be an older man. But how much older, is the question!

Annie works through the notebook and discovers that the last page for March 23, 1995, is missing. It has been cut out. Using the all too reliable pencil shading technique, it reveals her father received a 911 call. Now, WHY would he rip that out?

Next, we turn to the audio tapes of the 911 calls of March 23 and discover it was none other than Lily Mansfield who made the emergency call. She knows there was an intruder in her home because he or she left fingernails. The 911 operator notifies Lily that an officer is on the way. Further investigation by Annie reveals the 911 call was never officially recorded. There is no file.

The trouble with cold cases is technology has evolved and the old interview videotapes are still on VHS instead of digital. And, it seems, the station’s VCR is not in good working order. Ever the problem solver, Annie calls Brady (Billy MacLellan) and invites herself over to watch Sandy Driver interview tapes. Included in the interviews was a statement by none other than Lily Mansfield in which she is clearly flirting with the officer questioning her, and the officer, from his tone, is totally “into it.”

Annie believes she has pieced it together: her father was somehow involved with Lily Mansfield and Peter did not want her to know about it. She approaches Peter and questions him, explaining her theory and he does not deny her hypotheses, letting her believe that not only did her father respond to the 911 call made by Lily Mansfield, but that her father was having an affair with a 16-year-old Lily.

Annie then travels to her father’s cabin where she discovers an active pager with the same numerical message her father had written on the outside of his notepad. This has to be another clue from The Riddler because that pager would not still be active after 20 years out in a hunting cabin. Not to mention, who would pay to keep the account active for that long? (and presumably her father’s pager, if he had one, would be collected as evidence at the time of his suicide). Turns out the number is a coded message, “Horizon,” referencing back to the old and now derelict New Horizons Psychiatric Hospital. Annie places a requisition for a patient list.

Going over her materials one more time Annie spots an inconsistency. It was Peter who mentioned the fingernails were found on Lily’s bed, not the 911 call. How did Peter know? OK, cue the “Don’t trust the guy with the fire in his eyes,” moment. It was Peter who took the 911 call out, and it was Peter who tore out the last page of her father’s notepad. Another stellar performance by Ms. Paquin, this time with Shawn Doyle. The two rip into each other, with accusations flying. When faced with the truth, Peter admits to some complicity but not yet everything, as we will find out shortly, and Annie is pissed. How dare Peter let her believe her father was having an affair or that he screwed up the case? He does not seem to understand how this affects her life. And what was all that nonsense about being there for her?

“HE’S DEAD! HE’S DEAD and I AM ALIVE! I MADE A JUDGMENT CALL BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU NEEDED SOMEBODY!”

Essentially, Peter has been lying to Annie all of her life.

While all of this back and forth with Peter is going on, Virginia (Sharon Taylor) is running down Jackie Edmonds’ (Marianne Farley) alibi because of her presence at the Rave from the other night. Witnesses state she attends every week, so this has effectively ruined Coach Tom’s (Vincent Leclerc) alibi. Jackie’s claim that she was home with her husband the night Jesse died is a lie.

This week’s instalment on the Eddie-Annie relationship front takes place at the community family barbecue. Eddie is there with Daisy and Briana (Amber Goldfarb). Annie begs Eddie to come home, to be a family again. Eddie, however, is done with crazy. He has to say no for his own well-being. He needs calm and simple and no longer believes that “you have to feel pain to be with someone.” Annie is not ready to not be crazy, and she proves it by running to the arms of Brady. That leads to a brawl between Eddie and Brady. In the end, Annie leaves by herself, Daisy (Madison Ferguson) insists on leaving with her dad, and Brady is left with a bloody nose.

Peter pays a visit to Mother Mansfield demanding information about the fingernails, but she swears she does not know who planted them in her room so many years ago. And it appears that these two have a secret history. Lily thinks he is an adrenaline junkie but Peter claims it is self-punishment for Clarence Ryder’s death, “I deserve to feel this fuckin’ low.”

The closing moments return to the hunting cabin where we find Annie drinking. I think it is safe to say, she has hit bottom and loses it. Annie, in a maniacal fever pitched rage, heads out into the woods and a hooded stranger appears, stopping her from self harm! Is THIS The Riddler? Following a brief search she returns to the cabin and finds another clue.

“Adam 16”.

WHEW! So Tom has no alibi, and Peter and Mother Mansfield are keeping secrets. Who killed Sandy Driver? Who killed Jesse? We still don’t know what the connection is between these murders. Who do you suspect? Let me know in the comments below!

Bellevue airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

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