Link: CBC’s The Romeo Section dramatizes decades of gangs, drugs and espionage in Vancouver
In the world of The Romeo Section, CBC Television’s critically acclaimed drama about Vancouver’s homegrown espionage scene, lying is as commonplace as breathing. Characters lie to get what they want. They lie to get through the day. Watching these crafty men and women fabricate falsehoods is one of the reasons that, for many Canadians, the series is must-see TV. Continue reading.Â
From Safeeya Pirani of BC Living:
Link: Meet The Romeo Section’s Fei Ren
“I love how the whole production is so collaborative and everyone is just like a family. And of course Chris Haddock is just amazing to work with. He focuses so much on character development and communicating with all of us. He also wrote the scripts really well, so it allows me to dig deeper into my role.” Continue reading.
Link: Andrew Airlie talks The Romeo Section Season 2 + preview
This week on The Romeo Section, Wolfgang and Norman continue their investigation while Wolfgang sorts out the after-effects of his mystery mugging. When I visited the set last week, I chatted with Andrew Airlie about Wolfgang and Norman’s camaraderie, and working so closely with Brian Markinson which, surprisingly is a first for the pair. Continue reading.
My first experience with the public face of depression was back in 2012, when TSN’s Michael Landsberg discussed it openly in the documentary “Darkness and Hope: Depression, Sports and Me.” Because of folks like he and Clara Hughes, who herself has spoken publicly about mental illness, more and more people are opening up about their struggles.
People like the Greene family, who are featured in this week’s episode of Firsthand. Written and directed by Jeff Newman, who executive-produces alongside producer Jocelyn Mitchell, “Being Greene” from Nüman Films delves into a family where mental illness is a part of their lives. Quinn Greene serves as the narrator, describing how he’s the one always looking for a laugh when he’s on stage performing. He introduces his father, Dave, rock quarry operator by day and Elvis tribute artist (he’s pretty darn good) by night; mother Roxie, a writer and intellectual; and youngest son Kane, a big-hearted guy with a gap-toothed smile. Of course, what folks see outwardly is no indication of what’s going on inside their heads.
The small-town Manitoba family pulls back the curtain on their struggles with mental illness as Dave unlocks the door to his childhood home, revealing a major case of hoarding because of a childhood of abuse and poverty. But while Dave found solace and success in performance, he became distanced from Roxie, Quinn and Kane. Roxie has attempted suicide in the past and deals with unipolar depressive disorder, Kane suffers from anxiety and suicidal thoughts and spends days in bed, unable to get up or hold a job. Quinn decides to have Kane move in with him, so he can keep tabs on his brother.
(l-r) Kane, Roxie and Quinn Greene
The problem? Quinn wants to have his own life, and feels guilty for having that desire. And when, just 13 minutes into “Being Greene,” Kane is openly discussing his dark thoughts at Sara Riel Inc., a mental health facility, I imagined he was on the right path. But then autumn and winter arrive, the darkest seasons of the year for Kane emotionally, and everything spirals out of control. With guys like Kane’s boss, Sam, thinking his employee just needs to eat more fruit to get out of his funk, it’s no wonder some people have trouble discussing their struggles.
But “Being Greene” isn’t meant to be a sob story, or a vehicle to pity the family. Rather, it’s meant to educate and encourage us to talk about our feelings and reveal what’s going on with our own mental health. And, thanks to “The Greene Warriors,” it can be entertaining too.
The second episode of Kim’s Convenience gave viewers an opportunity to get to know some of the finer nuances of the main characters.
The cold open presented two of Janet’s (Andrea Bang) classmates, Gerald and Samira (Ben Beauchemen and Getenesh Berhe) who arrived to work on a mid-term project. However, they first ran the gauntlet that is Appa (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee). Appa not only demanded proof of their work, but also a critique of his own photographic skills. It is scenes like these that set the viewer up to underestimate Appa, only to be caught unawares as he offered yet another cutting rejoinder, in this case his assessment of their work. Appa doesn’t fully understand Janet’s passion for photography and this led to some competitive behaviour from him. It was this enthusiasm that resulted in some difficulties for Janet at school.
I mentioned in my review of Episode 1 that Jung (Simu Liu) is estranged from the rest of his family. Much of this episode revolved around this breach, which was particularly difficult for Umma (Jean Yoon). She felt pressured to brag about her children’s successes and yet she was unable to fully rejoice in their accomplishments, particularly Jung’s. Jung, meanwhile, applied for the assistant manager position at his car rental company but where is the accomplishment in that when you dream your children will become a doctor or a lawyer? As children of immigrant parents, Jung and Janet are the source of constant anxiety to them. In the end, Jung got the job and even Umma was able to brag!
This was another solid episode. This is not just a sitcom—there is too much depth of character and too much emotion for it to be a comedy. This is not quirky or off the wall; this is real life. The familial relationships are those that anyone could see themselves in. Having friends who are newly immigrated to Canada, I can see their circumstances represented here. Then, to set this in Toronto … brilliant!
One more thing. It was fun seeing Hiro Kanagawa playing Pastor Choi! I loved him in Blackstone, iZombie, and The X-Files, so it was an added treat to see him here.
The long awaited—and much-hyped—debut of Kim’s Convenience finally aired on CBC on Tuesday, and here’s a bit of background in case you have missed it. Mr. Kim, a.k.a. “Appa” (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) and Mrs. Kim, “Umma” (Jean Yoon) immigrated to Canada from Korea in the 1980s, and own a convenience store in downtown Toronto. They have raised two children: Jung (Simu Liu) and Janet (Andrea Bang); Jung has been estranged from his father for several years and is working at a car rental shop, while Janet remains at home, attending college as an arts major and helping out at her parents’ store when she can.
The premiere episode, entitled “Gay Discount,” began as its title might suggest, with Mr. Kim offering a gay discount to his gay customers during Pride Week. There is no need to tell Mr. Kim you are gay, because he can tell. Mr. Kim has 100 per cent guarantee gay-dar. Word spreads of the discount. Some customers like it, some try to take advantage, whilst others find it completely discriminatory. Meanwhile, Mrs. Kim thinks it is time she found Janet a “cool Christian Korean boyfriend.” I have a feeling this will be an ongoing concern for Mrs. Kim, an annoyance for Janet, and provide many humourous situations in the weeks to come.
The other long story arc will focus on the rift between Appa and Jung, and the family’s desire to see it mended, making the family whole again. But, it seems Jung will have his hands full with his enamoured manager, Shannon (Nicole Power).
As stories go, Kim’s Convenience is a fun show. I hope that the hype leading up to it doesn’t leave viewers expecting more than it delivers. Time will tell if Tuesday’s back-to-back episodes prove strong enough to keep viewers returning in the coming weeks. This was truly a charming beginning with some laugh-out-loud moments. The show features characters that are real. Series co-creator Ins Choi is not giving us humour at the expense of stereotypes, but rather he gives us believable characters we can connect with on a human level so we find the humour in the mundane. All told—very refreshing.
Kim’s Convenience is based on the award-winning play by Choi, who also adapted it for television. Kevin White serves as showrunner, and co-created the series with Choi, who both hold executive producer credits along with Thunderbird Films’ Ivan Fecan and Soulpepper Theatre Company’s Albert Schultz.
Kim’s Convenience airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.
