Tag Archives: CTV

Saving Hope: Magicians and pianists and cell phone babies, oh my!

When we last left our friends at Hope Zion, Maggie and Sydney were planning to move to London for Syd’s new job and Charlie’s gift had advanced to a new, troubling level: Spirit Blake was able to touch him. This week, a wrench in thrown into the works when Maggie is offered a new gig, throwing her future with Syd into disarray.

Here’s what CTV has revealed about this Thursday’s new episode of Saving Hope, “Leap of Faith”:

Dr. Alex Reid and Dr. Maggie Lin work together to deliver the baby of plastic surgeon Dr. Arnie Storms (Ari Cohen, SHOOT THE MESSENGER) and his wife. Charlie treats magician “Abbadon” (Joe Cobden, THIS LIFE), who shattered both his legs during an illusion gone wrong, and Dr. Shahir Hamza treats his idol – a virtuosic concert pianist – who has been inadvertently poisoning herself, while trying to curb symptoms of early onset Parkinson’s. Meanwhile, when Maggie is offered an obstetrician position at Hope Zion, it causes her to rethink her role at the hospital.

And here are a few more tidbits about the instalment, written by Adam Pettle and Hayden Simpson and directed by Jason Priestley.

Jonathan and Shahir adjust to being parents. Sort of.
We knew there’d be Alex and Charlie’s newbie factoring into Season 5 storylines but Shahir and Jonathan’s potential happy addition has been a complete surprise. We’re loving Christopher Jacot in this role and his scenes were Huse Madhavji are equal parts hilarious and emotional.

Speaking of Alex and Charlie’s baby…
We find out the sex of the little cherub.

We’ve got your guest stars
Shoot the Messenger‘s Ari Cohen, sketch comic Marty Adams (above) and Bellevue‘s Joe Cobden drop by this week. The latter two provide truly laugh-out-loud moments in Charlie’s spirit storyline. Seriously though, how many more excuses can Charlie make to his co-workers about why he’s staring off into space and/or talking to himself?

Saving Hope airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Links: Cardinal

From Amy Glynn of Paste:

Link: Hulu’s Cardinal Is a Watchable, but Not Unmissable, Whiteout Noir
Actually, Cardinal had me unconvinced at first, but I warmed up to it because of the delicate precision with which it anatomizes people uncovering one another’s hidden layers and buried secrets and old traumas. Continue reading.

From Rob Thomas of The Captial Times:

Link: Bingeworthy: Hulu’s ‘Cardinal’ finds murder and corruption in the Great White North
“Cardinal” is engrossing and deliberately paced, and as a native Canadian and now Wisconsinite, I’ve seldom seen the impenetrable white of a Canadian winter portrayed on screen as well as it is here. So, even though it’s the dog days of summer, wrap up in a blanket and get pulled into this chilling mystery series. Continue reading.

From Josh Sorokach of Decider:

Link: Embrace The Soothing Paint-By-Number Charms Of Crime Thriller ‘Cardinal’
Already renewed by CTV for two more seasons, the confident drama knows exactly what it is and plays to its strengths, which includes Campbell’s doleful portrayal of dogged detective John Cardinal.  Continue reading.

From David Wiegand of SF Gate:

Link: Multiple mysteries keep ‘Cardinal’ flying on Hulu
Screenwriter Aubrey Nealon is masterfully stingy with the script, carefully doling out information about Cardinal and other characters in very small but tantalizing doses.

The performances are quite good, although Campbell speaks all of his lines is a somewhat loud whisper. It feels at times like an affectation, but otherwise, he invests the right about of credible angst to make the character compelling. Continue reading.

 

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Saving Hope: A poltergeist wreaks havoc in Hope Zion

Last week’s episode of Saving Hope was one heck of a ride, from the drama in the operating room to the incredibly sweet moment when Alex and Dougie celebrated Martha’s life before sending her ashes off into the lake.

This Thursday’s new episode “Nightmares and Dreamscapes,” written by Ley Lukins, is equally engaging. Here’s what CTV has officially revealed:

Following a car accident involving three brothers, in which only one survives, Dr. Charlie Harris is faced with two spirits who beg him to do everything he can save their brother’s life. As Charlie and the team operate, he’s haunted by a mischievous ghost (Steve Arbuckle), who is determined to move on from the spirit world. Meanwhile, Dr. Sydney Katz and Dr. Shahir Hamza treat Trudy Stein (Teresa Pavlinek), a 40-year-old free spirit who impregnated herself and arrives at Hope Zion after suffering a fall. Meanwhile, Dr. Zach Miller and Dr. Maggie Lin deal with a mysterious man who comes into the E.R. covered in blood that is not his, and he doesn’t know how it got there.

And here’s a little more we can divulge after watching a screener.

Charlie and Alex
Alex may have given Charlie short shrift during the first half of this season, but he was there when she needed him when Martha passed away. The pair held hands during the lake-side memorial … but are they back together? As Facebook would say, it’s complicated.

Shahir and Jonathan seek an adoption
It turns out to be more of a challenge than either of them had considered and, unfortunately, puts pressure on the relationship.

Teresa Pavlinek guest stars
I’ve loved this very funny lady since I first saw her starring on The Jane Show, so I was thrilled to see her on Saving Hope. Her character, Trudy, is memorable for a couple of reasons, but most of all due to her connection with Sydney.

Spirit Blake returns …
… and seriously freaks Charlie—and me, and Alex—out.

Saving Hope airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

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CTV gives Canadians first look at feature on The Tragically Hip and their historic Man Machine Poem concert tour

From a media release:

On the heels of a special sneak peek at the conclusion of its annual Upfront presentation, CTV today released a first look at the upcoming CTV Feature Presentation, a film about Canada’s beloved The Tragically Hip, their challenging year, and their momentous cross-Canada Man Machine Poem Tour. Click here to view the First Look.

As was announced last fall, the film chronicles the emotional and epic lead up to the iconic Canadian band’s now-legendary 2016 tour that captured the heart of the nation. Viewers will be given a unique and exclusive perspective into The Tragically Hip’s world through intimate moments, behind-the-scenes and on-stage footage, personal interviews with the band and close friends, as well reactions from their devoted fans from across the country.

Commissioned by Bell Media, the documentary is set for a fall theatrical run, distributed by Elevation Pictures, ahead of its television premiere in late fall on Canada’s most-watched network, CTV. The network premiere will be followed by airings on various Bell Media and on-demand platforms, including The Movie Network, MUCH, and CraveTV.

The film is directed by renowned Canadian documentary filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier (Manufactured Landscapes, Act of God, Watermark), and produced by Banger Films’ Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn (HIP-HOP EVOLUTION, RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE), in association with Shed Creative (a division of Universal Music Canada).

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Rookie Blue’s Ben Bass guest-stars on Saving Hope’s return

Attention Saving Hope fans. Mark your calendars because the Hope Zion crew have moved to Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET starting this week and continuing until the series finale in August. When we last left our doctors, Alex was reeling following the medicated death of her mother, Martha, and Charlie discovered the positive pregnancy test kit in her kitchen garbage.

Here’s what we know about this week’s return episode—that guest-stars Rookie Blue‘s Ben Bass—”Change of Heart,” written by Noelle Carbone and Katrina Saville and directed by David Wharnsby.

In the wake of her mother Martha’s (Jennifer Dale, WHAT WOULD SAL DO?) death, Dr. Alex Reid (Erica Durance) busies herself with work and memorial arrangements to distract her from her grief. Unbeknownst to Alex, Dr. Charlie Harris (Michael Shanks) and Dr. Shahir Hamza (Huse Madhavji) attempt to track down her pseudo-estranged brother Dougie (Ben Bass, ROOKIE BLUE) to get him to attend their mother’s funeral. Meanwhile, Alex treats a young girl, Erin (Josette Halpert, THE OTHER KINGDOM), who has had kidney failure her whole life and requires a transplant. Dr. Maggie Lin (Julia Taylor Ross) and Dr. Sydney Katz (Stacey Farber, DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION) work together to treat a young woman who contracted an STI on the eve of her wedding, after panicking about the prospect of “til death do us part.”

And here’s some non-spoilery info we gleaned from watching a screener!

Road trip for Charlie and Shahir
In an all-too-brief scene, we get a hint at what it’s like to be in the same car as Shahir … and man would we love to do that more often. It’s important to have your medical kit with you at all times. And snacks.

Alex’s backstory revealed
Having Dougie step back into Alex’s life allows Saving Hope‘s writers to give us a glimpse into her past, and how the death of their father affected those left behind.

Ethics explored
Ethics comes up almost every week on Saving Hope, but the case of a girl in need of a kidney transplant really threw me for a loop with the facts surrounding the situation and the decisions her parents made. Alex is deeply affected by it and it impacts on her relationship with Dougie. Oh, and Charlie plays a major part in the A-story too, for obvious reasons.

Saving Hope airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

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