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Featured, Killjoys

Killjoys heads for a “Wargasm”

This is it, Killjoys fans. The final battle for the whole enchilada. The Season 3 finale, “Wargasm,” is upon us. Written by series creator Michelle Lovretta and directed by Stefan Pleszczynski, the episode wins top marks for the title alone.

Will Killjoys be renewed for a fourth go-round? While we wait to get an official word—what is taking so long??—here’s the episode synopsis via Space:

It’s go time. The Killjoy militia has gathered everything they need and are ready to go to war with Aneela and her Hullen using Delle Seyah as bait. But as the battle begins, Aneela changes the entire game.

And here are more non-spoiler teases after watching the episode.

Alvis has left the building
We had stuffed this bad news into a deep corner of our minds after it happened last week. The “previously on” recapped that awful moment once again. Can we get a slow clap for Morgan Kelly for his awesome portrayal of that lovable Scarback?

A final drink
This wicked-cool group shot has been online for a few days now and we love it. Google “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci and compare the two images. Who is The Savior? Who are their loyal followers? Who is the traitor? And who will be sacrificed for our sins? The sepia-toned scene of Dutch, D’Av and Johnny, surrounded by their faithful fighters, is wonderful and sad. And Dutch’s narration played over a montage of her memories, will have you reaching for the tissues. Also? Pree’s war paint is. Bad. Ass.

Zeph and Dutch have a moment
It’s during final prep for Dutch’s head-to-head to Aneela, and it’s tearfully touching.

Turin returns
With close to 10 minutes already elapsed in the episode—and as familiar faces congregated—I wondered if our favourite scratchy-voiced ginger would appear. He does, but can he be trusted by our heroes?

Aneela changes the entire game.
Indeed she does, and our trio don’t see it coming. I yelled “No!” out loud when I realized what was happening. Not good, folks. Not good. Michelle Lovretta promised a drag-em-out fight between Dutch and Aneela in the season finale and she wasn’t lying: it’s a showstopper. I can’t even imagine the prep work and coordination involved to make it look so seamless on TV. Kudos to the stunt crew, doubles and Hannah John-Kamen for some gripping fight footage.

The space battle is top-notch
I have no clue what the CGI budget is for Killjoys, but they must have gone way over with the battle footage. It’s fantastic.

The Killjoys season finale airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Space.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

 

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21 Thunder, Featured

21 Thunder: Stephanie Bennett scores as Coach Christy Cook

Stephanie Bennett has scored a major role in Canadian primetime television portraying Assistant Coach Christy Cook on CBC’s summer series 21 Thunder. I recently spoke to Bennett over the phone about her character, what it is like behind the scenes of 21 Thunder and a pet project of hers back in Vancouver.

What personal goal did you set for yourself when you agreed to take on the role of Coach Christy Cook?
Stephanie Bennett: Christy is a very powerful character. She is very driven and ambitious. I have been very lucky to play a lot of characters like that, but this one was very different because she is a young woman in a man’s world, and she is taking on this leadership position. She really has to fight a number of things to get there, including her personal life. My goal was to just really demonstrate her strength as well as her vulnerability, and really make an impression for women taking leadership positions. I hope this character will inspire more women to take on these roles in the sports world.

The media has focused a great deal on the fact that Christy is breaking this ceiling in the world of men’s professional sports, but I want to know, now that we are learning more about her personal life, how do you reconcile Christy the professional coach with Christy in a relationship with the very flirtatious Davey Gunn (Ryan Pierce)—even though we are also beginning to see his own vulnerabilities behind this mask of his?
I think Christy definitely has an attraction to him and he is a lot of fun for her at a time when she is not having any fun in her life. But, I also think she knows what is most important to her and so she is struggling to stay focused. Davey can be a bit of a distraction and I think Christy is aware of that. I don’t think she has any expectations for this relationship. She is very level-headed. She knows what her goals are, what she needs to do to be successful with the team and that is the most important thing in her life at this time.

21 Thunder has a great underlying message about diversity; coming together as a team from many different ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds. How do you see people responding to this message given the current political climate?
Well honestly, I am so proud to be a Canadian right now. I just think [21 Thunder] is a beautiful representation of how multicultural and how accepting we are here in comparison to other places and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The show is also a great way to bring international fans together too since we have such a diverse cast that represent so many international regions and backgrounds. I think [21 Thunder] is truly “Canadian” of us. I think the fans really appreciate the diversity and find it a breath of fresh air in a world that is still struggling with such horrible racism.

You have been heavily involved with the program Project Limelight. Can you share a bit about the program and your involvement?
Project Limelight is a free performing arts program located in the downtown east side of Vancouver. Currently, we are working with about 30 kids aged 8 to 15 or 16 and the program provides them with free experience in the performing arts. The kids work for about six months rehearsing and preparing for their shows, working with costume designers and lighting. The kids come in multiple times during the week to rehearse and participate in workshops to improve their craft; skills including singing, dancing and acting. Many Vancouver professionals have come together to provide workshops. During my time with the project, I tend to do whatever needs doing, whether it is using my extensive acting or dance background or just feeding the kids when they arrive. Sometimes we just hang out if that is what the kids need too. It’s amazing because these kids are super committed because they are putting on a full production at the end of the program.

Can you share with me one of your most memorable moments on set with Team 21 Thunder?
On set, throughout the season, the boys all came up with chants that they wrote themselves and then they would perform them in the locker room or on the field. It was really cool to see that creative collaboration between the cast members and the rest of us would be there cheering them when they performed them. It brought an authenticity to the show that I really loved.

And finally, which storyline, other than your own, has you most intrigued?
I would say the Nolan [RJ Fetherstonhaugh] and Emma [Clark Backo] storyline. The young love between them and just how torn Nolan is because of his life and how much he loves Emma. This last week ended in a proposal so we don’t know but I think they do a beautiful job with their characters.

My thanks to Stephanie for taking the time to speak with me!

21 Thunder airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

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Featured, Podcast

TV, Eh? podcast Episode 233 — Auctioneering

After a bit of a summer vacation, Greg and Anthony are back sponsored by Jack Daniel’s No. 27 Gold.

We dive into a busy calendar that is about to get much, much busier as the fall arrives (including the return of Mayday), discuss this year’s Kids Help Phone charity auction items (the auction closes Friday, Sept. 1 at 11 a.m. ET) and finish off discussing Canadian network CHCH’s upcoming programming, which includes House of Cards.

Listen or download below, or subscribe via iTunes or any other podcast catcher with the TV, eh? podcast feed.

Want to support TV, eh?’s work? Become a Patreon!

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Featured

Bell’s Rencontres spotlights life in Toronto’s French-speaking enclave

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Some of the most interesting programming available in Canada is coming out of Bell Fibe TV1. The local On Demand channel has debuted stuff like the comedy Touring T.O. and has quickly become the space for folks to break into television.

The latest program to debut on Bell Fibe TV1 is Rencontres. Debuting Friday with all 10 episodes available, Rencontres is a curious little project about what Toronto looks like through the view of the city’s lesser-known Francophone community. OK, I’ve lived in Toronto for almost two decades and I had no clue there was a Francophone community in the city. Mais oui, according to award-winning directing, writing and producing duo Brennan Martin and Florian François—François also stars as the series’ lead—and they are a vibrant, vocal group. The pair expanded their award-winning short film of the same name into the series, intent on showcasing a city that usually stands in for another location.

“We want Rencontres to be an entertaining tribute to the Greater Toronto Area and its diversity through the eyes of a tourist discovering the city,” François said in a press release. “There are so many films and series shot here, but so few that actually incorporate the city itself.” With locations like Christie Pits Park, Kensington  Market and Stouffville showcased, Rencontres certainly does that.

In the debut 11-minute instalment, we’re quickly introduced to Laura (Mylène Theriault) a homeless woman who frantically searches the bushes for her bag before confronting Jen, who she accuses of stealing it. Frustrated, Laura goes to a local park and sings for money in her native language … until folks refuse to give her cash. She may say “tabernac” to fellow Francophones but uses the all-understood f-shot for everyone else. (There are English subtitles, but my Grade 13 French served me well.)

Meanwhile, Sebastien (François) a French tourist, arrives at the airport and, right from the get-go, has trouble asking if he’s in the right spot to catch the downtown bus.

“So you speak French in the air but not on the ground here…?” Sebastien says to an anglophone buried in his cell phone. It’s a funny line, but a poignant one too. Where else but aboard a Canadian airline or on a highway sign do you see French outside of Quebec? He steps off the subway into bright sunlight and enters a park, taking photos of his surroundings. It’s there the title of the series—Rencontres (“encounters” or “meetings”)—makes sense. The chance to speak his mother tongue with someone results in the pair bonding over food, language and music.

Rencontres is sweet, funny and definitely worth a look. I was entertained by Laura and Sebastien’s Episode 1 encounter and it gave me a unique outlook on the city I’ve called home for close to 20 years. And I used my high school French to fine effect!

Rencontres debuts Friday, Sept. 1, on Bell Fibe TV1.

 

 

 

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Amazing Race Canada, Featured

The Amazing Race Canada: Feeling the squeeze in Saskatchewan

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Unless The Amazing Race Canada pulls a fast one on us, there are no more non-elimination Legs left for teams to rely on. Alliances are out the window and it’s every duo for themselves. At least, that’s how I’d play if I was participating in the Race.

Bert and Karen were saved from elimination in Panama, but there would be no respite in Regina when the teams all touched down in the prairie town on Tuesday. Sam and Paul, who have been stellar of late, were the first to leave for the airport with the spectre of the Double U-Turn hanging over all. Kenneth and Ryan were U-Turned by Sam and Paul earlier this season and were looking to return the favour. (I’m really hating how flights have been taken out of the equation so far this season. Part of the fun of splitting up flights was wondering how far ahead or behind teams were.)

I try to avoid including sponsor placement when reviewing The Amazing Race Canada, but Tuesday’s Leg included some pretty great work from BMO; the remaining teams helped hand out freshly-squeezed orange juice to some elementary school kids. The teams were clearly energized by the welcome they received, with Sam and Paul cutting and squeezing their way to completing the task first. The next stop: Rouleau, Sask., where teams met the cast of Corner Gas. Sigh. No, they did not. Hey, CTV, where was that product placement?!

In a stunning and brilliant gamble, Bert and Karen’s map skills paid off when they utilized a gravel road that vaulted them to the Rouleau farm in second place. The Detour offered teams the chance to get down and dirty doing work on the farm. In “Cart,” teams loaded canola seeds into a cart using a conveyor belt; in “Horse,” squads auctioned off animals in front of a crowd. Sam and Paul chose “Cart,” (I would have too) and were off. (Karen and Bert’s Speed Bump took place here as well; the married couple mucked out a horse stall, a relatively easy task that didn’t take long to complete.) Kenneth and Ryan chose “Horse,” and I predicted their gift for gab would serve them well. It took no time at all for them to memorize, perform and close out the bidding on the horse, putting them in first place and Sam and Paul on the brink of a U-Turn placed in front of the Dog River Hotel. Sam and Paul and Andrea and Adam both had their feeders lined up but didn’t know how to turn on the conveyor belt. Andrea and Adam had seeds loaded and ready, so they were a little ahead. Sam and Paul knew they were going to be U-Turned, and I wondered if they would have been allowed to stay at the farm rather than drive into town only to turn around and drive back? I guess the only option they had was to get to the hotel and U-turn someone else or hope another team would do that for them.

Team Giver was in complete control, heading for Moose Jaw with no one in their rearview mirror. Their task? To recreate a giant maple leaf sculpture out of soup cans. Back at the hotel, Ivana and Korey U-Turned Adam and Andrea, pitting two strong teams against one another in the horse auction. That left the road clear for Bert and Karen to advance to Moose Jaw. Kenneth and Ryan were on a roll, departing Crescent Park as Bert and Karen arrived. Korey and Ivana were determined to make up ground and made a critical mistake by stacking one can upside down in the middle of their art. As cans tumbled from Korey and Ivana’s display, Bert and Karen departed followed by Sam and Paul. Korey and Ivana made a huge mess but completed the task, leaving the park and siblings Adam and Andrea surrounded by soup cans and shattered dreams.

At the Road Block, one team member sought out their next clue in the middle of a bee hive: the queen bee. Kenneth had a head start but it was Sam who found the queen in his hive first, taking the lead from Team Giver and headed to the Pit Stop on an airfield surrounded by the Snowbirds air squadron. Sam and Paul arrived in first place yet again, cementing them as the team to beat.

Here’s how the teams finished this Leg of the Race:

  1. Sam and Paul (won a trip to Costa Rica)
  2. Kenneth and Ryan
  3. Karen and Bert
  4. Ivana and Korey
  5. Andrea and Adam (eliminated)

The Amazing Race Canada airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

 

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