Tag Archives: Featured

Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Interview: Murdoch’s shocking season finale; plus what’s coming in Season 9

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Constable George Crabtree: murderer? Surely that can’t be true, but by the end of Monday’s season finale George was locked up and charged with the death of Archie Brooks just the same. There’s more to this crime than meets the eye, but George’s bloody boots and his refusal to speak has placed him firmly behind bars and put his detective’s job in question.

That wasn’t the only cliffhanger in Monday’s “The Artful Detective”: Lillian asked Emily to move to London with her so that the two could continue their support of the Suffragette Movement in England. Emily had not made a decision by the time the show’s credits rolled. It’s been a dramatic season of Murdoch Mysteries, with such high points as William and Julia getting married to the rise of the Suffragettes in Toronto, and lows like the fall of Chief Constable Giles and Constable John Hodge.

In our last behind-the-scenes chat with the creative folks at Murdoch Mysteries, we spoke to showrunner Peter Mitchell.

Was the episode title, “The Artful Detective,” a little nod to Ovation, the U.S. cable channel that airs Murdoch under that name?
Peter Mitchell: It was a wink to that, yeah, as well as a great horse name.

I counted seven bodies in last night’s episode and all of them were pretty gruesome. How did the idea for that come about?
We usually try to do one sequential killer storyline a year and we got into the whole thing of The Most Dangerous Game. The most dangerous game is man and we wanted to get Ogden a little more involved in psychological profiling. Our last several episodes—one was pro wrestling and the one before that was girl gangs—we’d done a few lighter ones and we wanted to go out with a darker, sequential killer storyline that ultimately isn’t that. It fit the mood of winter, which we were fortunate enough to get.

What was it like filming in those conditions? It was cold enough to see breath.
It was pretty cold. It wasn’t minus-40 Toronto but it was cold. When you’re out there in temperatures hovering around zero and nobody is really prepped for it, it’s not fantastic.

You mentioned the wrestling episode. I understand you’re a fan of pro wrestling. How long have you enjoyed it?
Oh gosh, longer than my wife would care to admit. Probably around WrestleMania II or III. I kicked around doing something with those guys a few years ago and it never happened. The identical twin referees is still a stroke of storytelling genius. We just tried to throw a few things into it. Murdoch driving the ambulance was, of course, Steve Austin driving the ambulance when they took Vince McMahon away. We hit four or five really deep in-jokes. My daughter and I started going to local wrestling in Toronto which is where we found a bunch of those guys.

We’re probably going to work, a little more this year, at putting the team back together and see them work more as a coordinated unit.

OK, when we last saw George in the finale, he was behind bars and charged with murdering Archie. But I feel like there is more to this than meets the eye.

It’s Murdoch, of course there’s more to this story than meets the eye. Probably more than even George is aware of. It goes deeper than what George thinks is going on.

I think George is innocent and is covering for Edna because he thinks she is involved somehow.
He’s kind of where you are … but wrong. [Laughs.]

Where do we pick up next season?
It will pick up about five months later and George will be in completely different circumstances. Our fans are pretty diligent about changing seasons, we can never pick up right where we left off. We end a season with snow on the ground and we’ll pick up, hopefully, with leaves on the trees.

What year will it be in Murdoch’s world when we come back for Season 9?
For history it will be 1903, which is the year before the ‘Great Fire of Toronto.’

Is that something you’re working towards?
We’re aware of it, but we’re not sure exactly where we’re going to place it. You’re as aware of the numbers and the good feelings for this show as we are and we don’t see a firm end date. As long as people are ambulatory we have a decent chance of making this for awhile. I’m not sure where we will place the Great Fire and the producer on the show with me, Steve Montgomery, would probably kill me the minute I suggest Great Fire. We will get to it.

Are there some key events in Toronto’s history that occurred in 1903 that you’re planning on covering?
We’re working towards that. We’ve got our list of historical characters that we’d like to get on the show this year. In terms of actual events, we’re always researching but nothing jumps out right now as being significant to hang an episode on. I think Prime Minister Laurier will come back to town this year, I’m hoping—if we can find the right guy—Mark Twain will come to town. We might have a little bit of fun with Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Michelle Ricci told me you guys have been trying to get that character on the show for years.
Yeah, I think Crabtree will teach her how to write. [Laughs.]

What can fans expect from next season?
That’s a really loaded question. What the fans expect is not always what we deliver. I think that we did try some avenues of experimentation this year in expanding the franchise. We may have lost sight, once or twice, in our core characters. The last three episodes were basically George, George, George in terms of an emotional storyline and prior to that we had been doing stuff with Emily. We’re probably going to work, a little more this year, at putting the team back together and see them work more as a coordinated unit. But it’s Murdoch Mysteries, so hopefully we’ll still have controversial storylines and zany storylines and a little more focus on Julia and William’s relationship in the coming year.

Season 9 of Murdoch Mysteries will return to CBC later this year.

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Featured, Remedy

Review: Proposals and PTSD on Remedy

“You come to a hospital to get better, not worse.” Firefighter Renee Hudson certainly had grounds to say that to Mel. She had been carted in with severe abdominal pain and would be leaving needing therapy after Jerry mixed up her medication and Renee was partially awake during her surgery. I didn’t even know that was a thing; now it has vaulted to the top of my “Things I Hope Never, Ever Happen to Me” list.

That it could happen was shocking enough—I can only imagine how traumatic that must have been—but it left Jerry’s career up in the air and his relationship with Mel in shambles. She had, after all, admitted she may not have forced him to admit to the mistake if he was a family member. That was grounds for a break-up just hours after Jerry confided in Sandy he was going to propose to Mel over dinner that night. That clearly ain’t happening, and it opens the door for Mel to find solace in Peter Cutler.

Peter has definitely made an impact on Beth-H, first with his breezy confidence and then with his memorable back-and-forths with Allen during “When You Awake.” The former hospital head-turned-ER doc had plenty of advice for the young whippersnapper and without that I fear pro wrestler “Pitbull” Danko would have gone down for a permanent three-count. It’s early days, but I already like the fact that Allen is in the ER in those blue scrubs and shaking things up. There were, of course, the early stumbles of not wearing the correct shoes and messing up the intubation, but overall I think he’s going to be just fine, and the perfect salve to Peter’s spiciness.

Meanwhile, bedbugs—they’re on my list too, but lower down—served as the unlikely formula for Griff and Zoe to finally decide to move in together. Personally, I think it’s a little too soon after Lonnie’s death for this to happen but I totally get their thinking that he’ll support her through that and she’ll be there when if/when he considers relapsing back into drug use.

Notes and quotes

  • How does Niall Matter get that perfectly-sculpted stubble?
  • Welcome back to the ER, Allen! Here’s an elbow in the gut courtesy of a pro wrestler.
  • Shirtless Griff count: 1

Remedy airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

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Featured

He Said/She Said: Are TV critics important?

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Join Greg and Diane every Monday as we debate what’s on our minds. This week: with the proliferation of places for everyone and anyone to talk about TV online, is there still value to television critics?

She said:

It seems unlikely that this would be a place to find an argument against critics, and sure enough I can’t do it. I’m a strong believer in a strong critical community for any category of art or entertainment. Without it, the art form itself appears weak. If Canadian TV can’t withstand criticism, what does that say to potential viewers?

Silence is not golden when it comes to criticism. Damning with faint praise sometimes feels like a cliché made forCanadian  TV. Liking everything is akin to liking nothing. Easy to say, but the industry should rejoice when critics are critical. Or at least mutter to themselves. Critics are just part of what influences people to decide to watch a show, and likely not even the most important part, but the connection to a mass audience is still significant. 

The rise of social media hasn’t changed my opinion that professional critics are necessary and good, making the incredible shrinking Canadian TV critic community something we should all be rallying against. Especially when the modicum of diversity of critical voices that used to exist is shrinking right along with it.

There is a difference between professional critics the armchair critics who posts their thoughts on Twitter, or the fans who post their excitement on Tumblr. Assuming a critic is actually critical — not as in negative, but as in forming opinions and writing about them with a high degree of awareness of how plot, character, tone, structure and execution intersect to create those opinions — over time, readers can come to understand a critic’s taste and how it aligns with their own. Fans can also feel challenged to examine our own opinions and reasons for our reactions to the content.

Some like to deny it but there is still cache to having something discussed in print, in particular, but really anywhere the content has gone through the gatekeeping of an editorial process.

Newspapers also know a scary amount of information about their subscribers: age ranges, income brackets, and a host of other demographics and psychographics. Digital publications know the kind of content their readers click on and comment on most — two metrics that don’t correspond as much as you might think.

Knowledge is power, on both sides. Professional critics know who they’re talking to and over time, readers know who they’re listening to. If a critic is unfair, or the critique doesn’t substantiate a negative review, there’s also a power in the audience fighting back. When the industry does it? Weak.

He said:

I am, of course, biased in my opinion that television critics are still important because I am one. And, in the ever-changing world where we’re seeing movie and TV critics being let go by newspapers and websites, they’re even more important.

I view the role of the television critic as this: watch a television show, comment on it, celebrate it or be critical of it. Have an opinion. If you think something is good, outline why. Hate it? Explain why. I’ve been ripped on for not being too critical of television shows or the industry in general, but I choose to find the overall good in things rather than focus on the things that aren’t working. I’m not afraid to point out shortcomings, but when I do it’s with a suggestion on how to make things better. Being miserable and mean just for the sake of it is, in my opinion, lazy.

I view my thoughts as being the starting point for a discussion. It’s something I’ve enjoyed for the last 15 years. There is nothing more fun than to have someone approach me and ask my thoughts on a TV show. Before I know it, I’m running through the programs on my DVR, the person I’m talking to is giving me their list and we’re talking. You may not agree with me—or me you—but man it’s fun.

Critics are never more important than they are now. With more of them in this industry being silenced due to job cuts, there is nothing to counter the noise coming from websites owned by cable companies touting their homegrown shows. I’m sorry to tell those folks, but not all of your shows are great no matter how much you tell me they are and how many behind-the-scenes exclusives you get.

You need someone to call bullshit, and that’s my job.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

Review: Birthday cakes and backfired plots on MasterChef Canada

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Kudos to Christopher and David for having their hearts in the right place when they tried to give some people easier Elimination Challenge ingredients in order to carry them further into the competition. But as we’ve seen countless times on MasterChef Canada, currying favour to anyone usually results in disaster.

That was certainly the case with “No Piece of Cake” on Sunday, when Jon and Tammy found themselves in the bottom three next Kristen, who was sent home. Meanwhile, moves like giving Andrew and Michael difficult ingredients to cook with backfired, with both scoring the top plates of the night. Those two will head up the team challenges next week.

The episode had started so promisingly. The Top 11 were tasked with making a birthday cake that showed a side of themselves in it. Pastry expert Christopher was beaming the entire time, creating a four-later opera cake that was head and shoulders above everyone else, who could only hope for second place. That went to David; he bounced back from a bad week to nail his peanut butter and chocolate birthday cake. In fact, all of the cakes looked so delicious that Michael, Alvin and Claudio chose to taste four slices instead of three. (I’m thinking they did that because they love cake.)

David and Christopher headed into the pantry with control and safety for the week and plotted to put tough oddball pairings with chefs they wanted out and easier choices with less-talented cooks. Though their thinking was sound, Jon ran out of time and missed putting licorice sauce on his salmon and Tammy’s bacon and chocolate tarts were undercooked. Only Kristen out-did them with chicken and chorizo tacos that failed to showcase any grape jelly in her fruit salsa.

The MasterChef Canada Top 10 are:

  1. Michael
  2. Jon
  3. David
  4. Line
  5. Jennifer
  6. Tammy
  7. Sabrina
  8. Andrew
  9. Cody
  10. Christopher

Notes and quotes

  • Michael was wearing blue suede shoes when he met his girlfriend. Just throwing that out there.
  • I might be wrong, but this group of home cooks seems to be sharing ingredients pretty willingly with each other.
  • “Nothing is bluer than my hair.” Chef Alvin is right, Michael’s cake just didn’t stand up to the Dragon Chef’s ‘do.
  • I keep forgetting that I need to put a base layer of icing on my cake before the final coating.
  • The fact that Line and Jennifer’s Elimination Challenge plates weren’t even shown proved they were safe for another week.

MasterChef Canada airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Featured, Heartland

Review: Amy and Ty tie the knot on Heartland

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The wedding between Amy Fleming and Ty Borden has been a long time coming. There have been Princes and punches, fights and frustrations, breakups and bonding … a roller coaster of emotions for not only them, but their families and viewers. But after eight seasons of waiting, the two said their vows and became a couple.

“I was ready for this,” Amber Marshall told me after a meet and greet with Heartland fans last Thursday in Toronto. “I feel like if we waited any longer, people would start to get mad. It was time. It was totally time.”

That doesn’t mean Sunday’s season finale, “Written in Stone,” wasn’t without a few tense moments. It appeared the pair had decided to elope in Pike River, leaving Lou steaming because of all the planning she’d done. But Amy and Ty opted out of that, realizing they wanted to be surrounded by family and friends on the biggest day of their lives. It was a welcome relief to everyone, especially Lou. Well, until she got a call with some bad news: the hall she booked wasn’t available anymore. (To be fair, Lou has had a lot on her mind, but it was still funny to see the Queen of Planning thrown for a loop.)

Enter Jack, who has always been as steady as the rock hearth he sat in front of, recalling his marriage right there in the house in front of the fireplace. That sealed it for Amy and Ty: they would be married there too. The ceremony itself was a small and meaningful affair that called back many Heartland characters from the past to be there. And while Amy and Ty looked confident as they stood up and professed their love, things were a little different for Marshall during filming.

“I was nervous the whole time,” Marshall said. “I couldn’t remember the vows, I got dizzy, I was more nervous filming this wedding scene than I was on my actual wedding day. It was a really surreal experience.”

Heather Conkie’s script didn’t solely revolve around the happy couple. There were other storylines to wrap up, most notably Caleb losing his property to the dastardly Jesse Stanton. That was taken care of thanks to Val, who pulled Caleb aside and apologized for her hot-head son. She handed over a cheque that covers the loan still owing on the land, freeing it up for Caleb to stay.

Finally, there was Trouble. Because Amy was busy, you know, getting married, Georgie took it upon herself to gentle the annoyed beast. That wasn’t an easy task, but it sure was rewarding. The most touching scene of the season finale for me involved Amy and Ty watching Trouble charge at Georgie, pull up short, and nuzzle her arm in friendship. The perfect way to end a dramatic season of Heartland.

Notes and quotes

  • Amber Marshall wore her real-life wedding dress. Her mom’s wedding dress is actually owned by Heartland‘s showrunner, Heather Conkie.
  • Amy and Ty weren’t really watching Georgie and Trouble in that field. They were, as Marshall explained, “looking at a stick in a field” and the scene was edited afterwards.
  • The actress who plays Katie didn’t appear in the scene where the Fleming-Morris family danced together. Michelle Morgan explained Julia Maren Baker’s allotted on-set time had expired, so they used another girl in her place and filmed so you just saw the back of Katie’s head.

What was your favourite moment from last night’s episode? Comment below or at @tv_eh.

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