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Featured, Remedy

Review: Relapses and regret on Remedy

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Back in 2000, an episode of ER shook me so much that I think about it every once in awhile. “Be Still My Heart” guest-starred David Krumholtz as a man who everyone brushed off in the ER. I felt dread during the first storyline, as Paul Sobriki (Krumholtz) showed signs of paranoia and instability and only Lucy Knight (Kellie Martin) knew something was amiss. By the end of that first episode, Paul had killed Lucy and John Carter (Noah Wyle) was stabbed in the back and clinging to life.

I drew an immediate parallel between “Be Still My Heart” and “Playing Doctor Conner,” Monday’s latest episode of Remedy, not because of the violence but because of the growing dread and ultimate shock I felt by the end. Having Griffin re-trace the steps he took with Jayne Baugher (Christine Horne) mounted up the tension. Slow to build the relationship between them—both were once in med school and in both cases “complicated” situations surrounded their departures—by the time Griff presented her file, and the diagnosis she had sarcoidosis on the road to progressive fibrosis, they had established trust.

I knew things would end badly for Jayne, but I didn’t expect what came next. After leaving Jayne alone for minutes—I’ll get to that in a second—Griff returned to find her missing. Deciding she didn’t want to burden her family with a long, drawn-out descent into death and her own awful experience of drowning in her own lungs, Jayne cut her wrists and faded away as Griffin watched. It was a tragic scene both because of what Jayne had done and—ultimately—what it forced Griff to do. Rather than tell Zoe the pain he was feeling and hand over the painkillers Linda had surrendered, he popped two.

Speaking of Linda, “Playing Doctor Conner” marked the evolution of her character. She may be a cold-hearted bitch, but she’s deeply troubled as well. The fact Griffin kept her secret—he was meeting with her when Jayne made her fatal decision—will build their relationship and for that I’m glad. It’s always nice to have a one-dimensional character to hate, but I prefer them with some substance too. (Let us also acknowledge the performance by Raoul Bhaneja as Eric, Bethune’s lawyer. I’ve never wanted to punch a TV lawyer harder in the mouth, so kudos to Bhaneja for that.)

Almost lost in the shuffle were the other storylines of the night. Allen once again proved older is wiser when he was able to diagnose a man suffering from chronic neck pain, giving Cutler a much-needed comeuppance and education in listening to patients rather than rushing them out the door. And who else cheered Sandy when she told Mel to back off regarding hiring a nanny? Mel needs to focus on something else. Like maybe Dr. Stubble?

Notes and quotes

  • “I’m starving. We should order Chinese. You’re not veggie, are you?” Eric was trying to come off like a nice guy …
  • “I’ve always been an early riser.” TMI, Griff.
  • “This is Butch. Boot to the groin. You’re welcome.” Cutler is fitting in just fine.

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

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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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Big Brother Canada, Featured

Review: Big Brother Canada returns with twists aplenty

It seems the only things staying the same on Big Brother Canada are the fact houseguests play, Arisa Cox hosts and there is a house for the players to stay in. Save that, everything else is up for grabs.

Full disclosure: I’ve never watched a season of Big Brother Canada, but I can tell from the get-go it will capture my interest. Taking away the houseguests’ food, personal effects and furniture and making them earn it? Genius. Forcing them to pick two players for elimination moments after arriving in the house? Brilliant.

In a case of first impressions meaning everything, no one knowing her name didn’t stop Risha from getting enough votes to put her on the block. Tall, blonde and wearing a cleavage-baring blouse put a target on that chest of hers and she was an easy pick. And since everyone knew Sindy’s name because she stressed she was “Sindy with an ‘S,'” it was equally easy for her to be chosen too. But just because they were on the block didn’t mean they were staying there. The debut Power of Veto competition saw a combined physical and mental test where Sindy used her brains to beat out poker player Brian—who blasted through the physical aspect—to win PoV and save herself from eviction.

Sindy chose Pilar to take her place on the chopping block before host Arisa Cox revealed everyone would be sleeping on the floor. And while Risha stressed she’d have to charm the houseguests into keeping her around (Hint: start with Bobby), she spent precious minutes sitting in the kitchen by herself while everyone else got to know each other. That won’t win you the $100,000.

Not that this week’s votes matter. Canada decides who is going home: go to the Big Brother Canada website to vote.

Notes and quotes

  • Why do the ladies take such high heels with them? Don’t they know there will be stairs in the Big Brother house?
  • He’s pretty annoying so far, but I’m cheering for Graig because we share the same name (though not the same spelling) and he’s labelled himself the Ginger Ninja.
  • The Big Brother set is impressive, but I got a “bike shop” feel rather than “steampunk.”

Big Brother Canada airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT and Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

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Featured, Remedy

Interview: Enrico Colantoni on “bang” up start to Remedy’s second season

On Monday night, Remedy, Global’s Enrico Colantoni-starring medical/family drama, returns for its second season, and fans better be ready to get shaken up. At the very least they have to prepare to watch their favourite characters, including Colantoni’s Dr. Allen Conner, go through one of the biggest shake-ups in the show’s history.

In the name of keeping things spoiler-free, that’s about all we can say about the premiere. But the good news is, we spoke to Colantoni himself, and he offered a few more clues as to what kind of chaos is ahead, both for Allen and the entire series.

The season premiere starts with a pretty big … let’s say “incident.” How was it shooting that scene?
Enrico Colantoni: We start the season off with a bang! [Laughs.]

It was a little out of our wheelhouse. It’s safe to say that whole season isn’t going to be like that. It’s a nice way to reintroduce the world and have a little sensationalised drama, which is fun and fun to do.

Can you say if that event is going to ripple through the season? Or are there other events that come along during the season that have a bigger effect?
What’s wonderful about our show is that the shoe doesn’t drop; it sort of falls really slow.

We watch our main characters find their way [this season]. They’re all dealing with being a fish-out-of-water in a way. Sandy has a new baby and she wants to come back to work. Mel is dealing with this man. Allen is in the ER. Griffin is dealing with living with Zoe. So, the [event], I would say is the metaphor of what’s going to happen, but it’s not an indication of what’s going to happen. It really builds to this place where the whole family has to deal with and can’t avoid Griffin anymore. That’s an extraordinary nine episodes of just watching him fall really slowly.

Allen is going through some challenges this season as well. His area of expertise is not being valued at the hospital anymore and he’s being thrown into the ER environment. How is that professional havoc going to change him?
Rico has the best time playing Allen this season. He doesn’t have to hide behind a desk. He really is getting his hands dirty.

But [Allen] really is a fish-out-of-water at the beginning because it is a young man’s game. He doesn’t have the dexterity to deal with 20 different patients. He wants to spend time, he wants to be the doctor who heals every individual, and you just don’t have time in the ER. You send ‘em off—you either send ‘em upstairs, or you send ‘em home. So he has a hard time understanding that. But what it does is it brings a lot of integrity back to the ER. He’s saving a lot of lives that otherwise would have been lost. But on the other hand, he’s learning how to function quickly. He gets excited about it.

But the glue is always … this family is despicable. They are! In a subtle, sublime way, they’re despicable. They’re just so insulated.

He’s getting reinvigorated.
Yeah! He’s getting reinvigorated. You just see the joy. Even in the fourth episode, which you haven’t seen yet, the first time you see him, he’s like a little kid. He’s got his first gunshot trauma coming in and he’s all excited. That sort of shifts [things] and that episode affects him deeply.

So it wasn’t necessarily the change he wanted, but the change he needed?
Yes. He realizes how much he hated being an administrator. He realizes that, of course, he loves medicine. And it affords him more time to be the dad he wants to be, needs to be. How Greg Spottiswood manages to make it all dramatic is beyond me. He’s that skilled, because I’m having the best time in the world. And he is, certainly, as well.

But the glue is always … this family is despicable. [Laughs.] They are! In a subtle, sublime way, they’re despicable. They’re just so insulated and I don’t know if xenophobic is the term, but they’re just like, ‘Stay away. We are an island. We don’t need anybody else.’

They have each other…
But in such a co-dependent way!

You have played a father figure to many strong women, career-driven women. How important do you think it is to portray these deep father-daughter relationships?
What an opportunity to play a dad to someone who is already an adult! My kids are still teenagers, so you have to pound that voice in that head and hope that somehow, when they’re 30, they’re going to hear dad stop them from going down the wrong road.

Playing Keith Mars [on Veronica Mars], I think, had more value to it because he was all she had. And he did allow her to be her own person at a young age, which is such a gift. These guys are too smart for their own good! The fact that they even listen to me still …. and the fact that he still tries to butt heads with them is like, what are you, an idiot? You should have let them go a long time ago, but you’re just so stubborn and wanting to control the whole thing. They’re adults for God’s sake, but you treat them like they’re kids! There’s nothing valuable in that. [Laughs.]

But that’s part of being a dad, right? You’re always going to have that urge to come in and control the situation.
It is! It doesn’t stop! And that’s what makes the show beautiful. It’s beautiful because it’s real.

I like using the word ‘sensationalize’ because a lot of these medical dramas are [that]. They’re relying on the false sense of drama. I always had this debate with the writers on Flashpoint. Like, it’s already dramatic, why do we have to fake the drama?

That’s what made Parker so special to me. While everybody else is freaking out, he’s going, ‘Guys, calm. Let’s move.’ Which is how you deal with situations. You don’t go, ‘Oh, this is really important!’ We know it’s important. And that’s how we deal with Remedy. Like, this is fucked up, and this is how we deal with it. And when it really gets heightened it’s all about, ‘You shut up! No, you shut up!’

The bickering is so beautiful on this show. And I love it.

 Remedy returns Monday, March 23, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

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Interview: Canadian Sleepy Hollow creator’s strange road to success

Phillip Iscove took an unconventional road to writing for television. The Toronto native, who attended Ryerson University’s Toronto Film School while working at Bay Street Video, got a job at United Talent Artists in Los Angeles and headed for Hollywood. Once there, he worked his way up from the mail room to an assistant in the television literary department spending his off-hours at the desk of his boss.

Now he’s the co-creator of Sleepy Hollow, Fox’s rollicking fantasy series about an American Revolution soldier (Tom Mison) who has awoken in 2013 to do battle with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.

You’ve got a full year on Sleepy Hollow under your belt. Are you still surprised by its success?
Phillip Iscove: I continue to be flattered and surprised by how much I love it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.

You’ve had lots of success and a little luck too. You went from Ryerson grad and Bay Street Video store employee to Los Angeles where you worked for United Talent Artists and worked on scripts during your off-hours. Not the typical road to the television industry.
Many people ask me about my story, but I’m not sure a lot can be learned from it. I got incredibly lucky and the planets aligned for me in a way that I continue to pinch myself every day. The truth is that I got the job at UTA that allowed me to move out here and I sort of approached it like a graduate degree. Like, ‘I’ll work at this agency and I’ll learn the business side of things.’ I had a film degree, but like everyone else I came out here with this altruistic, ‘I’m gonna change things and they’re gonna let me do whatever I want!’ That goes away very quickly. It was just about reading scripts and building relationships with people that supported me and were happy to sit down with me. Those relationships bore fruit and I was able to get myself in front of Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

You didn’t go to the Canadian Film Centre or cut your teeth in Toronto or Vancouver. Did reading scripts and watching a lot of TV streamline your process into what makes for good television?
I think it was a mix of things. I do continue to watch a lot of TV and I try to read as many books as I can and try to be on the pulse as much as humanly possible but I think a lot of it has to do with what sells and why it sells. Being at UTA kind of changed the game for me. It’s very easy to kind of get lost in your own head a little bit: ‘I love this and this and this and everyone should love it with me.’ You have to fall in love with things that are viable as opposed to things that maybe aren’t. It’s trying to figure out making what you love palatable.

I didn’t go to the Canadian Film Centre, I didn’t go to Vancouver but I think that, strangely enough, working at Bay Street Video while going to film school really kind of allowed me understand why I loved something. It’s not enough to just love something; you have to understand why you love it.

What’s it been like working with Roberto and Alex and what do you learn from the guys behind Fringe, Hawaii Five-0 and the Star Trek movies?
The list is long. What they taught me and what they continue to teach me is how to make something palatable to a large audience and how to get lots of people to love your thing. It’s a tremendous gift that they have, the ability to make something fun, grounded and with three-dimensional characters that exist in a universe that people want to spend time in. I learn something more from them every day.

How many seasons of Sleepy Hollow did you have in your head?
I’d be lying if I said I had a number of seasons in my head. I, quite frankly, was just hoping somebody would let me write something. But once Bob and Alex and Len Wiseman and I started to work on the pilot and series documents we started to see a much bigger plan that could come into place. As it said in the pilot, and as it says in the Bible, witnesses do bear witness for seven years of tribulations. It would be great if we ran for seven seasons.

In every episode there is at least one major revelation in the plot, an ‘Oh shit!’ moment. Was it important for you to have a reveal each week?
We just want to take people on a fun ride each week. It’s about the roller coaster that we’ve created for ourselves and you want every episode to be special and like you’ve given viewers the key to an amazing journey. We approach each episode with the hopes of having that ‘Oh shit’ moment that you speak of.

Sleepy Hollow airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Global.

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