From Richard Ouzounian:
It’s no wonder that Shaun Majumder feels right at home on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, which celebrates its 22nd anniversary with a special broadcast on CBC this Tuesday at 8 p.m.
“Our goal is to push the boundaries of comedy from a social and political perspective,†says the 42-year-old comedian over cappuccino at a downtown hotel, “and that is always what I’ve been about.†Continue reading.
Once again, I must tip my hat to Shawn Piller and the rest of the folks at Haven. Why? Because my assumptions about Duke and Mara–and a bunch of other things–were all wrong. Thursday’s newest episode “Chemistry,” one week before the season finale, revealed conclusions to a couple of stories while blowing the door wide open on one other. Let’s break it down, shall we?
Dwight and McHugh
A lot was made of the fact former WWE tag team champs Edge and Christian would reunite on Haven (me included), so I was a tad disappointed their meeting was A) short, and B) talk about girls. I know McHugh will be back with more to do next year, so I’m holding out hope he’ll do more than just dry glasses and sip beer. Also, McHugh successfully dethroned Nathan as the man with the lowest and most gravelly voice in Haven.
Duke and Mara
The controversial decision to have them sleep together ended up being what I had suspected was the case all along: Mara used sex to play Duke. Mara and William’s end-game was always to create a weapon of some sort, and now it appears she has one in Duke. Crying black tears (is it aether?) and able to absorb and pass along Troubles? Yeah, Duke just morphed into something equally cool and scary. What he does with these new powers will be very interesting. Will he punish Mara for what she did to him, or will he embrace the awesome powers he has been given? (How neat is it when Duke’s eyes turn grey?)
Charlotte and Dwight
It was super-cute to see Haven’s second most serious cop get jiggy with the town’s newest visitor. After alleviating some stress he was a lot more relaxed and–shocker–even joked with his cot-mate.
Charlotte’s real identity
After realizing she wasn’t from the CDC, Vince wondered if Charlotte was CIA, black ops or even a military contractor. Turns out he was wrong: she is Audrey/Mara’s mother. The repercussions of this reveal is stunning, the most significant of which is that Dwight slept with Audrey’s mother. Let that sit in your mind for a minute or two. Story-wise, it appears Charlotte (if that is even her real name) is intent on nothing but the best forAudrey and wants to take Mara down. Was it Charlotte who put Mara in the barn in the first place? Hopefully we’ll find out the answer to that, and more, next week.
Notes and quotes
Haven airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on Showcase.
From David Berry:
This Hour Has 22 Minutes may be celebrating its 22nd anniversary, but there’s only one person who’s been with it from the very beginning. Cathy Jones first got talked into a spot behind the anchor desk by CODCO castmate Mary Walsh, and has spent the last two decades (and a bit) bringing to life correspondents from unflappable flapper Mrs. Enid to space cadet entertainment correspondent Sandy Campbell. Ahead of the CBC’s gala celebration of the show, the National Post’s David Berry caught up with Jones to talk about her comic longevity, how making fun of politicians has changed over the years and why we’re in the days of speaking up. Continue reading.
Last week Murdoch Mysteries offered up a bottle episode–a mystery contained within the station house–that was stellar in its drama and storytelling. This week Republic of Doyle kept things locked up tight in the constabulary as the Doyles, Des and Leslie were all called to the carpet by Inspector Picard (guest star John Kapelos at his dickish best) who suspected them all in the death of Barbara Warrick, who’d hired the Doyles to test her mansion’s security system.
Picard’s rapid-fire questions rattled off the darkened walls of offices and interrogation rooms between midnight and 8 a.m., making for sparse surroundings and a focus on everyone’s answers. Stripped down like that–there was no GTO and even Des’ usual manic state was more muted than usual–you couldn’t help but focus on the characters, their faces and their words. Marcus Robinson’s script of “Body of Evidence” painted a picture of folks in disarray. A cop who may bend the rules for the man she loves. A guy desperate to get his hands on money and escape town before his bumped-up court date arrives. A couple eager to get their hands on cash to pay off mounting debts. Even Tinny and Des looked like they were good for at least part of the crime.
Of course, we knew it was all going to work out in the end–Barbara Warrick accidentally killed herself while hiding her late husband’s money in a wall and herself in the attic–but none of that came out until very late in the episode when Jake, Leslie, Rose and Malachy met up and put the pieces together. With Doyle’s series finale coming up next week, this week’s penultimate tale was the perfect lead-in to what promises to be one heck of a ride.
Notes and quotes
The two-hour Republic of Doyle series finale airs next Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBC.
From CBC:
In this edition of Making Murdoch, go behind the scenes with the cast and crew on location at the historic WalperHotel in Kitchener, Ontario. Also, learn more about Thomas Edison’s conflicted relationship with his son, and explore how props master Craig Grant masterminded the Medical Emporium inventions featured in this episode. The cast and producers of Murdoch Mysteries’ talk about how passionate and devoted the show’s fans are and how they inspired this episode. And fans from around the world share what they love most about the series at the annual Murdoch Mysteries studio open house. Watch Murdoch Mysteries Mondays at 8pm on CBC Television!
