All posts by Greg David

Prior to becoming a television critic and owner of TV, Eh?, Greg David was a critic for TV Guide Canada, the country's most trusted source for TV news. He has interviewed television actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes folks from hundreds of television series from Canada, the U.S. and internationally. He is a podcaster, public speaker, weekly radio guest and educator, and past member of the Television Critics Association.
Featured, Travelers

Preview: A traveler on trial on Travelers

To me, the mark of a good episode is it causes discussion. And boy, did last week’s episode of Travelers do that. “17 Minutes” was a hit for some and a massive miss for others. Arguments were made it was one of the best storylines so far while an equal amount of folks hated the Groundhog Day theme and fast-forwarded to the end to watch the conclusion.

But on to this week’s instalment, “Traveler 0027,” written by Ashley Park and directed by Amanda Tapping. Here’s what Showcase has released synopsis-wise ahead of Monday’s broadcast:

After receiving an unusual message to attend a court proceeding, the travelers find that one of their own is on trial for conspiring against The Director and interrupting the Grand Plan.

And here is some additional information we can divulge after watching a screener.

Who is Traveler 0027?
If you’ve been paying attention—and I know you have—it’s Grace Day, who has taken some major liberties with timelines and other folks’ fates since her illegal arrival in 2017 among them resetting Marcy. Now she is forced to atone for her actions. Actress Jennifer Spence turns in one hell of a performance.

Where is the Quantum Frame?
That’s the mission for MacLaren and the team this week and it involves nabbing a trio of soldiers to help with that. And as serious as Travelers has been, story-wise, of late the show’s writers still find time to throw a funny line into scenes. That’s not easy but they make it appear that way.

Philip is fumbling
Now that the future is in turmoil all of Philip’s encyclopedic knowledge is kind of useless. He’s feeling down in the dumps about his self-worth; can Carly pull him out of his funk?

Travelers airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase.

Image courtesy of Corus.

 

 

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Preview: Brackenreid gets arty in Monday’s Murdoch Mysteries

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It was pretty cruel of the CBC scheduling team to have such a heartbreaking Murdoch Mysteries episode like “The Accident” air and then make fans wait weeks until the new episode. Still, we knew there would be breaks between new episodes and hey, the Christmas special “Home for the Holidays” is just around the corner!

As for this Monday’s new instalment, “Brackenreid of the Boudoir,” the CBC has issued the following official information:

To investigate an artist’s murder, Brackenreid picks up his paintbrush again and attracts a wealthy patron’s very personal attention.

And here are some more tidbits we gleaned after watching a screener of the episode written by showrunner Peter Mitchell and directed by Harvey Crossland.

Julia and William go camping
I don’t think enough is said about the comedic talents of Yannick Bisson and Hélène Joy, so I’ll do it now. The two can be flat-out hilarious without the use of scripted words. That is showcased in the first few moments of Monday’s episode as the two use physical comedy to great effect. Also? Julia utters a saying I had to Google to understand and it’s a pretty interesting term.

Brackenreid goes undercover
I’ve been waiting for Brackenreid’s skills as an artist to be utilized in another storyline, so this got me giddy. Monday’s victim seems to have ties to the famous troupe of artists, in particular, one fellow who once bought Brackenreid’s painting. Like his son John did a few weeks ago, Thomas goes undercover to catch a killer. As always, it’s a pleasure to see our favourite cops outside of the station house and this is no different. I got a particular kick seeing Brackenreid’s pride in having his artistic side celebrated, especially by the wealthy patron portrayed by Sonja Smits.

Nina Bloom is back…
… and getting smoochy with our George. And then, well, you’ll have to tune in to find out.

And so is Detective Watts
Watts takes on the case of a young lady who had her bicycle stolen. Now why would a detective do the work more suited to a constable, do you think?

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

 

 

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Industry News

Link: ACTRA says it’s expediting sexual-harassment complaints processes

From Victoria Ahearn of The Canadian Press:

Link: ACTRA says it’s expediting sexual-harassment complaints processes
The union for Canada’s TV and film performers says it’s expediting its discipline processes for sexual harassment and assault complaints.

At a panel discussion on sexual harassment hosted Friday by the organization behind the Toronto International Film Festival, ACTRA Toronto president Theresa Tova outlined a number of immediate steps the union is taking as it also works with other industry stakeholders on longer-term strategies. Continue reading.

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Industry News

Link: ‘I think I passed’: CBC’s Hubert Lacroix reflects on his time as president

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From Simon Houpt of The Globe and Mail:

Link: ‘I think I passed’: CBC’s Hubert Lacroix reflects on his time as president
Every president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation faces challenges, but Lacroix’s tenure was unusually crisis-filled, from a series of budget and staff cuts (in 2009, 2012 and 2014, totalling about 1,900 jobs); the loss of the NHL broadcasting contract; the Ghomeshi scandal and the ensuing revelations of a toxic workplace culture designed to placate hosts; and a conflagration within the human-resources department which sparked a series of lawsuits by former employees. Continue reading.

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