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Featured, Strange Empire

Review: Trapped in a Stranger than Strange Empire

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Oh John Slotter, you sure put the strange in Strange Empire. The morally challenged character played to creepy perfection by Aaron Poole seems to be going off the deep(er) end in “The Cage,” directed by Anne Wheeler.

The episode begins with the aftermath of the mine collapse that ended the previous, pre-holiday episode. Actually, if you’re counting crows it begins with one for sorrow in a striking treetop tableau before cutting down to Slotter sitting with clasped hands as the other folks of Janestown frantically retrieve the broken men and broken bodies from the mine. When one head-smashed-in unfortunate is stacked in front of him , he digs into the skull to retrieve a bone fragment in a scene I may have watched from behind outstretched hands.

Ruby, as she so often does, has one of the best lines of the episode: “Pretending everything’s rosy don’t make nothing pink.”  Isabelle has secured funding for the mine by promising repayment, with the mine and her body as collateral. It culminates in a battle between the Slotters, with John telling Cornelius “You’re the part of me I’ve tried to root out my entire life” but pulling the final punch  and accessing the better — I didn’t say good — part of his soul.

The  bone fragment reappears when Slotter crosses into the Montana territory to shoot the marshal’s friend the smithy and kidnap the man’s daughter as an offering for his own father, to make amends for Isabelle’s sake if not his own. How sweet, if you ignore the twisted family dynamic, murder, kidnapping, and placement of the bone inside her mouth before he gagged her.

Miner Franklin remains underground long after only dead bodies are being retrieved, causing Mrs. Briggs to realize she loves him and to be snide to Rebecca in her grief: “It’s good you don’t feel. God blessed you that way. It’s like not being a woman at all, isn’t it?” Her distress results in the most touchingly awkward attempt at comfort by the doctor who seems to feel a great deal, just not in a way Briggs can understand.

After Briggs has agreed to halt the rescue in order to not jeopardize the rescuers, Robin has one of her visions that leads to his rescue, very much alive and able to receive Briggs’ affections. How sweet, if you ignore that she’s been quite the judgmental harridan to Kat and Rebecca in particular and is not one of the woman on my most deserving of a happy ending list.

Is Kat destined for one? It seems unlikely on this show but she’s got a protector in the marshal, who heads off bounty hunters who are after her for murder. With the help of Isabelle’s right hook, she has a favour for the marshal as well: Slotter delivered on a platter in a cage.

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Schitt's Creek

Link: Schitt’s Creek is droll? Try smug and self-satisfied

From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:

In the matter of Schitt’s Creek (CBC, 9 p.m.), opinion is divided.

The comedy show, a big deal in CBC’s plan for this TV season (and it has just been greenlit for a second season next year), has received some enthusiastic reviews in Canada, and here in the United States, where it will air on the teensy cable channel Pop (used to be the TV Guide Channel), a small number of critics think it’s hilarious. Others are utterly, eye-rolling indifferent.

I’m with the eye-rollers. It’s droll, sporadically, but dead on arrival. Continue reading.

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Masterchef Canada

CTV unveils MasterChef Canada Season 2 competitors

Masterchef

From a media release:

CTV revealed today the home cook finalists who are set to compete in the second blockbuster season of MASTERCHEF CANADA, airing Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PTbeginning Feb. 8 on CTV and CTV GO. Chosen from a selection of diverse food-loving applicants from regions across the country, the talented home cooks of all ages and backgrounds are set to experience the pressure cooker of auditions as they prepare a dish for acclaimed judges Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung, and Claudio Aprile. The selected Season 2 finalists put their heart – and signature dish – on a plate in the hopes of winning the $100,000 cash prize and the chance to be named Canada’s next MasterChef.

The series will also stream on demand on CTV GO, and will encore Fridays at 9 p.m. ET beginning Feb. 13. on M3, Saturdays at 7 p.m. ET/PT beginning Feb. 14 on CTV Two, and Sundays at 5 p.m. ET/PT beginning Feb. 15 on CTV. Viewers can also enjoy the Season 1 cooking all over again, with the full season of MASTERCHEF CANADA available exclusively on CraveTVTM.

The finalists cooking for the MASTERCHEF CANADA title are:

-       Afaf Roubi, a Stay-at-Home Mom from Thornhill, Ont.

-       Andrew Al-Khouri, a Tax Officer from Halifax, N.S.

-       Anh Nguyen, a Business Student from Ottawa, Ont.

-       Ann Wilchynski, an Educational Assistant from Sherwood Park, Alta.

-       Carmen Araiza, an Actress, Writer, and Spanish Dialect Coach from Toronto, Ont.

-       Chris Mask, a Firefighter and Paramedic from Wahnapitae, Ont.

-       Christopher Siu, a Pharmacy Student from Markham, Ont.

-       Clarissa Diokno, an Academic Research Telephone Interviewer from Waterloo, Ont.

-       Cody Karey, a Recording Artist from Vancouver, B.C.

-       David Jorge, a Concrete Contractor from Surrey, B.C.

-       Deanna Brown, a Stay-at-Home Mom from Milestone, Sask.

-       Debbie MacDonald, a Special Needs Teacher from Port Hood, N.S.

-       Debra Pangestu, a Public Relations Officer from Richmond, B.C.

-       Gav Martell, a VP, Product Management from Thornhill, Ont.

-       Georgio Theofilpoulos, a Florist and Travel Agent from Toronto, Ont.

-       Holli Miller, a Bank Teller from Bolton, Ont.

-       Ian Giebelhaus, a Rural Veterinarian from Rimbey, Alta.

-       Inder Kambo, Real Estate Sales from Brampton, Ont.

-       Jennie Kelusky, a Marketing Coordinator and Office Manager from Toronto, Ont.

-       Jennifer Innis, a Dental Hygienist from Vernon, B.C.

-       Jon Hameister-Ries, a Retired Pro Football Player and Financial Advisor from Vancouver, B.C.

-       Kat Wolf, a Film and Music Producer from Montréal, Que.

-       Kenya Hushagen, a Freelance Film and TV Wardrobe Stylist from Edmonton, Alta.

-       Kevin Gregory, an Applications Engineer from Fredericton, N.B.

-       Kristal Rice, a Hospital Administration Clerk from Gander, N.L.

-       Kristen Dwyer, an Early Childhood Educator from Conception Bay South, N.L.

-       Kwasi Douglas, a Community Facilitator from Ajax, Ont.

-       Kyle McKenna, a Bartender from Paradise, N.L.

-       Lauren Scheit, a Stay-at-Home Mom from Leduc, Alta.

-       Line Pelletier, a Canadian Military Veteran and Computer Specialist from Moncton, N.B.

-       Lisa Kacur, a Marketing Coordinator from Mississauga, Ont.

-       Meg Tucker, a Radio Host from Red Deer, Alta.

-       Michael Motamedi, an Entrepreneur from Toronto, Ont.

-       Michelle ‘Mishie’ Gordiev, a Bus Driver from Winnipeg, MB

-       Mina Tasic, a Pharmacist from Toronto, Ont.

-       Mohit Sharma, an Event Manager and Personal Trainer from Whitby, Ont.

-       Natalie Wallace, an Executive Assistant from Toronto, Ont.

-       Nathan Young, Digital Media – Marketing from Toronto, Ont.

-       Nikita Scringer, a Healthcare Sales Consultant from Calgary, Alta.

-       Robert Mitchell, an HR Manager from Toronto, Ont.

-       Sabrina Poirier, an Office Manager from Montréal, Que.

-       Sebastien Champagne, a Graphic Designer from Montréal, Que.

-       Shane Chagpar, an Engineer from Toronto, Ont.

-       Shaunna Leinster, a Holistic Nutritionist from Brampton, Ont.

-       Suzy Cui, a Casino Cashier Supervisor from Windsor, Ont.

-       Taj Chohan, an Accountant from Oakville, Ont.

-       Tammy Wood, a Retail Clerk from Agassiz, B.C.

-       Ted Meisner, a Security Investigator from Ottawa, Ont.

-       Ted Pechey, an Advertising Radio Sales and Volunteer Cooking Instructor from Prince Albert, Sask.

Following the initial rounds of the audition process, the premiere episode (Sunday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. ET/PT) finds the home cook finalists entering the most nerve-wracking first phase of the competition as they present their signature dish for tasting by judges Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung, and Claudio Aprile. Only those with the most impressive plates receive a coveted white apron and have the opportunity to reach the next level of the competition. In the second episode, airing Sunday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. ET/PT, the auditions continue, and the remaining home cooks battle it out to make it into the Top 16 of MASTERCHEF CANADA.

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Murdoch Mysteries, Strange Empire

Tonight: Murdoch Mysteries, Strange Empire

Murdoch Mysteries, CBC – “Murdoch and the Temple of Death”
Murdoch and Crabtree discover that a mysterious temple may house ancient treasure – and deadly consequences for anyone who dares to hunt for it.

Strange Empire, CBC – “The Cage”
With the mine in ruins, Slotter’s depravity reaches new depths as the camp struggles to save the last surviving miners trapped underground.

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Schitt's Creek

Link: ‘Schitt’s Creek’: Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, Catherine O’Hara Bring The Funny To CBC

From Chris Jancelewicz of The Huffington Post:

Canadian TV is in dire need of an edgy comedy, and it looks like we’ve gotten it with “Schitt’s Creek.”

CBC TV has been killing it lately with their new slate of programming — from the female-driven “Strange Empire” to the marvelous “Book Of Negroes” — and “Schitt’s Creek” brings audiences back to authentic Canadian comedy, which has always been the funniest in the biz (no bias here). Continue reading.

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