Say what?! With just a week to go before Season 4 of Orphan Black returns to Space, the Canadian specialty channel has unleashed the first four minutes of “The Collapse of Nature” for fans! A body being buried in the woods? New clone M.K. making a late-night phone call to a very familiar face? What does it all meannnnnn?? Check it out and let us know what you think in the Comments or on Twitter @tv_eh.
Orphan Black airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.
From a media release:
Montreal-based Dr. Zachary Levine will offer his sound, trusted, and practical medical advice in a new half-hour show on VisionTV from Executive Producer Moses Znaimer called ASK DR ZACH, starting this Friday at 3 and 3:30pm ET.
No question for Dr. Zach is too small. He’s seen it all as an ER Doctor at Montreal General Hospital where he deals with trauma and life-threatening situations every day.
In ASK DR ZACH, which was shot live before a studio audience at The ZoomerPlex in Liberty Village, Dr. Zach treats patients’ specific conditions one-on-one – from arthritis to heart health – and then opens the floor to audience questions about their own health issues.
Friday, April 8
‘Mental Health/Spine’: Post traumatic stress disorder and depression has 44-year-old Lori visiting with Dr. Zach. He gives Lori a very positive prognosis about a disease that will not control or define her. 3pm ET/Noon PT.
‘Internet/Misdiagnosis’: Under anesthetic for an additional 8 hours has 72-year-old Glena concerned about her well being. Dr. Zach examines the possibility of a medical malpractice lawsuit and suggests some helpful tips when undergoing surgery. 3:30pm ET/ 12:30pm PT.
Friday, April 15
‘Arthritis/Eyes’: Dr. Zach helps one patient with arthritis related to thumb inflexibility. Another patient receives advice about how to treat dry eyes. 3pm ET/Noon PT.
‘Arthritis/Back Pain’: Unable to walk because of arthritis in her knees, 57-year-old Christine sits down with Dr. Zach for some invaluable medical advice to improve her mobility issues. 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT.
Friday, April 22
‘Blood Pressure/Repiratory’: Low blood pressure which caused a stroke 25 years ago for 81-year-old Beryl, has her asking Dr. Zach about the several prescribed medications she’s taking. 3pm ET/Noon PT.
‘Stroke/Seizures’: Numerous strokes has 77-year-old Keiko dealing with numerous health-related issues including memory loss. Dr. Zach explains how to control your risk factors of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar after experiencing a stroke. 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT.
Friday, April 29
‘Cataracts/Respiratory’: An ongoing chronic cough has Bodhanna very upset with the medical society, as she is concerned that nothing has been done to help her identify her respiratory problem. Dr. Zach’s prognosis outlines the gastric acid reflux possibility and finding the right doctor who will listen to her. 3pm ET/Noon PT.
‘Mental Health/Blood Pressure’: Kendra suffers from post partum and claims that meds don’t help her. Constantly tired and frustrated, she visits with Dr. Zach for suggestions on how to improve her mood. 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT.
Friday, May 6
‘Skin/Seasonal Disorder’: A flakey, ongoing embarrassment known as Psoriasis for Spencer has been effecting his life for years. Watch as Dr. Zach gives his prognosis and helps Spencer deal with his seven-year-itch. 3pm ET/Noon PT.
‘Cancer/Osteoporosis’: After being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 37, young mother Sarah asks Dr. Zach about her well being either years later – and how to deal with the prescription drugs, surgery and chemotherapy today. 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT.
Friday, May 13
‘Eyes/Arthritis’: Dr. Zach makes everyday living a little easier for Majda by resolving dry eyes with some helpful handy tips anyone can do around the home. 3pm ET/Noon PT.
‘Back Pain/Mental Health’: Back pain returns with a vengeance for Yashy, a young mother concerned about her future with her young children. Dr. Zach offers some suggestions to help rid her of back pain. 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT.
Friday, May 20
‘Spine/Irregular Heartbeat’: Chronic back pain limits quality of life for Mel, as she is immobilized with a cracked vertebrae. Dr. Zach explains a clear diagnosis that includes exercise to help get his strength and flexibility back. 3pm ET/Noon PT.
‘Abdominal Pain/Heart Attack’: Ten years of abdominal pain has Christopher asking Dr. Zach about what brings it on. Dr. Zach offers his prognosis. 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT.
Friday, May 27
‘Cancer/Abdominal Pain’: Having skin cancer fives times is a major concern for Elizabeth, as she worries that it can be hereditary for both her and her daughter. Dr. Zach explains why its best for her to stay out of the sun. 3pm ET/Noon PT.
‘Internet/Misdiagnosis’: Under anesthetic for an additional 8 hours has 72-year-old Glena concerned about her well being. Dr. Zach examines the possibility of a medical malpractice lawsuit and suggests some helpful tips when undergoing surgery. 3:30pm ET/ 12:30pm PT.
With the series finale scheduled for next Friday, April 15, Bitten‘s newest episode, “Shock the System” is definitely a shocker both literally and figuratively. Episodes of the Space original aren’t for the faint of heart normally, but this one, written by Will Zmak, is particularly brutal, boasting physical and mental stresses put on everyone.
Here’s what to expect on Friday night.
Jeremy and Roman face off
Captured by his henchmen, Jeremy and Roman finally go mano a mano, but in a very unexpected and calculated way. Zmak draws the conversation out between the two men—Roman verbally volleys, Jeremy deftly backhands and Roman delivers a forehand smash—until your fingernails are embedded in your palms. It’s then the men confront each other untethered and full of raw rage. It’s brutally beautiful scene showcasing Greg Bryk and Daniel Kash’s acting chops.
Can Konstantin be trusted?
Sure, he promised to team with Jeremy and help take down Roman, but when push comes to shove, will Konstantin really dispatch his Pops and assume control of the Russian pack?
Alexei goes rogue
Shattered by Katia’s death and seeking revenge, Alexei vows to kill Roman. Will Sasha convince him doing so would be a costly mistake?
Elena as Alpha?
Fresh off Jeremy giving her Alpha status, Elena meets with Clay, Nick and the others to discuss their next move. Elena’s proposition will take the pack in a new, uncharted direction. Her speech to the ragtag bunch—accompanied by a string soundtrack—is touching and intense and almost dethrones Jeremy and Roman for scene of the night.
Elena vs. The Albino
The scariest villain to enter the world of Bitten, The Albino continues his bloody path of destruction, targeting Elena and Clay as his next victims. I’ve seen plenty of psychological movies and dramas in my lifetime, and The Albino’s actions in “Shock the System” are truly horrifying. You’ll be disgusted, terrified and super-stressed out.
Bitten airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.
Last week, I’d reflected on how we’d never seen Ragnar Lothbrok so soundly beaten. Aided by Rollo, Count Odo and his troops not only beat back the river attack but wiped out several viking boats and countless warriors. That marine battle sequence was one of the most impressive in Vikings so far. Until this week. Yes, Thursday’s new episode, “Portage,” is the most visually stunning so far … and intense too.
Here’s what to expect on Thursday night:
Ragnar and Floki’s bromance rekindles
It’s been no secret Floki was upset about being supplanted by Athelstan. So much so he killed the Christian. But after being strung up by Ragnar and suffering the death of his daughter and near-death of wife Helga, Floki is back in Ragnar’s good graces. And not a moment too soon: the duo come up with the most technologically impressive feat ever to plot against the French. Rollo’s warning to Emperor Charles that Ragnar will return is indeed prophetic.
Viking visions
Dreams are a huge part of Vikings‘ storytelling, and Torvi has a doozy involving Erlendur and Bjorn. So far everything The Seer has told our main characters has come true; does Torvi have that same gift, or was it all a (day)dream?
Count Odo vs. Rollo
The past few weeks have been taken up by Roland and Therese plotting Odo’s demise. That all comes to a head during “Portage” and Rollo suddenly finds himself to be a very powerful man in the Emperor’s court.
King vs. Queen
Ecbert’s journey has been an interesting one this season. Whereas I miss the days when he and Ragnar hung out, got drunk and caroused, it’s been fun as heck watching him make chess moves not only around his kingdom but within his own palace. Now that Judith is more or less in his back pocket, Ecbert announces he is the king of Mercia and Wessex. That does not sit well with Kwenthrith, and we know what she gets like when she’s angry, don’t we?
Ragnar clears his head
Ragnar’s dependance on Yidu’s herbs has been sad to watch. They’ve dulled his senses and made him a weak warrior. That’s not the Ragnar I like, nor the one his people enjoy hanging around. The good news? He’s down to his last bit and will be able to work with a clear head against the French. The bad news? Yidu won’t make him any more.
Vikings airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on History.
Spoiler alert! Do not continue reading until you’ve watched X Company‘s season finale, “August 19th.”
War has its casualties, and unfortunately, the X Company team suffered a big one during Wednesday night’s episode. Tom Cummings (Dustin Milligan), the fast-talking former ad man, suffered a fatal fall from Dieppe’s cliffs while fighting off Germans alongside Neil and Harry. Pair that with Aurora and Alfred successfully (it seems) getting Franz Faber to turn against his own country, and X Company delivered a stunning season-ender.
We got co-creators Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern on the phone to talk about it—including some things viewers didn’t see—and where the show goes from here.
Stephanie, how did you and Mark come to the conclusion that Season 2 would cover a month-long period ending in Dieppe?
Stephanie Morgenstern: We knew from the beginning that we wanted to pick up the split-second we left off from Season 1, to have Alfred and Faber face to face finally and to have the entire team in disarray and the chaos of unforeseeable events landing on them. We wanted to start from a point of maximum disaster, so if we had fast-forwarded a couple of weeks in story time it really would have been a missed opportunity. It’s partly the way we like to write; when the events unfold almost in real-time it just feels like you hit the ground running and you don’t have time to inhale.
Let’s talk specifically about the season finale. Within the first few minutes, I was hoping Sabine and Faber would escape Germany.
Stephanie Morgenstern: One of the things about elaborating their story this season is that it really is a love story. It’s hard to imagine a more conflicted love story considering the secrets they’ve had to hold onto and I think if people are rooting for them not to be lined up and shot as traitors we’ve done something right. Obviously, we want a whole array of portraits of Germans. Some will be full-on bad guys and some will be conflicted and some will be complete innocents.
You had Alfred and Aurora kiss. Why did you decide to do that?
Stephanie Morgenstern: It’s something that we talked about for a long, long, long time and also, ‘If they do kiss, what is that like?’ Do we play it straight and let viewers think about what it feels like for a synesthetic man? I think what landed us in favour of finally having them kiss, after a lot of debate, was that I think everyone does want to see it happen. But at the same time we’re confident that it’s the opening of a can of worms rather than the resolution of anything. It’s the beginning of where you go from here and that’s something I think we’re going to have a lot of fun with in Season 3.
Mark, let’s talk about the decision to have Tom die. How did you come to that conclusion? Did Dustin Milligan ask to leave?
Mark Ellis: There’s a little bit of both. From the very first season, our network executives at CBC have pushed us to put our money where our mouth is when we say that the average like expectancy for an agent in the field is only six weeks. And we have tons of impossible gunfights where Germans die and none of our guys do. [Laughs.] So it felt in some way we needed to bring that authentic layer to the show. We wanted to push the characters that surrounded Tom to a new place that involved not only seeing the devastation at Dieppe but also losing someone close to them. It’s a great springboard for our other characters and will galvanize them, Neil especially, in Season 3.
It was a tremendously difficult discussion between the two of us and Dustin. He has family that live in the States and on the west coast, so I think that was part of the decision as well. But if we were ever going to kill a character, we wanted to create an arc that justified that death. We didn’t want a sudden exit. We had a great conversation all season long and even in the table read for that episode, to discover what those final moments would be for Tom. Dustin is a very sharp, very smart actor, and encouraged us to peel away his dialogue and final words and leave him with things unsaid.
So, you originally had lines for Tom on the beach?
Stephanie Morgenstern: Yeah, we did. We had a longer speech, and then we had a shorter speech and then a couple of lines and then nothing. It just seemed like that would be the most powerful statement to make. This is a life that should have continued, a breath that should have continued.
Mark Ellis: It underlines the agony for all of us, and for Harry and Neil especially.
Stephanie Morgenstern: But then we had the letter delivered to Camp XÂ two days later and Krystina was able to share it with Sinclair.
Mark Ellis: We had a lot of debate over that as well as to whether we would hear Tom’s words in his voice as Krystina read the letter and we played with the sound mix a lot and decided this was the way to go.
Tom’s death was immediately followed by the young German soldier collecting the dog tags of his fallen comrades.
Stephanie Morgenstern: We’d known for awhile that this would be the breaking point for Harry, that he would take it out on this sort of doppelgänger of himself. We even gave him Harry glasses.
By the end of the episode Faber has presented himself to the team and offered his services. That was another shocking moment.
Mark Ellis: We wanted to marry the scene from earlier in the series where Faber is face-to-face with Alfred. We weren’t sure whether he would turn or not but we knew there would be a showdown. I don’t think we can know for sure whether he’s turned or not until we see things play out in Season 3.
Where do we go from here? What can you say about Season 3?
Mark Ellis: Whether Faber turns or not is the central question to Season 3. We’re interested in creating some great scenes with Sinclair and Faber. Hugh Dillon is such a great actor and he’s delivered a huge season for us and we want to keep pushing that role. But we should never feel certain that Faber is on our side.
Faber isn’t headed for Camp X?
Mark Ellis: He is staying in Europe.
Is Sinclair headed to Europe then?
Mark Ellis: I think it’s too much fun for him not to do that.
What’s the situation with Scuba Man? Will he be back?
Stephanie Morgenstern: We’re not done with Scuba Man. [Laughs.]
What about new characters?
Stephanie Morgenstern: Now that Faber is potentially on our side, we do need a major new threat and we have something up our sleeve that we’re very excited about.
Mark Ellis: There are two new characters that we’re imagining that are going to scare the pants off you.
What did you think of X Company‘s season finale? What do you want to see happen in Season 3? Comment below or via Twitter @tv_eh.
