Tag Archives: Featured

Dark Matter, Featured

Dark Matter’s Melissa O’Neil hopes for answers in Season 2

Melissa O’Neil has the same questions for Dark Matter creators Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie as fans do. Who was the old man Alexander Rook (Wil Wheaton) was talking to? How will the Raza crew react to Six’s betrayal? What is Two’s back story? O’Neil has her fingers crossed she—and we—get some closure on those queries along with the original conundrum: who erased One (Marc Bendavid), Two (O’Neil), Three (Anthony Lemke), Four (Alex Mallari Jr.) and Five’s (Joelle Ferland) minds in the first place?

In our exclusive chat with O’Neil from the show’s set earlier this year, she spoke about Dark Matter‘s fans and Two’s Season 2 journey.

Visiting the set is surreal. The ship’s hallways are spectacular.
Melissa O’Neil: I know. [Production designer] Ian Brock did an amazing job on our sets. Wait until you see the design of the galactic prison. That was stunning and so streamlined. When we walked in we were blown away. It’s glossy and sexy.

The last time we spoke was before Dark Matter debuted for Season 1. Were you surprised by how quickly the fans embraced the show?
I think it’s the habit of the theatre performer to do your research and put in your work … and the rest of it is kind of out of your hands. You can’t really think about how people will receive it because you’ll just drive yourself crazy. What really surprised me with regard to the fans if that I love how interactive they are. I’d love to amp that up a bit this year with some of these new apps.

When we went to San Diego and they told us what conference room we were in I thought, ‘Who are they kidding? Who is even going to come?’ And when we walked out on stage, the room was filled. I don’t think I have much perspective on what I’m a part of yet. I keep drawing parallels to theatre, but when you’re up on stage you can see the audience in the seats. For people to tell us how many viewers we get every week in Canada or around the world, I still can’t really wrap my head around that. I guess the only real, tangible way to understand it is through my phone and the people who reach out.

The sexualized element to Two isn’t found in the way she interacts with other people in a sexually explicit way; it’s an undertone of femininity that’s already there

Two had a fantastic journey in Season 1. Cliffhangers every episode, the nanite technology, Will Wheaton as Alexander Rook, the old man…
The old man was creepy, huh?

What can you tell me about Two’s Season 2 adventure?
So far, we’ve found out that Two isn’t exactly human … but if you cut her open she looks like a human on the inside. But she can regenerate and heal a lot faster. Even though we’re up to Episode 205, we really haven’t touched on that. Where we’re going with her is still a mystery to me and I keep trying to corner Joe and Paul and find out. They think it’s better for me, as an actor, to be a little bit in the dark about who she is.

We’re also dealing with Six’s betrayal. I’m really the only one that sees him in that last moment. I wake up and have that knowledge that Six was the spy.

Will Two reveal what she saw?
That remains to be seen, but I think she still has questions about who she is and who the hell Rook was and what is Dwarf Star Technologies. She really didn’t get many answers last year. She felt she needed to escape from that place and apparently kill everyone in her path to do that. I remember something about the old man asking how old the body is…

I suspect the body he was in wasn’t his original body…
Yes … that’s not the first go-round, and this is happening in the same facility as the nanites. Who the hell knows what’s going on?! The other thing that hasn’t really been answered is who these people were before the wipe.

I love how the cast have as many questions as the viewers do.
It’s true. We’re just as much in the dark as everyone.

Talk about Two’s physicality.
In a lot of science fiction shows, a woman in this role would have a very sexualized element to her. And, not that there isn’t one, but the sexualized element to Two isn’t found in the way she interacts with other people in a sexually explicit way; it’s an undertone of femininity that’s already there in her diplomacy, in the way she fights, in her body language. I dig that about her and I know it’s designed by the guys. Being sexy isn’t a defining characteristic in her.

Dark Matter airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.

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Featured, Killjoys

Killjoys’ Pree spreads his wings in Season 2

As Thom Allison says, you never know how fans will react to a character until a TV series airs. After a season of Killjoys under his belt, Allison’s Pree is a bona fide smash with viewers. The wise-cracking, eye-rolling owner of Old Town bar The Royale made an impact the minute Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen), Johnny (Aaron Ashmore) and D’Avin (Luke Macfarlane) walked into his establishment, a pretty big feat considering the trio are the main focus of the show.

Now, with Season 2 of Killjoys returning on July 1, creator Michelle Lovretta has given Pree admirers an early Christmas gift: Pree is front and centre in Episode 1, helping Johnny, Dutch and Lucy find D’Avin and break him out of Red 17 on Arkyn. Along the way, we discover a little bit of Pree’s backstory (including some giggle-inducing aliases) and that he can hold his own when bullets start flying.

We sat down with Allison during a break in production on Season 2 to talk all things Pree.

The fans have really responded to Pree.
Thom Allison: He’s been a hoot to play.

How did you get the role? Walk me through the process.
The casting director called my agent and said, ‘I have a part for Thom.’ I went in to read and we had a great time, and they said, ‘Come back next week.’ I came back the next week … and that was it. It went really quickly, which can be rare. And it was just me going with the script. It was so crazy, zany and fun, but smart and sassy. I went to town and played around.

Played the right way, Pree can inject humour and attitude into a scene Played the wrong way and he’s a clown.
Exactly. You have to care about him, and the key to that is Pree cares about [Dutch, Johnny and D’Avin]. That was where it landed for me. He’s like the older brother that says, ‘Fuck off, kid. Here’s a quarter.’ He’ll tell you when you’re being ridiculous, but he also loves you and wants you to be OK. Also, living in Westerley and owning a bar … he has an edge.

In every script so far, there has been something in it to make me excited for the fans. I was telling someone the other day, ‘The fans are going to shit their pants!’

How does the bombing of Westerley affect Pree going into Season 2?
We end up with a lot of fun opportunities. Clearly, he’s industrious and he’s also clever. It becomes, ‘What does he do now? Does he find his way back there? Is the bar still there?’ What I keep thinking, and it gets me excited to think about, is what does Pree become? And, along with that, what do we find out about Pree? What brought him there? I know some of the fans have speculated that he becomes a RAC agent. [Laughs.] I’m excited to find out about his past, and how that informs where Michelle goes with it in Season 2.

Have you come up with a backstory on your own? And is having a backstory in your mind help you play a character?
Certainly, yes. I have things in my head and little secret bits that I imagine. Because he’s so fancy, I picture him coming from some kind of money or wanted it enough that he owns this bar on this crazy planet. He was smart enough to know where to go to make money off people who need to drink. [Laughs.] But it’s a planet of pretty dark things … so there is a strength of character in that.

What I love about Michelle’s world is it’s not about the flamboyant idea that he’s a gay character. In her world we’ve already gotten past that. It’s not about that he had to fight against homophobia, which means we get an obvious thing out of the way and I love that. We get to play around and explore things that aren’t obvious. Obvious is boring in 10 seconds. Our fabulous costume designer, Trysha Bakker, said early on that she picture Pree as this flower—a bird of paradise—in a pile of shit. And that was one of my earliest indications as to where I could go with this character. Something that’s shiny in dark places.

What has the fan input been like?
I’ve never done sci-fi before, and the fans are so devoted. That’s amazing to me. They think through the story with you. They have their hopes and dreams and they share all of that online; they let you know when it feels inauthentic.

At the time we’re recording this, you’ve seen four scripts. What are your thoughts on them?
There is some good shit. I admit, there were moments when I made sounds. There are some little story plot lines and details that have been put in that make me smile because they are so smart. In every script so far, there has been something in it to make me excited for the fans. I was telling someone the other day, ‘The fans are going to shit their pants!’

Killjoys airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Space.

Check out the first four minutes of Episode 1

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Featured, Killjoys

Photo gallery: Killjoys Season 2 images revealed

Canada Day can’t come fast enough for us. Why? It’s the day Season 2 of Killjoys (and Dark Matter) lands on Space, ending a waiting period that’s felt, well, like an eternity.

As we prepare for next Friday’s premiere, we dug up a handful of gorgeous gallery and Episode 1 images courtesy of Space, along with the following synopsis:

“Dutch and Johnny risk everything to help find and rescue D’avin including going under cover in an outlaw-only barter town called Eulogy to hunt for specialized tech that will help them breach Arkyn’s defense shield. Meanwhile, in Akron’s secret Red 17 base, D’avin is the subject of a procedure involving a mysterious green plasma.”

Enjoy the images and let us know what you think of them!

[slideshow_deploy id=’34245′]

 

Killjoys returns for Season 2 on Friday, July 1, at 9 p.m. ET on Space.

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19-2, Featured

Investigations and more secrets on 19-2

Ben may have told Nick to walk away from the investigation into Kaz’s death, but we knew Nick would ignore his partner. Far from trusting anyone to find his cousin’s death, Nick does some digging on his own, uncovering plenty of secrets during “Rescue,” Monday’s new episode.

Nick investigates Kaz’s murder
Adrian Holmes deserves applause for his portrayal of Nick in the opening moments of “Rescue.” He’s literally haunted by his cousin’s death—there’s an all-to-brief scene in the home where the body was found—followed by him observing people laughing and playing in the sunshine while he, dressed in the black of mourning, aimlessly wanders the neighbourhood. That leads to him being introduced to Martine, a teenager stuck in the child welfare system, and a potential witness in Kaz’s disappearance. The only issue? Martine will work any angle to get out of her group home.

19_two2

Tyler struggles with sobriety
The affable, likeable Tyler—who has been off booze for months now—makes one little post-workout mistake that sends him into a spiral, culminating in a truly sad sequence of events. The scenes prove how difficult it is to shake addiction without help.

Ben is … happy?
Chartier’s work-life balance seems to be perfect. This being 19-2, I don’t expect that to last.

Audrey & the Rookie vs. bike thieves
The bad guys never stood a chance.

19-2 airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada, Private Eyes

Comments and queries for the week of June 24

MasterChef Canada

If Jeremy had served one entree rather than four dishes in one, I think he would’ve had a better change of winning. His mistake was making four dishes rather than one in the entree round. —Rich

Wow, that’s all I can say. What a disappointing finale. Jeremy was supposed to win. They wanted a Canadian female to win for ratings, but at least find someone other than Jeremy to put her up against. He outclassed her on so many levels. —Ed

I will not watch MasterChef Canada again. The decision and shallowness of this year’s decision has left a very bad taste in my mouth. —Cynthia

It must have been a very difficult decision for the Chef judges, but I was happy that Mary came out victorious. I will bet that Jeremy gets some offers in the culinary industry in his future. —Joyce

Jeremy threw in everything but the kitchen sink in that appetizer, four sushi dishes and dessert. That doesn’t make it creative! Would you like a bison entree, followed by four different raw seafood rolls and then a dessert that had cream in it? None of the dishes were connected in any way.  For those of you who think Mary won because she is a woman, how would you like it if a man won and everybody said he only won because he’s a “man”? You are sore losers. Veronica, Matthew, the doctor and several other contestants got as much face time as Mary did on the show. She won because she’s a great chef—get over it! —So There

For those who thought Jeremy should have won, keep in mind that the winner was likely decided not just based on the final round but over the entire competition. At any rate, I didn’t think Jeremy decisively beat Mary in the final round. Keep in mind, none of us tasted the food. —Rabbit

I think Mary had it in the bag all season and her final meal looked and obviously tasted great. Good on you girl. Hope you get everything you want. —Glenys

Haunted Case Files

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see the series premiere in the U.S. for a few more weeks, it’s both exciting and a relief to read your thoughts about Episode 1. Anna and I shared five of our most compelling investigations complied over the last six years of investigating some of the most haunted locations in the U.S.A. Villisca is certainly an experience we will not forget, it is good to know through our stories you felt some of the anxiety and fear this location, as well as the others, experienced by each of us. We are a bit biased when it comes to the content and the impact our stories have with the viewers. It is good to read such a positive recap.
In closing, we can attest to the fact that ALL of what you hear and see is real, experienced by each of us, (The Paranormal Investigators Squad). We love what we do, we continue to Seek the Truth. One location at a time! Thanks for a Great Review!! Regards.—Alan and Anna Tolf, PoppaNana Paranormal Investigations, Michigan

Private Eyes

I’ve always made fun of my girlfriend’s detective shows, but not Private Eyes. I’m hooked especially on Cindy Sampson, now there is one sexy woman. Let’s just hope this show lasts a little while; not a bad show for being Canadian. —John

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

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