Friday, October 9, 2020

fall 2018 TV season (Part 2)

Sept. 26, 2020 Fall 2018 TV season (Part 2): I am excited for some of the Fall 2020 TV shows.  I have to mitigate my excitement by writing about my old pilots I watched.

Magnum P.I: 

"An ex-Navy SEAL returns from Afghanistan and uses his military skills to become a private investigator in Hawaii."

Pros:

1. There is a good opening of an astronaut skydiving.  Magnum has to save a family.  There is a car chase in the forest and the military is chasing the good guys and shooting at them,

The good guys are flying above in the helicopter.  There is a huge explosion.

2. The cast:

Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum.  He is solid in this role.  I have seen him here and there for years ever since he was on the TNBC sitcom Hang Time.  This was from 1995-2000.  I remember watching the show when I was in jr. high school like 1997-2000.

Did you know Anthony Anderson was on that sitcom too?  I remember him in that now.  

Perditta Weeks is the British woman Juliett who is the caretaker of the estate.  She shows her intelligence and fighting skills.

Zachary Knighton as Rick and Stephen Hill as TC who are Magnum's friends round out the cast.

3. Ethnic diversity.

4. They shoot in Hawaii and the place is beautiful with the beaches and oceans.  They also drive cool cars.

5. The action with the shootouts, car chases, and fight scenes.

There was a scene where Magnum jumps on the helicopter from his car.

6. The writing is good with one of their friends getting kidnapped.  There is drama, conflict and tension.

I was surprised a few times.  Spoiler alert:

I was surprised that Juliette can fight.

I was surprised that the friend who was kidnapped dies.

Cons: None.

Comparisons:

A character dies and the lead character avenges his or her death: This happens a lot in action TV shows and movies like the movie The Rhythm Section. 

My opinion: The pilot was good and then I never watched it again.  I also noticed that they played a commercial to travel to Hawaii.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7942796/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3

New Amsterdam: 

"A new medical director breaks the rules to heal the system at America's oldest public hospital."

Pros:

1. The lead character Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) is very likeable, inspirational, and he wants to change the hospital and help people.  He is kind of funny.  He has worked a lot from The Blacklist, and The Blacklist: Redemption.

Max's sister died in the hospital.

Tyler Labine as Dr. Iggy Frome, a psychologist.  He is a Canadian actor from the teen sitcom Breaker High.

2. Ethnic diversity.

4. There is good writing with a teen girl Gemma who moves from foster home to foster home.  Iggy finds her a home by giving Gemma's foster mom's daughter, Gemma's journal.  The journal has lots written about the foster mom.

Iggy: What do you want to happen?

My opinion: I like that line.

A Liberia teen boy is infected with something and is put into quarantine.

I learned about medicine.

5. There was good dialogue like Dr. Floyd Reynolds (Jocko Sims) why he decided to stop dating this woman because she's white.  He is black and he goes on about saying:

Floyd: I imagine marrying a black woman and having black kids.  When my mom and sisters seeing some black sports star marrying a white woman, they feel betrayed.

This is about race and it was controversial.

My opinion: 

Pro: This is his decision on who he wants to date, marry, and have kids with.

Con: So you're going to stop dating a woman who you like, and she likes you, and you get along because of something she can't control like her race? 

I disagree with his choice, but that's his life.

My opinion: The pilot was good, and then I never watched it again.  I don't really like medical dramas.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7817340/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

I Feel Bad:

"Perfect mom, wife, daughter, friend, and boss Emet is learning to be OK with being imperfect."

Pros:

1. The lead actress Sarayu Blue as Emet is good as she deals with:

-being a good parent

-dealing with her conservative East Indian parents

-being the only woman in a male workplace

Paul Adelstein plays her husband David.  He was on Prison Break season 1.

Madhur Jaffrey and Brian George as Emet's conservative East Indian parents are funny.

The male co-workers are kind of funny.

2. The writing was light, fun, and funny.  It wasn't offensive.

3. Ethnic diversity.

Cons: None.

My opinion: The pilot was average and then I never watched it again.  The show got cancelled after one season.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7979042/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Sept. 27, 2020 Legacies: I watched The Vampire Diaries.  They had the spin-off The Originals, but I never got to watch it because it was on the CW and I didn't have that channel at the time.  Now there is another spin-off:

"Hope Mikaelson, a tribrid daughter of a Vampire/Werewolf hybrid, makes her way in the world."

Pros:

1. This a good show idea of a supernatural boarding school for vampires and werewolves.

2. The cast:

The principal Alaric (Matthew Davis) from the original show is on.

Alaric's daughters Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) and Josie (Kaylee Bryant).

Danielle Rose Russell as Hope.

3. The dialogue was kind of expository, but I thought it was fine.

4. There are good special effects like a werewolf transforming.

5. Ethnic diversity.

Cons: None.

Comparisons:

A school for people with special powers: X-Men and Harry Potter. 

My opinion: The pilot was average and then I never watched it again.  I didn't really like it.  I felt like I was too old for it.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8103070/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Channel Zero: Dream Door: Channel Zero is a horror anthology series.  I saw seasons 1 and 2.  This is season 4.  Each season has 6 episodes and it covers 1 story.

Pros:

1. There is a good show idea where a newlywed couple find this mysterious door in their basement.  There's a mystery as they try to open it and where it leads to.

2. The cast:

Maria Sten as Jill.

Brandon Scott as Jill's husband Tom.

Steven Robertson as the next door neighbor Ian.

Troy James as Pretzel Jack.

3. The writing was good with a lot of drama, conflict, and tension.  This was about Jill and Brandon's marriage.

This was also about Jill and her dad leaving her to be with another family.

Ian and who he really is and why and how he knows Jill.

4. This is very scary.  In the pilot there was a scary and violent ending.

5. Ethnic diversity.

Cons: None.

Comparsions: 

A psychopath gets close to a common person: This has been done in a lot of TV and movies.  More specifically TV movies.

A character who has an imagination that becomes real:

Frankenstein

The Velveteen Rabbit: This is a children's book about a toy rabbit that is loved so much, he becomes real.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Velveteen_Rabbit

My opinion: I like the series.  I don't have a favorite season/ story.  I'm not really a fan of horror, but there is good writing here.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4820370/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4820370/episodes?season=4&ref_=tt_eps_sn_4

Oct. 9, 2020 Fall 2020 TV season: Due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, there aren't as many TV shows this fall.  In the fall, I usually check out 10-12 pilots (mainly dramas).  This fall, there are 4 dramas.


NEXT: I saw the pilot.  This was smart and well-written.  However, there wasn't a lot of action like fight scenes.  I will record the series and watch it all in a week.   (There are 10 eps).



Devils: The pilot was average.  This wasn't an action- drama.  I will record the series and maybe watch it all in a week.  (There are 10 eps).

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7939218/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2

Departure: The pilot was average.  This wasn't an action- drama.  I will record the series and watch it all in a week. (There are 6 eps).

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9252156/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Big Sky: This show will come out in Nov.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11794642/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Returning shows: Also there aren't as many returning TV shows this fall.  

LA's Finest: This was on CTV last fall.  The 2nd season comes out on CTV on Sun. Oct. 18.  I find this show to be average.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7555294/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

This is Us: 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5555260/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

A Million Little Things:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7608248/episodes?season=3&ref_=tt_eps_sn_3


This week's theme is about TV:

"The Doctor is in, but his companion is out" (Dr. Who)/ "Orphan Black tries to end smartly"

http://badcb.blogspot.com/2017/06/tv-articles-dr-who-post.html

"Heartland's stars happy their show is 'comfort food'"/ "Canadian creators say business brisk in the streaming area"

http://badcb.blogspot.com/2019/12/tv-articles-heartland.html


My week: 

Oct. 3, 2020 Autumn: 2 days ago, the weather was warm enough for me to sit outside for 2 hrs.

Today I also sat outside for 2hrs with my tablet.

In the mornings, I usually exercise by walking in my front and back yards for 15 min. while listening to these life/ business coaches' videos on Facebook.  In the afternoon, I then walk another 15 min.

Las Vegas trip plan: Yesterday I did some research on this.  I put in 3 hrs.  I will show you my research on my blog posts.  I have always wanted to go there since like 2006 (when I was 20 yrs old).  This place seems fun.  In 2018, I started to work on getting my passport.  I did a little research like how much it would cost by calling a travel company.

In 2019, I got my passport.  However, last year and this year I didn't do any research.  In 2019, I was busy looking for a job, applying for jobs, etc.  The main goal was to get a job.

In 2020, I was mainly looking for a work from home job.

My boss's Las Vegas trip: Last year, and coincidentally when my 2nd restaurant job closed for a week for maintenance, my boss went to Las Vegas.  The maintenance was given a week notice.  She planned her vacation way before that.  She told me all about the shopping and stores she went to. 


Kadidja Yansane: The free online event series is called "Manifest Clients Now: Amplify your Confidence and Get Fully Booked in Any Economy": I signed up for this free online event series.  If you go to my Facebook page, I'm always posting self- development videos from life and business coaches.  I signed up for this because of Jen Mazer.  

Over the weekend, I binge- listened to most of these videos.  Here's a sample:


“Manifesting Made Easy”


Jen Mazer is the “Queen of Manifestation.” She’s always been able to dream up outrageous adventures and actually live them out—from rubbing elbows at a small private cocktail party hosted by Martin Scorsese, to living rent-free in the East Village of Manhattan for 10 years, to paying off over $38,000 of debt in less than a year, having her artwork published in the New York Times, traveling the world, meeting the man of her dreams (a successful rock star), giving birth at home to a beautiful 8 year old daughter, with a little boy on the way.

Jen is a sought-after transformational speaker and coach. She teaches people how to manifest their biggest dreams while making an impact on the world. She is known for her signature Manifestation Masters Program and Private Success Coaching.

Free Gift: Manifestation Meditation


Oct. 8, 2020 "CBC to lay off dozens of journalists and management across multiple divisions":

CBC is planning to shed more than 60 jobs across multiple divisions, including its news division, the National Post has learned.

In an email sent to staff, Barb Williams, the executive vice-president of CBC English Services, said 40 employees affiliated with the Canadian Media Guild in five locations across the country will be let go, with most of them in Toronto.

Williams said in her note to staff the CBC faces a $21 million deficit each fiscal year, and the current environment necessitated “adjustments to our business and in turn, those adjustments will have an impact on our workforce.”

CBC said the cuts were not related to the pandemic, although it has exacerbated the financial pressures of declining advertising and subscription revenues for the public broadcaster and other media organizations.

According to its financial statements, the crown corporation received more than $1.2 billion from the federal government in funding in 2019 and employed some 7,400 people across its divisions.



My opinion: I'm posting this because it's about Canadian TV production which I'm interested in.  There are lots of negative comments criticizing the CBC.


Netflix Canada increase prices:

TORONTO -- Netflix Canada is increasing some of its prices again.

The streaming giant says the basic plan for subscribers remains unchanged at $9.99 a month, but the standard monthly plan is going up by one dollar to $14.99, and the premium by two dollars to $18.99.




Oct. 9, 2020 Former prime minister Stephen Harper's eldest son working for Premier Jason Kenney:

EDMONTON — Former prime minister Stephen Harper’s eldest son is following in his father’s footsteps by getting involved in politics.

Ben Harper, who is 24, has landed a job as an aide in Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s office.

Harper has been working at the legislature since June, bouncing around several ministries.

But now the government’s official staff directory says he is a policy advisor in the office of the premier.

Kenney was a cabinet minister in Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.

The former prime minister is in Calgary, where he runs a business consultancy company. (660 News)

https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/former-prime-minister-stephen-harpers-eldest-son-working-for-premier-jason-kenney

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"Heartland's stars happy their show is 'comfort food'"/ "Canadian creators say business brisk in the streaming area"

 Sept. 23, 2019  "Heartland's stars happy their show is 'comfort food'": Today I found this article by Bill Graveland in the Star Metro.  I used to watch this this show from 2007 when I was 22 yrs old.  It was on Sun. nights and after I had finished studying.  I was in Professional Writing at MacEwan.  That was my 2nd/ last yr.


I stopped watching the show around 2010.  I wanted to watch other shows on Sun. nights like Desperate Housewives and Once Upon a Time.  I guess I outgrew the show.  I do like this article because it's about a Alberta TV show:


HIGH RIVER, ALTA.—Alberta born actor Shaun Johnston had already had a lengthy career when he auditioned for the role of the grizzled and sage patriarch Jack Bartlett in CBC’s family drama “Heartland,” which debuted in October 2007.

And after years in the business he also had been around enough to know how tenuous it is to move from a pilot to a full-fledged hit television show.

“Like any other pilot on the planet, the odds of it going to series are pretty thin, but not this one. It tested off the charts apparently and what a pleasant surprise it was,” said Johnston, 60, as he sat at the counter of Maggie’s Diner, on set in the fictitious community of Hudson, on the final day of filming the new season.

“Shame on me I didn’t know it was going to last this long and I didn’t really see why it could or would until again the penny dropped and it had nothing that was hot at the time ... speed, explosions, cops, robbers, doctors, nurses, low-cut blouses, high heeled shoes,” he added with a laugh.

“Who’d a thunk that? Like, oh my gosh. We just seem to pick up steam. It’s nutty.”
“Heartland,” follows characters Amy and Lou Fleming, their grandfather Jack and former bad boy and love interest Ty Borden through the highs and lows of life at the ranch. The show also stars Amber Marshall as Amy, Graham Wardle as Amy’s now husband Ty, and Michelle Morgan as Lou.

“I don’t know if Shaun told this story and I rub it in his face because he came in during the pilot and said, ‘You guys just relax. Often pilots don’t go to anywhere so just cool down guys,’” Vancouver born Wardle laughed looking at Johnston across the diner. The eatery was an actual business for decades, but after it closed the creators thought it would be a good addition to the show.

“You know every year I’m like, ‘I feel this is going to be the last year,’ and then like, it goes again ... You never know what’s going to happen so you just do your best.”

In 2015 “Heartland” surpassed “Street Legal” as the longest-running one-hour scripted drama in Canadian television history. Only Johnston was old enough to remember the 1980s-’90s courtroom drama starring Cynthia Dale and Eric Peterson; in fact, he says he once auditioned for that show.

With well over 200 “Heartland” episodes in the books and the number growing when the show debuts this Sunday, the show attracts fans of all stages because of its family-friendly status. About 20 fans were standing across the street hoping to get a glance or autographs from stars like Marshall, who shot the pilot when she was a teen.

“I was 18 years old and was just on the cusp of being an adult and really I’ve learned so many life lessons being a part of ‘Heartland,’ just the people, and it’s been such an amazing experience,” she said.

Marshall’s experience around horses and animals — she began riding at the age of 3 in London, Ont. and her first job was as a veterinary assistant — helped for the part as Amy.
“I thought this is the most perfect role for me and when I was told that I got the part I hoped it would go on for as long as it could. I never imagined 13 years and counting so this has been incredible,” said Marshall, who now lives on a ranch outside Calgary and has horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and cattle.

Morgan, who grew up nearby in Calgary, isn’t surprised the show is so popular.
“Many people feel it’s their comfort food so at this point I’m not surprised anymore,” Morgan said.

“People feel like they’re part of our family. Somehow we have really created a world that is at once comforting and very beautiful and idealized but also realistic enough that people feel that they can relate to us,” she said.

“People love this version of Canada because this is a real version of Canada that not everyone gets to see.”

“Heartland” has a huge international following and is shown in 119 countries and also airs on Netflix.

Both Morgan and Johnston have both been recognized while on holiday in Mexico. Wardle said he ran into fans while on a trip to Italy.

“When I look at the show internationally I think maybe people are attracted at first to the girl and the horse and the mountains,” said executive producer Jordy Randall.

“I think we’ve seen the letters and phone calls we get from other countries where they’ve bonded with our characters. They say that ‘Heartland’ has changed their life and given them a place where they feel part of the show.”


Nov. 26, 2019  "Dogs marking their territory on the small screen": Today I found this article by Bill Brioux in the Star Metro.  It was about the Canadian TV show Hudson and Rex.  I haven't seen it yet, but it's on Telus on Demand".

"TV producers and network executives have started to sit up.  Christina Jennings, CEO of Shaftesbury ("Murdoch Mysteries." "Frankie Drake Mysteries"), spent 12 years chasing down rights and trying to launch a Canadian version of an Austrian series called "Inspector Rex."



Dec. 17, 2019 "Canadian creators say business brisk in the streaming area": Today I found this article by Victoria Ahearn in the Star Metro:

But while there is a lot of work, some fear a new form of U.S. cultural imperialism
Brent Butt is trepidatious about the streaming era.

While the Canadian comedy star says he’s excited about the “palpable opportunities” that exist as more streamers enter the market here, he also finds it “a little frightening.”

“It’s also kind of a scary time, because none of us knows how any of this is going to work or shake down,” says Butt, whose Saskatchewan-set “Corner Gas” franchise recently expanded from Bell Media platforms in Canada to the IMDB TV streaming service in the United States.

“When I got into producing television, the business model had been the same for about 70 years and, suddenly, in the last five years it’s completely different. And it looks like over the next five years it’s going to be completely different again.”

With Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Youtube and several other major American streamers now competing in Canada alongside homegrown counterparts including CBC Gem and Crave, many film and TV creators here are expressing a cautious optimism.

While many point to the chance for more eyeballs and work, they’re also facing increasing competition from American productions that could potentially drown out homegrown projects.

“I don’t know that I’ve had a chance to wrap my head around what the streaming services mean (for Canadian creators) and I don’t know that anyone really knows,” says Toronto-based filmmaker Danis Goulet, writer-director of the upcoming Indigenous sci-fi feature “Night Raiders,” which is being produced in association with Crave and CBC Films.

“It’s creating so many jobs in Canada that it’s hard to speak negatively of any of it,” says Vancouver actor/filmmaker Annette Reilly, a cast member on the locally shot Netflix series “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”

Thunderbird Entertainment Group in Vancouver, which has created projects for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV Plus and HBO Max, says business has never been better.

“We have to say no to more work than we’d like to, because we can’t do it all,” said Thunderbird CEO Jennifer Twiner Mccarron, whose company has worked with Netflix on “The Last Kids on Earth” and “Hello Ninja”; with Disney Plus on “The Legend of the Three Caballeros” and “101 Dalmatians”; and with Hulu on “Curious George: Royal Monkey.”

In 2017, Netflix pledged to spend $500 million to fund original content made in Canada over five years, a target it said it met in September.

But Sulatycky notes many of those productions are American, echoing sentiments expressed by CBC president Catherine Tait, who earlier this year compared Netflix’s presence in Canada to cultural imperialism.

Sulatycky also feels Netflix isn’t accessible enough to indie Canadian filmmakers.
“You can’t even go directly to Netflix unless you have a long-term established relationship with one of the executives,” Sulatycky says.

Reilly says Canadian screen creators also face a lot of red tape to get funding for their projects and simply can’t keep up with their American counterparts in the streaming wars.

“There are not enough Canadian counterparts for the Americans to team up with, so they’re really just taking over as opposed to Canadian content having a chance to soar,” she says.

https://www.pressreader.com/canada/starmetro-toronto/20191217/281642487066410
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"The Doctor is in, but his companion is out" (Dr. Who)/ "Orphan Black tries to end smartly"

 Apr. 17, 2017 "The Doctor is in, but his companion is out": Today I found this article by Tina Hassannia in the Globe and Mail.  I don't watch Dr. Who, but this was a good article.



It is the end of an era. At least, the end of one of many for Doctor Who, the cult sci-fi series that has dominated British television for decades. The original Doctor Who was on the air between 1963 to 1989, then came back in 2005 to the present, with a 1996 television film sandwiching the two editions.

That spirit of reinvention has defined the series since its humble beginnings as an educational program for children, when the original Doctor, played by William Hartnell, was replaced by a new actor so that the series could keep going. Since 1966, the conceit that the Doctor can shapeshift into a new body and personality has been built into the show’s DNA. Twelve actors have played the title character in the franchise’s television series.

For the past two seasons, Peter Capaldi has played the titular role. The upcoming 10th season of the series will be the last for the Scottish actor, who says it’s time to move on. But he won’t be the only key element leaving the show: This will also be the last season for showrunner Steven Moffat, who’s been at the creative helm since the fifth season in 2010.

Moffat has worked on the new edition of Doctor Who from the beginning in 2005, first as story writer. In his roles as both story writer and showrunner, his work has garnered him numerous awards from the likes of BAFTA, the Nebula Awards and the Hugo Awards. When asked what he’s most proud of as his term as showrunner, Moffat has a few different answers.

“I think I can maybe answer that in 10 years,” he says with a laugh during an interview in Toronto this past fall, before listing “obvious things” such as his casting choices, and highly ranked episodes such as the 50thanniversary special The Day of the Doctor. Mostly, Moffat is just happy that the show is still on the air. According to him, previous showrunner Russell T Davies said the second edition of Doctor Who would only last a decade.

“But it’s gonna go past 10 years!” Moffat says. “From a fan point of view, we were right. The BBC should never have taken it off the air. Those 16 years were wasted.”

Moffat and Capaldi have both previously remarked how the opportunity to work on Doctor Who had been a lifelong dream, being fans from childhood. But for Capaldi, his professional relationship with a beloved show is a little more complicated. 

“I do think being a fan of the show is useful, because it’s sort of your bones,” Capaldi says. “Sometimes you find little moments [while working] that are very Doctor Who, but it’s difficult to put into words.”

While we’re on the subject of words, though, Capaldi is not a fan of the word “fan.”

“The people I meet who really like the show have an individual response to it. It’s a very intimate and special relationship that they have with it,” says the actor, perhaps best known for his work with satirist Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It, In the Loop). “Although many enthusiasts of the show can find a community, the word ‘fan’ makes it sound like they’re the same. And they’re not.

“I definitely have to not be a fan when I’m making it. Because that’s not my job,” he continues. “My job is to act the best way that I can, to make it entertaining and interesting. Those are adult, mature responsibilities – as much as an actor can be adult and mature.”

The 59-year-old’s role is certainly the most mature representation of the Doctor in terms of age. Capaldi’s interpretation of the Doctor was an attempt to contrast the previous incarnation – an approachable, warm chap played by Matt Smith – with “a graver, darker” personality. “The virtue of being this age is you have access to those areas,” Capaldi says.

But in the last season, the Doctor has loosened up some, weaving in Capaldi’s natural comedic flair. The 10th season may find the Doctor exploring new territory in terms of character development, as a new sidekick will be joining him. For the past two seasons, Jenna Coleman played Capaldi’s “companion,” Clara, but in the coming season, newbie Pearl Mackie will be taking over, playing the franchise’s first openly gay companion in the role of Bill Potts.

Mackie says acting a regular television role is a welcome contrast to the character development she’s done in her theatre work. “With theatre, the story’s there. Your character is what’s written and what’s implied. With television, one of the most interesting challenges is not having it all there. You’re always responding to what’s on screen and make it up as you go along.”

Like Capaldi and Moffat, executive producer Brian Minchin has been a Doctor Who fan since he was a child. The show’s a “perfect home” for him because of its emotional capacity. “It’s a place with great imagination. Almost everyone who works on the show has some affection for [Doctor Who]. No one sees it as just a job. They know what it can be,” he says. “And you dream of making it as special as it was when you were eight years old. That’s a big challenge.”


Season 10 of Doctor Who premieres April 15 at 9 p.m. on Space.


Jun. 10, 2017 "Orphan Black tries to end smartly": Today I found this article by John Doyle in the Globe and Mail: 


The final season of the Canadian-made science-fiction series that made the world in awe of Tatiana Maslany starts by making sense. This is good. Somewhere along the way, the only thing that made sense was awe of Maslany in all her multiple roles.

Orphan Black (Saturday, Space, 10 p.m.) returns for its fifth and final season and in the first few episodes available for review, it looks more character-driven and less laden with vastly complicated backstory and mythology. It is, for a start, a thriller. That was promised in a teaser for this end-season, with Helena, one of Maslany’s many clone characters, promising, “I will cleanse them from this Earth.” She’s got a knife and it’s several of the other clones she has in her sights.

Starting into Orphan Black at this point is a tricky journey. But, it’s possible. Fair warning, though – apart from Maslany’s outrageous multi performances, the series became a crock of ridiculous sci-fi indulgences. The acting, apart from Maslany’s work, descended into heavy-breathing wheezing of bromides and the script became a series of silly twists followed inevitably by chase scenes. But, it got some praise and Maslany won an Emmy, so potential viewers might well be enticed into it by the publicity. So here’s the story, such as it is.

See, three decades ago, a genetics company, Neolution, did a clandestine release of human clones, males and female. The males, called Project Castor, seemed to be a military project.

 The females, Project Leda, were released and sprinkled into the general population but monitored. These women had no idea about their origins. Things continued clandestine until Sarah (Maslany), a young woman with criminal tendencies, accidentally stumbled upon the fact there were women who looked exactly like her.

On her journey to find out about herself and her “sisters,” Sarah had to learn more about the nefarious Neolution and discovered their shadowy parent companies, Dyad and Topside. 

Worse, she came upon the existence of the Proletheans, a religious outfit determined to wipe out the clones.

At its heart, when it sticks to substance, the series is about nature versus nurture, the roles into which women are forced and, in the matter of nurture, about motherhood.

It’s motherhood that is the engine of the first new episodes. The season opener has an injured Sarah on a mysterious island attempting to find and rescue Cosima (also Maslany) from something or other. There are many small children in the plot, which guides everything toward Sarah’s determination to be reunited with her daughter, Kira. 

This isn’t going to be easy because Rachel (Maslany, of course) has become even more sinister and eventually makes it clear that Kira has been kidnapped and held to be studied by some group or other that Rachel is now aligned with.

There is considerable violence in the second episode as the various clones are killed off and this is a relief of sorts – Maslany can be confined to playing two or three versions of the central character and the plotting becomes less an exercise in showboating and more concerned with characters worth caring about.

As usual, and if you are familiar with the series, you know it’s coming: Sarah induces her foster mother Mrs. S. (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and foster brother Felix (Jordan Gavaris) to help protect Kira (Skyler Wexler), but violent complications ensue. Felix delivers some good lines in his characteristically caustic style.

Here’s the thing about about Orphan Black – the first episode of this final season has a character saying, “I don’t get it, you were saved by a 17-year-old man?” and the other characters answering, “The science is real.” 

It’s beyond ridiculous. And that’s the key element: It’s all utterly ridiculous and delivered in a heightened, madly hyperbolic style.

Yes, the series has some serious intentions. It is feminist in tome and attitude, and touches upon issues of of how women are pigeonholed into specific roles. But it touches very lightly on these themes. 

It’s a series that promised so much, set the bar high and then failed to deliver. 

The initial praise and fan intensity it received seemed to lead everyone involved to overestimate the show’s worth. It started smart, received international recognition and eventually disappeared up its own rear end.

 For all its merits, it never belonged on a list of the best of contemporary TV.

The plot makes some sense in the final season, but it’s trying too hard, too late.



Comment:

Tinchote
3 days ago
I tend to disagree with this review. It is true that the plot over the four seasons has not been top notch. But the stories and scenes it generated were good entertainment.
More importantly (and more or less recognized by Doyle) Tatiana's performance is so outstanding that, on its own, it makes the show worth it.
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