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Juggling women and balls on Bachelor in Paradise Canada

November 22, 2021 /
Brendan Morgan showed that women weren’t the only thing he could keep up in the air
on “Bachelor in Paradise Canada.” PHOTO CREDIT: All photos courtesy of Citytv

Never mind the juggling, singing, dancing, piano playing, guitar shredding and the lame “comedy” in Sunday’s “Camp Paradise Twisted Talent Show,” the real talent this late in any season of “Bachelor in Paradise” is for a newcomer to get a rose.

Of the five surplus women who joined the cast of “Paradise Canada,” the only one who seemed like she might pull it off — emphasis on might — was Maria Garcia-Sanchez.

But if you think Brendan Morgan is her potential rose daddy, think again.

Sure, the last we saw of Brendan M last week was him ignoring main squeeze Angela to spend extra time with Maria, with whom he’d just returned from a date. But it didn’t take long for Maria — and us — to figure out she’d been played, with Angela and Brendan recommitting to each other, inasmuch as someone who’s still yapping about having the freedom to “pursue other options” can commit.

Angela Amezcua and Brendan Morgan toast to the future, whatever that turns out to be.

Then, hello, Josh started chatting up Maria, reviving the possibility of her getting a rose and marking himself as the official “Paradise Canada” stud since he’d gone on two dates, kissed three women and was now checking out a fourth.

But wasn’t Josh coupled up with Lisa? Well yes and no.

Josh said he cared about Lisa but didn’t know “what kind of feelings those are.” Meanwhile, he saw potential with Maria and told her he wanted to explore it.

But the exploration got short-circuited the night of the rose ceremony when Maria had a meltdown, told Josh she wanted to go home and then slammed her way into her cabin to start packing her stuff. More on that later.

She wasn’t the only newbie who picked flight over fight.

Sasanet, who had a disastrous date with Mike last episode, was there for a good time, not a long time, as the theme song says.

Sasanet says farewell to Camp Paradise with affirmations and a big ass glass of wine.

“I had fun, I met amazing people, however the men just were not on my level,” Sasa said.

She took leave of her cast mates with a bit of sassy humour — “I’m happy to have been here and met everyone, well most of you at least” — and some parting affirmations. They’d all find love, happiness, luxury, glamour and wonderful lives, she said. And then she was off to find the first of the three husbands a psychic told her she was going to have.

And now let’s talk about the fight part of the equation. That would be Iva, who wasn’t willing to leave Paradise without one.

Editing, of course, is everything on these shows. We’d just listened to Josh tell Maria that he was “a quiet person” and that “really energetic, like, loud people tire me out” when who should materialize in front of him but the hyper energetic Iva?

Never mind not beating about the bush; Iva beat the bush into bits. She told Josh she was jealous he was flirting with other girls, that she liked him and didn’t like any other guys, and asked, “Are you still into me?”

Which presupposes that Josh was into her to begin with.

He wouldn’t tell her point blank that she wasn’t getting his rose, even though she wasn’t, but he recommended she pursue “other things.” And the other thing was Mike.

Iva Mikulic makes her pitch for Mike Ogilvie to dump Stacy for her.

Mack Truck Mike, meet Titan Truck Iva.

Iva told Mike she had come to Camp Paradise for a fresh start after being “stuck on the same guy for the past three years”; she wanted to fall in love, a couple of kids, a nice big house and a nice big yard — is that all? — and she asked Mike if there was “a way for me to convince you that you should, like, explore this with me?”

Mike diplomatically told Iva he couldn’t give her an answer.

“She’s a very aggressive person,” he commented. Ya think?

Iva also told Mike he was “smoking hot,” but he declined her invitation to “kiss and see if we can vibe.”

Bartender Kevin Wendt and fiancee Astrid Loch judged the talent show.

During the talent show — overseen by bartender Kevin Wendt and his fiancee Astrid Loch (who welcomed their baby the night before “Paradise” aired!) — Brendan S, as part of a cringey attempt at a comedy roast with best bud Kamil, suggested Iva had another motive for coming to Paradise: to further her music career. Hey, she wouldn’t be the first.

Iva could at least sing, as could Joey and Vay. Josh played a mean piano and Mike unleashed his inner metal god on the guitar, complete with crotch grab. Lisa drew clever caricatures of her fellow campers.

But the winner was Brendan M for his shirtless juggling and doing a yoga pose called the locust that, well, you can check it out in the photo above.

As impressive as that was, Brendan’s win also fit the storyline of him returning to Angela after his dalliance with Maria since the prize was a date. And it didn’t hurt that Angela’s good friend Astrid was one of the judges.

Angela confided in Astrid, her former “Bachelor” and “Bachelor in Paradise” pal, about her hurt over Brendan M taking Maria out, not to mention Brendan’s annoyance over Angela being hurt.

“The Paradise experience to me is meeting someone that you’re gonna build a life with after this, not dating a bunch of random girls,” Astrid said.

Except Brendan still seemed to be thinking about the random girls when he and Angela finally talked things out during their dinner date.

He told Angela his intentions were good in going on the date with Maria, but when asked what those intentions were, Brendan M said, “to give myself a fair opportunity to see if there was a connection there. For me to get the most out of this, I think it’s only right for me to pursue other options. At the same time, it doesn’t take away from what you and I have. I was a bit upset at the fact that you looked at it that way.”

What? That Angela looked at you pursuing your options with Maria as potentially detrimental to your relationship with her? Gee, can’t imagine why she’d think that.

To make matters worse, when Angela asked Brendan if he was done exploring other relationships, he said, “I feel as though I am. I also feel like I deserve the freedom to be able to explore something.” So no, then.

Don’t ask me how you go from that to Angela and Brendan agreeing to “move forward with each other.” Colour me super skeptical.

You want to know who hasn’t explored other options the whole time he’s been on the beach? Joey.

Joey Kirchner and Vay Paquette: not “just a Paradise fling.”

As he and Vay snuggled in a Muskoka chair, Joey told her he was falling in love with her. “I am too, 1,000 per cent,” Vay replied. “I can spend the rest of my life with you, I already know,” she said.

As heartwarming as that is, there was one adorable Colombian-Canadian obstacle to Joey and Vay attaining post-Paradise bliss. Vay couldn’t seem to shake her jealousy of Joey’s friendship with Maria.

Josh, meanwhile, still appeared to be into Maria, taking her for a walk away from the other campers with the rose ceremony looming. But Maria was so pissed that she’d wasted her date on Brendan M that she seemed to transfer that distrust to Josh. When he complimented her beauty and her personality, she replied skeptically, “If you want to get to know me, that’s on you. If you don’t, like, it’s fine.”

“Obviously, I do,” said Josh. Maria’s response to that was an eye roll.

Maria Garcia-Sanchez at the talent show with Bianka Kamber, a.k.a. the Invisible Woman.

Josh, bless him, kept trying, but then Maria started crying, told him, “I really want to go home, this is so dumb,” and ditched Josh to go start packing up her stuff.

It was Joey who talked her down, following Maria into her cabin to dispense hugs and advice. He was convinced she still had a shot with Josh and got her to agree to stick around.

Josh, meanwhile, was getting advice from Mike, who told him to figure out “what makes you happy.” Would it be Maria and the chance of “something incredible” with her, or would he keep working on what he had with Lisa, notwithstanding that seemed more like a friendship than a romance?

We’ll presumably find out next week when there’s — maybe? — a rose ceremony.

In the meantime, Vay gave Joey the cold shoulder when he returned from his chat with Maria. Brendan M, of all people, seemed to take Vay’s side, saying Joey should have been a little more conscious of how Vay was feeling.

Excuse me while I stop to ponder the irony of the man behind the feelings that put Maria in need of consoling, the man who ignored his own girlfriend’s feelings to take Maria out in the first place, suggesting another dude wasn’t being sensitive about a woman’s feelings. Wow.

“Don’t keep mentioning the same girl over and over and over and over again. It makes me feel like shit,” Vay complained.

Sorry Vay, but I’m with Joey. “I clearly don’t give a fuck about Maria in a romantic way; platonically yes,” he told, yes, Brendan M.

Vay, honey, time to put your big girl panties on and euthanize that little green monster. Joey seems like a really nice guy who was just trying to help an old friend. That supersized jealousy is not a good look.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere based on next week’s promo showing more of Vay’s whining about Maria. And with less than a week left till the final rose, Brendan S is talking engagement and Caitlin is still talking about whether Kamil will step up. Ugh. And two more guys show up, with one particularly cocky dude infringing on whatever Josh has with whomever he has it with.

You can tune in next Sunday at 8 p.m. on Citytv. And don’t forget “Bachelor After Show: After Paradise” at 9:30 p.m. If you want to talk Paradise with me you can comment here, visit my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter @realityeo

Nayte gets one-on-one, Chris S gets bum’s rush on Bachelorette

November 17, 2021 /
Did the producers have it in for Chris Sutton, fifth from right? He had the most ridiculous
costume on a Viking-themed group date. PHOTO CREDIT: All photos Craig Sjodin/ABC

Has there ever been a more perfect visual metaphor than Chris S dressed as a horse’s ass on Tuesday’s episode of “The Bachelorette”?

I’m hard pressed to think of one considering Chris spent his portion of the episode acting like a posterior.

Let’s review. Last week, Chris disrupted the cocktail party by telling Michelle Young that some guys, i.e. Nayte, thought they had it “in the bag,” primarily because Nayte commented that it wasn’t a question of if he got a one-on-one date but when.

Well, duh, Nayte was right: the first impression rose winner got Tuesday’s second one-on-one (Michelle’s fellow Minnesotan, Joe Coleman, got the first, more on that later).

The minute Chris realized that Nayte wasn’t on the group date card, he looked like he’d swallowed a lemon.

“I went out on a limb for her and told her the honest truth, which is what she wanted to hear and asked from everyone else in the house,” he told the producer-enabler on the other side of the camera, self-righteously tapping out his points with one of his fingers.

“Everything I said fell on deaf ears. The way things played out I feel like I got the short end of the stick.”

Well, he definitely got an end on the group date.

Chris, Casey, Rodney, Martin, Leroy, Rick, Clayton, Olu and Brandon met Michelle at the home of the Minnesota Vikings football team — yes, the group had relocated from Palm Springs to Michelle’s hometown of Minneapolis — where instead of the NFL Vikings they met three older dudes dressed up as ancient Vikings.

The date participants had to put on costumes and do things like yell really loudly, throw logs, eat disgusting fermented herring and arm wrestle. But all the guys except Chris got to dress more or less like Vikings; Chris, the least physically imposing man in the bunch, wore horse’s legs and hoofs with an inflatable horse rear end.

Chris Sutton in a tug of war with Casey Woods. Go ahead, try not to laugh at that silly image.

I’m thinking either the producers were having a laugh at Chris’s expense or trying to compound his humiliation so he’d go off the deep end. Having him arm wrestle the absolutely ripped Olu undoubtedly helped with that mission.

By the time the group segued to the after-party at the historic Semple Mansion, Chris was in full brood mode over the fact he didn’t get the one-on-one despite all the “good information” he’d given Michelle about Nayte. And he claimed he really wanted to talk to her about that but made no attempt to do so.

This was no doubt all part of the evil production plan, although Chris mouthed the word “Wow” when Michelle announced she was wrapping up the party despite not having spoken to Chris. (Clayton, who’d hulked his way into being declared a “true Viking” earlier in the day, got the date rose for telling Michelle about his admiration for his parents. As you know, Michelle is really into parents.)

Absurdly, despite having had a whole evening when he could have grabbed a few minutes of Michelle’s time, Chris decided to wait until the next day and interrupt her date with Nayte to say his piece.

Well, perhaps decided is the wrong word. He couldn’t have known where Michelle and Nayte were having dinner without production being on side, so whether he was goaded into living out his white saviour fantasy or was following a villain script (he is reportedly an aspiring actor) it obviously wasn’t entirely his idea.

Michelle and Nayte had been having a pretty deep discussion, with Michelle telling Nayte about a past relationship that was so toxic she couldn’t eat and thought she had a disease. They had just shared a kiss when Michelle looked over Nayte’s shoulder with a WTF expression on her face as Chris walked up to the table.

She agreed to step outside with Chris, who basically told her he was pissed she’d chosen Nayte over him, although he didn’t put it exactly like that.

“I came here to say I warned you and I don’t want you to make the wrong decision,” i.e. give a rose to Nayte, Chris told her.

With eloquence and far more patience than Chris deserved, Michelle told him she could make her own decisions.

“I do appreciate you wanting to look out for me but also, at the same time, I can speak for myself,” Michelle said. “And I want a man who’s going to stand and support me when I speak and not a man who’s going to speak for me.”

Also, “as a female of colour there’s a lot of situations where people speak for me and my voice isn’t heard.”

She made herself heard in this case. Telling Chris she didn’t see their “relationship” progressing, Michelle walked him as far as the top of the escalator and then returned to give Nayte the date rose, saying their chemistry “is undeniable, unlike anything that I’ve ever felt before.”

“I’m very crazy about Nayte,” Michelle said, adding that he was starting to feel like her person.

Nayte Olukoya cemented his frontrunner status after his date with Michelle.

Besides, Nayte had already been approved by people with way more cred than Chris: Michelle’s two best friends. They joined Michelle and Nayte earlier in the day on a boat ride on Lake Minnetonka (note: Michelle, as she has all season, did the driving) and asked him allegedly hard questions. The first question was clearly a plant from production: “Is there anyone here that you think could be here for the wrong reasons?”

That gave Nayte an opening to talk about Chris S and explain that he didn’t really think he had it in the bag; he was just confident because he knew “there’s something going on” with Michelle.

Michelle’s friends clearly agreed, gushing about Michelle’s and Nayte’s “amazing natural chemistry.”

“I love the way you guys look at each other,” said Allie.

Let’s backtrack a bit and talk about Joe, the season’s other frontrunner.

For their date, Michelle took him on a walk down memory lane — after they’d stopped by a Minnesota Twins game where she threw out the first pitch and kissed Joe for the Jumbotron — visiting her old high school, where they smooched while towering over her old locker, admired her photo in the trophy case and played one-on-one basketball in the gym (yeah, she beat him; in a dress, she pointed out).

“I feel like Joe would have been my crush in high school,” Michelle said.

The main event came over dinner where Joe told Michelle how a college football injury had led to a couple of operations, getting seven screws and a plate in his left foot, and anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide when he couldn’t perform the same way on the basketball court and had to eventually quit the sport.

Michelle and Joe both shed tears.

“You give up so much for the sport that you love. To have something take you out of it before you’re ready to be taken out of it is a pain like not everyone will understand,” said Michelle, herself a former college basketball player.

Naturally Michelle gave Joe the date rose, saying her feelings for him had grown tremendously.

They finished the night with a smoochy Ferris wheel ride.

Joe Coleman was rewarded with a rose for opening up to Michelle on their date.

There were three roses already spoken for and five to give out going into the rose ceremony — yes, if you’re keeping track, we’re five for five in the rose ceremony to episode ratio.

The only thing you really need to know is that Martin had another bout of foot-in-mouth disease that I thought for sure was going to get his butt sent home.

First, he mentioned hearing Michelle give compliments to other men and wondering if she meant the ones she gave him.

“Do you think I would blow smoke up your ass?” asked Michelle. Uh, no.

Then Martin started yapping about women in Miami being high maintenance for allegedly expecting men to do everything for them.

Men, he said, don’t usually “go into a relationship saying ‘Hey, you’re gonna take care of me,'” which made Michelle laugh.

Excuse me, Martin, do you know any men?

And, then as the realization dawned that he was digging himself a hole, Martin told Michelle he knew she was different. Not exactly a convincing recovery.

Alas, he collected a rose along with Rick, Olu, Brandon and Rodney. Casey and Leroy went home.

I’m not entirely sure what next week will bring since the promo was about the rest of the season, but it looks like the other guys aren’t done targeting Nayte. Leave the Canadian guy alone, eh?

You can tune in next Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Citytv. And you can comment here, visit my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter @realityeo

Watchable Nov. 15 to 21, 2021

November 15, 2021 /

SHOW OF THE WEEK: Jagged (Nov. 19, Crave)

Alanis Morissette during the “Jagged Little Pill” tour in 1996.
PHOTO CREDIT: Epiphany Music/Alanis Morissette/Courtesy HBO

I can’t pretend to know what Alanis Morissette finds offensive about the documentary “Jagged” beyond her statement that it’s “a reductive take” on her story made by someone with a “salacious agenda,” by which I presume she means director Alison Klayman.

It seems to me every documentary is somewhat reductive. No filmmaker, no matter how well intentioned, can capture all the nuances of another person’s lived experience.

As for “salacious,” that likely refers to Morissette’s headline-making revelation that she experienced “statutory rape” when she was a 15-year-old in the music industry being pursued by older men. There’s also a segment on the speculation around the identity of the man whom Morissette went “down on” in a theatre in her revenge anthem “You Oughta Know.”

But those bits are just small pieces of the whole.

“Jagged,” which is about the making of the blockbuster 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill,” is an admiring take on one woman’s triumph in an industry that didn’t entirely know what to do with her.

If you haven’t listened to the album in a while, this doc will remind you just how good it is.

It’s rather gobsmacking to think Morissette was just 19 when she was dumped by label MCA, which wanted to confine her to the dance pop mould of her early hits, moved to L.A., met producer Glen Ballard and started writing the songs that became “Jagged Little Pill.”

It’s still one of the bestselling albums of all time, having sold more than 33 million copies to date.

There’s plenty of documentation here of just how massive a star Morissette was in the 1990s, including concert footage and backstage video of her and her band, which included future Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Hawkins is among the admirers in the doc — others include filmmaker Kevin Smith and Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson — who extol Morissette’s achievement as well as the doors she kicked open for female singer/songwriters to come.

Ballard recounts how nobody would sign Morissette until Maverick Records, Madonna’s label, and a young A&R guy named Guy Oseary came along. Things started to snowball after L.A. radio station KROQ began playing “You Oughta Know,” the album’s first single, with second single “Hand in My Pocket” cementing Morissette’s fame internationally.

It wasn’t all adulation, of course. The film touches on her pigeonholing by media of the day as an “angry white female,” to quote Rolling Stone’s headline.

If you’ve heard the whole album you know that most of the songs on “Jagged Little Pill” are not angry, but even if they were, so what? Female anger deserves to be expressed and listened to.

Morissette herself says she was writing “not to punish,” but to express feelings and get them “out of my body because I didn’t want to get sick.”

Only Morissette herself can say how successful she was at that endeavour, but the older woman we see in the film seems clear-eyed, self-possessed and confident, a survivor.

I’m sorry she doesn’t like the doc. To me, it’s an interesting look back at a time when a young Canadian woman ruled the music world.

Short Takes

Sally Lindsay as Jean and Steve Edge as Dom in “The Madame Blanc Mysteries.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Cassar/Acorn TV

The Madame Blanc Mysteries (Nov. 15, Acorn TV)

There’s an exoticism to the title of this new Acorn original, but its namesake — Mrs. White in English — is as down to earth as they come. Longtime “Coronation Street” actor (and “Scott & Bailey” co-creator) Sally Lindsay created and stars in the series as an antiques dealer whose husband dies in mysterious circumstances, leaving her virtually penniless and forced to relocate to their one surviving property in the fictional French town of Saint Victoire. Naturally, while trying to untangle the circumstances of her husband’s death, Jean White gets pulled into other mysteries involving both murder and antiques. Her partner in solving crime is local taxi driver and handyman Dom (Steve Edge) and the town is peopled with colourful eccentrics including, most notably, chateau owners Jeremy and Judith Lloyd James (fellow “Corrie” alum Robin Askwith and Sue Holderness of “Only Fools and Horses”). It’s a charming addition to the British detective series canon.

From left, Renee Rapp, Alyah Chanelle Scott, Pauline Chalamet and Amrit Kaur.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jessica Brooks/HBO Max

The Sex Lives of College Girls (Nov. 18, 10 p.m., Crave)

Mindy Kaling continues her campaign for TV world domination with this HBO Max comedy she co-created with Justin Noble, a writer on her Netflix hit “Never Have I Ever.” Once again, the female POV is front and centre, with four young women from extremely different worlds thrown together as roommates at prestigious Essex College. Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) is a chill athlete with a senator for a mother and a taste for older men; Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet, sister of Timothee) is an earnest small-town nerd and sexual naif; Leighton (Renee Rapp) is a New York sophisticate with a secret and, initially at least, disdain for her roomies; and Bela (Amrit Kaur) is a former “Indian loser with acne, sweaty armpits and glasses” who’s reinventing herself as a sex-positive, aspiring comedy writer. There’s sex, yes, but it’s much less daring than, say, Netflix’s “Sex Education.” The show’s mainly about four engaging young women learning to love and trust themselves, and lean on each other.

From left, Alexander Rosenberg, Edgar Valentine, Andi Kovel, Cat Burns and Nao Yamamoto
in “Blown Away: Christmas.” PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Netflix © 2021

Blown Away: Christmas (Nov. 19, Netflix)

If you’re a fan of the glass-blowing competition series “Blown Away,” this Christmas edition will probably jingle your bells. It encompasses just four episodes with five contestants, returnees from the first two seasons of the regular show. The hot shop is all decked out for the holidays, the challenges are Christmas-themed and eliminated contestants have to remove their stockings from the mantel, but otherwise the series hits all the familiar beats. “Queer Eye” design expert Bobby Berk hosts and Canadian glass artist Katherine Gray is back as the resident evaluator. A little blow, blow, blow to go with your ho ho ho.

Also on Netflix is “Cowboy Bebop” (Nov. 19), based on a previous animated show and movie that were themselves adapted from an anime series. It stars John Cho as bounty hunter Spike Spiegel. If you like splashy violence, characters that feel like cartoons rather than people and quips in place of dialogue, enjoy. Me, I’d give it a miss.

Netflix also has “Tiger King 2” on Nov. 17, continuing the sensationalistic story of Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin and the other folks who got famous in the first docuseries. It was not provided for critics to screen in advance.

Odds and Ends

Sonequa Martin-Green and David Ajala in “Star Trek: Discovery.” PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Gibson/CBS

I’d love to tell you about Season 4 of “Star Trek: Discovery,” having watched the first two action-packed episodes, but reviews are embargoed until Nov. 18, the day it debuts on CTV Sci-Fi Channel at 9 p.m.

Reviews are also embargoed for Amazon Prime Video’s big-budget fantasy series “The Wheel of Time” (Nov. 19), based on the novels by Robert Jordan, which stars Rosamund Pike as the leader of a powerful, all-female organization called the Aes Sedai that’s looking for the “Dragon Reborn.”

Yep, another embargo for “Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson” (Nov. 19, 10 p.m., FX), the latest “The New Times Presents” project about Janet Jackson’s famous “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show and the hysteria that followed.

I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to screen “A Life in Ten Pictures” (Nov. 19, CBC Gem), which examines the lives of famous people with the starting point being photographs of each. The subjects include Freddie Mercury, Elizabeth Taylor, Amy Winehouse, Muhammad Ali, John Lennon and Tupac Shakur.

Hollywood Suite is paying tribute to great Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison, screening a selection of his movies beginning Nov. 19 at 9 p.m. with the comedy “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.” Others airing between Nov. 19 and 21 include “In the Heat of the Night,” “Best Friends,” “A Soldier’s Story,” “Moonstruck” (one of my personal favourites) and “Only You.”

Edited to update my review of “The Sex Lives of College Girls.”

Three new women shake up Bachelor in Paradise Canada

November 15, 2021 /
Sunday’s “Bachelor in Paradise Canada” was rocky for Kamil Nicalek and Caitlin Clemmens
and Angela Amezcua and Brendan Morgan. PHOTO CREDIT: All photos courtesy of Citytv

Beware the quiet ones.

When three new women infiltrated Camp Paradise on Sunday’s “Bachelor in Paradise Canada” it wasn’t the two more aggressive ladies who caused the most disruption; it was the “really nice girl.”

There are now five more women than men on the beach — a bit of overkill, no, “Bachelor in Paradise Canada”?

And the three newbies all had date cards, but only one of the dates threatened the established order. More on that later.

As the episode opened, the campers discussed the flirtations of the night before (which you can read about here) and Nicole, one of last week’s newcomers, lamented that the people who were coupled up — essentially everyone but her and fellow new arrival Bianka — seemed unlikely to “budge.”

Bianka, who as a “Bachelor Canada” winner was kind of a marquee attraction when the cast was first announced, has had hardly any screen time and appeared to not even be trying to kindle any romantic sparks.

But that state of affairs didn’t deter Halifax fan contestant Sasanet, a.k.a. Sasa, who declared “Everyone’s gonna be obsessed with me” and who, in Brendan M’s words, wasn’t afraid to step on toes. She figured every man was fair game until they were engaged.

Mike Ogilvie reminded Sasanet Iassu a bit of Thor on their date.

So she chose “beautiful man” Mike for her date and Mike got to show off the physique she so admired on a slip and slide, even pulling Sasa along the slide at one point using just his brawny arms — “like Thor,” she said — as she held onto his ankles.

“Was he as good as Thor? No, but he met my expectations,” Sasa quipped.

Alas, it would have taken all of the Avengers to pull something resembling a decent conversation out of Mike and Sasa. That expression that opposites attract? Not in this case.

City girl Sasa made it clear she preferred a walk in the mall to hiking and when Mike asked her if she liked hardcore metal music, she replied, “Absolutely not, it stresses me out.”

Mike couldn’t wait to return to Stacy. “I’m very thrilled to be coming home to you,” he told her.

In the meantime, host Jesse Jones had announced the “Camp Paradise Bonfire,” which involved the campers sitting around a bonfire and asking each other anonymous questions that had been dropped into a box.

From left, Lisa, Illeana, Bianka, Vay and Sessa at the bonfire, with Josh, Brendan M and Kamil behind.

Mike got asked, “Why didn’t you tell Stacy about your interest in Caitlin before the rose ceremony?” His lame answer: he couldn’t find Caitlin to talk to for a week, which I guess is better than “I waited because production told me to.”

And then for Kamil: “Do you not realize all the girls notice you checking them out or do you just not care?”

Kamil hemmed and hawed and then settled on, “I didn’t think I was checking them out, but if that’s the case I guess I’ll admit to it. There’s a lot of beautiful people here in Paradise.”

Finally, Joey not so anonymously had a question for Vay: “Are you falling in love with Joey because I’m falling in love with you.”

Vay said she was definitely getting there although she needed more time because of her trust issues and that made Joey’s heart warm.

You want to know whose heart wasn’t warm? Caitlin’s.

She was brooding over Kamil’s admission to checking people out.

“I want somebody who’s got eyes just for me, like not on everyone else,” she told Kamil.

Kamil was annoyed but apologized, but only for the way he answered the question, which Caitlin called “lacklustre.”

That wasn’t the end of the discussion. Mike and Stacy told Kamil and Caitlin the reason they were being “targeted” by other people was because they spent so much time apart from the rest of the group.

Mike suggested Kamil go on other dates, like Mike had, to be sure his relationship with Caitlin was a “10 out of 10.”

Kamil disagreed. “Once you find something special in life I feel like you should keep it close,” he retorted, adding that he’d be happy to leave Paradise right then and there with Caitlin and make it work in the real world.

“That sounds like love to me. Would you say then you’re in love?” Mike asked.

Neither was willing to fess up to that.

It didn’t end there because the next day Kamil chastised Caitlin for not having his back and making a “big deal” over his checking people out comment. “I don’t feel I need to reassure you all the time,” Kamil said. Caitlin was aghast and said in her confessional she felt like she was being gaslit.

I think Mike’s right. One of these two should go on a date with a different person.

Onwards! A new day brought a new arrival: fan contestant Iva from Calgary.

Iva described herself as “aggressive in my pursuit.” Even “I got shade for days” Joey called her “blunt” for the way she fired questions at the men.

Josh Guvi gets to know Iva Mikulic, perhaps more than he bargained for.

But Josh found her “spicy” and agreed to go on a date. His current romantic interest, Lisa, kind of took it in stride, calling Josh “the Bachelor in Paradise.”

As for the date, it was all fun and games when it came to flying on a trapeze; less so when Iva demanded that Josh dump Lisa. “You make out with her I’ll fucking throw you in the lake,” Iva said. Well, all righty then.

Iva’s demand might have carried more weight if Josh had enjoyed making out with her. But when a producer asked Josh about his kiss with Iva, he kind of grimaced and diplomatically declared himself “undecided.”

Josh told Lisa all about the ultimatum when he came back to the beach. “Does that mean me and her are gonna have a problem?” asked Lisa. “I am the last person somebody wants a problem with. I’m small, but I’m mighty.”

Speaking of problems, Angela definitely had one.

The third new arrival was Maria, a Colombian-born, Toronto-raised designer who described herself as having Canadian “niceness” and Colombian “spice.”

To Joey, she was “a sweetheart of a girl,” someone he’d worked with in Toronto and gone on one unsuccessful date with. But as he gave Maria the lay of the Paradise land, Joey made it clear he had a deep connection with Vay — which didn’t make Vay any less jealous of the time Joey spent with Maria or the way he talked about her.

Guy after guy politely blew Maria off, letting her know they were taken — all except Brendan M. Brendan told Maria he was “definitely open” to “meeting new people and seeing if there’s possibility there.”

Uh oh.

When Brendan agreed to Maria’s date, he justified it by saying he and Angela had talked “in the past” about allowing each other to go on dates with new people, but the operative word was “past” — Angela clearly thought that kind of deal was behind them.

Angela summoned Brendan for a chat — the conversation they should have had before he agreed to go with Maria because tossing “All right?” over your shoulder as you walk away with someone else doesn’t really count. Brendan said he wanted Angela to just focus on what they had but also to give him the “respect” to go on this date.

Basically, he was unsympathetic to her distress, leaving her with a non-committal “Chat with you later,” not even a hug or a peck on the cheek.

Cold, dude, cold.

“It feels nice to be painted on,” said Brendan Morgan, with Maria Garcia-Sanchez. We bet!

He was all smiles when he and Maria met up to strip down to white bathing suits and throw paint on a drop sheet and each other, eventually rubbing it on each other’s bodies.

Still, Brendan hadn’t completely forgotten about Angela. As he and Maria shared drinks by a cosy fire, Brendan admitted he really wanted to kiss her but refrained because he didn’t want to disrespect Angela.

Bad news, Brendan, the “disrespect” horse bolted before you shut your lips, er, the barn door.

Angela was back at the beach, telling her besties Illeana and Caitlin she wasn’t sure she could completely trust Brendan anymore.

And then Brendan dropped the equivalent of a cow patty on the whole situation by returning from his date, spotting Angela with her friends and manoeuvring Maria over to a beach bed instead of talking to Angela.

Hey Brendan, I think we’ve solved the mystery of why you’re not in a committed relationship yet. You clearly have no idea how to commit!

Next week, it looks like neither Angela nor Maria is happy with Brendan M. There’s more tension between Joey and Vay over Maria. Iva continues her dogged pursuit of not only Josh but Mike. And is that Kevin Wendt’s lovely fiancee, Astrid Loch, helping him introduce the “Camp Paradise Twisted Talent Show”?

You can tune in next Sunday at 8 p.m. on Citytv. And don’t forget “Bachelor After Show: After Paradise” at 9:30 p.m. If you want to talk Paradise with me you can comment here, visit my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter @realityeo

Edited to correct the spelling of Sasa.

Chris S steps up as the new villain on The Bachelorette

November 10, 2021 /
Michelle Young took 12 of the men on a slumber party group date, but they ended up sleeping on her. PHOTO CREDIT: All photos Craig Sjodin/ABC

Michelle Young wasn’t the only one who didn’t feel seen on Tuesday’s episode of “The Bachelorette.”

Apparently, Chris Sutton — who, let’s be honest, we haven’t paid attention to since his intro package in the season premiere — was missing his “look at me” moment. He rectified that with a self-serving speech at the cocktail party about how some of the other men thought they “have it in the bag” — it presumably meaning Michelle — and weren’t putting in the effort she deserves. And then he tried to throw Nayte Olukoya, one of the front-runners, under the bus.

Hey, Chris, we see you now, but it’s not a good look.

Chris actually said in his confessional: “I came in on my white horse and I saved her from the castle that she’s been stuck in.” First off, what the hell does that even mean? Second, I can’t think of anyone who needs saving less than Michelle, especially not by the likes of Chris.

I concur with Nayte: “What a dweeb.”

Alas, Chris S was still around after the rose ceremony. Michelle has done such a good job of weeding out the dudes who are there to cause drama: first Ryan, then Jamie and Peter. But Chris S got to stay. Maybe production asked her to stop dumping the trouble-makers? I don’t know.

Speaking of Jamie, Michelle’s first date was with Martin, who was described as being “very close” to Jamie, so the date narrative was whether Michelle could trust Martin.

Michelle and Martin Gelbspan hung out at the BMW Performance Center.

Personally, I’m not sure I’d trust a guy who tears the sleeves off his shirt, but that’s just me. Things seemed to go fine as Martin and Michelle spun around, literally, in BMW M3s at the BMW Performance Center near Palm Springs. Michelle outdrove Martin and that shouldn’t surprise you.

Martin started to skid when he and Michelle got into a tub to cool off with some champagne and Martin said he didn’t think Jamie was a bad person: “I still think he’s a hell of a man.” Michelle figured Martin was questioning her decision to send Jamie home. So was Martin next?

He course-corrected at dinner at the Rancho Mirage Observatory, explaining that he hadn’t learned how to express emotions growing up and was still working on his communication skills. I’m not sure what any of that had to do with his opinion of Jamie, but Michelle gave him the date rose.

It was on to the group date on which 12 of the men — Will, Chris S, Casey, Chris G, Leroy, Rodney, Olu, Brandon, Clayton, Joe, Romeo and Nayte — got to “surrender to love” by putting on PJs and attending a slumber party complete with cotton candy, popcorn, an ice cream sundae bar, mini spa treatments and giant teddy bears.

Michelle said it was all about “bonding and quality time,” but she didn’t count on the men being more interested in bonding with each other than with her.

By the time WWE stars the Bella Twins showed up to supervise the Ultimate Teddy Bear Takedown — in which the men beat the stuffing out of each other with their bears — Michelle was pissed.

The WWE’s Bella Twins helped the men turn their teddy bears from cuddly to cudgels.

She was so annoyed I’m not sure she took the time to appreciate the absurdity of pairing Brandon, who looks shall we say a little boyish, with Olumide, who Clayton said “looks like he ate three of Brandon for breakfast.” I mean, come on, we watched Olu do an exercise that looked like a pushup combined with a jumping jack.

Hosts Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe nearly fell off the couch when Olu took his shirt off. Brandon’s strategy of trying to dance out of reach could only work so long against that type of brawn.

So Olu’s team, which included Clayton, Casey, Romeo, Leroy and Nayte, won after-party time with Michelle. They were so busy jumping up and down together and playing with the streamers that fell from the ceiling they didn’t notice when Michelle left the building for a heart to heart with Kaitlyn.

Michelle explained that having the guys ignore her took her back emotionally to high school, when she was the “token black girl” who didn’t get asked out on dates. “I wasn’t seen,” said Michelle.

“I’m frustrated and hurt,” she added, struggling to hold back her tears. “In this situation I felt like one thing I wasn’t gonna have to worry about was not being seen.”

Totally makes sense to me, as it did to the chastened men at the after-party.

It resonated especially with Olu, who teared up as he told Michelle that everything she said about feeling isolated as a Black woman reminded him of his four sisters and “me being that male figure in my sisters’ life, having to uplift them, tell them that (they’re) beautiful, you can do anything, the right guy will come to your life.”

It was a genuine moment, one that Michelle especially appreciated because of Olu showing emotion as a Black man. For the date rose to go to anybody but him would have been ridiculous.

(And on the topic of ridiculous, I’m with everyone else who’s commenting about the absurdity of Clayton apparently being chosen as the next Bachelor before Michelle’s season even aired. No offence to Clayton, but I’ve seen nothing to suggest he won’t be just another boring white dude in the lead. Olu deserved to be considered.)

Michelle said she got what she needed from the men, that things were back on track.

Then, for a palate cleanser, she went on a one-on-one with Rick that involved taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to Mount San Jacinto State Park, where they walked around taking in the view and smelling trees.

And oh look, there’s a “wish box,” with instructions to read all the wishes inside before writing and leaving your own. What a coincidence that the first two were about finding “my soulmate” and “a love like my grandparents had,” and the third was “I wish my dad could see the man I’ve become.” Because it turns out Rick has some serious father issues. So good job whichever producer got rid of all the real wishes and put in the fake ones.

Michelle’s and Rick’s wish was “We wish to find love by having the hard conversations,” which sounds less like a wish than a decree for every single dinner portion of a one-on-one date.

And so, during dinner, they got down to it. Essentially, when Rick was 17 he found a text from another woman on his dad’s phone, told his mom about it and his parents split up three days after Christmas. Rick talked about his dad being depressed for about 10 years and calling Rick one day when he was at work and too busy to talk. After Rick called back later, his dad texted “I’m just trying to catch my breath” and was then found dead by a friend, which happened three years ago.

His father died “still blaming me because I blew a whistle unfortunately,” Rick said.

That is heavy stuff that Michelle would have to hear eventually, but planting a note so Rick would talk about it on camera definitely feels skeevy.

Nonetheless, Rick regained his good cheer, told Michelle he felt like he was falling in love with her and accepted the date rose, which she presented to her “little lettuce wrap,” a callback to his Night 1 silver platter getup.

Michelle and Rick Leach enjoy a private performance by Andy Grammer.

And then they got to dance and smooch to a musical artist that people have actually heard of — and not a country one at that — Andy Grammer.

Onward to the rose ceremony — and can I just point out we’re four for four as far as episodes ending with rose ceremonies? Wow.

After Chris S made his silly speech and then rudely butted in front of Brandon for alone time with Michelle, he served up Nayte as an example of one of the men who thought they had it in the bag, recounting Nayte’s comments after the group date card arrived.

OK, yes, Nayte did say, “I’m not stressing about when I get a one-on-one date. All I know is a one-on-one is coming. If it’s not today it’s gonna be another time.” And yes, perhaps he should have said that in his inside voice, but he’s right! He’s the first impression rose winner and likely headed to the finale (and no I haven’t read the spoilers, I don’t give a crap about them) so duh, of course he’s getting a one-on-one.

Does that equate to thinking he has “it in the bag”? I don’t think so.

Nayte was understandably perturbed when his alone time with Michelle was consumed with what Chris had said about him and her warning him that “I’m not this massive prize at the end of this.”

So Nayte confronted Chris and they had a loud, angry conversation, during which Chris S lied and said he gave up Nayte’s name because Michelle asked him for the facts.

Chris Sutton, who will heretofore be down as the Dweeb, doing his best to impress Michelle.

Dude! As if she could get a word in edgewise during your monologue when you were too busy trying to make yourself look good.

Chris also got into it with Olu, who suggested Chris might not get a rose because of “the shit you just pulled.”

Chris laughed to himself, boasting about how all the men hated him and when he got his rose he was going to say, “This one’s for you Olu and then I’m gonna wink at him.” And I don’t believe in violence, but I really, really felt like reaching through the TV screen and slapping the smirk off his face.

Perhaps for an aspiring actor like Chris, it’s better to be a villain than just another guy who’s destined to be group date fodder. Did ABC offer him a speaking role on a show or something?

Anyway, Chris S did indeed get a rose along with Brandon, Leroy, Joe, Rodney, Clayton, Casey and Nayte. Chris G, Will and Romeo got jettisoned.

Next week, Chris S moans about Michelle’s “infatuation” with Nayte; there’s a one-on-one with Joe; Michelle spends quality time with Nayte, and tells some unlucky fellow or fellows “Our relationship isn’t progressing forward” and “I can’t do this anymore.” Fingers crossed those words are directed at Chris.

You can tune in next Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Citytv. And you can comment here, visit my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter @realityeo

Watchable Nov. 8 to 14, 2021

November 8, 2021 /

SHOW OF THE WEEK: Dopesick (Nov. 12, Disney Plus)

Kaitlyn Dever and Michael Keaton in “Dopesick.” PHOTO CREDIT: Antony Platt/Hulu

If you watched Alex Gibney’s docuseries “The Crime of the Century” earlier this year you’ll already be familiar with the facts about America’s opioid crisis, a staggering tragedy that began with the pushing of OxyContin in the mid-1990s as a pain relief wonder drug.

This miniseries, created by actor, writer and director Danny Strong (“Empire”), dramatizes the Oxy epidemic. The three episodes made available for review range from 1986, when Purdue Pharma first came up with the concept of a new time-release opioid, to 2005, when Virginia prosecutors launched a grand jury investigation of the company.

Strong focuses on seven key characters from different sides of the crisis, some real, some invented: Purdue president and chief Oxy champion Richard Sackler (Michael Stuhlbarg); Appalachian doctor Samuel Finnix (Michael Keaton); his patient, miner Betsy Mallum (Kaitlyn Dever); Purdue sales rep Billy Cutler (Will Poulter); DEA agent Bridget Meyer (Rosario Dawson); and Department of Justice investigators Rick Mountcastle (Peter Sarsgaard) and Randy Ramseyer (John Hoogenakker).

Sackler is portrayed as part businessman, part evangelist, pushing employees to sell ever-increasing amounts of “the greatest painkiller in the history of human civilization.”

Purdue sales reps like Cutler relentlessly market Oxy to doctors and pharmacists as a safe drug that’s virtually impossible to abuse while Purdue-bankrolled pain associations spring up around the country to preach the narrative that the real tragedy in America is the under-treatment of pain.

And Finnix just wants to help patients like Betsy, injured in a mining accident, and at first Oxy does that — until it doesn’t and they need ever higher doses to control the pain. Meanwhile, people like Meyer, Mountcastle and Ramseyer attempt the near impossible task of holding Purdue to account.

We already know how the story ends, with addiction, drug-fuelled crime and death — or rather, doesn’t end, since the opioid epidemic is ongoing, fed not just by OxyContin but by drugs like heroin and fentanyl.

It’s an important story to tell but also a complicated one and breaking it down into manageable chunks makes sense, particularly when they’re handled by such a capable group of actors. But sometimes the focus is too diffuse, with episodes jumping back and forth between characters and time periods, diluting the show’s emotional impact.

Still, it’s a worthwhile piece of television.

Disney Plus also has the “Home Alone” movie update “Home Sweet Home Alone,” Olaf the snowman recreating beloved Disney tales in “Olaf Presents” and Season 2 of “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” (all Nov. 12). Plus the blockbuster Marvel movie “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” starring Canada’s Simu Liu, will debut on Disney that day along with a making-of docu-special about “Shang-Chi,” “Marvel Assembled.”

Short Takes

Tosh (Alison O’Donnell) and Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall) are back solving crimes in “Shetland.” PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Mainz/ITV Studios

Shetland (Nov. 9, BritBox)

It’s been a long wait for Season 6 of this Britcrime series set in Scotland’s Shetland Islands and, based on the single episode made available for review, I’d say it was worth the wait. Douglas Henshall is back as quietly resourceful detective Jimmy Perez, backed by colleagues Tosh (Alison O’Donnell) and Sandy (Steven Robertson, an actual native of Shetland). Jimmy faces a challenging case when a local lawyer is shot dead in his home with an unregistered weapon and no witnesses. Potential suspects include a drug abuser who lost a custody battle for her kids, the sister of a murder victim whose killer the lawyer defended and an ex-soldier whose case he refused to touch. Throw in a true crime-obsessed teenager who’s interfering with the case and a hobby photographer whose drone might have captured pictures of the killer, and you’ve got a satisfying puzzle.

A recreation from “Black Liberators WWII.” PHOTO CREDIT: History/Corus Entertainment

Black Liberators WWII (Nov. 11, 9 p.m., History/STACKTV)

Among the more than 1 million Canadian soldiers who fought in World War II were some who did so despite being treated as second-class citizens in the country they were fighting for. But thousands of Black soldiers enlisted anyway and contributed to some of the most important campaigns of the war. This documentary focuses on six of them: Robert “Bud” Jones, John Olbey, Sam Estwick, Calvin Marshall, Welsford Daniels and Owen Rowe, who volunteered to fight for Canada along with other Black Caribbeans. It’s thanks to Rowe’s daughter, Kathy Grant, that we get to hear about the men’s experiences in their own words, since she recorded interviews with them as part of the Black Canadian Veterans Stories of War project. The men are all dead now except for Olbey who, as of this writing, was 99 years old and living in Chatham. The men’s testimonies reinforce the fact that war truly is hell, but it was also a reprieve from the discrimination these Black soldiers experienced at home — and, to Canada’s shame, continued to experience when they returned from battle. But the doc isn’t about that; it’s about what these particular men achieved and, like other veterans, their stories deserve to be told. As Leslie Estwick, daughter of Sam — who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and became a pioneer in radar technology — puts it, “The history of Canada is the history of everyone in it.”

Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell in “The Shrink Next Door.” PHOTO CREDIT: Apple TV Plus

The Shrink Next Door (Nov. 12, Apple TV Plus)

Apple TV throws its hat into the ring of podcast TV with this series adapted from the Wondery podcast of the same name. Both podcast and show are based on the true story of a man whose life was infiltrated by his psychiatrist for almost three decades, to the point the doctor took over his house and part of his business. In the eight-episode show, of which I screened three, Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell get to flex their acting muscles, with Rudd playing charismatic shrink Dr. Isaac Herschkopf and Ferrell as Martin Markowitz, a successful but insecure business owner who meets Herschkopf when he seeks treatment for panic attacks. Rudd is particularly captivating as we watch him insidiously turn himself into the most important person in Marty’s life. Kathryn Hahn (“WandaVision”) also does great work as the one person who can see through Herschkopf’s demeanour of professional solicitude, Marty’s sister Phyllis.

Juliette Lewis in “Yellowjackets.” PHOTO CREDIT: Showtime/Bell Media

Yellowjackets (Nov. 14, 10 p.m., Crave)

From the opening minutes, when we see a terrified young woman running through woods and tumbling into a death trap, we know the girls of the Yellowjackets New Jersey state champion high school basketball team got up to some very bad things when they were stranded by a plane crash for 19 months. The what, why and how are teased out in flashbacks to 1996 in this Vancouver-shot Showtime series. Meanwhile, in 2021, we follow four of the now middle-aged teammates, played by Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Tawny Cypress and Christina Ricci. Part of the fun of the show is watching these women go about their lives knowing their seeming ordinariness belies dark secrets. But the past won’t stay buried. A woman claiming to be a reporter is asking questions, and vaguely threatening postcards arrive, suggesting someone hasn’t forgotten or forgiven what happened in ’96. With these capable actors at the controls — alongside the ones who play their younger selves, Sophie Nelisse, Sophie Thatcher, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Samantha Hanratty — you can buckle in and enjoy the ride.

Odds and Ends

Owl expert Jim Duncan with a Manitoba great grey owl. PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of CBC

Think back to when the pandemic began and the sudden drop in things like traffic and air flight, and other noisy activities. “Nature’s Big Year,” the Nov. 12 “Nature of Things” broadcast (CBC, CBC Gem, 9 p.m.) explores how that inactivity affected various animal species, from wolves in Bighorn Backcountry in Alberta to loggerhead turtles in Florida to hedgehogs in Nottinghamshire, England, to great grey owls in Balmoral, Manitoba, to blackbirds in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne to snow geese on the St. Lawrence River. It’s likely no surprise that the lesser the human activity the better off the animals are.

Amazon Prime Video has a couple that sound worthwhile. The docuseries “Always Jane” follows transgender teen Jane Noury and her supportive family (Nov. 12) while the documentary “Pharma Bro” (Nov. 11) is about Martin Shkreli, the so-called “most hated man in America,” known for raising the price of AIDS drugs 5,500 per cent.

Netflix has Season 2 of “Gentefied,” the well-regarded series about a Mexican-American family in Los Angeles, on Nov. 10.

AMC Plus has the U.K. murder mystery “Ragdoll” (Nov. 11).

Corus Entertainment channels have several offerings, including the special “Adele One Night Only” on Global TV Nov. 14 at 8:30 p.m.; “Great Escapes With Morgan Freeman” (Nov. 14, 9 p.m., History), in which the actor hosts tales of history’s greatest jail breaks; and animated sci-fi series “Blade Runner: Black Lotus” (Nov. 13, midnight, Adult Swim).

NOTE: The listings here are in Eastern Standard Time, and reflect information provided to me and verified where possible, but it’s always best to check listings for your own area. The selection of programs reviewed reflects what I’m given access to by networks and streamers, whether reviews are embargoed, how many shows I have time to watch and my own personal taste.

The men won’t stay in their lanes on Bachelor in Paradise Canada

November 8, 2021 /
The men and women of “Bachelor in Paradise Canada” Week 5 await the rose ceremony.
PHOTO CREDIT: All photos courtesy of Citytv

Either there’s an outbreak of wandering eye syndrome at Camp Paradise or the producers of “Bachelor in Paradise Canada” have some ninja level manipulation skills.

How else to explain an episode in which Caitlin claimed she was considering dumping Kamil for newbie Adam — after Adam had been ditched by Illeana, who went back to Brendan S — and then Caitlin was pursued by Mike, leaving Stacy feeling like chopped liver.

“Like are we all getting played?” Vay asked indignantly after learning of Mike’s manoeuvre.

Yes, Vay, probably and I’m including viewers in that “we.”

I mean, seriously, in what universe does a smart woman like Caitlin get sucked in by some dude she’s barely talked to just because he knocks on her door with a bouquet of flowers? And why would Mike suddenly zero in on Caitlin on the flimsy pretext that he didn’t know anything about her and she might be his “match”?

Here I will quote another wise woman, Stacy: “Can I get a bigger eye roll?”

Let’s backtrack to pick up the threads from last week‘s episode.

We watched as Illeana Pennetto, despite being part of a Day 1 couple with Brendan Scanzano, went on not one, but two dates with newcomer Adam Kunder, which seemed to mostly involve sucking face, although she told her besties she got “a lot deeper” with Adam than she had with Brendan.

Adam Kunder and Illeana Pennetto defaulted to kissing rather than talking on Date No. 2.

Balderdash! It appeared Adam had exhausted his conversational skills on Date No. 1 because as he and Illeana repaired to a couch to continue Date No. 2, he became about as communicative as a rock. As Illeana noted, “Instead of talking we’re just kissing, which isn’t bad, but it’s not getting us anywhere.”

Well, it did get her somewhere: back into Brendan’s arms. When she and Adam returned from their date, Illeana left Adam boasting about their “dope” connection at the bar while she told Brendan that despite having a “nice time” with Adam, “I was just thinking about coming back and being with you” — although she claimed she wouldn’t have known for sure had she not gone on that second date.

Sounds sketchy, but OK, fine.

Illeana let Adam down as gently as she could, although he seemed completely flabbergasted that she picked Brendan over him. And who should commiserate with Adam about getting dumped, of all people, but Brendan’s friends Kamil and Caitlin, another Day 1 couple? Weird, right?

Kamil wasn’t all that sympathetic, as you’d expect, since he’d said from the get-go that Adam had been disrespectful for not checking with the other men before asking out one of “their women.” But that paternalism pissed off Caitlin, who told Adam he’d done the right thing by following his heart to Illeana.

Then the next day, Adam had one heck of a pivot, as they say, claiming that after his date(s) with Illeana he had “a gut-wrenching feeling I had made the wrong choice.” So there he was at Caitlin’s cabin door with flowers.

Oh puhleez. As if that wasn’t a naked play for a rose. And yet we watched Caitlin get “confused” over whether to choose Kamil, who she said was coasting, or Adam, who she said was making an effort. Give me a break. You think he picked those flowers out himself? I’m not saying Kamil is all that, but why would you trust the dude who was all over your best friend the day before?

The “Paradise” triangle du jour: Kamil Nicalek, Adam Kunder and Caitlin Clemmens.

The rest of the cast watched with rapt attention as Adam walked Caitlin over to the bar, where Kamil and Chris were sitting, then put a flower in her hair and tried to kiss her in front of Kamil and everyone else.

(As an aside, did anyone else find it funny that Kamil’s confidant in his grudge against Adam was Chris, who made his own play for Caitlin earlier in the season? They even had a private joke about how many times Adam used the word “bro.” Chris said it was up to 217.)

Caitlin did eventually kiss Adam, not as much as Illeana, but enough to say it was “sensual” and “hot.”

So her choices going into the rose ceremony were Kamil, who said Caitlin was his “ride or die chick,” or Adam, who said he wanted Caitlin to “feel like you’re in a fairy tale all the time.” Both those things sound like bad cliches, though if I had to choose I’d probably take the ride over being treated like a Disney princess.

Still, is anybody shocked that Caitlin handed the final rose of the night to Kamil? No? Didn’t think so.

The one woman who did seem genuinely conflicted about where her rose should go was Lisa.

With 11 men and seven roses, most of which were spoken for, Lisa was suddenly a hot commodity as Josh, David, Jeremy and Chris all claimed her attention, one after the other. Lisa had tears on her cheeks as the men made their pitches.

Josh Guvi was just one of four men vying for Lisa Mancini’s rose.

But could Chris’s pinky swear that he’d have her back at the next rose ceremony compete with Josh and Lisa’s shared kisses and love of Hawaiian pizza?

Well, no. David, Jeremy and Chris all went home, along with Adam.

Sadly we are now deprived of at least three bromances, if you count Chris’s with Kamil and Jeremy’s with Brendan M and Joey. In fact, Joey looked downright stricken as Jeremy said his goodbyes.

Hell yeah, cowboys get tears in their eyes when their best bros leave Camp Paradise.

Chris Kotelmach, who’s been one of the more colourful characters on the beach, said he was leaving as a stronger person after learning “so much in such a short period of time . . . This isn’t the end; this is when I truly get to live my life.”

David was less gracious, saying everyone on the beach was “so fake I’m like fuck this, get me out of here.”

The next day, with the power of the rose shifting back to the men, we saw two new women arrive: Bianka Kamber, the 37-year-old former “winner” of “Bachelor Canada” Season 1, and Nicole Cregg, a 25-year-old fan contestant from Toronto.

Alas, the attention focused on Bianka — and it wasn’t much — was all about her age while Nicole was singled out for her beauty. Nope, no ageism or sexism going on there.

The truly startling development came later when Mike suddenly announced in his confessional that Paradise was getting too comfortable and he wanted “to find my true match through discomfort.” Um, sure.

Furthermore, he didn’t take kindly to Kamil telling the other fellows to stay in their lanes. “I’m here to get in people’s lanes, figure out my best match and, as far as I see it, Kamil is a bicycle in a bicycle lane and I’m Mack truck Mike, and if you don’t move over I’m gonna run you off the road and that’s why I’m gonna ask Caitlin on a date.”

Let’s put aside the mental image of a truck running a bike off the road, which I can tell you is not a good look here in Toronto. But um, what?

That was pretty much Caitlin’s reaction when Mike interrupted her snuggle time with Kamil to ask her out, and also Stacy’s when he told her what he’d done. He claimed he was doing it so he could turn the “something good” he had with Stacy into “something great.”

So how does that work exactly? You like someone and you’ll like them even better if you go out with someone else? Huh?

Mike Ogilvie told Stacy Johnson he’d asked someone else out mid-snuggle.

Stacy pointed out that Mike had already had plenty of time to get to know other women and the timing was “quite interesting” given that the men now had the roses.

When Stacy told Vay what was up, Vay was incensed on Stacy’s behalf and rightly so. I mean Mike was probably just carrying out some stupid production directive, but he made Stacy cry and that definitely made me like him less. And, like, why would you want to be fourth in line to date Caitlin when you could have Stacy all to yourself? No offence to Caitlin, but Stacy is a catch.

Then, when Caitlin told Mike to get stuffed in a nice way, he was all “You are my love interest and potentially out of this my girlfriend or more” to Stacy.

You’ve got an interesting way of showing it, buddy.

So that was it, right? Everyone can go back to playing happy couples?

Kamil Nicalek chats with Nicole Cregg as Caitlin and her girl gang walk by.

No, not exactly. Kamil got chatting with new arrival Nicole, after admitting that her “natural beauty” had turned his head so much “my neck is killing me today.” But I guess it was OK because Nicole wasn’t yet attached to a man whose permission Kamil had to ask. He was grinning like a fool and boasting about how everyone else called him “the mayor of Paradise” (nope) and brushing a (imaginary?) bug away from her shoulder.

Can I get a bigger eye roll?

It was enough to drive Caitlin into her cabin, crying. “Why don’t I get my happiness and my love story? I’ve had enough,” she said.

Well, buckle up Caitlin. Next week, two more women hit the beach and there’s something called the “Camp Paradise bonfire,” which is apparently designed to spark tensions. It looks like somebody who isn’t Lisa kisses Josh and Brendan Morgan decides to exercise his romantic options, which has Angela in tears . . . again.

You can tune in next Sunday at 8 p.m. on Citytv. And don’t forget “Bachelor After Show: After Paradise” at 9:30 p.m. If you want to talk Paradise with me you can comment here, visit my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter @realityeo

Michelle shows the men who’s Top Gun on The Bachelorette

November 3, 2021 /
Michelle Young with “Top Gun: Maverick” actors Glen Powell and Jay Ellis. We all know who the Top Gun is this season. Hint: it’s not the dudes. PHOTO CREDIT: All photos except screen grabs Craig Sjodin/ABC

Welcome to AP “Bachelorette.”

Your teacher for this advanced class is Michelle Young and she’s schooling all our asses on how to run a season.

For instance, if you find you’ve got a troublemaker in the bunch you don’t keep him hanging around so he can stir up more drama. You walk him to the elevator and send his butt home with nothing more than a polite “Have a good night.”

That’s how Jamie Skaar got his comeuppance on Tuesday’s episode.

To refresh your memory, Jamie caused a brouhaha at last week’s rose ceremony cocktail party by telling Michelle that unnamed men in the house were questioning her authenticity because of a rumour that she knew Joe Coleman before the season started. She did not, other than exchanging a couple of texts with him a few years ago. And the only man who seemed bothered by the possibility was Jamie himself.

Michelle got upset enough about Jamie’s revelation to cancel the rest of the cocktail party, which had the confused men wondering who’d been telling fibs about them. Jamie didn’t own up and probably would have kept his mouth shut indefinitely (or at least until “Men Tell All”) had Michelle not outed him to Rick, who told her that none of the men had been questioning her character.

When word got out at this week’s cocktail party that Jamie was “the rat,” to use Casey’s term, Jamie still wouldn’t fully own up, dancing around the question of what he’d actually told Michelle and then, bizarrely, suggesting he’d been worried about speculation by people watching the episode at home.

I’m with Nayte: “Why the fuck are we talking about episodes?”

Also, “Come on, man, you suck.”

Jamie Skaar just before Michelle Young gave him the heave-ho.

Which was essentially Michelle’s verdict on Jamie, although she put it more eloquently.

“I’m very hurt by you right now. I don’t trust you at this moment and I have to be done with it. I think it’s best that I walk you out tonight.”

Boom.

One wonders if she would have had more to say had she heard some of Jamie’s other on-camera pronouncements.

His arrogance going into the second group date was already galling, but when Brandon got the date rose instead of him, Jamie pulled a producer aside to complain that Brandon was “not even fucking close” to being in his league.

“I really felt like it would be a stronger group of guys. It was a nationwide search, where they at?” he sniped.

And then, “The challenging part with Michelle right now is she’s basically just in fucking spring break mode. It’s a little bit of a turnoff.”

You want to know what else is a turnoff? Men who act like they’re god’s gift to “Bachelorette”-hood.

Jamie wasn’t the only one stirring up crap on Tuesday.

Peter, the “pizzapreneur,” couldn’t shut his piehole on the first group date, which involved the men going through a bunch of “Top Gun” challenges in aid of promoting the “Top Gun: Maverick” movie.

That included a G-force simulator, one of those contraptions that spins you around really fast until you feel like puking (or so I imagine, thankfully never having been in one).

That scared the crap out of Will — a.k.a. Little Willy — who was apparently prone to motion sickness. Plus the men were supposed to tell Michelle how they felt about her while they were spinning around, which could be tough if you’re keeping your mouth closed so you don’t blow chunks.

But Will managed to tell Michelle he wanted to grow old with her in Spanish without barfing. That majorly pissed off Peter — a.k.a. Dough Boy — who told Michelle essentially the same thing in Italian.

So of course Peter and Will were paired up in the final challenge, which had the dudes “dog fighting,” or rather muscling each other off a mat with things that looked kind of like padded battering rams.

Jay Ellis confirms that “Dough Boy” Peter, right, got his ass kicked by Will in the dog fight.

Will dominated Peter and, given that and his puke-defying G-force ride, he was named the “Top Gun,” given a spiffy aviator jacket and got to drive around with Michelle in a vintage car from the new movie — although note that she did the driving.

That Peter would continue the feud at the cocktail party followed as naturally as cheese on pizza.

Peter was all “You’re a bully,” blah blah blah, and “See the cheques that I cash and then you call me a pizza boy” and “We’re gonna change lives one slice at a time” and really?

And then, because he’s a sore loser and a dick, Peter took Will’s new jacket and threw it in the pool, which made Will cry when he found out. But he didn’t snitch about it to Michelle because he didn’t want to ruin her mood (although how the hell her mood wasn’t already ruined by the noise of Peter and Will yelling at each other is beyond me).

Poor Will didn’t even get the date rose as consolation. That went to Martin because he’d taken a few minutes during the Top Gun exercises to pull Michelle aside and ask how she was feeling. So Martin got to dance and smooch with Michelle as a string quartet played “Take My Breath Away” — the big song from the 1986 “Top Gun” movie — while Will fished his soaking wet jacket out of the pool.

Onwards!

I’ll be honest, I would have pegged Rodney — a.k.a. the guy who didn’t know a Granny Smith from a Delicious apple — as perpetual group date fodder, but he got the week’s one-on-one. Still, was this going to be one of those dates where the lead figures out she’s just not into a bro and sends him home?

Most of the activities seemed as friendly as they were romantic, like Rodney feeding Michelle different foods while she was blindfolded — there was a can of whipped cream involved, but it ended up on Rodney’s face rather than being sucked off his big toe, a la Riley and Maurissa on “Bachelor in Paradise.”

They also had to open giant boxes full of balls and balloons while handcuffed together in search of the key and, the most entertaining, Rodney got naked and streaked through the lobby with just a throw cushion covering his man bits, while hosts Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe and the other men watched, hooted and hollered.

Yes, we can attest that Rodney Mathews is as naked below the belt as above.

“It’s pretty bad when everyone sees you out in your birthday suit and it ain’t even your birthday,” said Rodney in perhaps the line of the season.

But another funny thing was that the more we saw of Michelle and Rodney together, the more adorable they were together. By the time they got to cuddling and smooching on Michelle’s bed, Rodney had definitely passed from the friend zone to the relationship zone, as Michelle put it.

They also bonded at dinner over their admiration for their moms: Rodney’s had to work three jobs to support him and his brother after his dad left when he was 6, while Michelle talked about her white mom standing up for her Black dad.

She also shared a story about having the N-word directed at her in a grocery store and her white boyfriend at the time essentially forcing her to justify why she was upset. “I just felt that same way with my ex,” said Rodney.

A tear rolled down Rodney’s cheek when Michelle told him, “I really do not see you as an underdog. I see your heart.”

But then she said she would “apple-lutely love it if you would accept this rose.” Hee.

Michelle got confessional on the second group date, featuring spoken word poet Rudy Francisco.

The one-on-one wasn’t Michelle’s only reference in the episode to the challenges of being Black or mixed race in a white-dominated world.

On the second group date, the men were introduced to spoken word poet Rudy Francisco and asked to write poems that focused on their own stories, which they performed in front of the non-date men.

Chris G from Halifax was so excited he looked like he was going to pass out, clutching Leroy for support and covering his mouth with his hand. “He’s the poet who got me hooked on spoken word,” Chris said excitedly.

None of the men embarrassed themselves, a nice change from the usual group date cringe — although Romeo, uh, “Romeo, Romeo, where’s your Juliet?”

But Jamie, who kept banging on about how there was no competition between him and the other men, ignored the assignment and just told some dumbass story about a girl getting lost in the woods and guided back to the path by her guardian angel. And . . . sorry, just dozed off there for a minute.

Michelle, meanwhile, shared heartfelt verse about being the “token black girl” at school who “got invited to all the big parties as long as I followed the basic white trends . . . I was never the girl invited to cute dates at the apple orchard in the fall. I was the girl picked last for prom but the first for basketball.”

She promised herself, she said at the end, to be a role model for “young brown girls.”

The men gave her a standing ovation, which like, duh.

At the cocktail party, Brandon, who is also mixed race, told Michelle how much her poem resonated with him, recalling that he too was a late romantic bloomer in school, and how he was told he wasn’t Black because of his light skin or that he had to choose a side.

Michelle told Brandon she was attracted to his mind although the attraction was also clearly physical given all the kissing they did. In his voice-over, Brandon said he was falling in love with Michelle.

Michelle also smooched Jamie, who looked over her shoulder at the camera, presumably to make sure his masterful kissing skills were being recorded for posterity. “I’m looking at a person who’s staring me back in the eyes and I can tell that she’s, like, captivated,” boasted Jamie in his confessional.

That kind of makes my stomach feel like Will’s must have felt on that G-force simulator.

Anyway, we’ve already covered the downfall of Jamie.

There was a rose ceremony. I feel the need to point out that this is the third rose ceremony in three episodes, none of the usual “To be continued” nonsense. I mean, I doubt Michelle got to sit in on the editing, but is she schooling the people who put the show together too?

Anyway, she gave roses to Joe, Rick, Leroy, Nayte, Casey, Chris G, Chris S, Clayton, Olu, Romeo and Will. Along with ones already bestowed on Martin, Rodney and Brandon, that leaves 14 men in the hunt for the final rose.

And oh yes, Peter was one of the men shown the door. Later Dough Boy!

But you know, villains are kind of like whack-a-mole. Yes, Michelle cleared out two of them this week but, according to the promo for next week, Chris S is going to step up as agitator in chief and get into a dust-up with Nayte.

You can tune in next Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Citytv. And you can comment here, visit my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter @realityeo

Day 1 team under threat on Bachelor in Paradise Canada

November 1, 2021 /
Illeana Pennetto went on two dates on “Bachelor in Paradise Canada.” Hint: neither
of them was with Brendan Scanzano. PHOTO CREDIT: All photos courtesy of Citytv

Do you know what happens when a dog pees to mark its territory? Every other dog that walks by tries to pee on that exact spot.

So there’s a big flaw in Kamil Nicalek’s analogy suggesting he’s warning other men off his territory at Camp Paradise, i.e. Caitlin, the same way his dog does when he takes a leak. That’s not how it works, bro.

Take Brendan Scanzano, for instance. No one has marked his figurative territory better than him since “Bachelor in Paradise Canada” began, with him and Illeana virtually inseparable since Day 1.

But if you want to stick with the pee analogy, new arrival Adam Kunder unleashed a veritable fire hose on Brendan’s turf in Sunday’s episode when he took Illeana on not one but two dates.

How will this triangle work out? We’ll have to wait till next week to find out where Illeana bestows her rose.

But given that the strongest couple on the beach appears to be threatened, Lisa Mancini might have had the right idea when she joked on a previous episode about having a “Bachelor” show for friendships. Four weeks into “Paradise Canada,” the bromances and womances are looking more solid than any boy-girl pairing.

Kamil Nicalek was throwing shade on Sunday, mostly toward new arrival Adam Kunder.

For instance, Kamil was boiling mad and ready to defend his best friend Brendan S, to the point that his aggressive attitude was freaking Caitlin out. (Although to be clear, the most he threatened to do was to flick Adam’s backwards baseball cap off his head.) I kind of get Kamil’s defensiveness. I don’t want to see Brendan get hurt either, although Caitlin also has a point: Illeana is a grown-ass woman and can make her own decisions.

Not everyone was pulling for Brendan S and Illeana. Joey expressed the opinion that Illeana was being “suffocated” by Brendan and told him to his face he was like “a lost little puppy” following Illeana home.

On a more thoughtful note, Joey also theorized that Brendan — who shared how much he longed for a regular family life since his parents had split up when he was 3 — was looking for a committed relationship to help him feel whole. So maybe we’ll just call him Dr. Joey from now on.

Brendan was already fretting about Illeana’s level of commitment the night before Adam arrived when she left him to chat first with Alex and then Jeremy. (And I have to come clean here. I said last week that the promo showed Alex kissing Illeana, but that was Kit he was smooching. Sorry, wrong blond.)

To put things in perspective, these folks had been hanging out for just seven days by the time Adam showed up. That’s more summer vacation romance than put a ring on it, although Brendan said he was ready to leave Paradise with Illeana.

On the other hand, Illeana did tell Brendan during a romantic hot tub encounter, “There’s really no way that someone could come in and take your place.”

So how did she go from that to telling besties Angela and Caitlin that she got “a lot deeper” with Windsor, Ontario firefighter Adam after just one date?

Well, kissing had something to do with it, lots and lots of kissing. Sure, Illeana might say it was the fact she and Adam both like to meditate and journal (although he calls his daily entry a “mission statement”), and that they had deep conversation (he told her he’d been engaged and had a friend die in a tragic accident), but Adam himself hit the nail on the head: “The sexual chemistry is out of control.”

Illeana Pennetto and Adam Kunder, reigning queen and king of “Paradise” triangles.

Bartender Kevin Wendt, who has a front-row seat to all the action, told other cast members that “from minute 2 to hour 5, they were just making out,” “they” being Illeana and Adam.

It’s worth noting this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a “Bachelor” show makeout sesh in a bouncy castle — yes, I’m talking about Nick Viall and Corinne Olympios — although at least Illeana didn’t straddle Adam, not that we saw on camera anyway.

But let’s take a break from the Illeana, Adam and Brendan S show to talk about other folks.

The only person as disappointed as Brendan to see Adam arrive was Chris.

He put on his best man bun in anticipation of a new woman hitting the beach and possibly saving his ass from elimination, but nope, just another dude.

Oh well, there’s always a friendship rose from Lisa. Oops, wait, is that Lisa kissing Josh in a hot tub?

Yeah, the Josh and Angela flirtation from last episode lasted only as long as it took for Brendan Morgan to reclaim Angela after she got back from her date with Josh. She admitted to “a smooch” with Josh but melted when Brendan told her, “Honestly, today has kind of been an eye-opening day for me. It helped me realize how much I actually like you.”

So Josh rediscovered his admiration for Lisa being her quirky, cos-playing self. Lisa felt he was being genuine and not just rose-hunting, and I’d like to believe that too, because I want nothing but good things for Lisa. But if Josh truly is a “Bachelor Nation” fan, as the cast list claims, he probably knows how to play the game.

So who did Chris zero in on when Lisa’s rose seemed uncertain? Would you believe Vay?

Chris Kotelmach with Veronique “Vay” Paquette, his third shot after Caitlin and Stacy.

Not only did he tell Vay he had more than a casual interest in her, he asked Joey, Vay’s Paradise flame, to consider sending her on a date with Chris. Like I’ve said before, the dude’s got some balls.

Joey, with an eye roll, described Chris’s manoeuvres as throwing a hook in the water but without any bait on the hook. He also speculated Chris would hit on the camera woman next.

You might be wondering why Chris would ask Joey to send him on a date. It’s because Joey was given a card that invested him with the power to send any two of his fellow campers on a rendezvous.

He flirted with the idea of sending Adam on another date, but with Caitlin this time, who was down with it. She was feeling underappreciated by Kamil, given how much attention he’d focused on supporting his buddy Brendan S, and also stressed since Brendan and Illeana were both friends.

But, in the end, Joey sent Adam and Illeana on yet another date.

Why? I suspect producer influence had more to do with it than Adam’s promise of Calgary Stampede tickets.

This time it was a hockey date, but the scoring appeared to be about tongues in mouths rather than pucks in nets.

Still, Illeana intimated that Adam wasn’t a shoo-in for her rose.

So next week we find out who she’s gonna pick. Meanwhile, Lisa stresses over who to give her rose to (given Chris’s entertainment value to the producers, my money would be on him). There’s also more tension between Kamil and Adam. And is there trouble ahead for Kamil and Caitlin, the other longest lasting couple in Paradise so far?

In the promo, we hear Mike Ogilvie saying that “Kamil is just on a downward spiral on his way out of Paradise” and “I’m Mack truck Mike and if you don’t move over I’m gonna run you off the road.” Is that Caitlin we see Mike asking out on a date? I don’t know for sure, but that’s definitely Stacy crying.

You can tune in next Sunday at 8 p.m. on Citytv. And don’t forget “Bachelor After Show: After Paradise” at 9:30 p.m. If you want to talk Paradise with me you can comment here, visit my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter @realityeo

Watchable Nov. 1 to 7, 2021

November 1, 2021 /

SHOW OF THE WEEK: Dexter: New Blood (Nov. 7, 10 p.m., Crave)

Jack Alcott and Michael C. Hall behind the scenes on “Dexter: New Blood.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Seacia Pavao/Showtime

Dexter the character and Dexter the show both have things to atone for going into this new version of the serial killer series.

For Dexter Morgan, chastened by memories of the friends and loved ones who became collateral damage in his Miami murder spree, atoning means living an uneventful life in a small, upstate New York town and forswearing killing.

For the producers of “Dexter: New Blood,” it means creating something that lets viewers move beyond that hated Season 8 finale, in which — spoiler alert — Dexter escaped not only justice but a deadly hurricane to ridiculously pop up as a lumberjack in Oregon.

Based on the four (of 10) episodes made available for review, I think fans will be able to forgive and forget, as well as enjoy this new version. (Both Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter, and Clyde Phillips, the original “Dexter” showrunner and the showrunner of this series, are clear this is not “Season 9” but its own thing.)

The Dexter we meet in Iron Lake, N.Y., is now calling himself Jim Lindsay (obviously a nod to Jeff Lindsay, author of the “Dexter” novels). He lives alone in a cabin in the woods, but he’s not isolated. He’s a well-liked member of the community, working at the local fish and game store, dating the police chief (Julia Jones) and even going line dancing at the local tavern. All in all, he’s a more human Dexter than the one we knew in Miami, willingly connected not only to the people around him but to the natural environment.

He also has his beloved sister Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) for company. No, she hasn’t been brought back to life after dying in the original series; she’s the embodiment of Dexter’s inner voice, supporting him and castigating him by turns.

One other member of Dexter’s family turns up: his now teenage son Harrison (Jack Alcott, “The Good Lord Bird”). Dexter decides to take a second shot at fatherhood, but it’s a fraught choice, not only because he slips up and lets his Dark Passenger resurface, but because he can’t be sure that Harrison isn’t truly his father’s son.

I don’t want to give anything away, but obviously a key theme here is whether Harrison — who, like Dexter, witnessed the gory murder of his mother as a small child — inherited Dad’s taste for blood.

That’s one of the plot lines that keeps this new series interesting. There’s also the fact that Dexter — who after a decade of not killing isn’t quite the criminal mastermind he used to be — has to work to keep his girlfriend and law enforcement in general off his trail, not to mention the wily father of his victim.

And then there’s the case that haunts Chief Bishop, involving young women who have vanished without a trace, suggesting Dexter may not be the only serial killer operating in the Iron Lake area.

I suspect how these threads resolve themselves will provide a clue as to whether Phillips and company are hoping to turn “New Blood” into a new franchise. Phillips demurred during a Television Critics Association panel when asked if this could be the start of an ongoing series, but he didn’t definitively rule it out, saying it was “a network decision.”

But if all we get are these 10 episodes, at least a wrong has been righted and we’re able to enjoy a beloved character anew.

Short Takes

Bertie Carvel as Adam Dalgliesh in a new version of the P.D. James novels.
PHOTO CREDIT: Christopher Barr/Acorn TV

Dalgliesh (Nov. 1, Acorn TV)

If you’re a fan of old-school British murder mysteries, this series will likely appeal. It’s a new adaptation of the P.D. James novels about Metropolitan Police detective, and poet, Adam Dalgliesh. Bertie Carvel (“Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”) is the third British actor to take on the title role on TV, after Roy Marsden (whom James reportedly didn’t fancy as Dalgliesh) and Martin Shaw. I’m not a Dalgliesh expert, but it seems to me that Carvel is a respectable representative, appropriately cerebral and reserved but perceptive and empathetic. Three of the books are dramatized in two-episode chunks: “Shroud for a Nightingale,” “The Black Tower” and “A Taste for Death.”

Lacey (Gabrielle Miller) and Brent (Brent Butt) in the “Corner Gas Animated” series finale.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of CTV Comedy Channel

Corner Gas Animated series finale (Nov. 1, 8 p.m., CTV Comedy Channel)

There’s no telling whether the “Corner Gas” franchise will rise again, but it’s the end of the road for this cartoon spinoff of the original comedy after CTV declined to pick it up for a fifth season. While much has been made of the cameo by Hollywood A-lister Ryan Reynolds, his scene with Wanda (Nancy Robertson) is, while entertaining, but a blip in the episode. It’s really about the bonds between the denizens of Dog River, particularly after a devastating fire at the Ruby cafe has Lacey (Gabrielle Miller) considering leaving town and Brent (series creator Brent Butt) forced to step outside his comfort zone if he wants her to stay.

Actor Darianne Ramirez Blanchette outside a replica of the Sham Shui Po POW camp.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of documentary Channel

The Fence (Nov. 5, CBC Gem)

With Halloween behind us, our screens are about to fill with Remembrance Day programming. This Canadian-made documentary by Viveka Melki focuses on the 1,975 Canadian soldiers held prisoner by the Japanese for almost four years following the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941. Obviously, World War II veterans are a dwindling resource, so hearing their stories from their own lips is to be valued. Two share their experiences here: George MacDonell of the Royal Rifles of Canada and George Peterson of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, both of whom were held at the Sham Shui Po camp in Hong Kong. They were systematically starved, made to perform hard labour and witnessed horrible atrocities. Peterson was so traumatized by one particular incident that he took it to the grave with him when he died in September at the age of 100. The film also features the testimony of Luba Estes, a Russian woman whose father was held at Sham Shui Po, a replica of which the filmmakers built in Cuba. She, her mother and sister remained in Hong Kong, where they would walk outside the camp fence to catch glimpses of her father, until near starvation drove them to Shanghai in search of food. Hong Kong historian Chi Man Kwong and Japanese professor Yuki Tanaka are the other voices we hear. It’s worth remembering that the Japanese weren’t the only combatants who committed atrocities during the war, but it’s also worth noting that 35 per cent of the Allied soldiers captured by the Japanese died compared to 1 per cent of those captured by the Germans, and that Japan has yet to fully acknowledge its war record. Meanwhile, Estes, who claims in the doc to have no hangups due to her wartime experience, still carries an emergency piece of bread in her purse when she leaves the house.

Odds and Ends

Hailee Steinfeld and Jane Krakowski in Season 3 of “Dickinson.” PHOTO CREDIT: Apple TV+

Among the shows I had hoped to review was Season 3 of “Dickinson” (Nov. 5, Apple TV+), Alena Smith’s audaciously modern retelling of the life of poet Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld). Unfortunately, the first three episodes were missing from Apple’s press site, but I suspect it will be worth watching nonetheless. Apple also has the Tom Hanks movie “Finch” debuting the same day.

I was also unable to screen Season 3 of “Narcos: Mexico” (Nov. 5) due to time constraints, but this final season follows drug dealers Amado Carrillo Fuentes (José María Yazpik) and “El Chapo” Guzman (Alejandro Edda) among others, with Scoot McNairy returning as DEA Agent Walt Breslin. Netflix also has the catfishing movie “Love Hard” and Season 5 of “Big Mouth” on Nov. 5.

Based on the single episode I screened, “One of Us Is Lying” (Nov. 3, 9 p.m., W/StackTV) seems like “Gossip Girl” crossed with a teen murder mystery, with four schoolmates under suspicion after nasty student Simon (Mark McKenna), who was about to reveal their secrets in a blog post, is murdered. W also has “Unidentified With Demi Lovato” (Nov. 7, 11 p.m.), in which the celeb searches for the truth about UFOs.

Amazon Prime Video has a few new titles this week, including “The Alpinist” (Nov. 4), about Canadian solo rock climber Marc-Andre Leclerc; “A Man Named Scott” (Nov. 5), about American rapper and actor Kid Cudi; and “Tampa Baes” (Nov. 5), a reality show about a group of lesbian friends in Florida.

Finally, Hollywood Suite has the TV debut of the Canadian-made Indigenous thriller “The Corruption of Divine Providence” (Nov. 4, 9 p.m.) by Ojibway filmmaker Jeremy Torrie.

NOTE: The listings here are in Eastern Standard Time, and reflect information provided to me and cross-checked where possible, but it’s always best to check listings for your own area. The selection of programs reviewed reflects what I’m given access to by networks and streamers, whether reviews are embargoed, how many shows I have time to watch and my own personal taste.

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