TV Rec
Those of you out there in Canada who aren't actually watching CBC's The Border are missing some good television. Smart, exciting, topical, occasionally funny, emotionally true, well written and well acted.
I started watching it because Denis McGrath, one of the Blood Ties writers, is working on it and talked about the process in his blog. (Dead Things on Sticks) I keep watching it because it's really good. There's some great insight into what it's like being the last line of defense on the Canadian side of the world's longest undefended border but mostly there's terrific storytelling backed up by top notch production values and a kick ass cast.
The show deals with Toronto's elite ICS (Immigration and Customs Security) as they deal with threats to our national security and occasionally with their counterparts in the US. The show's seven episodes in and has dealt with big stories involving lots of blown ordinance and smaller stories dealing with the emotional fallout of a world getting more complicated daily. It has no trouble fulfilling my basic requirements for media -- at least one kick ass woman and witty repartee -- and has handily exceeded expectations every damned week.
I really like Sergeant Maggie Norton -- played by Catherine Disher. She has a wonderful dry delivery that I'm sure has the writers all wanting to give her those great observational lines. "He's survived a civil war, a Sudanese refugee camp, and six months in London with Amira. I think you overestimate the grand challenge Toronto presents."
It's on Monday nights at 9pm on the venerable CBC which means it should be available coast to coast to coast to that previously mentioned undefended border. (And you know what? if my tax dollars are going to support this kind of programming -- well, yay. I totally approve.)
For those of you who'd like to catch up, it's available online here.
I started watching it because Denis McGrath, one of the Blood Ties writers, is working on it and talked about the process in his blog. (Dead Things on Sticks) I keep watching it because it's really good. There's some great insight into what it's like being the last line of defense on the Canadian side of the world's longest undefended border but mostly there's terrific storytelling backed up by top notch production values and a kick ass cast.
The show deals with Toronto's elite ICS (Immigration and Customs Security) as they deal with threats to our national security and occasionally with their counterparts in the US. The show's seven episodes in and has dealt with big stories involving lots of blown ordinance and smaller stories dealing with the emotional fallout of a world getting more complicated daily. It has no trouble fulfilling my basic requirements for media -- at least one kick ass woman and witty repartee -- and has handily exceeded expectations every damned week.
I really like Sergeant Maggie Norton -- played by Catherine Disher. She has a wonderful dry delivery that I'm sure has the writers all wanting to give her those great observational lines. "He's survived a civil war, a Sudanese refugee camp, and six months in London with Amira. I think you overestimate the grand challenge Toronto presents."
It's on Monday nights at 9pm on the venerable CBC which means it should be available coast to coast to coast to that previously mentioned undefended border. (And you know what? if my tax dollars are going to support this kind of programming -- well, yay. I totally approve.)
For those of you who'd like to catch up, it's available online here.