Killjoys: The Top 10 Reasons I Love This Show [Calgary Expo]

02/05/2016

syfy-killjoys-cast
Killjoys: The Top 10 Reasons I Love This Show [Calgary Expo]

[Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo 2016] I am a huge Killjoys fan.   If I’m not their biggest then I’m certainly in the neighbourhood of ‘rabid’.  It’s my favorite TV show currently running.  I’m actually a little self-conscious about how fanatical I’ve gotten so I’ve been putting off writing this article.  But the Killjoys recent appearance at the Calgary Expo has motivated me to actually finish this list and put it on the web.

Here’s the 10 things I love most about Killjoys:

1.  Luke MacFarlane / D’Avin

killjoys_promo-1x01-06He is my favorite part of the show, hands down.  I like D’Avin’s soldier boy thing, I like his story arc, I like his relationship with his team.  But if I’m going to be honest, I’m seriously  crushing on Luke MacFarlane.  Just look at him.  Male beauty can be measured in Tatums and Luke weighs in at 1.003, making him hotter than Channing Tatum (after whom the measure is named and who is its standard, a perfect 1.000).

It seems unlikely, I know, but I recently saw Luke at the Calgary Expo and was able to confirm my findings.  Unfortunately I only got about 5 seconds of exposure while getting a photo taken, but that’s probably for the best as I would have undoubtedly passed out had it been any longer.  I like to imagine getting a chance to talk to Luke properly without me being creepy but then I realize that this imaginary conversation is taking place in one of those paddle-swan-boats and there isn’t really a not-creepy option for me there.

2.  Aaron Ashmore / John

f5e9ee915e0734995127c7bffa8fb091Aaron was part of my favorite show of all time, Warehouse 13 so he was part of what drew me to Killjoys.  I loved Agent Jinx a lot and let’s leave it at that.  I love John too.  At the Calgary Expo, I actually got a chance to talk to Aaron Ashmore a bit and he was unbelievably charming and friendly.  He answered my questions about Killjoys and also Warehouse 13 (Jinx wasn’t actually in secret love with Pete).  But since he was an actor I actually cared about, I was completely and ridiculously STARSTRUCK and couldn’t talk for long before I started worrying that I was being awkward and so I bolted.  Later I saw him deal with a fan who actually was horrifically awkward and Aaron was so graceful that I realized I needn’t have worried.

Here is a picture of me with those two boys – note how terrified I look:

Mark terrified

3.  Michelle Lovretta (and the rest of her writing team)

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The writing on this was the first thing I noticed, it was visible in the initial scene of Episode One. Aaron Ashmore commented on this same thing in his panel but I had come to the same conclusion.  Here’s how you can tell:  when you find you actually care about the characters and really want to know what’s going to happen next, that’s usually good writing.  There are actors who can make bad writing look good (Patrick Stewart I’m looking at you) but it’s rare.  Michelle was at Calgary Expo,  she was so good in her panel.  I liked what she said about writing strong female characters.  She made Dutch tough, not angry.  Many strong characters (not just female) are angry all the time in order to show they’re tough and truly tough people are not like that.  I wish I could have interviewed her, I’d loved to have gotten more of her insights on the writing process.  At least I got her autograph.

4.  Dutch

killjoys-the-sugar-run-3Hannah John-Kamen was not at the Calgary expo but I love her character Dutch.  She’s so charismatic and such a badass.  I love the relationships she has with literally every other character she interacts with.  I like Dutch and John, Dutch and D’Avin and most especially Dutch and Khlyen.

5.  Khlyen

61I really like this character.  He’s a magnificent antagonist and mentor at the same time and that’s not easy to pull off.  Plus he just has this mystery to him.  Whenever Khlyen is involved, I know it’s going to be good.  I can’t wait to see what happens with him.

6.  Alvis and the Scarbacks

Alvis_Akari_Still_Episode_4_001Normally I don’t go in for religious characters but there’s something really wonderful about Morgan Kelly and religious revolutionary.  There’s something really fresh about how religion is portrayed on Killjoys, not like a theocracy in its death throes or a fully justified belief in alien gods but instead something that’s either a harmless annoyance (to non-believers) or something that arguably does some good to those who subscribe to it.

7.  Lucy

lucy_killjoys_talking_spaceshipIt’s pretty common for a Science Fiction show to have an AI, I’ve noticed.  Dark Matter did the same thing. But I find myself liking Lucy a lot.  Mostly because she’s not really trying to become human.   I like her relationship with John.   She doesn’t have to become anything she’s not – she’s already interesting.  I’ve been promised that we’ll see an even better side of her next season.

8.  Pree

tumblr_nveg03ZMlY1ud7s0ao1_1280Could that bartender BE any more fabulous?

9.  The Catchphrase

KillJoys-S1x01-Cool-scanner-inside-the-RAC-Prisoner-Intake-Facility-verifies-the-warrent-and-our-heroes-400x226

The Warrant Is All.  Actually the entire RAC culture seems about right for an organization of that size (red 17 notwithstanding).  The way people talk about it, the politics, the way people act within it, it all feels genuine.

10.  The Soundtrack

I’m not acoustically inclined but I noticed the music in Killjoys.  I’m not sure what it is, but every song connected with that show is a song I like to listen to.  Some of my favorites are Hot As Sun – Mother I’m Alive, Caveboy – Home is Where, and July Talk – I’ve Rationed Well.

I hope Killjoys come back to Calgary. Or better yet, Lethbridge.  That would be amazing, I would cry real tears of joy.  If you haven’t yet seen the show, it’s available on Crave TV. I highly recommend it.

Source: Fox Force Five News

TV REVIEW: KILLJOYS Episode One

24/01/2016

TV REVIEW: KILLJOYS Episode One

Killjoys, the latest show from  SYFY,  arrives in the UK on Monday 25th January and we take a look to see if it is a success for the channel and us wonderful geeks.

Killjoys follows a trio of hard-living but fun-loving bounty hunters – Dutch, John, and D’avin– taking on interplanetary missions, chasing and capturing deadly criminals throughout a distant system named the Quad. They have sworn amongst themselves to remain neutral during a bloody, multi-planetary class war that threatens to destroy the Quad.

For a while the SYFY channel went a little off track with its programming but these days it seems to hitting its stride with shows like Dark Matter, The Expanse and now Killjoys.

Killjoys stars Hannah John-Kamen as Dutch / Yalena, Aaron Ashmore as John Jaqobis, Luke Macfarlane as D’avin Jaqobis. The show is firmly set in scifi territory with its premise of bounty hunters working in the fringe area of space called the Quad. Within the first episode we find out about the universe the characters inhabit and it is a harsh one. Our team start off as a crew of two until something happens and they end up bringing John’s brother into the fold.

Killjoys_S1_101_2Throughout the episode we learn about the three crew members especially the team leader Dutch played by the lovely Hannah John-Kamen. Dutch has a hidden past that will have an impact on the show long term with quite a few mysteries to be solved. John seems to have the least developed back story so far but I am guessing that will change over time while his brother D’avin seems to have been involved in a violent past that he does not want to talk about.

The three leads seem to be very comfortable in their roles and looks like the chemistry between will only grow.

We also get to meet some supporting characters that help with the world building of this first episode. The universe has a very similar feel to the Firefly universe which is not a bad thing at all. The special effects are solid and the humour is slightly stiff so far but am sure it will get better as the show grows.

Overall Killjoys is a show that will be great geeky viewing and fingers crossed for at least 5 seasons on this one.

Source: Geek Syndicate

Rob Lowe Stars in New End-Time Comedy

22/01/2016

Here’s your guide to three hot January shows:

You, Me and the Apocalypse

The premise in about 100 words:

The world is coming to an end in 34 days, thanks to an 8-mile comet hurtling toward Earth. Life as we know it is counting down to extinction, save a hodgepodge of unlikely individuals trapped safely in a bunker miles beneath the Earth’s surface. That group includes Jamie (Mathew Baynton), a cute but unassuming banker with a twin brother who runs a cyber terrorist organization; Sister Celine (Gaia Scodellaro), a sweet nun who recently took a post under Father Jude Sutton (Rob Lowe) in the Devil’s Advocate office; and Rhonda McNeil (Jenna Fisher), a librarian who took the rap for her son’s hacking of the National Security Agency. Premieres Jan. 28 on NBC.

Religious themes:

Um … the apocalypse! And with it, all of the philosophical questions The End forces us to confront: What is the meaning of life? Is there life after death? Is God watching? Beyond that, though, the show’s most significant religious explorations come from Sister Celine and Father Jude, who are tasked with investigating the biblical prophecies surrounding the end times, including the identities of false messiahs and perhaps an antichrist. Father Jude is an unlikely priest — he drinks and swears and seems to want to have a lot of sex before the world ends — but he seems to have genuine faith somewhere under all that smarm.

Mercy Street

The premise in about 100 words:

Two nurses care for wounded soldiers in Mansion House, a luxury hotel in Alexandria, Va., that has been turned into a hospital at the start of the Civil War. Mary (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a New England abolitionist, and Emma (Hannah James), the daughter of the Confederate hotel owner, butt heads as they try to balance their medical duties with their dueling allegiances. Both women are further troubled as they try to make their way through a man’s world, headed by Dr. Byron Hale (Broadway’s Norbert Leo Butz). A moving subplot features Samuel Diggs (McKinley Belcher), a free black man who knows medicine but needs to keep that secret. Premiered Jan. 17 on PBS.

Religious themes:

The key to the show is found in the title: mercy. As one character explains in the first episode, all who arrive at Mansion House receive treatment. No questions asked. The location of Mansion House, in a Union-occupied Southern town, only highlights, if at times strains, the grace the characters offer and experience. Given that this is a Civil War-period drama, biblical allusions and religious sensibilities are often on display. One of the more interesting characters is Chaplain Hopkins (Luke Macfarlane), who, in spite of the mysteries he hides, reminds workers and patients that God does not see uniforms.

Source: Charisma News

PBS wants its own hit drama, but ‘Mercy Street’ lacks more than just a British accent

14/01/2016

Josh Radnor stars in “Mercy Street,” a new Civil War-era drama from PBS. (Antony Platt/PBS)

The slight sense of longing that runs through the six episodes of PBS’s utterly average Civil War drama “Mercy Street” is not about the characters’ wants and desires or the ample metaphors evident in a tale of disunion. All a viewer can feel here is that PBS wants to be dealt into the high-stakes game of Peak TV, but on its own terms.

Continue reading PBS wants its own hit drama, but ‘Mercy Street’ lacks more than just a British accent

Hallmark Review: Christmas Land (2015, dir. Sam Irvin)

24/12/2015

IMG_5321I’m going to go ahead and quote The Cinema Snob review of Ghosts Can’t Do It (1989): Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wibble Wobble Wazzle Woodle What The Fuck?

Oh, this is bad.

The movie opens up by showing us some Christmas decorations before cutting to the front of a private residence. Inside there are six kids sitting at a table when a woman played by Maureen McCormick of Brady Bunch fame walks in with a picture of herself looking down on everyone from the background.

Continue reading Hallmark Review: Christmas Land (2015, dir. Sam Irvin)