Remedy blasts off for second season
REMEDY
Season 2 debuts March 23, Global
Season 2 of Remedy is going to be a blast. Literally. When Global’s homegrown medical drama returns Monday, almost 11 months since its last new episode, an explosion will rock Bethune General Hospital and its staff to the core. The news was revealed in the network’s press materials for the premiere, called Our Friend, Chaos.
For Enrico Colantoni’s character Dr. Allen Conner, though, it’ll be just another shock to the system. The father of surgeon Melissa Connor, orderly Griffin Conner and nurse Sandy Conner — who all also work at the hospital — was recently demoted from chief-of-staff to toiling in the ER. What’s more, Sandy has just become a mother.
Toronto-born Colantoni spoke about Allen’s new job, the theory behind the hospital’s big bang, and his roles in fan-favourite series Flashpoint and Veronica Mars.
Q Season 1 seemed a bit rocky at times. How is Season 2 different?
A I’m more excited about the second season because I feel like the first season was so much about finding our footing, the voice. I know (creator Greg Spottiswood) feels the same way, but for us as actors, it takes time to develop relationships and intimacy and history. And the second season, it’s a different place. It’s the same show, same characters, but we get it now. We know what we’re saying.
Q The show picks up nine months after the Season 1 finale — why the explosion?
A When you pick up a show nine months later, the characters are complacent in their world. So I always love the metaphor of an explosion because it really is the beginning of a new story and it just shakes everybody up. But then it propels these characters into nine other episodes that are just awe-inspiring.
Q What’s changed in the story?
A Now there’s a baby in our lives that’s sort of turned everybody’s life upside down. Griffin (Dillon Casey) is living with Zoe (Genelle Williams); Sandy’s (Sarah Allen) a mom and is not working.
Allen is still trying to find a place where he fits into the hospital. So much has happened that we don’t talk about. We just keep moving. It’s an athletic show in that the dialogue is quick, things are happening quickly and you have to pay attention.
Q How is Allen dealing with his move to the ER?
A He becomes a fish out of water, which is a lot of fun to play. He brings integrity to the ER because he really does want to heal each individual patient and spend time with them. But he also learns that the ER is a fast young person’s game and you really have to be efficient.
Q Niall Matter joins the cast this season as ER resident Dr. Cutler — how does he fit into the show?
A Peter Cutler is a stereotypical character. He’s the young, smartalecky good-looking doctor who knows best and you just want to smack him in the face. Which is true, but Niall just makes him so charming and lovely.
Q You also starred on the Canadian drama Flashpoint for five seasons. Do you think there should there be a Flashpoint movie?
A I think it would make a great movie, and I wish they would have a whole franchise of movies-of-the-week. But some things are just better left alone. As talented as everybody was, and as committed as everybody was, there was just something unique about that time and space in making a show like Flashpoint that made it perfect.
Q Speaking of movies, what was it like playing Keith Mars again after so many years in the Veronica Mars movie?
A You know why that worked? We left the fans unsatisfied. There was no closure on that show. I’d love to do another Veronica Mars move for the rest of my life, but I don’t think it’s going to happen because that movie gave everybody closure. It was a spiritual thing. ‘Marshmallows’ (the nickname for fans) needed healing.
Q Your charity, Heroes are Human, is making a documentary. What can you tell us about it?
A It’s called The Other Side of the Hero. We’re still raising money to do it, but it’s about the effects of television and first-responders on TV versus the real firstresponders dealing with posttraumatic stress. It’s about how a person can be inspired by the romanticism of the job through TV and end up in that work field, and then end up with deep emotional scars.