Mysteries at heart of Between
Survivalist drama series is Netflix’s first show to originate in Canada
Don’t try to draw comparisons between forthcoming survivalist drama Between and pop culture phenomena such as Lord of the Flies or Lost.
If you do, director Michael McGowan ( Saint Ralph) will be quick to dismiss the suggestion.
Sequestering a group of angsty teens in a town being overrun by a mystery virus wiping out anyone over 21, he says, is “a simple concept that had not been done before.
“I have read Lord of the Flies and seen Lost, and it is neither of those,” he told the Star on a December visit to the set of Between, Netflix’s first television series originating in Canada. “The show is what the show is and it will hopefully have a life that is not just a derivative of x.”
That life, to begin on Thursday with a City premiere at 8 p.m., will be jammed with gritty plot lines and an ambitious cast of Canadian up-and- comers.
Leading the pack is future heartthrob Justin Kelly ( Degrassi: The Next Generation’s Jake Martin), who struggles with power in his role as the town’s wealthy hockey team captain. He’s accompanied by Kyle Mac ( The Phantoms) playing “the guy from the wrong side of the tracks,” Jesse Carere ( Skins) as the poor outsider and Jennette McCurdy ( iCarly), starring as the minister’s daughter with a chip on her shoulder and a baby on the way.
In between takes, McCurdy admitted the role was a challenge.
“There were a lot of stunts happening, a lot of people getting hit, a lot of dead bodies and people getting hoisted into helicopters,” she said, just after she shrugged out of a blanket shielding her from the cold inside the Humber River Hospital where she was filming.
An adamant proponent of doing her own stunts, 22-year-old McCurdy tackled everything, including a birthing scene, herself.
The same is true of Shailyn Pierre Dixon (young Aminata in The Book of Negroes), who milked cows and even handled a tiger.
“That was hard, but it was fun,” she said, smiling shyly. “It was a little nerve-racking, but I enjoyed it.”
For 11-year-old Pierre Dixon, it was the first time working on a set with other “kids.
“It’s fun having them around because then I can joke around with them,” she said.
Between lighter moments, they gave her advice about getting into character and, of course, having fun.
“One of the biggest problems we have is not laughing too much,” said Ryan Allen ( Get Rich or Die Tryin’), who plays Pierre Dixon’s older brother.
But amidst all the camaraderie on set, McGowan, who kept tight-lipped about what’s in store for viewers, said he believes they managed to carve out a mystery-laced narrative where his characters’ “biggest enemy is each other.
“We have set up a number of mysteries and a number of questions that need to be asked, and I think those things keep getting unveiled episode after episode,” he said. “There will be a lot to watch for. A lot to be excited about.”