Season 3 - after 9 episodes
On the surface, this is a show written by a man for an audience of men. It’s got machismo and oodles of testosterone; Jake even drives a Pontiac GTO. Granted, it’s not quite the General from Dukes of Hazzard, but aims to be just as iconic. Hey, Supernatural is doing it with the Chevrolet Impala, so why not raise a prized possession to that status? Digging deeper, this show can be downright clever – fully taking advantage of the jokey stereotype: just because Newfoundlanders sound like “good old boys” doesn’t mean they aren’t smart.
Allan Hawco is writer, executive producer and star, playing the character of Jake Doyle. Ireland’s Sean McGinley does a great job playing Malachy Doyle. Normally, non-Newfoundlanders try for Newfinese and end up with a crap Irish accent (Exhibit A: The Shipping News). McGinley already has the Irish accent, so the modifications he needs to make are spot-on. The show is a bit of a homage to Newfoundland and features a lot of Newfoundland & Labrador actors in guest starring roles: Gordon Pinsent, Mark Critch, Mary Jones, Alan Doyle, Shaun Majumder, Shawn Doyle (no relation), Sebastian Spence. Other Canadian acting heavy-hitters have also participated among them Paul Gross, Nicholas Campbell and Victor Garber. Getting Russell Crowe for the season 3 opener was a real coup for the show (thank you Alan Doyle. Yah, we know you hooked it up).
The inter-personals can be a bit shallow: Jake loves Lesley, Lesley loves Jake, but it’s a "so close, but no cigar" relationship, partially because the show's guest starring women find him so irresistibly charming (maybe a bit of wishful thinking there, but the work Hawco’s done on his physique is impressive) and also because as a private investigator, he doesn't do things by the book. There is no book, Jake pretty much flies by the seat of his pants. Des loves Tinny, Tinny loves Des, but neither can admit it. But, the humour is SO Newfoundland, the locations are SO St. John’s (Dangit, I miss the Duke of Duckworth!) – it’s endearing. Krystin Pellerin as Det. Leslie Bennett could be little more than a caricature, but she brings great integrity to the role and she and Hawco have great rapport, especially when they’re sparring. Dialogue is everything from light and fluffy to bittersweet.
For folks who haven't seen it, the show is fond of starting an episode in a “situation” and then structuring it as to how they got to that point with flashbacks to fill in the chronological holes whilst moving the plot forward. Sometimes I don’t know why I watch, but when I see an episode on my PVR's list of recordings, it rarely sits there long. I’m entertained. Job done.
Plus, because it's on my PVR, I get to skip over the annoying "Oh Yeah" musical bumpers at the beginning and end of the commercial breaks courtesy of Newfoundland's Great Big Sea. I don't care what anyone says, "Oh Yeah" is not a catch phrase.
Republic of Doyle airs on Wednesday evenings on CBC at 9 pm. Barring any repeats, the season finale should be on March 21/2012 because Wikipedia, 'source of all knowledge', says Season 3 comprises 11 episodes.
Photo from: http://www.criticsatlarge.ca/2011/02/newfoundlands-finest-in-praise-of.html
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