One More Border Run

THE BORDER AIRS its 38th episode on CBC tonight at 9pm.  The third season finale is full of its own twists & turns, plenty of action & is rip-roaringly rendered by the same able hands who helmed the show's pilot, John Fawcett. But the real cliffhanger is whether this will be the final adventure of Kessler & Co.

As I've written previously, THE BORDER has not had an easy time of it this season, shuffled to a Thursday-night slot that puts it up against not one, but two of TV drama's 800 lb. Gorillas -- CSI & Grey's Anatomy, burdened with a lacklustre lead-in that never once delivered an audience fit to build on, in a sense, the show's been given an assignment that even Jack Bauer probably wouldn't be able to whisper/yell his way through.  By way of contrast, recently bowed mystery series REPUBLIC OF DOYLE managed to draw 969, 000 people-meter pumped viewers to its first outing, but off the back of an almost 2 million audience from DRAGON'S DEN at 8.  That's a great number for CBC -- but it's also losing 50% of your lead in.

Never mind. So The Border didn't get billboards or much ink this season -- such is the nature of the TV game -- push the new, let the toddlers stand on their own.  And really, isn't how that should be?

Even with all the X's against it, the show's managed to deliver several solid outings this year, all tinged with the show's trademark "riffed from the headlines" approach.  It's tough to do this kind of stuff in Canada cause the libel laws & cautious Lawyers make it well nigh impossible, for one simple reason: in the USA shows like Law & Order need to make sure that they could win any court challenge if it came to that. In Canada, they really, really never want to even have it go to court at all.  And without the bullet-proofing of the Bill of Rights' 1st Amendment, (Freedom of Speech laws in Canada are not as well protected) it's tough to meet that charge and still be topical.

Nevertheless, over its run The Border's managed to be pretty on top of anticipating stories that would become stories -- from organ donation rings to Border-guard shootouts to tonight's episode, which jumps off from the MS 13 gang, and the (somewhat) surprising statistic that Canada's number one refugee claimants over the last few years have been from ... Mexico.

Tonight's outing, penned by series co-creator Janet MacLean, puts ICS Head Mike Kessler (James McGowan) in a tough position, raising both the professional & the personal stakes between Kessler & his ex-wife, Terri. (Julie Stewart from Cold Squad)  Nice work from  the entire cast... they really are a wonderful ensemble. As for the bing-bada-boom? Well, let's just say when things get hairy, they get really, really hairy.

Even battered by the timeslot and by its status as the longest-toothed drama in the "new CBC" stable. (Call it the "Space Shuttle" of Canadian Dramas...) the show still managed to average over 500 000 viewers for the year, so cancellation isn't certain.  New scripts have reportedly been commissioned for a possible fourth season, so that's something.

But even if this is the last time loyal viewers return to the ICS Headquarters in Toronto, The Border will always have its place as the show that breathed new life into the CBC's Drama Development schedule.  Hopefully the sniffs of "Canadians don't do action shows" will sound dumber the next time someone tries to make the point.

Personally, I'll always be grateful for the two (mostly) happy years I spent on the show.  I learned a lot from a great cast and crew, a wonderful story department & cagey & experienced producers like Brian Dennis and Documentarian E.P. Peter Raymont.

And Mark Wilson.  I had to mention him, because he whines like a little girl when I don't. So there.

Tune in tonight at 9pm for the fireworks, on CBC.