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Prodigal Son Interview with Frank Harts

Prodigal Son Interview

Bob Morley Interview

What's Happening in Season 6?

Manifest: Matt Long Interview

What's next for Zeke?

Riverdale: Jelly Bean and Gladys Jones

How will the family reunion go?

Elseworlds Interview with Arrow's Stephen Amell and The Flash's Grant Gustin

Superhero Suit Swap!!

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Riverdale Cast on Jelly Bean and Gladys Jones' Arrival


Jelly Bean is coming! Jelly Bean is coming! And, Jughead's mother, Gladys Jones too!

Gina Gershon (Gladys) and Trinity Likins (Jelly Bean) will make their first appearance on Riverdale Season 3 Episode 8, “Chapter Forty-Three: Outbreak." Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and Archie (KJ Apa) make their way to Toledo looking for a safe haven, but what they find may not be what they expect. 

The family reunion is very telling, Sprouse teases, "It's great. I think for me it, it's nice to have a little more background on Jughead's character and his family life and a lore that has sort of been hinted at since season one really, and kind of loose ends that—that without saying too much—do get addressed and do get talked about."

Archie's not unfamiliar with them either, "They have a relationship, but it was a long time ago, like when Archie was maybe seven or eight years old. And even then, they probably didn't have that much face time," Apa said. "I think Archie is almost as familiar with Jughead's mom as Jughead is, almost. There's some fun stuff coming out with that."

Expect the unexpected when it comes to Gladys, Skeet Ulrich (FP Jones) teases, "The reunion is certainly not how he would have wanted it or not what he would've wanted, but I, but I think she is just, just like he was in the first season, just such a wildcard. You just don't know what's coming."


Riverdale airs Wednesday on the CW.

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Elseworlds Crossover: Stephen Amell and Grant Gustin on Their Superhero Suit Swap


Wait, what? Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) is the Flash and Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is the Green Arrow? Unless you've been avoiding everything "Elseworlds" related, you know by now that the 2018 Arrowverse crossover involves a body-swapping situation of some sort. 

Last month, I spoke with Amell and Gustin about their roles in this year's sure-to-be epic crossover. Which suit do you think is more comfortable? I was surprised.

It's not a total personality swap though, "[Barry's Green Arrow] has my learned abilities, and I have his superpowers," Amell teased. "There are elements of each other’s personality that each of us have to embrace in order to be successful at the mission that’s in front of us."


Meanwhile, this new Oliver Queen may be more Barry than expected, "My Oliver Queen is still a little more animated than [Stephen Amell's] Oliver Queen. I'm also very aware that I'm Oliver Queen, I wasn't really playing Oliver Queen."

Check out the video interviews below for more on the crossover.

Stephen Amell Interview


Grant Gustin Interview


The Elseworlds crossover begins when The Flash airs on a special night, Sunday, December 9 on The CW.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

The Flash Interview: Tom Cavanaugh on Directing the 100th Episode


It's less than a week until the 2018 Arrowverse crossover, "Elseworlds," airs and The Flash leads into that sure-to-be epic event with their own special episode. The Flash Season 5 Episode 8, "What's Past is Prologue," is the 100th episode of the series. 

With Team Flash struggling to stop Cicada, Team Flash does the thing they said they would never do again-- mess with the timeline. Barry and Nora head back into time in order to get materials they believe will help them stop Cicada, while not interfering with the timeline. Hmm... wonder how that will work?!?

On The Flash 100th episode red carpet, I spoke with Tom Cavanaugh about directing the monumental episode. Not only does Cavanaugh direct "What's Past is Prologue," but he also acts in the hour in multiple roles. 

When discussing the plans for the episode, the writers thought he would want to take a back seat in the episode to focus on directing, though Cavanaugh didn't want that at all. He told them, "I don't want you to write me light."

Check out more in this video clip




The Flash airs Tuesdays on The CW.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Supernatural Interview: Jensen Ackles Previews Dean and Jack’s Baby Joy Ride



No one drives Baby other than Dean, right? Well, Sam has driven Baby on occasion, Bobby has too, and of course, John Winchester has taken the wheel. But... Baby is literally Dean's baby and he treats the car as one. On Supernatural Season 14 Episode 7, "Unhuman Nature," Dean takes Jack out on a joy ride. The shocker: The inexperienced Jack gets to drive. He drives Baby!

Earlier this month, I spoke with Jensen Ackles on Supernatural's 300th Episode Party red carpet about Dean's relationship with Jack and their unexpected bonding. It took a while for Dean to get "onboard" with Jack, but they started to bond in the previous episode, "Optimism."

Check out the video interview clip: 



In this week's "Unhuman Nature," Ackles teases, "I think we see in that
episode can finally come around being like you know what I'm in a real ass. It's time I made a few wrongs into rights and so it's kind of it's kind of a nice olive branch. ... It's about the biggest one Dean has to give."

"Unhuman Nature" Trailer previewing the joy ride!




Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8/7c on the CW

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Arrow Interview: Stephen Amell on Post-Prison Oliver, What's Next for Olicity and More!


Oliver is out of prison. Finally. And it was worth the wait. Those fight scenes... WOW! "The Slabside Redemption" did not disappoint.

If I placed a bet on which Arrow episode Oliver would be freed, I don't think it would have been Episode 7. Oliver was locked up long enough for it to change him permanently. His imprisonment and ultimate freedom came at a high cost, and one that will have lingering effects on his philosophy going forward, relationship with Felicity, and even his appearance.


Earlier this month, I was in Vancouver with a group of reporters and we spoke with Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen/Green Arrow) about what's next for Oliver after all that he's been through. The changes will be apparent immediately, "The first time that you see Oliver, we came up with a really interesting way I think of showing what prison life did to him without really bashing people over the head with it," Amell teases.


Watch the Stephen Amell interview


While imprisoned, Oliver's head literally was messed with through shock therapy and psychological torture. This manipulation did alter his way of thinking, "It definitely teaches him something, and it’s addressed, I think, in the first episode after he leaves prison," Amell said, "and sort of what his new mantra is going to be, if and when, he puts the suit back on."

Amell didn't confirm he'd be donning the Green Arrow suit again soon, but he will have to deal with the New Green Arrow, "[He] runs into the New Green Arrow’s exploits pretty quickly. But coming out of prison, he gets asked that specific question very early on like, 'What are you going to do?' and he says, 'I’m going to try and do what you guys did, which is just find a different way to help the city,'" Amell revealed.

What will Oliver's new mantra be? How will he help the city? Amell teases, "We come up with that idea pretty quickly, but I think one of the fun things is it’s not Oliver who comes up with it."

This new Oliver Queen will have to find his new place in Star City, while also dealing with a new Felicity. While she wanted Diaz dead, Oliver left their tormentor alive in prison. Amell said that decision won't "influence" their relationship, but "it's going to have an incredibly impactful moment on another person that he’s very close with." Hmm... wonder who that will be?

The relationship between Oliver and Felicity won't be without challenges "I learn that a lot of the stuff that Diaz was saying about Felicity is true, and I thought the way that we worked it out – and we do work it out pretty quickly. We come to an understanding that nothing’s ever going to be perfect ... But nothing’s ever going to be perfect or normal about our relationship, and I think that the sooner that they move on with their lives."

Oliver returns to his friends, family and life in Arrow Season 7 Episode 8, "Unmasked," airing Monday, December 3, 2018 on The CW.

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Deception Finale Interview: EP Chris Fedak on Final Piece of the Puzzle, Cameron and Kay, and More!


The day has come for the Deception series finale. Even though the series wasn't renewed for Season 2, the dedicated audience will be rewarded with answers to the most burning questions of the season surrounding the Mystery Woman, her plan and her connection to the Black family.

I spoke with the show's creator, Chris Fedak, to find out more about the finale. Read on for edited excerpts from our conversation. While the finale answers many of the show's mysteries, it does end with a bit of a cliffhanger, so come back after the episode airs for more from Fedak about what it all means!

What's coming up in the finale?

The way I look at it is the finale is like a combination of everything. We have a culmination in regards to the Mystery Woman, and what's she after, and all of that comes to a head in our two-part season finale. ... We had all of these mythology parts of the story this year regarding the pieces of the puzzle that the Mystery Woman's been after and so we focused on that in our first hour. And, then in the second hour, we very much get into the emotional connection between our characters, and how it all twists back around, and of course there's a very elaborate deception. 

We saw the finale definitely as a two-part thing. We were going to have one part delving into the mystery, kind of dusty box of our past, and Sebastian Black, and the Sebastian Black family, and magic. And a thriller that could happen right here and now in New York City. We wanted to do it all, so we decided to jam pack the finale with a lot of story that we really wanted the audience to see and to payoff all the things we've been setting over the season.

What about Sebastian Black?

A lot of the things we've stoked this season are answered and addressed in the finale. We're going to have flashbacks back to their father. We're going to explore a lot of things we set up in Episode 8 about Cameron's past, as well as, what we did when we went to Corvus Vale and realized that Sebastian Black had built Raven Hall. I think those are all things that will come out in the season finale and you'll get a much better perspective on that whole story. We do have an FBI case in both hours of the finale, but we also explore that mythology. You're going to meet their father and you are going to learn a lot more about them.

At the end of last week's episode, the Mystery Woman seems to have won and gets what she wants when she takes the Lynx diamond, what is the importance of the Lynx diamond and what she's collecting?

She has won. She's gotten all the pieces of the puzzle that she needs, but going into our finale she's not quite done with Cameron and Jonathan yet. She still needs Jonathan for the final piece of the puzzle, she still needs Cameron to help her to get the piece, and what we'll realize is that the final piece, the place where it's all going to, is much closer to home than anyone could realize. The target is Cameron. The target is Jonathan. She's gotten all the pieces of the puzzle, now she needs the person to turn the key.

The relationship between Cameron and Kay has developed as throughout the season. Where do they stand as we go into the finale?

This is a relationship which has evolved. It started off as partners and it's turned into something a little bit more. I think that they are finding that they have feelings for each other. Episode 111 gave us an opportunity to explore Kay's past and where's she's going in the future, and also the fact that Cameron has feelings for her. Even though, we're still in that zone where they haven't exactly said those words aloud, there is a relationship beginning to blossom. It's a kind of precious moment were it could go left or right. There could be something here. It could also fall apart. And that's where all the crazy excitement and perilousness is right in front of us in [the finale]. The other part of our finale, we not only wanted to answer the mythology questions, and Jonathan and why he was chosen, and what's going on with the Mystery Woman, but we also wanted to bring the Cameron and Kay relationship to a head and really make it emotional.

Up until this point, Jonathan has been trusting Cameron to get him out of prison, what's their relationship at this point?

I think Jonathan's been frustrated. You have a guy who's plan was to break out and he's relied on his brother, and helped his brother, and he's gone out into the world, and they've gotten close on this case, but he's definitely at a place where's he's frustrated and trapped in this prison and maybe his brother-- and maybe this isn't going to work out. There's the tension and the tension is also building is that realization that Cameron had a choice at one point to essentially work within this room and help Jonathan get out and he didn't do that. He could have betrayed Kay. You have this tension that we're going to explore as we head into our finale.

Deception airs Sunday night on ABC.

Friday, May 11, 2018

Blindspot Exclusive Clip: What's Next for Reade and Zapata?


As we head into the last couple episodes of Blindspot Season 3, there are many outstanding issues to be resolved. One thing that's official now is that Blindspot has been renewed for Season 4. If the season ends on a cliffhanger, we won't have to worry about being left hanging without an answer.

Several questions remain though.  Will Roman (Luke Mitchell) continue to support Crawford's (David Morse) plan? Or will he realize he should never have abandoned his initial mission to bring the criminal down? Is it possible for Jane (Jaimie Alexander) and Roman to reconcile? And what happens now that Reade (Rob Brown) has called off his engagement with Meg (Reshma Shetty)?

With Reade newly single, will he and Zapata (Audrey Esparza) give into their feelings for each other and jump into something new? On tonight's "Defection," Reade and Zapata discuss his broken engagement in a touching elevator scene. 

Check out our exclusive sneak peek!



Blindspot Season 3 airs Fridays on NBC.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

The 100 Interview: Lola Flanery on Madi's Survival Skills, Loss of Innocence and Meeting Clarke's Friends


When The 100 Season 4 ended, we were introduced to Clarke's (Eliza Taylor) new companion, Madi. A Natblida like Clarke, she was able to survive Praimfaya and through through will she also survived the elements. After almost 6 years of living as the last two people on Earth, Clarke and Madi's world is thrust into chaos with the arrival of the prisoner ship.

I spoke with Lola Flanery about Clarke's stories about her friends, Madi's relationship with Clarke, and about meeting new friends and foes. 

Clarke has told Madi these stories about her friends from before Praimfaya. Does Madi think of these characters as people? Or more as mythological or fable stories? 

I feel like Madi thinks of them as fairy tale characters because Clarke has mostly emphasized the magical, amazing side at this point. They are kind of like heroes and fairy tale characters. Madi only sees the positive side and the good, hero, awesome side.

Is there of these people that she's heard about that she relates to the most?

No. All of them in a way. They have been  I feel like like Madi looks up to all of them, she might have picked up a little bit of them from the stories into who Madi is now.

How would you describe Madi? What drives Madi as the last teenager on Earth?

Madi's not your normal teenager of course. She is this very resourceful child, but she's still kind of confident, brave little child who doesn't really know of the things going around her. But, she does find her way and she can, because she did, survive by herself because she's that resourceful.

Does she view Clarke as a mother figure?

Since they are the only two last people on Earth, Clarke's not only a mother figure, but a best friend, a sister, all of them, because they are all they have. Clarke is all of it. She's everything to Madi.

When we first meet Madi, we saw she did have survival skills before she met Clarke. Now she's grow up in the period of peace, how will she react to this world she's being thrust into with these enemies?

Before Madi met Clarke, she was all by herself and she knew all the different things, so when the prisoners come down and all that stuff happens, there is a huge difference and shift. It's definitely a shock to Madi, but she does know how to keep herself alive and she does have those skills that she needs. It's almost as if she loses her innocence and has to do new things that she didn't necessarily need to before.

On meeting Clarke's friends

Since Madi has mostly heard about the fairy tale side of these different characters up in space, there's going to be a little difference in what she sees when she meets them. She is going to meet and form relationships with Clarke's friends, but let's just say not all of them will welcome Madi with open arms.

How does she feels about meeting Bellamy (Bob Morley)?

Clarke did tell Madi a lot about Bellamy. I think Madi could be very excited to meet Bellamy, as she would with all of the other people, but since Clarke and Bellamy were very close I feel like Madi could be very excited to see Bellamy since she's heard a lot about him.

Is Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) someone that Madi will be drawn to or disturbed by when they meet?

I can't really say too much about that. Clarke has told Madi about Octavia and Octavia is such a badass in Madi's eyes. Clarke has told Madi about Octavia.

The 100 airs Tuesdays on the CW.

Sunday, May 6, 2018

The 100 Season 5 Interview: Bob Morley Teases Bellamy's "Gotten a Bit Soft"


Bellamy has spent the last six years dreaming of his reunion with his sister on The 100. On "Sleeping Giants," Spacekru is the closest they've been to finding a way to get back to Earth. Will Raven find a way to make it happen? And, if it does, what threats will they face?

I visited The 100 set in Vancouver with a group of reporters to talk to Bob Morley about how Bellamy's changed over the time jump, his desire to get to the ground, teases about the likely reunions, and more!

Check out the video interview and Q&A below!


Is it good to be playing almost your own age?

I don't know. I think Bellamy is definitely way more mature than me, I'm pretty immature, so... I don't know about acting my age in real life. On screen, he's much more mature than I am. Yeah.


How has he changed over the time jump?


That six years in space changed a lot. The group up there. We're calling them Spacekru or something like that. They are like this new family unit up there and he's had to use Clarke's advice of using his head and his heart to become more of a well-rounded leader up there. Raven is like his second-in-charge. Everyone runs things together. They always make decisions together. It's a nice community up there and it's definitely calmed him down from like fighting and killing people every other week. After the six years off, maybe he's gotten a bit soft. I'm sure he'll get back to it.


What dynamic are you really excited for the fans to see that's the changed the most over the time jump?


The one that I think I was really excited to get into was the Blake relationship, the siblings, to see how they've both changed. They kind of had a bit of a like a reconciliation at the end, but it was over the radios and very brief and then radio silence. That's one that's really important to Bellamy. That kind of dictates a lot of his decisions as well. Yeah, because he's pretty focused on that, that's one that I also am gravitating towards. The Spacekru and that family unit is another thing that is deeply important to Bellamy and really drives the direction he takes this season.


What's the dynamic going to be when you have Octavia who is risen up and Clarke...


This season, it feels like there's a couple of different shows going on, because there's so many different groups and leadership groups and who's in charge of what and where. It's interesting to see the power struggles between all the groups and actually who is really in charge. This season has been tricky for me, like with Bellamy as well, for Bellamy coming from coming from being Spacekru and knowing that he's got the backs-- [indecipherable] of those six or seven. Whereas when he gets back down to Earth that changes pretty quickly. 


Do you see any parallels between this season and Season 1?


You know, I saw more parallels in Season 4 to 1. Yeah, like, I watched it again the other day. I think that 4 really reminded me of 1 for some reason. I'm really blanking on 4 now. All the years end up melding, I'm like, "Hang on." I got a beating in 5. In a way, returning to space there's that parallel, but the world is much more expansive now and there's much more groups. In Season 1, it was about the kids on the ground and then the Grounders. I think it's a little more complicated than Season 1. I think most of the seasons, you could draw a parallel between them all. It's strange to come back and have that six year break and then for me to try and figure out who is he after only having like six months off. Yeah, whereas, I can recall memories of one Fall quite easily and now there's like a six-year gap in the middle on the Arc. What did they do up there? You know. Trying to figure it out.


Lindsay talked about that there's a difficult decision about how to get down to the ground. What are Bellamy's thoughts on them leaving the Ring?


It's funny to say that he's more head and heart, but the decision to get to the ground is very much driven by his need to see what's happening to his sister. He believes that Clarke has passed away and he doesn't know any of this stuff. That's the driving force for him-- is the hope that his sister is down there.


Once the Spacekru does get to the ground, what are some of the obstacles and struggles they face?


There's definitely a lot of returning of Mother Nature type things-- animals, and creatures, and critters, and stuff like that. That's one of the struggles.  And also, the elements, as well, and how the planet has changed because of praimfaya. It's funny in this show, you're like, we've got to get to this place and then you end up there really quickly, but then when you look at the map of where we're going, it's like really far. You're like, "How did they get there so quickly?" It's the show. We cut there. In terms of the challenges on Earth, the threat other than the elements and environments, the threat kinda is always a human threat between the groups kind of thing more than anything else.


Speaking of that, when Skaikru came down, they had weapons which gave them superiority over the Grounders. These new people who are coming down will have technology as well, how does that dynamic of two groups that have that technology change that battle?


It's interesting what developed throughout the bunker and the story will unfold, but Spacekru, we just have algae. That's about it. That's all we're bringing to the table here. In terms of-- maybe you're right. Maybe, there is more parallels to Season 1 and the high-tech and low-tech type of interactions like with the Grounders and Skaikru. In terms of a technology battle kind of thing, most of that thanks to Illian is all destroyed and praimfaya, obviously. That probably did most of the damage. Yeah, from my character, not so much. He's always been pretty lo-fi. Bellamy: guns and his fists. A thug.


Can you tease any of the flashbacks we'll be seeing?


I can't. I'm not too sure actually in terms of the flashbacks. I'm not sure how much I can say on that really. The story and the mythology of the bunker and the new people will be told hopefully. 


How will the relationship between Bellamy and Clarke be different once they eventually find each other?


It's pretty funny. It's not funny obviously to find out she's still alive. It's obviously a huge shock for him. She's also focused on her unit, her family unit, which is Madi. And, I have my Spacekru and they really deviate in that sense. There's no longer this community of The 100 it feels like. Everyone's got their people now. There's a lot of the "my people," "your people" stuff as per usual, but in this particular season, it's very definitive as to who people are loyal to, so that dictates where their relationship is and where it goes. 


How much are the people who are on the ground in the conversation or thoughts of the people on the Arc?


I think there's definitely a reference to how much Bellamy talks about his sister. It's obviously on his mind all the time. As you'll see, they all learn from each other from space and learn different skills through-- Each person has brought their skills and shared them with the others. I imagine there's been a lot of conversations about what's happening down on the ground, but they're really in the dark up there. I'm sure they chat about Praimfaya and all that jazz too. There's a big, smoldering planet right there in front of them. It's the elephant in the room. It occupies a lot of Bellamy's thoughts, that's for sure.


What's it like to craft six years of Bellamy's life that you're never going to get to live?


That's the tricky bit. Six months off and six years have passed for him. I had to think about who he was when he was on the Arc with this sister and how he was as a brother and kind of go back to that mode of who Bellamy is and tap into that vein of how he used to be. There's a lot of that. He definitely felt as a nurturing figure in terms of the Spacekru and Earth has a nasty habit of bringing out the worst in him, so yeah, it was nice to go back into this older brother, fatherly type character for a wee while until things get really bad. 


The 100 Season airs Tuesdays on the CW.

Deception Interview: Creator Chris Fedak Teases Stakes are Getting Higher


The partnership between the Deception team and the FBI becomes rocky after Cameron's decision to help the Mystery Woman. In Deception Episode 9, "Getting Away Clean," Cameron works to repair the relationship by helping the NYPD on a case. Meanwhile, Jonathan deals with his return to prison.

I spoke to Executive Producer and Creator Chris Fedak to find out how the events of the previous two episodes will affect the relationship between the brothers, between Cameron and Kay, and the partnership with the FBI, plus how it changes Cameron's view of the conspiracy and Jonathan's time in prison.

How does Cameron's near death experience change the relationship between the brothers?
In some ways, it doesn't really change anything in regards to Jonathan and Cameron. Jonathan was desperate to save his brother in that moment, even though, there were very few things he could actually do. In some ways, that bond is strong and he was able to help him. Also, I think they're used to danger. It's like they've been doing this for some time. For me, the thing that was fascinating, especially coming out of it, was how Kay reacts to Cameron almost dying in that vault. She's new to this thing and the idea of daring life the way that these guys do and kind of putting themselves out there and risking everything is new for her. It goes against what you'd classically see in an investigation. She's the one who definitely felt that moment, even after the fact. It was so close.

Will Kay be more hesitant to be close to him or will it draw them closer together?

I think at first it pushes them apart. In Episode 9, it pushes them apart in a way. She's realizing that she's putting her emotions out there and that things can go wrong. Even though these deceptions are smart and clever, their lives are on the line. In some ways, Kay finds herself retracting a little bit. She needs to protect herself. 

Does the fact that Cameron has met the Mystery Woman and knows more about her, does that propel him even further? How does it affect how he approaches the mystery?

It just makes him that much hungrier to solve the case. It's not a conspiracy theory anymore. Cameron believed his brother, but still it was a mysterious outsider who he in some ways no contact with. At the end of Episode 5, it was a huge thing when we actually saw the mural with the Mystery Woman's eyes, but now it's not personal. She's a character who he knows, and understands, and that he's spent time with, and it's deeply personal between the two of them. At the end of the vault scene when she betrays him, it's like Cameron is not a person who punches somebody in the face, but he does it in that moment. And that speaks to the fact that he now knows the villain. He's now met her and seen her and that's a big moment. It definitely speaks to the drive for Cameron.

Cameron is more committed to this than ever and now he's getting more push-back from the FBI and others. How does re-establish his relationship and truth with the FBI after helping the Mystery Woman?

It takes time. There's definitely a version of reality where the FBI could have said, "We're throwing the book at you and even if you don't go to jail, you're never working with us again." But, part of them understands why he did what he did. For Cameron, he's still committed and the closest he's ever gotten to the Mystery Woman is with Kay and the Deception group, so he needs them. He's the place with hat in hand. He wants to prove to FBI that it can still work and they can still trust him. That trust issue speaks to the heart of his relationship with the FBI and also with Kay. That gets round up with the emotions that she's dealing with and that she's trying to protect herself from. There's definitely-- he has work to do.

What case are they working on in this week's "Getting Away Clean"? And how does Cameron use that to get back into the FBI's good graces?

It's funny. This week's episode, Episode 9, we always knew that New York was going to be a part of show and a part of our story. After the international intrigue and the air being sucked out of the vault in Episodes 7 and 8, I wanted to go back and look at New York as a character in the show and essentially knock Cameron back to the beginning in a way, and let him have to prove how he can help on a case. To built out our story, we have Adam Ferrara coming in as a NYPD police officer. The idea of a magician working with and having to prove to a hardened city cop that he can help him out on a case was too delicious an idea to pass up. It's a fun episode. It also gives us a chance to explore our characters and learn more about them as well. We also have Gunter pursuing the mystery of Alistair Black. We haven't forgotten our mythology, so we have that as well in the episode.

With everything they know now, why does Jonathan have to go back to prison?

Jonathan was convicted of manslaughter and he was convicted of a real crime. They are going to need more than simply Cameron's assurance that this is real. Even if you take apart the pieces of the case of what happens in [Episode] 7 and 8, there's not enough there for a judge to say, "Oh, Jonathan, you get to walk away from this." Essentially, it's his brother's word and the FBI's going to need more proof in order to make the case that Jonathan should be released.

Will things be easier or more difficult for Jonathan when he returns behind bars?

It's so going to be so much easier. No, I'm kidding. It's going to get worse. Jonathan, in a way, has put himself in danger because he's helping the FBI on this case. Even though everyone knows his story, it's still what you do and if you are helping somebody. If anyone finds out, it's a big deal. Things are going to change and the stakes are constantly going to raise inside that prison. It's getting more and more stressful there. 

Deception airs Sunday nights on ABC.


Saturday, May 5, 2018

The 100 Interview: Richard Harmon on Spacekru in Season 5


In The 100 Season 5 premiere, we got a glimpse into what life has been like for Spacekru during the six-year time jump. Green algae diet sound good to anyone? That alone would seem to be enough to drive a person crazy, let alone being stuck with the same six companions and your own mind. In this week's episode, "Sleeping Giants," Spacekru will attempt to return to Earth, but it won't be without unexpected complications.

I visited The 100 set in Vancouver while the series was filming with a group of journalists and we had the opportunity to talk with Richard Harmon about playing Murphy and how his character has changed over the years and what happens next for Spacekru.

Read on for edited excerpts of the conversation.

How has Murphy changed over the six-year jump?

I think six years in space, it’s hard to maintain a purpose. On the ground, it’s survival. In space, we figure out after awhile how to survive. You have the algae farm giving us the food. It’s not great food, but enough to live. You have to ask yourself what there is to do up there. If anyone has a hard time with a sense of direction, when there is no outside stimulus getting at him, it would be Murphy. He’s lost his way a little bit over the six years and that’s where we find him. He’s probably itching to get back down to the ground. We have to figure out why after six years, an extra year clear of when we were allowed to get back down to the ground, yet we are still not there. 

What are some of the dynamics of the people on the Arc? How have things shifted?

Without giving away too much of their relationships that we all have up in space, six years with just that same group of six or seven people, you kind of become a family after that amount of time. But, families aren’t perfect. You fight. You have issues with each other. That’s the interesting thing to see, what our relationships are like. Everybody fights, but we’re all obviously a lot closer and a lot of the issues that we’ve had on the ship are probably in the past after six years. I’ve said this before. A lot of therapy can happen in six years, but that doesn’t mean that new qualms with each other won’t arise. We are going to have issues.

Was there a dynamic that really surprised you when you read the scripts?

I was excited. The first bit that I read when it came to our storyline, without getting into it, when my character first popped up, I can tell you that my reaction was giddy. I was like, “Yes! I’m excited that we are doing the set thing that we are doing.” 

We understand that Bellamy has taken on a leadership role and that Raven is second in command. Can you talk about those roles? 

Bellamy is so well-suited for that kind of position. He’s proved it time and time again. Obviously, not so well in the beginning. He was well-intentioned, but kind of did stuff in an improper way. I might have also had something to do with that in edging him in that direction. It’s like Clark said, he has to learn to lead with both his mind and his heart. I think, at the beginning of the season, you see that he has assumed the leadership and now, us, hopefully, coming back down to ground, you are going to see he has heeded that advice and now, implements that sort of system with the mind and the heart. And, Raven is such a problem solver that she’s such a great second-in-command to have. I wouldn’t even put them one and two. I would put them 1A/1B. Murphy, he doesn’t really care about that. He doesn’t really want leadership. It kind of ticks him off a little bit, but those are people who are very close to him.

Is it fun for you to get something new to do every season with this show? Every year there seems to be a reset. 

Absolutely. It’s like an anthology series, except we have the same characters. Last year was this natural disaster. Now, this year, we have these new obstacles to overcome. It changes the way the characters get to interact with each other. Especially now that it’s six years in the future, they’ve grown up. As actors, it was a lot of fun to implement things that you can just throw into the mix. Usually, you take a while, like a full season, and you’re working little dynamics of your character in until the audience can accept it. You can’t just throw it in. But, with this season, you are able to throw things in after six years and the audience is just going to have to buy it, which I really thought was fun as an actor. I’m sure everyone else had the same kind of sentiments as I do.

How has Murphy’s romantic relationship progressed?

That you are going to have to wait and see. He’s a complicated guy. Six years with Murphy is a long time.

Will we get peeks into what happened over the last six years, maybe in flashbacks?

I believe it has been said that there will be flashbacks this season. There is a lot of stuff that could be flashbacks. So, I don’t know if every story is going to get that service. Some are more important for you to see than others. You will know a lot of what happened in our six years by alluding to it and by seeing the repercussions of the last six years has had on us, Spacekru or whoever the seven of us are. You will see the repercussions of what the last six years have done to us. Through that, I believe you will kind of get the feeling of what we have gone through.

When The 100 began, it was the Grounders and the Skaikru came down and then Skaikru ended up becoming the Grounders. Now, we have these new people that are coming that are from our present day. Can you talk a little bit about what’s the changing dynamic and theme, and how does Murphy react to this new environment?

Sure, like you said, we’ve come a long way from the Skaikru versus the Grounders, and us being at war with them, and kind of being on their side. Then, it become the internal struggle within the Grounder community. And, now we’ve moved on to what has to be all the people in the bunker, all the Grounders, I’m assuming, must have come together a little bit in that time and put aside their previous allegiances to their specific clans. 

So, now you have the prison ship coming down. I’ve been barred from saying anything about that. I think that’s for the best because when you see these guys and what they are up to – and not just that, but their backstory and not just where they come from, cause you know where they come from, but what they’ve been through and all that – it’s a pretty interesting story and whether it’s a fight between us or whatever it is, bad/good. I think what we’ve done on this show is that this nice little gray area. No one group is all just bad or all good. There are individuals in that group. You are going to get to know a lot of great, great new characters. – just phenomenal actors that we’ve brought in this season – that have really upped all of our games.

Murphy has always skirted that fine line between good and evil. Are we going to get to see him explore the darker side of his personality moving forward?

I certainly hope so. That’s always been my hope. I loved the redemption arc, and I love all that. It’s like you said, he’s never going to be evil. You can say in Season 1 he was a pretty bad person, but I think he is never going to be truly evil. With everything going on, with all the characters, we’re all going to have to ride that line again being back on Earth, doing what might not be morally correct, but what is correct for you and your people. And for Murphy, sometimes its about himself and not his people. We’ll see Murphy be Murphy. You are not going to take that out of the kid.

You’ve discussed the internal conflicts and environment in the ship, but have there been any external factors that affected them?

In the ship, no. That’s what is so interesting about it is we haven’t. It’s been the same thing. It’s just living for the next day. You wake up, you do the same thing, you go to bed, you wake up, you go to bed and you wake up for six years. That’s enough to drive anyone nuts, let alone Murphy, who is right on the point of losing it at any possible moment. That was what was so interesting about our storyline. Everyone else has the external factors over the six years. We have just our own minds, which are our own worst enemy.

Murphy and Raven had a very contentious relationship. Towards the end of last season, they really came together and had an understanding. How has that evolved over the six years?

I think there’s an incredible deal of respect between those two characters. Some of my favorite scenes I have ever done on the show have been between me and Lindsey. Lindsey is unbelievable. She’s going to be a complete star. When you have the opportunity to work with someone like that, I really take advantage of that and enjoy working with her. The more I get with her, the better in my opinion.

What is the biggest challenge for Spacekru?

Once we come down, if we come down, yes, if we come down, I believe it’s everything. The relationships we made on the Arc will make us stronger. It will also tear us apart by giving us weaknesses by having the people that we care about there. As we’ve shown with the ground, it will take what you love and it will use it against you. Like you said, it’s going to be a little bit of everything. There’s going to be the external forces that are going to affect us.  It’s about how we stick together, or even when we are apart, you’ll see if we try and come back together and how much we care about one another, and how much that affects our ability to survive, is having these loved ones. 

I always said Murphy has never been more at a risk than when he fell in love with Emori. I think if he was always by himself, I don’t think this guy would ever die. He would die at the ripe old age of 87, with a crap ton of battle scars on him, but, somehow, he would have lived. With the love in his life, I think of everyone, it makes you vulnerable. It makes you weak in a good way. There is nothing more to life than love, but it will be what kills you. It always is.

The 100 Season 5 airs Tuesdays on the CW.