The genius that is... Due South

So, I am going to try and be a blogger. Here it goes.

The first item I'd like to discuss is the genius of Due South. If you don't know what Due South is: it is a brilliant Canadian tv series. It ran for 2 seasons from 1994 to 1996. It was then cancelled, but brought back for two additional abbreviated seasons from 1997 until 1999. It was created by Paul Haggis, who went on to write the screenplay for Crash, Million Dollar Baby and Casino Royale. The first two seasons star David Marciano as Ray Vecchio and in the last two seasons his character is replaced by Stanley 'Ray' Kowalski played by Callum Keith Rennie. The main character is Benton Fraser a Canadian Mountie who in the pilot of the series comes to Chicago on the trail of his father's killer. Ray is his Chicago cop partner.

The series is awesome.

Let me explain why:
First of all, Benton Fraser is wonderful. He is portrayed by Canadian actor Paul Gross and Gross is wonderful. Fraser is an amazing tracker, he is compassionate, he is handsome, he is clueless when it comes to women, he is so polite that it drives you crazy and he has a deaf half-wolf named Diefenbaker, who once saved Fraser's life and now makes him (in the words of Fraser himself) "pay and pay and pay" for this.

Secondly, Ray Vecchio is your typical American cop. He is sarcastic, cynical and has a ridiculous fashion sense. Ray seriously questions Fraser's sanity on a daily basis. He trusts his gut much more than evidence. Fraser drives Ray crazy, yet they become best friends.

The second Ray is even more wonderful, in my opinion. (Let's not start a Ray war.) I like both Rays, but personally I find Callum Keith Rennie much more attractive than David Marciano. Furthermore, the homoerotic subtext between Ray Kowalski and Fraser is off the charts, while I have trouble seeing Ray Vecchio as anything other than Fraser's best friend. Yes, there is homoerotic subtext. Paul Gross admitted to putting hints of homoeroticism in the new series, because he thought "Callum Keith Rennie was incredibly sexy." Also, Ray Kowalski is very different from Ray Vecchio (RayK and RayV). RayK is much more insecure and vulnerable. He's got an ex-wife, Stella, and he's still kind of hung up on her. He goes undercover convinced no one will miss him. He is jittery and thinks women see nothing in him. In short, RayK is an adorable, hot mess.

So, we've got two handsome guys, homoerotic subtext and a deaf wolf. That's already pretty awesome. Wait, there's more.

Fraser talks to his father. His ghost father. Their talks are hilarious, because Bob Fraser is always offering his son unsuitable advice and many people see Fraser talking to him, but they cannot see the ghost.

Ray Vecchio's sister, Frannie, has the biggest crush on Fraser. Fraser is alternately completely oblivious about this or seems to know, but is uncomfortable with it.

Their rivals are Jack Huey and Louis Gardino, later on Jack Huey and Thomas Dewey. Gardino and Dewey are basically tools, yet sometimes they aren't.

The series in terribly funny. Especially the first two series. It is a delicate mixture of wit and drama.
There are a couple of episodes that I consider the best in the series:
1. The Deal (season 1) = tough to watch
2. Victoria's Secret part 1 & Victoria's Secret part 2 (season 1 finale) = also tough to watch, heartbreaking
3. Bird in the Hand (season 2) = the perfect combo of fun and drama
4. Juliet is Bleeding (season 2) = a showcase for Ray Vecchio and is painfully touching
5. Strange Bedfellows (season 3) = if only to see Ray Kowalski and Stella's romantic not-to-be pairing
6. Seeing is Believing (season 3) = again a perfect example of how to combine humour and emotion
7. The Ladies' Man (season 4) = to Ray Kowalski what Juliet it Bleeding was to RayV
8. Call of the Wild part 1 & Call of the Wild part 2 (series finale) = just plain good

So, if you've never heard of this series you should definitely check it out. It is so worth it.
The fanfiction written for the series is also pretty delicious. There is a lot good stuff on fanfiction.net and dueslash.
First blog OUT.