Besides, if you haven’t seen it, please save this column for later, I don’t want to spoil your day.
So, one week before the finale, and while a fifth season was confirmed, the impossible happened: Fred, Alice’s faithful partner, was killed in cold blood before our eyes by one of Alice’s rapists .
The murder scene, which left no doubt about Fred’s fate, shocked loyal viewers of the series, who reacted strongly on social networks.
After all, Fred was one of the main characters, present since the beginning of the series. And Marc-André Grondin is very popular with the public, who did not want to see him leave.
“I am aware that I have dropped a bomb. But it took a big pivot to bring Alice out of denial about the drama she experienced,” the author of the fourth season, William S. Messier, told me.
Let’s make one thing clear right away: it was Marc-André Grondin himself who wanted to leave the series after four years.
“I felt like I had come to terms with my character and I wanted new challenges,” the actor told me over the phone.
More than a year ago, he asked producer Fabienne Larouche to be able to leave the series.
“She was super understanding. Afterwards, the team asked me if I was comfortable with my character dying and I said yes. As a viewer, I like it when we get rid of a main character. It’s shocking and we always wonder where it’s going to go next.”
According to him, Reasonable doubt can continue very well without the character of Fred, whereas it would have been impossible without the character of Alice, the true heroine of the series.
By killing Fred, is Cédric Laramée (Maxime de Cotret), one of Alice’s attackers, heading for his own destruction? (Eric Myre)
If the fans’ reaction is knee-jerk, this script choice was not the subject of any debate within the team.
“I proposed this as a driving force to propel the series towards season 5. It’s a heartbreaking but really interesting avenue to force the hand of the character of Alice,” explains William S. Messier.
“Fred must not have died in vain. There is a dramatic function in her death and it is a way of propelling Alice towards her recovery.
— William S. Messier
Know that the departure of Marc-André Grondin took place in harmony. His on-screen partner Julie Perreault was one of the first to be informed of his decision.
“She is one of the best work colleagues I have had. She’s a hard worker. I don’t think I’ll come across anyone so prepared. With the load of texts and the pressure she can have on her shoulders, it was very impressive.”
Set apart Under a variable sky in which he played as a child, this is the first time that Marc-André Grondin has spent so many years in the same series.
“Fred was a character the fun but I think I’ve reached the end. In addition, script-wise, it inspires the team a lot.”
The actor, also producer and host of the series Hot Ones Québec on illico+, specifies that his choice is not linked to a scheduling conflict or to a new project that was offered to him, but rather to a personal desire. The filming of Reasonable doubt monopolized the summers of the actor, three times father, who today wishes to make himself available for other projects.
“I understand people being frustrated. But if they have recovered from the deaths of Poupou and Nadine, they will recover from that of Fred Masson!”
— Marc-André Grondin
“William S. Messier is a very talented screenwriter, a truly brilliant guy. He boarded Reasonable doubt in an extraordinary way. I’m glad he had the balls to make my character die.”
You can imagine that Alice will emerge transformed from this tragedy, but so will the GICCS team. “They will have to come together and understand that they will be stronger once united,” reveals the author, who announces that a new character will join the unit next season.
But first, the investigation into the Agusta Center will reach its conclusion in the last episode of the season, already available on Extra and broadcast on Monday November 11 at 9 p.m. on ICI Télé.
“This episode contains some very good punchs. I can’t wait to see the reactions,” confides the author.
I’m particularly curious to know what will happen to Charline (Gabrielle Poulin B.), who has been playing with fire since she infiltrated the sect.
The fifth season of Reasonable doubtscheduled for next fall, will it be the last?
“No decision has been made, but for me it will be the end of a cycle of what Alice is going through. I wrote that season as if it were the last,” reveals the author.
Furthermore, Marc-André Grondin told me that no continuation of the series IXE-13of which he was the star, is not on the program. We’ve even gotten rid of the sets already.
“I would have liked to continue this series for a very long time. I find it important that we tell our stories, that we have our heroes. It worries me a lot to see what’s happening, because I’m afraid we won’t be able to do period shows anymore.”
He still remains hopeful that the series will one day be reborn and that a platform will take over. “Everyone who worked on this project would make room in their schedule to return.”
Signed Gilles Desjardins, IXE-13 and the race for uranium is available on illico+.
RECOVERIES ALREADY IN OCTOBER
Fans of Silence, let’s play! had the unpleasant surprise of already seeing covers of their favorite game since last Monday on ICI Télé.
Already? Before October is even over?
I hope no one at - was surprised that the public was not happy.
The broadcaster explains that the decision to go from 135 episodes last season to 70 this season, almost half as many, stems from cuts made by the broadcaster.
“We opted to reduce the number of episodes rather than cutting a title completely,” Julie Racine, first head of promotion and public relations, explains to me.
Patrice L’Ecuyer’s show went from 135 episodes last season to 70 this season, almost half as many. (Jean Bernier)
The same fate was reserved for Question of judgmentPierre Hébert’s summer game, which went from 76 to 56 episodes, including a special holiday week.
This is a strange decision. As if regulars of a game were going to watch it again until new episodes were broadcast in the winter.
Obviously, they expressed their anger on social networks, and rightly so. Silence, let’s play!which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, still achieves excellent ratings.
ADISQ HAS NOT FALLEN
The ADISQ Gala did not suffer from the departure of Louis-José Houde; the evening hosted by Pierre-Yves Roy-Desmarais attracted 1,145,000 viewers on Sunday on ICI Télé, compared to 1,158,000 last year.
The gala comes second in the Sunday rankings, immediately after Masked singersseen by 1,629,000 TVA addicts.
It is The goose that lays golden eggs which obtains the third position with 973,000 followers, followed by Revolutionchosen by 916,000 at VAT.
The ADISQ special edition of Back to culturewhich preceded the gala on ICI Télé, was watched by 429,000 curious people.
On Saturday, 842,000 watched the excellent Live from the universe of Elisapie, while 226,000 saw the For once devoted to Kim Thúy on Télé-Québec.
Finally, 433,000 fans watched hockey on TVA Sports.
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