Charlie Jade
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| Charlie Jade | |
|---|---|
| Format | Science Fiction drama |
| Created by | Chris Roland Robert Wertheimer |
| Starring | see below |
| Country of origin | Canada, South Africa |
| No. of episodes | 20 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 45 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Space |
| Original run | April 16, 2005 – August 20, 2005 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Charlie Jade is a science fiction television program filmed mainly in Cape Town, South Africa. It stars Jeffrey Pierce in the title role, as a detective who finds himself trapped in a parallel universe. This is a Canadian and South African co-production filmed in conjunction with CHUM Television and the South African Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). The special effects were produced by the Montreal-based company Cinegroupe led by Michel Lemire. The show started in 2004 and was aired on the Canadian Space Channel. It premiered on the Space Channel April 16, 2005 and is also currently being shown in Eastern Europe, France, Italy, on SABC 3 in South Africa, on Fox Japan (since November 30, 2006), and on AXN in Hong Kong. The show began airing in The United Kingdom in October 2007, on FX. The Sci Fi Channel in the United States premiered the show on June 6, 2008.[1] Scripts for the second season of Charlie Jade have been written; however, the show has not yet been greenlit for a second season.
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[edit] Summary of plot
The show utilizes the idea of parallel universes, or a multiverse. There are several universes that coexist- each somewhat different than the other. As of the first season, these are the universes that have been explored in the TV series:
- The Alphaverse, a dystopian view of what our future could be like. It is the home universe of the main character Charlie Jade. The Alphaverse's inhabitants are segregated into "classes" of different levels (e.g., C-1, or Class 1- which stands for Upper Class). It is also dominated by five gigantic multinational firms. Prime among these is a corporation called Vex-Cor. Albeit the Alphaverse's dystopian society, it does contain some futuristic technology that is within the level of our capability.
- The Betaverse, which corresponds to our present day actual reality.
- The Gammaverse, a rather idyllic version of our world, what it would be like if the planet's inhabitants made careful use of its resources.
- An unknown universe corresponding to 'one half hour from now.', containing 'men in grey suits'
During the pilot episode, scientists from Vex-Cor attempt to open a wormhole from the Alphaverse to the Gammaverse in a bid to drain water from the latter to the former. In Gammaverse, terrorists Bern and Reena — aware of Vex-Cor's intent — prepare to sabotage the facility. Before the stable wormhole can be completed, a massive explosion at the site of the portal (a large open air water reservoir) leads to a chain reaction explosion that moves through all three universes. This results in Charlie being thrown from Alphaverse into the Betaverse, into a different Cape Town that he is unfamiliar with. Would-be terrorist Reena is also thrown into the Betaverse.
The explosion renders the "link" between universes impassable, which leaves Vex-Cor employees in Beta and Gamma cut off from their head office in Alpha.
Vex-Cor attempts to rebuild the link, and re-establish contact. At the same time, they must deal with the P.R. fallout from the explosion, and must try to conceal the true purpose of the facility and what the company was up to. Suspicion initially falls on a Vex-Cor Scientist named Elliot Krogg — but eventually, they discover Reena is in Cape Town, and target her as the terrorist behind the explosion.
Vex-Cor's attempts to cover their tracks are complicated by Charlie Jade's presence in Beta — and the fact that he soon hooks up with Karl Lubinsky, an expatriate American who runs a conspiracy website devoted to tracking all things Vex-Cor.
Together, Charlie and Karl gradually divine Vex-Cor's true intentions — and also uncover a terrible secret promoted by Vex-Cor's doomed scientist, Elliot Krogg. Krogg wrote a memo to Vex-Cor HQ detailing a possible catastrophic effect to establishing a long-term link from Alpha to Gamma. If the link is made permanent, it will collapse all matter in the Betaverse, destroying everyone and everything in 'our' world. Karl and Charlie are the only things that stand between our world's annihilation.
Meanwhile, with travel between the universes cut off, Vex-Cor Alpha must turn a person who can travel without a link: the son of company founder Brion Boxer, 01.
01 Boxer is made company courier by Essa Rompkin, CEO of Vex-Cor. He travels by an unknown method that involves dousing himself with water and "slipping" between universes. The method of travel is mysterious, but it results in changes to body chemistry. In later episodes, 01 Boxer's blood is used to transfuse, and revitalize his father, who is sick from some genetic malady — perhaps as a result of too much travel between universes.
01 is a fascinating case, as he seems to manifest a different personality in each universe. In Alpha he acts like a spoiled child, in Beta he is a hedonistic adolescent, and in Gamma he is a loving husband and father to two children. 01's motivations are mysterious — he can seem like a villain, but he is definitely following his own agenda.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Jeffrey Pierce | Charlie Jade |
| Patricia McKenzie | Reena |
| Tyrone Benskin | Karl Lubinsky |
| Michael Filipowich | 01 Boxer (pronounced Oh One) |
| Michelle Burgers | Essa Rompkin |
| Marie-Julie Rivest | Jasmine/Paula |
| Danny Keogh | Julius Galt |
| Langley Kirkwood | Porter |
| David Dennis | Sew Sew Tukarrs |
| Rolanda Marais | Blues Paddock |
[edit] Creators
Chris Roland and Robert Wertheimer are the creators of Charlie Jade; the original series bible was written by Robert J. Sawyer and the pilot script was written by Stephen Zoller and Robert Wertheimer.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] Background
Though viewers will doubtless recognize a similarity to Blade Runner, especially in the scenes set in the Alphaverse, Wertheimer has said in interviews that much of the ethos of the series is primarily influenced by Derrick Jensen's book The Culture of Make Believe.
Charlie Jade had two teams of writers. The pilot and first eight episodes were overseen by executive producer Guy Mullally, Stephen Zoller and David Cole. Mutual creative differences led to an amicable parting of the ways, paving the way for the second team, consisting of head writer Alex Epstein, and story editors Denis McGrath and Sean Carley.
In addition to its Canadian writing staff, the show also featured the work of several South African television writers, including Dennis Venter, and Collin Oliphant.
The majority of the directors who worked on the show were from Quebec, including Pierre Gill and Eric Canuel. The pilot was directed by T.J. Scott. Other directors included George Mihalka, Jimmy Kaufman, Anton Beebe, and South Africans Neal Sundstrom and Daryl Roodt.
Each universe has a remarkably different look. The color palette of the Alphaverse is dominated by greens. The Betaverse is very blue in tint, and Gamma is dominated by reds and warm earth tones.
Charlie Jade was considered one of the hot tickets at the MIP show when it was shown there in 2004. However, the series has yet to be picked up in some major territories, though the first three episodes did premier at Cascadia Con on September 2nd, 2006 in SeaTac, WA. In these areas, the show seems to enjoy a somewhat "underground" appeal, and the entire series has been widely distributed over Internet file sharing networks.
Charlie Jade's challenging narrative, and somewhat controversial take on issues, such as the presentation of a sympathetic "terrorist" character, may have made the show unpalatable for a wide audience.
But arresting visuals, elliptical storytelling and dream like qualities make for a show that is more cinematic than most normal TV fare. It demands viewer attention, and can sometimes be confusing.
In June 2005, Canadian broadcaster CHUM took an unusual step. Admitting that the show required a great level of attention, CHUM commissioned a special catch-up episode, "Can of Worms". Despite the fact that principal photography had been wrapped nine months before, a small crew gathered in Montreal to film a wraparound story designed to bring new viewers up to speed. "Can of Worms" runs between episodes 16 and 17 of Charlie Jade. Including this episode, there are 21 episodes in Charlie Jade's first season.
[edit] Mysteries of Charlie Jade
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- Water plays a major part in Charlie Jade. It is the resource Vex-Cor is trying to steal from Gamma. It also helps 01 to slip between universes, and water indicates an instability in the fabric of the universes when it appears and reappears in different places. How does water help trans-universal travel?
- Who are the men who kidnap and program Reena? What is their agenda?
- Charlie encounters a doppelganger of his girlfriend, Jasmine, in Betaverse, named Paula. Are there other doppelgangers in other universes? And why have we not seen them?
- In several episodes, Charlie is followed and warned by Men in Grey Suits. Karl is approached by one in the episode "Can of Worms," and they figure heavily in the finale. Who are these Men? Where are they from? Do they represent yet another faction or company, or are they from another universe entirely? What is their ultimate agenda?
- What is the ultimate fate of Charlie's friend Papalui and Essa Rompkin?
- 01 Boxer reveals that his father had a file on Charlie "going way back." What was in the file? Did they know about Charlie's abilities?
- In the same scene, 01 Boxer says to Charlie "You're the only one who could shift. Never did figure that out did'ya?". Does this mean Charlie is/was somehow the source for other peoples ability to shift?
- The final episode shows us more about "linkspace." Is it the 'unknown' universe Charlie had visions of before coming back to Alphaverse? Are there even more universes?
- Charlie encounters three scientists who help him to understand linkspace - they are Urding, Kuldeman, and Verdandi. The scientists have names similar to the Norns of Norse Mythology. How significant is this parallel to decoding the end of Charlie Jade?
- What is the significance of the blue glass beads shown in early episodes? They appear to exist in at least Alpha and Beta around the original link site and several different characters are seen picking them up. Charlie finds several in different places. A young girl in the desert collects them, and in one scene 01 Boxer is seen dropping some into a fish tank in his club. It's possible that the purpose behind these was lost in the change over between writers.
- What is the water pollutant found near the Beta link site? People who drink it over an extended period of time seem to be able to see into other universes and possibly travel to them without link.
[edit] Awards and nominations
On August 29, 2006, the show was nominated for 5 Canadian Gemini Awards — Patricia McKenzie and Michael Filipowich received Best Supporting Actress and Actor Nominations. The show was also nominated for Best Sound, Best Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
At the 2006 Gemini Awards in Toronto, Charlie Jade won the Gemini for Best Sound
