notanaxkiller-107-287911 A good show. Maybe it can become a VERY good show. Great concept, the struggle to resist widespread evil, or maybe even at times the desire to embrace the banality of life, with fine characters, and a good cast. I found it subdued, yet powerful, and am looking forward to the next season. It will be interesting to see how much the characters can rationalize their actions, without losing their core beliefs. And finding out what their core beliefs REALLY are. Nicely done.

Talia Tis CBC's 'Pure' depicts sheltered characters struggling to survive in a suddenly brutal world. And it is that reverent portrayal of new pastor Noah Funk and his wife Anna that elevates the series beyond its already intriguing 'Mennonite Mob' premise. The first episode is a good indicator of whether or not you will enjoy the rest of the series, which maintains the steady pacing and attention to character. The showrunner, Micheal Amo, had Mennonite grandparents, and the community certainly isn't portrayed as flat or stereotypical. However, the show's weakest link is easily Detective Bronco Novak. I mean, just look at that name. He's the archetypal drunk and rebellious cop who nevertheless manages to be competent (or incompetent) at exactly the right moment. In comparison to the nuanced performances by Ryan Robbins (Noah) and Alex Paxton-Beesley (Anna), Novak somehow seems less believable than drug smuggling Mennonites. The direction is fine, and the writing and acting is pretty good across the board, with the exception of both of the Novaks. Overall, the show is at its best when it focuses on community and questions of morality,but 'Pure' still struggles to overcome conventional plot and characters

spacemtn-10566 I stumbled across this on my streaming box, so I decided to give it a try. Man am I glad I did. I have seen very few of these actors before. Cory from Trailer Park Boys is on this, and he's pretty darn good. The plot line sounds ludicrous at first until you start watching it. Now I can't wait until the next episode airs. It's definitely a pleasant surprise. It's like the French Connection meets Witness. If you give this a try, you truly will be hooked. Just goes to show you Canada can make a pretty darn good TV series. Although truth be told I keep waiting for someone to screw something up and then blame Cory from Trailer Park Boys. Dammit Cory. You have to watch Trailer Park Boys to understand that reference.

TheMysteryLover Review of CBC's new show, PURE!: Canada's into hockey, NOT HOKEY!!! By Dale Friesen (Mennonite researcher) When I first heard of the potential and premise for this new show back in 2016, no doubt I was greatly intrigued. Who wouldn't be if they were in my situation. Coming from such an unusual situation, myself, (and ironically with the Mennonites being from a "subdued" history), I had worked my way into mainstream entertainment and media ventures, thus I have seen so much of what the "real" world is about.Now I wasn't expecting a high budget masterpiece of a show, but somehow I felt that "Canada's MAIN media broadcaster, THE CBC, could somehow "executive produce" something more realistic.I love stories, especially fictional where the abstract can have it's free reign to carry a person's imagination to any height or direction. And so who's ever fault it is for (especially) the really unlikely aspect of a drugged out and on probation cop (detective), solving this mystery in the way he has been so far is inexcusable writing or directing (or as mentioned, even from the CBC, itself).Now as much as people may want to "roll their eyes" at the premise of a show like this (a Mennonite mob), well imagine this cop, (who "entangles" himself with a "prostitute" - I won't give away spoilers, here), also "flukely" finds a "Bible" at his crime scene of the wrecked car, "bumps" into his old buddy from high school ... meets up with the daughter of his old high school flame (who's also involved - because of his son, no less), and then in totally hilarious fashion, "drunkenly" falls into a lake in search of a clue, from the little boat he's in - that just so happens to be near by?????? What else can possibly get crazier, yet, in the remaining four episodes? I always try to be overly optimistic in all circumstances, etc., throughout life, but in all honesty, should I be laughing or crying as to what I've seen so far?But not to be too hard on CBC, here, yet to sort of counter all of this with the "American" drama put out a few years ago called the "AMERICANS" (Russian spies who fake being Americans), this CBC show can't be all that bad. In my own opinion, "The Americans" had such a good premise as well, but also failed with it's hokey antics,too, and they had a much larger budget. Now "The Americans" show is still running and I've managed to keep my interest up with the premise of that show, so maybe I'll still manage to stay with PURE too, as it may get better ... hopefully. ... Anyway, if the lake can stay frozen long enough, I can go play some hockey, now.PS. Some great scenic shots of the country side, though!