Blackstone is going dark, but there is still a final run of episodes to close out this all-Canadian hit drama.
Blackstone has been likened to Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy for its fearless grit, razor reality, and no-holds-barred dance between conflicts and characters.
At the heart of the cast is a Prince George actor who has won awards and international acclaim for his portrayal of one of the main Blackstone characters Daryl Fraser.
Steven Cree Molison has been a central part of the Blackstone show since its inception. Based in Vancouver but frequently back in his Prince George hometown, Molison said he was proud and honoured to be part of a project that has turned the heads of critics and popular audiences, and helped put First Nations issues at the front of public consciousness.
Another Prince George actor/musician, Tommy J. Mueller, also had a recurring role in Blackstone. Although not a member of the regular present cast, he has appeared in more than 20 episodes over the years and his character of Rick Amenakew was a popular villain in the plot.
Blackstone is set on a fictional reserve and follows the dramatic issues that emanate from there. In the process, it both highlights "res life" like never before in art and also shows the universal parallels - the common themes that run through all lives no matter where you live.
Molison was back in Prince George this past week and said he was looking forward to some new projects to work on after Blackstone comes to its end. In the past year he has been part of the cast of the book-based blockbuster 50 Shades of Grey, the TV movie Driven Underground starring Kristy Swanson and Emily Tennant, and also shot a small part with Sir Anthony Hopkins in the upcoming thriller Go With Me.
TV and movie projects have been Molison's main creative source, but he is also a writer and stage actor. He attended the Theatre North West production Art this past week and came away with a couple of sensations.
"I was totally running their lines in my own head, imagining how I would say it, what I would do with them," he said. "It gave me the itch. It's been a long time since I've been on stage and I this made me really want to get back out there."
The other sensation Art provided him with was gratitude. One of the three actors in that intense production was acclaimed B.C. theatre veteran Garry Davey. Davey happened also to be Molison's pivotal drama instructor at the William B. Davis Centre for Actor's Study. Molison surprised him after the play and the two enjoyed a long reunion visit.
There is already talk of reunions and/or movie versions of Blackstone, now that the five-season run is coming to a close. This talk is expected to escalate when the series finale builds to a crescendo. Production company Prairie Dog Film + Television said the last episodes (it runs Tuesday nights from Nov. 3 to Dec. 22 on APTN) would be ending the program on notes of "hope, healing and retribution - and will conclude with a dramatic finale" according to a company statement.
The man who ran Blackstone - writer, director and producer Ron E. Scott, said the Blackstone run was "incredible" and "we have taken the show to places where we could have only dreamed of when we started. The series's final season is once again filled with intense, hard-hitting issues that have challenged viewers' perception of socially conscious storytelling on television."
Daryl's storyline involves making business decisions that drag him and his girlfriend Gina (played by Jessica Matten) into criminal implications. Financial ruin, violence and other dangers lurk over his character as the closing episodes unfold - nothing Daryl hasn't seen before.
The series currently broadcasts in Canada on APTN, in the United States on Hulu and HuluPlus, in New Zealand on Maori Television, and in Australia on SBS/NITV.
