E.N.G. - the pioneering Canadian News Drama (1989 - 1994)

E. N. G. - The TV Drama (1989 to 1994) - From the recollections of SIO

Remember this show? Victor Garber joined it in Season 4 as 'Adam Hirsch'.

E. N. G. was a great pioneering attempt at creating a high quality Canadian evening drama/soap opera. It was to be the "Flagship" of the CTV Network. The series E.N.G. was presented as peek into the lives of the staff at the fictional* Channel 10 News room in Toronto.

E. N. G. is the acronym for Electronic News Gathering, a new concept during the late 1980s for TV News. Previously, TV news field-work was done from film, which needed to be developed and then editted into broadcast segments - time consuming and therefore not up-to-the-minute news.

Electronic news-gathering was immediate videotaping of news events, using anything from a lone broadcast journalist reporter taking a single professional video camera out to shoot a story, to an entire television crew taking a production truck or satellite truck on location to do a live television news report for an outside broadcast newscast.

The 'immediate' nature of the E.N.G. news placed a great deal of pressure on reporters and producers to produce something that is visually interesting, emotionally compelling, or even spectacular in naure in order to get good viewer ratings.

The TV show E.N.G. found its best stories in being able to respond to topical events & issues, and comment on the role of the media in contemporary culture. The news stories were framed by the personal and professional relationships of the newsmakers, as the objectivity demanded of news reporting collided with the subjective feelings of the reporters or with commercial or political pressures.

From http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=eng
E.N.G., a Canadian television drama series set in the news studio of a local television station, ran successfully on the private CTV network for five seasons from 1989 to 1994. After a slow start, which almost led to its cancellation at the end of the first season, the series steadily gained in popularity as audiences responded to its blend of personal and public issues. It was sold to many countries and well-received when it appeared on the Lifetime cable network in the United States and on Channel 4 in Britain. The letters in the title stand for "Electronic News Gathering" and were often seen on black-and-white images of news footage supposedly seen through the monitors of hand-held video cameras.

The series began with the arrival of Mike Fennell (Art Hindle) to take over as news director, a position to which the executive producer, Ann Hildebrand (Sara Botsford) had expected to be promoted. As these two endeavored to establish a professional relationship, amid the various crises of the newsroom, Ann carried on a supposedly secret affair with Jake Antonelli (Mark Humphrey), an impetuous cameraman who often broke the rules and found himself in dangerous situations. In the course of the series, Mike and Ann became personally involved, and the final episodes left them trying to balance their careers and their relationship after the station's owners decided to adopt a "lifestyles" format.

* Note that the Flagship CTV station is CFTO-TV Channel 9 in Toronto located on
9 Channel Nine Court in the former town of Agincourt (later absorbed into Scarborough as a neighbourhood, and then absorbed by Toronto in 1998). This area near the junction of Highway 401 and McCowan Road is unofficially known as (Scarborough's/Toronto's) "Chinatown North".
 
http://www.tvarchive.ca/database/16882/e.n.g/episode_guide/

Episode Guide - E.N.G (Series) (1989-1994)

Pilot (2hrs) - The personal lives of a Toronto news team become intertwined with the stories they report. Guest Stars: Maria del Mar (Martha Antonelli), Yari Azzropardi (Jeff), Lawrence Dane (Mayor Dane)



Season One


Special Segment- As extended "special segments", Terri investigates a medical malpractise suit and Dan interviews a father who kidnapped his own children. When both features fall through, Janice has an idea for a construction story. Jake has problems coping after returning from being shot, flubbing several shots, including one at the construction site when Dan has to pull him back from the edge. Mike Fennell's 15 yr old daughter, Carrie runs away from her mother in Vancouver to live with Mike, who again has little time for her, so she runs away from him. Guest Stars: Amber Lee Weston (Carrie Fennell)

Forests of the Night - Jake's son, Jeff (7 yrs or so) is beaten up by a school gang, whose leader, Sean- a tough 14 yr old with an attitude- also threatens Jake. Terri uses Jeff to get an interview with Sean, over Jake's strenuous objections to Ann (Ann: "we have to separate our professional and private lives"). When Bobbie is roughed up by the gang after shooting, Jake demands the right to film the next meeting for Terri -a rumble with another young gang - in order to prove that he, too can keep things separate. But Jake loses his temper when Sean boasts of how the fight was staged just for the camera. After Terri's "arty" treatment of the gang piece is aired, she gets a call from the rival gang; they have beaten Sean to death. Guest Stars: Maria del Mar (Martha Antonelli), Nial Lancaster (Jeff), Jaimz Woolvett (Sean)

Your Place or Mine - A tanker carrying toxic solvent overturns and Jake and Dan are first on the scene. A visiting NY network reporter, David Foxman (former flame of Ann's while both were in TV in Swift Current), borrows Jake to do some "dirty big close-ups", and almost gets both of them killed when the tanker explodes. Foxman takes Ann to dinner and offers her a job as his field producer. Jake tips off Mike, and Kyle negotiates to keep her. Ann is suspicious about the tanker contents, and Terri discovers it is an illegal nerve gas being dumped in Canada. Ann realizes that Foxman must have known about it and turns down his offer. Jake's confidence in himself is restored. Guest Stars: Gordon Thomson (David Foxman), Jeannie Elias (Helen Sherman)

Dirty Trick - Terri's secret source reveals that Suzanne Gerschen, a squeaky-clean candidate for mayor, was once in a drug rehab program. She then publically admits it, although the circumstances were innocent. Mike finds out that the story was purposefully leaked to Channel 10 by her campaign manager (Norton), an old friend of Mike's. Dan and Jake uncover a garbage contract scandal linked to the mayor. Gerschen fires Norton, but narrowly wins anyway. Guest Stars: Ron White (Patrick Norton), Deborah Grover (Suzane Gerschen), Lawrence Dane (Mayor Dane)

The Chilling Effect - A brilliant (though unstable) geneticist and former university pal of Ann's gives her a confused lead on some classified "bugs" he stumbled on while working at a lab with US military contracts. Janice finds that the papers contain plans for a black plague weapon. At a second midnight meeting, a paranoid Nicky gives Ann a locked box he says contains the virius, which is later stolen (by Nicky?) from Ann's apartment as she and Jake sleep. CSIS and the RCMP have had Nicky under survaillance and they search the station. Nicky finally agrees to film his accusations, but by the time Ann returns with Jake, Nick has shot himself. Guest Stars: David Ferry (Nick Seville), Martin Doyle (Dr. Blythe)

Running with the Pack - Ann's father comes for a visit and expects her to drop everything. While assigned to a nursing home inquiry, Dan and Jake follow a stolen car "chop shop" story. Terri finds out and tells Mike, who suspends Dan. Dan and Jake shoot the shop story and the arrests the next morning, but Mike is still angry. Dan realizes he was wrong and gives Terri a tip on the nursing home inquiry. Ann realizes her father is lonely and takes time off to be with him. Guest Stars: Jan Rubes (Arno Hildebrandt, Ann's father)

Catch a Falling Star - A high-profile female reporter, formerly with a drug problem, joins the staff. She starts off with a child sexual abuse story, using Janice to get an interview with a troubled 14 yr old victim. The reluctant girl is tricked by the reporter, and when she asks that the film not be shown, the reporter falls apart and goes back to drugs. Meanwhile, Jake and Dan cover a low-rent neighbourhood overrun by drug dealers and the woman who is leading the local fight.

A Tangled Web - (Dec 7, 1989) - Oh my Jake, what a mess! Martha is pregnant, and when Jake gets a restraining order to halt Martha's abortion, the news goes public and Ann is the last to know! Relations cool somewhat... Guest Stars: Maria del Mar (Martha Antonelli)

A Brief Madness - Bobbie is jealous that Jake gets all the best assignments. Deciding that it is because everyone thinks she is not strong enough, she joins a gym and begins working out and taking steroids. The steroids begin to alter her personality, and one morning she blows up at Jake in the newsroom. By coincidence, Mike has joined the same gym and begins to get suspicious of injections he sees the trainer giving some of the regulars, including Bobbie. When Mike confronts Bobbie, she confesses and he gets her to agree to stop. Mike, Bobbie, and Jake plan a sting operation to film the gym trainer selling the steriods. Jane is attacked in the station parking lot after hours, but initially does not want to come to terms with its emotional effect on her.

Till Death Us Do Part - Dan is eager to cover a wife-beating story because he is involved with her. But are the threats she is receiving, real? Guest Stars: Sheila McCarthy , Barbara Hamilton (Christy Callwood)

Striking Out - Janice moonlights at a garment sweatshop in hopes of finding a story herself. She finds (surprise!) unsafe working conditions and unfair labour practices. Mike is not convinced of the novelty of the story, until she tells him they wish to decertify their own union, whom they accuse of not arguing their case. Janice receives a temporary upgrade to reporter and interviews some of the employees, who are anxious to have their story told. But when the employees walk out (at Janice's suggestion), and are then fired for breach of contract, their anger turns on Janice. Dan and Jake re-create the heroics of a police officer dubbed "supercop", who reportedly rescued a man from a burning building while pursuing a suspect. However, no one can now find "supercop" for an interview - even the police don't know where he is. Mike hates the idea, but it over-ruled by Kyle. Channel 4 uncovers the real story - while Channel 10 is "playing Hollywood" - that the officer let the suspect escape and may have helped commit the crime himself. During a strange storm, the weather office reports 163 UFO sitings. Jane interviews a couple who have a bizarre account of bee-like alien visitors, but when Jane brings Ann back to meet them, the couple have disappeared.

False Fire - Despite the fact Dan has been following the story of work-related accidents at various Kilgour Construction sites, Terri gets several anonymous tips which put her first on the scene. Dan complains to Ann who tells Terri to leave the story to Dan, but Terri claims she does not know what the tip is about until she gets there. When Bobbie is hurt by one of the explosions, Jake is sent out with Terri. He gets suspicious when Terri suddenly switches assignments as they drive - Terri has been keeping secret a bomb tip-off! Jake calls the police in the nick of time. Dan thinks Kilgour is sabatoging his own worksites because he can't deliver the buildings on time. Terri thinks the union is behind the accidents because Kilgour got an injunction against the union. When Terri meets her source, she realizes that he has been setting up the accidents then tipping her off as a way of getting her attention. Scared because they still don't know who the source is and because her husband is out of town, Terri spends the night at Ann's apartment. When the police phone tap doesn't pick up Terri's next tip, Jake and Mike figure out the problem: the calls are coming from within the station. At the same time, Terri is commiserating with one of the studio camera operators when he starts revealing his obsession with her. She realizes that he is the nutcase, and despite a bang on the head, he escapes. Meanwhile, Seth gets the idea of standing while delivering the news. He sees it as a way of "breaking the barrier" with the viewers. Kyle is interested and hires two kooky marketing people, Jim and Jules, to do on-camera tests and market studies. Guest Stars: Harry Ditson (Inspector Sangalli), Harvey Atkin (Kilgour), David Gow and Rob Kristoff

Otherwise Inflicted - During the course of following an ambulance for a day, Jake directs the drivers to bring a man who has amputated his fingers in an accident, to a hospital which is full. An ambulance-chasing lawyer gets the man to sue the station and Jake. Terri cons the victim into confessing that he deliberately cut off his fingers for the disability insurance. Carrie returns to show a worried Mike that she can take care of herself. Guest Stars: Amber Lea Weston (Carrie Fennell), Ron Lea (Frank), Diego Matamoros (Peter)

All Things Betray Thee - (Feb 15, 1990) - Ann finds Janice dead of an overdose of sleeping pills, while she had been working on a series about refugees and their success stories. Her brother Clarke Roberts, a reporter fired in Florida for faking a source, investigates and turns up a refugee smuggling ring, of which Janice and her boyfriend were a part. Mike hires Clarke over Ann's objections. The annual job evaluations are conducted by Ann, and Marge enlists Ann's help when she believes she is a victim of pay inequity. Guest Stars: Clark Johnson (Clarke Roberts)

Into Darkness - Jake and Dan film a welfare hotel which is about to be demolished. The foreman decks Jake when the former is caught by the camera. Jake "adopts" Kevin, a mildly retarded resident of the hotel who has an aptitude for electronics. Jane asks Mike to volunteer at a hospital charity slave auction. Mike is "bought" by Bridget Halliday, the rich, female developer who owns the hotel and who is sueing Channel 10 for trespass (they get along really well!). Clarke discovers that the foreman (who turns out to be Halliday's father) is an IRA suspect hiding from five murder charges, and that the hotel may be being used to smuggle arms. The Hydro strike plunges everyone into darkness, even Ann's birthday dinner with Jake (who brings Kevin along). Guest Stars: Jennifer Dale (Bridget Halliday)

The Souls of Our Heroes - (Mar 1, 1990) - A Chinese reporter-intern who was at Tiananmen Square finds fault with Clark's interview with a Hong Kong businessman who denies the massecure. Dan and Jake convince him to make a statement, despite the risk to himself and his family in China. Arlene, a high school friend of Ann's, arrives with two small children in tow after leaving her husband , but later returns to him after a taste of Ann's life in the big city.

Ghosts - J.C. hires Martha as a temporary researcher, a job she held before she married Jake. Jake thinks it is a test by Ann, but Ann didn't realize who J.C. was going to hire and she is upset, too - especially when she sees Jake asking Martha out to dinner. Clarke convinces Mike that there is something sinister happening when a Florida representative (the same one Clarke accused of KKK membership) rents a cottage north of the city. Mike assigns Terri and Bobbi to help/watch him. The interview goes well until Clarke starts pressing Gale for details of his right-wing associations. On the way home, Clarke, Terri, and Bobbi are forced off the road and Clarke is injured. Guest Stars: Maria del Mar (Martha Antonelli), Jim Beardon (Harrison Gale)

Fools Rush In - (Mar 15, 1990) - Dan and Jake cover a $20 million lottery winner who wants to give away his winnings to anyone with a new invention. He decides to give the exclusive to CTLS, if Dan will help him interview potential inventors. The station is swamped with crazies. Terri and Bobbi investigate the pop star head of Afri-Can (a British based charity) who has destroyed the inside of a small restaurant. Guest Stars: Heath Lambert (Lyle Magee), Paul Hyde (Gunner), Barry Flatman (Thaxton)

Victims - Ann accidently hits an elderly bag-lady with her car, and tries to find out who she is.

Division of Labour - The reporters are locked out by Kyle, leaving Ann and Mike to cover the news, and Jake caught in the middle. A woman, in whose town a landfill is slated to be built, appeals to Ann to let her have her say on air. When Kyle has to anchor the 6 O'Clock News, he halts the lock out. Guest Stars: Frances Hyland

Line of Fire - Returning from a high school career day, Ann and Jake are caught in sniper fire. Jake enters the building and films the sniper first shooting a man, then turning the gun on himself. Despite almost everyone else's feelings to the contrary (including Jake's), Mike demands the airing of all of the unedited film, and the story behind the shooting slowly comes out. Guest Stars: Peter Read (Mr. Grogan), Marcia Bennett (Mrs. Grogan)

Crossroads - Peter Lynn, a former newspaper-reporter boyfriend of Ann's and now involved in an international aid group, makes statements against Kyle's new charity. Jake discovers that Ann has seen Lynn without telling him. When they argue in Ann's office the new day, Jane accidently bursts in, hearing all. Marge accepts a gig at a nightclub and ponders whether to go on a singing tour.

In Love and War - An old navy buddy of Mike's is now running a paintball warehouse, and wants some positive coverage. But when Dan spots a local hood on the grounds, he gets suspicious. Jane's ex-husband sues for custody of their two children.

Traitors All - CTLS is under a take-over threat and everyone seems to have a secret.



Season Two


Word of Mouth - Yet another disastrous 11 o'clock news cast has Mike making major shift changes: Jake and Mac are put on the night shift, and Ann must double as producer of the 6 O'Clock News. The director of a downtown drop-in centre, where Mike and Carrie help out, is accused of taking advantage of several of the teenage girls who use it. Mike does not believe this, until Carrie reveals that he has approached her too. Guest Stars: Amber Lee Weston (Carrie Fennell)

Malicious Intent - Kyle's nephew, newly graduated from journalism school, tries to make a name for himself, but gets Dan and his informant hurt during a trucker's strike. Morgan unearths a story concerning a former love of Fennell's

The Dancer and the Dance - Mac, Jane, Seth, and John Elman suspect J.C. of race gambling when they hear him on the phone to his bank manager and find racing forms on his desk, but he is trying to buy a horse, fulfilling a life-long ambition. Terri and Bobbi cover the expensive gallery acquisition of a contraversial painting, and are suspisciously present when it is ruined by a performance artist. Jake films a rock video for pop singer Jaz Taylor, an old girlfriend who is trying to come-back after a drug scandal. When Ann shows up at the wrap party, she seems surprised at the praise that Jake is receiving, and annoyed when Jaz tells her that Jake is an artist who needs a woman to give him "a good kick in the butt" to make him decide what he wants to do. On her way out of the party (alone, at 11:15pm), Ann meets Nancy Chou, the naive young woman just recently moved to Metro from a smaller city, who plays the dancer in the video. Later that night Jake returns from the party, drunk, and accuses Ann of not being supportive of what makes him happy. Ann is cool: "I was wondering how all this would affect you. So far I'm not impressed." The next day Ann sees Nancy identified on a news report as a junkie who has been found dead of an overdose. Believing that Nancy was not a junkie, and that there could be a story, she asks Dan to investigate. When Dan and Jake interview Jaz and her manager, she says Nancy left the party at 11pm. Mike tells Dan to forget the story, but Ann argues that Dan did not push hard enough, and Jake accuses Ann of trying to put the blame on Jaz. That evening Jake tries to explain to Ann that filming the video has given him a new avenue for a creativity he didn't know he had; that he enjoys "creating a new world that didn't exist before", "painting with light and shadows". Ann accuses him of trying to escape the real world. Jake asks Mike the next morning for two weeks leave to do more videos for Jaz, but he start to feel uneasy when Dan reveals that Nancy's body was moved, and a studio crew member tells him he saw Nancy stoned at the party at 2 am. He and Ann borrow the security parking lot tape and find that Jaz practically carried Nancy out just after 2 am. When Jake confronts Jaz with this evidence, she admits to giving her the overdose and taking her home to sleep it off, rather than to a hospital, because she was afraid what the drug-related publicity would do to her new career. Guest Stars: Wendel Meldrum (Jaz Taylor), Sam Malkin (Michael Walsh), Lisa LaCroix (Nancy Chou, the "Dancer")

Scratches on a Plaster Wall - (Sep 27, 1990) - Jake is obsessed with a 150 yr old house scheduled for demolition, in which he went for piano lessons as a boy. Ann's favourite aunt is dying and she asks Mike to substitute for a preoccupied Jake, as her boyfriend. The aunt however is not taken in; Ann's "type" has never been like Mike.

Bones - On a slow news day, Dan and Jake are assigned to cover the award ceremony for a 96 year old veteran, but enroute they hear a garbled police call. Observing the scene from a distance (behind a fence), Jake's telephoto picks out something long and white being loaded into body bags by homocide detectives. The police however, will not issue a statement. Meanwhile Terri thinks she has a great story: a corrupt provincial minister receiving bribes. But when she brings the source into the studio, the woman is discovered to be an unstable former girlfriend of the minister ; suddenly there is a 4 minute hole in the 6 O'Clock News. Back at the station, an extreme magnification of the white objects suggests they might be bones. Dan's attempt to make a lead story out of a stand-up full of speculation, some indistinct long shots of digging, and a "no comment" from the police, produces a feeding frenzy of reporters at the scene, each speculating anew. Terri sees a forensics expert on a competing broadcast state that soil conditions are the determining factor in dating bones, and films a piece claiming the bones could be 6 months old. This produces worried parents of a runaway wondering if the body might be that of their daugther. When they visit the site and talk to Jake, he phones Ann. WhenTerri reveals "her" forensics source, Ann threatens to fire her on the spot. After taping Dan's latest stand-up in which he mentions that it might be the work of a serial murderer, Jake reminds Dan that they have only seen a few bones, and that there is no evidence for any of their wild speculations. Considering this Dan contacts a forensic friend who reveals that only leg and arm bones have been found, and a bit more research finds that more than 60 years ago there was a hospital nearby, and that it had been the custom to bury amputated limbs. Dan airs this story, chastising the media (including himself) for wild speculation without evidence. However, Terri's story has a happy ending, as the missing daughter has seen her worried parents on TV, and calls to reasure them. Unfortunately, the old veteran did not live long enough to receive his medal, and Dan and Jake must cover his funeral.

Payment in Kind - Due to a change in payroll handling, everyone's pay cheque is first late, then confused. Jake's mortage is up for renewal, the house needs a new basement, and Martha wants him to accept money from her father. Mike's wife visits from Vancouver, perhaps willing to try again, but is killed by a drunken dentist who easily gets out on bail. Mike asks Terri to cover the story, but he will not allow an objective view. Guest Stars: Maria del Mar (Martha Antonelli), Amber Lee Weston (Carrie Fennell)

Ripples in a Pond - Ann's idea of a story on careless gun sales backfires as a corner store attendant is shot with a gun she purchased using Jake's gun permit. Ann and Jake are arrested. ("Maybe they'll give us congugal visits...?" Jake says to cheer up Ann.)

All in the Game - Ann and Mike travel to a broadcaster's conference. At Jake's high school reunion, his old wrestling coach bullys him into taking on his new protegee, with disasterous results.

Force of Reason - Sportscaster John Elmon tells Jake that a star football player, who has pleaded foodpoisoning as the reason he had to miss a key game, was really drunk, but Elmon will not use his influence to get the players to talk about it. When Elmon relents, because he has himself been down that same road, and Dan interviews players from another team who saw him drunk, the team closes ranks and none of the players will give them any kind of interview. After a newscast in which the line director, Steve Kurtz, mocks the others in the control room and sneers openly at Ann's authority, Ann is attacked and beaten in the station parking lot. Jake discovers her, takes her to the hospital, then home. The next day, bruised and with cracked ribs (?), she talks to Kurtz about his behavior towards his co-workers and her the previous night. He as much as admits to attacking her, and threatens to repeat it if ever she again "challenges" his authority in the control room. Shaken, she tells Mike, who tells Jake, who goes looking for Kurtz. Finally tracking Kurtz down in a deserted hallway, Jake demands that he face someone who can fight back, and hits him a few times before Mike appears to break things up. Mike calls the police, but after questioning by the police and a call to his girlfriend for an alibi, it becomes Ann's word against Kurtz's, and he is not detained. "Maybe you just misunderstood him", they say. Alone at the station that night and later at home (Jake is babysitting his kids), Ann receives mystery phone calls, and the next day Kurtz threatens her in private. Ann decides to fight back and arranges with Mac to have to override a Kurtz direction during that night's newscast. As she walks to her car, Kurtz jumps Ann, but this time Jake is filming the attack and Mike is there to pull Kurtz away.

Duffy, Bok, & Flann - Jane's dog (Duffy) is stolen, a former mob boss (Bok) is discovered, and a colourful TV handyman (Flann) is hired to boost ratings. Guest Stars: Bruno Gerruci (Flann)

A Long Way From Hopeful - Dan and Jake are convinced that the high levels of contamination in the local water are coming from illegal disposal of mercury from a battery factory. An angry, confused native girl appears at the station demanding that Ann find her birth mother. Guest Stars: Michelle St. John

A Wing and a Prayer - While on the way back from filming in northern Ontario, the light plane carrying Mike, Jake and reporter Shelley Grossman crashes in the bush. The pilot is killed, Shelley dies of her injuries, and Mike (with a head wound) and Jake argue over the best course of action. The station hires a new reporter, Barbara Harris, who was once involved with Dan. Guest Stars: Barbara Harris (Barbara Cole)

In the Blood - Jake films the daily journal of a man dying of AIDS. Marge, Terri, and Bobbi investigate the "miracle" of a bleeding statue of the Virgin Mary. Guest Stars: Maria del Mar (Martha Antonelli), Colin Doyle (Jeff Antonelli)

Seeing is Believing - A black community activist is shot at a meeting while Jake was filming him, but Marge realizes that he may not have been the intended victim. The station races against time to find the gunman before the 6 O'clock News is over.

Lest You Be Judged - Jake's mildly retarded friend Kevin asks Jake to co-sign an apartment lease for himself and his new girlfriend. Jane's test for the 11 o'clock anchor is immencely popular, despite some "clowning around", and the job is hers. Seth is only a little threatened. Arriving back early from an outing with his kids, Jake discovers Dan with Martha. Guest Stars: Maria del Mar (Martha Antonelli)

Tyger, Tyger

Up On the Roof - Ann's friend Arlene leaves her family, moves in with Ann and Jake, and tries to make a go of it in "the big city". Ann convinces Christy Callwood to hire Arlene as a researcher. Guest Stars: Barbara Hamilton (Christy Callwood)

Past Imperfect - ["The Flashback Show"] While returning in fog from looking at a house in the country, Jake and Ann end up in a ditch. While a farmer and Jake haul the Jeep out, the friendly babble of the farmer's wife causes Ann to remember how she and Jake started their relationship. Meanwhile, the station is fogged in and Bobbi and Marge make a tape for Ann's birthday of everyone's memories of her start at CTLS five years ago. Guest Stars: Maria del Mar (Martha Antonelli)

Lip Service - Terri investigates "phone sex" and uncovers a police scandal. Dan goes undercover as a male escort. Ann and Jake "go public". [Dan's jaw drops to the floor and Terri's eyes get big as saucers.]

Suffer the Little Children - Ann and Jake host a party at her apartment, but Jake has to leave (Bobbi was too drunk to go) to cover the suicide of a teenage boy in his old tenement block. Guest Stars: Barbara Hamilton (Christy Callwood), Gina Wilkinson (Gina Patrini), George Touliatos (Joe Patrini), Beverley Murray (Talia Timmerman)



Season Three


Ways and Means - As a result of Provincial budget cuts Elliot loses his teaching job, and Terri reacts with contempt ("so what do you want me to do about it?"). She is more interested in Clark's continuing attention. Jake suggests to Ann that they buy a house together. ("Are you thinking?" Jake asks... "I'm thinking", Ann replies every time they pass each other the next day.) Mike gets a tip from a female judge friend, and he sends Terri and Bobbi to her juvenile court. They are just in time to see the judge give custody of a cherubic-looking ~7 yr old boy to the Minister of Social Services because, due to budget cuts, there are no supervised homes to which to send him. Clarke Roberts finds that there was indeed one space, but the judge chose to give custody to the Minister as a comment on the budget cuts. He also accuses Mike of being in on the whole thing, and a scandal erupts. Clark and Terri do more digging and find that the Minister and the judge cooked up the whole thing together, and both are forced to resign. Terri reluctantly returns to Elliot after an argument. Jake gives Ann a book on Victorian houses to help her decide.

Picnic - Ann finally decides on a house and Jake is overjoyed. They arrange to put in a bid with the real estate agent. "So, what's next?" Dan asks Jake in the jeep, "Are you going to marry the boss?" "Maybe... We'll see...", answers Jake with a grin. Ann is obviously not so sure, and as the news of the house spreads around the station, her conversation with Jane shows her continued hesitation at commitment. When the realtor arrives at Ann's office to sign the papers, Jake is ready with the cheque, champagne in hand, but Ann panics and backs out. Jake is furious, and stomps off. He returns later and quietly asks Ann to explain. She replies, "I've lived alone most of my adult life, and buying a house with someone is a really big step." She says she wants things to continue the way they have been. "Do you love me, Ann?", Jake asks. For a reply, she kisses him. That is not good enough for Jake, and he takes it as a negative. Disappointed, angry, and frustrated, he leaves Ann's office. Meanwhile, Elliot tells Terri he has a teaching job in a rural community north of Metro. Terri laughs in his face when he suggests she come with him. ("And what do you want me to do... quit my job and live in the bush?") Terri is investigating a tip that the director of a local food the day, and argues with Jake over her approach to the director's interview. Channel 7 is sponsoring a broadcasters' baseball game to benefit the same food bank, and a professional pitcher who is making a "come-back" has agreed to play. Dan annoys Mike with his "ageing baby-boomers unwilling to give up their youth" approach to the story. Mike insists "What do you mean, ageing? He's a year younger than I am!" When Terri's story airs, support for the game dwindles, and very few people show up. At the field, Elliot pleads with Terri again, but Terri tells him to go up north by himself, that they are through. Jake again confronts Terri saying theat her story is the reason no one has come to the benefit game. Terri breaks into tears and runs into the woods. Jake is surprised that his words have had such an effect, and follows to apologize. He finds her sobbing, and she tells him that Elliot has just dumped her. Jake softens, and tries to console her, confiding that Ann has just "chickened out" of buying a house, and that he feels rejected, too. Terri brightens at this, and suddenly she is coyly flirting with Jake. Meanwhile, Ann is asking Jane for advice. She seems to be having second thoughts about backing out of the house deal, or at least with doing it so suddenly, and is worried about Jake's reaction. They start walking through the woods, and come across Terri and Jake, now semi-clothed.... The next day at the station, everyone seems to know about Terri and Jake. [How did they find out?] While Jake is at Ann's apartment to collect his things, Ann arrives, and they have a very heated argument. "How could you do that to me?" Ann asks. "It just happened," Jake shrugs, " Don't things ever just happen to you?" "You just happened", says Ann softly. "And you've been regretting it ever since, haven't you?" snaps Jake. Ann doesn't seem to understand how much the buying of a house together meant to Jake. She almost seems willing to take him back, if only everyone didn't know about the Terri incident. Jake, however, has had it. "I've never gotten what I wanted!" Later, back at the station, when Ann tells Mike that she and Jake are through, Mike can barely keep in his joy. Ann is not in the mood for this, and leaves alone. Guest Stars: Robert Wisden (Elliot Morgan), Booth Savage (Tex Yeager)

Illuminations - J.C.'s drinking is starting to worry everyone, and Ann, Mike, and Kyle try to convince him to get counselling, but he is insulted and will not agree. Terri and Bobbi cover a performance artist who announces he will publically kill and eat a rat. To add to Jake's black mood, there is friction between himself and Dan, as Jake is convinced Dan is having too much influence on Jake's children. Dan and Jake interview a welfare mother who did not report the disappearance of her 6 yr old daugther, Didi, for 12 hours. The interview (for which Jake slipped the woman $100) does not come off well, and Mrs. Block appears uncaring. Back at the station, Ann confronts Jake over paying for the interview and it degenerates into a public shouting match over their relationship. Later, Jake apologises to Mike and asks to try a less structured approach with Mrs. Block as he believes she does care about Didi, but is hiding it. Mike reluctantly agrees to Jake's plan, but Dan is angry when he hears that Jake has gone behind his back with Dan's story. The softer approach works and the new interview is a success, but the detective soon arrives with the bad news - the little girl has been found dead. Guest Stars: Diane Douglass (Mrs. Block), Denis Forest (Axel Wolfschmidt), Philip Williams (detective), Alison Sealy-Smith (Rose)

Secrets - A gay rights activist threatens to expose gay and lesbian public figures if they do not themselves come forward, and Mac is worried that his family and co-workers will reject him. After revealing his secret to his only brother, an overnight visit by his young nephews is suddenly cancelled. Distraught, Mac attempts suicide by pumping the exhaust from one of the Jeeps inside the cab. A fire [???] results, and Ann discovers him in the garage and realizes what he is doing. Meanwhile, Dan and Jake cover a runaway boy who is hiding in the storm sewers. When a thunderstorm breaks, Jake goes in after him, bringing the boy out through the rapidly rising water. Hearing of Jake's risky deed, and still contemplating Mac's suicide attempt (about which she tells no one), Ann asks Jake for a truce. When Mac phones his mother to tell her of his homosexuality, he finds that she already knew.

Smoke and Mirrors - When Lionel Hirsch, an aging rich developer donates a huge sum of money to a college, Dan and Jake dig into his past and find that he may have been responsible for a tennement fire which resulted in several deaths. They also discover that Mike was the reporter who broke the fire story, and that the old man still bears a grudge. By coincidence [!], Ann meets Lionel's son Adam at a communications show. Dan uncovers that the old man has since made restitution with some of the survivors. Ann convinces Adam to arrange a meeting with his father, and the elder Hirsch's extreme remorse is revealed. Guest Stars: Victor Garber (Adam Hirsch), John Colicos (Lionel Hirsch)

Intruders - (Dec 5, 1991) - Jake shoots an old man rescuing a woman's stolen purse. When it airs, citizens declare the man a hero. However, his identity is soon revealed as a killer of four young children, recently released from prison after serving 35 years. Dan covers a talk by a UFOlogist, and discovers Marge believes she was abducted. Ann and Adam begin their relationship - Jake is puzzled, but Mike is angry ("It should be me!"). Guest Stars: Victor Garber (Adam Hirsch)

Pirates - Adam makes an immigration deal with a murdering sheik to release the hostage father of an old girlfriend. Jake's black marketeer friend Eddy makes things at the station interesting for a short time - until his creditors turn up! Guest Stars: Victor Garber (Adam Hirsch)

Two for the Show - After a teenager is found shot in a school locker, Dan is befriended by another boy who claims to know who did it. Adam approaches Mike to buy Channel 10 for him. Guest Stars: Victor Garber (Adam Hirsch), Gary Farmer (detective)

The Sleep of Reason - Dan and Jake film college studens' reaction to a professor's racist book. New station owner Hirsch, convinces Dan to call a white supremacist group. In the resulting confrontation, a black student is hit in the face and Clarke Roberts (Channel 7) cuts his tape making it look like Dan hit the student. Because of the public outcry, Hirsch fires Dan, but Jake shows the student all of Clark's tape, and the student makes a statement on air that it was an accident. Terri and Bobbi cover the escape of a jaguar in a residential area. Hirsch orders live remote "break-ins", and they falsely report the big cat eating a dog and a boy before the jaguar is caught. Mike reinstates Dan, but Hirsch is angry that he's been made to look a fool. Ann ends her relationship with Hirsch and Jake cheers, saying she deserves better. Guest Stars: Victor Garber (Adam Hirsch)

Final Cut - Adam starts a eye-witness news contest offering $10,000 for the best amateur news video. One viewer's tape seems to implicate an "honest" alderman in a protection racket. When Dan confronts the alderman with the tape, he admits it, and later shoots himself. Terri and Adam turn a light plane crash into an IRA bomb plot (without any evidence), ruining the small airplane charter company. When things get too hot for Adam, he leaves Channel 10 to Kyle. Guest Stars: Victor Garber (Adam Hirsch)

Double Vision - Mike's old newspaper mentor is now living on the streets, but is convinced that he has uncovered the scandal of the century. Dan and Jake find out the truth, while Mike discovers his friend is a schizophrenic. Terri interviews a modern-day witch and discovers the feminist movement. Kyle invites Lloyd Robertson to vivit Channel 10. Guest Stars: Lloyd Robertson (himself)

The Best Defence - Dan sneaks a revolver and a stick of dynamite by airport security and in an interview one of the security guards initially makes a statement declaring the security company is sloppy. This is denied by the company and he is fired. Dan and Jake are arrested. J.C.'s drinking increases until it affects his work and Mike suspends him. The stress of her job and recent events in her personal life finally catches up to Ann, in the form of several "stress attacks", the last of which is serious enough to call the hospital. Jake and Jane notice the change in Ann, and Jane recommends her analyist. Ann meets with the analyist after the shock of the final attack, and gradually works out her fears of growing older and being alone. J.C. has an accident while drunk and is paralyzed from the waist down.

Public Enemy - While brooding at a bar over the possible departure to Ottawa of his ex-wife Martha and his children, Jake notices that the waitress looks like an escaped American ex-stripper convicted of murdering her rich husband. He chases after her and agrees to hide her in a motel and retreive her money and fake passport from the bar. The next morning when Jake returns to the bar , he finds the police but no money. Missy claims she is innocent of the murder and Jake films her making a statement. When he drops the tape off anonymously at the station, CTLS airs the statement, attracting the American detective who originally caught her. The motel manager gets suspicious, so Jake hides her in Dan's cottage, where she is quickly arrested. Missy's private investigator shows up and leaves Ann and Mac his case files. Ann finds medical evidence of Missy's physical abuse by her husband and shows Jake, who realizes he has been had, but after Missy escapes, he gives her the fake passport he bought for her anyway. Martha takes the job in Ottawa, leaving Jeff to live with Jake for the rest of his academic year. Guest Stars: Cali Timmins (Missy Playfair)

True Patriot Love - In the midst of the Royal Commission hearings on the Constitution, Carrie has returned from Vancouver with Nehru, a rapping college DJ. She accuses Mike of wanting to always be in control of everyone. As a response to Hirsch's demand for a younger approach to the news (and to Carrie's appearance?), Mike hires Nehru for a no-holds-barred patriotic youth spot on the 6 O'Clock News. After initial positive response, Mike agrees to a live shoot. Nehru secretly kidnaps the Commission chairman, then during the live segment, has Jake film him reading the "kidnappers'" demands. In the control room, Mac and Ann realize what Nehru has done and the live feed is cut off, but Jake gets a statement from the Commissioner, who is not pressing charges. But perhaps Mike has won the control battle, as Nehru ponders whether he should ask Mike for another chance. (Jake finally gives in to Terri.) Guest Stars: Victor Garber (Adam Hirsch), Amber Lea Weston (Carrie Fennell), Peter Williams (Nehru Phillips), Michael Smith (himself)

Child's Play - Terri's estranged husband, Elliot, returns and wants to try again, but Terri is not interested as her relationship with Jake has "hotted up". Elliot gets the job helping J.C. (who is back in a wheelchair, and grumpier than ever). A beautiful recruiter for IBN tries to seduce Mike into leaving Channel 10; succeeding in the first, but failing the second task. After Jeff (now about 10) is involved in a fight at school, his teacher seeks Jake's permission to have both of them see a psychologist. Jake thinks the teacher is overreacting and refuses. Mike thinks Terri's education story needs to take a different tack, so she researches an unaired story on a teacher with a contraversial pilot project. Terri and Jake go for an interview, and ..... it's Jeff's teacher! Jake doesn't like what he hears about her methods and topics, so he withdraws Jeff from the class. Jeff runs away. After a frantic night of searching, Jake discovers that Jeff has returned to the teacher at the school. She shows Jake a role-playing video in which Jeff says that he "knows" his father doesn't love him or have time for him. Hurt and ashamed, Jake vows to make more time. Guest Stars: Robert Wisden (Elliot Morgan), Lisa Howard (Rebecca Kenyan), Colin Doyle (Jeff Antonelli), Martin Doyle (Mr. Daly)

Acid Test - Terri and Bobbi investigate two shady undertakers- father and son- who hate each other and each accuse the other of cheating their clients. Elliot is becoming unhinged and puts pressure on Terri to start again, despite her ignoring him and flaunting her relationship with Jake in his face. While Terri and Bobbi are filming a stand-up in the station parking lot, "someone" throws a skin-polishing liquid in Terri's face. Terri has obviously seen who it was, but won't tell... why not? Mac and Jake take over the undertaker story, using a woman's body from a public nursing home, and Ann's high school jewelry. After a night of secretly filming Mac's newly embalmed "Mom", the undertaker's fraud is detected. However, the next of kin do show up just as Mac confronts the undertakers, and Ann doesn't get her jewelry back. Meanwhile, Terri goes back to work with a (temporarily) scarred face and Elliot tells her how much more she needs him now. Terri agrees to let Elliot take her home (Jake is working). In the parking lot, Terri confronts Elliot telling him she know that it was he who threw the acid. "I am not a victim!", she states as she pulls out a gun and tells him she is going to kill him. Elliot pathetically begs her to take him back, and she cannot pull the trigger [although it really looked as if she might], and she walks away. "I can't live without you", pleads Elliot. Terri turns back and drops the gun into a still kneeling Elliot's hands. As Terri walks away, a gunshot is heard, and Terri smiles. She gives the police a different statement, saying that they argued, but that Elliot brought the gun. Guest Stars: Robert Wisden (Elliot Morgan), Gary Farmer (detective)

Harvest - Terri and Bobbi publicise the plight of the 6 yr old daughter of Mike's navy buddy, who will die without a kidney transplant. They investigate a lead (given to Bobbi by the Romanian lab technician who did the blood work - he thinks he's a vampire) on the sudden appearance of a perfectly matched donor cousin from Brazil. Terri and Mike discover that his friend's doctor is part of a world-wide organisation, dealing in the buying and selling (not always voluntary) of human organs, and that the "cousin" is a poor street teenager being paid for his kidney. Mike decides to run the story, despite the fact that the girl's operation will be cancelled as a result. Everyone else in the newsroom (except J.C.) wants Mike to hold the story until after the operation, and a mutiny results. Mike prevails, the story is aired, the operation is cancelled, and it looks like the girl will die, until she is taken out of the hospital by her parents and the doctor and flown to Brazil. Ann's father visits, and she discovers that he has had a series of small brain seizures, which have left him confused and unable to care for himself. She contemplates putting him into a nursing home vs. caring for him herself. Guest Stars: Jan Rubes (Arno Hildebrandt), Chuck Shamata (Vince Fonseca), Patrick Galligan (Nicholas), Tedde Moore (Dr. Holtfield)

Pressure - When the Fairbridge Corporation begins to consider moving to Buffalo (with a loss of 10,000 jobs) if they don't get a provincial tax break, and ex-pimp, convicted murderer Jimmy Brooker is released from prison, the 10 yr old scandal of the Jackson St. Strip resurfaces. While working for Channel 5 ten yrs ago, Ann had covered the story and knew the people involved. A prostitute, Lisa LaRoche, had been found dead and Brooker had been arrested for her murder, despite an alibi given by his girlfriend Stacey Manson. When Brooker suddenly changed his plea to guilty, his girlfriend disappeared before giving evidence. The murder had been used by then Attorney General Sandy Ferguson, as an excuse to bulldoze the Jackson St. area, which was then bought by his friends the Fairbridges who put up a huge office complex called the Fairbridge Centre. When Terri and Jake try to interview Brooker upon his release, he has nothing to say. Ann asks Dan to locate Stacey, who was a drug-addict. Terri tries, in another interview, to push Brooker's arresting officer Cox, by asking about Stacey. A second attempt to interview Brooker finds him dead; a supposed suicide. Meanwhile, Ferguson, who is now a top man in the Fairbridge organization, is pumping his old friend Kyle Copeland for information, claiming that Kyle is on the short-list for Chairman of the prestigious Fairbridge Foundation. Kyle and the Channel 10 lawyers, will not allow mention of the Fairbridges in the CTLS coverage of Brooker's death. Dan locates Stacey, who is willing to make a statement. Mike tells Kyle, and when Clarke Roberts (who is now helping, too) and Terri go to interview Cox, he is killed in front of them in an explosion. Kyle finally realizes that Ferguson has been using him for information, and carries a microphone to their next meeting. Ferguson tells Kyle of his and Cox's involvement in the murders, both ten yrs. ago and now - taped by Jake and Ann. Guest Stars: Colin Fox (Sandy Ferguson), William Colgate (Danny Cox), Donny Burns (Jimmy Brooker)



Season Four


After the Fire - Kyle is in financial trouble over a strip mall, and tries to locate the CTLS tape library in it to improve its occupancy. An astrophysicsist is in town, but the only reporter available to interview him is Mac. Ann muses to Jane that she wishes she had "little voices to come home to". Jane convinces Ann to ask Mike out to dinner, but when she does, every topic turns into an argument and the date is a disaster. Mike does not seem to realize that Ann is giving him the green light. Jake and Dan ride along with two policemen for a day. That evening they answer a call for a burglery. Jake follows one of the officers into a dark alley after a black suspect who is presumed armed. Filming in ambient light, he captures the officer (Marco Fiori) pursuing the man, and Marco shooting him as he tries to escape. When the unedited tape is aired and no weapon was found on the man, the black community charges that the shooting was racial, and that the suspect would have been taken alive if he had been white. When Jake and Dan cover the police press conference, Jake is pressed (on camera) by Clarke Roberts into making a statement. Clarke then edits Jakes words to make it sound as if Jake saw no weapon at the time of the shooting (even though it was too dark and happened too fast). He also enhances the alley footage to make it seem brighter, then shows it in slow motion so the shooting appears deliberate. Mike suspends Jake for opening his mouth and "putting both feet in!". Racial tensions continue to soar after Clarke's interview with the dead man's young family. Jake decides on his own to interview Marco so both sides of the story can be heard. Just as they air this, the police enquiry into the shooting clears Marco, resulting in overnight rioting. Jake wonders privately to Ann if it would not have been better to have switched off the camera before he entered the alley. Guest Stars: Alan Jordan (Captain Richardson), John Bourgeois, Angelo Pedari (Marco Fiori)

Waves - Adam Hirsch's computer company, Computex which is almost ready to market a revolutionary operating system, is in financial trouble and the banks are calling in his loans. The CTLS staff are worried that if Hirsch goes bankrupt, the station's licence will be sold, and all will lose their jobs. This is especially important, as the reporters' and technicians' unions are negotiating new contracts with the station, led by J.C. and Jake. Kyle fears any settlement will be too high, and walks out of the talks. Hirsch is in Ann's apartment when she returns from work (he kept her key!), and asks her to interview him pleading to the provincial government for a loan guarantee so that "the technology does not go the way of the Avro Arrow" [i.e. lost to the country, as the people with the technical knowledge move south to the US]. In the meantime Hirsch appears to be getting money from some unknown source, as the banks had actually made their demands six months previous. Mike and Ann ask Dan to find this source, and he uncovers an off-shore company with only one active member.....Kyle Copeland. When confronted with this, Kyle pleads ignorance, saying that he has signed many papers for Hirsch - some of them blank - because Adam told him to sign. When Copeland investigates the company, he finds that it had been set up to take pension fundsfrom some of Hirsch's companies and redirect them to pay the Computex payroll. Ann and Mike threaten Adam with this information, and Hirsch agrees to no salary cuts or layoffs at the station if they will not make the knowledge public. But he is again confident, for he had another secret deal brewing which only required time to work out; a Japanese investor - Matsuto - has bought Computex, so the pension funds will be repaid, and he is afloat once again. The "patriotic" appeal to the government was just to buy him time. Guest Stars: Victor Garber (Adam Hircsh)

Another Pretty Face - Tessa Vargas, a pretty young free-lance photographer is hired by the station to do a publicity spread on Jake. He is not impressed with this "reverse sexism", but is interested in Tessa. Pressure from a member of the station's board of directors forces CTLS to hire his niece, Kelly Longstreet, an actress who has played a journalist, and who thinks she knows how it should be done. Ann angrily objects, but Mike is resigned to it. He is seriously considering an offer from the European network IBN to run their Paris bureau, and asks Ann to come with him. "And what am I supposed to do... read Paris Match, sit around eating bonbons, going shopping, spending your money?" she replies, insulted. Mike's reply of "You know I'd take care of you...I'd give you the pick of jobs of my staff," only further patronises her, and she angrily leaves. Ann asks Mac to produce a pilot for the new half hour show they will air. Although both Dan and Seth are interested, he asks Jane to host it; the pilot segment is on bungie jumping! Kelly's coverage of a piece on a father who is in arrears for child support turns into theatre when she hires a cute child who can cry on command to replace the homely real one. When Jake tells Mike of the switch, Mike fires Kelly on the spot: "Rule number one: Do NOT fabricate the news!" However Kyle is livid when he hears of this, and Mike is forced to rehire her, not as a reporter, but to do low-key fluff. That evening Mike tries to patch things up with Ann, but she is only interested in remaining friends - nothing more. As she walks to catch a cab, she sees one of the new publicity posters with Jake on it - "CTLS News - Shooting Star". (Is her look just a little wistful?) Guest Stars: Andrea Roth (Tessa Vargas), Lisa Lacroix (Kelly Longstreet), Richard Hardacre (Ron Culver), Cheryl MacInniss (Mrs. Culver)

Heart of the Matter - Kelly is assigned to cover the expensive face-lift to be given City Hall before the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales. But when Bobbi notices a nest of perigrine falcons on the roof of the building, Kelly faxes Buckingham Palace to inform the Prince. When she shows the politely worded reply of concern to the mayor, he immediately takes up the cause of the falcons, and cancels the construction. Mac is enthusiastic about the first Oliver & Co. interviewee, the Canadian Women's Bodybuilding champ, but Jane is dissatisfied with Mac's "concept" of the show. She appeals to Ann and Mike (who is dissinterested; he is waiting for the IBN Paris job to come through), but because Jane has no approach of her own in mind, they tell her to "work it out with Mac". A 12 yr old autistic girl found abandoned on church steps, results in the mother being charged with neglect. When Dan and Jake try to interview the mother, she angrily refuses. Jane is intrigued with why a mother would abandon her child after 12 years, and begs Ann to cover the story for her show. Ignoring Jake's advice in her interviews, Jane's footage of the mother, the doctor in charge of the autistic program from which the child was recently cut due to reduced funding, and the provincial health minister, end in "a big pile of mush". With Mike's help she cobbles together a piece with heart, admitting on air that she has not been successful, and the news staff applaud her first effort. Jane gives Ann two tickets to a concert because she doesn't have time to attend. Her seatmate turns out to be Tom Kennedy, a 40-ish architect who is getting over a divorce. They get along well until Ann makes fun of therapy. Guest Stars: Eugene Robert Glazer (Tom Kennedy), Muget Moreau (Marnie Vale), Suzanne Clutterbuck (Evelyn Vale), Cedric Smith (Dr. Dawson), Negrita Jayde (herself)

The Big Squeeze - Mike is depressed after being passed over by IBN for the Paris job in favour of a younger Belgian. "I used to be the younger man!" he tells Ann. Kelly is pestered by Harvey Weinstein "purveyor of fine fish for over 30 years", who is being cut off by the bank for non-payment of a loan which the bank encouraged him to take out. He hopes publicity will change the bank manager's mind. She tells him that his story is not big enough, that it needs "a hook" to get coverage. So Weinstein takes the bank manager and Kelly hostage, while demanding a camera to make a statement. Jake and Tessa begin their relationship. Guest Stars: Paul Soles (Harvey Weinstein), Martin Doyle (Solomon Wade), Gary Reinke (Captain O'Brien)

To Kill with Kindness - Seth tries some of the natural source "smart pills" on which Kelly is doing a feature, then seems to be having trouble reading the teleprompter. Dan and Jake go to Marge's son Kevin's new school to cover a teacher stabbing. Jake is surprised by Kevin's new friends' talk of carrying knives, but Marge assures him that this new school in the suburbs is much better than his old school in the rough inner-city area where they live. Kevin tips Jake off to a rumble between his friends and a rival school, but things get violent and a friend of Kevin's is seriously stabbed. Since Jake has been filming everything, he sends Kevin and his camera away from the scene with Tessa before the police arrive and tells the police that he will drop the tape off later. After looking at the tape, they discover that Kevin is on it, but he could be cut out of the tape to keep him out of trouble. Marge and Mike meet Jake and Kevin at the station. Mike tells them he cannot condone the editing, but he will not order them to leave. Marge removes her son from the tape and Jake delivers it to the police. The next day, when Marge goes to talk to Kevin's principal, he informs her that Kevin's grades have slipped and that his behavior is her fault because she works and is a single parent. Devastated, Marge asks Jake to talk to Kevin, saying that Kevin respects him and "he thinks you're cool". But Kevin doesn't want any advice, and Jake questions Marge's belief of giving her son choices, instead of setting down rules the way his father did. Since Marge no longer trusts Kevin, she brings him into work after school, but Kevin feinds a stomache ache and leaves alone. Seth finds bullets in the washroom and the police are called. Jake runs after Kevin, catching up with him and the gun he wants to use against the boy who stabbed his friend, just as the police arrive.

Love and Duty - Mike discovers that Richard Blackstone, an old navy buddy, is dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease, and takes time off to help Richard's wife care for him. During one of his lucid moments, Richard asks Mike how he is doing with "the redhead", and wonders why he hasn't told Ann of his feelings for her. Later he begs Mike to help him die, but Mike cannot, despite the other's suffering. After several more days of rapid deterioration, Richard dies. Mike phones Ann, determined that he will carry out Richard's advice, but all he can manage is an awkward silence and a repeated "thanks for filling in for me". Tessa has convinced Jake that they should form a commercial business, and asks Seth to star in a doughnut shop commercial produced by her and Jake, with Dan doing a voice-over and Marge editing. Kyle finds out and sends Jake a bill for using the station's resources; a bill that is larger than their payment!

Baby It's You - Jake is named "The Sexiest Man in Metro". [Watch for the other finalists' pictures in the newspaper! Several of E.N.G's regular directors are there: Gerard Ciccoriti, George Bloomfield, etc.] He seems a little uneasy about Tessa's plans for their joint production company, and asks Ann to dinner to talk about "life and love and career changes". During coverage of the manslaughter trial of a couple for the death of their adopted baby, Dan and Jake interview the couple's adoption lawyer, Arthur Cowen, who is the head a small Christian sect. He is at first very friendly, but when asked about the couple's adoption home study, he suddenly refuses comment. Kelly's contact at the home for pregnant young women run by the lawyer, tells her that Cowen informed her that her baby boy died just after its birth; after she had changed her mind about giving it up for adoption. Some midnight digging in the home's backyard graveyard uncovers a small coffin containing a doll, not a baby. When a search of public records produces no baby deaths on the date in question, Kelly convinces Ann and Mike to pose as a rich couple desperate for a "white" baby. At the interview with Cowen, while Mike is playing his part, he uses the opportunity to tell Ann that he loves her. (Ann is a little taken aback, as her relationship with Tom has just taken a serious step - she has met and been approved by his children!) The lawyer is convinced that no home study is necessary when Mike emphasizes that "money is no object", and promises a baby boy that very afternoon. The "sting" operation to hand over the baby and the money is successful, with Jake capturing all on tape, and the police showing up to make the arrest. Guest Stars: David Gardner (Arthur Cowen), Nikki Deboer (Brenda)

Pandora's Box - Tessa continues to press Jake about forming their own commercial production company; when he sits down to work out the start-up costs, they total $40,000! As Tessa increases her pressure, Jake agrees to think about selling his house to finance the new company. During an interview , Jane seizes on a remark made by Mary Kanby, a country singer promoting a new album, which seems to imply that her singer-father sexually abused her as a child. Ann rushes to cut Jane off but the libelous damage has been done. While Ann, a child abuse expert, the station's lawyer, and Mike agree that Mary's manner and lyrics to the newly released song imply the abuse, Mary will not admit it on air, and the station has no evidence. Jim Kanby's lawyer files a damage suit against the station and demands an apology from Jane. Dan and Kelly find that Mary has a history of drug abuse, and that Jim's singing career which had been on the skids, has been revived by the publicity. In a meeting with Kanby and his lawyer, it is pointed out that there has been no "damage suffered" by Kanby as his record sales have increased since the interview. They agree to drop the monetary settlement if Jane will apologize on air. Jane refuses because she has finally convinced Mary to tell her the whole story in private, but Ann points out that if the case goes to court, Mary would probably crack under the strain. and go back to drugs. The public apology is aired - with Jane reading the words as if about to be sick. While checking into Kanby's past, Dan sees Tom Kennedy's name on the Child Abuse Registry and tells Mike and Ann. Ann is shocked, but instead of confronting Tom about it, she asks Tom's ex-wife, Courtney. Tom is furious with Ann when he gets a call from Courtney's lawyer, who believes that Tom is trying to reopen the nasty custody battle over the children. Tom accuses Ann of not trusting him, and questions their relationship. He explains that in the midst of the divorce, when she believed Tom was going to get full custody of the children, Courtney falsely accused Tom of abusing their daughter. After an investigation of Tom and repeated questioning of the little girl, Courtney agreed to joint custody when the daugther started having nightmares. Ann apologizes, but Tom is angry that she used "journalist tactics" in her personal life, but the next day he appears to begin afresh. Guest Stars: Gordon Pinsent (Jim Kanby), Jennifer Dale (Mary Kanby), Len Birman (Mac Brady)

The Good Samaritan - "The naked Norwegian was found dead in the hotel room, his body lashed to a chair with leather thongs." Dan's new "purple prose" approach to covering a diplomat's suspicious death draws approval from ratings-conscious Kyle, a giggle from Ann (" what happened to 'just the facts, ma'am' Dan?"), but only a mild rebuke from a distracted Mike. The hotel chamber maid further describes two women who were present in his room the night before his death, and a man who entered after they left. Meanwhile Kelly and Kim catch a glimpse of a body which a senior detective describes as a junkie, but which was a beautiful, healthy woman with no needle marks. The detective will not comment on this discrepancy, nor on why he, a drug squad detective, is investigating both deaths. While Mike is jogging downtown that night, he bumps into a very attractive woman, knocking her unconscious. At the hospital she tells him that she has no ties, and he leaves his card. The next morning when she appears at the station to thank him and ask him to lunch, she is grilled by a intensely curious Ann. At lunch the woman has to evade a man she describes to Mike as her "estranged husband", but who turns up dead of an overdose a few hours later. J.C. finds out that the woman was registered as Moira Dempchuck at the hospital, but her purse gave her id as Madeline Shannon, a person known to be a high-priced call girl. When Ann confronts Mike with this information, he is furious at her checking up on him, but immediately demands the truth from Madeline. As Kelly tries another interview with Sgt. Fennerty, this time with Jake to film and give advice, a link is uncovered between the overdose deaths, the diplomat who was smuggling in heroin in his diplomatic pouch, and the detective who supplied him with women. Believing that Fennerty will now try to kill Madeline, Mike asks Jake to hide in his apartment and successfully films Fennerty's confession. Guest Stars: Damir Andrei (Sgt. Fennerty), Torri Higginson (Madeline Shannon), Patrick Galligan (Jamie Hart)

Love and Marriage - Dan finds out that a reporter friend has just accepted a $300,000 anchor position in Phoenix because of his sensational coverage of a hostage incident, and becomes concerned that his "just the facts" style holds no career advancement prospects ("boring is not a style, Dan", chides the friend). At the station the next day, he switches his environmental assignment for Kelly's royal visit coverage when he secretly gets a tip that the Duchess's itinerary will include a secret late-night stop at a polo-playing family friend. Hiding in the bushes behind Parnell's house that night in rented tuxedos, Dan and Jake do indeed film a meeting between the two, but must leave before anything risque is seen. Parnell denies any romantic envolvement the next day, saying that he and the Duchess were childhood friends. He derides Dan for his methods: "I thought you were different, but I guess not." Ann and Mike agree that there is no proof of hanky-panky on film, and Kyle is outraged (he has a distant family connection), so the story is not aired. Upon the Duchess's return to Britain, the tabloids are plastered with the marriage break-up of the Duchess and her husband, with Parnell named as the suspected reason. Jake negotiates to sell his house, with Tessa urging him to accept a price way below its value to get a quick sale. It sells, and he comes out with $46,000 clear - start up money for their commercial company. Guest Stars: Barclay Hope (Simon Kent), Andrew Gillies (Michael Parnell), Frank Moore (Sid Burley)

Bail Out - TelDar Auto Parts is in danger of closing and laying off its 11,000 employees unless the government (federal or provincial) steps in with money. Mike's last minute changes to reporting assignments without telling Ann have resulted in Kelly and Dan being sent to cover the some event, but no one to get the TelDar press conference. Everyone in the newsroom has noticed the growing tension and arguments between Mike and Ann. When Ann confronts Mike with his behavior, he reminds her of the night they spent together and how much he loves her. Ann replies that the tense situation cannot continue, and that she is sure she wants to marry Tom, and quits. Ann covers the employee lockout herself, talking with the union, workers and administration at the gate - neither side will compromise. One of those locked out is Jake's father; he and his co-workers are confident that the company will be rescued. However a former class-mate of Ann's in the provincial minister's office is adament that the province does not have the money and is privately confident that the feds will step in. Ann sends Dan to Ottawa to meet with the federal minister, who says that the province has mismanaged its funds once too often, and so they will not bail out TelDar. Everyone stands on their position and the plant closes. Jake brings Tessa to his parents' house for dinner as his business partner, but despite his request to keep quiet about their personnal involvement, Tessa tells all. Jake's parents are not impressed with the thought of Jake quitting his job and risking his house money in such tough financial times. His father tells Jake that Tessa is "a bit of fluff" using her good looks to get his money. Ann's explanation of why she wants to quit her job does not ring true for Tom ("I need a break... I want a normal life"); he tries to talk to Mike, but Mike's words are obviously hiding something deeper. As one phone call after another fails to find Ann with the time to talk to him, Tom realizes that Ann is running away from something other than a job she loves. That night he asks Ann if she really loves him, or if she is only behaving as she thinks he would want her to. Tearfully, Ann admits that while she doesn't love him now, she believes that love will come, that she wants it to. But Tom gently explains that he has just gone through a similar situation which ended in an ugly, hurtful divorce, and has no desire to repeat it with Ann. The next morning Ann informs Mike that the wedding is off and that she will stay and confront her problems. Guest Stars: August Schellenburg (Charlie Antonelli), Patricia Gage (Connie Antonelli), Barry Flatman (Franklin Stohis), John Evans (Cal Harkness)

The Big Sleepover - Jake's mother is concerned that they will lose everything when the mortgage for their two investment condos becomes due. Even after remortgaging their house, they will still be short $40,000. She asks Jake to talk to his father, who is taking his unemployment badly. An interview which Tessa has set up with a sleazy potential director does not leave Jake optimistic about their company's future, or impressed with Tessa's choice of projects: "at least I'm proud of my work at Channel 10". Dan verbally spars with a provincial cabinet minister at a press conference over her drive to have a shelter for street kids built in a nice neighbourhood, against the residents' wishes and zoning laws. He accuses her of grandstanding, and she asks him to lunch and sets up an interview with a young hooker who is trying to go straight, but needs a place to stay. Dan is puzzled by her attention when Lundrigan invites him to an embassy cocktail party, then sets him up with an exclusive interview with another minister (Albert Millaire in a cameo role), and a threesome lunch date with a friend from IBN. Finally it dawns on him as the evening ends, that Lundrigan is interested in him. The IBN friend doesn't show for lunch (she left Dan her phone number) and Lundrigan coaxes Dan into bed, against his better judgement. On his way out, he overhears Lundrigan on the phone to an aide who has uncovered something with which to blackmail a judge, her chief shelter opponent. He repeats this to Mike, wondering what to do about the ethics of using a conversation overheard while he was sleeping with the minister. Mike wants nothing to do with his dilemma, he is still too upset over Ann's rejection. Dan returns to confront Lundrigan, telling her that he will make her use of blackmail public if he thinks the rezoning is done for no good reason. Lundrigan is angry that Dan would do this after sleeping with her, and claims that the end (getting the shelter) justifies the means (blackmail). The next day when Dan tries to phone the IBN staffer, she will not take his call. Jake tells Tessa that he must give the money from the sale of his house to his parents, and she angrily accuses him of being afraid to take risks and calls him "a company man" like his father. Jake tells her that she is still a kid, and doesn't know what it's like to have responsibilities. She leaves, saying she is going to New York to work for a photographer friend. Guest Stars: August Schellenburg (Charlie Antonelli), Patricia Gage (Connie Antonelli), Marilyn Lightstone (Kay Lundrigan), Patrick McKenna (Pete)

One False Step - J.C.'s drinking and his depression after separation from his wife starts to seriously effect his work. After a final rejection at a lunch date for which he was so hopeful, J.C. loses all control and gets drunk at Taggart's. Receiving an anonymous tip that a suspected serial rapist is at a hospital, Jake and Dan rush to interview him as he is wheeled between rooms. While Jake is filming, the suspect is shot point-blank in the chest by one of the victims' father. Jake quickly gives the camera to Dan and helps the police disarm the gunman. Guest Stars: David Ferry (Ray Guthrie), Maggie Huculak (Melanie Guthrie)

Hero - Kyle agrees to film an infomercial for a face cream and convinces Jane and Seth to star. Bruce Foreman is hired to sub for J.C., but it quickly becomes clear that he only out to help himself. Jake single-handedly films and disarms a man trying to rob a drug store. Mike is ready to suspend him, but Tony Lockwood, an actor known for action movies asks to follow Jake around - he is about to star as a cameraman in his latest movie and wants to see how "a real hero" does it. After a particularly boring day of interviews, Lockwood convinces Jake and a reluctant Dan, to test a police- confiscated video about home security. Desguised as his movie character "Shadowhawk", he will try to break into Jake's vacationing aunt's house, using the information on the video. Guest Stars: John H. Brennan (Tony Lockwood), David Cubitt (Bruce Foreman), Vivian Reis (Margarite von Villach)

Mirror, Mirror - The station takes up the plight of a Salvadoran man who is seeking refugee statis, but whom the government wants to deport. After his side is aired, a ministry official leaks Dan the story of his collaboration in the torture and death of several people. When confronted with this, he claims that he watched his girlfriend being tortured to death, but when it was his turn he could not be so brave, and agreed to collaborate. "How can you judge me? You, who will never have to make such a decision?" Those who supported him the previous day, now turn their backs in disgust. But Jake cannot bring himself to release the man to be deported back to certain death, and hides him in a motel. When the man telephones his fiancee for money to be smuggled into the US, the she informs the police, and he is arrested. Ann's routine mammogram reveals a lump, and after several tense days of waiting for test results, goes in for a lumpectomy of a cyst. Guest Stars: Juan Chioran (Manuel Gomez), Ross Petty (Dr. Calvini), Sheila Brand (Dr. Mills)

Honour or Wealth - Adam Hirsch donates a cherished oriental statue of a horse to the Metropolitan Museum, but it is stolen from the museum that very night, despite the extra security. Dan and Mike wonder if it was an inside job, perhaps even done by Hirsch himself. Adam is quite upset when he sees Dan's report on the air, and appeals to Ann to even out the story. Mike is even more suspicious when the police report recovering the statue, but expert authentication shows that it is a fake, and Dan finds that Hirsch's insurance company was just about to disallow its $3 million value. Seth gets personally involved with the organization of the annual Waverley Hospital Children's charity telethon, only to find himself pushed out of the way by second-rate American comic Larry ___ who was imported by Mac to do the hosting. The night of the telethon there is a terrible blizzard, and none of the acts show up, leaving Seth to carry the show single-handedly when Larry refuses to go on. Guest Stars: Victor Garber (Adam Hirsch)

And the Winner Is ... - J.C. returns to find himself sharing the assignment desk with Bruce. Kelly and Jake are forced off the road when a truck crashes in front of them. Jake pulls the driver to safety, then films the exploding truck. A sniper is suspected when the driver finds a bullet wound in his arm, and the truck windshield shattered. It's the annual Broadcast News awards, and CTLS News with producers Mac and Ann is nominated , Seth and Jane are both nominated for Anchor of the Year, and Dan is nominated for his coverage of the police alley shooting [from After the Fire]. Dan seems unwilling to give Jake any credit for filming the shooting, and Mac feels guilty he didn't invite Jamie to the ceremony. Tessa is hired to direct a biography feature on Kyle; he is to be given an award for lifetime contribution to broadcasting. While Jake films, Tessa tries to win him back, but he seems no longer interested. Ann ivites Mike to the awards as her date, and after several refuseals, reluctantly agrees. Kyle hires a limo to take Mike and Ann to the awards, but when Mike stops to pick up Ann at her apartment... Guest Stars: Rosemary Dunsmore (Dr. Boyd), Patrick Galligan (Jamie Hart), Tom Gibney (CFTO anchorman), real CTV reporters/anchors: Eric Malling, Keith Morrison, Sandie Renaldo



Season Five


Overload - Staff shortages strike again! But there's no shortage of news stories. After working all night on a fire, it's no rest for the weary, as Dan is sent to cover the unions' budget reaction and a possible homicide, with "the camerman from Hell" - Hans Hassenfratz. And Ann has to send Jake and Jane to stake out the house of a woman whose son has disappeared. Seth is briefed by Mike to go into a reporter "lock-up" with the new provincial budget. Mac is left to organize Oliver & Co.'s interview with a priest concerning AIDS education and condoms. When there is a power blackout at the legislature and the budget release is delayed, Mike does the newscast. But after Seth gives the "live" budget analysis, he breaks all the speed records to return to the studio to do a promotional spot with his hero, Gordie Howe. Guest Stars: Heath Lamberts (Hans Hassenfratz), Taborah Johnson (Mrs. Edna Mosley), Gordie Howe (himself)

Within the Law - Ann's apartment is burglarized and so endorces Jane's more heavy-handed piece on the increase of crime in the city. She meets her local neighbourhood watch leader, Nigel Monroe, and interviews him for Jane's show. During the interview, Monroe is threatened by drug-dealing punks hanging out in the playground. The next morning Monroe is arrested for the baseball bat murder of the punk who threatened him. While Monroe declares that it was self-defence, friends of the dealer claim that he was in a doped sleep at the time. When Tessa is propositioned by an unscupulous art gallery owner (and friend of Kyle's) trying to put the moves on her, Jake and Dan decide to mount a sting operation to catch him on film. Guest Stars: Phil Jarrett (Nigel Monroe), Booth Savage (Terance Graves)

Full Disclosure - Ann and Mike get away to a country resort for a secret weekend, but stumble on a government contract helicopter scandal. When they call for Dan and Jake to film the exposé, their relationship becomes public knowledge. (Only Dan, that eagle-eyed investigatve reporter, seems to be surprised!) Hirsch has decided that a "minority" newsreader is necessary and Kyle orders Mac and Bruce to organize auditions for Saturday, when Seth won't find out. When Dan discovers the try outs, he demands a taping. "You don't meet the first qualification," says Mac. Guest Stars: Deborah Duchene (Cindy Unwin), John Robinson (Simon Renquist), Greg Ellwand (Stephan Duval)

Suspicious Minds - The overworked Channel 10 news team is relieved when Adam Hirsch agrees to hire a new reporter, but shocked when it turns out to be Terri Morgan, whom he met in Los Angeles. Hirsch offers Ann the head of the lifestyle station he wants CTLS to become - and his plans don't include Mike. Terri and Jake grab a scoop of a garbage dumping story, while Terri makes eyes at Jake and flings barbs at Tessa. Jane gets the interview of a lifetime with an aging rock star, and stays out all night! A black newsreader, Tyrone Berryman is hired, "just to do the noon report", Seth is assured.... Guest Stars: Victor Garber (Adam Hirsch), Mark Gomes (Tyrone Berryman)

Crime and Punishment - A serial rapist is released after serving his full time, and Dan and Jane each do stories on the implications, but their different approaches divide the newsroom. Terri's increased advances towards Jake threaten his relationship with Tessa. J.C. seems unable to cope with the changes in the newsroom, and Bruce pushes Kyle to get Mike to fire J.C. Guest Stars: Joe Ziegler (Jack Burke), Janet-Laine Green (Diane Terlain), Kaya McGregor (Jerry Martell)

Legacy - On a tip from a civil servant friend of J.C.'s, Dan and Mike investigate the awarding of a provincial casino license. Terri talks to Tessa, who talks to Dan who talks to Jake, who decides not to go to New York with Tessa. Ann's worst fears about J.C. are confirmed when he attempts suicide and eventually dies. Guest Stars: Neil Munro (Henry Jasper), Nicky Guadagni (Mary Callahan), Barclay Hope (Jim Baldwin)

Judgement of Solomon - Ann's quiet dinner party to fix her friend Catherine up with Dan as a blind date, turns into a party for everyone in the newsroom. Dan covers the tragic story of "Baby Angela" whose birth mother is finally successful after a two-year custody battle for the daughter she had given up for adoption to a loving couple. Terri hires Chris to secretly reshoot Dan's exclusive interviews to give the appearance that Terri did the interviews. Completely recut, Terri submits the new interview as her demo to a tabloid-type news station in New York. Tyrone's first week's ratings as the new noon anchor cause Seth to do some fast talking and explaining. Things heat up between Jane and Bruce, ...and between Dan and Catherine! Guest Stars: Brenda Bazinet (Linda Berman), Tony Nardi (Frank Berman), Kristen Kieferle (Sandra Martino), Mark Gomes (Tyrone Berryman), Marcia Kash (Catherine Issacs)

Payback - Marge finds Terri's "Baby Angela" tape and shows it to Dan. Instead of taking the evidence to Mike or Ann, Dan plots revenge. He enlists a stranded troup of Russian circus performers to act as Russian gangsters, and leaks the story to Terri who thinks she can sell "the Russian Mafia" to the New York station, instead of CTLS. Chris refuses to shoot the "midnight rendezvous" with the Russians, and confesses her part in the "Baby Angela" affair to Ann. Only Jake is available to do the filming, but Ann doesn't tell him about the sting, and Terri also lies to him about where she is sending the completed piece. Terri hands over a pile of money to the Russian "informant" and Dan's staged meeting of the "Russian Mafia" is filmed and edited to send to NY. The next day, Dan has to speed the tape to the courier, just as Terri spies the Russian circus piece on the air. Everyone blows up, as Mike fires Terri, suspends Dan, and puts Ann on the carpet for not stopping it. "But revenge is so sweet!" returns Ann with a smile. Jake is livid because everyone used him, and (finally!) calls it quits with Terri because she lied to him. Guest Stars: Nicu Branzea (Ilya Aslamasovsky), Elena Kudaba (restaurant owner)

Power Politics - Adam Hirsch's new VP, Lysanne Clare, arrives to take stock of the station, and everyone gets nervous as rumours circulate. Dan agrees to do an election special piece on a gay candidate for a by-election. Mac redoes it because he claims it is too focused on the candidate's homosexuality, but only manages to make the interview fuzzy. Neither get airtime. Jake gets an idea for a solo piece and shoots a sensitive semi-documentary on a young, native cigarette smuggler. Guest Stars: Lyne Tremblay (Lysanne Clare), Dan Lett (Rusty Wentworth)
Writer(s): Ann McNaughton and Richard Oleksiak

The Play's the Thing - Mike is forced to confront his failure as a father when Carrie, now an actress, returns with an actor/director/playwriter-lover who is Mike's age. When Mike and Ann attend the play, Mike is shocked with its sexual candor; he feels that Carrie has publically humiliated him, and walks out. Marge's car is repossessed, and Dan and Jake track down the mechanic-broker scam. Kyle suggests that there may be a permanent job for a pretty young temporary researcher - if she will have dinner with him. Guest Stars: Amber Lee Weston (Carrie Fennell), Michael Burgess (Jeff Parniak), Nikki de Boer (Nancy Bergman)

The Road Not Taken - Ann thinks she may be pregnant, and discovers that Mike is adamant in not wanting any more children. The test turns out negative, but Ann's interest in children is awakened. Jane is alarmed to find that TV violence may be affecting her son. Dan takes an interest in the new reporter intern. Guest Stars: Andrew Craig (Evan Oliver), Kelly Sagara (Susan Wei), Dini Petty (Joanne Powers)

Before the Axe - Lysanne Clare shows up again, this time with a mysterious Japanese investor, and announces that Hirsch wants to apply to have Channel 10's license changed to a "lifestyle" station, with Mike as the head. Mike quits. Clare immediately moves into his office and gives Ann a list of people who will no longer be necessary under the new regime. When Mike pleads to the Japanese businessman to ask Hirsch to keep on some of the station's personnel, Hirsch replies by phone almost immediately. Mike becomes suspicious that this "minority investor" seems to have a big hold over Hirsch, and he investigates. Seth takes a stand against Clare when she asks him to sensationalize a sensitive interview. Guest Stars: Lyne Tremblay (Lysanne Clare), Robert Ito (Kenji Yoshomida), Linda Thorson (Barbara Stollery)

Memories - [Flashback episode.] Mike gets a job offer from Kenji Yoshomida - but it's in Tokyo! When Ann finds out, he quickly proposes. While Ann considers her reply, knowing that she would not be able to work in Japan as Mike's wife, she recalls the relationships she's had with Jake, Tom, and Mike since coming to CTLS.

Cutting Edge - While walking through a seedy downtown neighbourhood, Ann stumbles on Clarke Roberts who is shooting a drug piece undercover. When some drug heavies show up, he quickly passes the camera to Ann asking her to deliver it to Harding Broadcasting, where he is free-lancing. Harding himself shows up while Ann is giving some pointers to Leggett, the young producer supervising Clarke. Her ideas intrigue Harding, and he asks her on the spot to take over the production of Clarke's piece. While she is on a very tight schedule - she and Mike are to be married and fly to Tokyo within the week - the attraction of working for a network and Harding is too strong, and Ann agrees to give him two days. Ann and Clarke decide to approach a young addict/prostitute named Susan, and ask her to carry a hidden camera one night, while they (dressed as street people) also shoot her. All goes well until Susan's supplier arrives and gives her a dose which is almost pure. Susan goes into a coma, but Ann finds her and starts CPR while Clarke calls an ambulance. Leggett is beside himself with joy when it is discovered that not only did Susan's camera capture her self-inflicted overdose and collapse, but Ann's heroic rescue attempts as well. Ann refuses to air Leggett's version of the story, and she and Clarke try to find out just what started the young girl down the road to self-destruction. The resulting documentary is considerably better than anyone had hoped, and Harding offers Ann her own show on his all-news station News 24, to produce as she likes. Ann immediately tells him no, she is about to be married and leave for Japan, but regret lies deep on her words. When she tells Mike of the offer, Clarke's criticism comes back to him [Clarke told Mike he was treating a very talented woman like a geisha], and he asks Ann if she is sure of her decision. As the episode (and the series) ends, it appears that she will accept. Guest Stars: Clark Johnson (Clarke Roberts), Simon MacCorkindale (Maxwell Harding), Nicholas Lea (Jeffrey Leggett)
 
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