TV

The Long Road to “Paradise Falls”

Paradise Falls is a campy, LGBT-inclusive soap opera making its third season debut on the here! network this Friday. With a large cast of queer characters, the show is racier and more provocative than your average soap, though it still follows the genre trappings of melodrama and camp.

The new season presents several cast changes, though the overall tone and premise remain. This is quite an accomplishment given the series’ storied production history – the first season aired in 2001 on Canada’s Showcase channel, the second season came along in 2004, and now the show has emerged again from hibernation for 26 new episodes.

Paradise Falls is set a beautiful summer resort town of the same name – think Dante’s Cove with a northern flair (and dialed down half a notch on the camp-o-meter). Shot on location in Ontario, the show has a rustic, authentic feel and charm. This complements the characters’ personalities and general “kitchen sink” feeling that permeates the atmosphere – everyone in town seems to know everyone else, and (as is the case with this kind of show) everyone has their secrets.

Warning: Some spoilers for the premiere episode

The first episode is focused on the wedding of Sacha (Salvatore Antonio) and Nick (Cameron Graham), a gay couple who has had more than their share of dramatic ups and downs over the past two seasons. They have the gay wedding of the century, complete with go-go angel boys, rainbow decorations and sunset nuptials on the pier.

The ceremony is accompanied by all manner of drama, including the requisite visit from the local homophobe/alcoholic Francis (Victoria Snow), wedding-day angst and advice from parents, and a dramatic showdown at the ceremony. It’s presented fairly tongue-in-cheek, though this is melodrama in its purest form.

Cameron Graham and Salvatore Antonio (left) and Dixie Seattle

Particularly well handled are the two scenes between Sacha and Bea Sutton (Dixie Seatle), and Nick and his grandfather Mayor Braga (Art Hindle), in which the pre-wedding “parental advice” is doled out. Nick receives the full brunt of Braga’s macho advice with a beer in hand, while Sacha gets some motherly tips from Bea (who is a transwoman).

The scenes are cut together well and are gently funny, playing upon the stereotypes and presumed gender roles that are being bent at every turn. In fact, this may represent the single best sequence of the episode – and is certainly the most understated and subversive.

Though the first episode is more oriented toward gay men, lesbian/bi characters have featured prominently throughout the series. Bisexual Trish Simpkin (Michelle Latimer) is one of the more out and proud members of the community (a fact that irks Francis). She’s a young, fearless bad girl who responds “must be the syphilis” to anyone who pries about her marriage status.

The teaser at the end of the first show promises a new love interest for Trish: lesbian cop Cate (Meredith McGeachie, better known as Dana’s fiancĂ©e “Toxic Tonya” on The L Word.)

Meredith McGeachie (left) and Michelle Latimer

The relationship is reportedly a major story line in upcoming episodes, ensuring that lesbian viewers have something to tune in for. It’ll be interesting to see this particular airing of lesbian stereotypes – the butch cop and the gothic bad girl.

According to here!, there will be plenty of drama when they hook up despite Cate’s reservations. Cate herself has apparently moved to Paradise Falls to get away from distractions and focus on her work, though Trish’s advances prove too enticing. Of course, Cate’s ex-girlfriend Julie (Kerry Lai Fatt) comes back into the picture, complicating everything.

If that doesn’t sound soapy enough for you, another lesbian character, Lynnie Jordan (Amanda Brugel) will reportedly be making a big splash this season as well. Lynnie married a man under false pretenses (she caved in to family pressure and thought that her husband-to-be was also gay). She’s seeking a divorce while she pursues a new love interest.

Kerry Lai Fatt (left) and Amanda Brugel

Paradise Falls is an interesting parallel to Dante’s Cove, another queer soap airing on here! that started with a focus on gay men and evolved to include more prominent lesbian characters. Though queer women have always been a big part of Paradise Falls, the promotional materials for Season 3 highlight the fact that characters of all sexual orientations will receive equal time – a nice, if subtle, sign of progress.

Viewers who enjoy soaps (especially queer soaps) will love Paradise Falls, but those who don’t care for the genre certainly won’t be converted. While the acting is largely decent and the production values quite good for this type of production, the show is certainly cheesy and melodramatic.

It also has a flair for the supernatural; previous seasons have dipped into witchcraft and the occult, with a few unsolved murders still haunting the placid-looking town.

Speaking of melodrama, some performers fare better than others with the campy story lines. Victoria Snow does admirably with some of the worst lines in the show, playing the “love to hate her” homophobe with about as much gusto as can be expected.

Art Hindle is excellent as the smarmy mayor (and Nick’s father figure), giving Nick the usual terrible wedding night advice and handing out campaign buttons at the ceremony. Best is Michelle Latimer, who gives Trish the right mix of edge and vulnerability. It’ll be very interesting to see what McGeachie brings to the table with Cate. If her work as Tonya is any indication, viewers are in for a treat.

Left to right: Fatt, McGeachie and Latimer

The production values are quite good – the show is beautifully shot and nicely put together, making it a step up from usual soap opera fare. Likewise, the series’ tendency toward “risky” subject matter (read: queer characters and story lines) and realistic love scenes elevate what would otherwise be a rather forgettable affair. In fact, it’s almost surprising that the show was featured on a fairly mainstream national channel for its first two seasons.

But the bottom line remains: A love of cheesy, over-the-top drama is necessary to enjoy this kind of show. If you’re the type of viewer who enjoys sex, intrigue and drama with a little murder on the side, you’ll be right at home in Paradise Falls. Everyone else should proceed with caution.

The third season of Paradise Falls begins this Friday, April 11, 2008, on the here! Network.

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button