Republic Of Doyle - General Discussion

[The Crazed Spruce]

Jake must solve a puzzling case; Ned Bishop jeopardizes an important day; Leslie's past actions come back to haunt her.

[The Crazed Spruce]

Hey, anyone up for a garage sale?

[caprice]

Hey, anyone up for a garage sale?

Sorry, my friend. I'm not buying you the car.

[LilWharveyGal]

Will you buy me Allan Hawco? ;)

[mledawn]

Well, episodes with Christian in them are always less than impressive and this was no exception.

 

I'm still not clear how Sloane was welcomed into the fold again but even Rose doesn't seem to be mad at her anymore.

 

Mark Critch is usually pretty funny but he was a little over the top here.

 

Jeez, maybe I wasn't in the best of moods when I watched this episode...

[The Crazed Spruce]

The Doyles work with Jimmy and Wolf to protect a witness; Jake and Saul face off again; Rose discovers something about Sloan's past; Jake gets shocking news.

[Trey]

Poor old Jimmy.  Screws things up, gets frost bite and burned and hit on the head - good thing he has Jake and Wolf to help him out.

 

Finally, we find out Sloan is not Jake's daughter - I have said that all along, glad I was right about it.  Jake was pretty good to her but I thought he was relieved she's not his daughter.

[supposebly]

Thank god, Sloane is gone. This whole story was ridiculous. Never mind the actress couldn't play a teenager believably. Or anything, really.

 

How is Jimmy employed as an undercover agent? Ever? I support Wolf, this guy should not contribute to the gene pool.

[mledawn]

Sloan not being Jake's kid is a welcome conclusion. The character looks older than Tinny, I never had any investment in her other than my empassioned distain.

 

I have no interest in Jimmy as a character - he's over done and a moron. I don't see how anyone would be so patient with such a dumbass. I understand the stunt casting but I'm surprised even the actor went along with it...

 

I think the sixth season cutoff was a great decision.

[The Crazed Spruce]

The Doyle's try to keep their stories straight during a police interrogation; Leslie and Jake keep secrets; Des and Tinny disagree on their relationship.

[Trey]

No crazy chase scenes, no one got hit on the head, no one got shot - at least we didn't see any of it.  An unusual episode.

 

Is Leslie pregnant?

 

I thought we had a couple more episodes but apparently only one more.

 

Just checked TV.com and we are getting two episodes next Wednesday.

 

I can't find anywhere who played the cop interviewing them.  He looked so familiar but I just couldn't place him.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Trey

[Caia]

The interviewer was John Kapelos of 'Forever Knight' and 'Breakfast Club' fame.

 

I think Leslie is definitely pregnant this time.

 

And still they can't stop talking about Sloane.  Ugh.

[Trey]

Thanks, Caia.  He's had quite the career, here and in the US.  He was on a couple episodes of Psych, which is probably where I remember him from.

 

Well, Sloane is the reason they have no money and that figured into the plot...at least we didn't have to see her.

[mledawn]

Honestly, this is the worst writing of all the seasons (and after last season, that's saying something).

I wish I cared what was happening. Even my main man Mal couldn't save the episode for me.

Edited to add this link to the Behind the Scenes clips - sometimes interviews, sometimes bloopers...

Edited December 5, 2014 by mledawn

[The Crazed Spruce]

Series finale!

Jake and Leslie fight for their lives; the Doyle's get help from an unexpected ally, but they must find evidence to clear Jake of murder.

[ulkis]

Thank god, Sloane is gone. This whole story was ridiculous. Never mind the actress couldn't play a teenager believably. Or anything, really.

 

How is Jimmy employed as an undercover agent? Ever? I support Wolf, this guy should not contribute to the gene pool.

 

I was fine with her playing a teenager, but yeah, she always struck me as cousin Oliver and I'm glad they resolved that the way they did.

 

I didn't mind Jimmy, but if this weren't the last season I'd be annoyed.

[ulkis]

I like Christian, so I'm glad we got to see him again and that he got married; I'm just bummed we never got to see all the Doyle siblings all together in the same scene ever.

[Trey]

Kudos to Allan Hawco!

 

I thought the final two episodes were very well written and acted.  It was a great way to wrap up the series. I admit to getting a little teary-eyed.

 

I particularly liked the jump to two years ahead.  It said a lot in a few minutes.  Tinny was ready then to get married, which she wasn't earlier. And Des was so happy. Lots of babies for Leslie and Jake, just what he wanted.

 

At the start of the first episode I thought Alicia was perhaps an undercover cop but then nothing else pointed to that so I was pleasantly surprised when it turns out she was working undercover - and saved Jake's life.

 

Good to see Mary Walsh again - I used to love CODCO - and Rick Mercer as the new mayor was funny.

 

All in all, two very good episodes.

[ulkis]

I liked it too; I was a little annoyed with Leslie being the damsel-in-distress right at the end again (I haven't been watching very closely the last two seasons but I feel like Leslie was really victimized, but maybe that was just a false impression?), but Allan Hawco did such a nice job acting in that scene, showing how Jake didn't want to leave her, that I couldn't begrudge it to them too much. 

 

I didn't need to see Nicky ever again, but what the hell, it's the last episodes. And unless I missed it in an episode, I am bummed the Doyle siblings never actually had a scene with all three of them at the same time. Very odd.

[UsernameFatigue]

Well the last two epis were definitely the best of the season, but considering how bad/boring the season was it should not have been that hard to improve upon it.

 

That being said, I didn't like the jump ahead. After six years of Jake and Lesiie off and on, mostly off, I felt cheated out of their wedding (assuming there was one) and the birth of their twins. And since Leslie looks ready to pop anytime, it seems she has spent the last two years (or whatever the time frame is supposed to be) making and having babies. I would have preferred to have seen the twins and a non pregnant Leslie, making it appear that she went back to being a cop which was always so important to her. To go from a career cop to a full time baby maker doesn't seem like a Leslie move to me. Not saying that she could not have been a cop inbetween mat leaves, but it doesn't ring true to the character. JMO.

 

I was actually expecting the Jake/Leslie relationship and Tinny/Des relationship to progress in the movie that AH plans to make. So I guess his idea is to have to movie jump to either where the series ended or even a little further ahead. Which is fine, but I still feel cheated after years of Jake/Leslie relationship angst.

Edited December 11, 2014 by UsernameFatigue

[ulkis]

Well the last two epis were definitely the best of the season, but considering how bad/boring the season was it should not have been that hard to improve upon it.

 

That being said, I didn't like the jump ahead. After six years of Jake and Lesiie off and on, mostly off, I felt cheated out of their wedding (assuming there was one) and the birth of their twins. 

 

I was fine without seeing the wedding/birth - I would have liked to see them being told they were having twins - instead they skipped for a cheap "did she have a miscarriage" cliffhanger. It's like, come on guys, the show's ending in two minutes, we know she didn't have a miscarriage.

[supposebly]

Well, it was fine and somewhat tense although I knew that cop was dirty because I was never really clear what Leslie was accused of. Or maybe I stopped paying attention to logic on this show 2-3 seasons ago?

 

It is also painfully clear that this show is extremely bad at writing relationships but I guess that's old news. Except for Malachy and Rose's relationship, which they manage just fine.

 

Yeah, Leslie as baby-making machine does not sit well with me. But I guess, this show always had a kind of 80s mentality to it, so I'm ignoring it. It was (mostly) fun, especially at the beginning but I would have like one shirtless scene at the end. *is shallow

 

I liked seeing Nicki, I always thought she and Jake had tons more chemistry than Jake and Leslie. Although how they wrote her character before was terrible. Here, it was great. And the scene when Jake didn't want to leave Leslie there on the table was excellently played. One of the few times where I was in the story as opposed to just watching it.

[mledawn]

Finally had a chance to watch the final episodes. My impressions overall? That Alan Doyle sure writes himself some good songs, b'y - that one that closed out the episode was fantastic. I didn't feel as sad as I thought I would at the end of it all, but I loved the final exchange with Mal and Jake.

 

There were flashes of brilliance by Allan Hawco, Mark O'Brien and Sean McGinley - you can see the quality of these actors above the level of the writing of the show. Unfortunately RoD doesn't give the women as much opportunity to shine but Marthe Bernard and Rachel Wilson stood out for me a bit as well.

 

The scene with Jake, Nikki, and Mal over Leslie lying on the table - Hawco knocked that out of the park. I hope he has opportunities to expose his skills to more people, as unfortunately RoD wasn't quite the vehicle for that. He's a better actor than Alan Doyle, I wish Russell Crowe would tuck Hawco into a movie one of these days.

 

Add me to those who thought one more shirtless scene would've been a nice send-off. I mean, he did get shanked in the side with a broken bottle - you'd think that was as good a reason as any to need his shirt off...

Well, it's been a great ride. I hope to see the RoD alumni in other things, it was a great cast.

[Trey]

Thanks for the link to the song, mledawn.  It sounded so good at the end of the episode but I wanted to hear it just on its own too.

[zxy556575]

I've been binging this for a couple of weeks and got through half of season five before fatigue set it. Too many kidnappings and "family in danger" plots and too few actual clients. I pretty much hated Des and his constant manic stuttering and didn't care for Tinny, although my antipathy lessened after she got rid of the bangs.

Jake and Leslie were the heart of the show for me, along with Malachy and Rose. I was watching intermittently and although I thought Jake was attractive with nice eyes, it wasn't until he took off his shirt that I gasped a little. Where had he been hiding that washboard? Then of course they added that shot to the credits for the remaining seasons.

I read the episode summaries for season six -- which sounded pretty grim overall -- then watched the finale. Glad for a happy ending and for becoming acquainted with the lovely St. John's. Fun show overall but I think it would have been more enjoyable to watch weekly over the years. Seeing so many episodes in a brief period just highlighted the repetitious storylines. I lost count of how many times Jake got arrested for murder.

Edited May 15, 2016 by lordonia

[dargosmydaddy]

I marathoned this show over a few months last year, and it was fun "comfort TV." Allan Hawco really blew me away, though, particularly in the finale. The scene in the car after Leslie got shot was heartbreaking.

I'm looking forward to Hawco's new show Catch next year (assuming it ever finds its way south of the border).

[DittyDotDot]

On 5/15/2016 at 10:37 AM, Lord Donia said:

I've been binging this for a couple of weeks and got through half of season five before fatigue set it. Too many kidnappings and "family in danger" plots and too few actual clients. I pretty much hated Des and his constant manic stuttering and didn't care for Tinny, although my antipathy lessened after she got rid of the bangs.

[...]

Glad for a happy ending and for becoming acquainted with the lovely St. John's. Fun show overall but I think it would have been more enjoyable to watch weekly over the years. Seeing so many episodes in a brief period just highlighted the repetitious storylines. I lost count of how many times Jake got arrested for murder.

I finished binging the series a couple weeks ago on Netflix--took me probably 4-6 weeks--and this was pretty much how I felt. While I enjoyed the first couple seasons quite a bit despite all the cliches and writing fails, for me, it became too conspiracy-y for me. I liked the little cases and the clients we met in the first season--they gave us a nice glimpse into the culture and life of St. Johns--but once they started taking down political corruption, drug cartels and the mob, I started to lose interest.

One of the big frustrations of the series was the on-again/off-again between Jake and Leslie. Not only was it so contrived, but it just became wearisome by S3 and extremely annoying by S6. But, overall, the characters were charming enough to keep me in it until the bitter end.

[screengem]

I just miss this series.  I do feel that there can be a reboot based on life after the wedding would be both cool and interesting.

I really love St. John's.   Plan to visit in August.  It was the perfect backdrop for the series.

I already miss the references to the gangsters from Quebec.

I enjoyed the connections made between Ireland and St. John's.

Alan, if you ever read stuff like this, reconsider bringing back the Republic of Doyle.  It was pure fun and escapism, something we need today.

[SusanwatchingTV]

6 hours ago, screengem said:

I just miss this series.  I do feel that there can be a reboot based on life after the wedding would be both cool and interesting.

I really love St. John's.   Plan to visit in August.  It was the perfect backdrop for the series.

I already miss the references to the gangsters from Quebec.

I enjoyed the connections made between Ireland and St. John's.

Alan, if you ever read stuff like this, reconsider bringing back the Republic of Doyle.  It was pure fun and escapism, something we need today.

My husband and I loved it, too, and are planning a trip to St. John's in June.  I've already marked several Doyle spots on my map. I can't wait!

I don't see the show coming back, though. I think it was the romance between Jake and Leslie that pretty much propelled it forward.... at least for me.  I'm so glad they let them get together in the end.  Oh, and I'm also glad Des and Tinny got together too. That show had one of the best wrap up endings of all time, imho.

[Niuxita]

On 12/12/2014 at 8:14 AM, UsernameFatigue said:

That being said, I didn't like the jump ahead. After six years of Jake and Lesiie off and on, mostly off, I felt cheated out of their wedding (assuming there was one) and the birth of their twins. And since Leslie looks ready to pop anytime, it seems she has spent the last two years (or whatever the time frame is supposed to be) making and having babies. I would have preferred to have seen the twins and a non pregnant Leslie, making it appear that she went back to being a cop which was always so important to her. To go from a career cop to a full time baby maker doesn't seem like a Leslie move to me. Not saying that she could not have been a cop inbetween mat leaves, but it doesn't ring true to the character. JMO.

Completely agree with you. I used to watch this show in real time until the ending of season 5, and then I guess I forgot because time passed and I never watched season 6. Now, the country where I'm stranded due to COVID has this show on Netflix, so I decided to finally finish it. I know mileage varies, but Jake and Leslie are, to this day, one of my favourite TV couples of all time. Yeah, the on-and-off dynamic was annoying, but Allan and Krystin SOLD it, and their chemistry was off the charts. They just sparkle together when they are onscreen, IMO. So I felt extremely cheated to then be deprived of seeing their much-anticipated wedding and, instead, jumping forward to a timeline in which Leslie seems to be just popping babies left and right in favour of being shown a wedding I was never particularly dying to see. Such a shame.

That said, I agree that the song that played over the final scene was absolutely lovely and is being added to my playlist posthaste.

More generally, I loved Carly Pope's stint during this last season, and was glad to see her be one of the good guys in the end. And a cameo from the smoking hot Michelle Nolden is always appreciated.

On 12/12/2014 at 2:27 PM, supposebly said:

Yeah, Leslie as baby-making machine does not sit well with me. But I guess, this show always had a kind of 80s mentality to it, so I'm ignoring it.

There was a scene in early season 4, I think it was the episode where Leslie disappears during her undercover gig, where Jake is hanging out with Walter and Malachy and they're discussing Jake forming a family and Walter says Jake needs to get Leslie "good and pregnant" so that way, she'd have to commit to him. I didn't remember it until my rewatch of the show over the last few weeks, but wow, that was just super skeevy. I agree that that was just one of those things I needed to shut my brain off for.

And count me in with those who now have St John's on their bucket list exclusively because of this show. I get the feeling it's one of those places where pictures/film don't do it justice.

Edited June 27, 2020 by Niuxita

[UsernameFatigue]

On 6/27/2020 at 1:29 AM, Niuxita said:

Completely agree with you. I used to watch this show in real time until the ending of season 5, and then I guess I forgot because time passed and I never watched season 6. Now, the country where I'm stranded due to COVID has this show on Netflix, so I decided to finally finish it. I know mileage varies, but Jake and Leslie are, to this day, one of my favourite TV couples of all time. Yeah, the on-and-off dynamic was annoying, but Allan and Krystin SOLD it, and their chemistry was off the charts. They just sparkle together when they are onscreen, IMO. So I felt extremely cheated to then be deprived of seeing their much-anticipated wedding and, instead, jumping forward to a timeline in which Leslie seems to be just popping babies left and right in favour of being shown a wedding I was never particularly dying to see. Such a shame.

 

And count me in with those who now have St John's on their bucket list exclusively because of this show. I get the feeling it's one of those places where pictures/film don't do it justice.

When I read your post the first time, I just read that the show was now on Netflix and was quite excited to watch it again. I missed the part about "the country where I am stranded". I was hoping it was showing in Canada, but no such luck.

Hubby and I went to St John's back in 2014, because of falling in love with the city due to the show. We stayed pretty much in that area, and absolutely loved it. And yes, pictures and film do not do it justice. 

[Pingaponga]

We were hoping to go to Newfoundland last summer, but of course because of Covid we have been stuck at home. I discovered I could watch Republic of Doyle on CBC Gem, so have been slowly re-watching the entire series.

Season 3, episode 1, there's a scene where Jimmy and Hawk break into a room wearing masks, and my first thought was "Omg, it's so nice to see people actually wearing masks on TV!" Followed by "Oh...they were hiding their identity."  Good grief.

I'm enjoying the show this second time around. And now I really, really, really want to visit Newfoundland. Maybe in 2022?

[snarktini]

I really enjoyed the first few seasons but struggled to get through the last ones. Too much repetition! How many episodes revolved around someone being kidnapped for ransom or held hostage? How many times did a Doyle have a gun to their head? How many variations of "do this horrible / dangerous / illegal act or the person you love will be killed" were there? Not to mention the on-again off-again thing.

Probably realistic for a dad with reckless kid, but I thought Malachy sold Jake short. Of the three kids, Jake was the good one! Despite having been a bit of a screwup, in the present he was the one who was there and who would do anything to save clients or family. (Even stupid Sloane. Ugh.)

Really loved seeing Newfoundland, it made me want to visit. And glad I hung in there to see the crossover with Yannick Bisson :)