| Even if this is your first time checking in to Robson Arms, it will only take an episode or two before you feel right at home. Set in an apartment building on Vancouver's West End, this popular Canadian anthology series lends itself to new visitors. Each episode focuses on one of the residents and their tangled, tormented lives. A cantankerous former hockey player (guest star Leslie Nielsen) is confined to a wheelchair following a paralyzing car accident. Unhappy and tightly-wound Toronto transplant Sault Ste. Marie (Alisen Down) begins to stalk 'just for sex' hook-up Nick (Fred Ewanuick). 'Old bag' trumps 'young skank' when menopausal Toni (Gabrielle Rose) turns the tables on a conniving young and beautiful relative. Lonely and socially awkward Fred (Haig Sutherland) too aggressively pursues a friendship with a new female neighbor. Two more compelling story arcs involve handsome new tenant Andrew (Gabriel Hogan), whose ambiguous sexuality puts a strain on gay couple Geoff (David Richmond-Peck) and Stanley (Kevin McNulty), and expectant mother Bobbi (a heartbreaking Gabrielle Miller), whose anxious husband, Bobby (Tobias Mehler) begins to spend more time at work and with a willing coworker. Linking them all together is Yuri (John Cassini), the unhandy and somewhat sleazy building superintendent. While last season ended with an earthquake, this season's finale points to equally dramatic shake-ups in several of these relationships, as well as the fate of Robson Arms itself. Never mind renting; this is valuable property you will want to own. --Donald Liebenson |
