Geeking Out With jPod
Michelle da Silva
If you haven’t yet seen jPod, you might be missing out on your one-hour-a-week opportunity to geek out. The CBC show based on the Douglas Coupland cult classic follows a group of young video game programmers whose last names all begin with the letter “J” and who all work at a gaming company called Neotronic Arts in Vancouver.
The story (both the novel and the show) focuses on Ethan Jarlewski (played by David W. Kopp), a 20-something struggling to forge an identity of his own while still being very attached to his seemingly normal parents (played by Alan Thicke – yes, the Alan Thicke from Growing Pains - and Sherry Miller).
As the five “Podsters” (played by Kopp, Steph Song, Ben Ayres, Emilie Ullerup, and Torrence Coombs) with vastly different personalities deal with sex, relationships, a new boss and trying to develop a video game, Ethan becomes entangled in the Chinese mob – mainly with one man, Kam Fong (played by Raugi Yu), a Chinese immigrant trafficker with an interest in making counterfeit products.
The show premiered on Jan. 8 on the CBC, and its 13 episodes should run until April. While those who have read the book might be peeved at some of the discrepancies between the book and the show, the show is still very entertaining and full of Coupland-isms – wit, computer art, and OCD. There is no word yet as to whether the show will be continued for a second season, but so far it has been very well received. Catch jPod every Tuesday at 9 p.m. What else would a geek be doing on a weekday night anyway? |
