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Photo courtesy Universal Pictures Canada

Photo courtesy Acorn TV

Photo courtesy Botanist Restaurant

Our City Tonight

By Jim Gordon and Leeta Liepins

Published 11:54 PDT, Fri September 12, 2025

Spotlight on home view, autumn cocktail and cinematic farewell

THE VIEW #1 – The Crow Girl

Another gripping psychological crime thriller comes to us from England, this one is called The Crow Girl. It is based on the Scandinavian bestseller of the same name by Erik Axl Sund. This 6-episode series—set in the English town of Bristol—centres around first-rate Detective Chief Inspector, Jeanette Kilburn (played by the always superb Eve Myles), as she hunts for the killer of unidentified young men. The investigation leads her to seek advice from well-known, yet mysterious, psychotherapist, Dr. Sophia Craven (Katherine Kelly). Craven is drawn in by the details of the case (which may be connected to a case of hers). Along the way, DCI Kilburn deals with a troubled domestic life, a long-time friend and colleague who plays by his own rules as a cop (Dougray Scott, who’s been great in so many things over the years), and an investigation that may involve past unsolved cases. The Crow Girl is dramatically solid with thrilling twists and turns you won’t see coming. Additional good news is that a Season 2 is apparently on its way. You can view this series at acorn.tv

THE SIP – Botanist Marine Martini

For an Autumn cocktail suggestion, we turn to a man who has created cocktails all over the world, and has achieved accolades like “World-Class Canadian Bartender”. Grant Sceney is the creative beverage director at Botanist Restaurant, located in the Fairmont Pacific Rim. We knew we were in good hands as Botanist has gained plenty of attention since it opened, including being ranked #24 in Worlds Best Bars North America and #2 in Canada by Canada’s Best Bars. Sceney offers a Botanist Marine Martini, which, we discover, can be made in a way that’s also perfect for serving a group of friends at home. “This martini is made with a dry gin blend, house vermouth, kombu (seaweed), chive oil and sea asparagus,” Sceney tells us, “but what you can do is add distilled water to dilute it, then put into the freezer, add the right ratio, so it doesn’t freeze. It’s not frozen, it’s perfectly chilled, perfectly diluted, so when your guests come over, you can put out four frozen martini glasses and pour it straight into the glass, quickly dilute it perfectly chilled by exactly how you like it”. He stresses, the key when making this martini at home for guests is to make sure the ratio is right. “If there’s too much water, it will freeze, it’s the alcohol that stops it from freezing, Sceney says, “so as long as you have the right ratio it will come up perfectly.” As we sample this superb cocktail and enjoy the ambience of this wonderful spot, we both comment that the idea of “pre-making” a batch of martinis and putting them in the freezer for guests just never occurred to us. The things you learn when you’re around cocktail experts like Grant Sceney. Enjoy this cocktail and many others at Botanist Restaurant or at home. botanistrestaurant.com

THE VIEW #2 – Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

The Crawley family were first introduced to Canadian TV viewers early 2011. Downton Abbey, the TV series, begins a century earlier, in 1912, the day the Titanic went down. For the Crawley family, based in the ancestral Yorkshire County estate known as Downton Abbey, it was the start of a love affair between them and we the viewers. A successful run of six years on television and two movies, leads us to Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. It is the final part of this global phenomenon, which was created and written by Academy Award winner Julian Fellowes. This time the setting is 1930, and the Crawley family face a new series of challenges with the changing times, including oldest daughter, Mary’s divorce and public scandal. There is more financial troubles, an issue that has grown in the story lines over the years. The core cast, which has remained much the same over the last decade (not an easy task in modern TV) includes Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt and Elizabeth McGovern. It is always bittersweet when a TV and/or film franchise says goodbye, and this one is no different. It was never expected to resonate with viewers outside the UK, but Downton Abbey did that and more. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is in theatres September 10. universalpictures.ca