Season One Spoilers & Speculation

[Alex Matthews]

Fran Kranz Speeds By..!

With the first season of the latest show to join the VPN’s interpretation of the Smallville universe nearing the end of it’s current production run, VSGuide has returned to the set of “Metropolis: Special Crimes Unit” to talk to Fran Kranz. Most notably known for his 2-season run on Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse”, as the eccentric Topher Brink, Fran answers some of our questions about his latest role - the SCU’s resident forensic whiz, Wally West.

VSGuide: Welcome to the VPN, Fran.
Fran Kranz: Thanks, it really great to be here finally!

VSGuide: There have been onset rumours that you might be leaving. Is this true?
FK: Okay, let me start from the beginning. No, I’m not leaving, we’ve definitely settled on where the character of Wally is going, and where he is coming from, but I will be honest in that I had some doubts I was right for the part.

VSGuide: Oh? Why is that?
FK: You see, I’ve been attached to this project from the beginning, I was one of the first actors cast for the new roles, and I really wanted to tackle the character of Wally and what Alex has planned for him. But as more scripts came in, I was worried that the audience wouldn’t believe me in the role, because Wally is written as rather immature, and I was afraid it would be too much of Topher in there. But we hammered out the storyline for Wally this season, and we realised that the fact that, here I am, a guy in his 30s, playing a character who is underdeveloped emotionally and in maturity, is what we want to show.

VSGuide: So, what was it that made you take to the role?
FK: Like I said, Wally is a really interesting character - he’s got all these brains and science skills, yet he’s still a big kid at first, until he’s forced to grow up during the season. On the surface, he is a LOT like Topher, but when you really look into the two characters, they are radically different.

VSGuide: How does Wally West differ from Topher Brink?
FK: Topher’s confidence and ego came from the fact that he was THE guy to go to when you needed something done that everyone else said was impossible, but as he saw what his work was really accomplishing, it ate away at him, and eventually drove him insane. Wally though, is going through the opposite pattern, beginning with being that little bit off, his social skills not really there at all, but thanks to his relationships and friends, he breaks out of his shell over the season, and confronts his issues.

VSGuide: What can you tell us about Wally’s interactions with the other main characters?
FK: Mostly, I deal with Jill Teed and David Patkaeu’s characters, and for the most part I am stuck in my little lab, but it’s not so bad, because it’s one of our most developed sets, with all the pieces of equipment they let me use. I do sometimes work with guest stars, when they let me out of the lab to do field work, which is always fun!

VSGuide: What kind of storylines does Wally have on the go this season?
FK: Wally’s main storyline is dealing with the fact that he’s gotten himself into trouble because of his trying to use his smarts to cheat at gambling, and it doesn’t really work they way he thinks it will. That is going to be explored over episodes 5 and 6, I think, and I really loved the read through we had - it was a different, more secretive and emotionally vulnerable side of Wally not seen in the first few episodes. Wally holds a lot of emotional scars that I’m looking forward to exploring as the show continues.

VSGuide: What do you hope to see from Wally as the series progresses?
FK: I know Alex has been asked about if Wally will ever become the ‘Flash’, or get any of his various love interests from the comics, and when he rewrote the premiere’s opening scene, he introduced a character [Tina McGee, played by Tina Majorino] who is from Wally’s backstory in the comics. Well, I finally get to meet her in Episode 6, and I’m looking forward to seeing where that goes, but as for his destiny, I’m in no rush for that to happen yet.

[Alex Matthews]

The Ladies In Labcoats

Our final interview with the main cast members of the freshman mystery/drama police procedural show “Metropolis: Special Crimes Unit”, a continuation of the Smallville universe on the VPN is with the last two new cast member to join it. VSGuide talks with both Tembi Locke and Felicia Day, who both guest starred on the hit Sy-Fy series “Eureka” for almost 2 seasons. Tembi joins the show as Dr. Beth Chapel, a medical examiner for Metropolis, while Felicia was cast as Dr. Kitty Faulkner, an up and coming researcher and administrator at S.T.A.R. Labs, a private scientific facility, who helps the SCU out on cases when necessary.

VSGuide: Welcome to the VPN, ladies.
Tembi Locke: It’s about time you got around to us! [laughs]
Felicia Day: They’re saving the best till last, obviously!

VSGuide: What can you tell us about your characters, and your involvement with their development?
TL: Well, Beth is one of the medical examiners for Metropolis, and is usually the one on scene when there is a dead body, so she’s similar to Alexx Woods from CSI: Miami in that respect, we do see her out in the field a lot. But we haven’t really explored her history yet, although she does have some religious leanings that are explored slightly in Episode 2.
FD: At least you get to go out, I haven’t seen much besides the sets we’re using for S.T.A.R. Labs, although I did film a couple of small location scenes, one for the premiere, and one at a diner for Episode 2. But, yeah, I’m basically the science girl for the show - if the guys come across any strange technology or science that needs explaining, they come to me, and I fill in the gaps.
TL: Aren’t we supposed to be friends or acquaintances? I remember in the premiere, I had a line where I recommend you to Maggie and Danny, right?
FD: Really? Oh, cool, maybe we’ll get some scenes together soon! [laughs]

VSGuide: So, what was it that made you take to the role?
TL: I know I was cast after Tamala Jones’ commitment to “Castle” meant she couldn’t continue in the role, so I came in and re-shot her scenes from the original pilot. I liked the character because she’s very focused on her work, but also still very human - she’s a medical examiner now but used to be a top surgeon in New York, until she burned out, and wanted to move out of that field. I know she has a somewhat tragic comic book story history, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that will play out over my time. I’ve signed a three year contract, but that’s open for renewal after the third year.
FD: For me, I know I was brought in after a major overhaul - the role of science adviser was originally going to be a different character, but when the pitch was reworked for the VPN, the character of Kitty was introduced, and I was approached by the producers and writers as their first choice for the role. I know it was my time on “Eureka” that brought me to their attention, and I think they do want a bit of what I brought to Holly for Kitty as well, at least to begin with. I’ve signed a two-year contract, and I know they have big plans for her in the works for the second year.

VSGuide: What can you tell us about your interactions with the other main characters?
TL: Well, most of my interaction is with Jill or David, either at a crime scene location, or in the morgue, which is the usual set up, but every so often, I do get to be just a regular person, we filmed a scene the other day that was really nice and relaxed, it was a dinner party kind of thing. Me, Jill, David, plus Kelly Rowan [Toby Raines] and Sarah Smythe [Suzie Turpin], all just being ‘people‘.
FD: I haven’t really had that normality yet, I’ve done the usual ‘exposition’ scenes mostly, but I’m prepping for Episode 6, which is where Kitty finally does get out of the rut. I wasn’t needed for Episodes 3 and 4, but I am heavily involved with 5 and 6, and most of my stuff is interacting with the guest stars, which is always fun. I got to work with Enver Gjokaj again, which was really nice, we haven’t seen much of each other since we did the “Dollhouse” finales.

VSGuide: What kind of storylines does you have on the go this season?
TL: Most of my storyline this year is basically whatever case the team are involved with, but I do know that in Episode 7, I get a bit more of a history fleshed out, and I’ll be filming with David Ramsey, who is playing Michael Holt. That I am really looking forward to.
FD: It’s the same with me, really. This year is all about the set up, and I think for Kitty, most of the pay off will come next year.

[Alex Matthews]

Okay, so the inaugural season of "Metropolis: Special Crimes Unit" has began and so far, reactions seem to be favourable, so I thought I would plop out a few new spoilers for you all.

- Peter Dinklage ("Game of Thrones"), Indira Varma ("Human Target"), Susan Sullivan ("Castle"), Amy Acker ("Dollhouse"), Eddie Cahill ("CSI:NY"), and Michael Cudlitz ("Southland") have all signed on for one-episode guest appearances during the 2nd half of the season.

- Dario Delacio, known to "Smallville" viewers as the embodiment of the 'real' form of Doomsday, will not only be reprising his role in sister series "Watchtower", but he will also be coming back to Metropolis, but under a different make-up set. He will be appearing in the episode "Resurrection", alongside Michael Cudlitz and Indira Varma.

- Keri Lynn Pratt will make her first appearance in "M:SCU" towards the back end of the season, with the possibility of becoming recurring in any future seasons that come along. With the reboot of "Trinity" currently stuck in development, her appearance in the 'original series' is considered 'retconned' away.

- Phoebe Tonkin confirms she will definitely be back as "Rachel Roth" for at least TWO episodes this season, alongside her commitment to hit CW show "The Originals". We will also get to meet at least ONE character who is one day destined to become a fellow hero, just as she is.

- Stacy Keibler will reprise her role as "Mercy Graves" in Episode 1x09, alongside a certain 'project' of the old Luthorcorp regime that made several appearance during the later run of "Smallville"

- Metropolis will be feeling the effects of what happened after the Joker's attempt to level Gotham last year, and it's going to make life difficult for everyone involved. Also, someone believed to be dead will abruptly resurface in "the Big Apricot" to cause trouble for the police, and quite possibly the city as a whole.

- as confirmed by Jack Malone, Superman is VERY MUCH ABSENT at the moment, and although it won't be explained, the effects of his disappearance will be examined as the entire city begins to feel it.

Episode 1x04: "Trust", which features the return of Sarah Smythe as "Suzie Turpin", and the introduction of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as "Bibbo Bibbowski", will be released on March 31st, and then the series will be taking a 2 month break, before airing at least the next THREE episodes consecutively.

[Alex Matthews]

Just a quick update:

I've been having a lot of issues with writer's block the last few months, as well as a dodgy work schedule which has meant that when I do have free time, I'm usually TOO TIRED to get going on anything.

Episode 5 is ready to air, but I want to have Episodes 6 and 7 ready to go before I resume a regular broadcast schedule, as it were. Episode 6 is ALMOST complete, I just need to knuckle down and get it done, and 7 is ready and waiting for me once that's out of the way.

Sorry to keep people waiting, but hopefully this bad spell will end once I get caught back up in writing these characters!

[Alex Matthews]

Another quick update:

Episodes 5: "Noise", 6: "Loyalty" and 7: "Terrific" are pretty much done, just having my proof reader go over them.

Outlines for Episode 8: "Cyber" is done, 9: "Star" is practically finished, and I will be moving onto 10: "Resurrection" straight afterwards. If this role continues, I will also try and get 11: "Vigilante" and 12: "Playtime" done as well.

Hopefully episodes will commence airing by the end of the month - I'd like to air 5 straight through to 9 if possible before taking another hiatus. Sorry for the poor planning, I had hoped to get the season completed quicker then this, but real life does have a habit of interfering a tad too much.

As a little teaser, here are the title cards for the Episodes 6 to 10

[Alex Matthews]

just another quick update: Currently finishing up the first complete draft of "Cyber", which took a lot longer then planned, due to heavy rewrites during the outlining stages, and a severe case of "writer's block" every time I sat down in front of the computer! Hoping to pick up the pace for writing "Star" and "Resurrection", although I'm also having some issues with the outline for "Vigilante", which I hope will pass soon.

[The Doctor]

Jun 12, 2014 12:34:51 GMT -6 Alex Matthews said:

Just a quick update:

I've been having a lot of issues with writer's block the last few months, as well as a dodgy work schedule which has meant that when I do have free time, I'm usually TOO TIRED to get going on anything.

Episode 5 is ready to air, but I want to have Episodes 6 and 7 ready to go before I resume a regular broadcast schedule, as it were. Episode 6 is ALMOST complete, I just need to knuckle down and get it done, and 7 is ready and waiting for me once that's out of the way.

Sorry to keep people waiting, but hopefully this bad spell will end once I get caught back up in writing these characters!

Alex DO NOT APOLOGIZE
Everyone understands!!!! I cant wait for the SCU. Oh and the reviews are coming. Im re-reading all the episodes so i can give a cohesive full blown review

[Alex Matthews]

Raven Regenerates!
Metropolis: SCU prepares for the Festive Season!

Malese Jow is coming to Metropolis!

Due to production issues and continuing redeveloping going on behind the scenes, the two-month hiatus that “Metropolis: Special Crimes Unit” was due to undertake has unfortunately grown into a much longer gap between episodes. Work is progressing hard to get the season back on track, and not only deliver the rest of the season in one continuous flow, but also bring you a special Christmas-themed episoded, titled “Charity”.

One of the unfortunate consequences of the extended hiatus is that Phoebe Tonkin, who played the role of “Rachel Roth” in “Foundations” will no longer be able to continue in the role, due to her continuing commitment to CW show “The Originals”. However, former “Vampire Diaries” and “Star-Crossed” actress Malese Jow has been cast to assume the role in her place, and series creator Alex Matthews has every confidence in her performance.

“Phoebe delivered a great performance as Rachel in her episode, and we’re sad to see her go, but understand and accept that it wasn’t meant to be. With our developing arc for Rachel, and what it will lead to, will become an important arc for the later part of the season and the stories we tell afterwards. Malese, though, embodies a different side of Rachel, and brings more of an innocence to her, she tested out a scene with both Paget and Jill, and we were struck by how she played it, she’s going to be a perfect fit with our Metropolis family.”

Although no return date has been given, Alex was confident that the show will return before the end of the year: “We were hoping to have Episode 10 out in time for Halloween, but sadly that won’t come to pass, so instead our Christmas episode will be a fitting seasonal filler in between regular episodes.”

[The Doctor]

Oct 26, 2014 19:51:08 GMT -6 Alex Matthews said:

Raven Regenerates!
Metropolis: SCU prepares for the Festive Season!

Malese Jow is coming to Metropolis!

Due to production issues and continuing redeveloping going on behind the scenes, the two-month hiatus that “Metropolis: Special Crimes Unit” was due to undertake has unfortunately grown into a much longer gap between episodes. Work is progressing hard to get the season back on track, and not only deliver the rest of the season in one continuous flow, but also bring you a special Christmas-themed episoded, titled “Charity”.

One of the unfortunate consequences of the extended hiatus is that Phoebe Tonkin, who played the role of “Rachel Roth” in “Foundations” will no longer be able to continue in the role, due to her continuing commitment to CW show “The Originals”. However, former “Vampire Diaries” and “Star-Crossed” actress Malese Jow has been cast to assume the role in her place, and series creator Alex Matthews has every confidence in her performance.

“Phoebe delivered a great performance as Rachel in her episode, and we’re sad to see her go, but understand and accept that it wasn’t meant to be. With our developing arc for Rachel, and what it will lead to, will become an important arc for the later part of the season and the stories we tell afterwards. Malese, though, embodies a different side of Rachel, and brings more of an innocence to her, she tested out a scene with both Paget and Jill, and we were struck by how she played it, she’s going to be a perfect fit with our Metropolis family.”

Although no return date has been given, Alex was confident that the show will return before the end of the year: “We were hoping to have Episode 10 out in time for Halloween, but sadly that won’t come to pass, so instead our Christmas episode will be a fitting seasonal filler in between regular episodes.”

Although I'm sad about Phoebe, I cant wait to see/read how Malese does from here on out
And I cant wait to see how the rest of the episodes come out

[Alex Matthews]

Right, updated the synopses and guest cast for Episodes 7, 8, 9 and 10, due to changes between initial idea and actual script outline.

[Alex Matthews]

"METROPOLIS: SPECIAL CRIMES UNIT"
RETURNS!

Sources at the "M:SCU" production offices can exclusively reveal that the season episode, entitled "Charity" will air on MONDAY 29th December, and released an OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS!

CHRISTMAS COMES TO METROPOLIS: Plans for a peaceful Christmas at home with the family go out the window for Maggie Sawyer (series star Jill Teed) when a washed up former children's T.V. presenter (special guest star David Tennant) makes it his mission to ruin Christmas for the entire city. Meanwhile, Bibbo Bibbowski (guest star Steve Austin) is reminded of the true meaning of the holidays when he recruits Todd Rice (guest star Chris Lowell) and Beth Chapel (Tembi Locke) to help figure out the real identity of an amnesiac Santa. David Paetkau, Fran Kranz and Felicia Day also star.

[The Doctor]

Dec 21, 2014 9:09:05 GMT -6 Alex Matthews said:

"METROPOLIS: SPECIAL CRIMES UNIT"
RETURNS!

Sources at the "M:SCU" production offices can exclusively reveal that the season episode, entitled "Charity" will air on MONDAY 29th December, and released an OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS!

CHRISTMAS COMES TO METROPOLIS: Plans for a peaceful Christmas at home with the family go out the window for Maggie Sawyer (series star Jill Teed) when a washed up former children's T.V. presenter (special guest star David Tennant) makes it his mission to ruin Christmas for the entire city. Meanwhile, Bibbo Bibbowski (guest star Steve Austin) is reminded of the true meaning of the holidays when he recruits Todd Rice (guest star Chris Lowell) and Beth Chapel (Tembi Locke) to help figure out the real identity of an amnesiac Santa. David Paetkau, Fran Kranz and Felicia Day also star.

YAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSS Christmas specials are the best. I cant wait for this
Also Im loving that Todd Rice is like the BEST recurring character . He is the bomb!!!

[Alex Matthews]

Thanks, Karl!
Todd is one of my favourites to write, that's for sure - he's not a cop, but he's got a sense of right and wrong that fits in well with the work, and he's not above bending the rules to help a friend, that he learnt from Maggie! Wait till Episode 7 comes out, that HEAVILY features Todd and examines a little of his past.

[The Doctor]

Dec 27, 2014 10:53:28 GMT -6 Alex Matthews said:

Thanks, Karl!
Todd is one of my favourites to write, that's for sure - he's not a cop, but he's got a sense of right and wrong that fits in well with the work, and he's not above bending the rules to help a friend, that he learnt from Maggie! Wait till Episode 7 comes out, that HEAVILY features Todd and examines a little of his past.

You know I enjoy Todd. Another of my favorites would have to be Dan and Maggie
I just have to ask, will Dan and Todd share more scenes together? Because I like that friendship that's growing there

[Alex Matthews]

Given that they're both very much dedicated members of the Unit, they'll share scenes together, but over the season, Danny has mostly spent time with the character of Russell Ten Clouds, who is essentially his partner, since they are usually assigned to the various cases by Maggie, and is in some ways, jointly mentoring him with Maggie.
Todd's usual interactions are with Maggie, but that isn't to say he isn't friendly with everyone else, it's just he's been with Maggie for a long time, and Danny is still relatively new to the group, but he knows Maggie has seen something in him, and he'll help bring that out when he can.

[Alex Matthews]

The Prankster Plays Up Again..!

Scottish actor David Tennant, best known to audiences most recently as the Tenth Doctor, and DI Alec Hardy of "Broadchurch" (or Detective Emmett Carver in the US remake "Gracepoint"), will soon be making his second visit to the Big Apricot!

Tennant returns as 'Oswald Loomis', a.k.a. "The Prankster", a failed television host and corrupt philanthropist who turned to crime in order to make his point and get his revenge on the executives who fired him, having first appeared in the seasonal episode, "Charity". This time, VSGuide can exclusively reveal that he's working on something a little different. "The first time we saw Loomis, he's very much driven by revenge," tells us our source inside production of "M:SCU", "but when we left him, he'd been approached by Whisper A'Daire for something rather specific."

Just WHAT that 'something specific' is, you'll have to wait to find out, but it's no coincidence that Loomis was somewhat inspired by the work of Winslow Schott, the late 'Toyman', who was seemingly killed by the Joker during the second season of sister series "Watchtower".

Series creator Alex Matthews sings David's praises during our brief chat, "I have to admit, and David knows this as well, that he was not the first actor I had in mind for the role when I first envisioned introducing the Prankster, but when he came in for the audition, he blew us away, and I knew he was perfect for the part. I'm a huge Doctor Who fan, and David brought a lot of the madness and zaniness he also brought to his Doctor to Loomis, but tempered it with a touch of maliciousness and menace that really made it stand out on it's own."

Just what Whisper and Intergang have Loomis working on will be revealed in "Playtime", the Season Finale of "Metropolis: Special Crimes Unit", and it promises to not only cause problems, but shake Metropolis to it's core.

[The Doctor]

So I have to ask, the STAR Labs is there more than one? OR is that the only main one? Because I might have missed you mentioning the others.hahaha
And is it intentional for your characters to know that Oliver Queen is GA since they helped him at STAR?
Sorry if my questions are messed up

[Alex Matthews]

The question is two-fold, so I will answer it as such;

The STAR Labs branch in "M:SCU" is the main branch, the original, as it were, and there are various other divisions throughout the US, which will be explored later, especially with the planned arc for Kitty in S2. I don't think I've specifically mentioned the organisational structure of the company in detail yet, because I've really focused more on what role Kitty has in particular.
Regarding Ollie, well, his identity is pretty much public anyway, since he 'came out' back in "Smallville", and that has carried on through these continuations. I know Jack has touched on what's going on with Ollie back in Star City, but besides maybe a brief mention being worked into the next few episodes, I have no plans to delve into that story.