CTV’s hit show, Motive, returned for its second season last night and yesterday, as part of the CTV press day, we chatted with Kristin Lehman, who brings Angie Flynn to life every week.
This season, Flynn’s easygoing demeanor is tested when she finds herself reporting to newly transplanted Sergeant Mark Cross (new series regular Warren Christie), with whom she shares a rocky history. Lehman enjoyed the new layer that brought to Angie. “[I liked] that collision of professional and personal worlds coming together…her son’s no longer around, and now she has to watch her back and we get to see part of her past,” she says.
What we won’t see is who Angie’s going home to at night now that her son is away at school [although Manny will be back in episode 11 this season]. Despite the tease in last night’s episode that Angie was heading out for a date, Lehman says we’ll never see who that might be with since “there’s not enough time in the show” to work that in.
Last season’s finale was a heavy hitter with Angie pulling the trigger on their killer, but Lehman says we won’t see a post-traumatic stress arc as the team deals with the fallout. “The writers put our season four months past the finale,” she points out, “so we could begin fresh.”
Angie’s signature humor is one of the things that makes Motive immensely watchable, and for Lehman, it’s a joy to play, too. “One of the first things detectives told us is that they deal with their jobs [by using] a lot of inappropriate humor,” she says. “And that balance is necessary. It makes [Angie] very accessible.”
We asked about Angie’s classic ride and Lehman’s not so much a fan of the vintage wheels.”I’d bet that if we go into a third season, I’ll have a different car,” she says.
Lehman lives and works in Vancouver, and she’s a huge proponent of the West Coast. “I want very much for there to be more storytelling in Vancouver,” she says. “As a Canadian actor, I feel that the separation between the [different regions of the country creates] discrepancies in the Canadian Screen Awards. I look forward to the West Coast having more of a presence in the Canadian television industry.” She adds that being able to work on Motive in her home city was convenient and fulfilling.
One of Lehman’s other loves is the Canadian lifestyle website, This Fair Land. She stepped away for a short time while shooting Motive‘s second season but is set to return this spring with the site’s fifth short film. “It continues to be a destination website for living a creative life in Canada,” she says proudly. The site arose when she found a void in the online lifestyle space. “I lived away for a while, and lot of things that inspire me are international,” she says. “But a lot of it is right outside my door in Canada. I didn’t see [that] represented on the Internet, so this is my attempt.”
Angie’s past with Cross will arc over the entire season, and their relationship will unfold like an episode of Motive as we look back at their history. Her most solid relationship–with her partner Vega–will still be her bedrock. “Angie and Vega’s relationship trumps everybody,” says Lehman. “Especially since he knows she has mixed feelings [about Cross]. We try to remain loyal to each other for the duration of the season.”
We’re certainly glad to hear that, after we learned in the closing minutes of the premiere that Vega threw his interview to remain her partner. Motive continues its second season this spring Thursdays at 10 pm ET on CTV.
Photos courtesy of CTV.