Welcome to the first of a two-part episode of Men in Trees, "The Girl Who Cried Wolf," or as I like to call it, a very freaky fairly tale.
Speaking of freaking out, I'm sure you're all wondering what's going to happen with your favorite shows after seeing the current writers' strike plastered all over the news. You won't have to worry about getting your Men in Trees fix for awhile, because our writers have been so on the ball, we still have a few scripts completely finished and ready to shoot. And remember how dismayed we all were when the show went off the air last season? Well, now those extra episodes that weren't shown will make Men in Trees quite possibly the longest-running scripted show this season. In fact, it may be the only new show out there. Television will no longer be called TV, but MITTV.
This week's episode begins with a rather terrifying dream sequence, which was also terrifying to shoot. In this nightmare, Marin is wandering through the woods and encounters a vicious pack of wolves. She then sees a vision of a distraught Annie in the rain in her wedding dress. It's actually quite Carrie-esque, a theme I seem unable to escape in my career. (Watch the images in this dream sequence closely because they are all clues to some dramatic events to come.) We were shooting the dream sequence deep inside a mossy forest, and it was so magical and dreamlike, it almost looked like a movie set! It was also February and pouring down freezing-cold rain, but apparently not raining hard enough to show up on camera, so there was a large water truck standing by to manufacture additional raindrops. There I was, in a backless wedding dress, in February, standing in freezing-cold real and fake rain. It was too difficult to get out of the dress in between takes, so they just threw a pile of blankets on me and put me in front of a heater while the steam rose off of me. Have I mentioned how glamorous the television business is?
As soon as we finished shooting the dream, I was whisked into a van to go home and get warm. About halfway to our destination, the driver got a call on his cell phone that there was a problem with the shot, and I had to come back immediately and do it all again! I wasn't too happy about this until I got back to set and discovered that it was all a practical joke on me, played by none other than Anne Heche. She had me brought back to set to tell me in person that we'd been picked up for a second season! Now I look back on my freezing with fondness.
This dream isn't the only omen that purports impending doom in Elmo. You may remember that Mai did Annie and Patrick's astrological charts and came to the conclusion that they should be star-crossed haters rather than lovers. The evidence to support this conclusion certainly begins to mount. If you thought that your wedding was stressful, you should tune in to our next couple of episodes, because you will definitely feel better. I can't give it away, but the many trials include the aforementioned storm, a faulty roof, a frisky feline, and a beauty treatment gone seriously awry. Luckily Annie's mother, the lovely Annie Potts, arrives from New York to help her plan the wedding. Together with Celia and Mai, there are now three mothers involved in the wedding, which is another recipe for disaster. Add in a lot of champagne and it might even get illegal.
As for all you hoping for Jack and Marin to reunite, Jack's plans to whale-watch on the Bering Sea definitely put a damper on that. In case you think this is some writer's trick and he's going to stay at the last minute, I can say that we built a very large boat set this year. But we can all be consoled by the fact that James Tupper looks sexy at sea. Meanwhile, back at the church, maverick Pastor Eric is delivering a sermon that's very outside the box. His nontraditional ways coupled with his girlfriend Sara's nontraditional past may spell trouble for his place in the Church.
It will all come to a head next week in "The Girl Who Cried Wolf, Part II," which was supposed to be our season-closing episode, so I can promise some major events. And for all of you out there who have been clamoring for the return of Jane and Plow Guy, they will both be back for the wedding, although I must warn you that Sam may have moved on. See you at the wedding!
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