British sci-fi thriller Fortitude is back. And if the first season is anything to go by, fans are in for an even better treat.
The show continues to mix science with local superstition as the advent of a rare blood aurora seems to be unleashing an untold evil on the town.
Newcomer Dennis Quaid, who takes on the role of struggling local fisherman, Michael Lennox, says he wanted to be a part of the Fortitude cast and a part of that world because it’s the kind of show he likes to watch.
Michael is the patriarch of the Lennox family and stepfather to Ingrid. He is married to local girl Freya (Michelle Fairley) for nearly 20 years. Lately he has been struggling to make ends meet thanks to the quotas and regulations imposed on Fortitude. Despite this, he is intent on landing every Arctic fisherman’s dream: King Crab, worth hundreds of thousands for a big catch.
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His quest is made all the more desperate as he struggles to come to terms with the diagnosis his wife has recently received. Freya is going to die - but it doesn’t stop Michael from trying anything to find a cure.
Dennis Quaid. Picture: Supplied
“It’s a great mystery, and also it utilises several genres - or you think it’s going to - in a way. It’s a slow burn in terms of what will be revealed - sometimes the audience knows before the characters. You get involved with the characters, and where their interior stories are going,” said Quaid.
He said although some part of him accepted the role due to the family aspect, he was also drawn to it because of the complexity of character.
“He’s a man whose entire identity has been shattered, he has to rebuild and hold on to those things which are most dear to him. There’s an art to the character, he has great challenges. And then really it’s the rest of the cast because it’s truly an ensemble piece. Everyone puts their ego aside and really works together. Reminds me of when I first started out, to tell you the truth keeps fire in your belly,” he said.
Quaid, whose role is quite central to this season’s storyline, said by the time he got to Iceland, the other actors was already settled into their characters.
“I was lucky that everyone was so welcoming. And working with Sofie Grabol and the rest of the international cast was just extraordinary and such a unique thing for me as well. I just love Iceland. In fact, I worked it so I could go out on the Arctic Sea for research. How many times do you have a chance to do that? It was just glorious,” he said.
Although season one was a long-winded story that eventually played out in the last episode, this season, things begin to flesh out more quickly, with details and twists being revealed earlier to help keep up a better narrative pace.
* Catch Fortitude on Wednesdays at 8pm on BBC First, DStv Channel 119.