They have aged well, Guy and Sylvie. They remain out of step, but not overwhelmed. They react without being reactionary. And at 60, they form a modern and loving couple, a rarity on Quebec TV these days.
It is pure happiness to find them in the new episodes ofA boy a girl, version 2023. It’s funny, rhythmic, current and punchy. Yes, the magic still works, 20 years after the broadcast of the last episode of this comedy, in March 2003.
The technical details, before continuing. The first of four episodes of the sitcom arrives this Thursday on the Extra of Tou.tv, which will relay one per week until March 30. Then, from Monday, April 24, A boy a girl will screw itself into the time slot of STAT for a full week of Guy, Sylvie and their two adult children. Gigantic ratings to be expected.
The many fans ofA boy a girl who know all the sketches by heart will rediscover the original spirit and all the codes of this story that is both simple and super effective. Yes, the music (updated) punctuates each of the scenes shot in sequence, there are visual and sound scratches to mark cuts in the story and all the cast members come back to say hello.
Guy and Sylvie, camped by Guy A. Lepage and Sylvie Léonard, are now spending peaceful days in a chic Saint-Lambert-style suburb, where they have lived for 20 years. Their daughter Camille (Anyjeanne Savaria), adopted in Vietnam in the last episode of the original series, is studying in Sherbrooke. Their son Charles (Jean-Christophe Leblanc), whose miraculous conception was revealed at the end of the seventh season, works in the video game industry. This is all that is allowed to be revealed without disclosing the plot.
The first episode makes us (re) fall for this well-matched couple who are thinking of selling their bungalow to buy a condo on the Plateau. Of course, Sylvie remains naive, talkative and expressive, but neither jug nor nanny. Steeped in contradictions, you will understand by watching the sketch on gray hair, this dynamic woman keeps abreast of the world around her. For example, Sylvie does not know how to use Google Maps, but immediately recognizes gendered social stereotypes.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RADIO-CANADA
Scene from the new series A boy a girl
Sylvie forgets to deactivate the mute function on Zoom (boomer alert!), but swears by his Apple Watch. And what becomes of Sylvie professionally, after selling the magazine that bears her name? The second episode reveals it and it will nail the beak to detractors who find Sylvie too ethereal.
We still don’t know what Guy is up to in life. He still accepts consulting contracts, without specifying in which area. Slightly uncle in his reactions, the character of Guy has not become psycho-rigid or limited. Even that it is quite a bit more progressive than when it was created.
Guy and Sylvie’s flexibility goes a lot through the character of their older daughter Camille, an LGBTQ+ activist with a fluid sexual orientation. Camille dates Mo (Camille Léonard), a non-binary person who uses the pronoun iel.
IMAGE FROM THE TRAILER
Guy and Sylvie in a scene with their daughter Camille (Anyjeanne Savaria)
Of course, 60-year-old parents ask their daughter a lot of questions about “dick pics” and the verb “misgender”. But Guy and Sylvie don’t seem overwhelmed by the reality of young people today. They don’t turn their backs on these very 2023 concepts, which are sometimes destabilizing, even if they don’t grasp all the nuances. The important thing is to be informed.
And when one drops it, the other puts it back in its place. Heille, it’s not 1997 anymore, hello!
Guy and Sylvie show that at 60, one is not destined for the siding or the cemetery. Their sex life is going well (thanks, Viagra). Their complicity has not withered and they nurture plenty of projects. We feel that they love each other, respect and admire each other, while teasing each other. Affectionate pecking remains their trademark, however.
Guy’s father (Pierre Lebeau), his ex-mother-in-law Mélanie (Mahée Paiement) and his lesbian sister Élise (Élise Guilbault) all appear in the first half hour. You’ll also get amazing news from Anakin, Guy’s half-brother.
PHOTO FROM THE TRAILER
Guy A. Lepage, Élise Guilbault and Sylvie Léonard in a scene fromA boy a girl
Always connected to the latest trends, the Loulou and Daniel couple, played by Louise Richer and Daniel Brière, are back in force in the second episode. Caroline Néron slips into the designer clothes of an intense real estate agent who could easily be found in the docuseries Numbers 1 of Casa.
For the time being, Radio-Canada does not plan to reinstate A boy a girl permanently in its grid. “If the public likes it, we’ll talk about it again”, slips Guy A. Lepage, who signs the texts and co-directs the new episodes with Jean-François Fontaine.
I looked at Wednesday the new vintage ofA boy a girl and I said to myself: a) damn Sylvie Léonard is good, it’s amazing, and b) I hope the remake of The little life will also be successful, if we want to avoid a collective psychodrama, sir.