Caroline Dhavernas stars in "Mary Kills People," a new drama series airing Sunday on Lifetime. Lifetime
It’s a provocative title — but there’s more to “Mary Kills People” than meets the eye.
The Lifetime drama, premiering Sunday night, stars Caroline Dhavernas (“Wonderfalls,” “Hannibal”) as Mary Harris. By day, she’s a divorced ER doctor and harried mother of two teenaged daughters; by night, she (illegally) helps terminally ill patients end their lives on their own terms (using an oral cocktail of champagne and fentanyl). She’s assisted in this endeavor by Des (Richard Short), an ex-plastic surgeon whose drug habit derailed his medical career.
“I’ve always been for freedom of choice, so it’s interesting to understand [Mary’s] point of view,” Dhavernas says. “She’s helping people … and you’ll learn that something happened to her in her teenage years; she was deeply wounded, and it’s become a bit of a drug for her to help people who are sick end their lives in an intimate way. She needs to tap into that on a regular basis.
“The other characters in the show feel differently and are grappling with the concept,” she says. “So I think, in watching the series, you learn to reflect on death and get all sorts of opinions.”
Jay Ryan and Caroline Dhavernas in a scene from “Mary Kills People.” Lifetime
“Mary Kills People” walks a fine line between its somber theme and the comic relief provided by Des, who fires off a rapid series of one-liners to break the tension. “I think we needed that. It could have been a very unpleasant, dark subject matter and I think we need some levity — and Des certainly helps with that,” says Dhavernas. “These doctors can’t be completely emotionally invested in what they do; it’s like going to a funeral, and afterward you want to live life to the fullest and have friends and drinks and be in love.
“I think that’s part of the energy that comes from the death we talk about on the show.”
As the series opens, Mary finds herself attracted to Joel (Jay Ryan), who tells her he’s suffering from a terminal brain tumor and hounds her to help him end his life. In reality he’s an undercover cop named Ben, who’s being pressured to arrest Mary by a judge whose underage son used Mary’s services to end his life.
“Mary Kills People” premiered in January on the Global network in Canada, where physician-assisted suicide is a hot-button topic after being legalized last year (with many enforced guidelines). “Things are a little different in Canada,” says Dhavernas, born and raised in Montreal (she’s bi-lingual and speaks fluent French). “Last June they changed the law making it legal for doctors to help patients [end their lives]. What used to happen before the law was changed in Canada was that it would happen under the radar, ‘Just a little bit more morphine, just a little more … ’ and now it’s more structured, which has its own set of complications.
“It’s still illegal in many countries, and when you incorporate religion into the debate, it’s that much more sensitive and fragile,” she says. “We chose somewhere in America [as the setting for ‘Mary Kills People’] for storytelling purposes because it’s much more interesting. Mary is doing this on her own terms in a morally gray zone.
“She’s a bit of a rebel.”
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