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They Came from the North (02/27/2007)

released: Feb 27, 2007

description: A ship travels through the rough seas and docks at Ellis Island. The passengers have survived the difficult voyage from Canada and are ready to start their new lives in the United States. However, Ewan Abernathy is soon parted from his grandmother, as she is denied entry into the country. Likewise, Janet McCarthy wanders around calling for her father, whom she was separated from after the ship docked. Otherwise alone in this strange new land, the two young people decide to stick together.

The Canadian refugees all travel to an apartment service, where they are told that they will all be found homes in the section of New York City meant for them - Canadatown. Ewan and Janet are taken to the area by Peter. They are met with multiple acts of violence against them, along with many cries of, "Go home, Canucks." Peter pulls away, abandoning them at what they assume to be their new home, and the two discover that they will not be living in the best arrangements - there is a huge hole in the tiny apartment's wall, and there are maple leaves all over the ground. The two make the best out of the situation and make the apartment as homey as possible.

The next day, Ewan drops Janet off at PS 54 and tells her to do her best and make friends. Janet takes her homeland's reputation of the world's friendliest people to heart and tries to befriend two girls in her homeroom. Despite some initial chilliness, Hazel and Christina quickly declare the new girl to be their close friend and introduce her to the wonders of women's sports. Meanwhile, Ewan goes to a butcher shop to find a new job. The owner, Louie, tests his knowledge and skill, but is ultimately impressed and hires him on the spot. That night, Janet and Ewan settle into their tiny apartment, pleased with their first day in the United States.

They awake, however, to loud rumblings in their hallway. Ewan goes out to discover a moose head and the words "Go home, Canuck" spray painted on the wall. The rest of the day does not improve: Janet is asked to leave her math class after the teacher discovers she is Canadian, and there is a ruckus at the butcher shop when the customers begin to suspect Ewan might be Canadian. The two wander the streets of New York in the rain, hit with garbage, splashed with puddles, until they find each other. They settle under a tree in Central Park for the night.

The next morning, when they awake, a mysterious man slips Janet a note. It is from her father, Steve Peterson. He tells her he has been forced to be separated from her because he is leading an underground resistence against the Americans. They have gathered below Nassau Colosseum and are plotting to take what they deserve as new United States citizens. Janet immediately wants to join him, but Ewan wonders if Mr. Peterson isn't any better than the Americans attacking the new Canadian immigrants.

As the two talk, they see that a crowd of Americans is setting fire to Canadatown. The Canadian resistance fighters emerge, and the two mobs engage in a street battle. Janet and Ewan rush into the middle of it, and Janet is immediately hit with a moose head. She collapses, and her father realizes that it is his daughter who just ran into the fray. This enrages him, and the two groups prepare to face off yet again, until Ewan steps forward. He implores the two mobs to think about what they are doing, and if what they believe in is really so different. The Canadians and Americans are inspired. They join together to rebuild Canadatown, to play field hockey, to sample meat platters, and to live in one great North American land (excluding Mexico.)

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