Last season on Saving Hope viewers were introduced to Dr. Sydney Katz (Stacey Farber), a young, somewhat reserved doctor that was to oversee Dr. Maggie Lin (Julia Taylor Ross) in her obstetrical training. Viewers quickly realized that there was much more to Dr. Katz than what first appeared, and as she ventured through her journey to accepting her sexuality, she quickly became a fan favorite. Dr. Katz’s relationship with Maggie also drew lots of attention and many of fans were sad to not see Sydney back at the start of this season.
However, a bombing and a common patient has brought Sydney back to Hope Zion and we at The TV Junkies, along with viewers, are eagerly anticipating Farber’s return. We recently had a chance to talk with her about Sydney’s journey last season and about what’s to come on this week’s episode.
The TV Junkies: Before delving into this season, how did you feel about how everything played out last season with Sydney’s coming out?
Stacey Farber: I loved that storyline a lot. When I auditioned I actually didn’t know that that was what they had in mind for her, so it was all a surprise for me. I thought the writing on those episodes was brilliant and I was grateful to have the opportunity to play those scenes. They were just so deep, there were so many layers and it was such a great story. I loved it.
TTVJ: We were a little disappointed we never got to see Maggie and Sydney go their separate ways. What do you think happened between them?
SF: The coming and going initially wasn’t deliberate. I think the writers had something else in mind at the end of last season, but we had a lot of scheduling conflicts in real life so things changed. But that being said, I really like how it’s unfolding now because it seems more realistic to me. These are two young, hardworking women who are passionate about what they do for a living, so of course their careers and their studies are going to take them down different paths. As in real life, that doesn’t have anything to do with their feelings for each other or their connection, that’s just life, you don’t always get the chance to pursue the person that you’re attracted to.
TTVJ: Maggie and Sydney have a ton of fans, why do you think that it’s such a popular relationship?
SF: I hear from a lot of those fans on Twitter and I love that. I think it was because Sydney was introduced as Maggie’s new boss, so their was that angle that made it a little more illicit. And also Sydney coming to terms with her sexuality and Maggie being the one who encouraged her to rediscover herself. I guess there was just a lot to think about with their relationship and a lot of layers to it.
Julia and I met last year and have since become really good friends, so I think our chemistry, hopefully, comes across on camera. We have a lot of fun working together and we hang out all the time, so I think maybe that brought a little sparkle to the romance.
TTVJ: There is a noticeable difference in Sydney’s appearance this season. What can we attribute that to?
SF: I just attributed it to a year of her figuring out who she is on her own away from her religion and her fiancé and her parents and she’s been dating. Probably just looking at herself differently in the mirror. Clearly she went shopping and got rid of her glasses, but we didn’t want to make it too extreme. Clearly she’s taken a bit more of an interest in what she looks like. She’s likely becoming more confident with herself as a woman and even sexually or socially, and hopefully she seemed a little calmer as well, a lot less tense. I really wanted that to come across on screen as well.
TTVJ: Maggie seemed really happy to see Sydney when she woke up. Where do things stand between the two of them this episode?
SF: In the next episode Maggie has healed from her head injury and Katz is still there and they are reconnecting and they bond over a patient of Katz’s that Katz wants Maggie to get to know. It’s a special patient in Katz’s heart.
TTVJ: We don’t want to give away what is going to happen between Maggie and Sydney as the season continues, but if you got to choose, who would you pick for Maggie to end up with?
SF: If I had to pick someone for Maggie I would pick Sydney, but I’m biased. Otherwise I would say maybe nobody for a while. It depends when the show ends, when that sad day comes. I say this as a single person, but I think it would be nice if it didn’t matter who she picked, if a guy or a girl didn’t have to come in to her life to make her happy. I know those were things that Maggie was thinking about in the last episode, the thoughts of ‘What am I living for? Who am I living for? What’s my purpose?’–all of those questions. I think it would be great if she felt confident alone and didn’t need anyone else to make her feel fulfilled. If she could have her career and have her life and be solid in that, and get over the idea of needing romance in her life. She’s hooked up with a lot of people over the course of the show, so I think she’s chasing something and it’s just not delivering what she’s looking for.
TTVJ: Are you working on anything else right now?
SF: Last year I shot a pilot for a sitcom in the U.S. for NBC and that was really crazy. It didn’t get picked up and that’s why no one will ever see it, but it was a pretty wild experience. It was shot in front of a live studio audience and it was a lot of physical comedy. I’m sure you know what my resume is like, I have done some comedy, but to go from a medical drama to this type of comedy was a really big transition and a really cool thing to do. So I was busy with that. Then I did a movie in Montreal called Crossfire, it’s a TV movie. It hasn’t aired yet, but it will at some point and I’ll probably tweet about it when it does. Now pilot season is coming up, so I always go to LA and I’m packing up for that now. That’s the time of year when actors from all over the world go to LA to audition for all the network pilots. So I’ll be there auditioning for all the new shows.
TTVJ: Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
SF: It really is such a joy working there [Saving Hope]. They have such amazing fans who I imagine will be reading this. The Saving Hope set has an incredible energy. It’s really low key shockingly, and it’s comfortable and it’s fun. I’ve been lucky enough to work since I was 14, so I’ve been on many sets and this one really does feel special. I think it’s because the cast is a little bit older and they have partners or wives or husbands and a lot of them have kids, so they’re really settled in their own lives and at work they’re truly friends. I think that’s what comes across on the show and why people respond to it as much as they do. And they’re really funny, which you might not expect on a medical drama, but they like to laugh a lot and there’s a lot of laughter from the crew, so it’s a really great work environment.
Were you excited to see Sydney back on Saving Hope? Do you think that Maggie and Sydney should be together? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Saving Hope airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on CTV.
