Saturday, September 8th, 2007
08:00 The Hardy Boys Mysteries
The Hardy Boys Mysteries. Season 2, Episode 18. A flawed, but ultimately enjoyable, outing for the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. The flaw at the centre of this episode - the second part of a two-parter - is the character of Nancy Drew. No, not the casting. I'm over that, I swear! Janet Louise Johnston is good as "the new" Nancy, even though the writers now cast Nancy as a damsel-in-distress, easily getting caught by the bad guys and later having to be rescued by the Hardy's. Sigh.
But that's not the flaw. Mid-way through this episode, we (the audience) are told who the real Bad Guy is. It's the "big twist" of the story. To everyone, that is, except Nancy who has known his identity all along and - in turns out - actually came to New Orleans on his trail. Way back in part one, when she first met with Frank and Joe, Nancy made a point of telling them that she couldn't reveal who she was trailing. Why? She's worked with them before, and knows they are good (great?) detectives. Yet, she deliberately leaves them out of the loop. This, of course, allows the story to run it's course smoothy, with the Hardy's being duped and led astray by the villain of the piece. Nancy's decision serves the story, but it makes no sense. It's lazy writing.
Never mind. All the other elements of a good (great?) episode are in place. Top-notch guest-stars, chemistry beween Parker and Shaun, witty one-liners from Joe, atmospheric night scenes, humourous interaction with local law enforcement, etc. etc. Everything else is great fun. And, when you think about it, even the very best TV shows have flaws: House is repetitive, 24 is ludicrous, BSG is dull. With that in mind, what's one secret between good friends?
The Hardy Boys Mysteries
