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Got the second part of the HB/ND TV series of season two from the library, and me and my brother (and mom!!!) were off again. Just a few random comments...
"Nancy Drew's Love Match" -- A bit confusing (especially when you almost didn't even see the other who-done-it), but I actually liked this one a lot. Nancy grew on me more; the wide-eyed reaction seemed to have been toned down a bit. The subplot with her pretending to be the date of one of the players even though they had never officially met was cute. The poor guy took all those slaps in stride. Wow, the new George is still not the George from the books. She did more investigating but was whiny and scared. Just wasn't George. Bender...great casting of a totally dislike able character.
"Mystery of the Silent Scream" -- Another good episode. Really liked the interaction between Joe and Frank in this one -- all of the HB episodes, really -- and how they bounced off each other. Both my brother and I thought Joe and Alicia made a cute couple. I really felt for him when she disappeared. It was amusing noting one of the buildings in the ghost town looked like it had been built after the 1920s. And it was obvious that gambler had a bad taste in wigs.
"Will the Real Santa Claus...?" -- The most bizarre episode this season so far in MHO. (A good number of the episodes' mysteries seemed to deal with the irrational, unnatural and illogical.) The real Santa... Why didn't he just fly back home instead of going through all that danger? And the other mystery, there was no way the viewer could figure that one out having never seen the culprit before Nancy's confrontation. Shock #1: Ned's recast! I had no idea who that fine-looking gentleman was until Mr. Drew identified him. And he no longer works for Mr. Drew, he's now with the NYPD. Shock #2: Ned and Nancy have never met before. ?????? Give the Nancy/Ned pairing a whole new start? What the heck? Ned's improved in looks, but personality-wise, seeming to order how the investigation should be conducted, what Nancy should think/do, etc., he doesn't cut it.
"The Lady on Thursday at Ten" -- There was a feeling of Bourne alternative in this one. Another confusing episode. Things did or did not happen... Questionable identities... It was wacky. Rocky's friend at the gym I really liked. He was a good guy. My brother and I could not believe how Rocky and Nancy were like joined at the hip, how scared she was about him. They seemingly had discussed nothing but the strange things that had happened, didn't have each other's names done, and... Just didn't get how much Nancy was taken with him.
(A side note: This episode sealed the deal for me: the filmmakers really did not understand, care, and/or respect Nancy Drew compared to the Hardy Boys episodes. While I thought the mysteries improved from season one, recasting George and Ned (and eventually Nancy) did not help matters. The personalities of the characters were nothing like in the books -- while Frank and Joe were different yet at the same time similar to themselves in the books. Nancy is almost like Joe, going crazy about the opposite sex. Very sad. The episodes and, most importantly, the characters should have been better. If only...)
"Oh Say Can You Sing" -- I confess I'm not a huge fan of Joe's singing. Though the running gag of Frank always going off to do something involving a case instead of hearing Joe sing was amusing. I never came close to solving the mystery, I could only say, "Oh." Like the previous episode, there was conflicting versions of incidents and shady characters.
"The House on Possessed Hill" -- Creepiest episode. Could have been turned into a horror film of some sort. The front interior of the house reminded me of the house in the season one episode about the UFOs. The wind never died down there. Of course neither of the boys had a flashlight on them when they investigated the house. Brilliant move.
"Sole Surviver" -- Not quite as much action=packed as the others, I really liked this one. There was more depth to Joe and Frank than usual. Very good acting by both Shuan and Parker. The "chase scene" among all those mannequins was great. The reunion between Joe, Frank, and Mr. Hardy was a bit too understated, in MO. After all they had gone through and felt, I wish the moment had been more emotional.
"Voodoo Doll" -- Janet Louise Johnson's Nancy Drew seemed way too young. I'm not really sure how I feel about her acting. Even though this was a crossover episode, she was barely in it; we hardly saw what was going on her end of things, and she never actually worked with Frank and Joe, always saying she couldn't tell them what she was doing. The chemistry between Nancy and Frank was very different from the earlier crossovers, but I still enjoyed the moments between them: their meeting in New Orleans, Nancy bailing the boys out (how sweet is that?), explaining she can't share with them to keep them (aka Frank) out of trouble, she brushing his cheek at the jail, and all the hand holding while running through the warehouse. Once again, I enjoyed how Frank and Joe bounced off each other. Joe had a good number of Joe-ish comments here, too. The end of the episode was very unsatisfying. It needed more closure.
I wonder if there ever could be a satisfying, well made, TV series of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew...
P.S. I heart the theme music during the opening and closing credits. :D
"Nancy Drew's Love Match" -- A bit confusing (especially when you almost didn't even see the other who-done-it), but I actually liked this one a lot. Nancy grew on me more; the wide-eyed reaction seemed to have been toned down a bit. The subplot with her pretending to be the date of one of the players even though they had never officially met was cute. The poor guy took all those slaps in stride. Wow, the new George is still not the George from the books. She did more investigating but was whiny and scared. Just wasn't George. Bender...great casting of a totally dislike able character.
"Mystery of the Silent Scream" -- Another good episode. Really liked the interaction between Joe and Frank in this one -- all of the HB episodes, really -- and how they bounced off each other. Both my brother and I thought Joe and Alicia made a cute couple. I really felt for him when she disappeared. It was amusing noting one of the buildings in the ghost town looked like it had been built after the 1920s. And it was obvious that gambler had a bad taste in wigs.
"Will the Real Santa Claus...?" -- The most bizarre episode this season so far in MHO. (A good number of the episodes' mysteries seemed to deal with the irrational, unnatural and illogical.) The real Santa... Why didn't he just fly back home instead of going through all that danger? And the other mystery, there was no way the viewer could figure that one out having never seen the culprit before Nancy's confrontation. Shock #1: Ned's recast! I had no idea who that fine-looking gentleman was until Mr. Drew identified him. And he no longer works for Mr. Drew, he's now with the NYPD. Shock #2: Ned and Nancy have never met before. ?????? Give the Nancy/Ned pairing a whole new start? What the heck? Ned's improved in looks, but personality-wise, seeming to order how the investigation should be conducted, what Nancy should think/do, etc., he doesn't cut it.
"The Lady on Thursday at Ten" -- There was a feeling of Bourne alternative in this one. Another confusing episode. Things did or did not happen... Questionable identities... It was wacky. Rocky's friend at the gym I really liked. He was a good guy. My brother and I could not believe how Rocky and Nancy were like joined at the hip, how scared she was about him. They seemingly had discussed nothing but the strange things that had happened, didn't have each other's names done, and... Just didn't get how much Nancy was taken with him.
(A side note: This episode sealed the deal for me: the filmmakers really did not understand, care, and/or respect Nancy Drew compared to the Hardy Boys episodes. While I thought the mysteries improved from season one, recasting George and Ned (and eventually Nancy) did not help matters. The personalities of the characters were nothing like in the books -- while Frank and Joe were different yet at the same time similar to themselves in the books. Nancy is almost like Joe, going crazy about the opposite sex. Very sad. The episodes and, most importantly, the characters should have been better. If only...)
"Oh Say Can You Sing" -- I confess I'm not a huge fan of Joe's singing. Though the running gag of Frank always going off to do something involving a case instead of hearing Joe sing was amusing. I never came close to solving the mystery, I could only say, "Oh." Like the previous episode, there was conflicting versions of incidents and shady characters.
"The House on Possessed Hill" -- Creepiest episode. Could have been turned into a horror film of some sort. The front interior of the house reminded me of the house in the season one episode about the UFOs. The wind never died down there. Of course neither of the boys had a flashlight on them when they investigated the house. Brilliant move.
"Sole Surviver" -- Not quite as much action=packed as the others, I really liked this one. There was more depth to Joe and Frank than usual. Very good acting by both Shuan and Parker. The "chase scene" among all those mannequins was great. The reunion between Joe, Frank, and Mr. Hardy was a bit too understated, in MO. After all they had gone through and felt, I wish the moment had been more emotional.
"Voodoo Doll" -- Janet Louise Johnson's Nancy Drew seemed way too young. I'm not really sure how I feel about her acting. Even though this was a crossover episode, she was barely in it; we hardly saw what was going on her end of things, and she never actually worked with Frank and Joe, always saying she couldn't tell them what she was doing. The chemistry between Nancy and Frank was very different from the earlier crossovers, but I still enjoyed the moments between them: their meeting in New Orleans, Nancy bailing the boys out (how sweet is that?), explaining she can't share with them to keep them (aka Frank) out of trouble, she brushing his cheek at the jail, and all the hand holding while running through the warehouse. Once again, I enjoyed how Frank and Joe bounced off each other. Joe had a good number of Joe-ish comments here, too. The end of the episode was very unsatisfying. It needed more closure.
I wonder if there ever could be a satisfying, well made, TV series of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew...
P.S. I heart the theme music during the opening and closing credits. :D
