"Not eating Italian tonight, Jack?", 24 June 2017
An Italian grandmother who cooks for her own restaurant is killed in her kitchen. Phryne and Jack investigate and find themselves on opposite sides of a decades old feud involving two Italian families. Complicating matters is a Romeo and Juliet type romance between two of the younger family members. What's behind the old feud? Surely it's more than a stolen recipe book.
This is getting terribly repetitive. Murder and Mozzarella is another in a long line of fantastic episodes that I've rated an 8/10. These things are just so good and so entertaining. The mystery here is top notch as Jack and Phryne must not only find a present day killer, but also uncover old, buried secrets. Murder and Mozzarella includes plenty of gun play and other action as our heroes mix it up with the Australian version of the mafia. I always like an episode where Phryne has a reason to whip out that little, but dangerous, gun. The mystery's conclusion is more than satisfactory.
The best thing about this episode though is watching Phryne's jealousy. In most episode, Jack has to suffer through Phryne's endless stream of suitors. Here, the tables are turned. What fun!
8/10
"So, Captain Courageous is entrusting Mata Hari with another secret mission?", 23 June 2017
Phryne is summoned by an old flame to investigate the disappearance of an RAAF Officer and a suspicious plane crash. Meanwhile, Jack is investigating the murder of a woman just outside the RAAF base. Do the two cases have anything in common?
While the plot and mystery in Murder and the Maiden are enjoyable enough, it's the relationships between characters that make this episode special.
First, there's the Phyrne / Jack relationship. Things get complicated due to the presence of Officer Lyle Compton. I liked the way Phryne's attitude toward Jack seems to change in this episode. In the past, she would have laughed off the whole love triangle. Here, though, she seems genuinely concerned that she has hurt Jack. It's a big step in their relationship.
Second, there's the Dot / Hugh relationship. Hugh is concerned with Dot's risk taking on behalf of Miss Fisher and expects it to stop once they're married. Dot sees no reason to change anything about her work with Miss Fisher. In the end, Hugh comes around to Dot's way of thinking. Another big step in a relationship.
Finally, there's the Bert / mysterious Russian woman (sorry, but I cannot remember her name) relationship. It's fun watching Bert play the love sick puppy. It's also apparent that Bert would do almost anything or fight most anyone for this woman.
8/10
Not very good, but harmless enough, 23 June 2017
While The Mystery of the African Safari is harmless enough fun, it includes many of the things that drive me crazy about a lot of the series. Start with the plot – Frank and Joe help their father get to the bottom of a poaching ring in Kenya. Yeah, right. I'm not buying it. The Season 2 decision to send the Hardy Boys to far flung locations like Egypt, Transylvania, and Kenya never sat well with me. Like I've said before, I much prefer the more homegrown episodes where the boys investigate something like a haunted lighthouse or buried pirate treasure – not traipsing around a poorly designed and executed stand-in for Africa. And, the Hardys would have never been much of a match for real poachers. The boys would have been in way over their heads. Real poachers would have shot these guys on sight. It doesn't work for me.
The Boys big break in the case comes from a photo they take that shows a dead elephant in the background. So a picture of a dead elephant is all you need for proof of poaching? Animals die all the time and it's not always the result of poaching.
Also, if Frank and Joe are supposed to be in the African bush, where do they get their shirts starched and pressed? They're too immaculately dressed for a couple of guys in the wilds of Kenya. And how much time and effort are they spending on their well quaffed hair? It's all so ridiculous.
I've seen this episode a couple of times and never realized that Anne Lockhart was June Lockhart's daughter. I'm not sure why I never made the connection – they look so much alike.
4/10
I would have loved to have seen a whole string of testosterone infused Travis McGee films, 22 June 2017
I really wish Darker than Amber had done better at the box office. I would have loved to have seen a whole string of testosterone infused Travis McGee films with Rod Taylor as McGee and Theodore Bikel as sidekick Meyer. I know there are a slew of detractors out there, but Darker than Amber worked almost flawlessly on me.
After a really groovy musical intro, the film begins with McGee and Meyer fishing at night under a bridge. Unbeknownst to them, a couple of really bad dudes are on the bridge with a drugged out young woman. After tying 80 pound weights to her ankles, they chuck her overboard. McGee goes in to save her. He takes the woman, Vangie (Suzy Kendall), back to his boat. She tells McGee that she doesn't want the police involved. Travis knows the girl is mixed up in something bad, but she's very mysterious about the details. Over the next few days, Travis and Vangie develop a relationship. So when Vangie is killed by a hit-and-run driver, Travis is determined to get to the bottom of who Vangie really was, what she was involved in, and, most importantly, who killed her. There is so much more to the story, but this little synopsis is a start.
I'm not going to get into the whole discussion of whether or not Darker than Amber is faithful to the books. I've read a few Travis McGee novels over the years, but it's been so long, I'm not qualified to discuss this. Instead, I'm just going to write about the movie on its own. I think that one of the things that makes Darker than Amber so enjoyable to me are the actors and their characters. Rod Taylor is perfect as Travis McGee (again, I'm not saying he is or is not the Travis McGee of the books). He's believable whether he's playing the beach-bum who steers his boat with his feet while sipping on Scotch or he's disarming a piece of white trash in a diner or he's engaging in a wildly over-the-top, but completely believable, fight scene. However, as macho as all that is, Taylor also played the more sensitive parts of his role expertly. When Vangie is killed, you can see the hurt in his face. He's just good. William Smith plays the main baddie, Terry. Like Taylor, he's also perfect. Smith made a career out of playing bad guys, but none better than here. Add his character Terry to the list of best movie psychos. What a sick, twisted piece of garbage. It's awesome. Finally, I'll briefly mention Suzy Kendall as Vangie. She may not be as good as the others, but I still enjoyed her performance. She has a natural vulnerability to her that works in role of Vangie. Rounding out this excellent cast are Bikel and Robert Phillips. Neither has a very large role, but both are outstanding. A rock solid cast playing interesting, entertaining characters – I loved it.
As much as I want to credit the actors, director Robert Clouse also did some outstanding work with Darker than Amber. For me, the movie is perfectly paced. I've read complaints about some of the slower scenes in the second act. While there may have been some slow moments, I never found it dull. Clouse handles the legendary final fight scene expertly. I've already mentioned it once, but this fight is a real showstopper. Watching these two guys beat the living crap out of each other is as good a fight scene as I can remember. It works because it all looks and feels so real. I think with that last sentence I've stumble on what I like about the whole thing – it feels so authentic and real. Darker than Amber is a winner with me.
8/10
Pamela Sue Martin gives one of her best performances as Nancy Drew., 22 June 2017
After leaving a party, George realizes she forgot her purse. Back at the scene of the party, through a window, George sees a woman lying motionless on the floor. She's the same woman that star football player Chip Garvey (Mark Harmon) had been arguing with earlier in the night. George finds a phone and calls Nancy and the police. When they arrive, there is no body. What happened? Nancy believes George and sets out to uncover the truth behind what her friend saw.
Overall, Mystery of the Solid Gold Kicker is a nice episode. It's not quite as enjoyable as some of the others with a more supernatural bent to them (The Secret of the Whispering Walls, for example), but I still enjoy the naivety in these Nancy Drew episodes. Nancy lived in a world where a young woman with a bit of spunk and imagination was capable of bringing down an illegal gambling ring. It may not be realistic, but it is always fun to watch. Pamela Sue Martin gives one of her best performances as Nancy Drew. I hate that she left during the next season. I think that, overall, I prefer her episodes to the Hardy Boys.
Mystery of the Solid Gold Kicker features a couple of performers worth mentioning. First, Mark Harmon. He went on to have a nice career, but you'd never guess that based on his performance here. He's horrible. Every line is delivered in a terribly unnatural manner. Second, Howard Cosell. It's been years since I've heard his voice, but what a voice it was. Hearing him call the games in the episode took me back to my childhood, watching Monday Night Football. What a character!
6/10
Is there anything the Hardy Boys can't do?, 21 June 2017
While in Hawaii for a surfing competition, Frank and Joe get mixed up with a hotel robbery ring. As you'd expect, they set out to discover who's behind the thefts and to put a stop to things.
So Frank is a world class surfer? Who knew? I guess we can add that to the long list of things these "boys" can do – surfer, singer, airplane pilot, fingerprint expert, motorcycle rider, and on and on. Is there anything the Hardy Boys can't do?
Beyond the notion of Frank surfing, there are so many other illogical things about Wipe-Out that the whole episode ends up being totally ridiculous. Frank has apparently never surfed in Hawaii, but places in the top four of a tournament so large that it's being covered by ABC Sports – ridiculous. The Hardys have been in Hawaii for a little more than a day, but they already have steady girlfriends – ridiculous. The Hawaiian police decide to use a couple of mainland civilians for dangerous undercover work – ridiculous. The thieves are able to steal enough from a handful of hotel rooms to support a gang of at least four guys – ridiculous. Wipe-Out boggles the mind.
Finally, if you're like me and you're not a fan of episodes where Shaun Cassidy sings, Wipe-Out is one you might want to avoid. He sings two songs – both Beach Boy covers. Unfortunately, one of the songs is played over and over and over.
4/10
Joe and Frank vs Chinese Smugglers, 20 June 2017
Joe and Frank get mixed up with a group of Chinese smugglers when they find a centuries old statue while out snorkeling. The statue was meant to be a gift to the Chinese people of Bayport, but was stolen off a ship in Boston. Before the boys can return the statue to its rightful owner, however, it's stolen from their house. Joe and Frank are now out to find the statue again and catch the thieves.
I know The Secret of the Jade Kwan Yin has its detractors, but I think it's a fun episode. The mystery here is interesting with a few twists along the way. The twist at the end involving the brains behind the smuggling operation really sent me for a loop the first time I watched it. I didn't see that coming. There are a couple of tense moments along that way that worked for me – especially the bomb on the boat scene. And I thought the ending was nice. The idea that the jade statue was just a cover to smuggle gems was a good one.
There are also some things about this episode that I enjoy, but for all the wrong reasons. Tossing the jade back and forth like a football during the parade, the ridiculous fight scene in the kung fu studio, dusting everything in sight for fingerprints, the stolen box literally hitting the boys on the back while snorkeling, and those 70s outfits – all hysterical. However, all of this only adds to the entertainment I get out of The Secret of the Jade Kwan Yin.
6/10
"Men – Can't live with them, can't hit them with an ax.", 20 June 2017
During the performance of a guillotine act in a traveling magic show, a woman's head is actually cleaved from her body. Phryne quickly deduces that it wasn't an accident, but murder. As we've come to expect in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Phryne and Jack team up to catch a killer.
The mystery in Death Defying Acts if first rate. Lots of suspects, lots of clues, and lots of sleuthing. It's got everything I've come to expect from the show. But it also has some extras that make it one of the more fun episodes I've seen so far. First, Dot is given a larger role in solving the crime than normal. Other than the episode where she went undercover in the factory (I can't for the life of me remember the episode's name), I don't recall her playing such a key role. Second, the death in Death Defying Acts is about as gruesome as I can remember. A head severed from a body – very violent. And third, Phryne as the mermaid in the final act. There are some cheats in the way it's filmed, but it's still thrilling.
But the best part of Death Defying Acts has to be the developments in the Phryne / Jack relationship. Season 3 opens with Phryne getting ready for a dinner date with Jack. Phryne's father shows up and the date is canceled. In true Three's Company fashion, there is a miscommunication between characters. Jack, not knowing the man is Phryne's father, is quite obviously jealous. Phryne doesn't seem to understand what's wrong with Jack. It's just so much fun to watch. Feeling-filled gazes aside, it's a joy to watch these two characters finally expressing their true feelings toward each other.
8/10
"Anyone dead yet?", 19 June 2017
To celebrate Christmas in July, Phryne, Dot, Mac, and Aunt Prudence travel to the Australian Alps for a vacation. They will be staying with family/friends in a mountain top villa. Another purpose for the trip is that Aunt Prudence intends to sell the family's interest in an abandoned gold mine and the trip will give her a chance to have the necessary paperwork signed. However, upon their arrival, they discover that one of the other guests has been killed. While everyone assumes it was a heart attack, Phryne is not so sure and suspects murder. Phryne is proved to be correct as one guest after another is murdered. Can Phryne get to the bottom of the murders before everyone is killed?
Murder Under the Mistletoe is Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries take on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. You know, a group of people is gathered together and one by one they're bumped off. What makes this episode memorable to me is the very creative murders used by the killer. They're all unique and "enjoyable". It's not every day that you see someone killed with a book, fishing line, and a statue. And, all the murders have the song The Twelve Days of Christmas as the unifying theme. The writing here is especially strong. Very nicely done. The backstory of the mine collapse and the minors who died as a result is a bit too intricate for a show that's less than 60 minutes in length, but the rest is just so much fun it was easy to look past this weakness. I suppose my biggest gripe is with some of the logic – and it's the same gripe I have with And Then There Were None. The killer has a very elaborate plan to murder everyone that requires a lot of set-up and a lot of moving about. How is it that no one notices anything? It's not logical.
I did learn a thing or two from Murder Under the Mistletoe. The biggest revelation for me is the existence of the Australian Alps. I don't know why, but I had no idea there was such a place. I'm not even sure I knew there was that much snow anywhere in Australia. You learn something new every day.
8/10
