The Hardy Boys - S1E13 - While the Clock Ticked

[SkyWarp]

So the series comes to an end.  And although there is the potential for the story to continue, I think it has a pretty good ending, where they could go any directions they want if they were to get a second season. 

There are several permanent results from this series that put their own mark on the series future story telling possibilities.  They have set up characters with great backgrounds and yet still have characters that they could introduce. 

I am sure this series won't please everyone, but I honestly enjoyed it a lot. 

I could see a HUGE opportunity to bring in a Tom Swift spin-off series with the ending we are presented with.  Move the Tom Swift elements into their own series and let the Hardy Boys continue on with some other new mysteries. 

I do fear though that HULU won't be renewing this.  Maybe I am wrong, but unless a series is BEYOND amazing, and/or extremely cheap, its going to get harder and harder to get renewed.  But I would be more than willing to watch another season of this. 

[Raven]

The last few episodes feel very Indiana Jones-ish, not that I'm complaining. You could guess how the series would go the moment the item with 'magical' properties enters into play.

Even though the show doesn't follow the OT/RT or the casefiles, I hope there's a second season because I like this adaptation. 

And I agree, a Tom Swift spin-off is more suitable with this show than the CW's Nancy Drew.

[MacGyver]

Here are my reflections for this episode. First of all, I appreciate that it bears the name of one of the classic books, While The Clock Ticked, even though the story is quite different.
   Off the bat, there are great '80s references with Stacy using a Zack Morris-style brick-sized cellular phone and Joe answering on a landline telephone attached to the wall which has a cord. 
    Speaking of technology, we also see a microcassette recorder being used by another character.
   I also appreciate Chet stating that he's pretty sure that the eye isn't plutonium, a substance used by Doc Brown to make the time machine run in Back to the Future. We also see Phil busting out some scientific knowledge, which is very much in keeping with his character. A friend's life is on the line, so the stakes are high and The Hardy Boys gather their friends to form a plan.
   And hooray for another '80s song montage with She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby playing in the background! Awesome! And speaking of that word, it's nice to hear that word used on the show, as "awesome" is definitely '80s slang, though it's still used today too.
   I also appreciated the allusion to Matthew 6:3-4 in The Bible, where Jesus says to not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing when giving. In other words, give charitably in secret and your Father who sees what's done in secret will reward you.
    And the ending incorporates some more music. Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears was used again, along with Hey Big Brother by Rare Earth, both very appropriate choices. (The latter is a 1971 song but that's okay. It still works; it works quite well.) And the bicycles Frank and Joe ride in the episode are fun throwbacks too as I remember having a somewhat similar one as a child.
      And now having finished watching the first season, I am just left saying, "WOW!" 
      Now I will say this- I still have reservations about some things. I have mentioned those concerns before. The show is not exactly congruent with any of The Hardy Boys book series, yet it does draw some influences from them and becomes its own thing. I wonder if that's why Bridgeport was used instead of Bayport- maybe to indicate that this is an alternate reality Hardy Boys universe? (Not necessarily speaking literally here; I just mean that it can be a cue to the viewer that this a separate Hardy universe we're dealing here, so purists can be relieved knowing Laura Hardy is still alive and well in the Hardy prime universe in the books.)
      Despite its flaws, this is honestly WAY better than I expected it to be and I am actually quite happily surprised and excited to hopefully see more!
    There is room to go further into more seasons. I definitely got the Indiana Jones vibe and a bit of MacGyver too and that's cool because I love both! Nonetheless, I hope the show doesn't get too far off into the supernatural. The balance found in this story arc works just fine though.
      This is a fun show with a gripping mystery and sweet nostalgia for a little bit simpler times. The show has heart too and that's the main thing. There is a good balance of mystery, suspense, humour, teamwork, camaraderie, kindness, and brotherly love- among Frank and Joe and with their family and friends. I definitely want to see a DVD release for this series at some point and further seasons!

   
   
     

[MacGyver]

One other thought for future seasons of this show I wanted to offer- self-contained episodes. Now I know this series has done a season long story arc and made it work well and maybe it's best to leave that formula as it is. Nonetheless, I think it could be a little more satisfying if it felt like individual smaller mysteries were being solved in each episode, while still having all the episodes tie in to an overarching storyline for the whole season. Other shows have done this well, like the '90s Spider-Man cartoon on Fox and Scooby-Doo Mystery, Incorporated.
   The serial format itself is a nice throwback to The Hardy Boys serials from The Mickey Mouse Club though.
I definitely hope we can see more seasons and maybe even have other characters from the books appear.
     I don't think anything will ever quite top The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries for me because that one is still my favourite. This 2020 show is definitely a great contender for second favourite though; I'm that excited about it now!
   If guest star appearances happen, I would be ecstatic to see anyone available from previous Hardy Boys shows. Since this is a Canadian production , it would make sense to get Colin Gray and Paul Popowich in guest star roles. I would absolutely LOVE to see Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson appear though!
    We'll see where it goes though.

[tomswift2002]

Both Tommy Kirk & Tim Considine are still alive. 

[MacGyver]

Yes- it would be totally awesome to see them make a guest appearance too. Tommy Kirk and Tim Considine appearing would really bring things full circle. 

[NZone]

After finishing the series, if I had to describe it with one word it would be disappointing.

Here's the thing - the show was a perfectly decent show, not one I would sit down and re-watch, but it was not terrible television. My disappointment comes from the fact that it had flashes of brilliance. With the potential for an average show to be a great show bubbling up here and there, it stinks that the showrunners were never able to fully put it all together.

Let's start with the characters. Joe is a great look at what the Hardy Boys would look like as a prequel series - before they get into the family business. Frank is a great look at what the Hardy Boys would look like at the start of a series. Both actors are great. The problem is Joe and Frank are in different series. The age gap is too great, and their stories merely occasionally overlap. This extends to their friends.

Phil Cohen is perfect - good comedy chops that are possibly even underused. Biff is a great foil for Joe, and their adolescent uncomfortableness is a nice touch. But why couldn't Biff just be Iola - especially when it turns out she is adopted? This would also provide a connection between her and Chet. I was first put off by the fact that Chet is athletic and with Callie, but that is not a dealbreaker. Callie's personality is accurate, but the actress looked like she was always annoyed. I've already forgotten the name of the russian girl, but she was a perfectly serviceable black widow that occasionally comes up in the series. Killing off Laura was unexpected, but not that different from Iola's death in the Casefiles. Also, to be honest, Laura is probably the Hardy with the smallest impact on the stories, even smaller than Aunt Gertrude. I would have preferred to see a Fenton who uses his sons for less dangerous tasks related to his cases like delivering messages rather than forbidding them from getting involved and keeping them in the dark, but this fits with a younger version of the Hardys who haven't proven themselves yet.

Young attractive and vaguely-lesbian Trudy grew on me during the series, but she was misused as merely an obstacle for most of the series, but not even an effective one. She should be used either as a comedic foil - "Aunt Gertrude," or as someone who helps out the boys by getting information from other adults - "Trudy." Grandma Esterbrook was odd - the extended family of the Hardys is rarely mentioned so I am still not sure how I feel about her. I like two types of Chief Collig - the originals' vain and obsessed politician who doesn't like the Hardys (probably the best for story purposes), or the Casefiles' competent chief of police. Dirty Collig is offputting to me.

Replacing Con Riley with Hooper is a move that gives the police a personal connection to the chums, so I see why they did that. That guy from the vampire tv show was interesting. The Hardys could use a recurring criminal with a heart of gold - there is a lot of potential there.

Now on to the story.

The story was very uneven. It is started by the murder of Laura, but that fades to the background quickly and is resolved in the last few minutes in a stupid reveal. I am also not a fan of the supernatural elements which do not fit the Hardys. The same basic story could have been achieved with some buried/hidden massive cache of gold and would have been more fitting. Again, the lack of interaction between Joe and Frank really hurt the story. The 80s centered but not in-your-face about it (like Stranger Things) setting was a nice touch. Too much of the story was the Hardys reacting to things rather than putting together a plan.

All in all a decent show. But it could have been so much more.

[MacGyver]

Good analysis. I picked up on a number of the same points too. I appreciate your analysis of the way characters were portrayed and used to move the story forward.
  Yes, the show's not all it could be. Nonetheless, it's still a lot better than what I expected and I'm at least glad for that.
And I agree that the dude from My Babysitter's A Vampire (which I've seen a few episodes of in years past) is one of the best characters and actors on there. I liked his character pretty well.
  Hopefully, if the show gets a second season, it will take some of these critiques to heart and work to improve the show all the more.

[SkyWarp]

We can see the numbers to the combination of Gloria's safe on Joe's hand.  It looks like:  36 - 85 - 51 - 74 - 2 (or 12 or 22).  It would be really cool if these numbers were an easter egg or something.  I already looked at books with those numbers, but can't see anything that sticks out.