MovieChat Forums > The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977) Discussion > Defection To Paradise, Part One

Defection To Paradise, Part One

posted 17 years ago by RikerDonegal
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Season 3, Episode 7. When I watch this third season of The Hardy Boys I am amazed at how good it is. Bloody brilliant, in fact. Easily the best season. The only real problem is: it's very different to the show it was, and the sense of fun and innocence is completely removed. The Hardy Boys have grown up. Particularly Joe, who is a very different character since the opening two-parter. He's now a much more aggressive investigator, very clever and very driven. Quite the action man is our Joe. He takes the lead totally in this rather superb story. This probably has a lot to do with Shaun Cassidy's successful music career away from the show.

Ironically, since it is a third season tale, this is much more like the early seasons (minus the fun and innocence) in many ways. Joe and Frank are working in Hawaii trying to find missing band equipment, and thus prevent an international incident with Russia. So, since we have no murders or plots at the start, it could well pass for a season one episode. Also, much like the show's original template, the boys discover that they have been lied to by everybody and gradually realise that something else is happening.

That something else is a defection. A defection that has gone wrong and left a young woman alone and on the run. Not sure of who to trust. US Government agents are after her but, as Joe points out, they are more concerned with the secrets in her head rather than her safety or well-being. There is also a KGB team on her trail. We learn that they have orders to kill her, if necessary, but the team leader has no great desire to do that. He will kill her, but he feels a great empathy for her. This kind of character shading (given to all the characters) makes the story many times more enjoyable.

We really do feel for the girl, as she hides out and watches Americans having fun, as she looks for a way to contact Russian and get back home. In one great scene she steals money from a guy, who catches her but shows nothing but compassion. In little ways like that, and many more, it is a very satisfying script. And it portrays Joe as a clever and resourceful young agent who, backed by his brother, is well capable of cutting through diplomatic BS when he has to.

It's a pity fans stopped watching: 'New' Hardy Boys was a great show.

http://yetanothertvreviewpodcast.blogspot.com/

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] iluvmydogs 9 years ago

Personally, I liked the first two seasons better, probably because they were more like the Hardy Boys I grew up reading about. Also, as you said, more fun and innocent.

But, having said that, it would not have bothered me if they would have been able to film a couple more seasons of the Hardy Boys, working for the justice department. Just having more of this show to watch would have been nice.

They would have had to do something different soon, because Parker was already like 26 when the show began. I don't know if Parker could have still been considered a teenager, when getting near his 30th birthday. Don't get me wrong, Parker was great in the show. It's just that his real age may have eventually Caused a problem. They may have had to at least changed the plots to make the Hardys college age, rather than supposed high school juniors and seniors. Though, they never mentioned age or school in the show. And, in one show near the end of season 2, they're asked by one of Joe's former girlfriends to investigate some kidnappings at her college, and Joe was the younger brother. So, it seems like they were already college age.

The show you're talking about, probably was the best episode of the third season. Defection to Paradise and the Last Kiss Of Summer were probably the best episodes from season 3, IMO.

But, I'll always love the show, in either format, and will go back from time to time and re-watch some of the episodes. This was probably my favorite mystery/ adventure show of all time. But, it had a head start over other shows because I grew up reading the Hardy Boys. And, I think I got the opportunity back then, to read a lot of the stories, before many were re-written around 1960.

I really don't know why the show wasn't more successful. I sometimes wonder if fans would have preferred, and may have been expecting more episodes taken directly from the books. I don't know. I do know that it was going up against very stiff competition from CBS and NBC in its time slot.

But, we can't go back in time and change things, so we'll just have to enjoy what we have!