The final episode of the series is slow moving and just not exciting, and the relationship between Nancy and Ned takes a sad turn. On the way to the Riviera Ned and Nancy encounter a young man returning home after wandering around Europe for several years; he also happens to have two thugs after him trying to retrieve a silver cross that he unwittingly is smuggling from Russia. While it sounds like an exciting plot, other than a few moments of action the episode mostly is slow moving and somewhat dull. Bess and George are not present which does not help as they provided most of the fun in the other episodes. In the final scene Ned leaves to return to his job as a medical intern in Africa for a six month stint and asks Nancy to join him but she declines. It is easy to tell in that final scene (and throughout the whole episode) that this will be their last fling together as their lives are moving in opposite directions. It appears the cast and producers were upset at the series ending and just go through the motions here, putting forth a depressing final episode.
Reviews
12 Reviews
Nancy Drew
(1995)
Short lived but fun series
24 August 2023
This version of Nancy Drew was cancelled mid-season in 1995 due to declining ratings (mostly due to a poorly planned time slot outside of prime time) but is actually very enjoyable. Here Nancy Drew is a criminology student living in the big city in an apartment building named the. Callisto, which itself has a slightly mysterious air to it. Cousins George Fayne and Bess Marvin share an apartment above a shoe store and really add a lot of fun to the series. Bess is a columnist for a tabloid called The Rag and George works as a bike messenger and also is an amateur filmmaker; these jobs/pursuits often bring Nancy into mysteries that need solving. There are a couple fistfights that Nancy's boyfriend Ned gets pulled into and George sprains her ankle in one episode when she falls off her bike, but otherwise the mysteries are all very G rated but entertaining. This is an often forgotten chapter in the Nancy Drew universe but is very much worth seeing.
Case study of guilty until proven innocent
9 May 2023
Phyllis Freuchen is a transfer student to Jefferson High from Florida where she had been tried and acquitted of murdering her parents in a case that made national headlines. Phyllis is very intelligent but has a mysterious aura to her and both students and teachers have their doubts about her in spite of her being found not guilty. An interesting study of how the law may find someone innocent but society as a whole may think otherwise, and the young actress portraying Phyllis does a very good job to both bring sympathy and a bit of creepiness to the role. Ms. Scott has a larger role than usual, especially in a pivotal scene after a fire destroys some theater costumes. Good episode!
Fun episode, a parody of old dark house films
13 October 2022
Torrential rains cause power outages in most of Sacramento, resulting in Tom and Abby getting trapped in the elevator of a downtown hotel on their way to a debate. Most of the action takes place at the Bradford house where the rest of the family waits out the storm in the dark (except Nancy who waits in the rain for David to pick her up at her new job at a funeral home!). Joanie is the real protagonist here, as she scares herself and soon the others by thinking everything that happens is something out of a Hitchcock film (the lesson being to not let one's imagination get out of hand). A very fun episode and everyone comes through the storm fine, though Norman is a character not easy to forget!
The Teenage Revolution
(1965 TV Movie)
Enjoyable time capsule of mid 1960s teenage life
21 May 2022
The Teenage Revolution is a look at teenage life and culture in the mid 1960s. Lots of Interviews with a wide range of teens - ranging from responsible with promising futures to others who can tell will never get anywhere in life - make up a lot of the content and are very insightful. You will wonder after viewing it how these teens' lives turned out and also will see how teenagers are the same in many ways today as they were when the film was made. Excellent review of the styles and fashions of the era as well as some great music. Not easy to find on DVD or online but worth watching if you get a chance.
Miss Pagano is robbed and deals with its aftermath
5 April 2022
During the evening after a teachers meeting Miss Pagano is attacked by a mugger on school grounds and the episode deals effectively with the aftermath. Seeing someone who is normally confident and in charge of things become victim makes for a thought provoking story and Jeanne Bal handles the emotional role quite well. An annoying and arrogant student who may or may not be her attacker adds a tense subplot, though at the end the story pulls everything together perfectly. Look for a young Bonnie Franklin in a classroom scene that actually is quite informative as she explains how to use a bibliography and footnotes in a term paper.
Enjoyable episode with excellent performance by Mulhare
29 November 2021
Mr. Novak has a chance meeting with the highly successful but controversial author Rand Hardy (Edward Mulhare) and invites him to attend a meeting of the school's Literary Club. Unbeknownst to Novak is that Hardy once had a relationship with Miss Pagano which left some unresolved issues. Mulhare is excellent as Hardy; the scene where he takes questions from the Literary Club is extremely well done and the actors portraying the students come across as totally believable with their enthusiasm and inquisitiveness towards the famed author. A few scenes a little slow moving but an excellent episode.
Slow moving but intriguing with a timely topic
17 October 2021
A wealthy father pulls his daughter (Brooke Bundy) out of school as he thinks the poem she recited in Mr. Novak's class was obscene (by both today's and the era when it was televised standards it is rather tame). Somewhat slow moving but thought provoking and very timely then and now as there have always been debates about what is appropriate for students to learn and hear in class. On a broader scale, also brings up the age-old issue of parents letting their children grow up and experience things on their own, Probably would have worked better in a half hour format, but enjoyable and has a hopeful ending.
Cautionary tale about dropping out of school
16 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Mr. Novak encounters Charlie Payne who dropped out of school three years earlier. Unable to get a job due to dropping out, he wanders the streets and hangs around the school, including creeping out Miss Scott when he loiters near her car one afternoon. Charlie seems a bit mentally unbalanced and says he wants to return to school, but as Mr. Vane points put when he tries to go back he appears more interested in the fun and excitement of being in high school than learning. Mr. Vane tells Charlie he is too old to come back due to state laws and Charlie is uninterested in alternative education for adults, making it obvious he does not have a good future ahead. Well acted and should be watched by anyone who is considering dropping out of school.
Well acted and thought provoking
12 October 2021
Noreen Corcoran appears in this episode a few years after her best known role as Kelley Gregg In Bachelor Father. Her she portrays Cathy, a high school student who finds herself pregnant during her senior year. Her character Cathy is a nice girl who made a mistake which makes the plot very somber as it plays out. As others have mentioned, the school would have been forced to handle it differently today, but still the effects on Cathy, her parents and the father are shown quite dramatically. Some comic relief by the overconfident student artist Boris add a few light hearted moments. Well acted and worth watching!
Enjoyable comedy of mishaps and errors
21 August 2021
Through a series of odd events Hank ends up at Dean Royal's vacation home in the mountains, but Doris is the only member of the family to secretly know he is there! Some good moments show how Hank ends up in the car for the drive to the cabin and also when Doris gives him a bearskin rug to wear. Look for the scene where Franny keeps falling asleep when Hank calls home to check on Tina, simple but funny. One of the better episodes of this short lived series, worth a look!
Excellent episode with a well written script
21 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
As previously stated, Simon Oakland plays a traveling explosive salesman (The Thunder Man!) who also is a serial killer and rapist, but hides his demons well and appears courteous and friendly to almost everyone. Even though we know early on who the killer is, the episode is an entertaining one as we see how he is slowly revealed and wonder at times if he will get away with it, much like the format of the Columbo series. Having an explosives salesman makes for some entertaining scenes, and despite how evil he is it makes one think how interesting of a career that might have been. Also, as the previous reviewer stated, makes one wonder how many serial killers may have existed in the Old West, and today as well, that went or go undetected.
While has a disturbing storyline, is an excellent episode with an intriguing plot and good acting, definitely well worth watching.
While has a disturbing storyline, is an excellent episode with an intriguing plot and good acting, definitely well worth watching.
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