Latest / Hallmark Mysteries & More / A Complete review of Francesca Quinn PI

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A Complete review of Francesca Quinn PI · Hallmark Mysteries & More

0:00
Eric: This podcast was created by fans or fans and is not affiliated with or sponsored by Hallmark or the Hallmark channel.
0:09
Eric: This is Eric, this is Sydney and this is Hallmark and the Scrooge and more.
0:22
Eric: All right, it is August and I am still rolling with my guests and today I have Andrea again.
0:31
Eric: How you doing, andrea.
0:33
Andrea: I am doing great.
0:35
Eric: So what's funny about you is you obviously do your little reviews over on home.
0:40
Eric: What's it?
0:41
Eric: Hallmark movie reviews or no, hallmark channel movies?
0:48
Eric: How you get away with that name is beyond me, but that is awesome that you do, and we always sort of joke because probably 97% we agree.
1:01
Eric: I think we have very, very similar tastes and yet when we've got on our mystery of dancing detectives, we are a little bit different.
1:11
Eric: So I'm a little scared to have you here today.
1:14
Eric: We are today going to be talking about Francesca Quinn PI, you ready.
1:24
Andrea: Oh, I'm ready.
1:25
Eric: Okay so, but before we do that, I am going to introduce our cocktail, our signature cocktail, which is called the old flame.
1:34
Eric: And obviously the old flame because big premise of this movie is you have Frankie with her ex, who she goes around sleuthing with when who is her old flame?
1:48
Eric: To make this, you're going to use one ounce of either gin or vodka If you're like me, you can't do the gin, do the vodka, but probably goes better with the gin and then a half ounce of sweet Bermuth, quarter ounce of Campari, a half ounce of control, or however you pronounce it, and then you finish it off with just about an ounce and a half of fresh squeezed orange juice.
2:12
Eric: Put it all on a shaker, shake it all around, and then you pour it into a martini glass garnish with a little twist of orange peel.
2:23
Eric: And there you go.
2:24
Eric: You have an orange or, excuse me, an orange.
2:26
Eric: You have an old flame, and part of the beauty of this drink is not only the name, but I could definitely see Frankie drinking an old flame.
2:36
Eric: This seems like her kind of her kind of drink, or sure or sure.
2:43
Eric: What about you?
2:43
Eric: Would you be pounding a couple of these?
2:45
Eric: Go out with Frankie to to have some have a girl's night out and drink some old flames.
2:52
Eric: What would you?
2:53
Eric: What would?
2:53
Eric: What's your drink of choice?
2:56
Andrea: Well, I don't drink anymore.
2:58
Eric: What motherhood.
3:00
Andrea: I know, so I'm like I've got nothing.
3:01
Andrea: I would probably do.
3:03
Andrea: I know, like I literally am the plainest, I love water, coconut water.
3:11
Eric: Yes, right, your like thing is you've got the whole like healthy body, spirit, mind thing going.
3:20
Andrea: I used to drink wine, but I am now.
3:23
Andrea: I've been sober for a year and a half, so Okay.
3:26
Andrea: Good for you.
3:30
Eric: We're not going to.
3:30
Eric: You're not going to go out and drink with Frankie then, so you'll be instead over at the jail with Megan and taking some, delivering her some books.
3:44
Andrea: Read.
3:44
Eric: All right.
3:45
Eric: Well, you're giving them the book to, to, to Megan to plot her murders.
3:53
Andrea: Well.
3:53
Eric: I won't do that.
3:54
Eric: I don't know.
3:55
Eric: We'll see.
3:56
Eric: We'll see how this, we'll see how this goes.
3:58
Eric: If, if we tend to disagree again, then I'm going to be convinced that you're secretly a murderer like her.
4:06
Eric: Okay, so we ready to roll, ready to talk a little little Frankie Quinn.
4:12
Eric: I'm ready All right, so tell me a couple things that you liked about this movie.
4:20
Andrea: Okay, so first I'm, I live in the Twin Cities, so I live in St Paul, so, and this movie was based in Minnesota.
4:26
Andrea: So that is already one thing I loved about it.
4:30
Andrea: And they actually had still shots of Minneapolis, which was great the town.
4:34
Andrea: And this is actually a college just outside of Minneapolis.
4:38
Andrea: So I don't know if they did that, I'm not sure if they did it on purpose.
4:52
Andrea: So I enjoyed that and, again, I really liked the stills were of Minneapolis.
4:57
Andrea: I don't think it was actually filmed here, but they had British Columbia.
5:02
Andrea: That's why I figured that they used a couple of this like the backdraps.
5:06
Andrea: I was like that actually looks like it could be Minneapolis, so I appreciated that aspect of it as well.
5:11
Andrea: I loved the old school detective vibes and the voiceover and like her like gruff, like talking you know about the mystery.
5:21
Andrea: I can see how people would not enjoy that, but for me again, I like those old school mysteries that worked for me.
5:28
Andrea: I liked that both leads were I don't know if they're both police people, detectives At some point.
5:35
Andrea: Obviously you know she left and did her own thing, but that was.
5:40
Andrea: It wasn't kind of, as you say, like the nosy person, your busy body, like she had full like training in this, so I appreciated that.
5:51
Eric: She even threw that out there when he was like, hey, you stay out of this.
5:55
Eric: And she's like, no, I am a detective, I get to go and, do you know, investigate for my client.
6:01
Andrea: So yeah, and so I really appreciated all of those things I think.
6:07
Andrea: So I was telling you before I'm like I watched this now I think, three, maybe four times.
6:11
Andrea: I would definitely say after watching it this third time, I was like Okay, feel like I'm finally piecing together some of the story, because it is there's a lot going on with this movie.
6:20
Andrea: So if you watched it the first time and you're like I hated it, I would definitely watch it at least another time, because I think there are some things that you pick up the more that you watch it, because it's a, it's a lot the story, there's a lot.
6:34
Eric: Yes, there is.
6:36
Andrea: So, yeah, those are the main ones for me.
6:38
Eric: So I'll say it's interesting that you say that it's a lot, because I'll probably be all over the place a little bit.
6:44
Eric: But I also I really liked sort of the bones of the story, but at the same time I also thought at times it just became just convoluted and overwhelming, where I'm trying, like, like, of course I'm taking notes because you and I are going to be talking about it tonight, but I think, just like an average viewer needs to sit there and take notes, to keep going and you know everything that's going on, and even taking your notes you would have to stop and rewind.
7:14
Eric: So there's a lot going on, but the essence of it and maybe, like you said, each time you watch it a little more gets revealed because you don't have to like, okay, I know what's going on here, I don't have to pay as much attention to that.
7:26
Eric: So now I can focus on something else, so I also can keep rolling, rolling, rolling in that, in that aspect.
7:31
Eric: So I thought, like, just inherently it was a good mystery story.
7:39
Eric: You know it had a lot of, a lot of good stuff to it and I'll talk we know we'll talk about it before.
7:44
Eric: I really like, like I'm with you, I liked the, the voiceover.
7:48
Eric: I definitely had that like I don't know, yeah, like 50s or 60s detective thing going with it.
8:01
Eric: I really liked the backstory.
8:04
Eric: I thought the backstory between when and Frankie was great.
8:08
Eric: Sometimes in the mysteries they just sort of throw a backstory in there and it's like okay, just go with it because it helps, it's good for the plot.
8:17
Eric: But this one really had an interesting aspect to it which we're going to talk about a little bit later.
8:27
Eric: Another thing that I, first of all, I love Mallory Jansen.
8:33
Eric: I think she is just one of those people who is just unbelievably beautiful and which I don't know what you call it when you had like the little strands of hair on each side of your head.
8:45
Eric: She pulls that off Like, oh my, does she pull it off?
8:49
Eric: And it was funny because I liked her in it and you know, I think about her and her pen pal or whatever the Tyler Hines Christmas movie she was in.
9:02
Eric: There was like 12 gifts of Christmas or something like that, where she's just like cute and everything like that, but she was able to pull off.
9:10
Eric: Sort of badass, frankie, I thought.
9:12
Eric: But what I really actually liked more, beatrice the partner cop.
9:21
Eric: I thought she was fantastic and I don't know why we don't see her in other things.
9:27
Eric: She was so good in this movie.
9:29
Andrea: I agree and.
9:30
Eric: I absolutely loved her because sometimes you know the, you know the, the partner is just sort of a throwaway character.
9:37
Eric: She held her own the entire time.
9:40
Eric: In fact I almost found myself.
9:42
Eric: Sometimes I forget what the night time the sleepy robber case was called, that she was following, but I kind of almost wanted to watch that one more than Carl's murder here, because she was great.
9:56
Eric: And then Terrell Rothery, or however you pronounce her last name, as Megan oh good she was.
10:04
Eric: She like she's a very pretty woman but, man, can she show off an evil face Like you just look at her and she could look psychotic, which is funny because you see her in other things and she's just, you know, couldn't be a lovelier, but she was great in that role.
10:25
Eric: I mean, I just she gave me the heebie jeebies whenever she you know talking, and just some of the looks that she gave.
10:32
Eric: So I thought that was, you know, really great.
10:34
Eric: And the last thing I'll say was it just had some really cool cinematography.
10:39
Eric: That was definitely, I thought, the.
10:44
Eric: What would you think of the prequel for Aurora T-Garden?
10:49
Eric: Did you like it or where were you on that one?
10:53
Andrea: I thought it was okay.
10:54
Eric: Okay.
10:55
Andrea: I think, it would grow on me.
10:56
Andrea: I think that would I mean that one.
10:58
Andrea: I had a tough time adapting, I think because I liked Aurora T-Garden.
11:03
Andrea: I think I can get past it though.
11:06
Eric: But one of the things I really liked about that movie and this one, when I rewashed it as well, it just like I say that cinematography is just definitely had that little edge to it a little darker.
11:19
Eric: You know a lot of, even, you know some of the mysteries, the crosswords or the even mystery one-on-ones.
11:25
Eric: They just don't have that darkness where this one had, like really I don't know, like you say, that's that old detective feel to it and I thought it was just from a cinematography, just fantastic.
11:39
Andrea: So like I said, I liked all that stuff.
11:42
Eric: All right, you're sounding like you're liking it a little bit, since you are in four times, three times, watching it.
11:48
Eric: Or is there anything that you maybe weren't loving about the movie?
11:53
Andrea: I mean, really, I only wrote down one thing that I really didn't like, which would be, I think and this is probably what turned off, I believe, people from this movie a little bit is both the detectives.
12:04
Andrea: They come in quite hot in terms of like they're not friendly in their demeanor, like we're used to at Hallmark, you know, having like a little quirky or personality, that's like a little more bubbly, and they both they were not like, they were just straight shooters and I watched and tell about 30 minutes then they finally, I think, cracked a smile or a joke, but it took 30 minutes, and so if you shut it off after the first commercial, which was usually 20 minutes in like, you might not have even seen a little softening, but they really didn't soften much throughout the entire movie.
12:36
Andrea: I mean, even at the end they were still pretty hard-nosed detectives and they were just kind of there, and so if that's not your thing, I can see how that would be very off-putting, especially, you know, a two hour movie with very intense people.
12:50
Eric: It's funny you say that, because there definitely was a very obvious moment when it did lighten up and I had it in my notes when I first was taken and I go kind of, like you said, started out really intense, a little like overwhelmingly intense at the beginning and awesome, like I say, this is where they overload, where they just threw everything at you with some of the you know the backstory was going on, all the things that were going there.
13:18
Eric: But, like you said, they came in, you know, hot and heavy at the beginning, not like sexy, hot and heavy, but just plot.
13:24
Eric: And then all of a sudden it sort of just eased into the movie and I was like, okay, I did that.
13:28
Eric: But then, to your point too, that tension like sort of let go for a moment, but then it just came back and it maintained.
13:37
Eric: But it wasn't like that beginning where it was just like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
13:40
Eric: It just was that steady tension.
13:42
Eric: So I agree with you and I think, like you said at the beginning, a lot of people, I think, maybe get put off because also that voiceover and and it was Malorie Jensen.
13:54
Andrea: It was not like a upbeat, it was just a straight forward, malorie.
13:57
Eric: Jensen who, like I remember when I was so excited for this but once again I was excited because I thought it was going to be kind of a cute quirky Malorie Jensen a la you know, her pen pal, a la 12 gifts of Christmas and that's we see.
14:12
Eric: We see Malorie's range in this movie because, yeah, she does.
14:16
Eric: She does not bring that other than looking fantastic.
14:19
Eric: She is not a little bubbly person by any means, like she could kick your butt, which the, the I'm just jumping all over the place now.
14:29
Eric: But like at the end, when she goes in and jumps Sally, like that was pretty like badass PI stuff there.
14:38
Eric: It wasn't like some of the other ones which are kind of silk like you talk about you, you like your Rory T garden, but whenever, uh, ccb goes and like does it, you can tell that she's like, yeah, she's a library attack and not a, not a, you know, like you know a tough PI.
14:56
Eric: So, like I said, I thought this, I kind of agree with you Like it just the beginning to me it just came so much going at you that it was just really really confusing.
15:06
Eric: And, to your point, you have to get past that first commercial break to where you can really okay, okay, and then it, like I say, it stays a lot of stuff going on.
15:17
Eric: There's a lot of those red herrings in there.
15:18
Eric: I don't know if they needed every which one.
15:21
Eric: I think, like the director sort of took us and was like, okay, I got to amp up, I got to amp up, I got to amp up a little bit, but um, so it just seemed a little bit confusing.
15:31
Eric: And then one of the other things and this is kind of a big premise.
15:35
Eric: Now you've seen it four times and you say how things reveal themselves a little more each time you see it, so maybe you can help me with it I just never understood why Megan was so like mad at Frankie and when that she wanted to ruin them and destroy them, like what was it that really had her all mad at them?
16:01
Eric: I never really understood that premise of it and that was a very big part of the movie.
16:06
Andrea: I think from watching I feel like that might have been a thread that they like used into another movie if they make another one of it and just kind of keep that maybe in the backdrop of just like, hey, remember, this is what happened.
16:19
Andrea: And then just kind of unfolding maybe more about their relationship.
16:23
Andrea: And I know that when I looked up to see who wrote it, because I was like it feels very kind of like it came around mystery 101.
16:32
Andrea: And then people kind of put like these two characters and are they like, oh, is this supposed to be what happened?
16:37
Andrea: Because there never was another one and obviously now there isn't.
16:40
Andrea: And then John Christian Plummer wrote this one as well, and so I think there was a lot of like is this?
16:46
Andrea: You know what was going to happen?
16:47
Andrea: And I could also tell that he wrote this just because I feel like Jill's character in mystery 101.
16:54
Andrea: And then you know Mallory's character and I think he did Martha Vineyard.
16:58
Andrea: I don't know if you've watched those.
16:59
Andrea: Have you watched any of those?
17:01
Andrea: Yeah, With.
17:03
Andrea: Jesse Maccath.
17:03
Andrea: He also wrote those, and I don't remember the lead's name, the girl, but all three of those women.
17:10
Eric: Sarah, something.
17:12
Andrea: They're all more intense, Like if you look at those three mysteries compared to some of the other ones, like all three of those women are are like not as bubbly, not as like smiley and, like you know, kind of like hallmarky.
17:25
Andrea: When we think about some of the other mysteries, like they are much more intense.
17:28
Andrea: So I'm like he must have written these characters to be like I'm take me serious, Like I'm going to be out here doing these things, and so when I saw that I was like, okay, that makes sense, I enjoy that strong female character.
17:43
Andrea: Maybe they would, hopefully they would soften her a little bit, because I think the other two you know series, the leads, like Jill does soften and so does you know Martha Vineyard, so I'm assuming, like that was the plan, maybe she'll soften a little as a series would go on, but starting her here, so there is room for growth for the character.
18:01
Andrea: That was kind of my thought process behind some of that intensity with her.
18:06
Eric: So when we did talk to John Christian Plummer he did say I believe that this was originally sort of written as a part of mystery 101, but it was just too, too intense.
18:22
Eric: So it was changed for that because it was it was too much for mystery 101 when they went at it.
18:28
Eric: But he also one of the other things he said, because we talked about that with his, with his females characters, with Jill, and he said he specifically is over the you know the incompetent nosy body woman, like he's all about the strong woman and so right, it's not a surprise that he did it, and I think it's Sarah Lind, I think that's the name.
18:54
Andrea: I think you're right, yep.
18:57
Eric: Z or Z Z, right, I think, yeah, it's something like that.
19:00
Eric: I haven't seen that stuff in a while.
19:04
Eric: But um the uh, but so I was going to actually get into that in a second about the mystery one, so we'll come right back to that.
19:11
Eric: But so another thing I didn't like, and this is like one little petty thing that just kind of annoyed me.
19:18
Eric: It's like when I watched making waves and they kept saying OBX, obx, which I don't think anyone who lives in the outer banks actually calls it OBX.
19:28
Eric: I think that's more like that little bumper sticker thing and I think they all just call it the outer banks or whatever they call it, because I do.
19:34
Eric: We have some of our offices are out that way and I've never heard anyone say OBX.
19:38
Eric: So one of the things that annoyed me about it, and as I was thinking about it later, I was trying to wonder if this was part of what was done on purpose.
19:49
Eric: But how Frankie kept calling the one guy Uncle Bill, even though clearly that relationship was fractured.
19:59
Eric: It seems like if you know you or I went through that, we wouldn't still be calling him Uncle Bill.
20:03
Eric: We'd be like, hey, you were this bad guy, so you're just building me now you lost Uncle because you know you obviously wasn't the real uncle.
20:11
Eric: And then how they would refer to Megan as stepmother, your stepmother, this stepmother, like as an adult, you don't really call it your, it's like your dad's wife, or you know, megan, you don't really say stepmother, it's not like as it came in, as like little kid.
20:29
Eric: So it was kind of there.
20:31
Eric: But then I was thinking maybe what they were trying to do was create that real like family connection that was getting fractured.
20:41
Eric: And so Frankie, you know, she lost out on when and she lost her quote unquote uncle, she lost stepmother.
20:48
Eric: So it's sort of trying purposely to have that family and show how her family is.
20:54
Eric: You know, even if it's unconventional, is sort of a mess.
20:57
Eric: So I don't know if I was overthinking it, but it kind of annoyed me during the movie.
21:02
Eric: So we'll just leave it as that.
21:05
Eric: And then another thing which you can maybe clear up for me, and it's not necessarily I didn't like, but when I rewatched it I didn't catch us the first time, but when they were, when, when, and Frankie were questioning Megan and they said something about how Carl Frankie's dead, dead fiance, they kind of, I thought, implied that he was actually romantically involved with Megan for a while and she was like manipulating him that way, did you?
21:38
Eric: Do you think that was going on, or was it just like she was, oh, his old teacher and he looked up to us as old teacher?
21:47
Eric: Or was there like a little extra, extra?
21:51
Andrea: Well, I think in watching it.
21:53
Andrea: So I thought that maybe the first or second time.
21:56
Andrea: But then yesterday when I rewatched, it seemed more like a mother figure, because they said his mom died and that was but the way it came off.
22:06
Andrea: I agree, but it's a little dicey.
22:09
Andrea: They kind of really blurred that line of like OK, like was this a romantic thing, but then they also do say mother, but again there's so many moving parts that it took me about three times before I kind of was like OK, I think they did mean mother figure.
22:23
Eric: And she's so evil and manipulative.
22:25
Eric: She could be mother figure who also is lover figure, who utilizes that mother thing for creepy thing to control him even more Right, which is definitely would be an unsaid for Hallmark.
22:42
Andrea: Who's the same?
22:43
Eric: So maybe, maybe next time when we talk to John Christian Plummer for Mr Island, maybe I'll have to bring that up and ask him If there is a hanky-panky there, because, like I say, that would be.
22:59
Andrea: Very lot.
23:01
Eric: That'd be a lot All right.
23:04
Eric: So let's talk about the quality of the movie.
23:07
Eric: But as we talk about the quality of the movie, I want to get into that mystery one on one, because everyone talked about it.
23:13
Eric: And I'll say, the first time I saw it I wasn't really seeing it.
23:17
Eric: But then when I watched it again I'm kind of like, well, wait, it's the.
23:22
Eric: You know they were dating detective and now he's murdered.
23:29
Eric: So I could see it as that continuation after seven.
23:32
Eric: And you really do have to say, okay, amy Winslow's character is dramatically, you know, re-manufactured be this PI from being the history teacher.
23:46
Eric: But, um, I and you know, and she still had her father figure who she saw.
23:53
Eric: So I guess at this time I kind of could see it.
23:57
Eric: Um, but like I say, at the same time, when we did talk to him he didn't Make, he kind of downplayed that it really was episode eight, more that it was just a Like a rough draft of a mystery one on one that Turned out into something.
24:17
Eric: But do you think it was really and he's just sort of being cordy you think it really was was episode eight, because it does make sense, I think.
24:25
Eric: But we could also be reading into it.
24:28
Andrea: In the end, though, I mean it isn't really.
24:30
Andrea: I mean maybe that's their intention was to kind of keep going, because it doesn't resolve anything with their relationship per se, because we're left with questions at the end of this movie of, like, I mean they're not together by any means.
24:43
Eric: And so they could tweak it though, and then you know if they're adjusting it.
24:48
Andrea: Well, I don't know if they're I mean who knows how many they were hoping to kind of keep going with the mystery one on one, because you could have easily ended like this and then had you know we want more.
24:56
Andrea: So then you know, keep kind of playing with that.
24:59
Andrea: So I mean, yes, I totally could see it and this one definitely felt.
25:03
Andrea: You know, that's why I was like this is totally connected to the mystery one on one and that's why I look up just to see.
25:08
Andrea: You know, john did write this because I was like it's very Much of the darker realm of the mysteries which, if people didn't like that, which a lot of so what you're saying is you yourself you didn't like hear the chatter about that.
25:22
Eric: You yourself had that feel, that it had that mystery.
25:25
Andrea: one on one you came to that I completely forgot about it from last year because I just kind of was looking it up last night just to kind of see, because I was like man, it really feels like you know, an alignment there and I will say I mystery one on one, I enjoy, but it's Maybe it's I don't even think it's my top three mysteries, which I know has probably blessed me to say Because I know, I know I get.
25:46
Eric: trust me, I get it all the time.
25:48
Andrea: But I'm like I have other ones, like both of ours is gourmet, detective is our top one, and that's.
25:53
Andrea: I have other ones.
25:54
Andrea: I really like the murder she baked.
25:55
Andrea: I still like those as well, but this one I maybe.
26:00
Eric: And then you're wrong about Chronicle, because Chronicle is so good.
26:04
Andrea: Yeah, no, I tried that one.
26:05
Andrea: That's not, that's below.
26:07
Eric: It's OK, you can be, you can be wrong sometimes.
26:09
Eric: You don't always have to be right.
26:11
Andrea: Still not my fave, but this one I would say I would probably like this better than the mystery one on one.
26:17
Andrea: Potentially if they would have kept and maybe they will, because, who knows, maybe don't know if this one is I think it got enough hate online, not like hate hate, but not enough people really love this one to kind of remake it.
26:30
Andrea: I don't think, but this is one that I would love to see.
26:33
Andrea: You know, kind of keep going and playing with those threads of these of these characters and see how they soften and can they work together.
26:40
Andrea: And does the stepmother in jail Like?
26:42
Andrea: I feel like they could totally play with that and like, keep that going throughout other movies.
26:48
Eric: Oh yeah, totally, I was thinking back to when I did my review of it, when it first was released.
26:56
Eric: I think the thing I said was it seemed like it was that movie that people either loved or hated and there was really not a lot of in between people and I kind of was funny because I was in the in betweenish thing.
27:09
Eric: But I agree with you and this is sort of my little bandwagon for a hallmark.
27:14
Eric: I think when they do a mystery they just they have to commit to three.
27:19
Eric: I know it's hard and I know there's the business aspect and the ratings, but they have this mystery right, unless it is completely confined to a great example.
27:31
Eric: We just talked about the to catch a spy and that one was a complete movie.
27:39
Eric: It didn't need anything else.
27:40
Eric: There was nowhere really like sure they could have had them get together and keep going, but at the same time it was completely all resolved there.
27:47
Eric: There was no real big romantic tension or cliffhanger or anything really, but for the most part, like almost every other, one really needs to commit to that three because they have to develop those stories, the backstory, like they gave us the crumbs.
28:02
Eric: But we need more and, like you said, if you can learn a little bit more about Frankie, that some of that tough exterior I think would soften.
28:11
Eric: And then there's the whole thing which you you learn, which I thought was fantastic about.
28:17
Eric: Yes, she was engaged, but she kind of just got engaged out of like I don't know sadness is the right word but because she was still hurting over when breaking up with her.
28:28
Eric: But she said I didn't, I never loved him, I didn't really think I wanted to marry him.
28:32
Eric: He just asked me and I said yes, and you know, but I still wore your bracelet, which I'm assuming the bracelets from him.
28:39
Eric: But so you know, to your thing, you really do need those three episodes and I think you can wrap it up.
28:48
Eric: Like I know you're not a fan of picture perfect, but when you know it sort of told its story.
28:54
Eric: You know, could it have gone on?
28:56
Eric: Yeah, they could add more, but at the same time it concluded and it was fine.
29:00
Eric: You got to know the characters, you got to know what was going on and I just think you have to have the three and this one.
29:07
Eric: Like I think if you had another one and people got to peel away the little bit of the onion, and people like me who are just confused and got some more answers.
29:16
Eric: I think would like it more.
29:19
Andrea: I wish they would go back to when they did the garage sale mysteries in August and they played a new one every Sunday night.
29:25
Andrea: My favorite like I loved, like August.
29:29
Andrea: I would always look for August because I'm like great, a new garage sale mystery.
29:32
Andrea: And I have so many people in the DMs who say the same thing.
29:35
Andrea: So I wish Hallmark would go back and, like, you know, give us, hey, here's a new mystery and we're going to play it.
29:40
Andrea: You know, four weeks in a row and new one.
29:43
Andrea: And so you can kind of get to know these characters and say, do I want to go along, you know, to this town?
29:48
Andrea: Because again, you know, that's a big thing for me is to the town where they're at, to the side characters, which, again, I loved that side detective that was there, Like she was wonderful, the father was great, we didn't get to see him a ton.
29:59
Andrea: You know the little places that they go in town, little cafe and all of the places.
30:04
Andrea: That is a backdrop of a lot of the mysteries and that I mean that's why people again, like the murder show, wrote in Cabot Cove, because you get to know the town, you get to know the side characters.
30:13
Eric: I'd like.
30:15
Andrea: No, I said murder.
30:15
Andrea: She wrote oh murder.
30:16
Eric: She wrote.
30:17
Eric: Sorry, I thought you went back to your murder.
30:19
Eric: She baked though.
30:20
Eric: You're trying to get.
30:21
Eric: You're trying to get us to meet Minnesota as much as possible.
30:25
Andrea: Oh right.
30:26
Eric: So, but yeah, so 100, 100%, they need to have a couple of them.
30:31
Eric: So, okay, so you really definitely, since you came to it and you're just watching and you had the vibe, you definitely think it was that that mystery one.
30:41
Eric: Okay, like I say, I could, I didn't know, I didn't think it at first and I think it was Dara dear Harmark who was the one who told me about that theory and I was like, okay, but I hadn't, I didn't watch it again, I just thought about it and I didn't really I'm like okay, whatever.
31:01
Eric: But then when I watched it yesterday again, I was like, oh yeah, I really see now where, where, where you can, where you could come up with that, but I had to be led there, right, I was not one who's like really put two and two together, and if I was a better sleuth or like you were, I probably would have, would have done it as well.
31:24
Andrea: I did not realize, though, the Martha's Vineyard.
31:26
Andrea: I would not have guessed that.
31:27
Andrea: To go along with the writing, I was like that was surprising to me.
31:32
Eric: Alright, so overall, what would you say as far as the quality of this is as a mystery, do you think the mystery itself was was great, or was it more or less the story like?
31:45
Andrea: I think the mystery, I think it was good again.
31:48
Andrea: I think you have to view it a couple times to really to pick up all the different pieces.
31:52
Andrea: Like it took me until really the last time to figure out that the guy, the security guy that was in there with Megan, was the one giving the books.
32:00
Andrea: I was like I'm not going to go down and I'm like either I missed it or I didn't, like I was not paying close to attention so I never quite clicked.
32:08
Andrea: I'm like who is this guy?
32:09
Andrea: Again, because you're introduced that first time there's so many people that.
32:12
Andrea: I was like, oh, I get it, I think they say it and I just must have missed it because again.
32:22
Andrea: And so I finally clicked in who that guy was, what he was doing.
32:26
Andrea: But little things like that, I think that, you know, make the mystery a bit challenging.
32:32
Andrea: It's good because you're kind of your left, guessing of like what's going on and trying to piece together everything.
32:39
Eric: That's kind of, I think, where I'm at, to where I thought it had, like the good fundamentals of the mystery.
32:45
Eric: But I found it maybe just a little too overwhelming that there are too many red herrings, especially ones that you just knew weren't going to be, like the murderer, and so it just created a lot of character that just got you a little bit overwhelmed, like for you, you missed, and that was a pretty big thing because the, the, the prison guard there was the way that they were able to figure out.
33:16
Eric: You know that Megan was behind Carl's murder, so it's a very big thing, but you're so overwhelmed with all these other characters and other things going on that you just sort of you know whoa, you know, right over your head.
33:30
Andrea: I think they could cut back.
33:31
Andrea: Yeah the screen.
33:34
Andrea: Like the Minneapolis girl that they went to her offices, Like we didn't need to go that in depth.
33:40
Andrea: I don't think with her, like, because that was probably where I was like, oh, okay, we're going down this path.
33:45
Andrea: And then that guy that tackled her in the hallway, all these little things that you're like Okay, but we spent time with them.
33:52
Andrea: We're not enough on the actual like.
33:54
Andrea: You know, here's what was happening, so we could get it in one shot first.
33:58
Andrea: Need to watch it three times.
34:01
Eric: And he what I thought it was was more the director than the writing, and I think the director kind of could have went with some things being a little bit more subtle, but he decided to hit us over the head with a lot of them and so I looked him up and he's actually a hallmark guy and he's a hallmark mystery.
34:23
Eric: Did curious cater, he did matchmakers, he did Haley Dean.
34:26
Eric: We both like Haley Dean.
34:27
Eric: He definitely knows how to direct some miss.
34:31
Eric: Well, I wouldn't say matchmaker, matchmaker mysteries.
34:34
Eric: Knows how to direct a mystery, but that's a whole nother issue.
34:36
Eric: But curious cater and Haley Dean's just darn right good.
34:42
Eric: So, by the way, john Christian plumber wrote curious cater to two of the three, so he should be able to do it.
34:54
Eric: But I thought, like I say, he just came in with too many of the red herrings a little too heavy and should have gone for a little more subtle, subtle things, like the most subtle one was the, who turned out to be the killer, and that's how I was able to figure out that to the killer was because a once again be at risk, right, that's her name.
35:15
Eric: And then she's off doing her thing and I'm like, why is she doing this thing, this, this case.
35:20
Eric: Well, of course, this is why, because it's going to have to tie into it.
35:25
Eric: And then they start saying how you know, everybody falls asleep in their chair after drinking a little bit of the coffee or whatever.
35:32
Eric: Mike okay, okay, and she's dating him.
35:34
Eric: But that's one of the things and we've talked about it with him and when we interviewed him to the JCP is like he reveals the, the murder.
35:44
Eric: He doesn't really, he doesn't really do a lot to say, hey, I'm going to completely conceal it, you can solve my mysteries, but I'm going to try to tell such a good story that it still goes and that's why mystery one on one I think still works.
35:58
Eric: Like after the first one, I sort of figured out thing.
36:01
Eric: I've always was able to figure out who the, the, the murderer was and I still enjoy him.
36:05
Eric: I'm like you, it's not my favorite this, but I think it's a really good mystery series.
36:10
Eric: I just think there's some other ones that I just really really like that, you know, for different, different reasons and stuff, but I by no means think mystery one on one is not a great mystery.
36:23
Eric: So but it's not like he just tries to tell the story and and make the story as good as the mystery, and so I think that's kind of what should have happened here.
36:32
Eric: But next, I think the director just went over directing.
36:36
Eric: All right.
36:38
Eric: So the body count, which we like to hit on, mostly because Sydney likes it, it was, I believe, didn't she?
36:45
Eric: I think she killed six before she got caught.
36:48
Eric: Four is four, okay, I remember it was several, was go several, and then there's only one.
36:57
Eric: Carl was the only one who was murdered in this one.
37:01
Eric: So we'll just say five, five to seven, depending on how many Megan killed.
37:06
Eric: Maybe she had some unknown ones there.
37:08
Eric: So, okay, alright.
37:09
Eric: Last one we talked about a style, and this one I had a really tough time with, and not I don't know what did you think?
37:20
Andrea: I mean the.
37:20
Andrea: It was just very mostly suits, I mean very professional and it's not Nothing out of the ordinary.
37:27
Andrea: I mean, I guess what you would expect if you went into a detective office or police office and you're like, yeah, you're wearing suits, both of them.
37:36
Eric: And that's kind of I didn't know what.
37:38
Eric: All he had to say was Frankie, once she loosened that hair and did those those little whatever you call that that those those bang things down, her hair was fantastic and but other than that, you know, is pretty drab, functional copper, like you said.
37:56
Eric: And the other thing I'll say was she had that big old pickup truck which I would think if you're a private eye, you'd have some very, very discreet like boards, like LTD or something like you could be in your stakeout and no one's going to know, whereas it from Minnesota and from I'm actually from a farm country pickup trucks.
38:19
Andrea: That's not going to stick out like where they're at.
38:21
Andrea: Every one drives pickup truck.
38:23
Andrea: If you're not driving a truck, you're probably going to stick out.
38:28
Eric: So yeah, so she was in her Mazda Miata, she would be a little more conspicuous than in her Ford 150.
38:34
Eric: Okay, like I'm in Arizona, people, a lot of people have them.
38:37
Andrea: it just yeah, seems like just not as much city, but if you go out of the city because it's well she was.
38:45
Eric: She seemed fairly rural because they had to drive into there in her office, which I'm gathering her office was that big barn like maybe is her office house kind of thing that they showed which seemed like actually we can put that in style for decor.
38:59
Eric: She had like a very fancy office.
39:02
Eric: That was you know that really white kind of cool office.
39:06
Eric: So but yeah, as far as like clothes, not much Not that, but the thing is this is where I had a tough time.
39:13
Eric: It wasn't bad.
39:15
Eric: It was like very appropriate for their characters, but it wasn't you know cute stuff like I'll go with young Skylar Samuels there in a RRT garden like she had super cute outfits on.
39:30
Eric: Or Nikki Delosh with her you know curious cater, when she's not in her little whatever but her other clothes she wears.
39:37
Eric: You know she looks really cute and stuff.
39:39
Eric: So but yeah, when you're the copy or PI is kind of just just functional.
39:47
Eric: All right, let's get into our rank rankings.
39:50
Eric: Steam meter.
39:57
Andrea: I gave it a four just because there wasn't much there besides some seriousness between the two.
40:05
Eric: See, I gave it actually a five, a little bit higher than you, and the reason why I gave it that five was just because of Frankie, like wearing that brace, like she still had the feelings for him.
40:22
Eric: So there was this underlying tension.
40:25
Eric: Yes, sexual tension that was there, but it couldn't, wasn't expressed at all, right, not at all.
40:34
Eric: In fact, if anything, there's a little bit of hostility, but at the same time you could tell they both really still dug each other, but nothing was, nothing was going.
40:45
Eric: That that's why we need, like you said, two and three.
40:47
Eric: So I gave it, I gave it a five just because I felt that that tension, even if it wasn't, maybe it is, yeah is a simory steam heater.
40:58
Eric: All right, the story.
41:02
Eric: Okay okay, 10.
41:04
Eric: Ooh, nice, okay, I gave.
41:08
Eric: I gave it a seven.
41:09
Eric: I think I'm going to say I think, mostly because I just got confused.
41:15
Eric: So maybe, maybe after what.
41:17
Eric: But I will say to you, to your point, if I would rank this after the first time I watched it, I probably would have given it a five.
41:26
Eric: I liked it, okay, I didn't dislike it, I didn't like it, whereas this time I liked it more.
41:34
Eric: What's going on?
41:35
Eric: So I relaxed and I liked it more.
41:37
Eric: So I can see you know where you're going with that, okay.
41:45
Andrea: The mystery.
41:46
Andrea: I gave that a 10 as well because I thought it was a good mystery, but again after watching it multiple times, because I probably wouldn't have done a 10 the first time.
41:57
Eric: Did you, do you remember back?
41:59
Eric: I?
41:59
Andrea: looked at my old review just to kind of see and I gave it four out of five and I liked it for and I wrote in there that people might not like it because it was a little more, you know, on the darker side for a mystery and it was more old school detective thinking.
42:18
Eric: But did you know that that cell was like?
42:20
Eric: Did you solve it?
42:21
Eric: She remember.
42:26
Andrea: I don't remember and I don't think I wrote that in my review either.
42:29
Andrea: I don't remember.
42:31
Eric: Okay.
42:31
Andrea: I mean, even this time I was kind of like, oh, who did it?
42:33
Andrea: And then, and then I remember, as it was playing, so I gave it a seven.
42:38
Eric: As well as you know the story, but as I'm thinking about it, the one thing is like I say I they gave those clues with it being you know how they kept saying about the sleepy and then they tied to the coffee and it kind of there.
42:51
Eric: But the thing that was that was only half the story, right.
42:56
Eric: The big thing is the twist of her being Megan's long lost daughter, which that, yeah, totally hit me out of nowhere.
43:06
Eric: So maybe, maybe it is a little bit higher, because that is a really interesting element that goes beyond and it kind of ties like how, what, why is this woman doing it?
43:17
Eric: You know, you think maybe she's being manipulated, which kind of was.
43:20
Andrea: But Well, yeah, and Megan in the jail, that she's like well, I never had any kids of my own, which you know.
43:27
Andrea: Then she says that to you know, frankie and Quinn, when they're in there, and then you're like okay, you know.
43:33
Andrea: So you kind of rule that out, because I was the same as you're saying that.
43:36
Andrea: I was like, yeah, I totally caught like all of the sleepy time, you know, I put her as like, okay, she's clearly like the sand man they're trying to catch.
43:42
Eric: Right.
43:43
Andrea: But how do you connect it?
43:44
Andrea: You know, to Megan, I would not have jumped to that just based on you know, Megan had set herself and you know, you know, if you give birth to a child you're, like you know, kind of like okay, how did you not know that?
43:58
Andrea: Or she clearly was lying, and who knows that backstory which maybe you would get more of that in the next movie or so 100% so.
44:07
Eric: so I think maybe I would have raised it, but I gave the seven, so I'll stay with that because I can't do my math very well.
44:11
Eric: Alright, the acting in the movie.
44:15
Andrea: I gave that a 10 as well because I thought it was excellent.
44:18
Eric: I know I think I know where you're going with this one.
44:20
Eric: I think you liked it.
44:21
Eric: I gave that one a nine and I think some of the why I liked the, the main characters I thought that what's his name?
44:33
Eric: Like Dan Bruce or something like that.
44:36
Eric: I figured what his name is, the guy who plays when it's something, bruce.
44:41
Eric: And then Mallory Jensen.
44:43
Eric: I thought they both were great.
44:44
Eric: Like I said, the dad was fine, the Tarell and Beatrice they were both amazing there.
44:54
Eric: So I thought like there's that whole core was great.
44:57
Eric: But then the other side, like the agent, you know, she kept.
45:03
Eric: I kept thinking she was.
45:04
Eric: I've never watched that 70s show.
45:07
Andrea: I watched it a few times.
45:08
Andrea: I haven't watched it.
45:09
Eric: The mom in it Like yeah yeah, like I kept thinking she was the mom in that and not necessarily like the actual actress, but she just seemed to me to be like like that kind of whatever character and I found her like a little bit on the suicide.
45:24
Eric: And then that the guy who like he said to get tackled in the in the hallway, who was the, the hacker, who was also trying to be the writer, and he I thought was weak.
45:35
Eric: So I thought some of the, I guess the tertiary characters does, the red herrings I thought were kind of weak, but so that was the only reason why I knocked it down.
45:44
Eric: One point but I thought, like overall the core, and I guess that's probably what we should do, because with the credits they kind of do run out of money fairly quickly, so those, when you get to those characters, are not usually the highest skilled and they're, you know, still working on their career, so whatever.
46:05
Eric: I gave that a six.
46:07
Eric: Okay, I gave it a seven.
46:08
Eric: And why kind of like?
46:11
Eric: We talked about it or why, I can't say it was like fashionable, but it was right on point.
46:16
Eric: So the bestie Murden knew what they were doing.
46:19
Eric: I probably should have looked up who it was, but totally for what they should be, they were exactly perfect.
46:28
Eric: So gave it a seven.
46:30
Eric: It's not higher because we kind of like it when they are whatever super, super stylish and fashionable and with out of character, like you know.
46:42
Eric: But they kept them writing characters.
46:45
Eric: That was fantastic.
46:46
Eric: Alright, what do you?
46:47
Eric: What do you total?
46:48
Andrea: 40 40.
46:50
Eric: That's pretty darn solid.
46:52
Eric: I gave it a 35.
46:56
Eric: We add up to that's a 75, which I never remember what our scale was when we made it up, but I think it was interesting.
47:06
Eric: I'll say is I think this is a one that you must watch again.
47:14
Eric: Yeah, just because, like normally, we say, oh, must watch again, just because it's such a great movie and you obviously very much liked it.
47:20
Eric: But it's a much watch again, just because you at least have to watch it twice for that second time to be able to pay attention and catch what's going on and all of that.
47:37
Eric: So we'll say definitely give it a go again.
47:39
Eric: And then it's actually pretty good movie and we both would like to see a couple more episodes of it.
47:45
Eric: So OK.
47:47
Eric: All right, Andrea.
47:49
Eric: Well, thank you for joining us.
47:50
Eric: Why don't you tell everyone where they can find you in your usually fantastic reviews?
47:57
Andrea: I am verifying my Instagram handle just to make sure it is Hallmark Channel Movies is my Instagram and, yes, I like to review after every movie on Hallmark and Hallmark Mysteries.
48:09
Andrea: I am looking forward to new movies in September and the haunted harmony mysteries and Mystery Island, which I am.
48:20
Andrea: Are those the only two that you know if we're getting so?
48:25
Eric: there's supposed to be the Curious Cater and the other, hannah Swenson, and I thought they were supposed to come out in August and I'm wondering if the writer strike is like keeping them from releasing it, because they're both American.
48:41
Eric: Obviously Andrew Walker's Canadian, but you've got Nikki, so she wouldn't be able to promote it.
48:47
Eric: You've got Alison Sweeney and Cameron Matheson, they wouldn't be able to promote it.
48:54
Andrea: So I'm thinking and those are two heavy hitters- but really at this point those are series that have been going on.
49:00
Eric: How much promotion do those two, but why would they?
49:03
Andrea: If they're doing two new months, which you might.
49:05
Andrea: They're both ready, I know, I don't know.
49:08
Andrea: This Christmas will be coming in October.
49:11
Eric: Right.
49:12
Andrea: I don't know if they'll squeeze in a couple more.
49:13
Andrea: I would love to see them if they're.
49:16
Eric: Totally, totally Before next year.
49:19
Eric: And I thought that we had saw that they were like before the strike and I thought it was in like May, june.
49:25
Eric: They were saying, ok, it's coming in August, and then August obviously is coming and going without them, so I don't know.
49:35
Eric: All right, so the murder, let's just.
49:37
Eric: We'll quickly talk about haunted harmony, mysteries, murder and G major.
49:42
Eric: So that's got Tamara Maury Housley in it where she's off in the countryside to teach music.
49:49
Eric: Let's see, it's got another Virgin River, which that Torell Brothory is a Virgin River person.
49:59
Eric: But, marco Gorozini, do you know who he is in Virgin River?
50:06
Andrea: I'd have to look it up.
50:07
Eric: OK, I don't know who he is either, but he's in it.
50:10
Eric: And then Eman McCarthy is in it as well.
50:17
Eric: So we got that one coming out in September 22nd, so almost exactly a month from now.
50:24
Eric: And then Mystery Island, which that one super, super excited for, super excited.
50:33
Andrea: I'm always excited for any new mystery, just to kind of give it a shot.
50:36
Andrea: But then it's hard because then you get invested in them and then when you only get the one, then they quit them, and then it's hard because you get attached.
50:44
Eric: Yeah, going back to your thing, you had the August of having the month of garage sale, but at least it used to be.
50:52
Eric: They still would be like twice a year when they were doing a crossword or they were definitely more condensed than now where it's pretty long gaps.
51:04
Eric: So hopefully I don't know with the new, because it's not really new leadership at Hallmark, because he basically was in charge, she's just now being in charge of the media portion too directly, but I don't.
51:22
Eric: But yeah, mystery Island September 29th, so it's two weeks in a row, and then I imagine, the week after that.
51:28
Eric: Well, no, when Christmas movies start, like probably like the third week of October.
51:33
Andrea: That would be my.
51:34
Andrea: I mean right around Halloween is when they usually, but it depends I don't know how many new movies we haven't heard based on a different strike?
51:42
Andrea: I don't.
51:43
Andrea: They might push that back if they don't have as many either.
51:46
Andrea: So there's probably lots little things like that behind the scenes.
51:49
Andrea: They're trying to figure out.
51:50
Eric: Well, you know Hallmark enthusiast.
51:52
Eric: Over there on Instagram she I've said that kind of what I think too, and she's like no, no guarantee they have them all done.
51:59
Eric: They're all done, they're all done.
52:00
Eric: So she's saying there's going to be a full schedule.
52:05
Andrea: I don't Usually.
52:06
Andrea: They're still making them, though, into October.
52:09
Eric: Yeah, I don't know.
52:11
Andrea: Interviews I've listened to.
52:12
Eric: some of the actors are still like, yeah, I'm shooting my Christmas movie and it's you know just, yeah, I'm the Canadian, so I guess they're all Canadian ones or non-Sag at this point, anyone who's going to be in any of them, so and when that's not filmed, so, but yeah, so looking forward to those in September.
52:29
Eric: Hopping back to just quickly on you, your little reviews that you do and I don't mean to diminish them by saying little, but they are nice.
52:39
Eric: They're little snapshots.
52:40
Eric: You know, when we do ours we talk for an hour or whatever, but yours are great because you just give it in a couple paragraphs.
52:46
Eric: Your thoughts really hit those points and you do them like right away.
52:53
Eric: You know I'm usually some of them I do right away, some of them when I do them a week later or whenever, because I get around to it.
53:00
Eric: But so, yeah, yours are very delightful and fun to watch and I can say 97% of the time I agree with you.
53:09
Eric: I can't say we didn't disagree today.
53:11
Eric: You were just liked it more than I did.
53:15
Eric: It wasn't like our dancing detective where we were kind of on the opposites there.
53:22
Andrea: See, I prefer this to dancing detective and I know again, most people probably the other way around.
53:26
Eric: It's exactly the opposite.
53:27
Eric: I mean, dancing detective was like light bubbly, can't take it serious, and this one very serious.
53:35
Eric: Was a serious mystery.
53:38
Eric: It's kind of like when we talked we talked to just recently about that.
53:42
Eric: What was it?
53:43
Eric: Love grows, more or more love grows.
53:46
Eric: The one with Rachel Boston over in the hallmark oh, yeah.
53:49
Eric: Or hallmark mystery.
53:50
Eric: Actually it's over in hallmark mysteries and where hallmark moves a mystery.
53:53
Eric: But that was like an adult hallmark movie.
53:56
Eric: I thought.
53:57
Eric: And this is, yeah, this is the serious mystery, along those lines.
54:01
Eric: So All right, andrea.
54:03
Eric: Well, it was truly delightful having you.
54:06
Eric: Thank you for filling in for Sydney.
54:09
Eric: It was a blast and I know we'll do it again.
54:13
Eric: We'll come back to that.
54:14
Eric: Like I said, you are guaranteed when we get Gourmet Detective to come aboard.
54:19
Eric: So Love it All right.
54:21
Eric: Talk a little, maggie and Henry there.
54:24
Eric: Love it All right, have a good night music playing.