TV Episode Review: Nancy Drew - A Haunting We Will Go

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Another fun episode

Cons: Mystery a little weak, some overacting

The Bottom Line:
Nancy's weakest case

A little over acting

Episode still fun




Phantom of the Abandoned Theater

Theaters make a great location of mysteries.  After all, there are all the backstage areas where people can sneak around and you have a built in cast of suspects.  That's the location that was used for "A Haunting We Will Go," the fourth episode to feature Nancy Drew in the first season of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries.

Nancy (Pamela Sue Martin) and her friends George (Jean Rasey) and Ned (George O'Hanlon, Jr.) are working to raise funds to turn the old abandoned theater into a youth center.  And one way they are going to raise those funds is by putting on the last production done at the theater, a play called Murder in the 4th Act.  To their great joy, the original cast of that play has agreed to come back and recreate their roles, even though four of them are famous now.

However, before the cast even gets into town, a series of accidents at the theater starts when a chandelier almost crashes onto Nancy.  When the cast assembles, they are acting very funny.  Is the old theater really haunted, or is something flesh and blood going on?

This is an interesting episode of the show since we spend quite a bit of time with the actors, so we learn early on what they are up to.  Well, okay, so maybe I figured out their secret fairly early.  Not to say I didn't get surprised by a twist or two; I certainly found the journey a pleasure.

I didn't believe the ending, however.  I think some of the characters would be in much more trouble for what they did than they truly got into at the end.  But I guess that's what makes this fiction and not real life.

Because of the split nature of the story, we don't see as much of Nancy and her friends as normal.  I'm still enjoying seeing how those characters progress.  They still aren't true to the books, but they are much more enjoyable than they were in the pilot.  And the actors are setting into their parts.

Among those brought in to play the actors in the play are Bob Crane of Hogan's Heroes.  I actually felt the adults were a bit campy in their performances, but they also seemed to be having fun.  And their acting definitely fits with the 70's feel of the show.

I give "A Haunting We Will Go" credit for trying something new with the format of the show, but it doesn't quite work at keeping the mystery a mystery.  Still, it's another fun episode.