A POstables Road Trip
For the tenth movie in the Signed, Sealed, Delivered franchise, the characters go off in a new direction. Literally. You see, the POstables’s latest case finds them trying to track someone down on a road trip. And yes, the title of the movie does hint at that. It is called The Road Less Traveled, after all.
If you are new to the franchise, it features the four members of the post office’s dead letter office in Denver, Colorado. Oliver (Eric Mabius) is their somewhat old-fashioned leader. Shane (Kristin Booth) is the newest member and the technology expert. Norman (Geoff Gustafson) is an expert on potions and chemistry, which comes into play more often than you’d expect. Rounding out the group is Rita (Crystal Lowe) who contributes with her encyclopedia knowledge of the most obscure trivia. The series started with a pilot movie and then a first season of hour-long episodes before continuing with a series of made for TV movies.
This movie starts with a camera, specifically, a disposal camera. When the POstables get their hands on it, they quickly conclude it is from the 1980’s. But as they start to develop the pictures in hopes of figuring out who it belonged to, they realize some of the pictures are from a boy who needs help. And the pictures might not be as old as the camera. In hopes of figuring out what is going on, they set out in the RV that Norman and Rita just got from her parents. Will they find the boy?
With the four characters out on the road, you might not expect as much with the ongoing storylines for the franchise. You’d be wrong. Rita has started to panic about her upcoming wedding to Norman with all the things they haven’t done yet. Meanwhile, Shane and Oliver are working on their relationship and Shane is getting some weird texts she is trying to ignore.
Honestly, at this point in the franchise, we are here because we love the characters. And fans will be rewarded. The growth we got with the characters is astonishing not only for this late in the series but also considering we are outside the normal sets of the series for the most part. I don’t quite know why I was so surprised, but I was. I also really liked the growth we’ve seen in Shane, something she acknowledged along the way.
And if you know the franchise, you’ll know to prepare for the water works. These are mysteries in the loosest sense of the world, but the plots are always compelling. I did guess a couple of things early on, but I didn’t figure out what was really going on until the POstables have solved things. The ending, as always, tugs at your heart in a wonderful way.
The four leads are amazing. They take people that could easily be caricatures and turn them into characters we love to root for. The supporting cast is mostly okay. There are some weak moments here and there, but that might be the writing as well. Either way, they are minor because you will be pulled into the story and wanting to see how things will end.
I know these movies are some of Hallmark’s older ones that
still get aired. And I let myself get
distracted on my way through the franchise.
But I’m glad I’m working on catching up now. If you haven’t yet watched The Road Less
Traveled, you’ll be glad you did.
I think your review is an honest and true estimation of the storyline in The Road Less Traveled. I would disagree that the weak parts are due to the writing because Martha Williamson is “the master weaver,” so I’d attribute it to the acting especially if you’re referring to the supporting cast. Thanks for taking the time to review what we fans consider to be the best series on Hallmark!
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