Reviews, ruminations, and (occasional) ramblings.
The Last Dance – Director: Ruba Nadda/Writer: James Hurst
This one starts with Frankie, Trudy, Mary, and Flo at a dance marathon, although Mary seems to be the only one entered in the contest, with the other three just taking part in the “free dances” amidst the main competition. Continue reading “Frankie Drake Mysteries Reviews: Season 2, Episode 2”
The Old Switcheroo – Director: Ruba Nadda/Writer: Carol Hay
This one starts with Frankie’s mom (Nora) announcing she’s now on the board of the Royal Ontario Museum. Nora insists she just wants to bring some life to the stodgy old institution, but Frankie assumes Nora is looking for new suckers to fleece. They attend a lecture by an archaeologist named Marian Hartley (played by Lara Jean Chorostecki from X Company), who talks about meeting Howard Carter on a train and being invited to join him in Egypt. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that actually happened to Frankie. She and Marian are old acquaintances (definitely not friends) and Marian has apparently appropriated one of Frankie’s adventures and made it her own. Continue reading “Frankie Drake Mysteries Season 2, Episode 1”
Well, that’s the first season of Frankie Drake Mysteries done. I thought I would like this show—since I love the 1920s setting and I always enjoy seeing kick-ass women—and I was right. The Twenties (and Thirties) always have a slightly pulpy feel to them, giving off that Indiana Jones/GURPS Cliffhangers vibe that I love. The cars, the guns, the fashions, and the overall feel of adventure only enhances the fun. We’ve already seen Frankie interact with several real-life characters, so I hope we get more of that next season. For me, it helps connect to the characters when they’re dealing with real history. Continue reading “Frankie Drake Mysteries Season 1 Overview”
Once Burnt Twice Spied – Director: Peter Stebbings/Writer: Michelle Ricci
This one starts with Frankie teaching Mary how to develop photos. They’re interrupted by a phone call, which Mary takes. A voice on the phone says “Blue Lemonade” and hangs up and when Mary mentions the cryptic phrase to Frankie, she takes off immediately. Continue reading “Frankie Drake Mysteries Reviews: Season 1, Episode 11”
Anastasia – Director: Cal Coons/Writer: Michelle Ricci
This one starts with Ernest Hemingway asking Frankie to take a case for a friend of his. The friend (Louisa Winchester) is a lover of Russian culture, since her father was once Ambassador to Russia. Louisa is even hosting three Cossacks (Sergei, Sasha, and Misha) at her estate because their loyalty to the Tsar—or his memory—has made them unwelcome in post-Revolution Russia. Louisa then introduces Frankie to another guest, a young girl she names as Anastasia Romanov, daughter of the last Tsar. Unfortunately, the girl is just as surprised as Frankie at Louisa’s declaration and faints dead away. Continue reading “Frankie Drake Mysteries Reviews: Season 1, Episode 10”
Ghosts – Director: Peter Stebbings/Writer: Ian Carpenter
This one starts with a shadowy figure meticulously putting together a homemade bomb. At Frankie’s office, a woman named Elspeth Burton wants to hire Frankie to find out why her husband has been pushing her away lately. Continue reading “Frankie Drake Mysteries Reviews: Season 1, Episode 9”
The Pilot – Director: Leslie Hope/Writer: Carol Hay, Michelle Ricci
This one starts with Frankie and Trudy at an air show, where Frankie is fascinated by the planes while Trudy is more interested in the beautiful baby contest. Frankie meets an ex-RFC pilot (Greg Mills) and gets a bit flirty with him. Continue reading “Frankie Drake Mysteries Reviews: Season 1, Episode 8”
Ties That Bind – Director: Eleanore Lindo/Writer: Carol Hay
This one starts with a young woman named Jenny teaching English to some Chinese people. When she leaves, Mary starts following her through the darkened streets. Jenny meets with a tall Chinese guy and gives him some money. Mary keeps following her, but Jenny just disappears. The next day, Mary goes to Frankie and Trudy to ask them to look into Jenny’s disappearance, since they have connections in Chinatown. Frankie agrees, but notices that Mary is acting weird and figures she’s holding something back. Continue reading “Frankie Drake Mysteries Reviews: Season 1, Episode 7”
Whisper Sisters – Director: Leslie Hope/Writer: Adriana Maggs
This one starts with Frankie experimenting with various blends of homemade gin, using Trudy as the final judge of quality. Trudy points out an article in the newspaper about a mobster (Joe Perry) committing suicide in prison. Frankie is bothered by the news and we get an extended flashback to six months ago, when she and Trudy met Joe Perry. Continue reading “Frankie Drake Mysteries Reviews: Season 1, Episode 6”
Out of Focus – Director: Sudz Sutherland/Writer: John Callaghan
This one starts with Frankie about to be hanged; naturally, it’s a fake-out, but we don’t get to see the circumstances until later. The real story starts with Frankie and Trudy watching a silent comedy in Frankie’s office. The guy showing them the film turns out to be Mack Sennett, who points out someone getting shot in the background of the scene. Sennett tells them that nobody saw or heard anything, and no dead body has been found, so he wants Frankie to find out what happened. He does mention that a local who worked on the production (Dan Channing) has disappeared, so he could be the victim … or the killer. Continue reading “Frankie Drake Mysteries Reviews: Season 1, Episode 5”