If you're an Aurora Teagarden fan, you already know that you're not signing up for deep thought, great literature, or Larry Olivier-quality acting when you sit down with one of these--you're accustomed to pretty lightweight fluff, easy-to-like characters, undemanding scenarios, not being lectured about every PC thing today, etc. Hell, that last part is probably WHY you're watching it--I know that's why I do. I'm not challenging my nogging with a whodunit; I'm seeking lightweight escapism, which, up until this last one, this series provided.
But dang, enough is enough--this one goes beyond the pale in dum-dum-dum. Firstly, the character of Sally, the sidekick, was simply dimwitted and terrified throughout. When I think of her many lines, they were all equivalent to Shaggy in Scooby-doo, lamenting how scared s/he was. Literally, I think that is every single line she had, the entire movie--"Let's leave, I'm too scared," or "I'm going home," or the equivalent of "ooooohhhh.... nooooooo..." and it was so annoying that by halfway through, I started turning off the sound every time she opened her mouth. (We use captions, though, so I still knew what she moaned/said/cried.). I honestly don't think she said anything else!
The other thing is, it really *is* Scooby-Doo-ish, in that you can see all the setups coming. Picture moves? Character moves it back and surprise! It moves again. Duh. Is there a staircase down to the basement, where someone died 20 years ago? Aurora goes down the stairs and gasp--the door jambs and she's TRAPPED and panics. Duh-uh. Why? There are 20 people upstairs who know she went downstairs, for crying out loud. OH and there's a small reveal at the end, that is meant to add, apparently, to the ghostly aspect...(wait for the music...)
Even Aurora's character seemed dimwitted in this one and she's meant to be the investigative heroine, not the Crime-solver-through-happy-accidents person. Her new husband, Nick, seems to have been completely castrated now...he's also sort of uber-vanilla, a prop more than a character. The nephew is also...he's grown a beard and it's a laughable addition, it really is. He also seems to be standing around as a part of the scenery, rather than really doing anything.
The mother, played by Elaine whatsits, is as annoying as always. How many years now has Aurora been solving murders? Is there some reason that the mother keeps moaning about it, acting as though she's the one being put-upon? "Oh, Aurora!" You can practically write her dialogue yourself, every time she appears.
Charlaine (Harris, the author and the producer of this series), PLEASE, stop it. I was on your early internet fan boards, on your website and we yakked back and forth a lot, before you were famous--PLEASE, stop it with the mother's behavior, and can you put some brains back in Sally's head, please? Please? Otherwise, this series is truly doomed. I appreciate that it provides me with entertainment that it's hard to find nowadays, where I'm not being constantly lectured by people who think that they know how and what I should think about this, that, and the next thing, and for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, but really--please, take it up a notch. I'm sure I'm not the only person who would appreciate it.
But dang, enough is enough--this one goes beyond the pale in dum-dum-dum. Firstly, the character of Sally, the sidekick, was simply dimwitted and terrified throughout. When I think of her many lines, they were all equivalent to Shaggy in Scooby-doo, lamenting how scared s/he was. Literally, I think that is every single line she had, the entire movie--"Let's leave, I'm too scared," or "I'm going home," or the equivalent of "ooooohhhh.... nooooooo..." and it was so annoying that by halfway through, I started turning off the sound every time she opened her mouth. (We use captions, though, so I still knew what she moaned/said/cried.). I honestly don't think she said anything else!
The other thing is, it really *is* Scooby-Doo-ish, in that you can see all the setups coming. Picture moves? Character moves it back and surprise! It moves again. Duh. Is there a staircase down to the basement, where someone died 20 years ago? Aurora goes down the stairs and gasp--the door jambs and she's TRAPPED and panics. Duh-uh. Why? There are 20 people upstairs who know she went downstairs, for crying out loud. OH and there's a small reveal at the end, that is meant to add, apparently, to the ghostly aspect...(wait for the music...)
Even Aurora's character seemed dimwitted in this one and she's meant to be the investigative heroine, not the Crime-solver-through-happy-accidents person. Her new husband, Nick, seems to have been completely castrated now...he's also sort of uber-vanilla, a prop more than a character. The nephew is also...he's grown a beard and it's a laughable addition, it really is. He also seems to be standing around as a part of the scenery, rather than really doing anything.
The mother, played by Elaine whatsits, is as annoying as always. How many years now has Aurora been solving murders? Is there some reason that the mother keeps moaning about it, acting as though she's the one being put-upon? "Oh, Aurora!" You can practically write her dialogue yourself, every time she appears.
Charlaine (Harris, the author and the producer of this series), PLEASE, stop it. I was on your early internet fan boards, on your website and we yakked back and forth a lot, before you were famous--PLEASE, stop it with the mother's behavior, and can you put some brains back in Sally's head, please? Please? Otherwise, this series is truly doomed. I appreciate that it provides me with entertainment that it's hard to find nowadays, where I'm not being constantly lectured by people who think that they know how and what I should think about this, that, and the next thing, and for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, but really--please, take it up a notch. I'm sure I'm not the only person who would appreciate it.