I've complained in the past that Hutton's Archie is often too broad and actorish (a problem Hutton often has), and that Chaykin's Wolfe is more peevish than princely (yes, Nero Wolfe can be peevish and petty - but he is also deeply principled and courageous in his own fashion, and courtly in many ways). In this two-parter, the leads get it right - maybe it's the stakes in the story, maybe it's that Director Timothy Hutton kept a tight leash on both himself and Maury Chaykin, but neither has been this good since THE GOLDEN SPIDERS.
If only the rest of the two-parter were up to their level, rather than rejoicing in a budget so low that Ed Wood would turn his nose up at it:
Sometimes, you see a group of good actors doing something you love, and you think you would love the show if they did it reading scripts while sitting around a table. And you probably would - but you wouldn't enjoy watching them do it while struggling, and failing, to recreate Kennedy- Era New York City on a nonexistent budget in Toronto.
If only the rest of the two-parter were up to their level, rather than rejoicing in a budget so low that Ed Wood would turn his nose up at it:
- An abandoned warehouse is obviously used for a number of sets, including the prison where Orrie is kept, the 10 Little Indians Nightclub, and even Avery Ballou's mansion! There is so little attempt at redressing this particular location that Archie is led by the Ballou's butler through an obvious loading bay to see Mrs. Ballou at one point.
- Though the book includes several scenes set in Wolfe's plant rooms, all we see is one scene in a tiny bedroom-style set with a table and stool where Wolfe is potting a plant as Archie talks to him. No attempt was made to recreate the splendor of Wolfe's orchid collection, or even to try faking it by shooting in a botanical garden.
- The same actress, Kari Matchett, plays both Archie's girlfriend Lily Rowan (in a Sixties-style red wig) and nightclub singer Julie Jaquette (with her own blonde hair), thus stretching the show's "rep company" conceit to absurd lengths. Not that Ms. Matchett isn't a good actress (she played Hutton's ex-wife on LEVERAGE, and is currently Piper Pierabo's CIA superior on COVERT AFFAIRS), but the characters are too much alike to be convincingly played by the same person under any circumstances.
Sometimes, you see a group of good actors doing something you love, and you think you would love the show if they did it reading scripts while sitting around a table. And you probably would - but you wouldn't enjoy watching them do it while struggling, and failing, to recreate Kennedy- Era New York City on a nonexistent budget in Toronto.
