The New Beachcombers

A BEACHCOMBERS Christmas DEC 6, 2004 8PM ON THE CBC The new owner of Molly's Reach, Dave McGonigal (Dave Thomas) attempts to redeem his reputation as the town's notorious con-artist by planning a celebrity hockey game-Gibsons vs. ex-pro star players-that will raise funds for the struggling town at Christmas. Despite the efforts of team captain Sgt. John Constable (Jackson Davies), the Gibsons team doesn't stand a chance up against the ex-pro stars. The pressure is on as word begins to spread, thanks to town journalist Colin Reid (Graham Greene), who gets the game nation-wide press. But even with the help of Scott Rivers (Cam Bancroft), the only player with real hockey skills, it won't be an easy win. In an ironic twist of fate, the event organizers, Earl and Mickey (William McDonald and Michael Eklund), turn out to be even bigger scam artists than Dave is. They take off with his money and bring fake ex-pro star players. Without the celebrities, Dave faces an angry crowd and less money than he started with. But with the help of his young friend, Bernard (Mikhael Speidel), Dave manages to foil the crooks' plan. Bernard finds out that the famous female goalie, Manon Rheaume has moved to town, and Dave asks her to take his place on the ice. The whole country gets behind the event with the help of TV's Ron MacLean and Kelly Hrudey, and it looks like Gibsons may have a merry Christmas. Earl and Mickey come to the rink feeling smug, only to find that Manon has brought with her the authentic ex-pro star players everyone was expecting to help the Gibsons team. With the help of hockey legends Tiger Williams, Kirk McLean, Jyrke Lumme and Gary Nyland, the Beachcombers win in a nail-biting game. The scam artists are undone, much-needed cash goes to the town in time for Christmas, and Dave's redemption plan is successful. Better yet, he becomes a local hero and finds love when Constable Kelly Mah (Francoise Yip), once Dave's nemesis, begins to see him in a new light. Meanwhile Donna (Deanna Milligan) faces a difficult decision when Peter, an old flame from school, asks her to leave Gibsons to join him in a lucrative business venture. But Scott may have a thing or two to say about that…and everyone does have a merry little Christmas.

I thought the "NBC" was about as well done as you could expect. A lot of the media "experts" (like the Globe and Mail) slagged this off in advance, but the original "Beachcombers" holds a place in the heart of all Canadians. Several old cast members are seen in cameos (the ones who are still alive, that is) but the spirit is the same somehow, despite Dave Thomas chewing the scenery every chance he gets. This is somehow meant to be lame, but the finished product meets with expectations. Now, did I watch the Christmas version or not? I can't seem to remember for some reason, perhaps because I've consumed more than a few BC microbrews this afternoon. Does Molly's Reach have Bowen Island Bitter on tap?

I was hoping to see some of the magic of the old Beachcombers series and all I found was disappointment. Some of the subplots seemed to go nowhere and seemed to only be there to fill time. The story overall was weak, but it could have worked. The main characters are mostly all new and needed to be developed better. Most of the old cast was just misused in what seemed to be an attempt to bring back some nostalgia of the old show in a failed attempt. There would be great potential in the cast and the stories if they were brought back in a new television series as the story needed to develop, but this just doesn't work. Maybe we can petition the CBC to bring back the old show on late nights and we can re-live the charming show with our beloved characters.