Mystery Woman: At First Sight

"Mystery Woman: At First Sight" is another entry into the Hallmark series. Kudos to director Kellie Martin on this one - there wasn't an establishing shot of the bookstore every 30 seconds.

In this episode, Samantha Kinsey finds her birth mother Hannah (Kathryn Harrold) - just as the woman is about to be arrested for murder. A man is dead in her living room. Without revealing to her half-sister (Christine Lakin) or Hannah's husband (John Aprea) who she is, Sam sets out to help clear Hannah of the murder charges. Meanwhile, back home, Philby (Clarence Williams III) is having his own problems.

The comments on this site were interesting in that some people expressed disappointment in this episode. I'm not sure why - it was just as slow-moving and pedestrian as the rest of them. It was a kick to see Michael Cole and Clarence Williams III, two of the "Mod Squad" members reunited, but despite Philby telling Cole he looked good, he didn't.

And that's the reason I watch "Mystery Woman" when I see it's on - sometimes it features some baby boomer stars, and I also like Kellie Martin. This series, like Jane Doe and McMartin, is okay, but that's about it.

The one thing that caught my attention is when she has her date with the eye doctor he makes a cute flirty joke and she calls it lame. She's actually pretty unfriendly most of the date considering she had stood him up on their previous date. The date scene which was supposed to give the happy ending to the story left you wondering if she liked the doctor or not.

Mystery book store owner Kellie Martin we find out was adopted by the folks who raised her and are now deceased. She embarks on a search for her birth mother and when she finds her she finds the police in her town are about to arrest her. It seems that she came home and found a dead body in her house and he's a guy she had some really old history with.

Kathryn Harrold plays the mom and the dead guy was also shot with a gun owned by her husband John Aprea. Martin also discovers she has a half sister played by Christine Lakin.

One of the few in this series that Martin is without the help of her confidant Clarence Williams,III. But she's in another town and Williams has been contacted by Michael Cole an old secret agent buddy. He wants Williams to help him help another one of their friends who's in a nice jackpot. Of course back in the day Williams and Cole were 2/3 of LAPD's Mod Squad.

I think the solution was rather obvious from the start so as a mystery per se this film doesn't cut it. Still it was a nice insight into Kellie Martin's background.

This production had an attractive protagonist, a cozy middle class middle American setting, a small cast of journeymen actors, and two prime time television hours (minus commercials) to work with. Yet, in the end, I felt completely let down.

First of all, a significant portion of production resources were diverted into a totally meaningless sub-plot involving Clarence Williams III and Michael Cole, who starred together in "The Mod Squad", back in 1968. I kept expecting Peggy Lipton to show up, but I gather she has been able to find work on her own.

In this episode, Samantha Kinsey ventures out to explore her own roots. Of course, the "Mystery Woman" lives up to her moniker by the end of the two-hour drama, at which point we expect her to explain it all to us. But there is no revelation of "family ties", no exploration of "family values", no knitting together of loose ends, and no answers to pertinent questions. In fact, the most obvious questions about Samantha's roots are not even asked. She simply walks away.

Even if the writers had devoted 100% of their budget to the main plot line, it is not clear that they would have known what to do with these characters. It seems they had not started out with the first requirement, a good story that would involve an audience in the lives of well-drawn characters.

I was left with the feeling that this entire production crew had frittered away a great deal of time, money, and effort, and I had just wasted two hours of a Tuesday night.

I have been watching the marathon, as I never saw these movies before. They're ok to enjoyable....depending on the storyline. I think I was most excited to see Clarence Williams III, aka Linc from the Mod Squad Series! He's aged well! Of course, I have always been a fan of Kelly Martin, although I think her acting could have been better...or perhaps it's supposed to be the characters mannerisms and way of speaking.

This series reminds me of the Aurora Teagarden movies. The premise is the same, loves mystery books and mysteries. One set in a book store, the other basically the library. Of course, Kelly Martin gets drawn into whatever mystery happens and then it's solved by the end (as does Candace Cameron Bure as Aurora)

I also think of this series as a precursor to Kelly Martin's character and movies Haily Dean Mysteries. Those I enjoy much more! Thank you Nancy Grace! These Mystery Woman movies aren't the absolute best, however they aren't the worst, either. I think they're worth watching....at least once, especially if you enjoy mysteries or want a change from other types of movies.