Frankie Drake Mysteries Review: The Girls Can’t Help It (Season 4 Episode 3)
Though there’s another lackluster mystery at the center of Frankie Drake Mysteries Season 4 Episode 3, “The Girls Can’t Help It,” this is also an installment that sees goody two shoes morality office Mary Shaw essentially join a girl gang and for that, I love it completely.
The main case of the week has to do with a rare bottle of wine that goes missing during a fancy flapper party. Making the audience really care about some stolen booze that’s worth roughly $400K in today’s dollars and that was taken from some incredibly rich people who had it insured is…well, it’s a stretch on a good day.
It’s even more of a stretch when it turns out that rare booze was stolen by the son of the rich person to fund starting his own business. I mean, Y A W N.
To be fair, the investigation does have its moments — Flo pretending to be a French sommelier, Frankie’s adorable race car driver boyfriend getting to join in on the case, the fact that it does actually keep you guessing about who the culprit is. But it’s just hard to really care about the answer, when it seems like…well, like there should be more important cases for our girls to work on.
All that said, this episode is completely worth it solely for the way it weaves Mary into the plot. I’ve said throughout this series — and as recently as last week — that Mary’s arc is one of the show’s strongest elements and we get to really see her shine in so many ways here.
It turns out that one of her school chums — a girl named Jacquie — is part of a fashionable new Toronto clique known as the Daybreak Girls. Pretty, popular, and well- off, these are a quartet of young women whose exploits make the society pages daily, as they party all night with handsome eligible men in great outfits. (Hence the name “Daybreak Girls”, since they’re up until dawn.)
Part girl gang and part 1920s take on The Bling Ring — their ringleader likes to help herself to jewelry and other goodies from the rich people around them — they’re taken with Mary after she stands up to Leena for being rude to a gossip photographer. And she’s smitten with them in turn because, well. Mary’s never been popular before, and it’s honestly a joy to just watch her have fun for a change.
I want Mary to always be as happy and carefree as she was during the party montage of this episode. Maybe she and the society pages reporter can be BFFs now?
This week’s most interesting conflict had nothing to do with the Daybreak GIrls, no matter how much I love to see Mary getting the chance to stand up for herself. No, it was the tiff brewing between Frankie and Trudy who, having broken off her engagement apparently feels like she should suddenly be concerned about her financial future.
It’s true that even the great Frankie Drake likely has to take cases she finds boring or with clients who are sexist jerks. (Truly, I was fine with Frankie quitting after that insurance guy called their meeting a “hen party.) But Frankie Drake Mysteries also often wants to have it both ways with these women, embracing the glamorous freedom and self-determination of their lives, without the cost that surely must come with it.
And in that regard Trudy’s 100% correct — Frankie does have the privilege to make choices that may not have ever been available to Trudy and her family. But it also seems unfair to blame Frankie for how she runs her business because Trudy’s now looking for the very stability she said no to last week. (I’m not saying that she should have married Bill — far from it. Just that none of this is Frankie’s fault, and her dislike of annoying men is not new.
If this conversation had to take place, then I wish it had also someone included Mary’s perspective — who was sitting right there, and though she doesn’t have to deal with the same issues of discrimination racism that Trudy does, her working class background means she doesn’t exactly share Frankie’s privilege either.
Stray Thoughts and Observations
- I like Alessandro so much more than virtually everyone Frankie’s dated.
- The Daybreak Girls get so many points for their stylish outfits. Loved every look.
What did you think of this episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Frankie Drake Mysteries airs Saturdays at 7/6c on Ovation.
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Lacy Baugher
Lacy is a pop culture enthusiast and television critic who loves period dramas, epic fantasy, space adventures, and the female characters everyone says you're supposed to hate. Ninth Doctor enthusiast, Aziraphale girlie, and cat lady, she's a member of the Television Critics Association and Rotten Tomatoes-approved. Find her at LacyMB on all platforms.
3 comments
trudy; calm down sistah, let’s not blame frankie for anything; frankie
would and will ALWAYS have trudy’s back; they’re like sisters almost, with the acception of their race/ethnicity…. Maybe trudy wants to do something else other than be a detective; hava 2nd job and get her self a new home.
Trudy and Frankie have been through alot together, since the first day they met, at mrs. vancleeves house, since then they have been inseperable.
Maybe trudy should just talk to frankie about what is bothering her, and frankie can help if trudy wants it. Trudy is lashing out at the wrong person.
all and all i like this show very much:)
this is the 2nd time i’ve watched this; why is trudy upset at frankie?
the guy probably is upset, and said what he said, because he isn’t getting any results; and probably liked it very much that trudy took the case; trudy is a black canadian; had this been a black american? (then it would be totaly different).
there was no need for trudy to lash out at frankie, i don’t think she would have like it, if it was the other way around…. Frankie would stand by trudy no matter what; seems like trudy isn’t getting results in her new home; doesn’t like the fact that frankie is right about the man; although he gave the money to trudy.
if this keeps up then what, trudy will end up working some where else, this isn’t going to be an episode where trudy is sick of being with her friends cause their white are they? this goes on too much in the u.s. of a, canada certainly doesn’t need their version of this, although I do not know if this had
to do with race/color at all; the guy was miffed that frankie and trudy were not moving fast enough… and frankie doesn’t have to deal with rude people… the gentleman did ask for help and talked with trudy instead of frankie; to me it seemed like the man and frankie had bad vibes with one another.
maybe trudy should have her own p.i. job?
I am glad they made up…. it would saddened me that trudy would call it quits because of what the man said, and frankie not understanding trudy’s point of view, that doesn’t mean trudy has to bite frankie’s head off either.
mary did a great job going undercover and finding out things
at the party with her friends. maybe she should be a p.i. full time. she is at her best when she works along side trudy and frankie.
i liked frankie with moses; but that is probably just me. but i also like
alesondro with her more. either way both guys are great. there might be some
who think other wise.
be as it may, trudy was really lashing out at frankie for no reason. who told
trudy to even kick bill to the curb any way. what was wrong with him?
this is frankie’s office, she can decide if she wants to work with snarky/crass
people are not. all the guy did was call it a hen party, had this been all men and a woman called it a rooster party, what would have been said about that?
i don’t recall it being about race… now all of a sudden trudy brings it up, how about she travels to the u.s.a. and sees what her black sisters and brothers go through in america. how many times has trudy been down some ones throught for no reason?
Didn’t that guy trust trudy’s judgement and give her the money? she could use it to buy her house she always wanted. mary did nice work being involved in this whole thing about the missing bottle, and with some help with alesondro and flo; nice to have people working together. how often does flo work with the gals in cases like this?
but trudy, i mean really? what gives?
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