Jane Doe: The Wrong Face

I commented about an earlier episode that the switcheroo/disappearing plots were used in earlier shows from the 60's and 70's. Now that I've watched four of them I see that it will be the theme of all the plots.

This one was just a bit weaker than the previous offerings, but still entertaining. The car chase in the hills was a little ho-hum since we all knew Cathy/Jane would come out of it in one piece, given there was still over half an hour left in the show. What ruined that particular scene was the fact that her car was completely spotless when the met Frank right after the chase. But...that's about the only thing I would really complain about, so it didn't spoil the episode.

Nice to see Bryn Thayer again, having really liked her during her three year stint on "Matlock". She has aged a bit of course, but still very attractive.

Overall, I like the shows in this series. The plots are interesting, the acting is decent, and the characters are likable. However, there are problems that could be easily fixed. First, we need less family. I get the juxtaposition of the soccer mom with her normal family life and the spy working for the government, but the family is annoying. The kids are too cutesy, and the constant "affection" between Jane and her husband is way overdone. Maybe I'm just cynical, but no one I know who's been married 20 years, is that touchy feely and constantly kissing each other. Second is the music. The constant background music is intrusive and makes it difficult to concentrate on the show. The music is too loud, it's just...weird sounding, and it doesn't go along with what's happening on the screen. Same with the background noise; there's constant noise of people talking, kids screaming, traffic, all sorts of noise, that again, doesn't go along with what's actually happening. Aside from that, the shows are entertaining.

I've never been a fan of Leah Thompson, although she's good at comedy, I've never thought her capable of great drama. My opinion is borne out by her Jane Doe series. This installment is little different from the others I've seen.

She's a wife, mother, secret agent. As with other secret agent/housewife vehicles (Mr. & Mr. Smith, etc.), she runs herself slightly ragged hiding her *other* job from her husband and children. The premise is that she works for a puzzle game company, but the puzzles she actually solves have to do with high-level crimes.

As an agent of the fictional "CSA," Jane Doe outwits her boss, played by Joe Penny, every time. Which, of course, only makes her more valuable with every new film.

Billy Moses plays her husband, and he's as sweet and supportive as can be. Almost too much so, as if my partner were running around at all hours and disappearing, I'd want to know why. Jane Doe's family is just *too* perfect, with no terrible issues that embroil the rest of humanity.

I enjoy these movies, and "The Wrong Face" is one of them. They're a nice, uncomplicated way to spend a couple of hours when the chores are done, and there's nothing else you'd rather do.

Just a note to the other commenter: Jane Doe and "Mystery Woman" are two different series, not the same one. You've gotten yourself confused.

5/10 - a bland plot and only okay acting makes for a not very memorable mystery

In "Jane Doe: The Wrong Face," prosecutor Phil Rafelson's wife Caroline goes into the hospital for plastic surgery. When the bandages come off, it's not his wife, but a teenage girl who takes off. His wife has been kidnapped by a drug dealer who wants the charges dropped. Frank Darnell (Joe Penny) calls in housewife Kathy Davis (Lea Thompson).

The best thing about the "Jane Doe" series, or, in fact, any of the Hallmark shows, is that it gives one a chance to see some of the old mainstays of television again. Thompson is a pleasant actress; Joe Penny deserves better, but these days, we take him where we can get him. In this episode, former One Life to Live star Brynn Thayer plays a nurse, and, of course, Billy Moses is on hand as Kathy's husband. Also in this episode were Twin Peaks star Ray Wise and Crazy Like a Fox's John Rubinstein. So for us boomers, it was like old home week.

The Jane Doe series is more interesting than Mystery Woman or McBride with its Scarecrow and Mrs. King type thing happening. Thompson, however, doesn't quite have Kate Jackson's attack on the material, and the pace of these shows is on the slow side. Not much in the way of pizazz but okay mindless entertainment.