Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Mystery

I really liked the Murder She Baked movies, but these Hannah Swensen movies are awful. Even Hannah's character has become really goofy. The way she acts every time she sees the District Attorney, is embarrassing. I don't know any middle-aged woman who would behave that way. And why do they keep making the mom more annoying than the last movie? She was at least a bit likable in the Murder She Baked movies, but now I cringe every time she's in a scene. This one was so bad I didn't even watch until the very end. Even though I wanted to know who the killer was, I just couldn't take any more of this silliness.

I have loved all the Murder She Baked movies but this one was one I had to force myself to finish. Alison and Victor have no onscreen chemistry whatsoever. His character is too stiff and smug. They have Alison acting like a silly teenager just hoping he will ask her out. But the worst and what makes you want to stop watching is Barbara Niven. Usually a favorite character of mine; they have turned her into an over the top ridiculous drama queen. She must have insisted on having half the lines because you could almost have called it the Barbara Niven Mystery series. They have turned her character into such a completely obnoxious annoying overacting scene stealing caricature of herself it just ruined the whole show. Put Alison back front and center and tone down Barbara for the next one please. Barbara is fun as a small side character but not a main one. One can only take such nonsense in small doses.

I think Alison Sweeney does a great job and like Chad ok but do wish they'd give Norman a love interest. And where did the tall, brunette sister come from in this new post-Mike batch? Fine actress but ridiculous casting to believe she is in this family of petit blondes. Ok, here is my real complaint: the mother. I have seen Barbara Niven in many, many Hallmark shows and even in previous Hannah mysteries and she has always been fine. But, she has become absolutely insufferable in these shows. They have written her character to be a complete fool and are doing Ns. Niven a disservice. Her character drags down every scene in which she appears and is toooo toooo annoying. Rescue her!

Why do Hannah and Chad act like they've never talked to each other before, when they went on a date at the end of "A Sprinkle of Deceit?" It seems the continuity between episodes is lacking here.

Also, why make Hannah's mother into a psuedo-private eye? It doesn't work...it just makes the series more gimmicky and less palatable. I stopped counting how many times I rolled my eyes through this one and the prior two movies.

And what happened to the sister who is married to a cop? They usually give her at least some quick screen time.

Why the change in bakery location? Does it add to anything? I think not.

Sorry...I think they are running out of ideas. Probably would do better if mom were written out of the script.

I wasn't going to watch any more Hannah mysteries after the mom character has been chewing the scenery in the last couple movies. I was intrigued by this plot so I decided to watch but it fell flat. The reality show star seemed like they couldn't decide it she was a villain or just a fraud. And Niven's character is so over the top that it's distracting. And insulting to anyone who has ever done local theater! Ugh! No more. We've already been asked to suspend our reality with the concept of a baker being involved in crime solving but the mom is way too campy. She ruined it for me. And the chemistry between the two leads was a snooze.