Not one of their strongest episodes, but "The Man with the Jade Eyes" is solidly entertaining. One of the great things about H2H is that most of their eps introduce you one at a time to a singular microcosm of society. Here we get to see a little slice of the Oriental Trading catalog meets Chinatown. We open on a clearly bad guy chauffeur with a menacing scar on his eye and an equally menacing I-don't-need-no-stinking-patches attitude. He's basically Lurch, and he will have some great interaction with J&J in this ep that truly shows off their physical comedy chops – especially Stefanie's. Now halfway into the season, we're fairly used to people falling dead at the Harts' feet, thus necessitating that they get involved, and this ep is no different. The Rolls is strategically placed at the get go, so it's no surprise when the Chinese Hotai statue the poor guy dies over is stuffed into the backseat. What is surprising is that I wasn't really sure there were any good guys here at all until the very end. Loved seeing James Hong! This uber prolific character actor plays his holy man character with seriously creepy goodness. This man has been in everything and continues to do so at nearly 87yo! His filmography is unreal. I also very much enjoyed the performance of Donna Kei Benz, who transformed from Femme Fatale to Girl-Next-Door and back again in about four seconds flat. It's too bad that she hasn't worked in decades, she was talented. I got a huge kick out of the librarian, because, clearly, she was not an actress, but she gave it all she had! Also appreciated peeks into Max's and Jennifer's characters; Max just hops right to it like it was a request for a cup of coffee when Jonathan told him to engage in some reconnaissance. And Jennifer refers to the opium wars as if everyone knows about them, because, of course, SHE does, is very learned, and is entirely unpretentious about it. We also learn that she has a nephew. Since she has no siblings, however (right?), I'm not sure how he was conceived. Lots of location eye-candy, here, too. Like the restaurant, Ming See, that seemed to be located in the middle of a crappy alley (read: back lot). House of 1001 Pleasures was the gift that just kept on giving here, too, with one innuendo after another and a great line by Jennifer. I tried figuring out what location served as this place, cuz it seemed too extensive to be a set. Tip: Don't google "House of 1001 Pleasures" and expect not to get porn. Just letting you know. Silly me, though, it had to be a set; the Asian history library, however, seemed kind of legit. I also love any line that lends itself to the in-joke that their serial Nancy Drew'ness; so Jonathan saying, "As a matter of fact, I don't know why we're involved in this, do you?" and Jennifer's clear reaction to the contrary were gold. These little things make me giddy. Not great here is a pre- Knight Rider/post-The Ghost & Mrs. Muir Edward Mulhare. He's awful. A serious cartoon in the middle of an otherwise decent episode. Scarface: Lurch Edition would have stolen the whole show if it wasn't for my favorite part of this thing, which was, without a doubt every scene happening in their bed. It's the second time somewhat in succession, here, where Jennifer is sitting at an injured Jonathan's bedside, and she continues to relate to him with intelligently crafted warmth. She takes care of him but doesn't coddle him. Just like the last bedside carebear scene, there are no dramatics here, nothing over the top or silly. It draws the viewer in and makes you feel the nature of their relationship, and it's superb. Then the kicker's bedhead pillow talk just makes you smile.
4 Reviews
Basic, and lifted from another show
samwa-273113 September 2017
Surprisingly, no one has noticed, that the entire plot, and the basic parts of the script, are exactly the same as an episode of Hawaii Five O.
Formula type episode, with few good parts.
There is no real reason for why the Hart's kept the ho tai.
Formula type episode, with few good parts.
There is no real reason for why the Hart's kept the ho tai.
This is what "Hart to Hart" should be all about
aramis-112-80488029 January 2023
The Harts are finishing a nice meal in a Chinese restaurant when a young man collapses at their table, gives a cryptic message about a man with jade eyes, then dies.
Edward Mulhare makes a good villain. The British always do. He's associated with a presumably Chinese woman with a secret and a huge James Bond henchman type with a scar on one eye.
The man with jade eyes is a surprise. There's a good, mysterious role for James Hong. The whole thing is quite amusing and fun in a roller coaster way, but these days it has to be accepted for what it is. Jonathan makes an un-p.c. Joke at the start I laughed at, but Jennifer quickly puts him in his place. Even way back then they had to beware of the censors, the p.c. Spanish Inquisition with their modern career-destroting thumbscrews forcing offenders into mea culpas as they did with Galileo.
Edward Mulhare makes a good villain. The British always do. He's associated with a presumably Chinese woman with a secret and a huge James Bond henchman type with a scar on one eye.
The man with jade eyes is a surprise. There's a good, mysterious role for James Hong. The whole thing is quite amusing and fun in a roller coaster way, but these days it has to be accepted for what it is. Jonathan makes an un-p.c. Joke at the start I laughed at, but Jennifer quickly puts him in his place. Even way back then they had to beware of the censors, the p.c. Spanish Inquisition with their modern career-destroting thumbscrews forcing offenders into mea culpas as they did with Galileo.
Cheesy, but still fun and watchable
shakspryn30 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Especially for viewers who are new to this series, it's good to know the approach of the show. The goals of the show include, showing a sparkling romantic relationship between the Harts, so in this episode, as is usual for the series, we get a lot of banter and kidding around between the two of them. I think that works fine here.
Now, because there is this emphasis on the Harts being fun, sexy and also very wealthy (wish fulfillment for viewers!) the actual plots of the episodes can often take a back seat to all the clever dialogue, the images of the Bentley convertible, etc.
SPOILER ALERT In this episode, we get a very well-worn plot device: a priceless gold figure, concealed inside a cheapo porcelain one (yes, we've seen this in old movies and on TV about 100 times, at least). Edward Mulhare, as chief baddie, is pretty over the top as a smirking villain who dresses in all-white suits and carries a walking stick. His two sidekicks are an Asian woman who wears a sexy slit-way-up-the-thigh tight dress, and a huge guy with a big scar who never has any dialogue. So, this episode offers us some very familiar motifs, which I found fun. The point is, the show does not take itself seriously. It does sometime get close to self-parody, but that's because the plots, as here, can be so lightweight.
To be fair to the series, some episodes do create a sense of menace and danger, but this isn't one of those. Really, this series is much closer in spirit to "Magnum, P. I.," which started a year later, than it is to a series such as Hawaii 5-0 (in its last season when Hart to Hart was in its first season). Hart to Hart is not at all a gritty-type show; it was meant to be a light mystery, no "dark" stuff or very little, with the emphasis on the two attractive and engaging stars.
As for this episode, I found it quite watchable and fun. The two stars keep it moving along and they are the reason to watch.
Now, because there is this emphasis on the Harts being fun, sexy and also very wealthy (wish fulfillment for viewers!) the actual plots of the episodes can often take a back seat to all the clever dialogue, the images of the Bentley convertible, etc.
SPOILER ALERT In this episode, we get a very well-worn plot device: a priceless gold figure, concealed inside a cheapo porcelain one (yes, we've seen this in old movies and on TV about 100 times, at least). Edward Mulhare, as chief baddie, is pretty over the top as a smirking villain who dresses in all-white suits and carries a walking stick. His two sidekicks are an Asian woman who wears a sexy slit-way-up-the-thigh tight dress, and a huge guy with a big scar who never has any dialogue. So, this episode offers us some very familiar motifs, which I found fun. The point is, the show does not take itself seriously. It does sometime get close to self-parody, but that's because the plots, as here, can be so lightweight.
To be fair to the series, some episodes do create a sense of menace and danger, but this isn't one of those. Really, this series is much closer in spirit to "Magnum, P. I.," which started a year later, than it is to a series such as Hawaii 5-0 (in its last season when Hart to Hart was in its first season). Hart to Hart is not at all a gritty-type show; it was meant to be a light mystery, no "dark" stuff or very little, with the emphasis on the two attractive and engaging stars.
As for this episode, I found it quite watchable and fun. The two stars keep it moving along and they are the reason to watch.
See also
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