There aren't many ways to change the plot line of a stolen horse, but the naturalness of the interactions between the three characters played by the Van Dykes saved the show. Dick added a new quirk to his personality by adding the hearing aid and the trials and tribulations experienced by those who are new to them. Brady's still the never out of debt, and hardly in work, PI / beach bum. The addition of a nephew for Brady seems a little inconsistent since in the previous two episodes when his family history was discussed, he had no siblings. Also, in this episode, though the cat ' appeared ' to be the same from the previous episodes, this one was called Cleo and ate dry food as opposed to being Samantha who ate wet food in the original episode. (Only a feline fanatic like myself would notice this!) All-in-all, I look forward to the next episode. I am never disappointed with the Senior Van Dyke and his offspring in their performances, character quirks, natural (not fake sitcom) comedy and QUALITY productions. I am so glad they hooked up with Hallmark. An added bonus of this episode was having Ralph Waite in it. I wish he did more TV these days. He is truly missed.
Plot summary
Dick Van Dyke returns as Criminology Professor John Maxwell. From the DVD: "From Dean Hargrove, the legendary producer of television's greatest crime and mystery series including Matlock, Perry Mason, diagnosis murder, and Colombo, comes to cases for criminology professor Jonathan Maxwell played by Dick Van Dyke. With his steel trap of a crime solving mind and partnered with private detective Mike Bryant, played by Barry van Dyck, from TVs Airwolf, murder is today's lesson and there will be a pop quiz. Murder 101: If Wishes were Horses (2006) 88 min. Professor Maxwell is called upon to help when a prize resources kidnapped. But the case turns deadly when a member of the family that owns the horse dies in a subsequent fire. What the case yields is a family embroiled in jealousy and greed."
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