Where the Light Can't Find You

Where the Light Can't Find You
First aired	December 4, 2020
Series	The Hardy Boys (2020 TV)
Season	1
Episode	2
Production no.	102
Director	Jason Stone
Writer	Steve Cochrane & Jason Stone
Preceded by	Welcome to Your Life
Followed by	Of Freedom and Pleasure

"Where the Light Can't Find You" is the second episode of season one of the 2020 Hulu original series The Hardy Boys.

Premise

Official episode premise for "Where the Light Can't Find You" from Hulu:

When Fenton heads overseas to find Mrs. Khan’s nephew, Rupert, he quickly realizes that whatever Rupert and Laura were working on garnered attention in Bridgeport. Meanwhile, Frank discovers an old note of his mom’s in Bridgeport that mentions the sunken fishing boat and Joe and his new friend Biff befriend a man on the beach who asks them to help him by delivering a message.

Plot summary

JB Cox, who is a nervous flyer, starts to become unsettled as his plane takes off. He is seated next to the Tall Man and reaches over him to grab his inhaler from his bag. While retrieving his inhaler, JB manages to swap his carry-on with the Tall Man’s before heading to the bathroom. As it turns out, JB is a thief for hire who plotted to steal the gold idol from the Tall Man. With it now in his possession, JB escapes through the hold and jumps out the plane with a parachute.

JB’s daring escape has made the papers, which Phil enthusiastically reads to the others. Joe suspects he might be a spy or superhero. Frank says that whoever he is, he's a fugitive now. When Chet proposes the possibility of the fugitive being crazy. Frank retorts that his plan was well thought out and jumping out the plane was his only way to escape. Frank then finds a drawing of a heart from his mom’s sketch pad and finds the word "Astghik" written on it as well as a mysterious symbol. He calls Joe over and shows him. Frank asks Chet if he has any idea where Ern might be hiding, but Fenton interrupts and tells them to leave it to the police. As his father leaves, Frank asks Chet to follow him.

Frank, Phil, and Chet spy on Fenton

Frank, Chet, and Phil tail Fenton to meet up with his old partner, Sam. He did as asked and looked into Mrs. Khan, who hired Fenton to find her nephew. Sam reveals that she’s incredibly wealthy and has ties to organized crime. Sam believes that it might be a setup but Fenton has no other choice if he wishes to find his wife’s killer.

Joe uses a knife to pick the lock on his dad’s briefcase. He proceeds to play lookout while Frank investigates. Fenton returns and the boys run back into the living room as if nothing happened. Trudy complements Fenton as he leaves and tells him that he looks like their dad. Just as Fenton is headed out the door, Frank and Joe confront him about the case he took to find Rupert Khan, which Trudy was unaware of. Frank and Joe follow their dad out to his cab and ask him why he isn’t being truthful with them. Fenton replies that if their mother was killed, their best chances of finding out who and why is for him to track down Rupert Khan. As he gets into the cab, Joe gives him a comic to read on the plane.

Biff enters Wilt's Deli and purchases several items, including a map and shaving cream. She even pays for Joe’s sandwich. After she leaves, Joe points out how dads are generally picky about the brand of shaving cream they use. Wilt reveals that Biff’s dad isn’t around, just her and her mother, Deputy Hooper.

After learning from Wilt that Biff’s father wasn’t around, Joe began to question why she would need shaving cream and decided to follow Biff to the beach, where he finds her helping JB. Joe asks about his leg. JB claims that he was on the Astghik and that he was the only one to make it off. However, Joe isn’t convinced that he was on the boat given his sketchy behavior. JB has a radio. If he can get it fixed, he can call someone he trusts to get him off the beach. Joe is willing to help him fix it but he’d have to go back home to get his tools.

Fenton finds Rupert Khan’s place trashed. Papers everywhere. He finds a hidden compartment within the wall where Rupert has stashed a map and books.

Joe returns with his toolbox and asks Biff how she met JB. She reveals that she met him while walking on the beach. He offered her a month’s allowance if she got him a few items from the store. Joe suspects that JB is lying and wants to know where he really came from. So the two of them make their way back to the beach and ask who JB is trying to call. He reveals that he was never on the Astghik. He claims that he’s a delivery guy though he doesn’t know who his buyer is, which is why he needs the radio to work so that he can pinpoint the drop.

While looking through Rupert Khan’s belongings, Fenton finds a note from Laura. He is then attacked by a mysterious assailant, who Fenton manages to disarm and knock unconscious. Fenton checks the man for his ID and finds a police badge before scurrying out the door.

JB pays Joe and Biff

Joe manages to fix the radio and find the broadcast from JB’s buyer for the drop. The broadcast is in Morse code and pinpoints the drop in the center of town. Given the condition of JB’s leg, he pays Joe and Biff $80 to deliver an envelope to Stoney Creek Park.

While Joe is reading a comic at the house, the phone rings. It’s his dad. Joe is relieved to hear his voice and asks if he read the comic he gave him, which he did. Fenton tells Joe to stay out of trouble and then asks to speak with Frank. He informs Frank that their mother had started writing again and it might be what led to her death, though he tells Frank to keep this bit to himself. After hanging up with his sons, Fenton exits the phone booth only to discover that he’s being followed.

The Tall Man is in a motel. He too is listening to the buyer’s broadcast for the drop point. He then gets a call from his buyer who is starting to lose patience. The woman asks him about Ern, who he allowed to escape. The Tall Man presumed he would die in the sea, but he didn’t and now he’s in a hotel in Bridgeport.

Frank, Callie, Chet, and Phil convene at Wilt’s, where Callie informs them that Shawna, Ern’s girlfriend, works at the Dundurin Hotel. Frank wants to go alone to ask Shawna a few questions, but Callie, Chet, and Phil want to help. So the four of them split up at the Dundurin Hotel to find Shawna. Frank and Callie head upstairs while Chet and Phil stakeout the lobby.

Joe opens JB’s letter intended for the buyer. He discovers that the drop off is scheduled for Thursday but the rest of the letter is some kind of coded message.

Frank and Callie find Shawna and ask her about Ern. But Shawna claims that she hasn’t seen Ern as of late, as they’re no longer together. Frank has spotted her tell and knows that she’s lying, pointing out to Callie how she adjusted her uniform when asked about Ern.

Biff hides behind a tree as Joe makes the drop. He takes a seat at a bench in the park and slides the envelope under the seat. Biff decides to go to Wilt’s while Joe stays behind to see who picks up the envelope.

Chet and Phil spot Shawna from the lobby and follow her into the basement. She enters a locked room and exits moments later. They reconvene with Frank and Callie and devise a plan to retrieve the key. Phil distracts the lady at the front desks while Chet steals the keys and passes them off to Callie, who passes them off to Frank.

Trudy returns home with groceries and asks the boys to unload the car. However, she discovers that they’re gone and finds a note on the table claiming that they’re at Gloria’s.

Joe hides behind the tree and watches as Chief Collig arrives in the park and opens the envelope.

The Tall Man arrives at the Dundurin

Callie and Phil play lookout while Frank and Chet go to speak with Ern. They unlock the door, and Ern swings a blunt object at their heads. They explain that they’ve only come to hear what happened on the Astghik. Frank shows him the symbol from his mom’s sketch pad and asks Ern if he recognizes it. Ern reveals that the symbol is what got everyone killed. The box they found at sea had the same symbol on it. A couple hours later, the Tall Man showed up. He took the box and killed the crew. Chet wants to take Ern to the police, but he refuses to leave the hotel, so Frank offers to bring the police to him. He goes upstairs and calls Deputy Hooper and tells her that they found Ern hiding in the basement of the Dundurin Hotel. Jesse tells Frank that she’s on her way and instructs another deputy to get her all he can about the Astghik. Just then, the Tall Man enters and Frank radios down to Chet and Phil.

The Tall Man makes his way down to the basement. He searches room-to-room for Ern, who is hiding. Ern pushes the metal rack onto the Tall Man and escapes out the door.

Joe goes back to the campsite only to find that JB is no longer there. All that’s left behind is a single shredded parachute that he was using as a tent.

Frank and Callie make their way back to the basement with Chet to find that both Ern and the Tall Man are gone.

Trudy pays a visit to Gloria under the impression that the boys were with her. However, Gloria reveals that she hasn't seen them all day. Before Trudy leaves, Gloria advises her to show the boys who the boss is, otherwise they will run circles around her. She even suggests that the boys come stay with her until Fenton returns.

Joe and Frank make it home just moments apart. Neither will say where they’ve been and quietly sneak up to their rooms. Joe enters his room to find JB waiting. He asks about the drop. Joe did as asked, but he stayed behind and watched as the chief of police picked up the envelope. Joe reveals that he went back to the campsite and says that it was smart of JB to use a parachute as a tent. He’s managed to connect the pieces and reveals that JB is the fugitive who jumped out the plane. JB admits this is true. Joe inquires about what he stole. JB replies that Joe is better off not knowing.

Trudy has dinner with the boys. She reminds them that their dad trusted her to keep them safe, which she can’t do if they don’t tell her where they are. Frank claims he went to the Dundurin Hotel because he likes historical buildings and Joe was at the beach. However, Trudy suspects they’re both lying and reminds them that she’s in charge while their dad’s away. She then informs them that a box of their mom’s items arrived.

Inside the box, Frank and Joe find a book titled “The Strange Tales of Bridgeport.” Their mom checked it out from the Bridgeport public library the day she died. An entire chapter is missing, specifically “The Tragedy at Demon’s Paw.” With that said, the boys begin to work together to solve their mom’s case. Unbeknownst to them, the Tall Man watches them from outside their window.

Appearances

Cast and characters

Starring

• Rohan Campbell as Frank Hardy
• Alexander Elliot as Joe Hardy
• James Tupper as Fenton Hardy
• Keana Lyn Bastidas as Callie Shaw
• Linda Thorson as Gloria Estabrook
• Bea Santos as Aunt Trudy
• Adam Swain as Chet Morton
• Atticus Mitchell as J.B. Cox
• Riley O'Donnell as Biff Hooper
• Laara Sadiq as Kanika Khan (credit only)

Co-starring

• Janet Porter as Laura Hardy
• Jennifer Hsiung as Jesse Hooper
• Bill Lake as Ezra Collig
• Cristian Perri as Phil Cohen
• Philip Williams as Wilt
• Stephen R. Hart as The Tall Man
• Jim Codrington as Sam Peterson
• Sean Dolan as Ern Cullmore
• Sana Asad as Flight Attendant
• Tara Paterson as Shawna Mayer (Ern's Girlfriend)
• Christian Martel as Man in Black
• Angela Furness as Hotel Clerk

Locations and organizations

• Bridgeport
  • Hardy home
  • Estabrook home
  • Wilt's Deli
  • Dundurin Hotel
  • Bridgeport Police Department
  • Bridgeport Public Library (mentioned)

Other

• Gold idol, an object uncovered at sea by crew aboard the Astghik

Quotes

• Fenton to Frank and Joe: Guys, the way that you're feeling... I'm feeling that way, too. And you're not gonna like this next part. If, and this is a very big if, something happened to your mom, then the best way I have of finding out is to take this case. If I can find this Rupert Khan, then... he might know what she was looking into that last day.

• Joe to JB: My mom says faith is something you choose to have.

• Ern to Frank and Chet: No. The... The captain wanted to keep it for himself. It's... It's like he had an idea of what it was before he even opened it. A couple hours later, the tallest man I've ever seen showed up. Had to be seven feet tall. Shock-white hair slicked back. Black leather trench coat. He killed them all, Chet. If what was in the box is that important, they'll come after me again. I thought the only person I could trust was Mrs. Estabrook, 'cause she owned the boat. I figured she could make people listen.

• Gloria to Trudy: Trudy, darling, you don't have children of your own. If... if they don't know who the boss is, they'll just run circles around you. Perhaps it's not the worst idea for the boys to stay with me until Fenton gets back, hmm?

• Trudy to Frank and Joe: Your dad trusted me to look after you. To keep you safe. I can't do that if I have no idea where you are.

Gallery

Joe and Biff

Frank and The Tall Man

Frank, Phil, and Chet

Frank

Joe, Biff, and J.B. Cox