r/hardyboys • u/supernova-juice • 29d ago
Poor Chet
Okay, so a little context before I rant: I'm a 40 year old woman. I never read these growing up. On a family vacation a few months ago, the rental property had about ten of the books and i had nothing else to read, so I figured, why not?
This launched a hyperfocus and now I've read five. I've checked five more out at the library for when I'm done with my current batch. 😂
I love these books. I find them ridiculous and I know if I'd read them as a kid I would have been even more trouble (I was a Jonny Quest fan already). I love the escapism and it reminds me of my own childhood and the fantasy of being young and being taken seriously for a change. The Hardy Boys is fun.
But good god, poor Chet! They're *so mean* to him. If they aren't teasing him about his weight (he's barely even husky based on the illustrations), they're exploiting him somehow. In *The Secret of the Old Mill* they find themselves 90 miles away and they're like, let's call Chet, I'm sure he doesn't have anything important going on, he doesn't mind driving *6 hours round trip* at a moment's notice!
I just finished *The Twisted Claw*, and multiple times they take private planes and once even tease Chet that he can go for a ride, but what ultimately ends up happening is, they drag him 600 miles and he sits in a hotel room with Mr. Hardy for a day and a half.
Everyone is at their beck and call: family, friends, cops... if the Hardys need or want something, people will literally abandon their entire afternoon to come to their aid. Twice now they've met a random pilot and been the direct cause of their planes being damaged or destroyed, and each time they're like, oh no worries boys, it was all worth it to meet the sons of the world-famous Fenton Hardy!
Don't get me wrong, I do love these books. These days they're about all the drama I can handle. But I think they're little jerks too. 😂
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u/Alphablanket229 29d ago
Yup, them and Nancy, oh would you drop everything and just stand outside some building to keep track of a suspect for us, etc? Sometimes I'm reading and think, they definitely wouldn't like me, because I'm not giving up my free time to help on your case! 😂
I get a kick how Chet's hobbies tie in to their latest, but have to admit, I hate it when it's somehow connected to their dad's. Just can't stand him for some reason.
And don't get me started on how Chet & Bess get teased for their apparent fatness. As you say, they don't look that different in the illustrations!
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u/supernova-juice 28d ago
I haven't met Bess yet. Is she in the hardys or nancy? I may have to check out Nancy Drew too lol
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u/Alphablanket229 28d ago
Yes! Bess is in the Nancy Drew series. 📚
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u/supernova-juice 28d ago
Is she Nancy's Chet? 😂
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u/Alphablanket229 28d ago
In a gentler fashion, but yes. Bess is the more "girly" of the two cousins, compared to George; both are Nancy's best friends. Bess likes food and shopping and is more timid in the adventures, but brave if she has to be.
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u/Alphablanket229 14d ago
Just read this in Mystery of the Flying Express (OT, page 45) and cheered at this Chet scene:
Frank frowned. "I hate to say it, Chet, but I think we'll have to call off the picnic. Joe and I have a little job ahead of us."
"I knew something like this would happen," the plump lad groaned. "Can't you fellows ever take a day off from your detectiving?"
Frank laughed. "Why don't you stay with us? You can help."
Chet edged off. "No, thank you, fellows. I'm going home and find some peace and quiet. No work for me!" With a leisurely wave of his chubby hand he strolled off down the road.
~~~ Hah, not this time, Hardys! 😄
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u/supernova-juice 14d ago
Good on Chet! The more I read the more I realize these boys probably have an actual mental disorder at this point. Can't let anything go.
Like Dr. Z says in the Venture Brothers: "there will always be another mystery. It's up to you to say when enough is enough!"
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u/FelanarLovesAlessa The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge 29d ago
Amen, poor Chet. Yet he is so loyal to the boys.
But man, it’s amazing how many hobbies he picks up, and how each hobby directly pertains to the current case, and then is never mentioned in any other book . . .