The Hardy Boys (2020) / Funny

Just like with the source material, the show has plenty of moments of levity in between the hardcore investigating.

Warning: All Spoilers Unmarked

Season 1

Much of the Snark-to-Snark Combat between Joe and Biff, lightly trading barbs and bantering as only best friends can.
Joe: Do I look like a criminal to you?
Biff: You look like a marshmallow. Or a bunny. Only less threatening.
Joe: Thank you, Biff, that's so nice.

Where the Light Can't Find You

As Phil starts spazzing about the guy who jumped out of the plane, Joe tells him to chill.
Phil: Who invited this kid?
Joe: I live here....and you're like a year older than me.
As Fenton is about to leave to investigate Rupert's disappearance:
- The boys have figured out it has something to do with Laura, largely thanks to listening in on his conversation with Kanika from the attic. Fenton asks why they were spying on him.
  Frank: We weren't spying.
  Joe: Yeah. We just overheard something, and we didn't move, so if anything, we were just lazy. (Frank makes a "Yeah, what he said" gesture)
- After Fenton hugs Joe goodbye:
  Fenton: And, um, don't break into my briefcase again.
  Joe: I told you that lock was no good.

Secrets and Lies

Frank and Callie sneak into the library at night for some snooping. Despite it being dark with absolutely no one there, Callie still whispers out of habit, and Frank playfully teases her and reminds her that they can be AS LOUD AS THEY WANT!
Meanwhile, Joe and Biff go to the police station so he can steal his soldering iron back, and don't see it sitting out where it was before. Biff points out the obvious, that evidence boxes would be in the evidence lockers, leading to:
Joe: Ix-nay on the ox-bay, iff-Bay.
Biff: Stop talking in Pig Latin and let me handle this.
- They then lie to the sergeant that they're there to collect a donation box. He asks what the money's for, and Biff says "kittens" while Joe says "orphans", prompting her to quickly "clarify" that it's for "orphan kittens at the animal shelter."
- The kids then say that they'll just go in the back to get the box themselves, but the sarge first asks for reassurance that Biff isn't going to "festoon the chief's desk with toilet paper again," and Joe turns to give her a "WTF?" look.
- The next day, Biff brings JB's file that she secretly copied to the Hardy Boys, putting it inside a book to hide it and initially presenting it as a gift for Joe before telling him there's something in it. The book is called "My First Letters", eliciting a chuckle from Frank.
  Joe: Wow. Y'know, I really would've loved this book if I was four years old.

The Drop

Frank and Joe go at the abandoned brick factory to try to spy on JB's buyer:
- Joe, unsurprisingly, cracks a couple of morbid jokes, and when Frank expresses some concern about his mental state, lampshades his Deadpan Snarker tendencies:
  Frank: You sure you're up for this?
  Joe: Yeah, I'm just lightening the mood by being hilarious.
- The boys ultimately don't find out said buyer's identity, though they do encounter JB there. They return home to regroup:
  Frank: Well, that didn't go according to plan.
  Joe: Wait, there was a plan?
  Frank: Not helpful, Joe.
Jesse comes by to deliver a message to the Hardy home:
- Trudy tells her she's welcome to sit, joking that she looks like she's responding to a noise complaint because of how stiff and official she's standing. Jesse awkwardly shuffles her hands before self-consciously sticking them in her pockets and defends it with, "I'm working."
- After the boys get back from the factory and immediately head upstairs after Jesse gives them her message:
  Trudy: Does Biff sneak around like that?
  Jesse: Trudy, she does patrols in the house in the middle of the night in case of burglars.

In Plain Sight

Frank and Callie arrive at Gloria's house for the Rosegrave exam. They're not particularly wowed by their clearly-ultra-rich fellow competitors:
Frank: Ah. Check out the brain trust in here.
Callie: Looks like the Junior Egghead Club. (Frank cracks up)

A Figure in Hiding

Joe demonstrates his plan to Frank to get proof that Bridgeport cops are corrupt: by engineering a Caught on Tape confession. He brags that he just recorded everything Frank said, and tries to play the tape back to prove it to him...only to get nothing but static. Frank's reaction sells it.
Frank: So, super plan, buddy!
- Before that, Joe walks up to Frank with the most smug, conspiratorial greeting ever (having already started "recording" at this point) while Frank just returns the greeting in confusion.
- Frank tries to insist that Joe stay home for the day since the Tall Man is after him. Predictably, Joe doesn't listen and sneaks out anyway for more investigating with Biff. When Frank scolds him for this later upon finding out, Joe's excuse utilizes some Loophole Abuse:
  Joe: Hey, my wire didn't work, remember? I couldn't review that part of the conversation.
Frank, Callie, and Chet prepare for a road trip to Rosegrave Prep in the latter's truck. When talking about things to do on the way, the guys are less than thrilled by her suggestion:
Callie: "Never Have I Ever."
Frank: That's not a car game.
Callie: It is if you play it in the car.
Chet: Never have I ever understood the rules to Never Have I Ever.
Frank: Never have I ever had fun playing Never Have I Ever.
Chet: Never have I ever wanted to sit in a car where people enjoyed playing Never Have I Ever.
Callie: Oh, you guys are clever.
- This also get a Brick Joke later, after everything they discover:
  Chet: So, never have I ever realized my hometown was run by a secret society.
  Callie: (chuckles) That is a stupid game, you were right.
Pretty much everything with Joe pretending to attend a Sea Cadets meeting with Phil as an excuse to sneak out of the house and meet up with Biff for some snooping. Highlights include:
- Joe's justification for why it'll keep him safe from the Tall Man to be surrounded by other kids dressed the same: he can let another kid get snatched while he slips out undetected. All while Phil just casually nods along.
  Joe: Is it immoral? Yes. But is it effective? Also yes.
- The outfits. Biff is not impressed when she sees Joe wearing it, and refuses to go anywhere with him until he changes clothes.
- Phil spends the whole car ride gushing to Joe about Sea Cadet stuff, who shows minimal interest, and then makes up the lamest excuse ever for why he suddenly can't go: he has a book on hold at the library that he has to pick up before they fine him.
  Phil: You didn't even try making that excuse believable.
- When they return, Joe and Phil tell Aunt Trudy about all the cool things he "learned at the meeting." It works, but their efforts at lying leave something to be desired, complete with some Suspiciously Specific Denial and corny puns.
  Joe: We learned the bowtie—
  Phil: (under his breath after clearing his throat) —bowline—
  Joe: —and at least, like, five other knots!
- Phil being The Thing That Would Not Leave after helping Joe lie, even threatening to tell Aunt Trudy, until he fills him in on what he and Biff discovered. Once Joe's reluctantly done so and Phil starts his Motor Mouth gushing about it, Joe mutters "This is why I don't tell you things." He then asks why Phil's sticking around, who informs him that "that uniform was a borrow, not a keep," so Joe starts changing on the spot to give it back to him.
As Joe and Biff break into Chief Collig's house and comment on how messy it is, he shares with her his future plans for his own house, such as "five TVs so I can watch all my shows at once." Biff expresses pity for his future wife, and Joe instantly responds with "Oh, I won't have a wife," only to catch sight of her raised eyebrows and quickly try to backtrack ("I mean, if someone cool came along..."), ending with them both getting flustered and mumbling along the lines of "I'm gonna...check over here." Also counts as Ship Tease between them.

What Happened in Bridgeport

Frank and Joe avoid another brush with the Tall Man. What starts out as a serious scene, where Trudy emotionally tells the boys that she doesn't know what she'd do if something happened to them, quickly turns funny with this line:
Joe: (seriously) Aunt Trudy? (Leans forward, cracks a grin) You'd miss me more, right? (Frank playfully shoves him)
Joe is already finishing his second milkshake at Wilt's when his friends arrive for one of Wilt's famous Back-to-School Brownie sundaes, which both boys join them for. Frank points out how much ice cream Joe's already had, and he replies, "I could use some more" and digs in with the others. Cut to him arriving home and collapsing on his bed while groaning, "Too much ice cream!"
There's some Black Comedy when JB tries to covertly grab Joe at Wilt's and pull him into the back room so they can talk discreetly...but since Joe's not expecting it and understandably resists, they end up knocking several things over and making a ton of noise as JB winces and closes the door.

The Secret Room

Joe suspects Biff was the one who took the Eye from the speaker, and confronts her about it at Wilt's hoping that she'll confirm it. When she does, Joe excitedly springs up and cries, "I knew it!", briefly forgetting that there are quite a few other people around, several of whom turn to stare at him.
Biff: Dude! Public space.
Joe: (embarrassed) Ah, right, got that.
Joe and JB build up a snarky rapport, but one particular example comes when they meet at Wilt's for the first time since JB's arrest:
Joe: JB! I thought you were arrested!
JB: Why don't you just whisper that as loud as you possibly can?
Joe: How'd you get out?
JB: I'm very clever, Joe. (Shows him the piece of the Eye)
Joe: You stole that from Ms. Khan.
JB: How did you know that?!
Joe: I'm very clever.
JB: Ha ha, cute. Turns out there's two of these things.
Joe: Try three.
JB: ...Three. Okay, the fact that you just know everything all the time is starting to get a little bit unnerving.

No Getting Out

The Noodle Incident of whatever happened offscreen with Chet and Phil when they pair off to search for Joe and Biff, which left them feeling really awkward afterward. We just see that one whole side of Chet's face is covered with dirt and hay, and gather that a hay bale somehow rolled over onto him and Phil saved him from it, culminating in Chet almost shyly thanking him (but also requesting Let Us Never Speak of This Again) and the two of them drinking milkshakes together.
Chet: I never knew you were so strong.

Eye to Eye

JB's conversation with Gloria after he is forced to return to her empty-handed now that Stacy and her mooks stole the Khan piece of the Eye from him, with his face all bruised up from the beating he took and an attitude of just being so done with everyone's shit. Gloria, meanwhile, is tired of his shit:
Gloria: [You lost the piece] to whom?!
JB: You make me an offer and I will tell you.
Gloria: Y'know, you're as bad a negotiator as you are a thief.
JB: Ouch. I'm not gonna hold that against you because we're such good friends.
Gloria: Stefan, get in here, please!
- Also, his obvious incredulity when Gloria gives him a new job of stealing her own piece of the Eye from her own grandsons. But he still agrees anyway, with an obvious air of "Oh, fuck it, whatever, I've come this far, just please let me get my money and get the hell outta dodge."
- Also JB's and Stefan's snippiness towards each other, which is actually kind of tame considering that they've now each beaten each other up before when the latter broke into the former's motel room.
Aunt Trudy comes to check on Joe, who in the previous episode fell down into a mine and could have died. He assures her he's still okay...like he was when she checked five minutes ago. She tells him she's going to take a shower, but assures him that he can call if he needs her, all while Joe is trying to be polite and humor her despite his obvious exasperation. And after she leaves:
Joe: (rolling his eyes), Geez, you fall down ONE mineshaft...
- Trudy indeed comes to check on Joe after said shower and ask if he wants a sandwich, but he's downstairs greeting the newly-returned Fenton. Instead, she finds JB there, who just greets her with a polite "Sure, I'll take a sandwich" while Trudy understandably starts screaming her head off.
- And then when Fenton barges in and sees him casually sitting in Joe's chair, they have this exchange (which may also count as a Stealth Insult, considering that even JB has spent far more time with Joe in the past few months than Fenton has):
  Fenton: Who are you?!
  JB: Who are you?

While the Clock Ticked

In between the seriousness of Joe and Biff realizing that the latter has accidentally been locked in George's secret room with the key to the door and is trapped, there's this exchange between Joe and Phil, who's been distracting Stefan and is a little out of the loop:
Phil: Guys, the coast is clear, we're good—where's...Biff?
Joe: She locked herself in with the key.
Phil: Why'd she do that?
Joe: She didn't do it on purpose!
Phil: Oh.
And once Biff is successfully able to pass them the key through the vents and they let her out, the first thing she does is glomp Joe. He has an almost shy smile as he hugs her back...and then they get a bit flustered, especially after looking over to see Phil looking at them with a slight grin that says "OMG, is there something going on here between you guys?", and Joe quickly says they should get going.
The Brick Joke that even after working at Wilt's for a couple of months and regularly having to do so on the job, Frank is still terrible at making coffee, with Fenton gagging on it after one sip while Joe and Trudy knowingly chuckle.
Frank and Callie share their Big Damn Kiss...while Joe is sitting right there in the chair watching them. Unsurprisingly, as soon as Callie leaves, the first thing Joe does is tease his brother for it.
Joe: (In a high-pitched voice, while making kissy sounds and motions with his hands) Oh, Frank! Oh, you're so moody and mysterious!
Frank: (Laughing and shoving him) Stop it!

Season 2

A Disappearance

In the Good-Times Montage that Phil records on the video camera, one of the first scenes shows Frank and Callie (who are now dating) kissing, to Joe's obvious irritation.
Joe: Ugh, Get a Room!
- Before that, when Phil turns the camera on Joe:
  Phil: Say something to the camera.
  Joe: Something to the camera.
- Phil continues filming while the rest of the kids unload Chet's truck for the campfire.
  Frank: Thanks for the help, Phil.
Callie invites Frank to come over to her house that evening to study. Frank tells her he has to work, but she can come study at Wilt's while he's there if she wants. She clarifies that's not exactly what she had in mind before giving him a quick kiss and heading to class, leaving Frank very curious what she meant.
Mr. Munder catches Joe whispering to Biff during class:
Munder: Mr. Hardy. If you don't pay attention, you'll never know the difference between static manifest and multi-paradigm object-oriented procedural.
Joe: (Beat) I think I can live with that, sir. (Multiple students crack up, including Phil)
Phil repeatedly, incessantly reciting the old poem about Demon Week, to the increasing exasperation and annoyance of his friends.
When the gang hypes up Wilt's delicious milkshakes to Belinda, Callie acknowledges that maybe they're so good because they're free. Wilt happens to walk by and hear this and give a Double Take, and Frank is quick to "correct" Callie that the milkshakes are NOT free, they're $3 apiece like always while she nods in agreement. Seems Frank's been rather liberal about providing a "friends-and-family" discount....
Wilt's repeated use of the term "stink damp" to refer to toxic fumes in the mines. Chet eventually just says outright, "Stop saying stink damp."
The True Companions find Dennis at least unconscious, if not worse, in the remains of the old mill, and Callie nervously leans down to check his pulse. What starts as a serious scene quickly turns into a Jump Scare that's Played for Laughs when Dennis wakes up and starts screaming, startling the other kids so badly that all six of them start screaming at the top of their lungs as well.

Conflicting Reports

Fenton and Trudy getting way too into the evening's pay-per-view wrestling match, causing Frank and Joe to regard them as Amazingly Embarrassing Parents and just generally weirding everybody out. You get the idea that wrestling was Serious Business in the Hardy home for Trudy and Fenton growing up....
Fenton: (In faux-deep voice) That's right, boys. Tonight's the pay-per-view event of the century.
Frank: (confused) What is that?
Fenton: (Speaking normally) That's my wrestling voice. (In wrestling voice, turning to Trudy) Heavyweight championship of the world!
Trudy: (In her own wrestling voice) Three stadiums in three cities! A battle royale! (They bump chests)
Frank: Please don't do that while our friends are here.
Joe: :D
The four boys' banter while playing Robowar at Wilt's as they wait for Mayor Krassner to arrive.
- After Chet, who's wearing a cast on his arm, struggles with the game:
  Frank: Maybe if you had two good arms?
  Chet: Too soon, way too soon, man.
- The others poking fun at Chet's outfit he's wearing for the photo, which is much more dressy than any of theirs.
  Joe: Nice duds, Chet.
  Phil: You dress up for Robo's funeral?
  Chet: It's gonna be your funeral in a minute.
  (A moment later, after Chet has stated he'll be late to the wrestling group-watch that night)
  Frank: You got another costume change?
  Chet: HA HA HA—No.
- Phil and Joe then each tell the others to step aside so they can show 'em how it's done, only to each get Game Overs almost immediately.
  Joe: See, the trick is— (immediately loses)
  Chet: Uh-huh. What's the trick?
Joe's reaction to Frank's and Callie's PDA before the Hardy Boys head off to the woods to investigate:
Callie: Be careful. (She and Frank kiss)
Joe: (Rolls his eyes) I will too, if anyone cares.
Biff: (Indifferently) See ya. / Phil: (not paying attention) What?
Chet and Belinda arrive to the Hardy home to watch the wrestling, only to find Biff and Phil themselves wrestling on the couch after he tries to take his watch back from her. Chet can only awkwardly mumble "I don't know them," and he and Belinda promptly decide to bail.
Frank and Joe discuss the former having the Eye inside him, and Joe asks for confirmation that it's not possessing him, and his brother is still himself. Frank jokingly shines his flashlight on his own face and says in a faux-spooky voice, "For now!", prompting both of them to chuckle.
The boys get through the fence with "Trespassers will be Shot" on it to enter private property and investigate what happened to Dennis. They find an abandoned shack in the woods, and in it, some crumbs of flour and thumbtacks on one of the wood boards, and joke about the person who owns the shack tacking up recipe cards and planning to bake a cake.
Frank: Sure, bake a cake, shoot a couple of trespassers, regular chef stuff. (Joe chuckles)

The Missing Camera

Biff takes Phil with her to the graveyard to show him her bio dad's grave:
Phil: Man, graveyards are even creepier in the morning. It's the mist. It's like ghosts' breath.
Biff: Or farts.
Phil: Ghosts don't fart.
Biff: You think they breathe?
One of the reasons Joe's not happy about Fenton planning to sell their old house in Dixon City:
Joe: If I knew we were never coming back, I would've taken all the cash out of my secret hiding spot.
Frank: (chuckles) Floorboard beside the bed?
Joe: (grinning) Nah, that's my decoy spot. Sucker.
Biff calls the florist who sold the flowers she found on her dad's grave to try to find out who bought them. Phil gets increasingly incredulous at the lies she tells over the phone, culminating with her claiming her name is "Joe", and if she's not present when they call her back, they can leave a message with her "secretary", Trudy.
Phil: I have so many questions.
The kids need to bring Dennis back to the East Woods to get more info from him, so they offer Joe's camera so he can take some still shots. Dennis agrees and brainstorms aloud how he could use it in his film, and Phil just rolls his eyes and mutters "Oh my god" until Biff elbows him.
Phil: (completely unenthusiastically) I mean, yeah, that sounds amazing.
Frank tells Chet they could've taken his car to Elroy's, but Chet shuts it down with, "I've seen the way you drive."
In the otherwise-very-tense scene of the confrontation with Tom Elroy (who owns most of the East Woods, and whose house Frank broke into), there's a bit of Mood Whiplash after he states that he's heard the names people call him, like "Widowmaker" and "Demon Helper":
Elroy: I just don't get it. I mean, the Demon lives in the West Woods.

A Clue on Film

Brian's overprotective dad-esque interrogation of Chet upon meeting him for the first time. Chet looks incredibly uncomfortable and awkward but still does his best to make a good first impression, Brian makes very obvious car metaphors with such a straight face that it veers into The Comically Serious, and Belinda stands there in the background looking embarrassed and sheepish by the whole thing until she eventually jumps in to bail poor Chet out by saying they need to get to school.
Neither Frank nor Joe are enthused about the Demon Week Massacre at the drive-in, with the former feeling they have too many other things going on right now. Fenton encourages him to enjoy a night off and have some fun, then Joe chimes in on his way to the the garage:
Joe: I'm putting my bike in the trunk so I can leave if it sucks.
Fenton: (Beat) He gets it.
Biff asks if she can join Belinda and Chet for the movie at the drive-in. Belinda is more than happy to have her. Chet is less enthused. Especially when Biff casually helps herself to some of their snacks.
At the end of the night, Chet does his best to lighten the mood about the whole Erica situation:
Chet: Listen, I don't want to make any assumptions, but I'm starting to think that your ex-girlfriend didn't fall to her death after all.
Belinda: (Laughs) What was your first clue?

Heading for Destruction

Phil gets overly-obsessed with figuring out the motive of the Demon Day bomber, to his friends' exasperation.
A Black Comedy Burst in the otherwise-serious scene where Frank and Joe are alone for a moment after being kidnapped and interrogated by Stratemeyer. They've realized that JB and Angela weren't bluffing about the latter being able to track the Eye, and Joe worries about what will happen if Frank has another vision from it, which—in case Stratemeyer is listening in—refers to as a "panic attack". Frank responds, "Well, it's a good thing there's nothing to panic about."

Hunting an Intruder

The gang discusses the theory of the bombing obscuring a location of a robbery. Phil states that there's "just one question" of where it took place, but then Frank adds the "What was stolen?" and Joe puts in "Who did it?", and Phil corrects it to three questions. He then keeps adding idle chat between the others as additional questions.
Chet: Phil, would you please.
Phil: Is that a question?
Joe: Phil!
Phil gets caught by Angela in Gloria Estabrook's study and tries to bluff his way out of the situation. He actually starts off strong enough by telling Angela (quite correctly) that she's trespassing...but then takes it a little too far by saying he's Gloria's great-nephew Charles Estabrook V, and then Digging Himself Deeper by claiming (even more ludicrously) that he's related to Gloria "on the mother's side." Not only is Angela not impressed, she then, completely deadpan, proceeds to reveal that she knows Phil's name, address, and family members, down to the name and breed of his dog, and sarcastically turns his faux-eloquent speech back on him:
Angela: So what, pray tell, are you doing here, Philip?
An in-universe one: Frank reveals to his friends that he has the power of the Eye, and tells everyone about his vision that day, and how George somehow saw him there from the past. Phil instinctively says that's not possible, and Frank is quick to point out that that's Arbitrary Skepticism at this point...and then first Biff, and then everybody else starts cracking up at the craziness of it all (except Joe, who's too worried about Frank to do any laughing).
Phil: Wait wait wait wait wait. How bad is it that Angela knows my name and where I live?
Biff: (Still laughing) It's bad. (Callie and Frank laugh too)
Phil: No, no. Scale of one to ten?
Biff: Twenty.
Joe tries to get in touch with JB at the end via the radio, but feels the need to repeatedly add corrections to it: he first says JB "knows where to find him", but then adds not to come to his house because it has to stay between them. Then elaborates that this is Joe speaking. And then clarifies that it's Joe Hardy.^*

The Doctor's Orders

As the younger kids plan the hospital heist in Trudy's van, with Joe going over the plan out loud:
Phil: That's a lot of "we" talk from the guy that's gonna sit in the van the whole time.
Joe: What do you want me to do? I'm banned! It's not like I can sit on your shoulders under a gown with a surgeon's mask and pretend to be a doctor! Unless...
Phil: (Grins and nods)
Biff: (Incredulously) No!
Joe: (Beat) No no no, we need to stick to the plan.
During the heist, Joe—who was earlier thrown out of the hospital and banned from returning, and is serving as Mission Control out in the parking lot—ends up Locked Out of the Loop, thanks to poor signals on the walkie-talkies, when the heist goes awry and Dennis disappears. Once Burelli and the Shadow Man have already left and the danger is past, Lucy finds Dennis, on his feet and walking again, watching TV in someone's room, and Biff and Phil express their relief over the walkies. The heartwarming moment of Lucy happily hugging him is juxtaposed with Joe chiming in to add, "Wait, you guys lost Dennis?!"

A Midnight Scare

Frank and Callie head off to investigate at Rosegrave, wearing preppy outfits to attempt to look like students. They succeed.
Callie: How do we look?
Biff: You look like a couple of dorks.
Joe: You'll fit right in.
(Later, at Rosegrave)
JB: Very cute blazers, guys. You're doing great.
On that note, JB following Frank and Callie to the archive room, which happens to have what he's there to steal, too. Callie, who's never met him yet, asks him in confusion who he is, and he just says, "I'm JB Cox," in a voice that's almost put out that she didn't already know this. And Callie's jaw drops as she looks at Frank like "Oh shit, really?!", while he just nods back slightly as if to say "Unfortunately, yep, that's him."
It's some Black Comedy, but Joe is even more full of snark than usual after finding Mack handcuffed in Angela's bathtub.
Joe: (Shushing Mack) Hey, hey, hey. Do you hear that sound? It's the sound of the tables turning.
(Later)
Mack: I work for your grandmother. I'm loyal to Gloria!
Joe: (scoffs) That's not exactly a selling point.
Joe finally cracks JB's code in his letter to get the phone number to contact him, which turns out to be "IOU-1" backwards + Jenny's Number. The voicemail is, appropriately, the voice of a woman named "Jenny", and Joe sounds almost smug about having figured it out when he says he's calling in his favor (all while Lucy watches in confusion). But he still remembers his manners enough to tack this on at the end:
Joe: Also, if this is a woman named Jenny, please disregard. Bye.

Captured!

Joe, knowing Frank is suspicious of what he's up to, works out a cover story with Biff and Phil in case Frank asks about it that they'll be at the dance that night, but is then a bit exasperated when Phil actually goes ahead and buys tickets for it. Until Lucy comes up and is a bit bummed to hear Joe's not actually going because she is planning to, and he quickly changes his mind and decides to go after all, to Phil's confusion.
Joe: Hold on! Of course I'm going to be there. What are we even talking about? I-I have my ticket. Right, Phil?
Phil: I'm lost.
- Joe then takes one of the tickets from Phil for himself, gives another one to Lucy, and rushes off a bit flustered to go meet JB. Lucy looks almost shy...and then Phil, still standing there, points out that he actually needs to be reimbursed for it. "That ticket isn't free, you know."
- And before that, there's Joe establishing the cover story with Lucy too:
  Joe: [Frank] won't actually ask you [where I am]. Just, like, if he does, could you say that I asked you to the dance and you said yes?
  Lucy: Sounds like you really swept me off my feet.
Frank has a vision showing him that Angela set a trap for Joe and JB that will get all three of them captured, and stops JB from continuing the plan by warning them:
- There's a bit of a darkly funny moment in the subsequent argument:
  JB: Wait. Which one is it? Is it a trap because I'm working with Angela, or is a trap because I'm an idiot who's walking us into one?
  Frank: Well, to be fair, I've always thought you're an idiot.
  JB: (to Joe) Are you gonna let him talk to me like that?!
- Once JB ditches them, Frank and Joe try to work out a rough plan for how they can use their element of surprise to still escape the ship with the relic. There's some Black Comedy involved as Frank finally agrees "Let's Try Not to Die"...only for them to emerge from the shipping crate and find Angela and her men just standing right there waiting for them, with JB already caught, while she tosses them a casual greeting.
Joe's not pleased about JB stealing the relic from him (even if it was actually a fake), while Frank clearly feels like the Only Sane Man in this situation:
Chet: Man, I can't believe JB took the relic.
Frank: (Beat) (incredulously) I can!
Joe: That double-crossing weasel looked me right in the eyes and double-crossed me. Like a weasel!

An Unexpected Return

Trudy showing some Little Sister Instinct by knocking out Olivia with a brick when she thinks the other woman's about to try to shoot Fenton. Too bad it's an Unwanted Rescue, and quickly descends into childish bickering as only siblings can.
Fenton: What are you doing?
Trudy: She was going for the gun!
Fenton: No, she wasn't!
Trudy: Well, it—it looked like she was!
Fenton: How am I supposed to question her now? You are so impulsive!
Trudy: Oh, that's rich, coming from you. I just saved your life! (Points at the brick)
Fenton: Will you please just put that thing down? (She does so, looking sheepish)
Phil's and Dennis's banter in the denouement, which is nonetheless far more friendly than their previous interactions.
Phil: Whatever, Dennis! I'm glad you feel better, you heinous spaz!
Dennis: Why do you love that poem [about the Bridgeport Demon] so much?
Chet at last brings Belinda one of those famous milkshakes from Wilt's, and she's doubtful they'll live up to her at-this-point-very-high expectations. Then she tries it, you can see her start grinning in defeat, and she's forced to concede:
Belinda: (After a long Beat) You got lucky. Yeah.

Season 3

A Strange Inheritance

George does get in one very-Frank-esque good line of snark at JB's expense about the scroll map, which they currently only have three out of four pieces of.
"Frank": Doesn't matter. The map's no good without a starting point. It's incomplete.
JB: Now how do you know that?
"Frank": Well, the gaping hole in the top corner was my first clue.
JB: Allow me to rephrase. How do you know that the gaping hole in the top corner is the starting point?
Olivia's (later revealed to be fake) Undercover Cop Reveal to Fenton:
Fenton: Which agency?
Olivia: You've never heard of it.
Fenton: Try me.
Olivia: DSA. Defense Support Agency.
Fenton: (Long Beat) I've never heard of it.
Olivia: Told you.

A Vanishing Act

Chet doing a bit of Lampshade Hanging about the weirdness of the situation with "Frank", and how Joe deduced that he's really George.
Joe: He faked his death so he could hide in the Crystal for years and come back as Frank. It's the only thing that makes sense.
Chet: Oh, that's the only thing that makes sense?
It's a brief moment, but when Joe comes back from getting the Eye with a new idea, Belinda asks, "Torture?" in a way-too-cheerful voice. Not that it's unwarranted considering how much of a Jerkass Smug Snake George is.
Once JB realizes the people who paid his bail at the jailhouse are probably his clients who've threatened to murder him, he's understandably not keen to leave soon:
JB: You know, I bet that that release paperwork must take hours.
Jesse: I'll have you on your way shortly.
JB: No rush. Take your time. I'm happy to just lie here, think about what I did, or in this case, didn't do.
(Jesse rolls her eyes as she walks away)
Trudy comes to the Estabrook home looking for the boys, and they hastily have to hide "Frank" in the Secret Room before she finds him Bound and Gagged. The whole scene descends into hilariously awkward Blatant Lies about Frank being at the library "researching symbols and stuff" to open the codexes, which—as usual—somehow still works. Complete with all the other kids faux-cheerfully waving goodbye as Joe ushers Trudy out.
George escapes through the trap door in his office, which leads to the mines, but is almost immediately found by Jesse, who asks what he's doing there at a crime scene. He once again proves to be an incredibly Bad Liar with a shallow impression of the Hardy Boys' detective skills:
"Frank": I'm just, um, I'm looking for some clues.
Jesse: (Beat as she stares at him like, "Really?") You're coming with me. Now.
Joe and Phil bickering over what to call George-in-Frank's-body, since Joe dislikes the use of "Evil Frank". Joe comes up with Frankengeorge:
Phil: But Frank isn't in George. George is in Frank.
Joe: Georgenfrank isn't a name.
Phil: Neither is Frankengeorge.
Joe: Whatever!
- Also gets a Brick Joke later from Belinda, when she refers to him as Frankengeorge:
  George: Who?
  Belinda: You, idiot! (He looks at her like "wait, what?")
Callie and Drew return to their room to find the whole Hardy Gang there, with "Frank" Bound and Gagged. Callie immediately gets the gist of what's going on, but as a Funny Background Event, Drew's "WTF" face at walking in on this scene in their room is priceless.

A Promise of Trouble

Munder actually manages to get in a good zinger at Joe's expense:
Joe: I'm going to take notes [about what you tell me].
Munder: Ah, well, let's hope they've improved since computer class.
As Belinda and Chet show up at the DSA to see Brian and get the computer chip from him, Chet asks Driscoll, who's a bit exasperated that they're there, if the snacks are free, and the latter snarks that they're "paid for with tax dollars." On their way out, Chet helps himself a couple of bags of chips and thanks Brian for them, who just shakes his head.
Phil freaks out when George—still securely tied to a chair and gagged—tries to wiggle out of Callie's closet, promptly shoving him back in and shouting "Get back in there, you evil genius!" And then gives a slight, celebratory "Yeah!" after.
There's some pretty hilarious Mood Whiplash, combined with Black Comedy, in the Sleep Room as the scene flip-flops between the seriousness of Munder being there after having broken out of prison and going over the plan with the kids...and then showing what George hears as he's Bound and Gagged to the chair forced to listen to the same, very loud rock song over and over to ensure he can't hear them.
- Even under the life-and-death circumstances in the Sleep Room, Munder slides right back into "teacher" mode while going over the plan, addressing all the kids as "Mr./Miss <Last Name>", having them fill in the rest of his sentences like he's quizzing them, and scolding Phil and Joe when they don't listen well enough or answer his questions correctly.
- Belinda's and Chet's reactions to coming back and finding Munder there.
  Belinda: Um...what? (Gesturing at Munder)
  Chet: It always gets worse!
  Joe: Guys, it's okay. He's...helping.
  Munder: If by "helping" you mean "saving you from certain death", then yes, Mr. Hardy, I'm helping.
It's both kind of funny and very satisfying to see the friends sarcastically mocking George right before they subject him to Project Midnight to get Frank back while he tries to talk them out of it.
Biff: Oh no, maybe we should just give up now.
George: Yes! Yes, you should.
Belinda: (scoffs) No, he's right. I mean, it's so stupid. Why would we even try to save our friend?
Phil: Yeah, I mean, it's just Frank, right? Like?
Chet: Yeah, who cares about the guy? No, it's a good thing you're here to talk some sense into us.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Joe's and Frank's sibling bickering when Joe gets into the Crystal provides some very Black Comedy.
- Frank, after seeing that Callie found the Crystal, expects her to find a way to bring him back from the outside. Instead, Joe shows up inside of it, and Frank's reaction (which comes from pure horror that his brother is seemingly stuck there too) is...not what he hoped for.
  Frank: No, what are you doing here?! Where's Callie?
  Joe: Are you serious?! You're serious. I just melted my brain into a crystal to save you. This is the thanks I get— (gets glomped by Frank)
- There's also this:
  Frank: You're bringing George back in here? He's going to try and kill us!
  Joe: You're preaching to the choir, Frank! He's tried to kill me several times!
  Frank: Joe, how long have I been in here?
  Joe: I dunno...a week?
  Frank: It took you a whole week to realize I wasn't me?
  Joe: Well you were kind of moody to begin with, so it wasn't really that much of a difference.
  Frank: He's like a hundred years old, butthead! (Shoves him)
  Joe: (Shoves him back) You're the butthead! Get yourself trapped in a crystal forever!
- And this:
  Frank: I can't believe he broke up with Callie!
  Joe: Could've been worse.
  Frank: How?
  Joe: Could've kept dating her.
  Frank: (Beat) Man, this is so messed up!
Frank and Joe successfully escape the Crystal, rid themselves of the power of the Eye, and exchange triumphant grins...and then both promptly pass out in unison. Their friends don't even react beyond just a mild "...Oh." "Oh, right," having forgotten that this is the usual response to draining oneself of the power of the Eye.

The Crash

Phil has a theory involving lining up the caps of the codexes with their matching symbols on the map. He's actually correct, but since the gang isn't in the right place for it to work (they need to be in the Chamber of the Eye), it leads to a rather funny Anti-Climax when they all hold their breaths for a moment before realizing nothing's happening or about to happen.
Phil: I really thought I had something there.
Joe being what the rest of the gang considers a little too Crazy-Prepared with the number of maps he brings.
Chet: Joe, you got a map of Bridgeport in your bag?
Joe: (grinning) I got four of 'em.
JB: (With a "WTF" face) You have four maps?
Joe: I have my main one in case one gets lost, in case one gets stolen, and in case one gets ruined— (sees everyone looking at him like "Seriously?") Guys, it's a treasure hunt, we should all have maps. (To JB) Do you even have a map?
JB: (Points to his head) Up here, baby.
Joe: Yeah. A lot of help that does us.
Joe wonders how they're going to get into the Yellow Feather bar to meet JB, and Frank tells him to look confident and follow his lead:
Frank: (To the bouncer) Evening.
Bouncer: Keep walkin', kid.
Frank: Very good. Very good.
Joe: (When they're barely out of earshot) Masterful.
Frank: Shut up.
Joe: You shut up.

Revelation

Some of JB's other jobs that the Hardy Boys hear while going through his tapes are rather amusing Noodle Incidents that leave them chuckling: him refusing one that would require him to steal thirteen paintings from one museum, insisting he'll only rob The Casino if he gets a gig as a blackjack dealer, and agreeing to steal a championship trophy from the Hall of Fame if it includes "season tickets, just for fun." Also, in the original call with Stefan, he specifies the wigs he's asking for must be made of human hair, because "I'm allergic to horses."
Driscoll, who has so far come across as a By-the-Book Cop who's an obstacle, offers to let Belinda and Chet look through the files he's compiled on Olivia. Chet is surprised by this, prompting Driscoll to complain that everyone else is already playing it "fast and loose" with this investigation, so why can't he? Then Chet and Belinda actually see just how many files are on his desk, and are far less enthused.
Phil and Biff spy on Hurd Sparewell, the likely Big Bad, from a distance as he arrives at his company. They have this exchange:
Biff: What now?
Phil: Well, I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but I think we need to kidnap him, question him, figure out what he's gonna do with the energy core. Maybe, maybe torture him a little bit. I won't rule it out, anyway.

The Spider's Net

Joe is quite excited that their plan to steal the Core involves heading to the roof and escaping in a helicopter, saying the heist is gonna be awesome. But then Chet and Belinda provide additional intel indicating that the Core is actually in a basement lab instead of the 13th floor, so Drew adjusts the plan to have them escape out the parking garage instead. Joe is less than enthused:
Joe: Whatever. This heist sucks now.
- Later, once it's established that the boys will have to hide in the trunk of a car to get into the parking lot, he's even more annoyed:
  Joe: I hate this heist.
- He is, however, pretty happy about the ear comms. "Now we're talking."
- Later, once the boys do indeed sneak into the parking lot in the trunk of Drew's company car, Joe doesn't particularly enjoy the experience.
  Joe: This guy kept farting.
  Frank: I didn't keep farting....
Drew then states that there's one last problem. The others, who've been around the block with heists at this point, beg to differ:
Chet: Security guards.
Belinda: Surveillance cameras.
Joe: We don't have eyes on Olivia.
Frank: We don't know Hurd's timeline.
Callie: We don't know what to do with the Core once we get it.
Drew: Okay. Wow. (exhales) Clearly we have some other things that we need to work out. Are you guys always this intense?
Joe's blasé attitude towards potentially chopping off Hurd Sparewell's hand to get his fingerprint for the elevators, and Chet's insistence that that is not happening. Joe largely seems to be continuing to consider it just to mess with him.
Chet: I don't care what anyone says. We're not chopping off his hand.
Joe: Relax, okay? We're probably not gonna do that—
Chet: Joe, I am so serious. This is the hill that I die on. We're not chopping off his hand.
Joe: We don't even need his whole hand.
Chet: Okay. No, no.
Joe:: Just a finger.
The Hardys and Drew get stuck in the elevator. They have different ideas for how to fix it, starting with Joe repeatedly jumping up and down because "sometimes that gets it moving again."
Frank: Can't you just hack the elevator?
Drew: With what, Frank? My hands? I don't have a laptop.
Joe: Okay. Uh, hot-wire it, then.
Drew: It is an elevator, Joe.
- Then, a moment later:
  Chet: Can you pry that elevator door open?
  Joe: With what? Our hands?
  Drew: Now do you see how ridiculous that sounds? (Joe rolls his eyes)
- Frank tries to keep things on track, but Joe's still not a fan of getting into the elevator shaft.
  Callie: Peak your head out and see if the vent is above or below you.
  Joe: That sounds like a really great way to lose our heads.
  Frank: (To Callie) Then what?
  Joe: Then we're dead, Frank! We don't have heads!
A couple as the boys crawl through the ventilation shaft:
- They look down through the vent into the room, and Frank realizes how high up they actually are:
  Joe: What, are you afraid of heights all of a sudden?
  Frank: No!...I'm afraid of falling to my death all of a sudden.
- Joe then advises on how they can shimmy out of the vent and "dangle and drop, just like gym class."
  Frank: You got a D in gym class.
  Joe: Not 'cause I couldn't do it. Just didn't like it.
- Then some Black Comedy when Frank and Joe prepare to pull the vent cover off to do so on the count of three, only for the entire vent shaft to break and fall to the ground after "one".

At the Old House

Joe snarking about how much Drew enjoys the sound of her own voice:
Drew: Oh, come on. You stop asking questions now? You're seriously not gonna ask me, "What project, Drew? What are you planning?"
Joe: (rolling his eyes) I have a feeling you're going to tell us no matter—
Drew: You know, no one ever recognized my genius. (Joe rolls his eyes even harder like "Yep, there it is") Not publicly, anyway. Y'know, deep down, I think my father knew that I was the true visionary in the family. (Frank rolls his eyes too)
- Soon after, when Frank reacts with surprise that Joe's already slipped free of the bonds around his wrists:
  Joe: She likes to hear herself talk. Gave me time to slip out.
- And after Laura successfully knocks her out later:
  Laura: You guys are right. She really loves to hear herself talk.
Some self-aware Self-Deprecation from Joe:
Fenton: Just do what you guys do best.
Joe: Annoy [Drew] until she gives up?

A Wild Ride

When the Hardys decide to split up, Fenton tells Joe to come with him, but he'd rather stay with his brother. Both Fenton and Frank look a little surprised by this decision, until Joe gives his reasoning—lampshading his dad's perpetual Distressed Dude tendencies—at which point Frank immediately nods knowingly.^note
Joe: It's just you're always getting ambushed and knocked out.
Fenton: Not always.
Frank: A lot, though.
Joe: Yeah.
Fenton: (scoffs, looking a bit put out) Fine.

Funny / The Hardy Boys (2020)

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