Was Rebecca Holden good?

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chin-up-27
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Was Rebecca Holden good?

Post by chin-up-27 » Sun Nov 04, 2012 3:07 am

We all love Bonnie, and I think from what I have read on this forum and others it seems fairly established that she was simply better than April. Hence her return in the 3rd season.

But was April good not withstanding Bonnie? I mean she was on the show during what some consider its peak in the second season, as was a big parts of some of the best episodes (Goliath P1&2, Brothers Keeper, Kitt the Katt, Soul Survivor, Knightmares (best episode ever), and others.

I find it hard to imagine those shows being as good without her at all. I also don't know how much Bonnie could have added to those season 2 shows. Knightmares would have been good to make that transformation for their relationship to become more friendly (as it sort of did with Devon)..but thats about it. I couldn't see Bonnie doing the scenes with Garth better than April did. April was better at the drama and kidnap type of scenes I think. Bonnie with the briefing and technical stuff/investigating.

So..does April get more than a pass mark? Or did people vouch for Bonnies return because they couldn't stand April..as much as because they loved Bonnie? I wasn't alive during the shows peak so I wouldn't really know what the public perception was at that time.

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Re: Was Rebecca Holden good?

Post by knightroto » Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:15 pm

i completely agree with your points. why didn't they keep both? imo, i think it could've worked. bonnie could've been kitts main mechanic, but while aprils stuff rarely worked (only the medallion) together they could've made some great devices and add-ons.

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Re: Was Rebecca Holden good?

Post by chin-up-27 » Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:23 pm

Yes it does seem strange they would bring in a sidekick for Michael with Peter Parros, but ignore the possibility of having both April and Bonnie. Mind you they brought in RC in season 4 and booted April in Season 3. Apparently Edward Mullhare was a strong advocate for bringing back Bonnie..I wonder if he fell out with Rebecca in real life over that?

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Re: Was Rebecca Holden good?

Post by Michael Pajaro » Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:20 am

Short answer: yes Rebecca was good.

And while I agree with you that Knight Rider kind of found its voice in season 2 and had some of the best "big" episodes of the entire series, sometimes it's the small episodes that showcase the actors better. For Rebecca, look at Race For Life, where April's niece needs a transplant. It's just a nice, sweet story where we get to see more of the human side of April than the techie.

I do think the writers did April a bit of injustice by not formally introducing April. I remember watching Goliath first-run and thinking "wait a minute, who is this? where's Bonnie?" It was a little strange.

Could the show have worked with 2 mechanics? I'm gonna say no. Things would get pretty crowded in the Semi. At least RC3 had a unique job when he was brought on board. What would have been cool however is maybe if they brought back April as a guest for Junk Yard Dog or Juggernaut. When Bonnie couldn't handle the extra work alone, April could have helped out. But it would have had to be just a one-time thing.
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Re: Was Rebecca Holden good?

Post by Knight Racer » Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:35 am

Anyone notice how both had different solutions to the same problem? In Speed Demons April designed High Traction Drop Downs which inflated Kitts tires to a bigger state and raised Kitts body higher. In Hills of fire Bonnie and RC3 designed RC3 radials spikes on one side of Kitts tires to climb up a steep mountain. They did swap out systems that April designed for what Bonnie designed or they didn't bother to install all systems after Junk Yard Dog or Juggernaut.

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Re: Was Rebecca Holden good?

Post by Crumbling Down » Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:20 pm

I never did understand why michael went after bonnie but not april. Bonnie never gave michael the time but april was basically hitting on him the entire time. IMO april is clealery better looking than bonnie but bonnie was easy on the eyes too.
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Re: Was Rebecca Holden good?

Post by Micaela Knight » Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:36 pm

I think both Bonnie and April were appealing in their own way. Bonnie was kind of a tomboy and very obviously strong, whereas April was more feminine and "motherly" but tough in a more subtle way. I can't say I like one more than the other. But I do agree with Crumbling Down, I have no idea why Michael was always after Bonnie, yet never really flirted with April. I mean, he's usually hitting on any woman within shouting distance. Maybe redheads just don't ring his bell. ;)
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Re: Was Rebecca Holden good?

Post by vespurrs » Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:17 pm

I never understood all the hate directed at April. I liked her character, and though she wasn't Kitt's 'mother' in the sense that Bonnie was, she cared for him just as much, and provided a nice 'feminine' touch that Bonnie sometimes lacked. I know that some fans also had negative opinions of some of the tech she installed into Kitt, but I'm not sure that her gadgets were any less functional than those designed and installed by Bonnie.

In some ways, and this may be an unpopular opinion, I think April may have ultimately worked better as a supporting character than Bonnie, if only because her character seemed to be more rounded than Bonnie's. She wasn't portrayed as JUST a tech in the show, whereas the focus on Bonnie was mainly on her abilities rather than on her as a person.

YMMV.

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