S01.E13: The Whisper Box

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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When Nancy finds herself stuck in an alternate reality, the Drew Crew desperately searches for a way to bring her back.

Promo:

Original air date: 2/5/20

[Kromm]

Egad, that episode description  sounds record-breakingly silly, even for this show.

[AnimeMania]

It seemed very tacky for Nancy to have sex in her living room, with a man she just met, who is also her employer. At least she will get a big tip either way. Nancy must have wanted to give her father a heart attack since she knew her parents would be coming home in about an hour and a half. At least go to your room and if you can, lock the door. Resist the urge of the roaring fire in the fireplace and your loins.

I was wondering why they didn't sprinkle any "Holy Water" on Nancy when they were having trouble extraditing her from the clutches of the "Quiet Room". They were just waiting for the time when it would have the most dramatic effect.

I couldn't see it clearly, was there something "wrong" with the arms/hands of the lady from the Historical Society or was Nancy just reacting to the flashbacks.

[thuganomics85]

"That's some top of the line Holy Water!"  Ace really is the gift that keeps giving.  I also liked how he was the calming force during everything, while everyone else seemed to be losing their minds.

Basically kind of a filler episode, where Nancy hallucinates a world where her mom is still alive and everyone else is happy, but has to give it all away, since it wasn't real and she, well, was actually dying in real life.  But, hey, she still found some time to have some hallucination sex with hallucination Nick!  I guess an official triangle is happening now, since Nancy is currently sadly looking afar as Nick bonds more with George.

Heh, poor Karen wasn't even worthy of being in Nancy's hallucination.  What is the point of having the actress as a regular, since they use her so little?

I hope we see more of mysterious, ninja priest.  Even though I suspect Bess would disagree with me on that front!

Carson's out and now under house arrest, so Scott Wolf can do all of his scenes at the same set.  Best gig ever!

Next episode's previews are at least toying with the idea that they'll reveal who killed Tiffany.  We'll see, although I guess there is a chance we will find out, and the final episodes will be about finding out who killed Lucy.

[UNOSEZ]

I enjoyed the epi... I knew what it was gonna be but it kept my attn.. I guess Nick may be the guy for Nancy.. But she's still too scared to fight for him.. Which is alright...  But as a guy I'd like to see her try.. Only if isnt a triangle.. If they can establish nick and George as real friends.. Which I think they can.. I'd like to see the lady try to win the guy back.. Looks like Karen is back next epi... So that's something 

[Cranberry]

I think this is the first time I've actually really liked Nancy. She seemed to have more of a personality than usual. I enjoyed her exasperation with her own dream world giving her a mystery to solve, and I liked how she dismissed everyone as being figments of her imagination but cared about them anyway. She got a few dryly funny lines, too. It was nice actually seeing her relationship with her mom and learning a little more about her history.

We have to wait three weeks for the next one!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This was like a version of the Buffy episode Normal Again where she hallucinates that she's in a mental hospital and her parents are still together and she can have a happy normal life without vampires and death if she just chooses not to go back to reality.

I didn't mind it because it finally gave Nancy the chance to say goodbye to her mother which is clearly what she's wanted to do since the beginning. And hey, we finally got a confirmation of the timeline! Tiffany made that video on August 19 and sh was killed three days later.

So the historical society is a lady who keeps a full wall of electronic lockboxes that contain people's secrets? Okay then.

I enjoyed seeing the angst-free versions of everyone - George enthusiastically hugging Nancy, Ryan cheerfully talking about how much kids love swingsets, and Bess happily living in her van as an instagram influencer.

I hope they all apologized to Sal for yelling at him earlier. Without him, they never would have been able to get to Nancy and she wouldn't have found Tiffany's keycard. I wonder what will happen to all the Larkspur patients now that the building has been destroyed. Sal seems lucid and he knows a lot of stuff so why was he there in the first place?

Tiffany's video was pretty anti-climactic. Hannah could have just told her that Tiffany was being haunted and she figured out who killed Lucy Sable.

[mommalib]

4 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

I enjoyed the epi... I knew what it was gonna be but it kept my attn.. I guess Nick may be the guy for Nancy.. But she's still too scared to fight for him.. Which is alright...  But as a guy I'd like to see her try.. Only if isnt a triangle.. If they can establish nick and George as real friends.. Which I think they can.. I'd like to see the lady try to win the guy back.. Looks like Karen is back next epi... So that's something 

I think this episode established that Nick is her guy. But she needs to show some growth and stop being so damn scared to trust dude. 

[UNOSEZ]

17 minutes ago, mommalib said:

I think this episode established that Nick is her guy. But she needs to show some growth and stop being so damn scared to trust dude. 

Agreed.. But I do enjoy that she admitted she was scared.. And while a lil miffed she's still a bit scared and using "him being happier without her" as an excuse at least she's named the issue.. As a viewer sometimes that's all I need stated.. Sure more action to tackle the problem is best... But just having the character acknowledge something that... At least to the viewer is obvious... Is a good start. 

[mommalib]

20 minutes ago, UNOSEZ said:

Agreed.. But I do enjoy that she admitted she was scared.. And while a lil miffed she's still a bit scared and using "him being happier without her" as an excuse at least she's named the issue.. As a viewer sometimes that's all I need stated.. Sure more action to tackle the problem is best... But just having the character acknowledge something that... At least to the viewer is obvious... Is a good start. 

I personally think they will be back together by the finale. Unless they decide to pull a Supergirl, Wynona, Dynasty etc.

[UNOSEZ]

30 minutes ago, mommalib said:

I personally think they will be back together by the finale. Unless they decide to pull a Supergirl, Wynona, Dynasty etc.

I know Supergirl is the bigger show... And maybe its because I wasn't totally sure going in if James/Kara were supposed to be a thing like the comics... But nothing has gotten me as upset as Dolls/Wynonna.... I mean I pretty much stopped watching after he was gone.. It was such a brutal bait and switch 

[mommalib]

21 minutes ago, UNOSEZ said:

I know Supergirl is the bigger show... And maybe its because I wasn't totally sure going in if James/Kara were supposed to be a thing like the comics... But nothing has gotten me as upset as Dolls/Wynonna.... I mean I pretty much stopped watching after he was gone.. It was such a brutal bait and switch 

I know right, they clearly had feelings for each other and was attracted but somehow Doc got all the intimacy. I have haven't watch one ep since Dolls left and I have no idea what's going on with that show.

[Simba122504]

12 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

It seemed very tacky for Nancy to have sex in her living room, with a man she just met, who is also her employer. At least she will get a big tip either way. Nancy must have wanted to give her father a heart attack since she knew her parents would be coming home in about an hour and a half. At least go to your room and if you can, lock the door. Resist the urge of the roaring fire in the fireplace and your loins.

I was wondering why they didn't sprinkle any "Holy Water" on Nancy when they were having trouble extraditing her from the clutches of the "Quiet Room". They were just waiting for the time when it would have the most dramatic effect.

I couldn't see it clearly, was there something "wrong" with the arms/hands of the lady from the Historical Society or was Nancy just reacting to the flashbacks.

TPTB do those kind of things to try to get you to believe the couple is the OTP. "Look, no matter what,  they belong together!" This world is perfect.  Her mom is alive,  she's with her one true love,  no murder, etc. I dislike regular 22 episode seasons because of filler. They're going to drag these two murders out unless the murder of Tiffany is really revealed this week which I doubt. 

[catrice2]

I agree up thread...this is the first time Nancy was o.k to me, until the end when she found a reason not to be with Nick. For many reasons I stopped watching Riverdale, but I would really like for them to stick to the Nick/Nancy thing and this was the first episode where I saw the connection...although it was fantasy.  I just don't want a lot of "swapping"  of partners within the group....surely there are other people in town that each person can be with.  

I'll admit, I skim through the episodes because I don't like the Supernatural aspect...

[Camera One]

They did surprise me by throwing in a Hannah Gruen, though it was in-name-only.  Hopefully, they didn't use that for a throwaway one-off character.  If Carson is going to volunteer there, maybe she'll be recurring.  Especially with the ridiculous notion that the historical society keeps lockboxes for people with supernatural problems.

This was a totally roundabout way for Nancy to get some new info on the Tiffany/Lucy case.  It makes no sense that Lucy's mother would point Nancy to a key that would belong to Tiffany.  Why would Tiffany have left it at that institution?  If Nancy was going to actually find Lucy's mother, maybe have her find out something about Lucy directly from the mother? 

I sort of liked that alternate reality world... an alternate series where Carson referred clients to a well-adjusted Nancy and her friends were carefree and new cases fell on her lap.  Well, up until the hauntings came into that world too, since Nancy can't do a thing without magic.

Did Nancy even need to find the key in the hollow oak?  She could have skipped all that to find the map her mother drew for her.  Or she could have just tried opening her closet door to find her beanie.  10 minute episode, done.

It was a bit weird for Nancy writhing around as she slept with Nick in the dream world, while Ace and Bess were holding her hand and trying to communicate with her.  The raining envelopes didn't make them stop?

Edited February 7, 2020 by Camera One

[tennisgurl]

Nancy goes to her Happy Place! Not a ton of plot movement, but I liked seeing some of Nancy's happy alternate universe and getting to see more of what her family was like in happier times. So Nancy is still pinning away for Nick, realizing that she messed things up with him, but now she doesent want to get in the way of whatever is going on between Nick and George. Oh the drama! 

Perky Alt George with her lipstick and shiny hair was my favorite of the alters. She was a real huger!

Ninja Priest, with special holy water delivery! Grub Hub sure does work fast these days! Can we get more of that guy please? I want to know more about his life. 

I love how, how odd and rash as Ace can be, he can also sometimes be the voice of reason, just due to how chill and go with the flow he is, especially surrounded by so much drama with the rest of his friends. Him telling Beth how he heard her when he was in the coma was sweet. 

So Carson is out, at least for now, thanks to last weeks hijinks! Glad that he and Nancy are in a good place again, and it only took a few murder accusations to get there!

[peachmangosteen]

On 2/6/2020 at 2:36 AM, AnimeMania said:

I was wondering why they didn't sprinkle any "Holy Water" on Nancy when they were having trouble extraditing her from the clutches of the "Quiet Room".

I'm pretty sure they did put holy water on her.

Quote

I couldn't see it clearly, was there something "wrong" with the arms/hands of the lady from the Historical Society or was Nancy just reacting to the flashbacks.

I couldn't really tell either but I think they may have looked like they'd been burned.

This was the first time I thought Nancy/Nick had some chem. I still think Nick/George have much more but still. I just hope my complete indifference to Nancy/Nick doesn't ruin the show for me since they're clearly endgame.

I continue to just love the hell out of this show, completely meaningless and ridiculous filler eps and all lol.

[jewel21]

The woman's hands appeared to have burns on them. 

I, too, am loving this show and all its supernatural weirdness, heh.

Ace continues to be my favourite.

[AnimeMania]

24 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

On 2/6/2020 at 2:36 AM, AnimeMania said:

I was wondering why they didn't sprinkle any "Holy Water" on Nancy when they were having trouble extraditing her from the clutches of the "Quiet Room".

I'm pretty sure they did put holy water on her.

I was particularly watching to see if they gave Nancy some "Holy Water" and I never spotted it. When they did give her the "Holy Water", it had a profound effect on her ability to cope with her situation. 

[Samwise979]

This is the first episode I really saw the chemistry between Nancy and Nick. See what happens when you don't have reality/fear holding you back from telling someone how you feel? 

I love Ace. I loved the actor from The Fosters and was happy to see him here. Ace is ace! (Haha couldn't resist).

[Josh371982]

On 2/6/2020 at 5:36 AM, UNOSEZ said:

I enjoyed the epi... I knew what it was gonna be but it kept my attn.. I guess Nick may be the guy for Nancy.. But she's still too scared to fight for him.. Which is alright...  But as a guy I'd like to see her try.. Only if isnt a triangle.. If they can establish nick and George as real friends.. Which I think they can.. I'd like to see the lady try to win the guy back.. Looks like Karen is back next epi... So that's something 

And it's on Nancy for breaking up with Nick.

[rogvortex58]

Once again the Drew Crew goes above and beyond to save one of their own.

And Nancy knew right away they weren’t acting right because they were all too happy. I’m sure she’d rather have the real imperfect thing over a dream.

[ursula]

So I caved and watched this episode after hearing positive things from people I trust, and it’s like I suspected - Nancy and Nick have great chemistry when the show isn’t actively trying to wedge them apart. They still managed to give more focus on Ace’s emotional reactions to her coma than Nick’s in the “real” verse. And I’m seriously side-eyeing the “Ace stays constant” theme because that is definitely shippy and TheCW are too good at that to have done that by accident. So while I enjoyed this episode, I’m not going back to weekly viewing.

 

Also, I still don’t get why they couldn’t have just created an original IP of a red headed girl with a dead mom living in a ghost town. Apart from names of some characters (not the town!) and the colour of Nancy’s hair, there’s nothing Nancy Drew about this series. It would have been received better if it wasn’t trying to pass as an adaptation.
 

 

[UNOSEZ]

42 minutes ago, ursula said:

Also, I still don’t get why they couldn’t have just created an original IP of a red headed girl with a dead mom living in a ghost town. Apart from names of some characters (not the town!) and the colour of Nancy’s hair, there’s nothing Nancy Drew about this series. It would have been received better if it wasn’t trying to pass as an adaptation.

I guess until some work that I'm really connected to is adapted I won't really get it... Cuz I just enjoy or dislike most shows based on what's happening in front of my eyes... Even on shows where I know the canonical story and they make changes I rarely get too worked up about em... 

I guess maybe they thought that if they did a story about a Ginger teen girl who's basically a P.I ppl woulda just said its a Nancy drew ripoff

To me its kinda how I feel when I'm discussing racial changes to superheroes or what not.. I run up against the " stick to the source material" folks and the " Just create a brand new character" ppl ans to them I always say we have and you generally ignore them or call them " ethnic" versions of established characters... Kind of a catch-22

[ursula]

5 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

To me its kinda how I feel when I'm discussing racial changes to superheroes or what not.. I run up against the " stick to the source material" folks and the " Just create a brand new character" ppl ans to them I always say we have and you generally ignore them or call them " ethnic" versions of established characters... Kind of a catch-22

Not the same thing though, not the same thing in the least. I mean, yikes! 

My issues with this “in name only” adaptation are entirely different from, say, people being upset that Nick is African American. Heck, if Nancy Drew herself was African American (yes, black people can be red headed) and she was still an ace detective solving non-supernatural murders with a respected father and long-dead mom, it would be a far more faithful adaptation than this live-action Scooby Doo show. 

 

5 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

maybe they thought that if they did a story about a Ginger teen girl who's basically a P.I ppl woulda just said its a Nancy drew ripoff

 

In this show, Nancy is a detective in name only. What she really is is a Ghost Whisperer. Nobody watching “Random Girl & Friends Solves Ghost Crimes” would connect it to Nancy Drew. They’d probably think it was a Riverdale spin off.

Edited February 19, 2020 by ursula

[peachmangosteen]

7 hours ago, ursula said:

They still managed to give more focus on Ace’s emotional reactions to her coma than Nick’s in the “real” verse. And I’m seriously side-eyeing the “Ace stays constant” theme because that is definitely shippy and TheCW are too good at that to have done that by accident.

Wow, I didn't even think about that but you make a good point. Very interesting and I might be down if only because I really want George/Nick to be endgame lol.

[methodwriter85]

On 2/6/2020 at 8:16 PM, catrice2 said:

I agree up thread...this is the first time Nancy was o.k to me, until the end when she found a reason not to be with Nick. For many reasons I stopped watching Riverdale, but I would really like for them to stick to the Nick/Nancy thing and this was the first episode where I saw the connection...although it was fantasy.  I just don't want a lot of "swapping"  of partners within the group....surely there are other people in town that each person can be with.  

I'll admit, I skim through the episodes because I don't like the Supernatural aspect...

There's a definite Supernatural aspect to this show, to the point I'm wondering why it's in the straight drama category instead of genre.