S02.E05: The Drowned Woman

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Tensions flare between Nancy and the Drew Crew as they continue to fight the Aglaeca; Bess makes a mistake that could cause all of them their lives; George has a beautiful bonding moment with her sisters.

Promo:

Original air date: 2/17/21

[jewel21]

Damn, that was good. I loved all the emotion, anger, and angst. I thought everyone did a good job. The George death scene was really sad. 

But boy did Nancy open up a whole 'nother can of worms using that shroud to bring George back from the dead. 

I can't wait for next week!

[CrazyDog]

This was an intense episode. I was worried that they would actually kill off someone, and there isn't a single character I want to see go.

Losing Ace or George, maybe Bess, seemed like good bets, so they really got me with George's death. That was a well-done scene, and thank goodness Nancy brought her back.

Wouldn't Nancy want to go back and find out the consequences of using the shroud? Maybe she needed a few hours of denial. They all should know by now that there's no freebies with the supernatural.

Will Odette be some sort of ally now? Or is she still a threat?

Still loving Nancy and her two dads. Her anguish in the scene with Carson was so sad. 

I love the possibilities with the curse(s) and the rest of the season.

[Cranberry]

That was legitimately really good! The fights, the reconciliations, the grief, the relief... all that tension kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn't think they'd kill any of the main characters, but this is one of those shows where they could, so I was scared for George for a bit! Her resurrection doesn't feel like a cop-out, either; it's obviously going to have consequences.  

I was initially annoyed when we learned this was going to be a true supernatural show, but by this point I've embraced it. Introducing the lockboxes full of (now-escaped) threats is a good way to justify supernatural forces continually coming after these poor kids. I'm looking forward to the next arc.

[Simba122504]

The Hudson family drama is hard to invest in given it rarely gets screen time and Papa Hudson isn't a villain we can invest in given we rarely see him and know nothing about him. He's supposedly an evil rich dude, something, something. Where is the lady cop who was dating Carson?  I forgot what happened to her last season?  I'm glad the sea monster stuff is over. I cannot root for George and Nick because the actors have no chemistry. So Ace has a sister he never knew about?  Who's in witness protection?  I hope George's awful mother is on birth control. When was the last time she seen her minor children?  How can George's paycheck, take care of her, a household and three siblings?  The Claw is always empty and she's like 19. I wonder what cases the evil spirits are going to produce?  

Edited February 18, 2021 by Simba122504

[Cranberry]

We didn't learn that Ace has a sister specifically, right, just a sibling? He didn't mention gender when he told the others about his hacking ("I hacked into a federal database to get the phone number of somebody in Witness Protection"/"Person's still protected; I never called the number") or when he called the number ("You don't know me, but I think that I'm your brother. I wanted you to know who I am before it's too late"). I've seen speculation that Ace is actually a Hardy boy (probably Joe) and this long-lost sibling is the other one (Frank). There's a new (unrelated to this show) Hardy Boys series on Hulu, though; I'm not sure how all the rights stuff works with that and whether or not this show could have its own version of the brothers.

[Lady Calypso]

That was a really strong episode, especially since it was intended to be the true season 1 finale. The show, for me, has gotten better and better since they really started getting into the Agleaca storyline. Even though that's over for now (though Odette is still around), we have new threats to worry about. 

The fight between the five was really strong and fit with each character. The worry about dying really got to them. Even Nancy, who was trying to keep the peace and keep them on track, was still affected by the looming threat of death and at least she got to share a moment with Carson before she ran off to stop their deaths. 

I thought someone might die, so having it be George, even for a minute, was rough to watch. I'm glad Nancy found a way to save her, but that did open a whole can of ghost worms so I'm gonna guess George may feel a bit guilty...although, the question is if it's really George right now or if Odette is possessing her. And the real question is if Nancy really brought back George and it's just a possession that can be broken, or if Odette possessed George before Nancy could successfully bring her back. Maybe that's too dark of a thought to think that George is fully gone and this was always Odette, and maybe it's just overthinking something very simple.

Either way, I appreciate that there are going to be real consequences but I worry about the fate of George overall, and also Nancy when she realizes she caused a whole slew of other problems. With her friends even blaming her for all the supernatural stuff in their lives because of Nancy's curiosity and determination to solve these cases, I bet this won't help matters much.

So, Ace has a sibling out there. Cool!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I know that Bess can be a little out there sometimes but when did she become the kind of person who would feng shui someone else's house to balance the qi? Side note: it's spelled FENG but it's pronounced FUNG.

I loved Carson and Ryan spying on Nancy together. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm with Ryan. If you're going to follow your daughter around, you might as well bring binoculars. I totally cracked up when Ryan told that whole story about his dad hiring PIs to follow him and then Carson's response was "I have some parenting books you can borrow."

They weren't exactly being subtle either since they were in Ryan's fancy car. I laughed so hard when she spotted them and they totally panicked and pretended to put their seatbelts on, as if that made them look less guilty.

I loved that when it came down to thinking that she might die, Nancy went to Carson because she wanted to feel safe and protected. She might be hurt and mad but not so deep down, he's still her dad.

On the flip side, we have Ryan who claims he wants to be a father to Nancy but we'll see if he's willing to do what it takes. Earlier he dismissed the idea of taking down his father because it would mean ruining the family fortune and working in a coffee shop. If he ends up using the information that Nick gave him, he will gain Nancy's trust (maybe) but he will most likely lose the ability to do things like buy a dybbuk box from a museum. Is he willing to give up the comfort of being ridiculously wealthy in order to potentially have a relationship with his daughter?

I wasn't sure if they would actually kill off one of the main characters but in retrospect, George was the right choice because of the whole blood bucket thing. But with magic, there's always a price and we've already seen the first sign that George has changed. She was stumbling over all the French in Odette's letters earlier and now she's singing in French. But it appears she isn't possessed by Odette since they each had a reflection in the mirror.

Yikes, Nancy opened the Horseshoe Bay equivalent of Pandora's box when she pried open the door with the shroud and inadvertently unlocked all of those other doors.

I hope Ace's sibling has a head of glorious hair.

ETA: I really didn't like the way that Nancy was framing Drew's relationship with her. When she said that she wasn't his and that his love was a lie, it seemed really dismissive of non-bio parent/child relationships. There are plenty of foster kids and adopted kids who were raised by people who loved them and shared no blood relationship. Someone who loves you and raises you is a parent. It doesn't matter whether you're genetically related or not. I know she's still angry and she was lashing out, but it just rubbed me the wrong way when she said that.

Edited February 18, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[tennisgurl]

That was one seriously intense episode, especially as the actual season finale. This was a strong ending for a strong season, that really just got better and better, with the Agleaca story really taking the show up another level. Since the show decided to establish the supernatural being real in this iteration, I am glad that they decided to full embrace the ghost story, while also having mysteries to solve. 

The fight all seemed very in character, you could see how everyone was starting to increasingly panic and get upset, the fear of everything going on really started to overwhelm them. I think I knew that they wouldn't actually kill any of them off in my head, but as I watching they sure did up the tension to the point where I believed in the moment that they totally might. I thought that it might be either Ace or George if anyone died, so I really did get worried that George might not make it, with the blood bucket and all, but I am really relieved that Nancy was able to save her. Of course when you mess with magic there is always a price, so now its likely that not all will be well for George, AND Nancy unlocked Pandora's Box so now there were be even more ghosts flying around, presumably gunning for the gang. Which now will give us even more supernatural threats to deal with and mysteries to solve going into the actual start of the second season, I am really excited to see what's in store next. At first I thought that Odette might be possessing George, and even if she isn't she is definitely still lurking around, but if she is going to be a threat or a help is anyone's guess for now. 

I loved Georges incredulous reaction when Nancy announced that they were going to fight the Agleaca with the power of love. I also liked the continuing adventures of Nancy's two dads, especially Ryan getting all defensive about his commitment to car cleanliness and carrying vacuums in his trunk. 

5 hours ago, Cranberry said:

I've seen speculation that Ace is actually a Hardy boy (probably Joe) and this long-lost sibling is the other one (Frank).

It does seem weird that we still don't know what Ace's actual name is, I cant even remember if they have told us his last name yet. They might be saving it for a reveal that he is actually some character from the books or one of the adjacent books. Him being one of the Hardy Boys would be interesting, especially with him having a long lost sibling. 

The talk Nancy had with Carson was really nice, I guess Nancy has been worried that Carson and her mom never really saw her as a daughter as much as an obligation to Lucy, so she really needed to hear how much Carson loves her. Unless she really does think that you have to be blood related to a person to love them, which is silly and hopefully she has realized that. 

[Lady Calypso]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

ETA: I really didn't like the way that Nancy was framing Drew's relationship with her. When she said that she wasn't his and that his love was a lie, it seemed really dismissive of non-bio parent/child relationships. There are plenty of foster kids and adopted kids who were raised by people who loved them and shared no blood relationship. Someone who loves you and raises you is a parent. It doesn't matter whether you're genetically related or not. I know she's still angry and she was lashing out, but it just rubbed me the wrong way when she said that.

True, but I do think it's because Nancy has only had the knowledge of her family being the Hudsons for a little under a week now. I wouldn't expect her to think clearly and logically when it comes to this. But I think it's more that she's still trying to understand why it happened the way it did, and why the Drews chose to take care of her instead of putting her up for adoption, or why they didn't tell her about her parents all of these years. She's still very young and struggling to figure this out, so I can at least rationalize her words. And I say this as someone who IS adopted. And I think she even said that she just felt like she wasn't his, not that she absolutely wasn't. She still ran to him when she needed him, so she still has that love. I think this is her way of working through her feelings. Nancy is a very logical person. We saw that in the Big Drew Crew fight when she was trying to get everyone to focus on the bigger issue, rather than their own personal feelings. We've seen her way of dealing with her emotions is to focus on something bigger. So for her to open up like this to Carson? It's a huge step for her. 

But I do totally agree that she didn't frame it well at all. But I think her and Carson are already back on the road to mend their relationship, because Nancy obviously DOES see him as her father. I noticed that she mostly avoided calling him "Dad" since the reveal...until this episode. Actually, I don't recall if she EVER used the word "dad" until this episode. I'd need to go back and check, but it felt poignant that she used it in her goodbye here. 

[CrazyDog]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

I also liked the continuing adventures of Nancy's two dads, especially Ryan getting all defensive about his commitment to car cleanliness and carrying vacuums in his trunk. 

I might have misheard the convo, but didn't Carson and Ryan have a brief bonding moment over both of them keeping dust busters in their cars? lol. That scene made me feel guilty because with as little as a I drive these days, I rarely end up cleaning it like I used to, and now my car is sooo dirty. That conversation is going to make me vacuum my car this weekend, lol.

I really like the two of them as an awkward duo. I hope they continue to grow Ryan's character, and not revert him back to a basic bad guy.

Edited February 18, 2021 by CrazyDog

[ElectricBoogaloo]

43 minutes ago, CrazyDog said:

didn't Carson and Ryan have a brief bonding moment over both of them keeping dust busters in their cars?

Ryan has a vacuum in the trunk of his car. Carson keeps a dust buster in his car. The exact quote is in the quotes thread!

Considering how fancy his parents' house is, I was surprised that Ryan vacuums his car himself instead of having someone on the household staff do it for him on a daily basis.

Edited February 18, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Cranberry]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

It does seem weird that we still don't know what Ace's actual name is, I cant even remember if they have told us his last name yet. They might be saving it for a reveal that he is actually some character from the books or one of the adjacent books. Him being one of the Hardy Boys would be interesting, especially with him having a long lost sibling. 

 

I guess people have been speculating that this is the case for a while, as the Hardy Boys have a detective dad and (according to recent canon) a librarian mom, and so does Ace. They were not surprised to learn he has a long-lost sibling! I wouldn't mind that reveal; he's certainly shown that he's just as adept at solving crimes as Nancy.

[thuganomics85]

Definitely had the feeling this was initially suppose to be last season's finale, had it not been for all of the shutdowns and so forth.

Like George, I admittedly did think a few silly thoughts about the whole "Defeat the Aglaeca with the power of love" resolution, but I think it worked pretty well within the context of it all: especially since they established that Odette herself was actually a good person before she became this creature.  But I'm curious to see what is in store for her, since she's apparently still hanging around as some kind of spirit.  Potential ally from the spiritual side of things?

The Drew Crew's breakdown and argument was hard to watch, but very understandable and realistic, considering all of the pressure they were under and the likely doom they were facing.  Plus, pretty much everything said was accurate on some levels, even if context was being left out.  It certainly helped that all five actors really brought their A-game for it.  They really did a good job with the casting here.

I figured someone was going to be put in peril near the end, but I totally forgot about George and the blood bucket thing, so I was still surprised that it was her.  Glad Nancy was able to save her, but it is safe to say that's probably going to come at a big cost.  Who knows what or who she just unleashed out there into Horseshoe Bay?!

On a lighter note, The Adventures of Nancy's Two Dads continues to be a surprisingly delight.  Cracking up over their interactions and exchanges, like Carson offering Ryan some parenting books and then bonding over how they keep their cars clean, even if their methods are different due to class (fancy vacuum vs. the dust buster!)  Their loyalty and need to be helpful certainly counters their lack of sleuthing skills!

I'm glad Nancy and Carson seem to be at a better place, even if her views about Carson's love for her were initially pretty simplistic.  But I have to remind myself that this is only taking a few days after she discovered this; not to mention she is still relatively young; so it's understandable that her mind hasn't fully comprehended the complexities of parental love, and how a parent can still love the child they raised all their life with everything they have, even if they aren't related by blood.

So, will Ryan actually go through with going after the Hudson dynasty and possibly even losing his own fortunate?  I know he made a crack about having to work at a coffee shop if he does, but knowing this show, it is more likely they will find a convoluted way to have him work at The Claw.

Great episode.  Can't wait to see what happens with the rest of this season!

[Jenniferbug]

I really love this show.

I'm fine with Ace being a Hardy boy. Why not? If Nancy Drew can fight the supernatural and the Bobbsey Twins can be scammers, bring on estranged Hardy brothers! (Note: I know of the Hardy boys, but think I maybe read 1 or 2 books so have no strong attachment to their portrayal). 

I forgot all about the blood bucket too so George was a surprise. I'm glad they didn't actually kill any of the cast off. I really like all of them and their chemistry with each other. 

Also enjoying what they're doing with Ryan and him/Carson. 

[KaveDweller]

15 hours ago, Simba122504 said:

Where is the lady cop who was dating Carson?  I forgot what happened to her last season? 

Wasn't she arrested for helping the guy who killed Tiffany?

[quarks]

Arguably the most solid episode yet, despite the definite season finale feel.

1. I dunno, Drew Crew. If I'd been shown a vision of my death, I'm not sure that I'd head back to that exact spot with nothing more than sand.

2. The Drew Crew fight was great - and earned. But what I really liked was the later telephone call and the group confessions. Sure, that was partly to set up one of the minor cliffhangers here - who, exactly, is Ace's sibling? A Hardy Boy? Tom Swift? Some other 20th century syndicated character that I've completely forgotten about? Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz?

(Probably not Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.)

Not to mention the George/Beth conversation about George's sisters, which certainly added to the "George is definitely going to die" feel for a bit there.

3. Nancy's Two Dads is emerging as one of the great pairings/subplots of this show. I'm not overly convinced that Ryan is about to become one of the genuine good guys and go after his dad quite yet, but perhaps in another few episodes. 

4. I realize that the phones were out so they couldn't call 9-11 - thank you for clearing that up, Ace! - and that they didn't have much time, but I'm still not sure why none of them were rushing to the hospital with George, especially since they were moving her around instead of trying to keep her as still as possible while trying to stop the blood loss, to reduce internal damage to the organs. Sure, some of that was to ensure that Tunji Nasim would have a great follow-up scene, but that's no excuse not to use common sense and some basic first aid, Drew Crew!

5. Nancy: Sure, the last time I called on a supernatural power it went poorly, but this time, what could go wrong?

Historical Society Person Whose Name I Forget: Plenty. How are you not deducing that these things are LOCKED FOR A REASON?

Nancy: My reasons win!

George: (gets possessed)

6. The episode did go out of its way to have George say the very George thing of "Personal space!" after her resurrection, so George is probably still in there - especially since that was just a minute or two post resurrection, probably not long enough for Odette to get her bearings and talk through George. But the singing in French part suggests that Odette can take control of George's body. Which is creepy, but also....

....so when this show was starting out some of my queer friends were upset that George, who is a tomboy in the books and occasionally read as queer, wasn't a lesbian. And yet here she is, possessed by one.

Hmm. 

Edited February 19, 2021 by quarks

[Tdoc72]

1 hour ago, quarks said:

 

Historical Society Person Whose Name I Forget: Plenty. How are you not deducing that these things are LOCKED FOR A REASON?

 

Her name is Hannah Gruen. In the original books, Hannah was Nancy’s motherly housekeeper. 

[Cranberry]

2 hours ago, quarks said:

The episode did go out of its way to have George say the very George thing of "Personal space!" after her resurrection, so George is probably still in there - especially since that was just a minute or two post resurrection, probably not long enough for Odette to get her bearings and talk through George. But the singing in French part suggests that Odette can take control of George's body. Which is creepy, but also....

....so when this show was starting out some of my queer friends were upset that George, who is a tomboy in the books and occasionally read as queer, wasn't a lesbian. And yet here she is, possessed by one.

Ha, I had the same thought. I'm not convinced the show would make 2/3 of the female Drew Crew members queer, but it does make me wonder. Maybe my joke about Odette going for Bess (conveniently newly single, kind of?) isn't that far-fetched. It would delight The Half of It fandom, in any case. (Excellent movie, btw -- Leah Lewis is fantastic in it.)

I wonder if there's any significance to the fact that we never got Odette's lover's name. She was simply "The Englishwoman."

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 hours ago, Cranberry said:

I wonder if there's any significance to the fact that we never got Odette's lover's name. She was simply "The Englishwoman."

The fact that they all kept referring to her as the Englishwoman was cracking me up because it made me imagine Odette writing letters that started out "Dear Englishwoman" and her lover signing her letters with "Love, the Englishwoman."

3 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

Her name is Hannah Gruen.

Until I saw her again in this episode, I'd forgotten that AJ told Nancy about the car accident and Hannah. When Nancy was at the historical society house, I was wondering if Nancy would blurt out what AJ had told her about how he and his friends had called the Aglaeca to save her life.

[Kellie Besch]

Dropping in to say hi and thank you! I wrote/performed the song from the scene where Ace is calling his sibling (it's called "The Abyss" if you want to check it out on Spotify or wherever you listen to music!), but I hadn't watched the show yet -- this thread helped me catch up on what's happening cuz it's a A LOT 😅  Going to binge now! Cheers! -- Kellie Besch

[AnimeMania]

On 3/13/2021 at 8:48 PM, Kellie Besch said:

Dropping in to say hi and thank you! I wrote/performed the song from the scene where Ace is calling his sibling (it's called "The Abyss" if you want to check it out on Spotify or wherever you listen to music!), but I hadn't watched the show yet -- this thread helped me catch up on what's happening cuz it's a A LOT 😅  Going to binge now! Cheers! -- Kellie Besch

If it is not already there, you should add that information to all the websites that list what music is played on each TV show episode.

[DanaK]

As a big fan of the book series as a child, I was and continue to be pretty unhappy that this CW series made Nancy not the biological child of Carson and his late wife and that they are currently on the outs. The relationship between Carson and Nancy in the books was one of the best things in that book series (plus in the ABC series as well)

[bettername2come]

I appreciate that Ryan vacuums his own car. Him and Carson bonding is the best. I like how Ryan's really trying and not understanding the healthy boundaries due to his own father. 

"I have a problem. I steal things when I feel bad" made me laugh more than I should have. I've been wondering if the ghost is really thinking its plan through. Like Nancy and Bess dying by falling and fire makes sense, but George and Nick were supposed to just drown in a truck on land and Ace is supposed to get impaled on a meat hook? No one's gonna find those deaths weird? I thought it was supposed to be a Final Destination-esque thing that makes all the supernatural deaths look like accidents, but those deaths would be super weird. 

On 2/19/2021 at 2:01 AM, quarks said:

A Hardy Boy?

I am so fine with Ace secretly being Joe Hardy, but I'm guessing with the Hulu series, he's probably not. 

I'm pretty sure possessed George is going to immediately go hit on the first Englishwoman she finds, so good thing she and Bess aren't related in this version.