S02.E11: The Scourge of the Forgotten Rune

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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Nancy and her friends work together to help one of their own; Ryan has an interesting conversation with Celia.

Promo:

Original air date: 4/7/21

[Diapason Untuned]

Another great episode. The amnesia plot was good, Tunji Kasim played amnesiac Nick so well. Nancy showing her inner Hudson by gassing her grandma into losing her memories and then just dropping her off with Ryan like she had her for the day and was giving her back was hilarious.

This weeks monster was done so well, I personally think it was scarier than the Igleca. Liked the whole Forgotten god thing too, plus the way they used social media to kill it. Can't believe a troll farm was used for good.

Surprising absolutely no one, Grant is Ace's brother and he's here looking for help. I just hope he isn't evil. Ace doesn't need that energy in his life right now.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I love that Nancy carries a pair of tiny binoculars around in her bag. It's such a nice contrast from Pretty Little Liars where the girls were constantly breaking into places and not wearing gloves. If you know you're habitually snooping and breaking into places, be prepared!

Edited April 8, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Cranberry]

This show is just fun. I look forward to it every week! I didn't expect that back when it first went all ghostly and we thought it was going to be Riverdale-esque nonsense.

Nick's poor truck took quite a bit of damage this week, and that's after being submerged in (and magically filled with) seawater in previous episodes. I'm surprised it still runs!

It's cute that Nancy, Carson, and Ryan are comfortable enough to have "family meetings" now. I'm interested to see how Nancy will sell herself to (and I assume eventually screw over) Everett.

The notes on the board were amusing. Nancy Drew: Good Memory (except for right now)

Here's the list of entity-killing attempts:

1. Knives
2. Rat Poison
3. Battery Acid
4. Anti-freeze
5. Holy Water guns
6. Molotov cocktail + acetone = fire!
7. Throwing Knives
8. Bleach
9. Dry Ice
10. Hot fryer Grease dump
11. Catapult box of ground spices
12. Banishment Spell
13. Leave offerings and say a prayer of positivity and thanks
14. Ace as bait -- trip-wire
15. Electrical - Steel Plate?
16. Mirrors

[Lady Calypso]

I really liked this episode. Last episode's comedy was a bit cringey for me, but this episode's comedy was more my style. I liked having them reset themselves. I laughed at how Bess kept screaming whenever she woke up. And this episode also had some really strong emotional moments, especially from Tunji Kasim, as Nick re-learned about his criminal past. I like that this episode was solely focused on our main characters. No supporting characters, besides Ryan's mother and Ace's family, being focused on.  

I did get a kick out of Nancy erasing Celia's memory and then passing her off to Ryan. I kind of wish we had gotten a scene of Ryan/Celia bonding with her memory loss, because that would have been solid character development for both. I also like how they explained why Celia would keep Nancy's secret. It worked out very well for Nancy and this experience seemed to change Celia a bit, which....does help me sympathize with her more. A show that uses its filler episode to still progress the story a bit! 

I liked the incorportation of Ace's family stuff, cumulating in Grant revealing his brotherly status to Ace. I look forward to seeing that relationship develop. 

This week's monster was very good. Having the THREAT of the monster mostly in the background, only showing it twice, was very helpful with building up the fear and suspense. 

[Jenniferbug]

I really liked this episode! Nick's amnesia was really well done. Their various notes and attempts after they all erased their memories was pretty clever. Odette coming out to tell them all hello was also funny. 

10 hours ago, Diapason Untuned said:

Surprising absolutely no one, Grant is Ace's brother and he's here looking for help. I just hope he isn't evil. Ace doesn't need that energy in his life right now.

Yes! I also sat there thinking "please don't be evil or conning him". 

[tennisgurl]

This was such a fun episode, it had so much of what I love about the show. The amnesia gimmick was used really well, especially their board full of notes and pictures trying to explain what is going on, especially the "When George askes whey we should believe any of this, flip" card, with a picture of George holding a whiteboard saying to believe this. The amnesia in general had a lot of great moments, like Bess screaming every time and commenting on the car having fire problems, Ace apparently being accidently stabbed in the leg during one attempt, and George and Nick both happily shaking hands when they realize they're a couple, and of course Nancy mind wiping Celia and them bonding while neither of them have their memories. Oh, and Odette popping out to yell at them. It also had some more emotional moments, especially Nick freaking out when he learned about his past. 

The monster itself was really creepy, it gave me real Wendigo vibes. I love the whole forgotten god lost Viking tribe backstory, that is totally up my ally and very different from the ghosts we have seen before. It also could give them new monsters to fight if its established that their towns history is even older than they thought it was. Them defeating the monster through social media was clever, and I like that they mostly kept the monster offscreen except for a few big scenes, it made it even creepier. 

I knew that the new employee wouldn't be just some random background character, he is actually Ace's brother. Hopefully he isn't planning some nefarious scheme, Ace already had to listen to that awful podcast...

I love that Nancy, Carson, and Ryan all have a group chat and that they can all get together to have Nancy And Her Two Dads meetings. I wish we could have seen Ryan babysitting his mom while her memory was gone, I am very curious as to what that was like. Also curious as to how Nancy is going to sell herself to the Hudson's, while also trying to take grandpa down. 

"People find out they're grandparents every day."

*Carson and Ryan do double take*

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This episode was a fun cross between Groundhog Day and BtVS Tabula Rasa. At least they all learned their real names (and there was no Ned Ryerson)! I loved all the notes they left for themselves, especially the one of George holding up a sign that said to believe it.

I laughed at Bess self describing herself as a social media savant. I have seen nothing in two seasons that supports that. Yes, she knows how to use Instagram and Twitter, but doesn't everyone?

Awww, Ace's dad can tell he's hiding something but is giving him space. He and Carson are the best dads (not that there's much competition on this show but still). I love that Carson, Ryan, and Nancy have a group text and that RYAN of all people is calling family meetings. It's almost like an episode of My Two Dads!

Kind of sad to see that Celia's default is NOT bitch on wheels but a survival mechanism. Imagine how different Ryan might have turned out if she'd been that kind person for most of his life.

[Diapason Untuned]

18 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I laughed at Bess self describing herself as a social media savant. I have seen nothing in two seasons that supports that. Yes, she knows how to use Instagram and Twitter, but doesn't everyone?

 

Kind of sad to see that Celia's default is NOT bitch on wheels but a survival mechanism. Imagine how different Ryan might have turned out if she'd been that kind person for most of his life.

I mean, she did some stuff and knows some influencers, so...

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I love that Carson, Ryan, and Nancy have a group text and that RYAN of all people is calling family meetings. It's almost like an episode of My Two Dads!

 Nancy must have panicking all along in that scene (based on what she does later) but pretended to be fine so her dads wouldn't worry even more.

[quarks]

I legit laughed out loud several times during this episode. And nice callback to Nancy Drew, Ghostly Tour Guide from earlier this season.

1. I see Nancy Drew has decided to take a lesson or two from the Arrowverse about how to reuse sets, but at least Nick moving into the loft in that building makes a certain kind of sense. Especially since Carson already bought a futon for it.

2.  Awww. Ryan is calling emergency family meetings now.  And dealing rather well with a "Hi, I just gave your mother amnesia on purpose, gotta run," moment.

3. Also really liked the amnesiac grandmother/granddaughter dance.

4. And meeting Ace's mom. Now the big question is: how much does Ace's mom know about Grant?

5. And the small question is, did anyone ever sign Grant's timecard? 

6. Along with, did anyone explain to the rest of the restaurant staff why the Claw was closed again for the day, and does anyone ever want to see these inventory sheets the Drew Crew is supposedly creating whenever this happens?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, quarks said:

Now the big question is: how much does Ace's mom know about Grant?

I think the question to ask before that is how much does Ace's dad know about Grant? It's possible that he didn't know Grant's mom was pregnant and he got reassigned.

[quarks]

5 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I think the question to ask before that is how much does Ace's dad know about Grant? It's possible that he didn't know Grant's mom was pregnant and he got reassigned.

I guess I probably should have phrased this differently - does Ace's mom know about Grant's mom? That is, does she know about the affair? Assuming it was an affair? Especially since I'm not at all sure how old Ace and Grant are supposed to be?  If Wikipedia is correct, the actors are both in their 30s, but I think Ace is supposed to be somewhere around 20 or 21 - just a couple of years older than Nancy and George, and Grant....is old enough to want to get his time card signed.  

However, new question: does the staff at the Claw resent getting constantly left behind to do all the work while the Drew Crew zips off to hunt ghosts, or do they figure that the multiple days off that they've gotten thanks to ghosts and murder investigations and now, Viking gods, makes up for that?  And will Grant get to go ghost hunting with everyone or will he be left behind on kitchen cleanup duty?

[thuganomics85]

Another great episode (for what has so far been a pretty impressive second season, I think) that was a lot of fun.  The "characters suddenly get amnesia" story is definitely a tried and trued gimmick in genre fare, but I thought they did a good job with and the cast all did great work here (especially Tunji Kasim.)  Loved the montage of all their "failed" attempts to kill the creature and how ridiculous some of the ideas where (but, really, on this show, nothing is off the table!)  I also liked that they made sure that the whiteboard had proof about what was going on for George, because they just knew that she would be the one that starts out doubting everything.

Nancy wiping Celia Hudson's memories was hardcore, but I honestly can't blame here at this point, because the Hudson are clearly capable of doing massive damage.  But I'm not surprised that Nancy would help get them back, and is now just putting her faith in their time together possibly changing the way Celia views here.  We shall see, I guess.

Totally love that Nancy, Carson, and Ryan have a group chat now.  I hope it isn't just for family emergencies though.  I wants texts of Carson dropping random facts or sharing articles, Ryan making dumb jokes, Carson giving laughing emojis to said dumb jokes, and Nancy just telling her two dads to shut up!

As soon as I saw that Shannon Kook was upgraded to being in the guest credits at the beginning of the episode (as opposed to at the end like with past ones), I figured the reveal was going to happen.  Because sure enough, Grant is Ace's brother!  Who apparently needs help.  Ace can't catch a break, huh?  Curious to see where all of this goes: especially if it involves their father.

Aww, Nancy asks Carson to move back in!  And now Nick and George are going to live in the loft, so that the show can continues to use that set.  Win win!

Double checked with IMDB, and this episode was in fact directed by Kristin Lehman: an actress who does a ton of work in Canada (Motive, Altered Carbon, The Killing, etc.)  Thought she did a good job here!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

5 minutes ago, quarks said:

I guess I probably should have phrased this differently - does Ace's mom know about Grant's mom? That is, does she know about the affair? Assuming it was an affair? Especially since I'm not at all sure how old Ace and Grant are supposed to be? 

Ace said all of this happened before he was born so it's possible that his dad was single when he hooked up with Grant's mom. The captain doesn't seem like the cheating type so I just assumed his relationship with Grant's mom happened before Ace's mom was in the picture but you never know.

[quarks]

6 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Ace said all of this happened before he was born so it's possible that his dad was single when he hooked up with Grant's mom. The captain doesn't seem like the cheating type so I just assumed his relationship with Grant's mom happened before Ace's mom was in the picture but you never know.

Ah, ok. Thanks for clearing that up.

So if this all happened before Ace's parents got together, she might know something?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

42 minutes ago, quarks said:

Ah, ok. Thanks for clearing that up.

So if this all happened before Ace's parents got together, she might know something?

I think it depends on the circumstances. If it was a brief fling and he didn’t know that Grant’s mom got pregnant, he might not have mentioned it to Ace’s mom. If it was a serious relationship and/or he knew Grant’s mom was pregnant, I think he would be a lot more apt to tell Ace’s mom. But since Grant’s mom was in witness protection, it’s possible that he wasn’t allowed to tell Ace’s mom. I watched all six seasons of Justified but I still couldn’t tell you what a marshal has to keep confidential (like could he tell his wife that he had a relationship with this woman if he left out details like her name and the location? Or would he have to keep all info to himself to protect her cover?).

[waving feather]

I'm glad they are spending more time on Ace and his family/background. This whole cast is good but the actor playing Ace is subtle with his portrayal, which is intriguing to watch and Ace is just a cool character.

This is my favorite episode of this show to date. Everything worked and the monster is truly scary, not the typical "horror" stuff that this show does. This show has really came alive during season 2.

[UnoAgain]

On 4/8/2021 at 11:51 PM, quarks said:

And the small question is, did anyone ever sign Grant's timecard? 

I laughed so hard at that scene... He just wandered off.. Knowing it was futile... Are Ryan and Nick ever gonna have  a talk about nick sleeping with his kid and his child-mistress... Or that Ryan was cheating on his wife with his daughters best friend... I just mean they have some entanglements that they've never really aired 

[DanaK]

I’m not fully clear why the gang couldn’t just decide not to learn the monster’s name after getting their memories back. Or would they have known the monster’s name from previous attempts?

[secnarf]

12 hours ago, DanaK said:

I’m not fully clear why the gang couldn’t just decide not to learn the monster’s name after getting their memories back. Or would they have known the monster’s name from previous attempts?

When they got their memories back, that included the name, which they had learned previously.

[bettername2come]

Amnesiac Nick was really sweet. Tunji Kasim did a good job this episode, learning about his past. I'm glad we see Nancy's tour guide nemesis again, not happy he's dead. I got so excited when the rest of them went amnesiac. Nick and George being happy to be boyfriend and girlfriend is so cute, as was Bess learning she likes girls, and Ace's slight step back when she said it. "Sling shotting the steak knives at the entity did not work" - turns to Ace's bandaged leg.

Nancy using the amnesia fan on Mrs. Hudson was cold! I'm glad she told her dad about what happened and that she invited him home. I'm glad she honored her amnesiac promise to Celia, and that she used that as proof Celia could trust her and it seemed to have worked at least to some degree. 

"This is a terrible podcast." I love Ace's honesty. And his relationship with his dad. I was really hoping he would tell his dad what he knew about his brother. I'm glad they finally confirmed Grant is the brother. 

I think this is the best episode ever. 

[Quark]

I've recently started watching this show and have to say, this episode was absolutely hysterical and probably my favourite in the series so far.