Weekly TV Reviews: Nancy Drew s2 ep14

 

The opening of Nancy Drew sets up a few rather strange details from dead birds in front of the Claw and the smoke alarm going off all night. On a sweet note, Nick and George had date night plans even if their night is about to get disrupted with street lights disturbed and seawater. Nothing is too strange anymore with the Drew Crew as they immediately go straight into trying to solve the weirdness happenings which creates the perfect opening to introducing Tom Swift.

Ace is forever a sweet character as he pushes Bess's hair back when the stench makes her throw up. It's such sweet moments. These little details show how much these friends love each other. Even seeing Nancy helping Bess by wiping her mouth and giving her water. These details have nothing to do with the overall plot, but it shows the way they've evolved as strangers blaming each other for murder to friends. 

Tom hires her for 2,000 dollars if she helps find a meteorite. 

1.) Tom & Nancy Team-up

This is an immediate way to toss Tom into the fold and to introduce him to Nancy. The character of Tom Swift is a funny and brilliant inventor that has flare in every attitude and dialogue that comes out of him. And that's just after the first ten minutes. His introduction is a great shake-up to the usual world of Nancy Drew with his inventions providing lightness to the story. The two are very different in personality but we're loving every second of them together and how their differences are balancing. We're loving the gadgets which are a nice change from the usual jump and scare ghosts that the Drew Crew tend to face off against. Their investigation takes a turn when Tom sees ghosts for the first time and has trouble believing it. He fully thinks he can find a way to use science to explain the ghostly beings he saw.

This episode is set up as a backdoor pilot. We're loving every moment of it, but we aren't holding our breathes since the last few backdoor pilots haven't seen the light of a series at the CW unless they're part of The Vampire Diaries world. No word on the 100 prequel and the Arrow future spinoff didn't make the cut. The CW has other backdoor pilots planted but recently it doesn't seem to be working out in their favor. Nancy turns to her friends for backup to check out what happened in the 1930s in order to track down the meteorite. 

The investigation disrupts George and Nick's romantic date night thanks to Nancy calling and having Nick look at police photos from the 1930s event where people killed each other. It's a humorous moment while also showing that they have crazy lives which is the norm for them. Nick and George having a romantic dinner while a gust of dramatic wind is behind them in a moment that shows how insane things can be and it's perfectly normal for them. This season has taken time to address different elements in their relationship. This episode focuses on how Nick feels the need to hide parts of himself as not to explain himself and George not posting them on social media where her family comments. One thing about them as a couple is how they discuss issues and take the time to hear each other which is what makes them one of the strongest couples on this network. 

Bess inhales a gust of toxic-looking smoke and immediately goes off the rails after them. The women in white are discovered behind the murders which sent Bess into insanity mode. Nancy and Tom have a heart-to-heart about why he's after the meteorite which he explains how he wants to create a fuel so that he can impress his father who refuses to see him as his "brilliant inventor son instead of his gay disappointment." His speech hits also hits home with Nancy with his advice for her to tuck Nancy Drew under armor. It's a sweet moment that creates a foundation for a great friendship and makes us really want to see what a Tom Swift spinoff would look like. 

We definitely enjoyed seeing the sword fight between Ace and Bess even if she was trying to kill him. This episode had an almost medical feel to it with the women in white, the ancient building, and the sword fighting, all of which is tinged with inventions and ghosts. It's a great mashup for the show and we enjoyed it from start to finish. The mystery only deepens when they discover two survivors and uncover a conspiracy that runs deeper than they could have predicted. If the spinoff doesn't work out we'd love to see Tom have a place in Horseshoe Bay with the Drew Crew. 

2.) A Hudson Event

Ryan is having lunch with the reporter and has no idea she has another agenda, not believing Nancy when she says not to trust her. Nancy gets Ace to hack into Ryan's phone to get the reporter's phone so that Bess can steal her laptop and Amanda can assist with the thievery. It's humorous but it also reminds fans of Bess's stealing problem which has calmed since her introduction in season one. We love seeing the little missions they go on because they often lead to humorous results. Ace discovers that the reporter was blackmailing his mother and outs this to Ryan who isn't pleased to hear the news, especially if it threatens his daughter. 

Quotes:

"It matches my shoes." - Tom (his response to what he wants with the meteorite)

"I'm going to skip the part where I pretend I wasn't eavesdropping." - Ace 

"You cannot science your way through ghosts." - Nancy

"I went to MIT and you went to a Thrift Store to buy that hat." - Tom 

"You have a moble witch library?" - Tom (when he sees Nancy's car trunk of witch books)

"Oh no, Bess went full Jack Nickelson." - Nancy