The case of Tiffany Hudson has exposed a potentially shady web hiding in Horseshoe Bay on Nancy Drew. You would think that the “grieving” husband would want to find his wife’s killer, but everyone seems content to play along with aiding a cover-up. The diner group is nowhere near clearing their names of the crime. However, they’re getting closer to compiling key clues that can round out some of this mystery. And what a juicy mystery it is!
“The Secret of the Old Morgue” did the impossible after doubts came up from the pilot episode: it made the characters likable. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still aloof and flawed in the classic crime-noir style, but they’ve dropped some walls to showcase the characters behind them. Nancy, her father, and George are prime examples of this change. Nancy has warmed up to her father and has started letting in her (not-just-yet) friends join her in the investigation. Carson Drew reached out to his daughter to help her and George … it’s not a complete breakthrough, but the softer side emerged a tiny fraction. It’s a slow start that will do wonders for Nancy Drew.
The best part, on the other hand, was the team-up between Nancy, George, Bess, and Ace. This finally felt like the TV series was inspired by the book series. Nancy is a plucky and resourceful investigator, but she has her friends by her side to play their parts when the time comes. A lone wolf Nancy who pushes everyone away doesn’t feel like the character. Having Bess and George join in to help Nancy (with Ace helping too) provided a few breakthroughs that wouldn’t have been possible on her own. And as cheesy as it sounds, Nancy Drew shouldn’t forget the power of friendship.
Speaking of the main mystery, Ryan Hudson’s excuse for a private autopsy was a complete lie. Seriously, he wouldn’t go through all that effort unless he had something to hide! The blood sample that Nancy and George stole from the dead body will no doubt expose a missing piece to the puzzle of why Tiffany got murdered. Drugs? Hallucinogenics? Poisoning? Supernatural curse? Her death could be connected to either his shady meeting at the diner or whatever the criminal case was that involved Nick. If she was in contact with him beforehand, they could’ve been working together? Or, a failed blackmailing that someone needed to silence her? Too many possibilities at this point.
Though, what did become painfully clear was that George should give up her on her ghost and end things with Ryan. Ryan doesn’t care about her; George is merely a fling he has with a townie. When she initially gave Ryan back his phone, there was a fear that she would impede the investigation for her lover, but coming to her senses about the truth was the best thing that could’ve happened to her. As Nancy said, George deserves better! I can’t wait to see how their friendship repairs and grows from this point forward.
Side-note: if the rumor of George hooking up with an older man started strong in high school, why did no one do anything about it? George was a minor when she started hooking up with Ryan. Even a flicker of a rumor should’ve started a conversation. Hopefully, Nancy Drew delivers real consequences to the character once his secret is revealed.
The friendship between Ace and Bess is so tender and sweet. He does truly care about her … and it’s not all about the fact that he’s into her. Also, Nancy Drew deserves a lot of credit for (potentially) giving asexuality representation with the Bess character. The show alluded to this when Bess admitted that she felt no pull toward dating men or women; she always felt distant for the longest time. After Riverdale made the strange decision to remove Jughead’s asexuality from the comic books, it’s great that The CW is giving representation toward this community. There still could be a light romance storyline brewing that involves Bess. She and Ace got a lot closer, and she seemed curious/interested in Lisbeth too (played by How to Get Away with Murder’s Katie Findlay), so anything is possible.
Regarding the Lucy Sable case, Nancy’s parents were definitely involved – either they killed Lucy, know the person who did it, or they investigated and got caught up in the crime. Carson wouldn’t have burned the evidence had he not been deeply involved in the crime itself. And, his story for digging up the chest and keeping it would’ve been much better. Nancy will eventually see through his lies and put the pieces together.
Advertisement
Also, I’m getting the sense that the supernatural events might be more explainable than originally thought. Only Nancy seems to be interacting with the ghost of Lucy Sable, so she has to be connected to it all. Maybe it’s all in her mind? Plus, with George and the bloody bucket, that could be someone (like Ryan or Ace) threatening her because they know the truth about her affair. The pieces all look a bit shady.
“The Secret of the Old Morgue” brought the dream team together in the hopes of getting key clues for how Tiffany died. Their bonds are starting to form, so we could be getting closer toward a tighter group. There are still way more questions than answers at this point; however, the mystery is shaping up quite nicely for a possibly shocking surprise.
Advertisement