Sometimes the third time is not the charm. The Drew Crew learned this the hard way after their latest attempt to stop the Aglaeca blew up in their faces again on Nancy Drew. “The Fate of the Buried Treasure” gave us the lore we needed about the Aglaeca, but it also paired it with somber tones as the characters prepped for their final days. The team is being resourceful by trying everything they can until the deadline comes, but one after another, their plans aren’t working out. And at this phase in the process, their spirits are low and they’re planning for the inevitable.
The Drew Crew being realistic about their chances and planning for the end positively grounded the show in reality. Sure, they’re facing a sea spirit and they’ve dealt with many other supernatural foes, but these five friends aren’t supernatural beings—they’re humans who got tangled up in a curse. Having them face the realities of what life will be like after they’re gone added new layers to the characters and humanized them further. Things like Ace’s first thought to write an obituary, George getting her sister to learn to waitress, and Bess ending things with Lisbeth all highlighted their crowning thoughts and the things they’ll miss if they lose. Nancy Drew put a spotlight on their lives outside of simply living in the investigation bubble.
It’s sad that things ended so abruptly between Bess and Lisbeth. Bess should’ve owned up about not going to dinner with Lisbeth’s parents instead of standing her up. Regardless of the curse, that move wasn’t a kind decision as it hurt Lisbeth so much and it humiliated her in front of her parents. That talk would’ve given her relationship with Lisbeth closure and a chance to know Lisbeth would be happy moving on.
George, on the other hand, made the right call by having a heart-to-heart with her sister. She had all these expectations about responsibilities and the future, but thanks to that chat, it gave her a new perspective. George can be stubborn and a tad harsh; however, she’s open to forgive and grow when she’s proven wrong. I liked that George realized she wasn’t the only one who was actively working to help their family – they weren’t doing the same things, but both sisters played their parts in very important ways. It’s the first time where it didn’t feel like the future of the family was squarely on George’s shoulders.
Side-note: Imagine if Carson and Ryan team up into becoming great friends and allies! Nancy’s strange behavior with the music clue tipped them off that something bad is happening; there’s no way they’re not going to get involved too. Ryan and Carson both want the best for Nancy, and even with some of the lies in the past, she should open up to them a bit more.
Regarding the main mystery of the week, “The Fate of the Buried Treasure” provided A LOT of backstory about the Aglaeca and the Marvin family. The story ramped up with exposition about small-town drama and the missing pieces to potentially seal the creature away. Seriously, how are these families so complex with dark secrets? The last few weeks mostly focused on the past victims of the Aglaeca; now it’s about filling in the creature’s backstory gaps. These plot points are essential if they have a purpose, but with each week ending in the Drew Crew failing against the curse, a lot of it is coming across as filler.
The Dybbuk box was a clever idea to capture the creature. If the Aglaeca reached in a bit further, their plan would’ve worked out and Ryan’s money wouldn’t have been wasted. Instead, the creature avoided capture yet again, which wasn’t surprising in the least. This is the fourth episode of the second season—it’s still too early for the supposed Big Bad to be vanquished. Granted, the Drew Crew discovered a (potential) weapon to (potentially) kill the Aglaeca, but the plot exposed a flaw in this season’s main mystery.
Nancy Drew Season 1 focused mainly on the haunting of Lucy Stable and the murder of Tiffany Hudson. Those plots were mysteries that involved a whodunnit aspect and a supernatural being that had a malevolent mystery tied to its haunting. Now, compare that to Nancy Drew Season 2’s current mystery: the Aglaeca is about a fight for survival to avoid a 7-day death curse – this mystery has a time limit. Odds are the story is going to drag out to the 7-day mark to push the Drew Crew to their limits, so anything that happens before that is merely preparation and filler. And, any information discovered about the Aglaeca only leads back to how to survive the curse. This villain isn’t strong enough of a plot to last an entire season. Hopefully, once the Drew Crew reaches their 7-day milestone, there will be a new mystery that pulls them down the rabbit hole.
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“The Fate of the Buried Treasure” gave the Drew Crew a new plan for how to fight against the Aglaeca after their last attempt failed miserably. New layers were added to the mystery and the characters were faced with what they’d have to give up if they did lose against the sea creature. Overall, the chapter had a somber note to it and one that prepared for the inevitable battle to come.
Nancy Drew airs new episodes Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on The CW and streams Thursdays on cwtv.com.
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