Ace’s family drama will cause a whole heap of mess for Nancy Drew in future episodes. The pursuit of protecting Grant’s mother and the lengths gone to save the witness names exposed Nancy to the evils of the Hudson family. She owes them a favor now and regardless of Celia trying to protect her, there’s no way Everett won’t retaliate to save his investments. Was the trade-off worth it? Yes, since Ace survived and Grant’s mother was saved, but the price was too high to pay. “The Trail of the Missing Witness” was a stepping stone mystery that established plots for future cases.
I liked Ace and Grant’s newfound chemistry as brothers. Even though the pair barely knew each other, Ace jumped fully into the relationship to trust his new sibling and help him out with the case. Ace made up for all the lost time, and in turn, Grant opened up to his brother more about the past and the present concerns. These two could form one of the strongest bonds if Grant returns to Nancy Drew in the future. There’s a popular theory that Grant and Ace are secretly The Hardy Boys since they’re brothers, we don’t know Ace’s last name, and both characters are nicknamed/go by middle names. Hopefully, this twist comes true because Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys teaming up would an amazing collaboration for the Drew Crew!
The mystery itself during “The Trail of the Missing Witness” was an average case that didn’t blow the excitement out of the water. It’s a simple mystery about finding the list of witnesses and trying to stop a blackmailer from killing people. With a few maneuvers, the Drew Crew could’ve solved this a few different ways instead of succumbing to Celia’s deal. But, the plot needed to move forward, so another detriment to Nancy had to be thrown in. The highlight came more from the backstory revealed during the case, like the relationship between Ace’s father and Grant’s mother, and the information of the secret organization. Nancy Drew foreshadowed the Big Bad to come, which most likely will be this organization with its members.
Speaking of the organization, should we expect the Hudsons and Marvins to be members too? There’s no doubt that the two most powerful families in Horseshoe Bay aren’t members. This revelation could be how Everett Hudson is defeated once and for all, and possibly how Bess gets back into the good graces of the Marvins. (Well, there needs to be a mole on the other side too.) Nancy might be pulled deeper into this mystery if she searches for a way to take down the organization and if she’s brought into the fold of the Hudson lifestyle. Let’s just hope that Nancy Drew doesn’t lose what made it special if it dives deeper into a shadowy organization plot.
Nancy made some big concessions to agree to Celia’s deal that will affect her down the line. For starters, the police and legal teams may not trust her words as much now that she’s recanted her statement for the court case. She and the Drew Crew will have to work extra harder to prove their cases since the goodwill has been burnt. And by playing ball, Celia and the Hudsons will expect so much more from Nancy now that she’s proven she will bend to their will if her friends are on the line. It’s a slippery slope that will only draw her closer to more dangerous problems.
It’s great that George confronted Bess about the flirtation with Odette. The subplot of the romance couldn’t go on for too long, especially since the pairing involved a ghostly spirit. Bess needed to face her feelings because Odette was merely filling a hole in her love life that had been vacant since things didn’t work out with Lisbeth. And George wouldn’t be happy if she knew her friend was secretly dating her spectral ghost. There’s no future in the pairing unless Odette took over George’s body, which would be a terrible fate. It’s better in the long run that the pair faced the truth of Odette’s flirtation with Bess.
Did anyone expect George’s sisters to know about Odette? That news was a surprising revelation. Odette was getting sloppy because she’s not hiding her existence so much anymore – eventually, everyone will know about the ghost. Though, at least Odette was being more of a kind figure, like with the chowder competition and with teaching the sisters French. As predicted in the last review, Odette is becoming a helpful member of the Drew Crew, albeit in different ways planned.
“The Trail of the Missing Witness” foreshadowed bigger storylines to come for the Drew Crew and the residents of Horseshoe Bay. The case spent more time fleshing backstories and establishing the new phase of the mystery yet to come. It’s not the most exciting case the Drew Crew faced, but it’s an essential mystery needed for the overall storyline of Nancy Drew Season 2. Plus, there were fun small moments, like The Clam finally winning the cooking competition, that will bring a smile to your face.
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Nancy Drew airs new episodes Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on The CW and streams Thursdays on cwtv.com.
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