Nancy and the Drew Crew work together to help one of their own. Meanwhile, Ryan has an interesting conversation with Celia.
In 2020, the television industry aired 493 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of The CW's Nancy Drew.
"The Scourge of the Forgotten Rune" was written by Katie Schwartz and directed by Kristin Lehman
The drama has really embraced a new sense of fun in its last few episodes. It's completely refreshing and a blast to watch as well. When the creative team is having fun with what it's doing, it can frequently translate to the audience. Sure, it still has to be well executed. It takes time to establish relationships and build trust with the command of the story. However, this episode has a strong idea and pulls no punches when it comes to executing it to perfection. It's probably one of the best episodes of the show to date. Nick wakes up in the middle of the woods with no recollection of who he is. The episode starts at that point. It doesn't tease what stories will be of interest through a "Previously on..." segment either. It's right into the deep end. The viewer is probably just as lost and confused as Nick is. The ensuing hour does backtrack to fill in the details of what happens to him. However, that isn't a hindrance for significant progress to also be made for the other characters. The events of this episode are primarily contained. It does advance the overarching stories a little bit. But again, every single moment delivers in a satisfying way. Nancy and the Drew Crew are capable of solving the mystery of Nick's night. The stakes only increase because of the inclusion of some supernatural elements. In fact, a new creature is brought to Horseshoe Bay. It's absolutely terrifying. It's a vicious beast as well. The show does a solid job in conveying the fear and strength of this creature with only a limited amount of special effects required. The show suggests the damage of all the attempts the Drew Crew made to defeat the beast. It has a sense of humor about all of this despite the severity involved. It's playful in a way that suggests true human stakes and connection. It all means something. Details are given about the lives of the Drew Crew. And yet, their memories have been wiped clean. They could embrace new lives so long as they are willing to forget what they have just learned. Over and over again, that feels like the only solution. However, it's not something they can go to forever. They only have a finite resource to wipe their memories. Nancy will always feel compelled to investigate. She must figure out why this is happening. It's not okay for her friends to forget everything they know just because of some discovery that people didn't understand. The archaeologists didn't know this viking idol would be as dangerous as it was. They simply wanted clues from the past that would hopefully explain more of Horseshoe Bay's history. It was an innocent curiosity stitched together as part of a podcast. It wasn't great. It had meaning though. And in the end, it turned lethal. The same outcome could occur for Nancy and her friends. It doesn't. They come to realize that the monster loses its power when more people are aware of its existence. It hunts down those that know the truth. And yet, that is its greatest weakness as well. It's a new danger altogether for this information to be on the internet. It can take on a life of its own. Ace knows exactly how to make it go viral as well. He still maintains those skills. The basics are enough for these characters to figure out how to survive and regain their identities. Of course, they also fear what the future holds for them because of the burden from these personal relationships. Nancy fears that she truly is a Hudson because she takes Celia's memories in order to buy more time before she exposes the truth. She restores those memories and makes her case for secrecy. It works for the moment. It may not last. That too is something Nancy can't escape. She and her family may fear for her life. This is the truth though. It defines their lives. They can't be afraid of it any longer. The same applies to Nick being willing to fill up space in this world. He has been conditioned to shrink himself. He can no longer do that. He must plant down more roots in this town. He stands firm in his relationship with George. He accepts Odette as a part of that relationship now. He needs his own space to experience this life. And finally, Ace meets his brother. It's Grant, the new employee at The Claw. Now, some twist was always going to happen with him. The show continually pointed him out as a new employee at this frequent location who actually had dialogue. That doesn't happen with the other people who work there. It must be a strange and alienating to work knowing the Drew Crew have complete control and rarely seem interested in the actual job. And now, a new personal twist occurs that further complications those bonds. Ace wants to have this honest conversation with his father. He is interrupted when the moment arrives. Grant presenting his truth though means Ace will have to deal with this soon. As such, this episode succeeds because it teases great and immediate action for the future while entertaining the audience right now with the insane world these characters continue to exist in.
The drama has really embraced a new sense of fun in its last few episodes. It's completely refreshing and a blast to watch as well. When the creative team is having fun with what it's doing, it can frequently translate to the audience. Sure, it still has to be well executed. It takes time to establish relationships and build trust with the command of the story. However, this episode has a strong idea and pulls no punches when it comes to executing it to perfection. It's probably one of the best episodes of the show to date. Nick wakes up in the middle of the woods with no recollection of who he is. The episode starts at that point. It doesn't tease what stories will be of interest through a "Previously on..." segment either. It's right into the deep end. The viewer is probably just as lost and confused as Nick is. The ensuing hour does backtrack to fill in the details of what happens to him. However, that isn't a hindrance for significant progress to also be made for the other characters. The events of this episode are primarily contained. It does advance the overarching stories a little bit. But again, every single moment delivers in a satisfying way. Nancy and the Drew Crew are capable of solving the mystery of Nick's night. The stakes only increase because of the inclusion of some supernatural elements. In fact, a new creature is brought to Horseshoe Bay. It's absolutely terrifying. It's a vicious beast as well. The show does a solid job in conveying the fear and strength of this creature with only a limited amount of special effects required. The show suggests the damage of all the attempts the Drew Crew made to defeat the beast. It has a sense of humor about all of this despite the severity involved. It's playful in a way that suggests true human stakes and connection. It all means something. Details are given about the lives of the Drew Crew. And yet, their memories have been wiped clean. They could embrace new lives so long as they are willing to forget what they have just learned. Over and over again, that feels like the only solution. However, it's not something they can go to forever. They only have a finite resource to wipe their memories. Nancy will always feel compelled to investigate. She must figure out why this is happening. It's not okay for her friends to forget everything they know just because of some discovery that people didn't understand. The archaeologists didn't know this viking idol would be as dangerous as it was. They simply wanted clues from the past that would hopefully explain more of Horseshoe Bay's history. It was an innocent curiosity stitched together as part of a podcast. It wasn't great. It had meaning though. And in the end, it turned lethal. The same outcome could occur for Nancy and her friends. It doesn't. They come to realize that the monster loses its power when more people are aware of its existence. It hunts down those that know the truth. And yet, that is its greatest weakness as well. It's a new danger altogether for this information to be on the internet. It can take on a life of its own. Ace knows exactly how to make it go viral as well. He still maintains those skills. The basics are enough for these characters to figure out how to survive and regain their identities. Of course, they also fear what the future holds for them because of the burden from these personal relationships. Nancy fears that she truly is a Hudson because she takes Celia's memories in order to buy more time before she exposes the truth. She restores those memories and makes her case for secrecy. It works for the moment. It may not last. That too is something Nancy can't escape. She and her family may fear for her life. This is the truth though. It defines their lives. They can't be afraid of it any longer. The same applies to Nick being willing to fill up space in this world. He has been conditioned to shrink himself. He can no longer do that. He must plant down more roots in this town. He stands firm in his relationship with George. He accepts Odette as a part of that relationship now. He needs his own space to experience this life. And finally, Ace meets his brother. It's Grant, the new employee at The Claw. Now, some twist was always going to happen with him. The show continually pointed him out as a new employee at this frequent location who actually had dialogue. That doesn't happen with the other people who work there. It must be a strange and alienating to work knowing the Drew Crew have complete control and rarely seem interested in the actual job. And now, a new personal twist occurs that further complications those bonds. Ace wants to have this honest conversation with his father. He is interrupted when the moment arrives. Grant presenting his truth though means Ace will have to deal with this soon. As such, this episode succeeds because it teases great and immediate action for the future while entertaining the audience right now with the insane world these characters continue to exist in.
