Nancy Drew season 1, episode 18, “The Clue in the Captain’s Painting,” marks the season’s finale, four episodes early.
Although Nancy Drew season 1 was initially slated for 22 episodes, the COVID-19 pandemic has closed down production and, therefore, the first run will officially come to an end with tonight’s episode.
As the official Nancy Drew writers Twitter account states, “There was much thought and care (and work from everyone) to make sure this next episode feels like a satisfying season finale!”
Though I lament the loss of those four episodes (which will undoubtedly carry over to season 2, which has already been greenlit), I did find the Nancy Drew season 1 finale to be satisfying, both in terms of wrapping up some storylines and with regard to leaving us excited for more.
This week’s episode brought us some wonderful, quiet moments, a few resolutions, and the exact right amount of intrigue to tease us until the show returns next year.
‘Nancy Drew’ season 1, episode 18 review
Nancy does her best
The opening shot of this episode is heartbreaking, watching Nancy have to deal with yet another tragedy at such a young age. It’s no surprise that she feels an immense sense of guilt, believing that she killed Owen because she was the one who summoned the Aglaeca.
The Drew Crew decides to conduct a séance to summon Owen to see if they can glean any clues from his death. Unfortunately, the Aglaeca shows up to stop them, and Ace and Nancy decide to learn a little bit more about the angry sea spirit.
They head to the historical society to get a history lesson, but when they discover the Aglaeca would’ve claimed all their souls at once, Nancy realizes someone else killed Owen.
Ace and Nancy have a beautiful moment while looking for clues in Owen’s secret apartment. Ace, who has been a gentle comfort for this entire series, once again reminds Nancy that he’s there for her whenever she needs to talk.
He has this way of making his presence known without pushing too hard, and I can’t fully express how much I love and appreciate his character in Nancy Drew season 1, episode 18 and on the show in general.
Nancy’s reply is emotional but grateful: “If I find the words, I’ll share them with you.”
I loved this little interaction between these two because Nancy is acknowledging Ace’s gesture but doesn’t force herself to talk about something she has no means of understanding just yet. She’s been through so much in the last several episodes, and I can’t even begin to imagine what’s going through her head. But, at the very least, she knows her friends are there to support her.
Ace, Nancy, and Lisbeth work together to discover someone had been keeping an eye on Nancy. All the clues lead to Josh, though Nancy discovers this before Lisbeth does, and she and Ace head over to Patrice’s to see if she knows where her son is.
I wasn’t expecting such a lovely scene between these two women given the fact that Patrice’s memory skews her perception of reality, but Nancy Drew really gave us an emotional moment to hang onto. Nancy tells Patrice she’s her granddaughter, and Patrice laments the fact that she’s missed out on her whole life.
“No,” Nancy assures her, “just the part before now.”
I love that Nancy is willing to open herself up to Patrice despite how weird and confusing and heartbreaking this entire situation is. She’s angry at Carson because he lied and she’s angry at Ryan because he’s a terrible person, but she has no reason to hate Patrice, who is one of the two remaining connections to her mother, Lucy.
It turns out that the other connection to Lucy, her brother Josh, hadn’t left town after trying to kill Nancy the first time. The two confront eachother on a rooftop, where Josh tells her she got in the way of him killing Ryan as revenge for his murder of Lucy. He didn’t intend to kill Owen, but Owen wouldn’t lure her into a trap, even to save his own life.
Nancy tells Josh that Ryan didn’t murder Lucy, but it only seems to sink in once Nancy admits that she’s his niece. His shock is palpable, as is his guilt, and he tries to flee before the cops arrive. When he slips and falls, Nancy and Ace help him back up before, ultimately, releasing him to the authorities.
I know Nancy feels bad about hesitating before saving Josh’s life, but as Nick points out, her actions prove she is a good person. Josh did try to kill her, after all. I’d be worried if she wasn’t a little hesitant around him.
It’s a lose-lose situation, Bess
Poor Bess simply can’t win in Nancy Drew season 1, episode 18. She’s clearly upset about Owen’s death, but she can’t even mourn without it being turned into a competition — or an assignment.
She enlists Nick and George’s help to go to Aunt Diana’s, where she’ll have to face the entire family. She’s clearly becoming one of her aunt’s favorites, and that isn’t sitting well with all the cousins. Unfortunately, kind, compassionate Bess can’t find a way to please her aunt without stepping on someone’s toes.
But what Aunt Diana is asking for is too much, even if Bess can’t admit that to herself. The powerful matriarch asks Bess if she really, truly wants to become part of the Marvin family. When Bess says she does, Aunt Diana tells her they need to know what Lisbeth knows…as soon as she knows it.
It isn’t lost on Bess that this is a betrayal of confidence, but when it comes to her family, Bess wears some pretty hefty blinders. I don’t think she wants to fully realize how manipulative her aunt is, even if she knows what Diana is asking for is wrong.
There’s some tension between Lisbeth and Bess as the two of them circle around each other, not quite confiding and not quite withholding information.
Lisbeth is a smart woman, however, and she quickly realizes that Aunt Diana asked Bess to keep tabs on her. Bess doesn’t deny it, and Lisbeth doesn’t seem hurt (or surprised), but she does ask her girlfriend a followup question: If Bess is willing to share Lisbeth’s secrets with her aunt, is she also willing to tell Lisbeth any Marvin family secrets?
Bess doesn’t have an answer, and it’s clear they’re at a stalemate.
I don’t blame Bess for not knowing what to do in a situation like this. It’s easy to wish she’d just realize how manipulative her aunt is, but Bess’ entire drive in life is to be part of a loving family and have a sense of belonging. How can we ask her to walk away from her greatest dream?
At the same time, she truly loves Lisbeth and would never want to betray her confidence. Even though her friends and family accepted her, Bess still had trouble coming out in the beginning of the season. Lisbeth is her first real relationship, her first love, and all of that vulnerability she had to overcome has been just as difficult as reaching out for her family.
My hope is that Aunt Diana finally asks Bess to do something she is unwilling to concede on. Bess will either see how terrible her family truly is, or her aunt will appreciate her resolve. I feel like the former is more likely than the latter, but one can certainly hope.
Nick and George finally figure shit out
After several weeks of hot-and-cold reactions to Nick, George realizes what’s wrong and faces her demons in order to set herself on a new path, and I couldn’t be more proud of her.
Ryan shows up to Nancy’s house asking if she needs anything, and Nancy quickly turns him away, saying every women in his life is either dead or messed up and that she doesn’t want to end up the same way.
Obviously, this hurts George’s feelings even though Nancy wasn’t thinking about her when she said it. George’s inability to be intimate with Nick, especially in public, coupled with this observation, forces George to confront her past relationship with Ryan.
Later, she meets with Ryan to confront him. It turns out she thought she was okay, but she’s not. In a powerful speech, George tells him that what he did to her was wrong. She was only 17 and didn’t know better, but he did. He promised her plenty of things he was never really willing to give her.
Ryan tries to defend himself, but George doesn’t let him play the victim. She tells him that she spent so long being hidden away that she has trouble being in a real relationship with someone who genuinely wants to be with her.
It’s a beautiful moment that not a lot of people in these situations get to have — one where they can confront the person who hurt them in order to have closure and move on.
For his part, Ryan seems to understand where she’s coming from. He doesn’t get defensive, but he also doesn’t ask her what he can do to help her heal. Ryan is an extremely complicated character, and even though I have sympathy for his current situation, I don’t want to absolve him for his wrongdoings just yet. He still has a lot of work to do.
George tells Nick she saw Ryan and explains that the relationship affected her more than she thought it did. This, finally, allows the two of them to see eye to eye, and Nick — ever-patient, ever-understanding Nick — truly listens to what she has to say.
George admits that she does want to be with him — gross PDA and all. They kiss, and for the first time this season, I’m excited to see these two together. I love that the show took its time with George’s revelation, and I’m especially grateful that she got the closure she needed.
It might not be all smooth sailing from here on out, but this is a step in the right direction, and I can’t wait to see how they navigate the waters of their relationship.
‘Nancy Drew’ season 1, episode 18 final thoughts and lingering questions
- The Marvins have a Hall of Tragedies, and I feel like this could hold some pretty interesting clues and mysteries for the future.
- Bess’ cousins are kind of the worst, and I know she just wants a family, but why does it have to be this one?
- Yup, I still feel guilty about thinking Owen was evil.
- I thought last week’s scene with Nick being asked to get someone a drink would come back in this episode, considering they were at Aunt Diana’s again, but it didn’t and I’m still confused.
- What spirit lured Ace into that room with an S.O.S. and locked the door behind him? I hope this comes up again later.
- I loved the scene where Nancy says they’ll tackle all curses together. However, George reminds them about her blood bucket curse, too, and it worries me that she keeps bringing it up. I’m happy they haven’t forgotten about it, but i’m terrified we’re going to find George dead one of these days.
- It seems Bess’ ancestor might be connected to the Aglaeca. I’m so mad we have to wait until season 2 to learn more!
- The portents are getting a lot more intense. This time, George and Nick watch themselves drown, Bess sees herself lit on fire, Ace finds himself hanging by a giant hook, and Nancy falls off the cliff’s edge just like her mother. This does not bode well.
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.