Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 2 Review: The Maiden’s Rage

There’s something in the water of Horseshoe Bay on Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 2.

And though it turned Nancy into a ticking, toxic rage bomb, George may have taken on the worst of the after-effects by losing her job as a law clerk for Judge Abbott.

George was wearing a blazer, skirt, and heels. Not only did she look professional, but she also looked damn good. Even better when she traded in the skirt for jeans, in my opinion, but that’s beside the point.

I couldn’t help but flash back to the George we met on Nancy Drew Season 1 Episode 1. That sarcastic, angry, hard-working teen has become a driven, professional, hard-working lawyer-to-be who gains confidence at every turn. 

It was heartbreaking when she learned that Judge Abbott, the mentor she was so grateful for, had fallen so very short of the mark, so much so that an innocent woman was brutally injured in a way that changed her entire life. 

And George wasn’t afraid to tell him so, no matter the cost to her budding career.

Nick: You covered up an attempted murder to ensure that you’d get reappointed.
Abbott: You don’t know what it’s like to have to decide between…
George: My prospects and doing the right thing? Judge Abbott, you were my prospect of becoming a lawyer, but I am giving all of that up to get justice for Maggie because that is what matters. You’re a judge. How do you not know that? Maggie spent the last twenty years suffering from what Logan did to her and blaming herself for what happened while you and Logan lived normal, healthy lives.

Even after confronting her mentor, working with the Drew Crew to uncover the truth, and sharing it with Maggie, George still felt she should have done more.

Thank goodness Nick was there to set her straight.

George: I just wish I could have done more.
Nick: People like Abbott have enabled the Logans of this world to go unchecked forever, and today you checked them. And the best part is, it is so clear you’re going to keep doing it.
George: That means more than you know.

Even if they are just friends and George is now giving Nick dating advice, Nick and George still make a fantastic couple.

I liked Jade. Under different circumstances, I might root for her with Nick.

And I know George and Nick aren’t ready to reunite. They need to experience some things solo before they get to that point. (Fingers crossed, I’m right that they’re headed that way.)

But these two are always there to tell one another the hard truths–George was right about the hat–and boost one another up when they need it. That gives me hope for their future together.

I wish Nancy had been nearly as supportive of Ace.

Nancy [to Ace]: Come on. Be a team player. Show us you’re more than just eye candy.
Ace: Wow.

Yes, I know she was under the influence of some poisoned water, and it was somewhat reminiscent of Nancy Drew Season 2 Episode 10, but Nancy channeling pure lust through an old wedding dress was far more fun.

Watching Nancy become equal parts possessive, aggressive, and dismissive made me cringe. She bullied and berated Ace and her friends as toxic masculinity coursed through her system.

Bess: So what was in that water? A mystical brolicious poison?
George: Can one poison give Abbott a heart attack and also turn Nancy into the type of guy who I will never date?

Ace leaned on Bess as Nancy spiraled into bro-hell because Ace and Bess truly have become one another’s platonic emotional anchors.

Bess told him he shouldn’t allow himself to be abused, even if Nancy weren’t in her right mind. And Ace did try to walk away until Nancy attempted to kill him.

Even then, he did everything he could to protect himself but not hurt her. His only goal was to get away and call for help.

And did you hear him? Ace even says “please” when he’s talking to his phone. He has to be one of the nicest guys on the planet.

When Nancy finally snapped out of it, she came clean with Ace about the details of the curse, which was what I’d been waiting to see the entire episode. She summed it up nicely with this one Nancy Drew quote…

Nancy: I’m still terrified of losing you, but I think that we owe it to ourselves to at least try to find a way to be together.
Ace: Yeah. Yes, that’s all I want.

Ace looked at Nancy with such desperate longing, and as she sat on that bed with tears rolling down her cheeks, it must have taken a massive effort from both of them not to reach out and touch or hold the other.

This curse needs to be obliterated quickly. That kind of unchecked yearning can’t be good for Nancy, Ace, or their fans for very long. We all need to feel some relief from it soon.

And I’d be remiss if I failed to mention Tristan.

Can I help? My arms don’t just look good in a shirt. They actually have fine motor skills.

Tristan

I keep expecting Tristan to turn evil at any moment, but if he’s adopted and makes an effort to stay away from his parents’ creepy business, perhaps he’s as innocent as he looks.

And if that’s the case, has anyone else noticed that he’s basically a dark-eyed, brunette version of Ace?

Nancy giving him her locket worries me. If Tristan isn’t the sweet guy he appears to be, could that locket have been used to plant some sort of talisman to control Nancy later during Nancy Drew Season 4?

Finally, we get to Bess and Addy.

I love these two, and it’s great to see Bess happy, but they barely make a B-level storyline. They’re practically relegated to C-level, and that’s just not fair.

Bess stressing over making dinner for Addy’s parents was filler at best. I want a real story for his couple. Something we can really become invested in. So far, they haven’t had that.

And one of the things that pulled this episode down was the lack of the Drew Club Dads. Neither Carson nor Ryan was anywhere to be found, and I missed them. Hopefully, they’ll be back next week.

But we were left with more questions than answers with this installment.

Who wiped Abbott, Logan, and Maggie’s memories and why? How did the water reverse whatever was done?

And what does it all have to do with those reanimated bodies throwing up black sludge?

If you’ve got questions or comments, hit that SHOW COMMENTS BUTTON below to let us know.

And don’t forget to check back in for our review of Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 3.

Then watch Nancy Drew online here at TV Fanatic. 

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C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.

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