Nancy Drew Review: The Girl in the Locket (Season 1 Episode 17)
As Nancy reels from a life-changing reveal, another threat may prove still more tragic on Nancy Drew Season 1 Episode 17, “The Girl in the Locket.”
There must be some rule for being a character on a dramatic series that prevents you being happy and/or at peace for any extended period. A devastating truth is as good a way as any to cause needed disruption.
While I’m still not sure I can accept the logic of Nancy being Dead Lucy’s daughter, there are at least some signs that it’s being handled thoughtfully, and that the consequences will be more far-reaching that just throwing a bomb into people’s lives.
It’s easy to be both sympathetic and angry towards everyone involved with this puzzle. Carson’s betrayed Nancy with this lifetime lie, yet we can understand why he’s told it. Nancy can’t, but can we expect her to?
On that note, I’m glad that Nancy’s own struggle in revealing to Ryan that he’s her father is used as something of a teaching moment. It’s enough to make her reflect, as it should, but it’s not enough to assuage her pain—as it shouldn’t
Carrying over from the revelation scene itself, Kennedy McMann and Scott Wolf continue to give this plot a weight that goes beyond the flashy nature of the twist. It would be easy to make Carson a villain or Nancy overly cruel in response. Neither happens.
Still, there remains a lot to be reckoned with, including some of the barbs our girl detective slings in her pain. I have a feeling a lot of the words will come back, especially those related to her mother who was, all along, the woman who raised and loved her.
One thing I did find a bit too forced: Nancy exploding at Ryan to drive him away at just the moment he’s critically needed. I believe the things she says and the tension and guilt that prompt them. Even so, it feels jarringly abrupt as written.
There’s also not that much time to sit with and debate just how necessary this whole thing is because, as ever, one form of upheaval is never enough.
The idea of how logical the whole curse situation is remains an issue. Does it make sense that the sea spirit shouldn’t be satisfied with a partial blood sacrifice, or that it having human origins completely changes the terms of the deal? Who knows?
I do like the twist of a family member needing to be involved, if only because it pushes us to some revelations that might otherwise take the rest of the season to come out. It’s a bit refreshing for the truth to be out in the open.
There’s also a strange hilarity in the miscommunication that occurs as Nancy’s friends go to recruit a bewildered Carson. They don’t know that he’s not truly her biological father, he has no idea what they’re doing, and it could be genuinely slapstick-y on a different show.
Instead we get more gruesome imagery, more intense drama, and more problems that seem to be unsolvable. The difference this time is that it costs someone their life.
Probably.
With the reveals to date, including a man being electrocuted and surviving, we’re on the verge of the trap many shows fall into where nothing, even death, is set in stone. Owen sure looks dead, but so did Joshua.
Assuming this is what it seems, though, the consequences should be far-reaching. Owen and Nancy are at least some type of couple now. Ryan, in invoking Nancy’s rage, dismisses Owen and even suggests he’d be better off dead. There’s no way that goes forgotten.
Then there’s the question of just how he winds up dead in that tub. Apart from Nancy’s sensation of choking, nobody else comes close to actually being killed by the curse, even if George’s mom says that’s the eventual outcome.
What if, then, Owen’s been murdered, not an undead sea entity, but instead by a human being with entirely human motives? At the moment, it fits better than the alternative. If that’s the case, it’s yet another crime to solve.
Here we go again? I guess we’ll have to see.
What did you think of this episode of Nancy Drew? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Nancy Drew airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on The CW.
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Caitlin Wyneken
Caitlin is an elder millennial with an only slightly unhealthy dedication to a random selection of TV shows, from PBS Masterpiece dramas to some of the less popular series on popular networks. Outside of screen time, she's dedicated to the public sector and worthy nonprofits, working to make a difference in the world outside of media.