Nancy Drew Review: The Quest for the Spider Sapphire (Season 2 Episode 8)

The revelation that Bess has a husband is just the latest in a series that makes her one of the most intriguing characters on this show. Nancy Drew Season 2 Episode 8, “The Quest for the Spider Sapphire,” builds on this throughout the episode.

It’s a relationship based purely on convenience, as Bess has no romantic interest in men, Stephen included. He is the man who saved her from childhood poverty, and who has been manipulating her into stealing with and for him ever since.

As we’re shown in the opening scenes, he’s come to the United States after a stint in prison—one Bess set him up for. Interestingly, we’re never certain whether he knows this or not. His grudge against her seems to come from more than just one incident.

Either way, there’s a lot to impact about his role in Bess’s life. Even without the subtle implications of abuse, we know he’s had a history of using and likely gaslighting her into the past she fled from. When Bess manages to evade him, he just raises the stakes.

This is how we get to Nancy and George being tied up in a building that will burn down around them unless Bess steals a watch from her aunt. In the end, we’ll learn Stephen has no other goal that to burn the life Bess has managed to find for herself.

His efforts are successful, and Diana kicks her out of her newfound wealthy family. It’s abrupt and painful. It also feels unnecessary when, just earlier in the day, the same woman accepts Bess’s past and the reputation that comes with it.

The biggest question is why Bess, Ace, and Nick don’t just say that her ex has returned to blackmail her at the expense of her friends’ lives. Surely this would warrant an emergency situation and the kind of string pulling we’ve seen rich families pull off before.

As for Nancy and George, there’s a surprisingly lighthearted touch to their life-or-death situation, with Odette taking George over and offering sarcastic commentary. It’s a bit strange, but I do appreciate the break from stereotypical drama as the plot carries on.

The awkward humor they find in this situation works. The somewhat dismissive approach taking to realizing the Drew Crew caused another man’s death in saving George’s life, however inadvertently, is a bit harder to make feel appropriate.

While’s George’s fate still isn’t as secure as that of the show’s title character, I still find it hard to believe she could be killed after all she’s been through. I worry we could be written into a corner that will require suspension of logic to overcome.

Finally, the plot to take down the Hudson family also gets more complicated via a reporter interviewing Ryan about taking over his family business. She sees right through their attempts to deny Lucy Sable was ever pregnant, because we expect nothing less.

With the increasingly likely scenario that Nancy’s parentage will be revealed not only to the man who could have her killed for it, but also to the world at large, storms are brewing for every character involved.

We can be assured Nancy will survive any attempt Everett makes on her life, however high the stakes feel in the moment. But if Ryan, Carson, or anyone else involved in this is thrown into the spotlight, how will they handle the perception of scandal?

At the moment, I feel the resulting drama could be too soapy for my tastes, setting suspense around who will and won’t be able to handle the scrutiny. At the same time, I admit I’m also very interested in the answer to that question.

 

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Nancy Drew airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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