Nancy Drew Review: The Beacon of Moonstone Island (Season 2 Episode 13)

With the Hudson case temporarily stalled by a debt to Celia, Nancy Drew Season 2 Episode 13, “The Beacon of Moonstone Island,” detours into the story of a presumed-dead teenager and the dangerous spirits protecting her on an isolated island.

It’s an intriguing plot from the moment we first meet Birdie/Elizabeth, even as it builds off a series of tropes. The girl has been living alone for years, brings danger back with her that she can’t understand, and is the victim of a long unsolved crime.

It’s also the kind of plot that would be better suited for an ongoing storyline as opposed to a single-episode one. Fitting Birdie’s entire story into an hour means several aspects that deserve in-depth exploration are cut short.

She adapts unreasonably quickly to a series of events, from being reintroduced to the remaining members of her family and society in general to being able to turn against the entities that have looked out for her for years.

We also don’t get the chance to see her dealing, on top of so much other pain, with realization that her uncle killed her parents. Their own deaths, so long repressed, are just touched on in a moving confrontation with Nancy.

All that said, the fact I’d like to see so much more of this is a testament to its quality. We engage immediately with Birdie and her backstory. She’s another guest character who gives Nancy the chance to connect on a personal level.

With more time, we could see Birdie get the help she needs to order to make real progress. I’d like to hear back from her, both to see how her recovery is going and to give her more chances to share her experience with the Drew Crew.

The heavy central plot also means the aftermath of Nancy’s “betrayal” to save Ace’s life gets stuck into a few brief conversations. We get enough to see it made very clear that Nancy’s friends now wonder where her loyalties lie.

I can see both sides of the argument. Though unlikely, it does still seem possible that Celia could be moved by love for her granddaughter and the truth of the legacy she protects. She may defend her husband, but she’s not just like him.

At the same time, Nancy’s easy belief in finding the good in Celia and her willingness to let the work go temporarily cold do suggest a certain degree of naivety. We can feel and understand the others’ frustration at the stalled mission.

With two seasons of buildup, there’s no narratively logical way this doesn’t end with a Hudson takedown. I appreciate the work to set up tensions and create potential good in some antagonists, but for now I just want things moving again.

Romance is also largely on the sidelines, most noticeably in the off-screen progression of Nancy’s and Ace’s respective relationships with Gil and Amanda Bobbsey. I’m firmly on Ace’s side in regard to Gil’s intense emotions, and the whole dynamic just feels awkward.

There are definite hints now that this is all just an obstacle on the way to a Nancy/Ace relationship. Yet getting there is going to be painful and messy. I do like Amanda, but I still haven’t forgotten how we met Gil. It seems Ace hasn’t, either.

Nick and George are at least on relatively stable ground, and I’m looking forward to Nick’s new dream of turning his loft into a youth home come to fruition. I love how stable these two are now, even with that other little matter hanging about.

Though I remain convinced that George will be able to send Odette on eventually, I’m pleasantly surprised by how the tentative peace they reach is written. As for that lingering Odette/Bess dynamic? I suppose it’ll be interesting if nothing else.

 

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

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