Nancy Drew Review: The Purloined Keys (Season 2 Episode 16)
Before we begin: while all these reviews contain spoilers, Nancy Drew Season 2 Episode 16, “The Purloined Keys,” is the kind of episode where you should absolutely hold off on reading until you’ve seen right through to the end.
It’s a result that’s moved from a possibility to a likelihood over the course of the season: Celia Hudson’s death, almost certainly at the hands of her husband. Yet I wasn’t expecting it to happen this quickly, and I certainly wasn’t expecting that twist.
We’ve seen plenty of ghosts before, including ones we come to care for. There’s still something especially brutal about a Celia we learn is only in Nancy’s mind walking up to see her own gruesome corpse hanging from the ceiling.
Though Celia lived in a moral gray area, the signs of her humanity have grown. They’re also the likely seal on her fate. Her death, which rocks Nancy to her core and is likely to do the same to Ryan, thus feels painfully cruel.
More than grief, Nancy’s reaction is based off the terror that all her efforts to placate Everett enough to survive have been for naut. If he can kill his wife, he won’t think twice about killing the granddaughter he never even knew.
It’s the emotion of this that really leaves an impact. If Nancy Drew were ending this season, there could be a chance, however remote, that the series would end with its icon’s shocking death. With renewal, those odds are non-existent.
We feel the weight anyway thanks to Kennedy McMann’s performance in moments like these. It’s also a grim reminder that there are still plenty of lives at stake, and plenty of other characters more disposable than Nancy herself.
Nancy takes matters into her own hands after stumbling on Celia’s corpse. Allowing only a few moments to fall apart, she confronts Everett in his car, where she tasers him in the neck and takes him as her own hostage.
For a half a season, she’s been working to fold herself into the Hudson life. It’s put her more and more at odds with the rest of the Drew Crew. Her friends’ mistrust grows to a peak in this episode, and this turn comes at a key moment.
Before this move, and before anyone else knows of the Hudson matriarch’s fate, Nick and Ryan set out on their own, lying to and avoiding Nancy until they’re caught on tape by Everett. Not even his own son (and certainly Ryan’s reporter girlfriend) are safe anymore.
We’re setting up for a final two episodes that will take us to the part of this storyline we’ve been waiting for—the Drew Crew uniting again and taking Everett Hudson down once and for all. We can only wonder who else might not make it through the battle.
There are welcome breaks from all this intensity in the scenes between George and Bess, who is setting out into the dating world again to find a girl who isn’t a mysteriously disappearing ex or a ghost occupying her friend’s body.
With the show often highlighting the sarcastic side of George’s personality, it’s lovely to see a genuinely sweet side of her in the online profile she and Odette write for Bess. Their dynamics are occasionally strained, but their friendship is essential.
As we approach the end of the season, I’m anxious about how everyone will react to Nancy taking such drastic matters. She’s proven the loyalty they’d started to doubt so much, and trust is going to be a key factor in helping everyone survive.
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.