Bess Marvin, the mystery we didn’t even know we needed to solve. The new socialite in town had a jaw-dropping secret on this week’s Nancy Drew that put into question everything we knew about her. From her glamorous attitude to her accent, Bess pretended to be someone she wasn’t. Or, more like someone she could be. Her reveal was the kind of twist that you don’t see coming; one that throws you for a loop, but still feels plausible in this gritty drama. Nancy Drew is pleasantly hitting us with the curve balls and I love it.
Bess’ “rich girl” status had been in question for weeks now, ever since we witnessed her living in her van during the series premiere. The potential plotline seemed like a case of her being disowned by her family. Socialites tend to get into partying troubles and spending money, so it wasn’t out of the question that she could’ve had a similar story. And, the purpose of stealing Tiffany Hudson’s ring could’ve been to sell it for money. But, once she kept dodging the questions about her family in town, her behavior insinuated that she was keeping more secrets than we thought.
My jaw dropped to the floor when she started speaking in a British accent. Seriously, Bess took her lie to the next level! Pretending to be a Marvin was risky enough, but creating and sticking to an entire fake personality around your friends had to have been a lot of work. So, based on Bess’ explanation to Nancy, either her mother was disowned from the Marvin family or her mother made it all up. I hope it’s revealed that she is a Marvin because it could shed light on why her mother ended up in England in the first place. Was it a different part of the family? Did she run away due to a dangerous family secret? There’s got to be more to the story.
The same can be said about Ace. What does the sheriff have on him? A few slivers of plot points were given that helped frame some of his reasoning, like the sheriff blackmailing Ace over a past crime and Ace’s dad previously being on the force. Maybe he got caught up in a drug bust and, instead of being charged, the sheriff forced Ace to narc and spy on people around town? It’s the best lead we have as to why Ace is under his control. Hopefully, the sheriff gets exposed and fired for blackmail!
The haunting of Tiffany Hudson got more interesting when the supporting players were thrown into the mystery. Firstly, George’s mother is a mess. It’s understandable now why George has a tough exterior and takes charge of everything. She practically pulled her mother together to do psychic planning. After Bess got attacked by the poltergeist, George’s mother knew exactly what to do, how to solve the issue, and how to milk the situation for all it’s worth. We’ll no doubt see her again to cause more trouble.
The same goes for Ryan’s dad. There is something about him that just SCREAMS shady murderer and suspect. Theory time: maybe he’s the one who killed Lucy Sable and that’s why Nancy’s parents had to hide the evidence? Carson used to be the Hudsons’ family lawyer, so it’s a possibility. Ryan’s father didn’t care at all about Tiffany’s death. The way he flippantly dismissed Tiffany and how she didn’t give him a grandchild showed how much he valued the image of their marriage. It wouldn’t be shocking if he ordered the autopsy to be faked to protect the Hudson family. He kept pushing that narrative at the funeral.
Laura Tandy was a pleasant new arrival. She’s a good mix of a rebellious anti-hero and potential villain. Based on what we’ve seen of her so far, I can’t quite pinpoint if we should trust her or not. She wants to find Tiffany’s murderer, but she also stole key evidence from Nick that could help the investigation. Plus, she might be playing Ace like a fiddle to get what she wants now that she’s back in town. Right now, she seems more like a good guy and could help Nancy and the group figure out who killed Tiffany. But, if she starts going rogue, there’s a good chance she could become the next victim, especially when the Hudson family is trying desperately to close the case.
Over at the case of Lucy Sable, the spirit has become a tad frustrating. Why hasn’t she openly stated who killed her? She’s leading Nancy deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole mystery, but she’s not being direct with clues that could explain what happened. During “The Haunted Ring,” all she did was drive up the Drews’ electric and appliance bill. Sure, iit’s great that she revealed the connection between her and Karen, but does that play a part in her murder mystery? If not, these pieces of evidence have been filler.
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At least with Tiffany Hudson, her dead spirit pushed the plot forward and threw in some major cliffhangers. Is George now fully possessed by Tiffany’s spirit? Did the mirror break the connection? If not, what will George’s possession reveal of the murder? That’s how you connect a haunting with the murder mystery. Lucy Sable, you have to start giving us leads.
“The Haunted Ring” paid its respects to Tiffany Hudson, but the twists nearly woke the dead from the screams of shock. The main mysteries felt imbalanced to one another as Tiffany’s case had more weight to it while Lucy’s mystery kept playing games. The characters revealed more details about themselves that helped shed light on their motives and warmed us up to them as people (Nancy paying a visit to her mother’s grave broke my heart!). While not as fun as previous episodes, “The Haunted Ring” was essential for providing a background to the characters and mysteries that were introduced prior.
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