Nancy Drew’s newest mystery is poised to be deadlier than the last. During the Season 2 premiere, Nancy and the #DrewCrew encountered the Wraith in their pursuit of the Aglaeca’s mysterious mirror. “The Search for the Midnight Wraith” was a heart-pounding tease for events yet to come as it re-established key storylines and expanded the paranormal world in Horseshoe Bay. It’s all the elements of a juicy mystery that you can’t stop watching, and based on the premiere, the Aglaeca (and the many foes who might pop up) are ramping things up for a successful second season.
The Aglaeca didn’t formally appear, but their presence was felt throughout the majority of plots and dialogue. I loved the touches added that involved the murder curses. Details like Ace’s hook turning the towel bloody so it couldn’t be covered or Nick’s truck returning to the diner emphasized the seriousness of the Aglaeca’s mission. The group is facing a death curse and it’s not something they can easily solve. With Nancy Drew Season 1, the haunting of Lucy Sable felt more like a poltergeist causing trouble for a murder-mystery that needed to be solved. In this case, the mystery is to prevent the Aglaeca from killing, so the tone overall has felt vastly different. The tension and fear have already started to pull in the interest.
Between the death curses, George and Nick’s deaths are easily preventable. Seriously, just don’t get in that truck! Even though it was returned, they don’t have to get back into it. Also, Ace can find ways to stay out of the meat locker to not get hooked and Nancy can keep away from the cliffs. Bess, on the other hand, isn’t so lucky—getting caught on fire could happen anywhere! Bess needs to watch her back because, in her conniving family, someone could try to make a move against her to attain more power.
The mystery of the Wraith was an interesting encounter for the group to face for the start of the new season. At this point, any urban legends they hear in Horseshoe Bay should just be considered as fact since they keep popping up. The creature was terrifying, it preyed on a trait we all can relate to (i.e., fear), and the design could give nightmares if you encountered it deep in the woods. Granted, the Wraith was a little too conveniently defeated when trapped in the bus with fire, but the creature seemed like a tough enemy. It’s a shame that more members of the Drew Crew didn’t encounter the creature before heading into the woods to find Gil. I would’ve loved to see more of the terror surrounding the premiere.
Speaking of Gil, hopefully, he and his twin sister Amanda return for more mysteries. Nancy Drew spent a good bit of time building their sibling dynamic and emphasizing how strong of a bond they had. Plus, the twins had a long history of petty crimes and skills that could translate for Nancy’s ongoing mystery portfolio. Both Gil and Amanda could easily fit into the Drew Crew’s world as guest recurring characters who pop up for the occasional case or scam. And based on how Gil kept negotiating to take more of Nancy’s money, the Bobbsey twins will do anything for a big payday, including working for or against the Drew Crew. Sometimes it’s nice to have neutral antagonists who will do anything that benefits only their agendas in the grand scheme.
Outside of the Wraith mystery, does anyone else think Nancy will form a new bond with Ryan Hudson? The pair got pretty chummy after the whole breaking-and-entering/theft arrest, and Ryan popped up a lot to help his newfound daughter. Their character development will be an interesting one to watch because they had been adversaries for a while who couldn’t find common ground. Plus, now they share a secret that could potentially shake things in Horseshoe Bay. Maybe they’ll slowly start fostering a new type of friendship?
On the other hand, the biggest indicator for their future will hinge on when Ryan’s father discovers the truth of Nancy’s paternity. Mr. Hudson likes to clean up messes, and with his mysterious group of allies in town, he has the power to corrupt and force his hand. Ryan’s family tried to get rid of Lucy earlier, and when they discover that baby became Nancy, that reveal could lead to a lot of small-town drama. Especially if that drama connects to the family drama Bess is dealing with.
For Nancy’s other parent drama, she was too tough on Carson. Sure, her father hid the truth from her all these years and continued to omit it during the Lucy Sable haunting, but the birth was a serious conversation that couldn’t have been revealed lightly. The pair needs to chat it out and work on their issues; it’ll be a shame to lose their father/daughter dynamic when she’s started letting in her friends into her life.
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“The Search for the Midnight Wraith” was an enjoyable introduction to the newest adventure in Horseshoe Bay. The title credits received a flashy new intro scene to welcome the Aglaeca and the characters reacted as such to their new life-threatening environment. Nancy Drew Season 2 is giving us stakes for the lives of the Drew Crew; anything could happen during the following mysteries. So far, the mystery has hooked us in.
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