The long-awaited revenge against Everett Hudson on Nancy Drew will finally stick this time. No more last-minute deals, no family scandals, no poltergeists in the mix. “The Judgement of the Perilous Captive” brought down Horseshoe Bay’s tyrant in a crime that he couldn’t escape from. Check another win for the Drew Crew as they have the videotaped proof to send Everett behind bars. This was one of those Nancy Drew cases that feels so satisfying when the bad guy gets defeated.
“The Judgement of the Perilous Captive” toyed with the idea of how far Nancy would go to take down the villain. Previously, the Drew Crew would secure evidence, defeat ghosts, and/or dive deeper into the mysteries to solve their cases. The group would successfully get the criminals arrested due to their investigative skills in a legally (somewhat grey) space. Nancy, in this case, took matters into her own hands to try to get the confession of Everett killing Celia. Her tactic felt like her inner Hudson side had emerged to take the wheel; she would’ve killed Everett out of revenge if she hadn’t figured out he had nothing to do with Celia’s death. Her Drew side could’ve been taken over had she not listened to her gut.
The problem with Nancy kidnapping Everett was that his confession would’ve been inadmissible in any court of law. If he had murdered Celia, any confession made would’ve come after his life was put at risk and threatened by his kidnappers. Everett could claim that he lied while making that confession because he was afraid for his life and the courts probably would’ve believed him. Nancy and Gil, on the other hand, would be the ones sent to prison for kidnapping and coercion. They’re lucky that they and Ryan were able to pin him down on another crime (and with recorded proof) because their involvement was only after the fact and they didn’t need his confession to prove he did it. Everett killed his brother; nothing he could say would change that.
Based on Celia’s prenup with Everett, does that mean Nancy is now a millionaire? Everett won’t get anything from Celia’s estate since she died, and since Ryan was her next living heir, Nancy would theoretically get some of that since she’s Ryan’s daughter. Plus, Everett couldn’t block any attempt to stop Ryan and Nancy from inheriting Celia’s estate since he didn’t have control of it. The same goes for the Hudson company and holdings as well when the time comes; Everett won’t have the power to stop them.
Celia’s killer being revealed as the organization was a bittersweet moment. Everett turning out to be the killer would’ve been expected, but it would tie to the powerful tyrannical image that Nancy Drew had painted him. Instead, the emotional brunt of Celia’s death got planted squarely on Nancy since Celia risked her life to help her granddaughter. It’s a shame Nancy will have to deal with the effect of having the death of another family member on her conscience (like Lucy Sable and Sara Drew). At least she’ll know that Celia loved and cared about her. Celia spent her final moments helping Nancy dig for that information; it ultimately killed her, but she risked it for her family.
Could this be the beginning of Gil’s farewell? He would’ve taken that deal with Everett if Nancy and Ryan had not stepped in a few times. The last instance may have been to fool Everett, but his earlier motivation was still there—Gil wanted that money and the chance to get away from Horseshoe Bay. Plus, his lashing out at Nancy showed a very frustrated side; he was not happy with how Nancy did things or how she planned to get the confession. Both of them want different things and it will only be a matter of time before Gil takes the opportunity to leave. There’s no future for Gil and Nancy’s relationship.
The B-storyline of the Wraith being tied to Nancy was a surprising reveal that came from left-field. Did anyone else notice the warning sides of the creature messing with Nancy’s head? All of those references flew over my head when the montage showed how the Wraith manipulated her. It’s clever how they did this reveal; each instance was so subtle that you couldn’t tell something outright was off. Nancy had simply changed throughout the season to the point that she wasn’t the same person from the first season anymore. Hopefully, the Drew Crew can find a way to get rid of the Wraith. If the creature holds on for too long, it could kill (or seriously harm) our favorite investigator.
Nick’s rise to power was another change that “The Judgement of the Perilous Captive” highlighted as both a positive and negative side to the character. Firstly, him taking a stand against the coffee shop owner and getting the job down for his community center was a proud moment. It’s great that Nick wasn’t going to let anyone push him around anymore or tell him what he to do; he made his moves and will do whatever he wants in Horseshoe Bay.
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The negative, however, is that this could be a slippery slope. “The Judgement of the Perilous Captive” was not the first time where wealth in Horseshoe Bay had changed this town or its people. Let’s not forget how Everett and Celia Hudson tried to get rid of Lucy Sable, or Everett’s part in the Bonnie Scott sinking/secret committee. Nick admitted (proudly) that he’s super-rich and could do what he wants. Sure, he used that to get petty revenge against a café owner, but if someone or something else gets in his way, how long will it take before he uses those means to get his way?
“The Judgement of the Perilous Captive” was a concise and confined story that focused its energy on taking down one of Nancy Drew’s biggest villains. It took two seasons before Everett Hudson was defeated, and this time it looks to be the final nail in his coffin. Now, the attention can be placed on the next big players, like secret organizations and the ghosts running rampage in Horseshoe Bay. Both are deadly, but the Wraith might be the biggest threat before the story gets wrapped up for Season 2.
Nancy Drew airs new episodes Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on The CW and streams Thursdays on cwtv.com.
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