#Nancy Drew Season 2 Episode 5 Review: The Drowned Woman

There were so many jaw-dropping, heart-pounding, and tear-jerking moments on Nancy Drew Season 2 Episode 5 that it’s hard to even find a place to begin. 

The Drew Crew’s day of death came to pass and surviving it was no easy feat. There were so many roadblocks in their way that giving up seemed like the best option. 

But Nancy and her friends persevered, as they always do. And in the best episode to date, the series emphasized the bond between five young adults who have become each other’s family. 

It was surprising that the Drew Crew took on the Aglaeca so early in the episode. It was less surprising that their plan to sand the Aglaeca to death wasn’t a success. 

The key to Nancy Drew is realizing that no plan these characters make in advance is going to work out. Each idea will continue to lead to another until they finally hit the nail on the head. Usually, that ends up happening seconds before someone dies. 

But Nancy does her best thinking when she’s under pressure, and there’s nothing like a giant sea monster screaming in your face to get your brain working into overdrive. 

Nick: So that’s it then. The Aglaeca can’t be destroyed.

Nancy: Not with violence. But, we can appeal to the human the monster once was.

“The Drowned Woman” concluded a story that’s been going on for quite some time. The Aglaeca has finally been defeated, not through violence, but the power of love. 

It sounds cliché at first, but love is a powerful weapon. And I say, use all the weapons at your disposal. 

As they do most things, Nancy Drew executed the “love saves the day” notion flawlessly. It wasn’t cheesy, and it didn’t come off in a way that made it feel overused. Nancy was able to talk to Odette down by reminding her of the things she should love about herself. 

George: Odette.

Bess: We see you.

Nancy: You are not what they did to you on that ship. You were strength and sadness and fear and passion.

Ace: You were human.

Nick: You were not forgotten.

Nancy: You were loved.

She made Odette realize that she wasn’t a monster. She was an incredible woman who didn’t deserve what happened to her. 

But things never come easy for the Drew Crew, and even after the Aglaeca disappeared in a flash of light the trouble wasn’t over. 

George’s death was hands-down the most emotional moment of the entire series. The worst part of all wasn’t even watching her die, but everyone’s gut-wrenching reactions to it. 

The performance of every actor in this scene was beyond belief. The cast of Nancy Drew needs to be acknowledged for their ability to portray such a wide range of emotions. 

Nick’s reaction was painful, no doubt about it. Tunji Kasim put his all into that scene, and given how hard it was to watch, it must have been downright painful to play. 

George told Nick that she loved him seconds before she bled out, and Nick was so busy trying to comfort her that he didn’t even acknowledge the words that came out of her mouth. 

George: I’m sorry.

Nick: No, no, no! Don’t be sorry!

George: I’m sorry.

Nick: What are you sorry for? No. We’re gonna—

George: I love you.

When George’s last words finally hit him, it just made things worse. It sent Nick into a state we’ve ever seen him in before. 

However, it wasn’t Nick’s reaction that had the largest emotional impact. It was Nancy’s breakdown and desperation that brought the scene to an entirely new level. 

In times of distress, Nancy is often the one who keeps it together. She’ll break down on her own, but never in front of others. Nancy’s a prideful character, and that pride often stops her from forming intimate bonds with the people she cares about.

But, for the first time, Nancy’s walls were busted down. George’s death broke her resolve. Can someone nominate Nancy laying on top of George’s body and sobbing as the most heartbreaking scene of the century?

I’m sorry, Hannah! I can’t lose her! George needs this!
Nancy

Thankfully, the shroud Nancy stole brought George back from the dead. Otherwise, I might have been up in arms. 

The best thing about Nancy Drew is that there’s never a dull moment. As soon as one case closes, another one opens. It’s hard to predict whether this next dilemma will be related to George specifically, or if it will be much bigger. 

In almost every show in history, every time someone comes back from the dead there are consequences. Usually, they’re consequences that affect the person directly. 

If George can see ghosts, it’ll make it a lot easier for the Drew Crew to crack their murder mysteries. And since Horseshoe Bay is quite literally riddled with spirits, she’ll never run out of people to talk to. 

But the ending of “The Drowned Woman” seemed to imply that something much bigger was on the horizon. What did Nancy set free when she opened the archives?

As always, only sleuthing will tell. 

Stray Thoughts: 

• The Drew Crew’s fight was unfortunate, but it was also pretty revealing. Everyone immediately jumped to someone’s defense, and it was interesting to see who stands with who when there is a divide in the group. 

• Did anyone else think George and Nick had it pretty good given the circumstances? Nancy had to wait by herself at the edge of a cliff for her possible death, but George and Nick got to tag-team it in Nick’s truck.

• Ace dropped the bomb that he had a sibling, leaving viewers confused as ever. Given that this is probably who Ace had been trying to contact from the witness protection program, it could be an ongoing mystery of the season. 

• This may be irrelevant now, but I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if the Drew Crew simply didn’t go to their death spots. Would the Aglaeca kill them a different way? What would have happened if Nick and George just left the windows open when the car filled up with water? 

• Nancy and Carson’s long-awaited reconciliation was the highlight of the episode. Not only did Nancy finally forgive him, but she called him dad. This is all we’ve ever wanted from the start. 

Over to you, TV Fanatics. What did you think of “The Drowned Woman?”

Did the Aglaeca storyline come to a satisfying conclusion? What do you think the consequences are of bringing George back from the dead?

Drop a comment down below and let us know your thoughts and predictions. 

And don’t forget that if you missed the episode, you can watch Nancy Drew online right here at TV Fanatic. 

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

Rachel Foertsch is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.