The idea that the creature is perhaps somehow connected to the Marvin clan is an intriguing one. (And an extremely disgusting Swamp Thing-esque appearance. No episode of Nancy Drew is complete without a terrifying supernatural element, however, and that comes in the continued presence of the Aglaeca, the vengeful sea spirit with an apparently more complicated history than we previously understood. (I honestly feel bad for writing the character of Ace off as a pointless slacker in earlier episodes. McMann’s scenes with Alex Saxon are also especially strong, and the kind, unassuming friendship that sprang up between Nancy and Ace has rapidly become one of the best things about the series’ first season. (See also: Being shut up in a sanitarium that was possessed by an evil spirit, learning her son was a killer, developing dementia.) The two women could certainly bond, and her presence could provide a kinder alternative to the Hudson relatives who will inevitably have some fairly harsh opinions about Nancy’s arrival in the family. Besides the fact that she’ll likely want to learn more about the woman who gave birth to her than what’s revealed in the lyrics of a creepy children’s rhyme, Patrice is maybe the only character on the show who’s had it as rough as Nancy has this year.
That said, Nancy’s confession to Patrice Dodd that she’s her granddaughter was surprisingly affecting, and one hopes we might see the two of them attempt to forge some sort of relationship next season. Even if the whole “my mother gave birth to me and then immediately jumped/fell off a cliff” thing doesn’t get any less bizarre every time she tells it. Kennedy McMann gives an especially nuanced performance here, balancing Nancy’s grief over Owen’s death, her guilt over the fact that her presence in his life helped bring it about, and her ongoing emotional confusion regarding what has basically been the entire upending of her life over the past 48 hours. (Even if it’s just yet another thing to add to her inevitable therapy bills.) That Owen’s murderer turns out to be a regular human person – Lucy Sable’s brother Joshua, already named as the killer of Tiffany Hudson – feels a bit convenient, though the bittersweet revelation that he died trying to protect Nancy is a nice touch. There’s an unfortunate lack of Nancy and Her Two Dads drama, but all the more grist for next season, I guess? Carson is conspicuously absent given that his daughter’s boyfriend has just been viciously killed, but Ryan does at least try to make sure Nancy’s okay, even if his attempt to insert himself into the proceedings is awkward and generally unwelcome, at best. In theory, the remaining story from this season is meant to be folded into the drama’s sophomore year, and “The Clue in the Captain’s Portrait” does work as a set-up of things to come. After all, Nancy Drew did so many unexpected things this year – including solving both Lucy and Tiffany’s murders, revealing Nancy’s real parentage and killing off Owen Marven, all with nearly a half dozen episodes still to go – what might a real season finale have looked like? Yet, it’s hard not to pine, a little bit, for the four episodes of Season 1 that will never exist, and the original ending creator Noga Landau envisioned. There’s a lot here that’s really satisfying, from both a narrative and a character perspective.
George even gets to address the uncomfortable elephant in the room that is her affair with the man who turned out to be her best friend’s father, proclaim her self worth, and choose a future with Nick, whatever that may end up looking like. Narratively speaking, the hour largely works as a stopping point for the season – Owen’s murder is solved, there’s a certain amount of closure between Nancy and Lucy Sable’s remaining relatives, and the Drew Crew gets to reaffirm their friendship over drinks at The Claw. “The Clue in the Captain’s Painting” is being promoted as Nancy Drew’s “spring finale,” thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that’s wreaked havoc on virtually everything in the world over the past few weeks, including television production timelines. This Nancy Drew review contains spoilers.
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