Nancy Drew Fans! Grab your magnifying glasses and get ready! Today is the day that our favorite sleuth returns to TV, so tune into the CW tonight after Riverdale to watch the show's premiere. And if you're in the mood for more hauntingly good fun, join us for a Nancy Drew mystery weekend in Haunted Savannah, GA October 25 and 26 at the Nancy Drew Convention!
As one of the ultimate Nancy Drew Fans out there, I can't tell you how thrilled I am to not only see her back on TV, but in a way that is more fitting to the brand and character than previous attempts in recent years. The cast is great and Kennedy McMann was an amazing choice to play Nancy Drew - she's also been a fan and a player of the popular Her Interactive Nancy Drew Computer Games.
I screened the Nancy Drew pilot recently and having already seen the script, it
was so much fun to see how it all came to life from the bare bones of
the script to the vivid detail on screen. Horseshoe Bay is just like
River Heights, a hotbed of crime and mystery. And Nancy Drew, though
modernized, is just like her old self - bold and daring and determined
to get to the bottom of things and right wrongs. And we wouldn't want
her any other way.
Every generation of fans has had
their "Nancy Drew." In order to stay fresh and relevant to new
generations, she has to stay relevant and has consistently been revamped
along the near 90 year history of the series. As long as her essential
character isn't changed, she's capable of adapting to any era. For some
fans, it's not what they're used to, and that's OK. For others, we're
excited to see her inspiring new generations and entertaining us along
the way. There is romance to be found, but it's not graphic and it's a back burner to the mystery as the episode is mostly about the murder and the backstory of Dead Lucy. So, like the books, mystery is the main focus. After all that's Nancy Drew's true love - she's a mystery magnet!
If you want to learn more about Nancy Drew's mysterious 90 year old history - visit my website for there are a lot of
clues to solve that puzzler. You can also follow along as I'm working on a biography of the first Carolyn Keene, Mildred Wirt Benson, who
ghosted the books from the beginning - 23 of the first 30 and was a real life Nancy Drew in her own right.
I won't spoil anything here, but just know that the episode delivers and I enjoyed the suspense and mysteriousness of it. The episode opens with Lucy, the infamous Sea Queen who falls mysteriously to her death and whose ghost appears to haunt Horseshoe Bay - a running mystery that will carry us throughout the season. Nancy, true to herself notes, "I don't believe in ghosts. I believe in looking for the truth." We segue through recent events in Nancy's life that have changed her focus - including her Mom's passing. She's existing and trying to find her way, tangled up with Bess and George who are working with her at The Claw. Ned - "Nick" - is her love interest, but there are complications to come. Her relationship with her father Carson is strained and the town's Police Chief McGinnis has clearly been bested one too many times by Nancy from all the cases she's solved. Then a murder happens, changing the course of Nancy's drudgery and fires up her sleuthing instincts which have been buried a bit after her Mom died. She just can't help herself and we are ready to sleuth along with her and solve the mystery.
There are Easter Eggs for fans of the classic series - the attic scene so reminiscent of the spooky scenes from The Secret of the Old Attic and it's iconic covers. Cases she solved in the past - like The Hidden Staircase. There are elements of the classic mysteries - flashlights and sleuthing tools. Searching for hidden spots - like the false bottom in a night stand. And you'll see the end of the episode - the placemat from The Claw has a lot of fun detail for fans. And then there are really cool classic tie-ins as we have Pamela Sue Martin joining the cast for a cameo as Harriet, a psychic medium who helps Nancy figure out a clue. As most of you know, Pamela played Nancy Drew in the 1970s TV Show - one of the most successful television adaptations of classic Nancy Drew. I hope to see her in future episodes as fans love those kinds of tie-ins.
Ultimately, the cast and crew are working so hard to adapt Nancy Drew to the modern era yet stay true to her classic roots as those roots are what has made her so popular for so long and have been entrenched into the fandom. I can't wait to see what happens with Dead Lucy and the socialite murder as it plays out in future episodes and I hope you'll join me tonight in watching the show.
We'll be discussing it over at the Facebook Group - Nancy Drew Book Fans - so if you're not on there, join us.
Images courtesy of CW
2 comments:
I understand ND needs to change with the times, but I'm not sure I'll be sticking with this Pretty-Little-Liars/Riverdale version. I've watched two episodes and -- so far -- nothing has compelled me enough to make this must-see. I'd like to see how the mystery plays out, but I can do that reading recaps and not giving up hours of my viewing time. Maybe it'll get better and pull me in as it goes along, but for now, meh...
I tried really hard to like this version of Nancy Drew but bailed after episode 4. Kennedy looks like Nancy but that's about it. The writers have made her whiney and unlikable and everyone else is do far removed from their original descriptions that it is just painful.
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