There have been a lot of different versions of Nancy Drew. The titular character debuted as a teen detective in 1930 in a series of children's books by Carolyn Keene. Since then, there have been multiple series of novels, television shows, movies, and video games. Nancy is as big of a part of mystery pop culture as Sherlock Holmes and Scooby-Doo.
The CW has a new Nancy Drew for the small screen. She lives in Horseshoe Bay, a town haunted by metaphorical ghosts as well as real ones. Though the first season was cut short at 18 episodes with production halted near the end of the season, those 18 episodes spent solving the murders of Tiffany Hudson and Lucy Sable made an impression. According to the Internet Movie Database, fans certainly preferred the latter half of the season with all of those episodes, ranking at least 8.0 out of 10. Here is a look at the best episodes of the season, ranked according to their IMDb scores.
The Hidden Staircase (8.0)
This episode picks up after a cliffhanger: George’s little sister Ted goes missing. In addition to George and Nick getting closer while they search for her, Nancy flashes back to her first solved mystery when she was 12, which also involves a missing little girl.
The episode sees Nancy and her father starting to mend some of the rift that has grown between them, but it also demonstrates that Lucy is not the only ghostly figure with whom Nancy has had contact in her life.
The Mark Of The Poisoner’s Pearl (8.1)
When Nancy discovers that Tiffany Hudson did not die of natural causes, but a very rare poison, she starts looking into old cases. Her investigation makes her a target of a serial poisoner which means George and Nick have to bail her out of trouble.
Bess and Owen become more friendly as he comes to her with proof that she is a Marvin. She is finally on the path to discovering the family she never knew, but it later proves to be a bit more complicated.
The Terror Of Horseshoe Bay (8.2)
This episode features one of the biggest moments of trust in the season, as well as one super creepy ritual asking a spirit for help. When Nancy looks further into Tiffany's poisoning, she suggests that the same poison is missing from police evidence. She charges that Karen swapped it out for water to help Lucy’s brother get revenge on the Hudsons. Ace, trusting Nancy’s judgment, drinks the evidence vial, proving that she is right.
As the group realizes that they need more than an empty vial to clear Carson Drew of murdering Lucy Sable, they reach out to an entity known as the aglaeca for help, a decision that has consequences for season two.
The Phantom Of Bonny Scot (8.2)
While Bess meets her aunt and Nancy tries to get her father out of jail, George tries to find a way to save The Claw from going under and being sold. Ultimately, she and Nick decide to become business partners.
Nancy also gets an introduction to the one person who survived the sinking of the Bonny Scot. A man haunted by his own guilt, Bashiir has not revealed the truth about the ship because he fears deportation. Nancy helps him get through his haunting and finds a way to get Everett Hudson arrested.
The Lady Of Larkspur Lane (8.4)
When Nancy decides she wants to pay a visit to Lucy Sable’s mother, she recruits Nick and George to help her break into the asylum where the woman lives. The three get a little help from a man named Sal, but things do not exactly go as planned.
Sal believes that the asylum is haunted by the family that lived there before it became a medical facility, specifically in a wing sealed off from the public. When Nancy goes to investigate, she winds up trapped, waking up in a dream world where her mother is still alive.
The Whisper Box (8.4)
This is definitely one of the most intriguing episodes of the season. While Nancy is “haunted” in the asylum, she experiences a world where her mother still lives, she and George are best friends, and she went away to college.
While trapped in this dream world, Nancy has moments where she understands the reality of her situation. Bess and Ace are able to break through to her, talking to her comatose body in the real world. Her dream-state leads her to visit the historical society and view a video made by Tiffany Hudson. It is at this point that the mystery starts to come together as Nancy understands that Tiffany was killed in connection with Lucy Sable’s own death.
The Sign Of The Uninvited Guest (8.5)
14 episodes into the season, Nancy decides to reenact the events of the pilot. In order to discover just what happened on the night of Tiffany’s murder, she has everyone back at The Claw to go over every little detail.
What Nancy and her friends realize is that Tiffany ended up with food meant for Ryan. It is Ryan who was really the target, allowing Nancy to discover that Lucy Sable’s brother intended to kill him. It marks a huge revelation for the season, but there is even more to come.
The Girl In The Locket (8.7)
When the group realizes that they have to pay a price for the aglaeca or risk all of their souls being taken, they go to extreme measures to do it. Namely, they perform yet another ritual in the middle of the night.
Nancy ropes Ryan Hudson into helping, though she doesn’t give him all the details about why she needs his help, wanting to keep that a secret just a bit longer. It leads to an angry confrontation between the two, but he still helps her in the end.
The Clue In The Captain’s Painting (9.0)
The unexpected season finale, this episode does a fantastic job of closing out the season. Nancy has to solve the murder of one of the members of her group, and she does it but with nearly dire consequences. This episode also sets up a tease of what is to come with each of the remaining members of the group receiving visions of how they will die from the aglaeca.
The standout moment, however, has to be George confronting Ryan about their former relationship. She lets him know just how much he has twisted her perception of relationships, lightening the weight on her shoulders enough for her to attempt to pursue one with Nick.
The Haunting Of Nancy Drew (9.3)
It is no wonder that this episode ranks in the top spot. It has got a great bit of comedy as the group tries to hide Lucy Sable’s bones from investigating police in The Claw. It also features one of the most emotional performances from Kennedy McMann as Nancy as the character takes the stand during her father’s trial.
Nancy does not just prove her father innocent, however. She also learns the truth about what happened to Lucy that fateful night, and how it affects her. The revelation is one of the most jaw-dropping moments of the season.