Very odd ret-con of the time frame for the show. I thought the series started a year after Nancy’s Mom passed.
From my perspective, they didn’t have to stipulate that this episode was 1 year after her Mom’s passing.
Nancy was such a mess with respect to her mother’s passing, and then the discovery that the Drews were not her birth parents, that having this anniversary be difficult for Nancy would have worked, even if it was the 2nd or 3rd anniversary of her mother’s death.
While the meaning of the day hangs over Nancy’s head, she wants a normal day.
Let’s face it, a supernatural body switch is pretty much Wednesday for this group.
Nancy’s only able to avoid dealing with the anniversary for so long.
She encourages Ace to go on the fishing with his father she accidentally scheduled. The day has made her cognizant of the importance of the memories they’ll make.
Nancy finally let everyone know what was going on with her. They had her back, showing up when she invited them to help her mark the day the way her mother would have wanted.
It feels like we’ve had more moments like this this season than in earlier seasons.
It’s moments like the cake fight that keep me so engaged with these characters and their adventures.
I knew Ryan’s new gig as artifact hunter was going to be entertaining.
The Glasses swapped the artifact he ordered with something that caused the body swap.
I’m guessing they were counting on creating mass chaos.
If The Claw had been open for business (Loved the sign: “Opening late….again”.) ,they would have gotten the chaos they were after.
Actually, I don’t think anyone actually altered their plans for the day.
Unfortunately for Ryan, it looks like his problems with the Glasses are only going to get worse.
Everyone adjusts to the swap pretty smoothly.
Bess lands in Nick’s body, and, after evaluating Nick’s studliness, she heads for the Town Council candidate meeting.
To be honest, I was expecting Bess to improvise parts of Nick’s speech. But she didn’t.
She even managed to channel Nick when the woman from FFTH asked about Nick’s support of “the extremist” who runs the Historical Society.
Her response was very politic. Nick won the seat.
However, Nick turned down the seat. He’s going to focus on fighting the FFTH.
His assessment of Mrs. Farquar and her definition of keeping Horseshoe Bay safe was awesome. I do love his idea of opening a secret satellite office of the Historical Society.
The only problem I see, in the short term, is the inability to get to the supplies currently locked up in the main Historical Society building.
George landed in Bess’ body.
I can’t help but think that, had Bess been in her own body, the man following her would have been missed.
George’s task for the day was to cancel an appointment Bess (illegally) made with a pair of brothers who need Bess’ help.
But hearing their story, George is reminded of her mother and what her “gift” has done to George and her sisters.
George empathizes and takes them to Bess.
It doesn’t seem to be that involved a spell, but since Bess no longer has access to the Historical Society’s containment unit, the best they can do is a pickle jar sent to the bottom of the ocean.
If we had more seasons, I wouldn’t be surprised if that curse came back to bite someone. Hopefully Mrs. Farquar.
Nancy maintains her focus on finding The Black Door.
Last week Ron’s ghost told her the door was in Town Hall.
So, of course, Nancy broke into Horseshoe Bay’s current Town Hall. She did not find the door, but she did manage to avoid getting arrested.
The building that served as Town Hall 200 years ago is now the yacht club.
Ace finds a clue in the town’s public records. A man was arrested for murdering his co-worker 20 years ago.
When he was arrested, he begged the police to let him get to The Black Door.
The police report contained the specific location, but, of course, it was redacted.
I interpret that to mean Horseshoe Bay’s powerful wanted that secret kept.
I’m suddenly wondering if the rich and powerful in Horseshoe Bay are using the FFTH to keep their secrets locked down and get rid of anyone that threatens the status quo.
Bess rocks the boat.
But if TPTB can use the FFTH to shut Bess up, then their hands remain clean.
If I am anywhere close to the right track here, maybe we’re looking at a moment where they move against Nancy.
Ace’s father, Thom, was able to point Nancy to the specific area inside the yacht club where the arrest occurred.
Once the Drew Crew returned to their proper bodies, Nancy went back to the yacht club and found The Black Door….which was as freaky as promised.
When she read that inscription aloud I worried that she was going to wind up trapped.
You never read the creepy writing out loud!
She (wisely) ran away terrified, but was wise enough to grab all the ancient tomes she could carry.
Now we have a name for the creepy monster.
The Sin Eater.
Next up, finding a way to kill The Sin Eater.
This episode was loaded with story. The writers managed to service the entire regular cast and make significant movement on the arc stories.
As you can probably tell, they have grabbed me with the mystery of The Black Door.
Rating: 8
We’ve got a name for the monster of the season! Nick decided to take on Families for Truth in History his way. The episode lost a point from me when they played with the series timeline. The season’s mystery has me hooked.
