Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 7 Review: The Reaping of Hollow Oak

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This season of Nancy Drew is possibly the most fun and simultaneously the most painful the series has ever been.

But after the laughter and tears of Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 7, I'm not sure how much more I can take. 

Let's face it, The Drew Crew couples are a mess, and it hurts to watch.

Playing The Game - Nancy Drew

We can't really argue with Nick when he says the supernatural ruins the relationship in this Nancy Drew quote. So far, he's right.

From what I can see, the supernatural ruins every relationship it touches.

Nick

Perhaps Bess and Addy are doing well, but we see so little of them that it's difficult to be sure. I'm tired of Horseshoe Bay's one female couple being backburned. 

What Has Nancy Found? - Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 7

George is focused on her career, which is helping her move on from Nick, who is working hard to make things work with Jade.

And Nancy and Ace are just plain miserable. There's really no other word for it.

Ace: Well, this is a mess.
Nancy: The Claw or us?

Don't get me wrong.

The 1980s haunted board game was cool. I know it was a bit of an homage to Jumanji, but it felt like a creepy cross between Dungeons and Dragons and the Game of Life.

The Crew At School - Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 6

The sound effects were a campy throwback, and it was difficult not to laugh at the cliched '80s one-liners ending every takedown of a Shade or a Grimm.

And the mention of how products on store shelves were tampered with in the 1980s, causing several deaths, was a nice, although scary, nod to some realism.

Nick: I did some digging. This isn't the first 80's toy with haunted qualities. Deadly one-of-a-kind kids' objects, each with supernatural entities tethered to them, were snuck onto shelves all over New England. The mystery remains unsolved.
Nancy: It's like when bottles of pain killer were laced with cyanide in Chicago in 1982. People died.
George: Some nut laced toys with evil. That's what we're up against?

Nick owned this installment! He's generally a hero for using his intelligence and being calm and level-headed, which is what made watching him turn into the classic '80s action hero all the more epic.

But there was this underlying sadness throughout the show that took away from the fun.

Playing a Game - Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 7

Nick is desperately trying to hold onto Jade, and I like Jade. Under other circumstances, they'd be people I'd root for as a couple.

The problem is Nick and George were a better couple. I'm holding out hope that they find their way back together, but with each passing installment, that hope fades.

If it weren't for the series coming to an end, I'd be willing to be more patient.

I'm thrilled that George is working with Carson and finding her path.

Carson being open about his dyslexia allowed George to realize she may have ADHD and that it's okay. It's something she can deal with, not something that has to be hidden or hold her back.

Carson Helps George - Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 1

Carson as George's mentor, has been a highlight of Nancy Drew Season 4, and I want more.

But I also loved George and Nick as a couple. I can picture them being the powerful political couple in Horseshoe Bay, with him on the town council and her as an attorney! That's something I never would have imagined during Nancy Drew Season 1.

We haven't seen anything about Carson's personal life since he decided to go to the widower's support group.

Ryan flirted with a woman a couple of episodes back, but that's the closest thing we've seen of him in a relationship since his wife was killed.

And then we're back to Nancy and Ace.

Sharing a Moment - Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 1

Ace's bandaid getting torn off of his bite wound from Chunky Velez seemed to be a metaphor for what was to come.

Nancy was angry at Ace for letting Chunky go free, but being angry was likely easier than feeling anything else. And how much space can Nancy and Ace realistically give one another? Horseshoe Bay isn't that big of a town. 

Watching Nancy with tears streaming down her face while on her knees, cleaning the mess at The Claw while Ace walked out the door was too much to bear.

Seeing our favorite couple in agonizing pain loses its appeal fast. When will Nancy and Ace decide that they need to break this curse? Allowing Temperance to torment them for the rest of their lives, even now that she's dead, is all kinds of wrong. I expect more from our dynamic duo and their friend.

Bess isn't about to let the Families For Truth in History scare her away from the work that she loves, but the Drew Crew is letting Temperance bully Nancy and Ace apart.

Bess is Serious - Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 4

Just last week, they battled a giant spider that could have eaten them alive. What could be worse than that?

Jade: You been up to anything exciting?
Nick: I did help a friend with a spider situation.
Jade: You do spiders? I will take out every fly in your orbit if I never have to face another arachnid.

So what do you think, Nancy Drew fans?

Am I being too hard on our favorite couple and their friends? Is a death curse more than they can battle?

And am I the only one rooting for a Nick and George reunion, or are you okay with seeing Nick move on with Jade?

Listening To a Confession - Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 4

Also, should I stop beating my drum over more screen time for Bess and Addy?

Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below to tell us what you think, and then check back in for our Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 8 review.

And remember, you can watch Nancy Drew online here at TV Fanatic. 

The Reaping of Hollow Oak Review

Editor Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
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Rating: 4.8 / 5.0 (51 Votes)

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.

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Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 7 Quotes

Nick: I did some digging. This isn't the first 80's toy with haunted qualities. Deadly one-of-a-kind kids' objects, each with supernatural entities tethered to them, were snuck onto shelves all over New England. The mystery remains unsolved.
Nancy: It's like when bottles of pain killer were laced with cyanide in Chicago in 1982. People died.
George: Some nut laced toys with evil. That's what we're up against?

Jade: You been up to anything exciting?
Nick: I did help a friend with a spider situation.
Jade: You do spiders? I will take out every fly in your orbit if I never have to face another arachnid.