I’m finally ready to talk about The Maiden’s Rage - if you’re interested in an in depth analysis, I’m planning a series of posts as there’s just too many amazing scenes and too much to cover. I’ll be going into detail on the subtext of scenes, callbacks to earlier seasons, behind the scenes clues, and discussion of the more ‘uncomfy’ bits as well (I’ll preface with a trigger warning) as there is so much to unpack.
Starting with George - she and Leah had an absolutely stellar episode. Seeing George come into her own, her confidence in her abilities, her maturity in her relationship with Nick, her realization that her mentor had failed her, and then her determination to understand the mystery of the case and ultimately the town water supply, from beginning to end was breathtaking. Also, she looked amazing in every fit. Kudos to Leah and to the costume dept!
Speaking of kudos, the visuals in this whole episode are outstanding. Nancy and Ace, as George so astutely puts it, start out together but not too together, mirroring the tension between them as they navigate this next stage of their relationship. We left off Episode 1 where Ace ran to Icarus Hall (swoon), leading to Nancy finally confessing they’re cursed. We’ve jumped to the next day (presumably) and Nancy doesn’t want to risk telling Ace anything else, believing that it won’t make a difference, while Ace still wants to know everything (not the last time he says it).
Ace’s admitting he went to Bess for moral support is something we’ll see more of in the episode - it’s a good thing he has his Platanchor because he’s in for a rough ride. Nancy’s teary “You will die” reminds me of the S3 finale opening scene, “I won’t let him die.” In both cases she believes she’s doing the right thing - she’s already lost so many people she loves. The difference now is Ace is finally clued into what’s going on and doesn’t accept her keeping things from him.
Ace’s journey from the 213 Claw deck scene where Nancy successfully pushes him away, “Not my place to say,” and here, where he relentlessly pushes her for the truth, “What aren’t you telling me?” shows how far he’s come.
But Nancy continues to “make the call” and shut him out, not unlike S3’s Piper Beach episode when she overrides Bess’s opinion. Nancy’s tendency to dismiss the feelings and opinions of those closest to her when she’s under pressure is already in full force, well before the poisoned water begins to affect her behavior.
Ace’s expression reminds me of the Amanda breakup scene in 306 - the mixture of anger, frustration, and sadness about someone he loves is written all over his face.
As a break from the turmoil, I loved the introduction of Jade, and can’t wait to see how their and Nick’s relationship progresses. Nick and Bess have a rare but hilarious scene together, with a chance to gently poke fun at Nick’s (and Tunji’s) lack of social media savvy. I have to agree with George that he could lose the hat.
Back in the locker room, the fight continues with Ace getting increasingly angry that Nancy’s holding out on him, pleading for her to let him in because “I’m in this curse too,” while Nancy is “trying to be strong.” Oh, Nancy. Visually it evokes Nancy and Ace’s S1 fight in 107, this time with Ace coming down the stairs to confront Nancy instead of the other way around.
This feels like it could become a theme for them, with a struggle between Nancy’s desire to keep Ace safe at the cost of his autonomy. I’m glad they’re exploring this, even though it’s difficult to see them fight when all we want to do is bang them together like Barbies and make them kiss already.
With the entrance of Tristan, things get even more awkward, Ace furious but begrudgingly admiring Tristan’s ‘solid’ boat name, Jolene, the famous ‘other’ woman. Tristan (that hussy) flirts with Nancy shamelessly, but doesn’t know what to make of Ace’s instant classic line:
“I made it this morning.” 💀 I love him so much. Visually Tristan starts out in the middle (just like Ace between Nancy and her love interests in past seasons), but later the perspective changes with Ace in the middle and with his back to us. This foreshadowing of the inevitable love triangle is making me sad 😔 .
Back to the mystery, Nancy and Ace respond to George’s call for help to investigate Judge Abbott’s strange behavior before his heart attack. Nancy assures George “we’ll figure it out, that’s what we do.” Ace’s silent response is absolutely devastating. His expression and body language scream, “You’re willing to figure things out for George, why not for us?”
The supernatural poison is about to turn Nancy into Bro-Nancy, but I’m out of room and I have a lot more screencaps. This was literally just the first seven minutes (and I skipped Bess and Addy, but promise to come back to them).
I will probably not shut up about it every time I talk about this episode, but Alex is killing it in every scene, every shot. Kennedy’s incredible turn in this episode is epic, and I can’t wait to dig in next time. But this in many ways Ace’s episode - the range of emotion is so effectively portrayed, often purely with body language and facial expressions. Ace may not be the Maiden, but he has some serious but controlled rage (justified IMO) as he finally advocates for himself and the life he wants with Nancy.
‘Til next time, Drewds!
UPDATE: Part 2 and Part 3
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