The Big Nancy Drew Fan Meltdown of 2019

On September 9, I wrote, "We are one month away from what could be the big Nancy Drew fan meltdown of 2019."  The original draft title of that post was "The Big Nancy Drew Fan Meltdown of 2019."  I changed it to "Figuring Out My Nancy Drew" after I decided on the approach I wanted to take.  That worked out well, since the title remained available for the actual meltdown.

The Nancy Drew fan meltdown played out exactly as I expected.  Fans could not deal with Nancy Drew having sex, so they went into complete hysteria over the show.  It was quite bad and rather embarrassing.  And it's not over.  I assume that Nancy will continue to have sex each week, and if so, the meltdown will continue for months.  How splendid.

Those of us who have been active in the online forums since the late 1990s and have been subscribers to series book magazines such as Yellowback Library did not have a meltdown.  Several expressed the opinion that they would have preferred for the sex not to have been in the show but stated that they enjoyed the show.  That is my opinion as well.  At least one of these fans is very against the sex but did not have a meltdown over it.  These fans are almost always very reasonable and grounded in their views about Nancy Drew and modern projects.  We want Nancy Drew to remain viable and understand that she will be modernized for current and future generations whether we like it or not.

Other fans were extremely angry, so much so that I question why they have so much anger over a fictional character being depicted as having sex in a fictional show.  We are talking about extreme anger.  They act like their lives have been ruined by the pilot episode of the Nancy Drew television series.

In fact, a few people actually stated that the show has ruined Nancy Drew for them, that it has ruined all of the books or ruined all of their memories of Nancy Drew.  This is a bit extreme.

Some people said that those of us who enjoyed the show are not "true Nancy Drew fans."  Honestly, that statement could be turned around to say that people who didn't enjoy the show are not "true Nancy Drew fans."  However, that would be mean.  There is nothing wrong with liking or not liking the show.  The problem is that people cannot seem to accept differing opinions.

Several people were cussing, calling Nancy Drew and other fans obscene names.

Some fans have the opinion that the television show is not like any Nancy Drew book.  I assume those people have only read the original 56 books.  The television show is like a combination of the Nancy Drew Files and the Nancy Drew On Campus series.

If you are thinking, but wait!  Nancy Drew didn't have sex in the books.  I don't believe that Nancy Drew ever did in the Nancy Drew On Campus series, but George Fayne certainly did!  Having sexual content in a filmed version of Nancy Drew is not a complete departure from the books.  At least, the Nancy Drew On Campus series did include sex.

Many people are also offended simply because Nancy Drew is not like their idea of Nancy Drew, as in "not my Nancy Drew."  One person announced that she was starting a campaign called #notmynancy.  That person also cussed a lot.

Normally, we can escape into our series book discussions and ignore the craziness in the world.  Finally, that craziness has invaded our safe place.  I never thought I would have to create this Facebook group rule:  You are no longer allowed to discuss Nancy Drew's sex life in this group.

That rule isn't something I just thought up because of what happened this weekend in a group I moderate.  Not at all.

Back in February, a digital copy of the script of the show's pilot episode was shared with me.  I knew that the sexual content was going to be quite problematic, but I didn't have an answer for how to handle it at that time.

It was during the summer that the average fan began to learn about the sexual content of the show via some online articles.  The reaction was quite negative but not a full meltdown.  It was then that I decided that I would ban all discussion of the show's sexual content in the group that I moderate.  I did not tell anyone about that decision, but I had a firm resolve that I would not allow fans to fight about the sexual content.

I originally was going to warn fans of my decision in the one to two weeks before the first episode aired.  I ended up not doing that.  Ultimately, I decided to keep quiet about my unannounced new rule until the negativity began invading the group.  I wanted to let the members see for themselves why the new rule was necessary.

Oddly, it took a little more than three days for the inappropriate comments to begin in that group.  The meltdown had been in full swing in another group for those three days.  Once the comments in the group I moderate began to deteriorate, I pulled the plug, stating that members cannot discuss Nancy Drew's sex life.

That decision was mine and mine alone.  I don't care if some members hate the rule.  I am so firm in my resolve that the rule is the right decision that I do not care in the slightest who disagrees or how angry they are.  I made the decision months ago, and I stand behind it.  Those of us who do not want to read complaints about sex outside of marriage ad nauseam needed for a rule to be in place.  If people want to complain about Nancy Drew having sex, then there are a number of places online where that can be done.  I suggest complaining directly to The CW.  I don't want to hear about it.

And yes, there are at least three people who are so against the new rule that they left the group.  Two of those people were regular, active participants in the group.  It's odd to give up access and all future participation in a group about vintage children's books simply because one wants to preach about the immorality of sex outside of marriage.  I don't get it.

While I would prefer that the sex not be in the show, I can ignore it.  That is what I did last week, and I will continue to do so.  The show has an intriguing mystery, and I look forward to seeing how it plays out.

Dana Girls #29 The Secret of the Minstrel's Guitar

In Dana Girls #29, The Secret of the Minstrel's Guitar, Jean and Louise travel to Europe on the Balaska with their friend, Isabel Sarmento, and her father.  Mr. Sarmento has asked the Danas to help him figure out who is stealing cork from his warehouse.  During the journey, people keep trying to steal a guitar from a young performer.

I was so thrilled to learn all about cork.  So riveting!

Actually, I skipped that part.

My sole desire at this point is for the Dana Girls to stay off the Balaska and out of Europe.  The Winking Ruby Mystery and The Secret of the Swiss Chalet are both set in Europe and are so boring.  This book is also boring!

A gypsy fortune teller appears on page 89.  This is the third consecutive title in the series to feature a character with supposed psychic ability.

I was bored with this book from the very beginning, but I managed to reach the halfway point where I quit the book.  I do not like this book.

Dana Girls #28 Mystery of the Wax Queen

In Dana Girls #28, Mystery of the Wax Queen, Jean and Louise stay with Cousin Cynthia in New York City while they work on a mystery involving two wax queens.  A woman known as the "Wax Queen" makes wax busts.  She recently discovered a stolen bust of another wax queen, Queen Victoria, in her shop.  The Wax Queen hopes that the girls can help her prove that she is innocent of the theft.  Jean and Louise also work to bring to justice the people responsible for running a raffle ticket racket.

On page 14, the girls' "curiosity had been peaked."  The girls aren't "peaked," as in pale from fatigue.  Their curiosity has been "piqued," or stimulated.

Like The Secret of the Silver Dolphin, this book also has a psychic, the Wax Queen.  The predictions made by the Wax Queen are quite accurate, leaving no room for skepticism.  Harriet Adams clearly believed in psychic ability.

At the bottom of page 143, the Wax Queen begins to go into a history lesson about wax dolls.  At the top of page 144, "Louise interrupted gently to say that she would like to hear more about it later."  Awesome!  Harriet Adams had one of her own characters interrupt a history lesson.  She got in a tiny lesson, and then cut it short.  I love it.

This is a good book.

Dana Girls #27 The Secret of the Silver Dolphin

In Dana Girls #27, The Secret of the Silver Dolphin, a reward has been offered to anyone who can recover a lost silver dolphin.  Jean and Louise decide to try for the reward.  They become acquainted with Judy Platt, who is the heiress to whom the silver dolphin was willed.  The girls follow a series of clues that eventually lead them to Florida.

On pages 36 through 40, Judy brings the Danas a box that someone gave her to give to the Danas.  While Judy is on the porch with the box, a scorpion crawls out and is quickly killed.  The girls bring the box inside without checking for additional scorpions.  During a conversation, another scorpion crawls out of the box, causing another scare.  I don't understand why the box was brought inside or why it wasn't checked for more scorpions.

On page 42, Judy is quite upset.  Without anybody speaking, "Wisely, the whole family decided that for Judy's sake they should change the subject."  Apparently, the Danas have perfected their telepathic skills.

On page 76, the girls are at a suspect's apartment.  Jean randomly decides that under the cushion of the rocking chair would be the perfect place to hide something.  She checks and discovers some missing stock certificates.

On page 109, the Danas visit the Seaquarium.  While watching a dolphin, Jean decides to lean down and offer the dolphin a little plastic dolphin.  The dolphin grabs the toy and pulls Jean into the water.  On page 110, the trainer finds the entire escapade to be funny.  Jean should have been scolded for being an idiot, but instead the trainer winks and suggests adding that trick to the dolphin's act.

Sometimes Harriet Adams explains things that I'm not sure really need to be explained.  On page 140, Anne mentions, "We can always eat roots and berries, Mother, if push comes to shove."  The Dana Girls are puzzled, not understanding the phrase.  Anne explains, "If worst comes to worst.  That's how some of us Floridians say it."

The whole silver dolphin thing puzzled me.  As far as colors go, silver and gray are extremely similar.  I looked up dolphin colors, and silver is not one of the colors.  There is a pink dolphin, however, and a pink dolphin would have been more interesting in this story.

This book has a psychic in it.  The girls are skeptical, but Aunt Harriet fully believes everything that the psychic predicts.  Since Harriet Adams projected herself into Aunt Harriet, I conclude that Harriet Adams believed in the abilities of psychics.

The title of this book should have been The Search for the Silver Dolphin.  The story is all about the search, not about what the secret might be.

This is an overall good book, but I did get bored toward the end of the story.

Dana Girls #26 The Riddle of the Frozen Fountain

In Dana Girls #26, The Riddle of the Frozen Fountain, Starhurst is finally back in session after a recent damaging fire.  Actually, it seems like years have passed.  Professor Crandall has purchased an old fountain at an old estate, and he has been warned not to move it to Starhurst.  Jean and Louise investigate, discovering that the estate is plagued by prowlers and even a shaggy white gorilla man.  Jean and Louise feel certain that the fountain holds an important secret.

The shaggy white gorilla man shows up three different times.  I laughed each time, due to how ridiculous it sounds.

Jean and Louise are buried by a large amount of snow that slides off of a roof.  Later, Ken is hit by a sandbag.

Lettie is back to her old pranks in this story.

This book reads just like all of the early books in the series that are set at Starhurst.  It was so nice reading one last Dana Girls book which follows the premise of the early books.  Unfortunately, this is the final Dana Girls book set at Starhurst.

This is a very good book.

Dana Girls #25 The Mystery of the Stone Tiger

In Dana Girls #25, The Mystery of the Stone Tiger, the Danas finally return to Oak Falls.  Glory be!  The girls learn that a black-robed ghost roams around Oak Falls at night.  Louise and Jean's friend, Elise Hilary, asks them to help solve a mystery at her family's museum.  The black-robed prowler has been seen there as well.  Soon after the girls arrive home, their own house is plagued by prowlers.

The cover art of this book is my favorite Dana Girls cover art.  I love the colors and how the scene glows.

This book features a disgusting smarmy man named Emil Gifford.  On page 15, Emil is described as "about thirty years of age, short, and boyish looking.  He wore triangular-shaped sideburns which, Louise thought, gave him a silly look."  Horrors!

On page 104, the Danas are warned that a "buried curse" has been placed on them.  It seems a bit counterproductive for the culprit to warn the girls about the buried curse, since (ahem) the girls might dig up the buried curse.  That is exactly what happens.

The girls learn that a buried curse is always placed near the dwelling of the intended victims.  The girls go outside and find a patch of earth that has been disturbed.  Jean digs into the area and finds two wax heads of herself and Louise.  The interior illustration depicts the scene as quite creepy, since the faces look exactly like Jean and Louise.

This is a good to very good book.  After so much travel, it was a pleasure to have a mystery return to Oak Falls.

Dana Girls #24 The Secret of Lost Lake

In Dana Girls #24, The Secret of Lost Lake, the Danas' train is wrecked in the Rocky Mountains, and Baron, a valuable dog that the Danas are taking home to his owner, escapes and disappears.  The Danas leave the train to search for the dog and end up working on the mystery of the witch of Lost Lake.

The characters in books written by Harriet Adams make dumb statements.  On page 1, the Danas are told that they are in "dinosaur country."  Aunt Harriet asks, "Do you mean those mammoth prehistoric reptiles lived here?"  Seriously?  I guess Harriet Adams thought that her readers needed an explanation of what dinosaurs were.  Trust me, Harriet, all children know about dinosaurs.

On page 1, the theory about dinosaurs having been killed by glaciers is mentioned.  On page 82, the theory about volcanic ash causing the extinction is mentioned.  I especially recall the volcanic ash theory from my childhood.  Now, the accepted theory is that the mass extinction was caused by a large asteroid that hit the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.

On pages 21 and 22, Mr. Strong wants the girls to see an "interesting cave."  Jean asks, "You mean the formation is interesting?"  Say what?!  Does it matter why?  If someone wants to show me an "interesting cave," I'm going with it, no questions asked!  Mr. Strong replies, "No, it's what is inside."  More stupid dialogue follows.

On page 45, Jean digs a hole in a cave and finds an Indian headdress.  Jean proceeds to place the headdress on her head and dance around.  This is so wrong and for several reasons.  I am reminded of a similar scene involving a skeleton in Nancy Drew #52, The Secret of the Forgotten City.  Harriet Adams wrote that book as well.

On page 46, Louise digs up a pair of moccasins.  These girls are so lucky when it comes to finding artifacts.

On page 76, the Danas tumble down a hill in a landslide of rocks and dirt caused by an explosion.  Of course, they are just fine.

On page 79, the Danas find a dinosaur's backbone.  These girls make archaeology look easy!

On page 101, Jean sits on the back of a sheep and rides it as it runs.

On pages 106 through 108, the girls are menaced by a mountain lion.  Mr. Strong kills it for them.

This book is good to very good.  It is also quite stupid.

Dana Girls #23 The Sierra Gold Mystery

In Dana Girls #23, The Sierra Gold Mystery, the Danas fly into San Francisco, where Louise learns that her sapphire ring has been stolen.  Meanwhile, another traveler, Janet Crane, asks the girls to find her missing grandfather.  The girls visit Aunt Carol, who tells them about a buried chest of gold nuggets in gold country.  The girls have three mysteries to solve, so this book should have been called A Three-Cornered Mystery.  But wait, never mind...

On pages 17 and 18, the theory of the lost continent of Lemuria is presented as if fact.  The Lemurians are mentioned as giants who came to California and discovered gold.  What was Harriet Adams thinking?  The Stratemeyer Syndicate mystery books are typically strongly grounded in reality.  The lost continent of Lemuria and the Lemurian giants are not reality.  This is bizarre.

On pages 82 and 83, a man named Dusty holds back a landslide at a tunnel entrance with his body so that Janet can be rescued.  That is improbable enough, but then... After Janet is pulled out, Jean makes Dusty stay in place so that she can crawl inside and look around.  She doesn't get in a hurry, either.  This is dangerous and stupid.  Was Harriet on crack when she wrote this book?

The landslide scene reminds me of a scene from Sweet Valley High #115 and #116.  It's not good when a Dana Girls book reminds me of the Sweet Valley High Death Valley books, which I consider to be the worst books in that series.

I quit reading halfway through the book.  It's not that the book is necessarily bad.  I was a bit bored and just wasn't getting anything out of it.  I have better things to do.