The CW Nancy Drew show isn’t what one would think when you think Nancy Drew as it leans more supernatural and magical. Having id that, if we have seen anything it’s that mystery solving characters work well in horror settings. For our generation, we saw that with the Scooby gang in Zombie Island. An all time classic and to this day, one of the best Scooby movies ever made.
If we go back further, we have Hercule Periot in Hallowe’en Party later adapted as A Haunting in Venice. So why not throw Nance in with the supernatural and spooky. As in many cases, the mystery genre is a cousin to the horror genre and they often overlap. When you think about it, many modern slashers that were birthed with Scream are just much more murderous whodunits.
I’ve been wanting to cover this villain that I am looking at for quite a while as it’s a tie-in to two things I love, Nancy Drew (my favorite detective) and witches. I’ve always been fascinated by the history of witches, both fictional and real. Salem is a place I hope to visit one day in the future. I’ve covered many villainous witches over the years of covering witches.
First Appearance
Now full tilt, Temperance first appeared in the second season of the show but I only binged the third season and that was about twenty-two episodes so. Still, when you see her, you get the sense that she is very cold and calculated. She is not someone to mess with.
Personality
Temperance is a 200 year old witch who happens to be an ancestor of Nancy. Yeah, in this series, Nancy isn’t biologically a Drew but she’s still a Drew at heart. Like I said, Temperance is very cold and calculated and is usually two steps ahead of the Drew Crew. She’s both smart and vindictive. For example in one episode, Temperance deliberately lets herself get harmed by a supernatural creature as a way to gain the trust of Nancy. Temperance tricks Nancy and Bess who in this version is practicing witchcraft and oh yeah for a while under the tutelage of Temperance by saying she is trying to reunite with her daughter. Yeah no, that’s not the case. Though, she doesn’t end up taking on the appearance of her long deceased daughter.
So, that’s a bit weird and freaky. Yeah, see and her daughter had a strenuous relationship due to the man she married who went off and fought in the Civil War. Did I mention she’s 200 years old? In reality, Temperance was after her daughter’s soul which had been split into shards and were within citizens of Horseshoe Bay (yeah, it’s not River Heights in this show). At first, the Drew Crew and the audience are led to believe she wants the shards to bring hr daughter back and that Temperance will be a sympathetic villain which is something they kinda play with as back in her day, Temperance much like Agatha was a part of a group I guess you could call them a coven known as The Women in White but she eventually went too far for them and was outcast.
Grand Desire
This seems as good time as any to bring up what Temperance is hoping to achieve by collecting the shard of her daughter, Charity’s soul. She wants to unleash a new Genesis onto earth., we are talking apocalypse level threat such as flooding the town and tearing it down to ruins. Why? Because she wanted the key within her daughter’s soul and she is a bit of a petty woman. Smart but petty and she would destroy the earth to get what she wanted.
And the thing of it is, she almost succeeds as when Nancy is about to kill her with a skinwalker axe, she instead shows Nancy a vision of the future where the Drew Crew is slowly torn apart. Shes a cat who likes playing with her food and playing these mind games is how she makes Nancy second guess herself. Consider Nancy in all versions is pretty smart and that is no exception in this show yet here we have someone who is a person who can test her and make Nance second guess herself. I love Nance as I’ve made clear through the yers I’ve covered her and the fact that it takes one of her ancestors to even challenge her speaks volumes.
Entity
The Copperhead
Lackey, doesn’t sound quite right for thing as it can’t think or at on it’s own. It is an entity that Temperance uses to after the people who hold the shards of Charity’s soul. Temperance shows little regard for this entity knowing the Drew Crew would come looking for it in the finale it being steps ahead she kills the Copperhead.
Most Evil Deed
Her evilest deed is something she does as she lies dying and even warns Nancy that she will. She places a curse on the man that Nancy loves, Ace that if they ever get together or have any from of physical contact, he will die. I remembered this from even before I watched the season again as this always stuck out to me as the cruelest thing one could do and in a way, even in death, she gets a win.
Demise
I mentioned her demise and how Nancy takes her out with a skinwalker axe and she basically turns into dust but Temperance puts up quite a fight before being taken out. It’s a shocking moment considering how many wins Temperance had gotten throughout the season.
Is Temperance Hudson A Good Villain?
I’d say yes, she is. She is a villain that can truly test Nancy and get under her skin. She is a manipulative type of villain who will do anything it takes to get what she wants. It’s honestly nice to end on a good Nancy Drew villain. Well, I’m done with looking at all the Nancy Drew villain I’ve wanted to look at. But I’m not quite done with Nance as I have a bonus review coming.
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