Velma season 1 episodes 7 and 8 recap & review

In episodes 7 and 8, Velma attends the Crystal Cove Fog Fest in search of the serial killer and later makes a major discovery in the woods with Daphne’s help. The episodes are streaming on HBO Max.

Episode 7 recap: Fog Fest

Now that her hallucinations are over, Velma is even more focussed on her mother’s disappearance and she goes over her mother’s old manuscripts and belongings to find out what “Jinkies” means.

Everyone else at Crystal Cove has started to believe that rather than a serial killer, the murders are down to a ghost after Blythe Rogers told the media that who her mother was and what she researched.

The town is excited to celebrate Fog Fest, a festival to commemorate the mysterious fog that engulfs Crystal Cove. They even crown a Fog King and Queen at the event and Fred has immense pressure from his parents to win it and endorse the Jones family name.

Daphne has been trying to get in touch with Velma and talk about all the stuff she’s been through lately but Velma has been too focused on her mother’s case. Fred asks Daphne to the fest because she is his best chance at winning Fog King.

Norville asks Gigi to go to Fog Fest to make up for ignoring her recently but he too has some underlying issues tied to an urge to become Fog King. Velma makes a breakthrough and finds a cellphone number on the paper with “Jinkies” on it.

It turns out to be the serial killer’s number and she discerns from the background sounds that they’re at the Fog Fest too. She disguises herself as a man and sneaks into the fest to find the killer.

While at the fest, Velma realizes that since she’s disguised as a man, her worst qualities are considered good so she leans into it to convince everyone that the serial killer is still a legitimate threat.

Norville and Fred clash over their shared urge to become Fog King for slightly different reasons. Fred is craving validation from his parents while Norville’s urge is tied to his feelings of being rejected by Velma.

Daphne approaches Velma but doesn’t recognize her and shares how she feels, making Velma realize how bad of a friend she has been. When the truth is revealed and Velma tries to apologize, the killer shows up and chases them through the fest.

Fred and Norville chase each other to get the crown of Fog Queen. The killer corners Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Norville but before he can strike, he disappears with the fog and leaves behind his cell phone.

Fred roams through the hall of mirrors at the fest and is kidnapped by the killer.

Episode 8 recap: A Velma in the Woods

Fred’s mother immediately notices that he’s missing and first asks Velma to find him. Velma is more interested in hanging out with Daphne now that their friendship is at a better place.

2 days later, she’s already regretting that situation as she blames Daphne for the predicament they are in, trapped between a giant rock and the walls of a ravine in the woods.

When they were returning from Fog Fest, Velma tried unlocking the serial killer’s phone but had no luck. She asks Daphne for help and Daphne’s mothers say that she has experience in hacking phones ever since “the incident”.

Fred wakes up in the killer’s lab with the brains of the murdered girls that are still kept alive. They tell him that all they know is the person in the welder’s mask wants to put their brains in someone else.

Daphne and Velma unlock the phone and find a clue leading them to the woods near Mount Crystal. Daphne also reveals that “the incident” involved her hacking into the phone of someone she was obsessed with to find out if they liked her.

The next day when Velma goes to Daphne’s house before they leave for the woods, Daphne says she cannot go because she has some stuff to do with Olive. Velma fakes having a hallucination and Daphne goes along with her.

Daphne attributes the faked hallucination as the main cause, which is when it is revealed that Gigi and Norville are trapped with Daphne and Velma as well, 127 hours style. Gigi blames Norville for all this because he couldn’t take a simple hint.

Gigi was constantly suggesting that they go to her parent’s cabin in the woods so that she can hook up with him but he doesn’t realize it until he asks her about the cabin when Velma and Daphne tell him about the clue.

He goes to the cabin with Daphne and Velma and didn’t even expect Gigi to be there. Daphne and Gigi leave the cabin because they’re annoyed with Velma and Norville respectively.

Norville tells Velma that the person Daphne was obsessed with was Gigi so Velma goes after them. That is what ultimately led them to walk toward the edge of the ridge and fall down.

Fred has complicated relationships with the three brains as he tries to maintain his sanity in captivity. Velma, Gigi, Daphne, and Norville keep shifting until they dislodge the stone and fall further down.

They find themselves in the crystal mines and Velma deduces that the killer has been using the mines to get around. A stalagmite collapses and Norville goes to save Velma instead of Gigi so she storms off with Norville following behind.

Velma and Daphne go deeper into the caves and find the lab with Fred and the brains. Fred starts screaming the cave starts collapsing, forcing them to rush out. Velma almost falls into a fault when her mother, Diya, shows up and saves her.

They all get into her white jalopy and drive out as the mine crumbles around them. Velma asks Diya if she knows who the killer is but Diya says she doesn’t remember how she got down there or who was behind it.

Review

  • The jokes still do not seem to land and appear targeted toward people who will specifically find offense and complain about them. It’s a case of “all press is good press” with this approach.
  • Velma continues to be an obnoxious character with very few redeemable qualities and even when she shows some emotional growth, it’s undone by her behavior a little while later.
  • There are a few nice nostalgic elements in these episodes such as the trademark chase sequence, including the infinite hallway and pumped-up chase music, and what is clearly going to become the “Mystery Machine” at some point.
  • The fourth-wall-breaking jokes are a toss-up as they certainly have a level of appeal but feel forced at times in this series.

Also Read: Velma season 1 episodes 5 and 6 recap & review

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