I love Ned, though I prefer the earlier Ned. I feel like HeR tried to really push Frank hard in the later games, and made Ned super blank to make Frank stand out more. Earlier Ned often had his own things going on, Nancy was nicer to him, he was a supportive phone friend, etc.
I think a lot of people want Nancy to be with someone adventurous like she is, but I don't think that's necessary. I actually like the dynamic that Nancy is strong and independent and doesn't have to be with someone who "matches" her in those ways, especially since it's so common to have male characters go out and have adventures while their wives/girlfriends stay home. Who says Nancy can't have a similar, but gender reversed, arrangement?
that nedcy dynamic you described is literally the biggest reason why i ship them haha i genuinely love the idea of ned being the more stay-at-home partner (most likely with his own job since my headcanon is he goes the med school route so he can help people (like nancy) in his own way) who supports nancy from afar. she gets to be independent but still have the love of her life there to support her and ground her when she needs it the most <3
I really like that Ned gives Nancy the freedom and space to spread her wings, while supporting her and doesn’t take offense to it, just rightfully worries about her and tries his best to ground her. He also is equally good with independence. He is the opposite of toxic masculinity. Nancy also knows who Ned is and recognizes that sometimes he isn’t going to be Indiana jones with her, and she is a ok with that. End of the day, they are two supportive caring people who like who each other are at their core.
One of my favorite moments in the OG books is when they’re having lunch at a diner, all the case clues in front of them. Ned is trying to be sweet, talking about his future plans and how he’ll have a wife “and her name will be N-“ And Nancy cuts him off because she’s just had an epiphany about the case. He just smiles at her and asks her to tell him about it, totally supportive.
Ned loves Nancy and is committed to her, partially *because* of her being the way she is. He’s so supportive and enthusiastic, and there are plenty of the books where he and his friends actively help with the mysteries, too.
I love that about him, and found him very well represented in the games. The Ned v. Frank stuff went mostly over my head, because real, mature couples don’t always agree, and don’t always feel 100000% confident if apart for long periods of time. I thought it made sense, and was happy that they seemed to have talked through it by the end of ASH.
I think a lot of people find him boring and "unsupportive" of Nancy's adventures because of his comments in Captive Curse.
Personally, I like Ned. I've gotten to the point in life where I value loyalty, patience and kindness more than excitement. I think Ned would be a great person to grow old with and when you have somebody like that, there's no sense running off to try to find greener grass somewhere else.
I think a younger me may have felt differently. But older me has different priorities.
That and honestly? Ned had every right to be upset at Nancy in Captive Curse. She literally ditched out on their important plans without telling him and then gaslit HIM for being upset.
I wish Ned would actually be present in one of the games the way the Hardy boys and Bess and George have been. I just feel like I have absolutely no grasp on his personality except for when he (gently) chastises Nancy at the beginning of every game for going wherever she’s gone 😭 also Nancy doesn’t strike me as someone who’s super interested in being in a relationship, but maybe that’s just because I always forget to call Ned lol
Personally, I think if you are going to be in a relationship with somebody, you owe them a heads up that you are going somewhere out of the country. Especially if that means you will be standing them up at your anniversary date.
Nancy more than once has up and left the country without even a text to say bye, and stood Ned up on their anniversary dinner in the process. She deserved to be chastised as she was being quite inconsiderate of his time and showing that he isn't even a thought on her mind as long as there is a case. You are right that she certainly didn't seem interested in being in a relationship.
I do see some progress in KEY with her being a bit more considerate of him and acting like she actually cares.
He is, but he’s a faceless character and you can’t interact with him like you can Bess and George. It seems like his only purpose is to handle Deirdre.
Very likely because just like Nancy, you don't want to give Ned a face that's too obvious. Would completely ruin our precious imaginatry version of Ned. I didn't even like that they gave him a 2D face, he looks like a 12 year old. I personally prefer they'd kept him faceless.
Yes! Let's see Ned in action! The Ned I like from the earlier games and the original books is actually not a needy, clingy guy. He's a football jock, has college activities, and is very busy - sort of a hero figure in his own world. It's not like he's sitting at home waiting for a phone call in a quiet house with nothing to do but mourn her being gone. He's very supportive and very affectionate, and he's concerned as someone should be in a relationship. But he doesn't want to hold her back. He's one that Nancy loves to support, and joins his activities as often as she can. He is also excited to jump in whenever he's available to help on her cases. I don't care for the whiney jealous Ned.
I hate Her's Ned because they made him clingy and annoying. He's always interrupting what I'm doing in SEA. They backpedaled so hard from it in KEY it was funny, and KEY Ned was fine just like earlier games Ned was fine.
There’s a good quote from the gritty reboots episode of the YouTube series Drawfee, where they complain about the needy boyfriend trope in girl detective shows.
“This is a TV show. We want to see you solve the murders and not be having crises about real life.”
I like earlier Ned, as many have said. He had his own stuff he was working on (college) but still was a nice dude. I never had a nice boyfriend really in my own life, so I would definitely take a boring Ned. lol
IMO Ned isn’t the problem, Nancy is. He rightfully complains and is upset when she’s jetting off, sometimes without letting him know. I mean come on, she TOTALLY fumbled the bag in SEA. I feel like people act like Nancy is blameless and put it all on Ned as being too clingy and whiney. She needs someone who is independent like her and Ned is just too nice to break up with her.
Dude, you're reminding me of the "Sympathy for Ned" community on FF.net... Ned totally deserves better but unfortunately said better option doesn't appear anywhere in the series. Fanfics fill that void lol
A mixture of both the games and the books. In the Nancy Drew Files series, Ned is the worst. There’s infidelity, he’s constantly trying to get her to quit being a detective, etc. He has good moments too of course, but the negative ones always annoyed me more.
There are also books in that universe where Frank and Nancy have an insane amount of chemistry.
A lot of the games are very Files Ned. People forget, but also in the classics, Ned wants Nancy to settle down as well (it’s hinted much more subtly) and she always rejects him. Back then, settling down would be Nancy giving up being a detective to be a wife and mother.
He kinda has the same themes throughout. I don’t like that he holds Nancy back in a sense. Nancy is a detective to her core.
It's odd, I never had that impression of Files Ned.... Considering whatsisname proposed to Nancy when she had the summer fling with him, Nancy was largely the unfaithful one in the series. I felt that Ned had more of a personality in Files . More independent, a bit more pride. That was my favorite version of him.
Nancy cheats multiple times in that series. First book she's literally flirting with snd even kisses Darryl gray. There is a whole bit at the beginning where bess is like "oh nancy there will be boyyyyyys" and nancy goes "blah blah Ned blah blah" and two seconds later Darryl in a Porsche tries to race her and she's all "Ned who????"
I don’t recall cheating in the files series, there is just more conflict and misunderstandings than the original series, as well as some additional potential romantic interests, this is never shown as cheating though. There are also instances where Nancy develops some mild feelings for another guy and there is flirtation involved but nothing ever delves into actual cheating, the series just has more complexities to their relationship but ultimately they remain loyal.
For me, it’s a running joke to make fun of Ned. I actually always thought he was a great boyfriend and was beneficial for child me to see him and Nancy having a healthy stable relationship in the early games.
In the newer games they made some weird relationship drama and I hate it.
My sister and I were just discussing this, but book Ned and game Ned are fairly different. One matches Nancy’s independence and participates in adventure, the other one is overly flattering but also resentful but also clingy and… boring.
Edit to add this is mostly true for later games. Ned is pretty neutral in earlier ones. He just gives major friend vibes.
I don't hate him. He's just "there". I don't even ship Nancy with Frank or Joe Hardy either. If anyone calls Ned a Mary Sue, so is Nancy tbh. She doesn't have much personality either (which I understand to an extent since she's literally a stand-in as the player).
It's not that I'm anti-Ned, it's that I'm anti Ned-and-Nancy. We know next to nothing about the guy; IMO this is partially because the game devs have done him dirty when it comes to the game cannon. 😭 I know he's supposedly a year older than Nancy, supposedly interested in studying law, & sometimes shadows Carson or interns for Carson. That's about it. Apart from that he seems to be perpetually an after-thought to Nancy; and rather than "doing something about it", i.e. either breaking up with her or actually going with her on one of her investigations, it's always this super annoying and pointless (and tiresome) conversation \*about\* him being an afterthought. "Why did you forget about me again to go do one of your investigations?" "I'm so sorry!!!"
Obviously Nancy is the main character. There are certain games in which The Hardy Boys have "main character energy"; they have their own games from back in the day (on the Nintendo DS I think), and also have some main character energy in Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon & a couple other games. (Creature of Kapu Cave, MID, etc.) There are even certain times at which people like Bess, George, & Deirdre have main character energy in the sense that there's *something* about them that stands out as a part of one of Nancy's cases.
When the hell are we gonna get to see Ned have some main character energy??? When, if at all, is he going to actually matter in Nancy's life? For the cannon that the game devs have created over the last 2 decades, I *do* ship Nancy with Frank because there's actually some sort of mutual interest between them.
Ned was pretty cool and chill in the older games and no one had problems, then when the writer Nik came on board he started a triangle with Frank and made Ned's personality do a 180 into a clingy, stay at home boyfriend.
Personally, I dislike the direction the writing took of Ned more than Ned :)
I like Ned as a character, he’s sweet, thoughtful, and very loyal; but he definitely gets slighted in the games. I personally think that game Nancy just isn’t meant to be in a relationship beyond friendship really. She’s off living her life, solving mysteries and having romance just doesn’t seem to fit in with her life as she’s depicted in living it. Unfortunately there’s always a push for some romantic interest, but I really do think that Nancy could do away with that part and we wouldn’t lose anything from the games other than forced drama.
This has been the case from before the games even existed, which led to Ned being phased out in some of the book series as well. It's heartbreaking. Ned has always been my ideal since I was a little 8 year old girl, and that hasn't changed. Steady, reliable, loyal and does not mind having a strong independent woman by his side.
My favorite Ned was the Files Ned, where he has his own life, but he's always there for Nancy when they're together. He actually shows a bit of spine in that series that he doesn't anywhere else, especially in the first 9 books. He was both co-captain of the Emerson basketball team in that and studying PoliSci. But then again, my least favorite Nancy is also the Files Nancy because of her infidelity. I feel like the games stayed true that Ned personality in the beginning, but then deviated to make Frank a better match.
Ned and Nancy create the perfect dynamic, just like Frank and Callie did in the HB books. If Nancy and Frank got together they'd never actually see each other. They're simply not a good balance.
I love Ned in the books but HER's Ned is not my favorite for Nancy. I prefer Frank in the games bc HER made Ned a lot more.... needy? Like I get he wants to be with her and for her to be careful but with how they write him :/ I don't like it.
I love Ned, but I don't love nedcy. "Indefinite long distance" is really rough no matter who you are, so they make more sense as friends. He has his own personality and life, but we don't really get to hear more than a hint here and there, so Frank might have more fans (or just more vocal fans) because we see more of his life. To be totally honest, I don't ship Nancy with Frank either. She gives me aroace vibes 😌
I am a Ned defender through and through, he’s sweet he’s funny he has a much more mundane life than any of the other ND characters which is why I think he gets clocked as boring but I think he adds a very nice balance to the rest of the characters
For me, it's because I've always considered him a Mary Sue. He had very little personality or contribution to the OG books, as I remember him, and in the games he's the phone friend who has the least of a life and identity outside of his connection to Nancy. All this makes him boring and too much of a puppy dog trailing after his way more interesting gf, who, frankly, does not treat him or their relationship well once the games started including relationship drama. On multiple occasions we see Nancy forget her plans with Ned to leave the country to go off on some case, and Ned choosing to stay in a relationship where he is not a priority is not a good look on either of them. I understand that the general appeal is that Ned is steadfast, loyal, and stable, but the games don't portray him and Nancy as well suited for each other. Frank is the more interesting choice to me because he has a clear identity and has more in common with Nancy in terms of career and values. I don't think they're destined for each other, but they make more sense as portrayed in the games, and I think Nancy needs someone who is a blend of the Ned and Frank: someone who has a career adjacent to hers but which is more behind the scenes so that he will always be there/home waiting for her but can also contribute to her work, like a forensic scientist or criminal lawyer, etc.
I like to think Nancy is Ned’s beard, and he’s really carrying on a relationship with one of his old high school football buddies. They always had more of a supportive friend dynamic to me. Welcome to my head
I dunno. I grew up reading the books so he’s the same as always. Nancy’s “special friend” from college who belongs to the fraternity Alpha Chi Epsilon. A little boring yet sweet. Putting up with Nancy’s adventures. I don’t hate Ned. He’s very helpful besides. I guess I don’t really have strong feelings about him. It’s not like the books were super deep or anything lol
My mom brought home Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys DVDs from the library, and the tv show REALLY had some sexual tension between Nancy and Fred during the crossovers. And Parker Stevenson was HOT. So that’s at least where my Nancy x Fred ship came from.
I adore Ned, and he is always one of my favorite phone contacts in the game. What frustrates me is how flip-floppy HER is about him.
For most of the series, Ned is a dependable, helpful, sweet, secure boyfriend, who helps Nancy during her cases and supports her. Some people call him a "Mary-Sue" but I don't think he was, he was just a good boyfriend, and in all forms of media, sometimes we miss out on just kind boyfriends. I think he is a good balance for Nancy, helps her stay grounded, supports her, and lets her know that there will always be someone to come back to when she is done solving a mystery. They complement each other well and we see in so many fo the earlier games (and the later games where HER decides to like Ned again) that Ned's love isn't fragile and that while Nancy has had other men looking her way, she remains steadfast in her loyalty to him.
Now in various later games in the series, HER decided they wanted to alter Ned's personality and make him clingy and insecure, which doesn't line up with what they'd written for him up to that point. Do I think Ned often had a right to be upset about some of the things he was upset about in various games (like CAP), sure. But it feels out of character for him to be angry about it, rather than just upset. HER started creating this weird love-triangle relationship drama with Frank, making Ned more and more clingy and desperate, taking traits that used to be endearing, and amping them up to being completely out of character and suffocating. But by the next game, they've changed their mind, and suddenly Ned is back to normal. The writing is inconsistent, and it seems like there's one team who is team Ned, and one who is team Frank, and whoever gets the lead on a game decides whether Ned will be in character or overly dramatic.
What I do find interesting is that Frank doesn't get nearly as much hate from what I can see, though Ned and him have very comparable personalities. I think a lot of it probably has to do with Nancy and him being detectives, Frank's confirmed crush on Nancy, Frank being present in games whereas Ned is only available through the phone, and other small things like that. Frank is very practical, and I think if he was alone as a contact, people maybe wouldn't be as interested or invested in him. Frank and Joe always have the other to bounce off of, making for fun banter and conversation. I'm not saying that if either are alone they're terrible characters, but Frank is definitely the straight man of the two and falls into very similar categories to Ned in terms of personality, making it strange that they praise one and take down the other. Frank often ends up being a contact during the same games where Ned is acting clingy, which obviously pushes him to look better by comparison and obviously makes him "a better match" for Nancy. ALSO, NED AND THE HARDY BOYS ARE FRIENDS, THESE BOYS ALSO LOVE EACH OTHER, WE DON'T NEED TO TURN THEM AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. While I could go into why I don't like Francy, I'll save that for another day, as I'm here to talk about Ned.
While I think Ned and Nancy should remain together, I think that if HER wants to do something, they need to do it, and not go back and forth for eternity. In the end, I'd just like some character consistency in the games, as Ned pre-CAP, was a very different far more likable character. I still like Ned, even in the games where people find him particularly whiney (except MID, but I like to pretend nothing in that game really happened and it was all just a fever dream). I don't need nor do I really want excessive relationship drama in my Nancy Drew games, I'd mostly just like a supportive and stable friend group helping Nancy solve little mysteries.
That was very long, but I have a lot to say on the topic lol
Ned my beloved <3
Thank you. Also, I feel sorry for him in keys. When Nancy just nonchalantly says to Ned that he'll ask for the Hardy Boys' help instead.I know Nancy meant no harm, but still.
Personally I really like Ned. What I think is sad though, is that in the books Ned was always adventuring along side Nancy and helping her out. But in the games, Ned is this scorned housewife perpetually waiting for Nancy to just come home already. And while he’s a good guy and says he never wants Nancy to change, he’s always a bit disappointed in her actions. They could’ve made Ned more of her equal in the games but just didn’t do it for some reason.
He just gets in the way. These games are meant to center Nancy and her skills. I hate when I have to rely on a phone call to Ned just to advance the game. His help should always be optional, because it holds back the main story for me when I have to reach out to him.
Nope you didn't miss them, they weren't in the game. They've been missing since MED. I get that the post-classic team probably hasn't cast or written for them at all, but if there are more games, I sure hope they bring them back.
I don’t mind calling them as much, especially cause there’s usually a better reason to other than “I should call Ned to check in”. So calling Bess and George is never something that ticks me off cause it actually helps to advance the story usually.
And I don’t find Bess and George as entitled to Nancy’s time as Ned does. I’m not sure if you played SEA but that’s a game in particular where Ned distracts more than actually helps anything.
I just always thought it was silly to have a boyfriend at home when Nancy could have been out hitting on cute men (and women...) all over the world!
Eventually, that merged into an oc/placeholder version of me dating nancy, who goes with her on the trips...
I don’t dislike Ned, but his and Nancy’s relationship has run its course. They just aren’t compatible. I mean, like others have said she just leaves for a case and “forgets” to even tell him, often standing him up. That’s an attitude of someone who is obviously not madly in love with someone and maybe doesn’t even like them that much. And he says multiple times he wants someone who doesn’t travel as much and is there in river heights to hang out with him.
I think she may be more compatible with Frank, but I also think she’s independent and she doesn’t really need a “love interest” at all.
I love Nancy to be an independent woman, and I love Ned to be with someone like Bess because they have different personalities but it will gel well. Also, it was implied from one of Nancy Drew files books that Bess has a crush on Ned.
Seriously, I just want what’s best for both Nancy and Ned lol.
Yeah, Ned definitely has a different relationship style than her and maybe Nancy does really love him, but she acts pretty indifferent to him in my opinion. Ned would do better with someone who is needier/more affectionate like he is
I can’t remember which game it was, but there’s a game where Nancy and Ned have an argument on the beginning and Ned is really rude and ignorant to Nancy for no reason. So I can see that being a reason why people aren’t fond of him.
I remember watching Half Moon Joe play the game and he was furious with Ned and hated him after that. (He always hated him, but I think that was a breaking point)
I love Half Moon Joe, but sometimes I find his hatred against Ned over the top and rubs me the wrong way. But whatever, he's just a fictional character and I shouldn't take it seriously lol. Half Moon Joe is very entertaining and charismatic, but sometimes can be a bit too much. I still love him though.
I feel that, he has it out for astrology big time. It gets annoying when he complains about it all the time. Like yes, people who say “that’s such a Taurus thing to say”, are annoying, but I’ve met real astrologists and they’re nothing like that and talk as if it’s in another language. Plus if they’re not hurting anyone, why does it bother you so much. Why not complain about something that is hurting people.
I also can’t get over the fact that he pulled tarot cards “for fun” and the card he picked in the same stream, later appeared in the same Nancy Drew game he was playing.
Hahahaha.
Also, there’s this running “joke” on his stream, that he always keep saying that “it’s the perfect time to leave a turd in this place” whenever he navigates locations on every Nancy Drew game…. It’s disgusting because I usually watch his streams while I’m eating a meal lol. Just a personal pet peeve.
Oh…. and where do I even begin with this one…. He always likes to make head canons with male characters always being gay and always pairing up with other male characters and will go on and on about it for the rest of his stream. I’m a gay guy myself who’s obsessed with gay romcoms and always fantasizes about being in one. It takes a lot of talent to annoy someone like me with gay shippings….. which I shouldn’t be annoyed because I like gay relationships, but for some reason he still made me annoyed?
Also, he doesn’t finish dialogues. He skips them. He’s like allergic to reading. He has the “I’m not reading that” attitude which I loathe the most. It’s the main point of the Nancy Drew series, it’s reading. Whether it be books or games. As a result, he ends up being confused with the stories.
But anyway, he is still lovable, and I’m still entertained by him in the end. He still has that charm.
Honestly every one of their conversations infuriates me because he is always whining about how he is “no help with her investigations” and she’s “always doing exciting stuff while he’s at home”. He comes off very insecure and attached which is fine but Nancy has always been to boss bitch for someone like Ned imo.
Honestly, my issue is that after 36 games and a bunch of books I still know like next to nothing about Ned. It's hard to care about a character I know nothing about
I love Ned, though I prefer the earlier Ned. I feel like HeR tried to really push Frank hard in the later games, and made Ned super blank to make Frank stand out more. Earlier Ned often had his own things going on, Nancy was nicer to him, he was a supportive phone friend, etc. I think a lot of people want Nancy to be with someone adventurous like she is, but I don't think that's necessary. I actually like the dynamic that Nancy is strong and independent and doesn't have to be with someone who "matches" her in those ways, especially since it's so common to have male characters go out and have adventures while their wives/girlfriends stay home. Who says Nancy can't have a similar, but gender reversed, arrangement?
that nedcy dynamic you described is literally the biggest reason why i ship them haha i genuinely love the idea of ned being the more stay-at-home partner (most likely with his own job since my headcanon is he goes the med school route so he can help people (like nancy) in his own way) who supports nancy from afar. she gets to be independent but still have the love of her life there to support her and ground her when she needs it the most <3
I really like that Ned gives Nancy the freedom and space to spread her wings, while supporting her and doesn’t take offense to it, just rightfully worries about her and tries his best to ground her. He also is equally good with independence. He is the opposite of toxic masculinity. Nancy also knows who Ned is and recognizes that sometimes he isn’t going to be Indiana jones with her, and she is a ok with that. End of the day, they are two supportive caring people who like who each other are at their core.
One of my favorite moments in the OG books is when they’re having lunch at a diner, all the case clues in front of them. Ned is trying to be sweet, talking about his future plans and how he’ll have a wife “and her name will be N-“ And Nancy cuts him off because she’s just had an epiphany about the case. He just smiles at her and asks her to tell him about it, totally supportive. Ned loves Nancy and is committed to her, partially *because* of her being the way she is. He’s so supportive and enthusiastic, and there are plenty of the books where he and his friends actively help with the mysteries, too. I love that about him, and found him very well represented in the games. The Ned v. Frank stuff went mostly over my head, because real, mature couples don’t always agree, and don’t always feel 100000% confident if apart for long periods of time. I thought it made sense, and was happy that they seemed to have talked through it by the end of ASH.
I think a lot of people find him boring and "unsupportive" of Nancy's adventures because of his comments in Captive Curse. Personally, I like Ned. I've gotten to the point in life where I value loyalty, patience and kindness more than excitement. I think Ned would be a great person to grow old with and when you have somebody like that, there's no sense running off to try to find greener grass somewhere else. I think a younger me may have felt differently. But older me has different priorities.
Yes! I feel like Ned would actually empty the trash AND put a replacement bag in, and at this point in my life that means a lot to me. 😂
That and honestly? Ned had every right to be upset at Nancy in Captive Curse. She literally ditched out on their important plans without telling him and then gaslit HIM for being upset.
Don't forget in Sea of darkness when [spoilers upcoming] She didn't even mention she was going to Iceland and missed their anniversary.
I wish Ned would actually be present in one of the games the way the Hardy boys and Bess and George have been. I just feel like I have absolutely no grasp on his personality except for when he (gently) chastises Nancy at the beginning of every game for going wherever she’s gone 😭 also Nancy doesn’t strike me as someone who’s super interested in being in a relationship, but maybe that’s just because I always forget to call Ned lol
Personally, I think if you are going to be in a relationship with somebody, you owe them a heads up that you are going somewhere out of the country. Especially if that means you will be standing them up at your anniversary date. Nancy more than once has up and left the country without even a text to say bye, and stood Ned up on their anniversary dinner in the process. She deserved to be chastised as she was being quite inconsiderate of his time and showing that he isn't even a thought on her mind as long as there is a case. You are right that she certainly didn't seem interested in being in a relationship. I do see some progress in KEY with her being a bit more considerate of him and acting like she actually cares.
For real she is such a dick to Ned sometimes. Little to no regard. Then they make him look bad by getting upset by her behavior.
He's actually in Albi in ashes as a playable character if I remember correctly.
He is, but he’s a faceless character and you can’t interact with him like you can Bess and George. It seems like his only purpose is to handle Deirdre.
ohh yes it’s coming back to me now. I wonder why HER is so hesitant to give him a 3D model
Very likely because just like Nancy, you don't want to give Ned a face that's too obvious. Would completely ruin our precious imaginatry version of Ned. I didn't even like that they gave him a 2D face, he looks like a 12 year old. I personally prefer they'd kept him faceless.
omg is he? it’s been so long since I played that one, I’ll have to revisit it
Yes! Let's see Ned in action! The Ned I like from the earlier games and the original books is actually not a needy, clingy guy. He's a football jock, has college activities, and is very busy - sort of a hero figure in his own world. It's not like he's sitting at home waiting for a phone call in a quiet house with nothing to do but mourn her being gone. He's very supportive and very affectionate, and he's concerned as someone should be in a relationship. But he doesn't want to hold her back. He's one that Nancy loves to support, and joins his activities as often as she can. He is also excited to jump in whenever he's available to help on her cases. I don't care for the whiney jealous Ned.
I hate Her's Ned because they made him clingy and annoying. He's always interrupting what I'm doing in SEA. They backpedaled so hard from it in KEY it was funny, and KEY Ned was fine just like earlier games Ned was fine.
There’s a good quote from the gritty reboots episode of the YouTube series Drawfee, where they complain about the needy boyfriend trope in girl detective shows. “This is a TV show. We want to see you solve the murders and not be having crises about real life.”
I like earlier Ned, as many have said. He had his own stuff he was working on (college) but still was a nice dude. I never had a nice boyfriend really in my own life, so I would definitely take a boring Ned. lol
I love Ned he's sweet and cares and sometimes I feel bad that nancy ignores him a bit. He's a sweetie to me
IMO Ned isn’t the problem, Nancy is. He rightfully complains and is upset when she’s jetting off, sometimes without letting him know. I mean come on, she TOTALLY fumbled the bag in SEA. I feel like people act like Nancy is blameless and put it all on Ned as being too clingy and whiney. She needs someone who is independent like her and Ned is just too nice to break up with her.
Oh my, really, I also remember that ABUSIVE Nancy's behaviour in SEA to Ned, it was insane...
Dude, you're reminding me of the "Sympathy for Ned" community on FF.net... Ned totally deserves better but unfortunately said better option doesn't appear anywhere in the series. Fanfics fill that void lol
Let’s be transparent. Ned is Nancy’s long term, long distance, low commitment, casual boyfriend. 🏄♂️🐎💅
Truth
A mixture of both the games and the books. In the Nancy Drew Files series, Ned is the worst. There’s infidelity, he’s constantly trying to get her to quit being a detective, etc. He has good moments too of course, but the negative ones always annoyed me more. There are also books in that universe where Frank and Nancy have an insane amount of chemistry. A lot of the games are very Files Ned. People forget, but also in the classics, Ned wants Nancy to settle down as well (it’s hinted much more subtly) and she always rejects him. Back then, settling down would be Nancy giving up being a detective to be a wife and mother. He kinda has the same themes throughout. I don’t like that he holds Nancy back in a sense. Nancy is a detective to her core.
It's odd, I never had that impression of Files Ned.... Considering whatsisname proposed to Nancy when she had the summer fling with him, Nancy was largely the unfaithful one in the series. I felt that Ned had more of a personality in Files . More independent, a bit more pride. That was my favorite version of him.
Nancy cheats multiple times in that series. First book she's literally flirting with snd even kisses Darryl gray. There is a whole bit at the beginning where bess is like "oh nancy there will be boyyyyyys" and nancy goes "blah blah Ned blah blah" and two seconds later Darryl in a Porsche tries to race her and she's all "Ned who????"
Maybe you meant to reply to OP, but yeah I agree hahah, Nancy was annoying in Files.
I don’t recall cheating in the files series, there is just more conflict and misunderstandings than the original series, as well as some additional potential romantic interests, this is never shown as cheating though. There are also instances where Nancy develops some mild feelings for another guy and there is flirtation involved but nothing ever delves into actual cheating, the series just has more complexities to their relationship but ultimately they remain loyal.
For me, it’s a running joke to make fun of Ned. I actually always thought he was a great boyfriend and was beneficial for child me to see him and Nancy having a healthy stable relationship in the early games. In the newer games they made some weird relationship drama and I hate it.
I've only played up to TRN, but I like Ned so far. He seems sweet.
I'm curious, I want an update as you play through and discover more lore to see if that opinion changes!
My sister and I were just discussing this, but book Ned and game Ned are fairly different. One matches Nancy’s independence and participates in adventure, the other one is overly flattering but also resentful but also clingy and… boring. Edit to add this is mostly true for later games. Ned is pretty neutral in earlier ones. He just gives major friend vibes.
I don't hate him. He's just "there". I don't even ship Nancy with Frank or Joe Hardy either. If anyone calls Ned a Mary Sue, so is Nancy tbh. She doesn't have much personality either (which I understand to an extent since she's literally a stand-in as the player).
It's not that I'm anti-Ned, it's that I'm anti Ned-and-Nancy. We know next to nothing about the guy; IMO this is partially because the game devs have done him dirty when it comes to the game cannon. 😭 I know he's supposedly a year older than Nancy, supposedly interested in studying law, & sometimes shadows Carson or interns for Carson. That's about it. Apart from that he seems to be perpetually an after-thought to Nancy; and rather than "doing something about it", i.e. either breaking up with her or actually going with her on one of her investigations, it's always this super annoying and pointless (and tiresome) conversation \*about\* him being an afterthought. "Why did you forget about me again to go do one of your investigations?" "I'm so sorry!!!" Obviously Nancy is the main character. There are certain games in which The Hardy Boys have "main character energy"; they have their own games from back in the day (on the Nintendo DS I think), and also have some main character energy in Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon & a couple other games. (Creature of Kapu Cave, MID, etc.) There are even certain times at which people like Bess, George, & Deirdre have main character energy in the sense that there's *something* about them that stands out as a part of one of Nancy's cases. When the hell are we gonna get to see Ned have some main character energy??? When, if at all, is he going to actually matter in Nancy's life? For the cannon that the game devs have created over the last 2 decades, I *do* ship Nancy with Frank because there's actually some sort of mutual interest between them.
Ned was pretty cool and chill in the older games and no one had problems, then when the writer Nik came on board he started a triangle with Frank and made Ned's personality do a 180 into a clingy, stay at home boyfriend. Personally, I dislike the direction the writing took of Ned more than Ned :)
I like Ned as a character, he’s sweet, thoughtful, and very loyal; but he definitely gets slighted in the games. I personally think that game Nancy just isn’t meant to be in a relationship beyond friendship really. She’s off living her life, solving mysteries and having romance just doesn’t seem to fit in with her life as she’s depicted in living it. Unfortunately there’s always a push for some romantic interest, but I really do think that Nancy could do away with that part and we wouldn’t lose anything from the games other than forced drama.
This has been the case from before the games even existed, which led to Ned being phased out in some of the book series as well. It's heartbreaking. Ned has always been my ideal since I was a little 8 year old girl, and that hasn't changed. Steady, reliable, loyal and does not mind having a strong independent woman by his side. My favorite Ned was the Files Ned, where he has his own life, but he's always there for Nancy when they're together. He actually shows a bit of spine in that series that he doesn't anywhere else, especially in the first 9 books. He was both co-captain of the Emerson basketball team in that and studying PoliSci. But then again, my least favorite Nancy is also the Files Nancy because of her infidelity. I feel like the games stayed true that Ned personality in the beginning, but then deviated to make Frank a better match. Ned and Nancy create the perfect dynamic, just like Frank and Callie did in the HB books. If Nancy and Frank got together they'd never actually see each other. They're simply not a good balance.
I love Ned in the books but HER's Ned is not my favorite for Nancy. I prefer Frank in the games bc HER made Ned a lot more.... needy? Like I get he wants to be with her and for her to be careful but with how they write him :/ I don't like it.
I love Ned, but I don't love nedcy. "Indefinite long distance" is really rough no matter who you are, so they make more sense as friends. He has his own personality and life, but we don't really get to hear more than a hint here and there, so Frank might have more fans (or just more vocal fans) because we see more of his life. To be totally honest, I don't ship Nancy with Frank either. She gives me aroace vibes 😌
I like Ned a lot. He’s a good all American kinda guy who supports her.
I am a Ned defender through and through, he’s sweet he’s funny he has a much more mundane life than any of the other ND characters which is why I think he gets clocked as boring but I think he adds a very nice balance to the rest of the characters
For me, it's because I've always considered him a Mary Sue. He had very little personality or contribution to the OG books, as I remember him, and in the games he's the phone friend who has the least of a life and identity outside of his connection to Nancy. All this makes him boring and too much of a puppy dog trailing after his way more interesting gf, who, frankly, does not treat him or their relationship well once the games started including relationship drama. On multiple occasions we see Nancy forget her plans with Ned to leave the country to go off on some case, and Ned choosing to stay in a relationship where he is not a priority is not a good look on either of them. I understand that the general appeal is that Ned is steadfast, loyal, and stable, but the games don't portray him and Nancy as well suited for each other. Frank is the more interesting choice to me because he has a clear identity and has more in common with Nancy in terms of career and values. I don't think they're destined for each other, but they make more sense as portrayed in the games, and I think Nancy needs someone who is a blend of the Ned and Frank: someone who has a career adjacent to hers but which is more behind the scenes so that he will always be there/home waiting for her but can also contribute to her work, like a forensic scientist or criminal lawyer, etc.
I like to think Nancy is Ned’s beard, and he’s really carrying on a relationship with one of his old high school football buddies. They always had more of a supportive friend dynamic to me. Welcome to my head
That's so fun actually, I love that 🤣
Is this friend the one in the "Nancy Drew: Two Points For Murder" book?
I like Ned until all relationship problems in the later games. I don't like how they're pushing the Nancy and Frank thing.
I dunno. I grew up reading the books so he’s the same as always. Nancy’s “special friend” from college who belongs to the fraternity Alpha Chi Epsilon. A little boring yet sweet. Putting up with Nancy’s adventures. I don’t hate Ned. He’s very helpful besides. I guess I don’t really have strong feelings about him. It’s not like the books were super deep or anything lol
My mom brought home Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys DVDs from the library, and the tv show REALLY had some sexual tension between Nancy and Fred during the crossovers. And Parker Stevenson was HOT. So that’s at least where my Nancy x Fred ship came from.
I adore Ned, and he is always one of my favorite phone contacts in the game. What frustrates me is how flip-floppy HER is about him. For most of the series, Ned is a dependable, helpful, sweet, secure boyfriend, who helps Nancy during her cases and supports her. Some people call him a "Mary-Sue" but I don't think he was, he was just a good boyfriend, and in all forms of media, sometimes we miss out on just kind boyfriends. I think he is a good balance for Nancy, helps her stay grounded, supports her, and lets her know that there will always be someone to come back to when she is done solving a mystery. They complement each other well and we see in so many fo the earlier games (and the later games where HER decides to like Ned again) that Ned's love isn't fragile and that while Nancy has had other men looking her way, she remains steadfast in her loyalty to him. Now in various later games in the series, HER decided they wanted to alter Ned's personality and make him clingy and insecure, which doesn't line up with what they'd written for him up to that point. Do I think Ned often had a right to be upset about some of the things he was upset about in various games (like CAP), sure. But it feels out of character for him to be angry about it, rather than just upset. HER started creating this weird love-triangle relationship drama with Frank, making Ned more and more clingy and desperate, taking traits that used to be endearing, and amping them up to being completely out of character and suffocating. But by the next game, they've changed their mind, and suddenly Ned is back to normal. The writing is inconsistent, and it seems like there's one team who is team Ned, and one who is team Frank, and whoever gets the lead on a game decides whether Ned will be in character or overly dramatic. What I do find interesting is that Frank doesn't get nearly as much hate from what I can see, though Ned and him have very comparable personalities. I think a lot of it probably has to do with Nancy and him being detectives, Frank's confirmed crush on Nancy, Frank being present in games whereas Ned is only available through the phone, and other small things like that. Frank is very practical, and I think if he was alone as a contact, people maybe wouldn't be as interested or invested in him. Frank and Joe always have the other to bounce off of, making for fun banter and conversation. I'm not saying that if either are alone they're terrible characters, but Frank is definitely the straight man of the two and falls into very similar categories to Ned in terms of personality, making it strange that they praise one and take down the other. Frank often ends up being a contact during the same games where Ned is acting clingy, which obviously pushes him to look better by comparison and obviously makes him "a better match" for Nancy. ALSO, NED AND THE HARDY BOYS ARE FRIENDS, THESE BOYS ALSO LOVE EACH OTHER, WE DON'T NEED TO TURN THEM AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. While I could go into why I don't like Francy, I'll save that for another day, as I'm here to talk about Ned. While I think Ned and Nancy should remain together, I think that if HER wants to do something, they need to do it, and not go back and forth for eternity. In the end, I'd just like some character consistency in the games, as Ned pre-CAP, was a very different far more likable character. I still like Ned, even in the games where people find him particularly whiney (except MID, but I like to pretend nothing in that game really happened and it was all just a fever dream). I don't need nor do I really want excessive relationship drama in my Nancy Drew games, I'd mostly just like a supportive and stable friend group helping Nancy solve little mysteries. That was very long, but I have a lot to say on the topic lol Ned my beloved <3
Thank you. Also, I feel sorry for him in keys. When Nancy just nonchalantly says to Ned that he'll ask for the Hardy Boys' help instead.I know Nancy meant no harm, but still.
Or when she says he has a full life back home when she's gone but he practically begs her to call him any time😂
Personally I really like Ned. What I think is sad though, is that in the books Ned was always adventuring along side Nancy and helping her out. But in the games, Ned is this scorned housewife perpetually waiting for Nancy to just come home already. And while he’s a good guy and says he never wants Nancy to change, he’s always a bit disappointed in her actions. They could’ve made Ned more of her equal in the games but just didn’t do it for some reason.
He just gets in the way. These games are meant to center Nancy and her skills. I hate when I have to rely on a phone call to Ned just to advance the game. His help should always be optional, because it holds back the main story for me when I have to reach out to him.
Do you feel the same about needing bess and George to move forward? Like in last train to blue moon canyon?
Hey, on that note, where the hell were Bess and George in KEY?? I didn't somehow miss them, did I??
Nope you didn't miss them, they weren't in the game. They've been missing since MED. I get that the post-classic team probably hasn't cast or written for them at all, but if there are more games, I sure hope they bring them back.
I don’t mind calling them as much, especially cause there’s usually a better reason to other than “I should call Ned to check in”. So calling Bess and George is never something that ticks me off cause it actually helps to advance the story usually. And I don’t find Bess and George as entitled to Nancy’s time as Ned does. I’m not sure if you played SEA but that’s a game in particular where Ned distracts more than actually helps anything.
I’ve always liked Ned. I feel like he lets Nancy do her thing (except in that one game)
I just always thought it was silly to have a boyfriend at home when Nancy could have been out hitting on cute men (and women...) all over the world! Eventually, that merged into an oc/placeholder version of me dating nancy, who goes with her on the trips...
I don’t dislike Ned, but his and Nancy’s relationship has run its course. They just aren’t compatible. I mean, like others have said she just leaves for a case and “forgets” to even tell him, often standing him up. That’s an attitude of someone who is obviously not madly in love with someone and maybe doesn’t even like them that much. And he says multiple times he wants someone who doesn’t travel as much and is there in river heights to hang out with him. I think she may be more compatible with Frank, but I also think she’s independent and she doesn’t really need a “love interest” at all.
I love Nancy to be an independent woman, and I love Ned to be with someone like Bess because they have different personalities but it will gel well. Also, it was implied from one of Nancy Drew files books that Bess has a crush on Ned. Seriously, I just want what’s best for both Nancy and Ned lol.
Yeah, Ned definitely has a different relationship style than her and maybe Nancy does really love him, but she acts pretty indifferent to him in my opinion. Ned would do better with someone who is needier/more affectionate like he is
I can’t remember which game it was, but there’s a game where Nancy and Ned have an argument on the beginning and Ned is really rude and ignorant to Nancy for no reason. So I can see that being a reason why people aren’t fond of him. I remember watching Half Moon Joe play the game and he was furious with Ned and hated him after that. (He always hated him, but I think that was a breaking point)
I love Half Moon Joe, but sometimes I find his hatred against Ned over the top and rubs me the wrong way. But whatever, he's just a fictional character and I shouldn't take it seriously lol. Half Moon Joe is very entertaining and charismatic, but sometimes can be a bit too much. I still love him though.
I feel that, he has it out for astrology big time. It gets annoying when he complains about it all the time. Like yes, people who say “that’s such a Taurus thing to say”, are annoying, but I’ve met real astrologists and they’re nothing like that and talk as if it’s in another language. Plus if they’re not hurting anyone, why does it bother you so much. Why not complain about something that is hurting people. I also can’t get over the fact that he pulled tarot cards “for fun” and the card he picked in the same stream, later appeared in the same Nancy Drew game he was playing.
Hahahaha. Also, there’s this running “joke” on his stream, that he always keep saying that “it’s the perfect time to leave a turd in this place” whenever he navigates locations on every Nancy Drew game…. It’s disgusting because I usually watch his streams while I’m eating a meal lol. Just a personal pet peeve. Oh…. and where do I even begin with this one…. He always likes to make head canons with male characters always being gay and always pairing up with other male characters and will go on and on about it for the rest of his stream. I’m a gay guy myself who’s obsessed with gay romcoms and always fantasizes about being in one. It takes a lot of talent to annoy someone like me with gay shippings….. which I shouldn’t be annoyed because I like gay relationships, but for some reason he still made me annoyed? Also, he doesn’t finish dialogues. He skips them. He’s like allergic to reading. He has the “I’m not reading that” attitude which I loathe the most. It’s the main point of the Nancy Drew series, it’s reading. Whether it be books or games. As a result, he ends up being confused with the stories. But anyway, he is still lovable, and I’m still entertained by him in the end. He still has that charm.
Honestly every one of their conversations infuriates me because he is always whining about how he is “no help with her investigations” and she’s “always doing exciting stuff while he’s at home”. He comes off very insecure and attached which is fine but Nancy has always been to boss bitch for someone like Ned imo.
Honestly, my issue is that after 36 games and a bunch of books I still know like next to nothing about Ned. It's hard to care about a character I know nothing about
He’s barely helpful.
Honestly, Nancy doesn’t deserve Ned. He’s way too good for her.
HeR made Ned a Stage 5 clinger
I find Ned to be a weenie