The following contains spoilers for Velma Season 1, Episode 8, "A Velma in the Woods," now streaming on HBO Max.
Velma Season 1 has crafted tremendous trauma for the titular character. The disappearance of her mother, Diya, has caused Velma to hallucinate monsters due to her feelings of guilt and belief that she drove her mother away. It's affected Velma's social life too, but thankfully, a romance with Daphne is helping.
There's a lot of work to be done, which is why Velma still thinks it might be best not to get distracted by Daphne. The latest episode finds Velma and Daphne ironing out this problem only for their arguments to lead to the truth behind Diya. Luckily, they're able to find Diya, but there's still a big problem to crack.
Velma Reveals Diya Was Kidnapped
Velma and Daphne enter a love quadrangle with Shaggy and his new crush, Gigi, at Gigi's cabin in the woods. It's near a cliff that Velma thinks the Crystal Cove slasher might be hiding around. Velma hopes to find her mom there. The gang ends up in a cave where they find the brains of the missing mean girls from town.
The victims can still speak through transponders, confirming the brains have been experimented on via the research of Shaggy's grandmother. Fred also stumbles in and, as he accidentally triggers the cave to collapse, Velma rescues the jars with the brains. For a second, it seems like she'll be killed, but Diya shows up out of nowhere and grabs her hand, with the rest of the teens pulling them to safety. It's the moment Velma waited on for years, but as they escape and the authorities tend to the mother-daughter duo, it's bittersweet.
Velma's Diya Has Memory Loss
Diya, unfortunately, can't remember anything about being kept prisoner -- how she got down there, who took her, who freed her, who messed with the brains, and why this person had a vendetta against Crystal Cove. It's heartbreaking because while she remembers her daughter, Diya may think her husband, Aman, is waiting for her. Little does she know, he's moved on and married Sophie, having a child and cosplaying as the Jetsons for photoshoots.
Thus, seeing him happy could hurt her as she stuck by Aman during their turbulent marriage, sacrificing for Velma's sake. In turn, this could skew Velma's view on love, damaging her and Daphne. The emotional aspect of Diya's return aside, the town is back to square one with the masked villains still loose. Velma might not be mentally ready to resume the case. It's not even certain if Diya, an expert sleuth herself, could shake off the cobwebs and help her daughter solve the mystery.
Admittedly, there's a chance Diya could be the killer and is faking amnesia. As a result, Velma still harbors dark secrets that could unlock the terror striking Crystal Cove in the present. Ultimately, there might be a silver lining, because after the cave fiasco, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy and Fred might realize how well they work together, inspiring them to become Mystery Inc. for one last crack at saving their home as Season 1 winds down.
Season 1 of Velma concludes Feb. 9 on HBO Max.