The Nancy Drew Season 3 finale was on a mission not just to destroy Temperance Hudson and save Horseshoe Bay, but to give fans all. the. damn. feels.
Every single one of them.
It was an interesting finale in that it embraced a different vibe than all the previous episodes.
The flow was choppy and rushed. Instead of setting the scene and witnessing the Drew Crew form a plan to save Ace’s life from the Copperhead, the episode jumped right into the action with Nancy presenting Temperance with a plan — her blood to open the veil in exchange for the soul splitter to help Ace.
Naturally, we know Nancy would never just risk the wellbeing of the town for her own selfish reasons, and if you questioned the legitimacy of this “truce,” you’re a true Nancy Drew fan!
The master plan was revealed in snippets that didn’t fully make sense, but considering the Temperance Hudson situation was wrapped up mere minutes into the episode, it’s clear the finale had a lot to pack into an hour and wasn’t interested in wasting precious moments of screentime.
In short, once Temperance agreed to Nancy’s plan, they initiated the process of splitting Ace’s soul while Nancy gave Temperance her blood… which was dosed with a sedative through the donut holes Nancy kept munching on.
And while it was a genius plan, it, once again, didn’t stand a chance against Temperance’s skills. I’ve said this in previous reviews, but that 200-year-old witch had a lot of time to think this through; her plan was going to go off without a hitch, no matter what.
Or, so she thought.
Once she got ahold of all four hearts, she enacted what she referred to as the New Genesis.
However, Ryan Hudson arrived in the knick of time with a hatchet to kill skin walkers, which he got from a very shady couple harboring a house full of relics and dangerous objects.
Nancy used it on Temperance… and it was all over.
If you thought, “this was too easy,” again, you’re a true Nancy Drew fan. Anytime there’s an overly happy moment right after the world is almost swallowed up whole, it’s natural to be skeptical.
But what happened next was next-level.
Ryan Hudson was hit with a piece of shrapnel from the hatchet which KILLED HIM.
I had to rewind the episode several times to see his obituary because I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The Nancy Drew writers are known for delivering big twists (I’m still not over the Lucy Sable twist), and they’re not afraid to kill off main characters that seem pivotal to the storyline (see also: Owen Mavin, RIP), so I thought this might be a similar situation, but then, the whole vibe felt off once again.
The transitions between scenes, the way everyone interacted with each other, and even the happy sendoff for Nick all felt misplaced as if part of some wicked dream… or nightmare.
But it flowed with the course of events, so it wasn’t much of a cause for concern either. Nick wanted to get away for a bit so he planned a trip to Florida. George finally decided to pursue law. After a near-apocalypse, Bess didn’t want to be involved with the Historical Society anymore. And following weeks of mourning, Nancy decided to finally act on her feelings with Ace… and it was so hot, it broke the barometer!
You’d think that’s a good thing, but nope, it was 100% an omen… and confirmation that none of this is real.
Of course, the actual confirmation came from Temperance at the site of a car wreck that took Ace’s life.
In Nancy’s mind, a whole month passed by, but in reality, she was still at the moment of the veil deciding whether or not to kill Temperance.
To be fair, it was kind of Temperance to take this moment to warn Nancy about the holy hell she was going to unleash if she went through with killing her. The fact that she can manipulate a split-second moment also shows just how powerful Temperance really is. The Drew Crew, despite being Horseshoe Bay’s leading supernatural investigators, never had a shot bringing her down or thwarting her plans.
Temperance’s dire warning gets worse: if Nancy does kill her, this is the fate that awaits Ace if they ever act on their feelings for each other.
Family sure knows how to push our buttons, don’t they?
When Temperance snapped her fingers and brought Nancy back to reality, she was faced with the toughest choice of her life. As everyone urges Nancy to quite literally bury the hatchet, Nancy makes the decision to let Temperance open the veil.
And the moment she does — chaos and destruction follow that looks like a scene ripped straight from Day After Tomorrow.
Whoever the director for this episode was, they really nailed the whole post-apocalyptic/doomsday scenario.
And that CGI was pretty incredible considering it’s a CW show.
As Nancy saw the beginning of the end — Bess warned that fire and cyclone storms were sure to follow — she made the ultimate sacrifice for her town and used Temperance’s “blind spots” for a surprise attack.
Horseshoe Bay recovered in a month’s time, and everyone seemed to be back on the right path.
Everyone except for Nancy and Ace. Considering the “prophecy” that he would die the moment they even went there, Nancy chose to avoid him.
However, the fact that she was able to save Ryan’s life by removing the shrapnel before it killed him leads me to believe that there is a way out of this if the Drew Crew put their minds to it.
They’ve been through worse and come out on top! You just have to undo the spell.
I truly wanted Nancy to be honest with Ace about what was going on, but the moment she got too close and the barometer broke again, she hit the brakes and said some awfully terrible things to him. We know that she’s coming from a place of love to protect him, but Ace doesn’t know that, so it was a heartbreaking scene to watch.
Of course, no one knows Nancy better than Ace, so he likely won’t take this at face value. He’s just as inquisitive as Nancy, so he’s going to want to figure out why she hesitated at the veil, why she didn’t kiss him back, and why she’s pushing away. He knows something is up, and he has to figure it out or save her.
Nancy was crushed by the curse that basically stripped her of controlling her fate, but a heart-to-heart with Carson Drew seemed to put things into perspective. I don’t think Carson is the right person to go to for advice on this situation considering he doesn’t know what’s at stake or even understands that the situation is life or death, but it’s the thought that counts.
Nancy Drew — “The Ransom of the Forsaken Soul” — Image Number: NCD313a_0315r.jpg — Pictured: Kennedy McMann as Nancy — Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW — (C) 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Eventually, Nancy, who is the proud owner of Icarus Hall, which she turned into an official office for “Nancy Drew Investigates,” finds a deck of cards that alludes to the prophecies introduced at the beginning of season 3.
Cue the song: “I can see clearly now.”
“One of u will be the other’s demise” alludes to Nancy essentially being Ace’s kryptonite. It’s a clever way to keep them together and leave fans craving more, but it’s also beyond cruel and frustrating.
“One of you will forsake what’s dearest to you” alludes to Nick selling the valuable ring he bought for George, the woman he saw a future with.
“One of you will betray your true love” alludes to George’s decision to split with Nick and pursue a law degree.
“One of you will lose your heart” alludes to the fact that Ace cannot be with Nancy.
“One of you will wreak havoc on this town” alludes to Bess’s decision to take on the Historical Society.
“Only one of you will fulfill your destiny and that one will cause the rest to fall,” seems to allude to Ryan paying his debts to that shady artifact couple who want to meet the keeper of the Historical Society. That does not sound like good news.
It seems as though the Drew Crew fulfilled their prophecies, but where do they go from here?
And does this mean that no one has actually been in control of their own destiny this whole time?
As I said, it was a whirlwind episode full of ups and downs that changed the direction of the show’s future trajectory.
And what’s Nancy Drew without a little mystery?
The world stops for no one — not even the town’s detective — so, amidst this whole personal crisis, Nancy gets her first client: a man who asks her to meet him at the cemetery alone.
When Nancy arrives at the cemetery, however, she sees a bunch of dug-up graves and the bodies missing.
Um… what happened to them? And why do I feel like Addy is somehow involved?
This might be the first “normal” and non-supernatural case in a while, and it feels kind of refreshing. The third season leaned heavily into magic, but that’s not actually necessary. At her core, Nancy Drew is just a girl solving mysteries in her small town. Why not get back to that?
Let’s hope that Nancy Drew is renewed for a fourth season so we can get some answers.
As of now, The CW hasn’t made an official ruling, so when they killed off Ryan and Ace, and said goodbye to Nick, I thought that this episode was surely meant to serve as closure for a series finale. I’m so glad that isn’t the case because while Nancy is at the helm of the show and Ace is the best character, it wouldn’t be complete without Ryan. Also – can we talk about how Nancy finally called Ryan “dad” for the first time?! Be still my heart.
Plus, Friday nights wouldn’t be the same without a little thrill.
What did you think about the finale? Did you like the pacing and rhythm of the episode?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!