Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 3 Review: The Danger of the Hopeful Sigil

We’re only three episodes into the final season on Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 3, “The Danger of the Hopeful Sigil,” and I’m already exhausted. Just how much are these characters (and we) going to be put through?

We know from the nature of drama that the potion found and assembled within the first minutes of the episode, promising to allow Nancy and Ace the future they’ve dreamed of, is too good to be true. There’s no way their salvation can be this early or come so fast.

Even so, the events of this hour are almost too much to handle. Our first shot comes and goes quickly. A combination of a potion and magic doll are just starting to do their work when the latter must be sacrificed to save George’s sister, her girlfriend, and a bully possessed by a demon.

There’s obviously a story in those last words. For the moment, it mostly consists of typical teenage behavior mixed with the dangers of demonic magic. The budding romance between the girls is very sweet, though, so I hope we see more of it.

The first period of bleakness is quickly replaced by a new round of hope, and this is the one that really kicks everyone in the teeth. Everything seems to be going as it should, and Nancy and Ace share their first real kiss at last to combat the curse.

It’s a lovely moment that encompasses what fans have waited so long for, including flashbacks to moments the two have shared over the series. It’s also just one heck of a kiss. And then it all comes crashing down.

Temperance’s moths (plural!) return, and it’s Nancy, not Ace, who almost meets an early end. The sweet and joyful scenes turn frantic and confusing, and then terrifying. We certainly aren’t offing our title character—at least not yet—but it sure does kill the mood.

The aftermath includes tear-jerking scenes with both Carson and Ace. Nancy’s father has good reason to keep her from fighting her jinx. Now, after so recently being completely on board with the battle and willing to lay down his own life, Ace does too.

I still refuse to believe that these two won’t succeed, but the writing works hard to make this feel like an ending. It’s all the more wrenching when they’ve come so close two times in one hour. It’s going to tale a major change in the status quo before they can try again.

Until then, we now have reason to understand why a Nancy may be getting a new love interest. I’m not sure what this will look like. We only have a partial season left for all to be resolved. Then again, with this packed timeline, that feels like forever.

Amidst all this, there is some time given to that story of supernaturally-infected water, but it also leaves us in a rut. Nick very nearly convinces the town council to have it inspected, but the plans to temporarily reroute their source falls through.

The consequences are immediate. In the episode-ending cliffhanger, the head of the council shows signs of the same infliction we’ve already seen. She screams, and we cut to black now surer than ever of how serious this is. Isn’t the tragic love story enough by itself?

Other Notes

• I’m curious about this bully, Avery. I’m even more curious about his father, who openly scoffs at all things supernatural. How does he even manage to live in a place like Horseshoe Bay?
• I love Bess giving tours of the historical society. Can we make this an interactive feature for the website?
• Carson and Jean’s conversation about Kate is heartbreaking, but all I can take from it now is the reminder that everything we’ve witnessed on this show has taken place within about one year. How?!

 

What did you think of this episode of Nancy Drew? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Nancy Drew airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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