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Recap: Memories Are Lost in ‘Nancy Drew’ Season 2, Episode 11 “The Scourge of the Forgotten Rune”

In “The Scourge of the Forgotten Rune,” the Drew Crew has to fight an entity they can’t remember while holding on to their own rapidly fading memories. Some major secrets are revealed, and Nancy must make the choice between what’s right and what’s easy. Read on to see what happened!

Nick wakes up outside his truck in a panic. Inside, a note on the dashboard says “only use fan in case of emergency” as he tries to start the car. The engine doesn’t turn over, so he desperately seeks out a passing motorist to take him to River Heights Drive (a nice nod to the setting of the original novels). At Nancy’s house, she opens the door to find Nick standing there. When she opens the door, he asks who she is as she stares in shock.

Ryan is eating lunch with Celia, who tells him Nancy is his daughter (not realizing he already knows). Celia threatens Ryan, saying she wants to “handle it” herself and hopes that he knew nothing until this moment. He pretends he didn’t but is concerned. Meanwhile, Nancy tells the Drew Crew that Nick has no idea who he is or who they are. Bess and George try to fill Nick in on his own life, which is hilarious as it becomes apparent just how strange his life is to someone with no reference points. Ace is trying to track Nick’s phone, which is lost. He’s also trying to find his brother, and is a bit distracted by the box his brother left for him.

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Nancy finds two bones with markings on them in Nick’s pocket that he doesn’t remember picking up. They try to reconstruct where Nick was last night, but it appears Nick lied to them before disappearing. Ryan texts Nancy that Celia knows, and she runs to deal with that situation as Bess and George stay with Nick. Ryan tells Carson and Nancy that they have four hours before Celia has her meeting with Everett. Nancy doesn’t understand why they’re both terrified, and Carson explains the legalities behind Everett’s will. She’s upset that neither of them told her and leaves.

At his house, Ace sees an identical box to the one his brother left for him. His mother informs him that his father gave it to her the night he said he loved her, and that he made it himself. At The Claw, Ace takes out his frustration on Grant as Bess gently asks what’s going on. He’s concerned his father knew about his brother and left him alone in witness protection, and Bess tells him he needs to ask Thom directly as Thom enters with officers in tow. Turns out there was a murder at the historical society last night. It was the tour guide Aristotle from before, and Nick’s phone was at the scene at the exact time Aristotle died. George forces a bewildered Nick out the back window as they overhear this.

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Ace finds the crime scene photos, which show slash marks consistent with the strange bones in Nick’s pockets. Bess realizes the symbols are Younger Futhark runes, a Viking language. Nancy also notices that wherever Nick’s truck is now, it left a trail of oil behind. The crew follows that trail to the woods, where they find the truck and the mysterious note about the fan. They also see a device from the historical society hooked up to the engine, which confuses Nick as George quips, “did I mention you were a mechanic before you bought a restaurant?” The device was used to cure dementia, and they theorize Nick was trying to erase his memory for some reason.

They turn the device on in an attempt to help Nick remember who he is, and when he does, he yells at them to go. He says now that he remembers, “it” will come for him again, and they need to leave. The Drew Crew runs and Nick stays behind as the creature emerges from the woods. Nick turns on the device and erases his memory, the creature vanishing as he does so. Alone, Nick once again forgets who he is. The Drew Crew returns to the scene and decide not to try triggering Nick’s memory again. Ace gets a text from Thom — Nick is wanted for questioning, and they realize he needs a lawyer.

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Carson and Nick sit with Thom, who can’t believe that Nick doesn’t remember who he is but still knows ASL. Carson tries to explain that this is common in amnesia cases, and Thom tries to prompt him with memories of his childhood before asking if Nick killed Aristotle by bringing up his criminal history. Nick is bewildered, not remembering what he did. Carson gently tells him what happened years prior. Nick is devastated, and his heartbreaking reaction proves to Thom that he truly doesn’t know who he is.

Poor Grant is looking for just one employee to sign his time card as the Drew Crew ignore him (dream on, Grant). A video of Nancy and Bess confronting Aristotle has hundreds of hits with nasty comments about him, which prompts George to think maybe one of them is responsible. Ace tracks the ringleader of the trolls, who was Aristotle’s roommate. Nancy goes to the docks and confronts Celia. She says she’ll sign anything and that she doesn’t want control of Hudson Enterprises, but Celia says there’s no way to alter the will. Nancy surprises Celia and turns on the machine that caused Nick to forget everything, clearly hoping it will help Celia forget what she learned about Nancy.

The roommate tells Ace and Bess that Aristotle was so annoying to live with that he “trolled Aristotle so I wouldn’t kill him.” Aristotle was doing research on an ancient Viking burial site (and of course, hosting a podcast about it). Apparently, the archaeologists who were working with Aristotle went missing the week before and Aristotle was trying to find them. At The Claw, Nick talks to George about what he learned about his past. George says she’s sorry, but she didn’t know how to tell him and she didn’t want to traumatize him again.

Just then, a newly mellow Celia enters, commenting on how charming the restaurant is. Nancy reassures George that Celia and Nick’s memories will stay separate and also tells the two that Bess and Ace found the dig site. Ryan arrives, and Nancy confesses that she erased Celia’s memory (Ryan’s reaction is priceless). She tells him to keep an eye on Celia as she rushes out.

They listen to Aristotle’s terrible podcast for clues, which surprisingly is helpful when they find a drawing of the creature Nick saw along with the slash marks from before. As Nancy finds the god’s name and is about to say it, the whole Drew Crew wakes up with a start outside Nick’s car. All of their memories are erased. But inside The Claw, they find a cork board with information about all of them. It seems a version of the crew left this for them, but how many times have they erased their memories? Apparently, the monster murders everyone who knows its name, explaining why they keep erasing their memories. George asks why she should believe it until she sees a photo past-George left for her that features her holding a sign that says, “because I said so.” They find a note that says to watch a video on Nancy’s phone, which tells them this is attempt number five.

They try a variety of other plans, all of which fail in a montage as Carson sends increasingly worried texts to Nancy. Celia sneaks out and returns to The Claw where she and Nancy dance to a song on the jukebox since both happily don’t remember their history. After yet another attempt fails, they watch the latest video from past-Nancy informing them that they have run out of the substance erasing their memories. Nancy tells them they cannot restore their memories or the entity will win.

Odette chooses now to make her entrance, explaining that she can’t let them try again. But Nancy argues their memories make them who they are. They agree to try one last time, knowing they can’t go back again. Nancy realizes the entity is less powerful when all five know its name. They all realize they need as many people as possible to know the name to weaken it. Bess realizes she’s a “social media savant” and can spread the name that way. They purposely gain their memories back, and we see that Aristotle came to Nick for help that night. Aristotle accidentally told Nick the name, which is why Nick has to erase his memory the first time. The entity killed Aristotle brutally, but Nick erased his own memory in time.

The crew gears up to fight, with Nick purposely luring the monster away alongside George. Ace takes a video and sends it to Bess, who immediately posts it and its name. Ace uses the roommate’s troll network to spread it even further. It works, and the monster (named Grimathorn), becomes a small powerless idol. Nick and George lock it in an archive box.

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Nancy tells Carson what happened with Celia, and Carson tells her she can still do the right thing and restore Celia’s memories. Nancy says when she fixes Celia, she’ll need her dad, and tells him to move back into their house. Ryan asks if Nancy’s sure about restoring the memories, and Nancy says Celia will get all her memories back including the last few days. Maybe some of that nice version of Celia is still there. Ace insists to Thom that Nick is innocent, and Thom notes that the footage proved Nick couldn’t have killed Aristotle. Thom says he wants to talk more with Ace and that this is the most they’ve talked in a long time. Ace is about to ask about his brother, but his mother calls out and he loses his nerve.

Celia tells Nancy she has no choice about telling Everett, but Nancy flips it, asking Celia to help Everett trust her. George and Nick have a heart to heart, with Nick confessing he doesn’t feel like he deserves his own life. But he says he wants to get his own place with George, and says he wants to buy Carson’s now vacant loft. He buys the whole building (remember, the man is a millionaire) and the crew throws a housewarming party. Grant shows up at the loft with a secret to share. He’s Ace’s brother, and he hands him the other half of the photo as Ace is shaken.

Nancy Drew airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.

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