‘Nancy Drew’ Recap: Season 3, Episode 2 “The Journey of the Dangerous Mind”

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In “The Journey of the Dangerous Mind,” Nancy and Agent Park get closer to finding the killer … and to each other. Bess taps into her magical side as George and Nick struggle to blend their families, and Ace finds himself in over his head with Mr. Bobbsey. From zombie cats to bad luck curses, read on to find out what happened in Nancy Drew season 3, episode 2!

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Cold Heart Killer

Connor the coroner is back! He’s working the Frozen Hearts Murder case while listening to classical music as the Drew Crew bribes him for information with bagels (and the threat of a supernatural culprit). The crew is divided over who to blame, with George voting Temperance as Nancy notes that Temperance would be more strategic than to immediately start killing people on her arrival.

Ace, Nick, and Connor note the kills are different, with the first one being clean and the second more erratic. Ace and Nick head out to figure out what chemical froze the first victim’s heart in order to track their purchases and find them. Connor elects to stay at the morgue, telling them, “Sounds like an excellent hobby for you … do that far from here.”

Ace and Nick test various chemicals in The Claw’s back room on pig hearts to see if any methods match the killer (hello, health inspector?). Ace reassures Nick that he’s watched enough YouTube to know how to do this. As they wait for the heart to freeze, Ace asks Nick how the engagement is going. Nick admits that he’s not sure how to relate to the Fan sisters while Ace tells him to give it time.

Their experiment works, though Ace is almost blinded by a shattered pig’s heart. Nick realizes that the killer likely used argon gas since the other options are too messy, and Connor confirms the gas is present in the victim’s body.

Connect the Dots

It’s Nancy’s first day as community liaison, and she doesn’t even have a chair for her desk (“I’ll make one!” she vows). Nancy quickly discovers the job is mostly paperwork, but her “desk” just so happens to be next to the chief’s office. She hears the college kids from last week note that they were followed by a man with three “scarred nubs” on his right hand instead of fingers. Agent Park catches her staring, and realizing she can read lips, he shuts the blinds.

Nancy protests that Park is sidelining her, but he notes that the killer clearly wants her involved. If she is seen openly investigating, they’d be playing into their hands. Suddenly Temperance arrives with a “tip”: she claims to know how to solve the murders.

Temperance tells Nancy she is invested in keeping this town safe considering it was hers first. She also says that Nancy reminds her of someone she once failed to save, but doesn’t elaborate. Temperance shares that she has a device at Icarus Hall that could help both of them recall any memories that they may have forgotten about the three fingered Man in the Hat.

At Icarus Hall, Temperance tells Nancy about the memory weave ritual. She brings them both back to the night of Nick and George’s engagement, much to Nancy’s annoyance. Temperance says she was watching the whole thing as they view the scene again. Both notice a white van approach — the same white van seen in the background during the last episode. The driver is a man in a hat with three fingers, strongly resembling the figure in Icarus Hall and in the corn maze. Temperance is excited to have a lead, but Nancy is angry she tricked her and leaves.

When Ace and Nick share their argon theory, Nancy takes it to Park, who is listening to a true crime podcast about the so-called Frozen Hearts Killer, who had the same M.O. as this new killer. Park thinks they might be connected and hints he’s been investigating this killer for a while. Nancy gives him the plate number on the Man with the Hat’s car, but he’s suspicious about why she’s only just remembering this now.

Park finds the man, Richard Trott, who recently purchased argon. Though it’s an alias, Park is able to trace it back to a ticket from Alaska in 2006, the same time and place the Frozen Hearts Killer was active. Park tells her her leads were solid and thanks her, with a pleased Nancy noting no one has ever thanked her from the Horseshoe Bay PD.

After the events at the suspects’ home later in the episode, Nancy goes to bed listening to the Frozen Hearts podcast and realizes the host will be at Detective Con in Portland, Maine. She texts Ace and asks him to tag along. Time for a road trip!

Love Explosion

The police go to Trott’s address, with Nancy upset she’s not allowed to tag along. But when has that ever stopped Nancy? She recalls that the van had a parking pass for an address miles from the home and is able to find an old complaint about improperly buried waste. Nancy figures out this is the killer’s real address. She calls Ryan for a ride.

At the house, Nancy sees the culprit is trying to destroy evidence. She sneaks in alone. The entire house is covered in clear plastic covers, with a human heart burning in the fireplace. Nancy fishes it out before texting Agent Park. Dropping her phone in a panic, she accidentally sets off a booby trap.

When Park arrives, Nancy urges him not to come in because the evidence would be inadmissible if he did. In a split second decision, he kicks the door in to help her. They realize the room is rigged with pipe bombs as Park tries to calm her. Nancy sneezes (worst timing EVER), and Park rushes in, pushing her to the ground just in time to save her even as Nancy tells him to go. He oh-so-conveniently falls on top of her as they stare meaningfully into each other’s eyes — nothing like a near death experience to get those heart eyes going! It appears our newest ship Nark is off to the races.

Outside, Nancy beats herself up for what she did, but Park tells her that mistakes happen and that guilt isn’t going to help the investigation. Nancy thanks him for saving her, and she notices his hands are shaking. He brushes it off as adrenaline, but Nancy is suspicious.

My Little Girl

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Carson, meanwhile, is worried about Nancy involving herself in the serial killer investigation. Ryan tries to offer some advice to Carson based on his experience as a wild child, but Carson thinks he can handle it. He tracks Nancy’s phone, which causes Ryan to remark that he has, “No chill.” Ryan says if Nancy needs him, she will call, and Carson reluctantly stops tracking her.

But Ryan involves himself by giving Nancy a ride to the killer’s potential second home without knowing it. Trying to be the fun parent, he asks what she’s doing and notes he won’t, “Flip out, like some other dads would.” This plan backfires immediately as Nancy goes to race into the house and Ryan’s protective instincts war with his need for Nancy to like him. The police arrive after Nancy’s call and Ryan panics, realizing this may not have been the best move. When Carson arrives, he yells at Ryan for putting Nancy in danger, while Ryan fires back that Nancy “is who she is” and there’s no way either of them could protect her.

At home that night, Ryan calls Nancy out for using him. Nancy protests that she didn’t want him coming in with her, but Carson backs Ryan up, saying that as her dads, they would protect her even if she didn’t want them to (and notes both followed her anyway). Nancy says this is just who she is, and Carson asks her to be transparent with them. He says, “Next time you’re running into something dangerous, remember that you aren’t alone.” Tearing up, Nancy says she’s sorry that she scared them and calls them her “dads.”

Ryan and Carson talk, with Ryan confessing that he’s scared he has nothing to offer her. He says he’s not smart and doesn’t have a career. Nancy’s driven spirit amazes him. He says he doesn’t know who he’s supposed to be, and Carson says he can’t answer that for Ryan.

Diamonds Are Forever

George and her sisters are having fun with her engagement ring, until Charlie shares that she’s been getting in trouble at school. Later, as George helps Bess research the supernatural side of the murders, she finds her ring is missing.

The Fan Clan begins their mission to find the ring and keep Nick in the dark. Jessie accuses him of being a “killer” due to his use of pig’s heart to test their theories, noting that, “To those pigs, you are the real serial killer.” Nick’s reaction is priceless, and George continues to hide. Nick takes the opportunity to try to bond with the girls, but each one chooses the meanest possible way to keep him away from George in a montage.

But Nick figures out what’s going on and gently asks why George didn’t tell him. George says it was a sign to the world that she had a future worth living for, and Nick says he’s her reminder. Nick goes to Charlie to talk about their new relationship and realizes Charlie was the one who took George’s ring. Nick tries to cover for her, but Charlie confesses she doesn’t want George to leave. Their mother always left whenever she had a new boyfriend, and she’s scared the same thing will happen now. Both reassure her that their family is only going to grow, and they bond over BTS at dinner with the girls.

We Are All Accomplices

Mr. Bobbsey shows up to talk to Ace. He asks for a ride to an old friend’s house, and Ace obliges despite his misgivings. Bess once again warns Ace against trusting him, but Ace says he wants to give Mr. Bobbsey a second chance.

That night, Bobbsey gets in the car with blood on his hands. Ace tells him to get out and that he only ever offered to give him a ride, not be an accomplice. Bobbsey says he will regret this as he gets out and runs away.

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Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

Bess discovers her ancestor Martha Marvin was a Woman in White as she and George search for occult frozen heart murders in history. She’s intrigued by the information. When Ace acts suspiciously about Bobbsey, she steals one of his hairs. Bess uses it for a protection ritual for Ace based on one of Martha’s recipes, hoping to keep him safe from Mr. Bobbsey.

But Bess messes up the spell, causing him to have bad luck, starting with the almost-blinding and getting worse from there. Bess confesses to Ace that she performed the ritual, but he doesn’t believe he’s really cursed and especially doesn’t believe that Bess can do magic. Bess goes after a candle belonging to her family that went missing from the Historical Society, which she is watching over while Hannah is away. She finds herself at Icarus Hall with Temperance.

Temperance tells her she was the one who taught Martha and the rest of the Women in White, and that she wants to teach Bess too. Bess doesn’t understand what she’s capable of. Bess confesses she tried to give Ace protection, and Temperance offers to help her. In a ritual, Bess makes magic sparkles fly around the room. She’s delighted as Temperance praises her, and one of the sparks makes its way to a dark hall where we see … ZOMBIE KEGSTAND! Everyone’s favorite cat is alive-ish and mostly well. But what does this mean for Temperance’s plans?

Nancy Drew airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW. You can find our other coverage of the series here!

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