‘Nancy Drew’ Recap: Season 3, Episode 6 “The Myth of the Ensnared Hunter”

Jules
14 Min Read
Colin Bentley/The CW

Wow, Drew Crew. This week’s episode answers some questions while posing way more. With everything from surprise twists to terrifying monster chases, “The Myth of the Ensnared Hunter” is a horror episode of Nancy Drew while still delivering on laughs and heart. Amanda Bobbsey returns — but is it for good? Grab your creepy doll companion and turn some lights on as we seek out the monster under the bed (no, literally. It’s under your bed).

Open Your Heart

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At the youth center, George and Bess discuss George’s fight with Nick. They haven’t spoken since the argument the night before. George insists it wasn’t lying and that she needed to work out her relationship with her father on her own. She’s now more determined than ever to separate her soul from Odette’s even if Hannah thinks it’s impossible. 

George wants to talk to Nick about what happened while Nick is barely speaking to George. When she tries, he brings up a broken vacuum as she fumes, “You wanna know why your vacuum is broken? It’s getting clogged from everything you’re sweeping under the rug.” 

That night, George apologizes to Nick but notes he also withholds information from her too. She says she will never pressure him to share those things with her. Nick says he didn’t mean to pressure her and that he just wanted to feel like they were connected. George says they’re connected no matter what. She tells him about what she and George found, and he tells George he’s proud of her for facing her father. They kiss, and all is forgiven.

Split My Soul

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Ryan is substitute teaching for a sick Addy, which distresses Bess since they were just making out. Ryan covers one boy’s ears as Bess freaks out over this, then says, “I’m sorry I sat here” as Bess goes on and on (which is hilarious). Bess is trying to convince herself she only wants something casual while it’s obvious that’s not true. 

Bess and George head out on their mission to separate George from Odette by looking through Hannah’s archives, again not telling Nick the full story. As George searches for information, Bess is preoccupied with Addy. George urges her to ask Addy out again, but Bess is terrified of rejection. They find a footnote in an old text about a successful separation ritual. The book’s author? Father Jonathan Shane, who sold them the holy water back in “The Whisper Box” back in season 1. (I love the writing team and their attention to detail!) Turns out Father Shane has quite the crush on Hannah, so Bess lures him in. 

At the historical society, Bess and George pretend to be interviewing Father Shane for a newsletter about demonic possession, as one does. He claims Hannah should know all about the case they found — it’s why Hannah stopped speaking to him. He’s suspicious, and George decides to lay it all out there. She tells him about Odette. Father Shane explains there is a device called the soul splitter (catchy name) that could in theory get Odette out. He also shares that while the originals were all destroyed, a man named Beckett Dow made copies of the original design. The last device is in an art collection in New Hampshire that was stolen after Father Shane publicized the collection, which is why Hannah was upset with him. 

Bess calls Ace to see if the Bobbseys know anything about the stolen soul splitter, and Ace notes the men who were arrested had some relics with them. 

Integrity Blues

Ace and Carson go to the police so Ace can tell them everything. Carson brokered a deal with Jean that Ace would get immunity from prosecution if he testified, but the officer taking his statement doesn’t mention it. Carson stops Ace from signing, noting that until they have the immunity deal signed, Ace won’t swear to anything. 

Outside, Ace sees his parents talking to the police. His father gruffly tells him it’s handled, but his mother tells him that someone threw a brick through Ace’s old window the night before that said “rat.” The officer implies that Ace is holding back information and that’s why Jean pulled the deal, and an emotional Ace says he just wants to keep his parents safe. His father, still angry, says, “We can take care of ourselves.” His mother tells him not to worry and that she needs him to stay safe before the two go to give their own statement. 

Ace thinks Carson will want him to play it safe, but Carson tells Ace he needs to find Bobbsey. If Jean pulls the deal, he will be charged as an accessory to an assault, which means jail time. Ace asks how he’s supposed to do that, and Carson says to look behind him. Amanda happily skips up to him and pulls him in for a kiss. she came back because the police need her testimony as well.

She tells him she doesn’t know where her father is because he’s gone completely off the grid before asking why he’s talking to Carson Drew. The two go for coffee, where Ace tells Amanda what happened. Amanda believes him, but it’s hard for her to help Ace because she still sees Bertram as a good father. She also knows that if she gives up his location, he’ll go back to prison. She tells Ace that she truly doesn’t know where Bertram is, but she wouldn’t tell Ace if she did. 

That night, Amanda finds her father hiding out in a boat. She tries to convince him to turn himself in and cooperate, but he would rather they run together instead. He guilts her into helping, which is when Ace shows up with the cops. Ace followed her, knowing she’d never tell him where her father was. Amanda realizes she was played as her father tells her he thought she was smarter than this. Ace looks on, crestfallen that he had to betray Amanda. 

Carson tells Ace the plan was a success — he’s fully immune from prosecution. Ace’s dad waits for him, offering his mother’s homemade kugel as a peace offering. Ace’s mother (read: Thom) wants Ace to move back in so they can work out their issues together, but Ace says he wants to get another job and stay where he is. Thom says to make sure to come to Shabbat dinner, and Ace agrees. It’s a fragile understanding, but at least it’s something. 

Amanda leaves after giving her own statement, and Ace rushes to apologize. She reveals that she knew Ace would tail her and that it was her backup plan if talking to her father failed. But she’s still upset because she knows Ace didn’t trust her to make the right choice in the end. Amanda decides to help Ace with George’s quest for a soul splitter, which she overheard him talking about with Bess. Giving him the key to her father’s secret storage locker, she says that if he had the artifact it would be in there. She considers it paying back the debt that Gil started when he tried to kill George with the shroud. Ace pleads with her to talk about this, but she tells him they’re done with a parting shot: “You know what your problem is? You always think you’re the good guy.” 

I Want A Monster To Be My Friend

Colin Bentley/The CW

The episode opens in 1992 with a young Trott on his paper route, dropping off a paper that shows it is the day serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer pled guilty to his crimes. Nancy’s voicemail to Hannah reveals this is the day he met the entity that later became Frozen Hearts Killer #2. Nancy is tracking his paper route to try and figure out which house the entity was living in at the time, but Hannah isn’t answering. 

Nancy tries to rally the troops to help her, but Bess and George have their own fight and Ace is away. Nancy tells Ryan and Nick that she found the entity’s underground prison. Nick says he can’t cancel on the kids, and Ryan volunteers to go with her. 

Nancy: You want to come with me on a quest to track down a supernatural, heart freezing killing machine? 

Ryan: Well, when you say it like that, it sounds super cool! 

In the woods, Nancy and Ryan bond as Ryan marvels at Nancy’s girl detective past. Nancy asks him for stories about Lucy in return. Ryan talks about how Lucy was funny and no one ever really saw that side of her. They share a smile as they continue, making their way to an abandoned house. 

Nancy is all for smashing a window, but Ryan falls through a hold in the ground before she can put her rock smashing skills to good use. Poor Ryan dislocated his shoulder, and Nancy distracts him by asking about his chore wheel bribery before pushing it back in. They realize that they can’t climb up the way they came and will have to push through. 

They make their way through a maze of tunnels (Ryan: “This is something I never thought I’d have to ask, but which way to the monster cage?”). When they find the cage, they’re puzzled to see it isn’t broken — something let the monster out. Nancy finds part of a key and tracks in the dirt that look new. Nancy realizes the entity has been coming back to the cage after escaping. She also sees the creepy doll from the vision and IMMEDIATELY PICKS IT UP in a patented Nancy Drew move. All the torches go out and the entity arrives in an absolutely terrifying moment. 

Ryan and Nancy run while the monster stalks them. They’re trapped, but The Man in the Hat just reaches for the doll Nancy is clutching. Nancy notes he wants the doll as Ryan stage whispers, “Well, GIVE IT TO HIM.” Nancy drops the doll, and the entity completely ignores them as they run away. Why was it only concerned about the doll? 

Colin Bentley/The CW

Ryan and Nancy climb a ladder, and they realize they are in a secret room. Ryan notes that it’s like an escape room as Nancy finds a hidden door. The door opens, and the two find themselves inside the historical society as a shocked Bess and George stand in alarm. 

Nancy shares her theory that this entity’s victims can’t be random if it has the self control to avoid killing. George and Ryan note the entity must be getting to the town via the historical society, and Nick remembers he has cameras all over. As they watch the footage, they see Bess and Addy kissing as she frantically fast forwards the tape. 

But a startling discovery is made as they review the night Temperance arrived: Hannah Gruen was the one who let the monster out. But why?

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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By Jules
I am a nurse and dedicated nerd from Boston, MA. When I'm not at work, I'm rewatching old favorites like Supernatural or discovering my new obsessions (too many to count!). When not fangirling, I can be found reading, writing, or listening to a true crime podcast. You can find me on Twitter @juleswritesblog for more nerdy nonsense.
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