With a 4th season yet announced, there has never been a better time for Nancy Drew to take the series to new heights, and boy, does the Season 3 finale, "The Ransom of the Forsaken Soul," deliver. This episode is a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, and while this episode focuses on completing important season-long character arcs, and reminding us why Ace (Alex Saxon) is perfect boyfriend material, a whole lot of stuff happens, and pretty quickly at that.

What was real and what wasn't? And what state did we actually leave the Drew Crew with?

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Temperance vs. Nancy

After the big reveal that Ace contains the last piece of Charity's soul, the Drew Crew comes together to try to save his life, faking a truce with Temperance (Olivia Taylor Dudley) while Ryan (Riley Smith) pursues an ax that can kill witches. They think their plan worked until the team finds a dead Copperhead and some missing frozen hearts. Everything comes to a head at the Youth Center where Ryan throws the ax at Temperance in a last-ditch effort, but despite her counter-attack, Nancy (Kennedy McMann) is able to kill her.

Soon after, a shard from the magical ax dislodges inside Ryan, and due to the evacuation of the town, nobody is able to help and he dies. Nancy blames herself, of course, and spends the next month rather isolated, but she finally reconnects with Ace, and the two finally act on their feelings, resulting in a beautiful and intimate intimacy. Their bliss only lasts momentarily before Ace dies in Nancy's arms.

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Image via The CW

Nancy's Dreamscape

However, at the scene of his death, Temperance reveals it all to be a dream due to a fail-safe Temperance implanted in Nancy's head earlier in the season. Nothing since her death is real, and in reality, Nancy is only a second away from killing her ancestor. To make matters worse, the fabrication is another one of Temperance's prophecies. She planted a curse on Nancy that would take Ace's life if she ever got together with him if she went through with killing Temperance.

With the newfound information, Nancy makes a gut reaction to not kill Temperance, her feelings for Ace driving her. She beckons her friends to run, and Temperance is able to break open the veil. A huge tidal wave begins to flood the city as destruction wreaks havoc, and Nancy's more selfless nature prevails. She sacrifices her future with Ace to save the city and her peace of mind as she kills Temperance once again.

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Image Via The CW

A Second Chance

Even though she can't kindle a romance with Ace, Nancy is able to save Ryan, thanks to Temperance's prophecy. Things play out differently in reality beyond Ace, due to the reactions of the news of the destruction in Horseshoe Bay. Bess (Maddison Jaizani) becomes the Keeper of the historical society, Nick (Tunji Kasim) stays in Horseshoe Bay while his parents visit and sells the ring George (Leah Lewis) asked him to keep, and George begins to study law - the Drew Crew all go down their own paths.

Ace follows suit and tries to be someone Nancy would be proud to be with, but he doesn't understand the reason why she's ignoring him. She confronts him when she finds out he quit working at The Claw, and the two almost kiss before his barometer breaks in the same way it did in Nancy's dreamscape, reminding her that he would die if they began a relationship. She lies to him about the situation and her feelings.

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Image Via The CW

The final act sees Nancy setting up Nancy Drew Investigations in the Icarus Hall that Temperance left her in her will, though questionably - who would want to set up shop there? Mostly alone, she seeks advice from her dad, Carson (Scott Wolf), but any fan of Nancy and Ace can agree that he gave some not-so-great advice, depending on how you look at it. While the theme of his advice runs along the lines of "choose your own path," at the moment, it felt a little too quick to jump to talk of second soulmates when Nancy hasn't even been with her first.

This season finale even provides confirmation that Temperance's prophecies earlier in the season came true: Nick forsake what was dearest to him (George), George betrayed her true love (Nick), Ace lost his heart (Nancy), Bess wreaked havoc on Horseshoe Bay with her truth potion. And finally, Ace became Nancy's demise, and vice versa, depending on how you look at it.

The only prophecy not quite clearly revealed is Ryan's. The couple who gave him the ax forced him into taking him to the Historical Society. Could Season 4 explore how this could cause the rest to fall? And could this be the return of The Road Back? Nancy Drew ends with this and by looking forward to a hopeful renewal with the next mystery's introduction - a whole bunch of missing corpses from the cemetery (and an off-screen cameo from Kegstand).