Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 12 Review: The Heartbreak of Truth

It’s both exciting and heartbreaking to know that Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 12 is the penultimate installment of the series.

As thrilled as I am to get answers to this sin eater mystery, and as hopeful as I am to see Temperance’s curse finally broken, it’s difficult not to be disappointed in all the plot lines and character arcs that feel incomplete.

And worse to know that this is the end of our relationship with the Drew Crew.

For several episodes now, no one has even mentioned Temperance or her death curse. We know that’s what’s keeping Ace and Nancy apart, but it almost feels like the show has forgotten as it’s found other ways to drive a wedge between our favorite couple.

The first three installments of the season were amazing, but we haven’t had a satisfying romantic moment between Nancy and Ace since Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 3.

That montage was epic! And Nancy admitted later that it was the best kiss of her life. But it’s been nothing but heartbreak since then, and knowing there’s only one hour left to set it right is maddening.

I hate it when shows do this. They know what their audience wants but won’t give it to them until the bitter end.

But I can’t judge the writers too harshly. I believe they were in the middle of writing Nancy Drew Season 4 when they learned it would be the last. I’m sure it was a struggle to wrap everything up in a coherent and satisfying way.

So we’ll have to wait until the last episode of the final season of Nancy Drew to figure out how successful they were.

But there was a lot packed into “The Heartbreak of Truth,” so let’s dive into it.

We finally learned what sin Nancy asked the sin eater to erase, and it technically wasn’t hers. It was Ace’s, although I don’t even know that I’d call it a sin.

Ace was placed in an unwinnable situation. Let his father die or let Alice die. There was no way to save them both. And Ace did what most of us would do in that position; he saved the person he loved.

But the survivor’s guilt was brutal and Nancy couldn’t bare to see Ace so devastated, so she decided to stop his suffering the only way she knew how.

She called upon the sin eater. 

Ace: I called you for help. You called a sin eater.
Nancy: I was trying to help.
Ace: That was not your choice to make. You made me forget everything. You made me forget Alice. You made the entire town forget what happened to her. And all this time, I wasn’t crazy to think we had a connection.
Nancy: You were in so much pain.
Ace: You didn’t think I could handle it?
Nancy: Some things are so horrific that they can’t be handled. All you can do is try and keep the wreckage from ruining you. You were destroyed. You weren’t you.
Ace: I haven’t been me anyway. I’ve been living a lie, and I know how much pain you’ve dealt with. That pain, that grief, the doubt, the loss. That made you who you are today. If your sins had been eaten, you wouldn’t be you. How could you try to change me like that?

Watching Nancy and Ace argue over the last several installments has not been fun, and I was desperately hoping we’d be past this by now, but no such luck.

And as if to add insult to injury, we had to witness another bonding moment between Nancy and Tristan.

Tristan: There’s a reason we met. I feel like we’re connected somehow.
Nancy: Yeah, I feel it too.

There has to be a reason we keep hearing about their supposed connection.

During Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 10, Nashua told Nancy they had walked this path many times before. What does that mean, and how does it relate to this strange pull she has toward Tristan?

And most importantly, when will it end? Because if this series somehow concludes with Nancy being closer to Tristan than Ace, I’ll likely throw something at the screen.

Elsewhere, Nick and George decided to sell The Claw. Although it made a certain amount of sense, it was hard not to feel melancholy over it.

Selling The Claw will give George the money she needs to go to school and still help take care of her family.

Nick: The Claw came to me when I was searching for a purpose, and it’s what I needed at the time, but now…
George: Times are changing, and so are we.

But this series began with the Drew Crew at The Claw. Knowing the Fan family will no longer own it just drives home the point that this series is coming to a close.

And it appears there won’t be a romantic reconciliation between Nick and George, which is disappointing.

George and Nick were a great couple. I agree it was too soon for them to get married, and they both had growing to do, but I had always longed for them to find their way back to one another.

With only one episode left, it looks like I’ll have to accept that’s not going to happen.

What makes the realization all the more challenging is that we haven’t seen enough of Nick with Jade or George with Cameron to feel invested in either of those pairings.

Jade and Cameron are outliers. Emotionally, for the audience, they’re nothing more than placeholders, and that’s a lousy way to end Nick and George’s story.

But who knows? Perhaps I’ll be surprised by the finale, and we’ll get a flash forward of Nick and George as a couple in the future. Until the series is officially over, I can hold out hope.

Once again, Carson and Ryan were standouts, and I wish we could see more of Nancy’s two dads.

Jean went off to consider what she wants concerning her pregnancy, and Carson seemed equally unsure.

Carson: We’re both going to sit with it for a second. She’s not sure what she wants.
Ryan: Yeah, well, what do you want?
Carson: To be honest, I never thought a second shot at fatherhood was a possibility. It’s a lot to weigh. I’m not sure I can handle it.
Ryan: Look, you raised the best person I’ve ever met. If you want this, you can handle it.

Having a baby will be a life-changing event for Jean and Carson, and I can appreciate that they’re both taking it seriously.

Nancy is grown, and going back to having an infant will be jarring for Carson, but if this is something he and Jean want, Ryan is right. The two will make fantastic parents. The fact that they are taking the time to evaluate how this will affect their lives is a testament to that.

And I’m pleased we got to see Ryan with Red once again.

If you watch Nancy Drew online, then you have to wonder: Is Red good for him? That’s yet to be determined, but it’s good to know that Ryan has someone in his life. It’s even better to hear that he’s prioritizing his newfound family over a quick buck or seeking revenge.

Ryan: I hate what they did to Nancy, what they did to you. But they’re in jail now. That’s justice enough for me. Besides, I know what they did; they were just trying to save their kid. Maybe if I were in their position, I would do the same thing.
Red: Are you going soft on me?
Ryan: No. Maybe. No. It’s just you get revenge, and then what? You burn bridges. You make more enemies.
Red: But you win.
Ryan: My parents lived like that their whole life, and they were miserable people. So I wouldn’t call it winning.

Finally, Bess seemed to get through to Chief Lovette, although the Chief’s storyline felt incomplete, which probably has a lot to do with having to wrap it up before the series ends.

And then there was that dramatic cliffhanger as Callie unleashed 200 hundred years of buried sins on Horseshoe Bay. I can’t even comprehend the consequences of that, but it’s sure to make for an intriguing and dramatic series conclusion.

So what did you think, TV Fanatics?

Are you happy with where the series is headed? Satisfied with the revelation of the sin that Nancy had repressed, or does it all just make you wish there was more time with the Drew Crew?

Did you love Bess’ purple houndstooth print coat as much as I did?

Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below to share your thoughts, and check back in for Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 13 review.

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C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.