Hey, Jesse and Birdie,
wannabe Harriet Potters.
You two fake witches want to explain
why you dragged me out here?
We're doing a ritual to make a doll come to life,
so you stop calling us fake witches and apologize.
Yeah, this is even better than Birdie
talking about the "fire souls"
and her "haunted shipwreck" on Moonstone Island.
I can't wait for everyone
to see you make complete fools of yourselves.
Or for us to prove on video
that the supernatural exists.
Right.
Found it.
Hey.
Hey, are you okay?
Yeah.
Avery?
Hey, jerk. You okay?
Your souls are mine!
Nancy Drew Investigations.
Nancy! We need help!
♪ ♪
Last step...
If Temperance's curse has been lifted,
then the wax should form a hexagram.
I got nothing-gram.
Trial 36, fail.
Heard anything from Bess yet?
No, nothing yet.
I know it seems impossible,
but has the impossible ever stopped us?
It's a good point.
I still remember seeing you
in high school,
working on that lycopodium powder, the volcano.
I was a senior, you were a sophomore.
And you refused to quit
until that thing erupted in actual flames.
I didn't realize I was on your radar in high school.
You stood out.
Are you still scared?
Yeah.
Having you here helps. You scared?
I should be. I'm cursed.
But of all the times we have faced death,
I have never...
been more excited
to keep living.
Okay, my algorithm found something.
You ever heard of a Plagonnia doll?
No, but I've seen a doll just like that one
in Darlene Fowler's house.
Mm.
Fun way to start the day.
The upside
of being an empty-nester.
- No one to walk in on us. - Oh.
Mm.
Coffee's ready. Just in time.
Don't use those.
These are the only cups that are in there,
and in fact, this one's actually chipped a little bit.
- Just... needs some glue. - Yeah, no. No, no, no.
No, it doesn't need to be fixed.
These cups are antiques from Kate's tea set.
Oh, uh...
I'm sorry.
I-I didn't know.
No need to apologize.
You never really talk about Kate.
Well, we just did.
We good?
Yeah. Yeah.
I think I'm gonna head out.
I'll grab a coffee on the way to the office.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
- Okay. - Okay.
Nice of Darlene to text us from the beach.
Here is her spare key.
According to Darlene, the demon housed inside the doll
is strong enough to act as a supernatural battery pack,
able to power a ritual with extra force.
Unfortunately, she does not know which ritual that would be.
Well, we defeated a kitchen demon before.
I mean, I think we can figure this out.
Oh! One more thing.
The box acts as a stabilizing force.
Uh, it protects the doll's demonic energy
from seeping out, so we need to keep the doll
inside the box until we're ready to use it.
Did Darlene say anything about what happens
to the demon if...
when we are successful?
Demon stays inside the doll,
unless we intentionally raise it out, which...
we won't.
Rock and roll.
Hi, welcome to the Historical Society.
My name is Bess Marvin. I'll be your tour guide today.
First, um, I would like to start off with a short video
about the historical importance of the lighthouse.
Maine's lighthouses have been a beacon
to weary sea travelers for centuries...
What's with the school group?
My funding is on the chopping block,
so I decided to start giving tours.
But, see that dad over there? Aaron?
He just took over the PTA, he's a history buff
and a huge town booster.
He's already emailed me about donating.
Anyway. Um...
So, I got a ping from the Athens G.O.S.H. chapter.
My contact knows of a complicated ritual
that the Ancient Greeks once practiced
to break a love curse.
How did they get the magical battery power to do it?
The Plagonnia doll.
We've got the doll, so how complicated could it be?
Well, it's a multi-step process.
First, you have to inoculate the member of the couple
who is cursed to die, so that they can survive the ritual.
You'd have to, you know, get a Nancy antigen.
A Nantigen.
Yeah, don't mind me, just spitting gold over here.
Once he's inoculated, then what?
Then, you drink a herbal elixir
made of plants and herbs that are extinct.
Could there be modern substitutes?
I'll look into it.
After drinking the elixir,
then you'd have to trigger the curse
by acting on your feelings.
Well, she's right.
I mean, that made the curse manifest before.
Think about my barometer.
- Strong feelings. - Mm-hmm.
So, while you're looking into herbal substitutions,
how do we find an inoculation?
Inoculation supplies, I have.
I remember reading it in Hannah's ledger.
An ancient inoculation kit
used for mystical rituals of protection.
Nancy will make a paste with these
and paint a sigil on you.
Use this paintbrush to avoid touching.
Okay, there is only enough to make one Nantigen.
It has to be done at dusk, and its protection power
only lasts 24 hours.
Okay?
- Okay. - Okay, well, we'll trade
one ancient inoculation kit for one ancient demon doll.
I'm gonna take that, too.
Are you leaving me here with the demon doll?
It's the archive room. Safer than lugging it around.
Darlene said it's safe as long as it's inside the box.
Hide it in here while we make the Nantigen.
Rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?
- Hey, Bess? - Yeah?
Um... can I talk to you about Moonstone Island?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. What do you want to talk about?
Everything.
When I mention the fire souls to my grandma,
she shuts me down.
And my class thinks that I invented the whole thing.
The only one who believes me is Jesse.
I am so sorry you're going through that.
- How can I help? - You saw the fire souls.
Can you tell everyone they're real?
Mm, what are you doing here
with your beach curls and blazer?
We haven't hung out much lately,
and you said you needed a chaperone.
Be real.
You're here because you've hit peak anxiety
waiting to hear about clerkships
now that you stopped working for Judge Abbott.
Okay, I wouldn't say "peak," but when do you think
is a good time to follow up?
- Hey. - Aw!
You two are in the holding-hands-in-public stage?
That is so cute!
She is not cute.
She's a psycho. She was begging
the tour guide to talk about ghosts.
Stop trying to make the supernatural happen.
- Freak. - I'm sorry.
What did you say about my sister's girlfriend?
- You want to repeat that? - Do we have a problem here?
They're talking about the supernatural again, Dad.
It's making me uncomfortable.
You can just ignore it, they're doing it for attention.
No, we're not. The supernatural exists.
We do the blood bucket ritual at the Seawater Festival.
Kids make dreamcatchers with sand from Piper Beach
at the town carnival to ward off spirits.
And Santa Claus is real,
and the tooth fairy married the bogeyman.
Those are silly gimmicks to drum up tourism.
Ms. Marvin knows I'm right.
Um... those rituals
are rooted in...
...superstition.
And town tradition.
And that's it.
Way to defend us.
Wait, Jesse...
Hey.
Look, Avery sucks.
You're, like, a million times stronger than him.
Thanks.
So, what are they doing here anyway?
Well, this is where they keep the good stuff.
Ooh...
Boo.
If Avery could actually witness the supernatural,
maybe he'd stop being such a bully,
and see that we're not just doing it for attention.
Let's show him it's real, then.
I've seen George do rituals before.
Maybe there's an easy recipe in here.
- Whoa. - Weird.
Um, this section is about raising an object
off the ground.
You recite this chant while being surrounded
by ambers and arbor.
We can make a fire in the woods
and use this doll as a test.
Okay.
Let's prove we're right once and for all.
Easy, just tell 'em the water's supernaturally contaminated.
With this group?
No, it needs more finesse than that.
Okay, fine, tell them you need to test the water
because of the tsunami.
We don't want people to panic.
We don't even know if the sludge in Abbott's water
will show up in water tests, and so far, town council,
not very interested in what the town has to say.
Okay, anyone else with concerns
about the elementary school repairs?
Uh, I have a broader concern.
It affects the schools, but, but also...
all of us.
Uh, studies have shown that in the aftermath of tsunamis,
local water supply can be compromised for months,
- sometimes even years. - He's right!
And we all know that was not a normal tsunami.
The whole thing's unnatural.
You know why?
There's people amongst us who made that tsunami happen.
Purposefully!
People practicing the occult.
Yeah, and then they're stealing bodies from the graves.
Uh, let's just stay on topic here.
Oh, no, no, no. No, they need them for their rituals.
They're gonna kill us all.
Look, look, look, look, look.
Look, I'm just as worried as you are.
But... conspiracy theories won't help us.
It's logical to look for someone
or something to blame.
But... In our attempt to find answers,
let's not do more damage.
Let's-let's work together to find solutions
and take action... real action...
to keep us all safe.
This guy's good.
I think he should be up there representing us.
He's the real deal.
Hear, hear!
- Great idea, Fred. - Yeah.
Nick, if you're so inclined, we'd love to have you sit in
on one of our private council meetings
as a representative of Horseshoe Bay small businesses.
- Oh, no, I don't... - He's in!
He'd be happy to do it.
Excellent.
You still nervous?
I am. Are you?
Yeah.
We need a vibe change.
Where's the first place you want to go
when we break the curse?
My parents honeymooned in Paris.
There's this beautiful sketch of them watching the sunset
on the Pont des Artes Bridge.
I always wanted to recreate that with someone.
What about you?
I would watch the sunrise with you...
...from a hot air balloon over Cappadocia.
I always thought that sounded like a fun adventure.
-Nancy Drew Investigations. -BIRDIE: Nancy!
-We need help. -NANCY: Whoa.
Slow down.
I didn't even get to finish reading the incantation
before things got crazy.
Maybe that's why Avery got messed up and ran off.
Babe, he was messed up long before we did anything.
Jesse, you could have killed yourselves.
And now, Avery's possessed by a demonic doll spirit.
He's a jerk anyway.
We have to find Avery before he hurts someone.
'Kay, it sounds like we're dealing
with a Thenellis demon,
an extremely powerful entity
that can only be contained inside inanimate objects,
like our Plagonnia doll.
If this demon is released,
it will possess its nearest human host...
in this case, Avery.
But it's only a matter of time before the demon
kills its host or hosts.
Uh, the Thenellis has been known
to jump to multiple hosts
at one time.
Oh, no, you would know if the girls were possessed.
This, uh, demon isn't subtle in its manifestations.
Okay, so we need to exorcise the demon out of Avery,
put it back into the doll in order to break our love curse.
I did read about this potion
that can attract the demonically possessed.
I can just figure out how to make it and then lure Avery
to the Historical Society for an exorcism.
You do still have the doll, right?
Yeah, I can bring it to the Historical Society.
I'm really sorry.
It's okay. We're gonna fix it.
We just don't have a lot of time.
- Can I ask you something? - Yeah.
You obviously know the supernatural exists.
Why did you lie earlier?
Um...
Okay, go, go.
Go do the Nantigen ritual now.
I just feel kinda weird leaving
when there's a demonically possessed kid
on his way over here.
No, no, no, we're in the hour of Hesperis.
- It won't work after Dysis. - Come again?
Hesperis... ancient Greek term for start of the evening.
Dysis... ancient Greek term for sunset.
Translation... go get your seven minutes in heaven on,
- you crazy kids. - Thank you.
When did you first know you had feelings for me?
Was it that day in the warehouse?
Before DetectiveCon?
Earlier.
Uh, after we defeated the Wraith.
You had been there for me so many times,
but that one was...
You know, I went to your house
that day.
I had this whole awkward speech prepared.
But when I got there, you'd already...
you'd left to go on that road trip with Amanda.
God, I was jealous of Amanda.
I was jealous of Gil.
And Park.
How about you? When did you know?
Was it after you drank Karen's fake poison for me?
Earlier.
The day you made the volcano erupt.
- That long? - That long.
Take your shirt off.
I have to paint the sigil on you.
Okay.
I think that means it's working.
Is it hurting you?
I can manage.
It's like a Nancy scar.
Ace, Nancy, come quick!
Look at his eyes.
They're red like when he attacked us.
- I'll protect the doll! - I'll start the exorcism.
Hurry!
- Nick? - I can't see anything!
I can't read!
Where'd Avery go?
Is everyone okay?
Where are Jesse and Birdie?
- Birdie? - Jesse?
Okay, if the Thenellis has jumped
to Birdie and Jesse, we only have minutes.
All accounts of the Thenellis entering multiple hosts
do not have favorable outcomes.
So, you're telling me we have minutes
to find and exorcise my sister before we lose her forever?
- George, we'll find her. - This was all my fault.
I was with them at the Historical Society.
No, this is all my fault.
I was with them, too. I should have been honest
with Birdie about the supernatural.
I could have... I could have taught her,
warned her about the dangers.
Bess, we're the ones
who brought a demon doll to the school field trip.
Hey, nobody loves blaming themself more than I do,
but we have minutes.
There.
- Jesse! - George, no!
- Wait! - No, we're gonna lose them.
We have to start the exorcism now.
We besiege this dark energy to be rendered inert.
Banish all diabolic power and machination.
Keep going, keep going, it's working.
Uh, Nancy, the doll.
What about the doll? What's happening to it?
The doll can't handle the demon being forced back inside it.
It's going to explode if we carry on.
You're not gonna be able to use it.
There's no decision to be made.
There is not.
Halt to all evil influence, malefice, or evil eye,
and all evil actions aimed against Birdie, Avery,
and Jesse, and send it back into the Plagonnia.
Run.
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God, Jesse.
Hey. You okay?
Come here, come here.
The demon, where is it?
The exorcism vanquished it. It's gone.
So is the doll that was gonna break our curse.
So, you two have destroyed doll ashes,
no battery, and eight-ish hours
until Ace's Nantigen protection expires.
And there aren't enough supplies to make another Nantigen.
Plagonnia doll survived natural disasters for centuries,
but it couldn't make it through one five-minute exorcism?
Everything dies eventually.
Plagonnia. Plagonnia.
- Yeah, you said that. - It's plural.
Do you speak Greek, or...?
I read a fundamentals book in middle school.
"Plagonnia" is plural for "Plagonnos."
So, that means there must be others?
The demon doll was a Plagonnos doll,
one in a set of two.
Its twin doll would have been made at the same time
as the demonic Plagonnos
to store the light energy left over from its creation.
The ancient Greeks had no idea
what to do with the light energy.
They thought it was just a waste.
But what if...
what if love and positive energy
are just as powerful as dark energy?
Typical... no one cares about the good energy doll
because it can't be used for chaos and destruction.
So now we just got to figure out
where the good Plagonnia doll is.
And then use it to break Temperance's love curse.
I'm on it. Scanning the dark web
and Shodan for other light energy dolls.
Several in the U.S.
Nearest one's Madbury, New Hampshire.
It's at an antique store called Wolovnick's Curiosities.
That's a couple hours' drive.
And I have also been working on the extinct plants and herbs
for the second part of the ritual.
Due to cross-pollination, the descendants
are alive and thriving.
These plants evolved into species
- I can find fairly easily. - Send me a shopping list.
I'll see if I can track 'em down as well.
You two go find that doll and we'll hold down the fort here.
And we'll have everything ready by the time you get back.
Oh, hi, Dad! Bye, Dad.
I thought you were working today.
I can't talk, I'm late for a... a thing.
Just really... just really important.
I want to apologize to you.
I'm really sorry.
I totally overreacted to that teacup.
I appreciate the apology.
Okay, good.
But are you sure that you're ready for this?
- For us? - Of course.
You're going through a process... a grieving process.
I don't know that that's true.
Were you not upset that the teacup I used was Kate's?
- Yes, but... - And it's been about a year
since Kate's death.
- Almost. - Is it not possible
that you are dealing with unprocessed grief?
- I... - Here you go.
- Thank you. - Thanks.
Look, I don't think this is the most appropriate place
to be having this conversation,
and I don't like being questioned like I'm on trial.
All I'm saying is that you're going to have to process
this grief now... or later.
- Sorry. - Mm-hmm.
I'm getting 911 texts from the office.
Some guy is accusing the Historical Society
of child endangerment.
I have to go.
- We'll talk later. - Yeah.
- Yeah. Bye. - Okay.
Okay, I think we have everything but the Franklin tea flowers,
which Lily is working on finding in her extensive garden.
How's Jesse doing?
She's fine, physically.
She still doesn't seem to get how dangerous what she did was.
I need her to understand
that using the supernatural is serious.
You can't just use a ritual to get back at a bully.
I'm really worried she might do it again.
Could you talk to her?
- She listens to you. - Of course.
Thanks.
Speaking of Jesse, she actually told me
that you're blowing up on social media again.
In our attempt to find answers, let's not do more damage.
Huh, kind of rude of them
to not even ask me if they could put it up.
Hey, you're a local celebrity.
Really, you're inspiring people.
That's why Brie asked you to sit on their private meetings.
I forgot!
Oh, that council meeting starts in ten minutes.
Oh, I... I don't want to leave you
- with all the work. - You're good.
Oh! Lily has the Franklin tea flowers on hand.
Great. I'll pick up the flowers
from Lily's shop on the way back.
- Cool. - Right? Cool.
Yeah.
Ace, is the coast still clear back there?
Keep watching. This lock's really making me
work for it.
Ace? Ace, where are you?
Let's get out of here.
What? No. No, I'm not gonna give up.
You don't have to.
Back door was unlocked, wide open.
I don't know, maybe this love energy doll is helping us.
Or the owner forgot to lock the door.
But either way, I think the universe
wants this to happen, wouldn't you say?
Mm-hmm. Who are we to deny the universe?
Let's go break a curse.
I'm sorry, you want to do what?
Shut down the water supply for a day
so it can be sampled and tested.
There could be residual contamination from the tsunami.
Do you have proof of contamination,
or you just going off of vibes?
No hard proof.
But here are studies about the effects
of catastrophic events on water supplies.
There could be contamination from livestock waste,
chemicals, sewage.
And where are we supposed to get our water in the meantime?
I already talked to a friend
in the mayor's office in Ellsworth.
They're open to sharing their water
while ours gets tested.
Hmm. You move fast.
Send us your contact's info. We'll get into it.
I appreciate your action on this.
We care about the health and safety of this town
as much as you do.
Franklin tea flowers from Lily.
She said they're usually super rare.
Luckily, she had one plant.
The meeting went great, too.
Council's on board with the Ellsworth plan.
Oh, success. I told you they'd listen.
Everything's coming up Nickerson.
Success here, too.
Guess who's breaking a death curse today.
♪ ♪
♪ It's never too late ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ The fire never fades ♪
♪ My garden remains ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ It's never too late ♪
This is for Ace, the one who is cursed to die.
This is for Nancy, the one who is cursed
to lose that love.
Entwine your arms.
Extinguish each other's flames.
Now drink your elixirs.
Apologies in advance for the taste.
♪ Close like a shadow... ♪
Okay. Are you ready?
♪ I'm gonna find you... ♪
I know you've done this before, but, um...
for me this is our first kiss.
♪ ♪
♪ It's never too late ♪
♪ Oh ♪
It's okay, the sigil is protecting you.
It's buying us more time to draw out the curse.
Look, the curse is lifting.
It's actually working.
♪ Oh ♪
♪ It's never too late. ♪
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
What-What's happening?
Hey, listen. Nancy. You okay?
Those aren't flowers, those are Temperance's moths.
I don't understand.
I got these flowers directly from Lily.
Temperance must have poisoned them before she died.
- How did she know? - She predicted every way
that we were gonna try and break the curse.
Would you get her some water?
- Yeah. - Okay.
Temperance found a way to sabotage the ritual.
Nancy, Nancy.
Hey... Would you... somebody call 911!
Nancy?
Oh, my God.
Oh, thank God. You scared me.
Where's Ace? Is he okay?
He's fine. You are not.
It was touch and go for a while there, Nancy.
They couldn't get your heart rate to stabilize.
What were you doing?
We were trying to break the curse.
You and Ace tried to break Temperance's death curse?
The curse that you said would kill him?
Yeah, but it didn't.
And I'm fine.
Temperance may have found a way to poison my part of...
of the ritual, but when we try again, it's...
Try again? You can't be serious.
Well, I'm not gonna give up.
Ace is my person. I... you don't understand.
What, oh, I don't understand what? love?
I don't understand wanting to be with someone so badly
that I would do whatever it took?
I watched my wife die.
I understand everything.
Sometimes...
no matter how much you want something...
...it's not meant to be.
And you have to give up and accept that
and move on.
I'm so sorry, Nancy.
I lost your mom. I can't lose you, too.
Okay.
Ryan is outside in the waiting room.
I'm gonna let him know you're awake.
Two days is the right time for a clerkship follow-up email.
Hmm. Glad I waited.
Look, I don't want to fight.
I just hope you know how serious the supernatural is.
I do. Next time I'll call you
before releasing an ancient demon into the world.
And next time I'll stay and I'll help you fix things.
I'm gonna make more mistakes, and you can't always fix me.
Like Nick said, you need to draw boundaries.
Nick?
Nick said that?
Yeah, when he was giving me advice.
Nice.
Carry on.
Hey, why'd I get a call from my contact at Ellsworth
saying no deal on sharing the water?
Because there is no deal. Their terms were unfavorable.
Horseshoe Bay will just stick to its own water for now.
It seems just fine to me, by the way.
Please go back and negotiate with Ellsworth.
Please, I am begging you to take this seriously.
I don't tell you how to run your restaurant.
Don't tell me how to run the council.
Now, pic for the official Insta.
Councilwoman getting takeout
from her favorite small business owner.
Seriously?
Publicity is publicity.
I'm not some prop you can use to curry favor with the town.
You have a lot to learn, Nick.
Next town council meeting's Tuesday.
What was that all about?
Council nixed our plan.
They're not gonna shut down the water or test it.
What are you gonna do about it?
I'm trying to figure it out.
Like how you tried with Jesse?
I asked you to talk some sense into her,
and you said I had boundary issues.
You do.
So, that makes me a bad parental figure?
I didn't say that.
I don't even know why I got involved in the first place.
Because Jesse depends on you.
You depend on me.
What, so now you're just gonna ice me and my sisters out?
Nick, I thought that we were good.
After a breakup, people get space.
They don't immediately have to co-parent
and co-run a business.
I need space.
O-Okay.
How can I help you?
I want to talk to you about my son Avery.
I checked his search history on his laptop.
He was looking up demonic possessions
and occult rituals.
Okay, uh, it sounds like he has some questions.
And maybe you do, too.
I have some artifacts and ritual books
I can show you if you're interested.
I'm not. Neither is Avery.
Okay.
The supernatural is real.
And if he's curious, we might as well talk about it.
Isn't that our job?
What my son learns is my job.
Chief Lovett's gonna hear about this.
You can kiss my donation goodbye.
Hey.
Do we have to leave?
No. No, you are welcome to stay.
You have a right to learn all of this.
I just might not have as much time to teach you
as I thought.
Now, where were we?
So, the sigil of great danger...
This is Jean Rosario. Please leave a message.
Hey, Jean.
You were right.
I think I am still working through Kate's death,
even when I tell myself I'm not.
I've decided to join a widowers' support group.
I want to be with you,
and I want to be the best version of myself for you.
Call me when you come up for air.
Hey, I'm glad you're here.
I was just looking at this concoction
that the Incan people believe can dissolve a love curse.
Shouldn't you be resting?
Well, there's no time to rest. I'm still all in.
I was thinking maybe we slow down a sec,
and we can talk this thing through.
What is there to talk about?
I don't know, um...
If there is a death curse on us,
maybe it would be better to not fight it,
and exist in the world together.
As friends.
Did you not feel what I felt?
Of course I did.
But then you weren't breathing,
and I was holding you in my arms
and going through everything that you went through
in Temperance's hallucination, and it was awful.
- Yeah. - And I-I get... I totally get
why you were hesitant to tell me the truth.
Right, but I'm not scared anymore.
I let fear keep me away from you for too long.
Temperance was a hundred steps ahead of us.
This time she got to the flowers.
Next time it could be something else.
No matter what we try, she could have sabotaged it.
She said you were gonna die, and you didn't!
No.
But watching you collapse almost killed me.
Say we do try again.
Maybe we think we broke the curse.
How will we ever know that she didn't plan another twist?
We will always be looking over our shoulder.
What kind of future is that?
I am in this because of you.
You said this is what you wanted.
I still do.
I want to be with you more than anything.
But it is not worth the risk.
We were friends before for a long time.
Even when we had secret feelings for each other,
we shoved them down, and...
we'd still be in each other's lives.
We manage.
I know what it's like to kiss you now,
and for that to be real
and not some hallucination.
And I can't...
I can't pretend that never happened.
- I can't go back. - I can't go forward.
Not like this.
But what about the sunset in Paris?
And the hot air balloon ride?
It would have been perfect.
You're not just leaving.
Oh, it hurts too much to be here.
♪ You're going home. ♪
Hey, it's Brie. I took care of the water thing.
See you Tuesday at the council meeting.