THISSSSSS!!!!
Why I'm Okay with Nancy/Tristan Having a "Soulmate" Connection and What That Means for Nace
Okay, this is going to be less of a theory explanation than a deep dive into the most prevalent (?) theory I've read/the theory I subscribe to, and why I think it's going to play out in an amazing and satisfying way for our beloved star-crossed lovers.
First, the theory: Tristan is the Sin Eater, destined to reincarnate throughout time and consume the sins of Horseshoe Bay. After what we've seen in 4x10 (the *spark*, "We've walked this path many times before.", "It was like he knew you."), it seems Nancy is some kind of light-energy-Sin Eater-counterpart. An Angel of Truth, perhaps? It seems she is also destined to reincarnate throughout eternity in order to reveal the truths of Horseshoe Bay.
Why I love this theory: Nancy is passionate about finding out the truth and has a dedication to honesty. It's ingrained in her from a young age, and plays a huge role in why she solves mysteries and how she navigates her relationships. She solved the biggest mystery of all (her own heritage) by "always seeking out the truth, even when it hurts.ā Just like Kate taught her. And every single one of her relationships is colored by itāNick pulling away because she wouldnāt be honest with him. Uncovering that Ace was lying and working for McGinnis. Pushing Bess to reveal her real identity. The list goes on.
Weāve also known Nancy to lie when itās incredibly important for herāRecanting her testimony and destroying her credibility to save Aceās life, lying by omission to Ace about the curse to keep him safe.
(also Carson calls Nancy their ābetter angelā and wow do I love a show that makes things work from 2 seasons ago).
How I think it will play out for Nace: Right now, Nancy seems pretty heavily into this so-called āromanticā connection with Tristan, and Ace seems rather forgotten doesnāt he? She talks about him as an āexā and that Tristan is an āopen and honestā communicator, and a āmatureā relationship, implying that those things arenāt/werenāt true about Ace, which we all know is obviously not true.
But we learned that Nancy was the last sinner. Personally, I think (and hope) that Nancyās confessed sin was about (momentarily) giving up HB in order to have a future with Ace. However, regardless of what the sin is, itās HIGHLY likely that it is Ace and curse related, and if itās Ace and curse related that means Nancyās, and Aceās (...and the crewās, and the dadsā, andā¦everyoneās) memories are altered. And you know what? If your memories are altered in some way that makes you forget you are cursed or forget that you love someone, this mystical Sin Eater/Angel of Truth soul spark connection thing is gonna feel pretty darn romantic to you.
So what happens when the truth is revealed? We have two truths to uncover here: Nancyās sin, and the truth about what she is/her past lives.
Number 1: Revealing Nancyās sin will help her see her relationships more clearly and remember her relationship with Ace. Remember, āour memories make us who we are and that is worth fighting for.ā, and we have seen Nancy fight tooth and nail for Ace this season, every fight/break-up they had about their relationship and the curse being colored by their desperation to be together. When that comes rushing back, itās going to be a big shift. Nancy tells Ace āThat's all you're really left with... just messy, stupid memories that stick around, and... good or bad, you get to make more of them.ā Nancy has memories with Ace and sheās going to fight for them. Sheās going to fight to make more memories with him.
Number 2: We already see Nancy feel pretty strongly about freeing Tristan from his fate as the Sin Eater, and wanting to stop him from having to be reincarnated forever. When she finds out sheās the same, sheās going to fight to end it for herself too. So much of Nancyās life has been fated/determinedābeing a Hudson, learning her life was a lie, being taken in by the Drews (Yes, they choose to raise her but did they really have the option to say no? Come on, itās Carson and Kate), and now this? And so much of Nancyās life has been about clinging to normalcy. She just wanted to go to Columbia to get away, to be normal. To have a regular family and regular friends. She didnāt ask to be pulled into a murder case and to hunt down supernatural killers. She didnāt ask to be haunted by Lucy Sable. She didnāt ask to be some supernatural reincarnated truth entity.
Nace is endgame. We know this. And right now the āstar-crossed loversā of it all has taken on a new twist. Once cursed to not be together, we now learn that one of them is reincarnated and the other is not. Unable to even spend eternity together.
(Yes, I have Thoughts and Theories on how Nancy putting Aceās name in the jar at the Loverās Vigil may have created some connection here, perhaps forging an eternal/after death bond that wasnāt there before. And I also have Thoughts and Theories about that āmystical wedding vibeā of the curse break attempt in 4x03 and how in a wedding ātwo shall become oneā and maybe now their souls are bonded which could influence everything, but thatās A Whole āNother Post.)
So Nancy is going to choose Ace. Break out of whatever Truth/Sin eternal connection this is and choose Ace. Remember that Carson said āmaybe we get more than one [soulmate]ā, and he also told Nancy āYou control your fate. Donāt let anyone tell you otherwise.ā Maybe Tristan is Nancyās supernatural soulmate, but Ace is Nancyās person and sheās going to choose him.
The Naceplications:
Hereās why thatās an incredible thing for Nace, and is going to be an important thing for their character arcs, both individually, and as a couple.
Ace needs to be chosen. Ace struggles with insecurities of feeling lost, without purpose, and being unworthy. So much of Ace's life has been about proving himselfāproving to his father heās not a child and can make adult decisions, proving to McGinnis heās not a screw up after he got caught hacking that database, proving his worth to Grant even as a brother by helping him, proving to Nancy heās worth her time and attention by trying to always help her (and only in 4x06 does he realize maybe thatās flawed).
But what he doesnāt realize is heās always been enough just how he is. Nancy loves him just how he is. She opens up to him about tanking her grades, tells him heās brilliant when he starts making connections with Charity (actually Hannah) in 3x09, tells him āYou never were [lacking].ā, or even when she tells him in 4x08 āYou really showed up for me, I noticed.ā by knowing Kateās anniversary, giving Nancy the necklace while in his body, supporting her breaking and entering. Those werenāt about doing stuff for her but just being there for her. Him. His presence.
So for Ace to learn sheās some immortal-truth-light-being-thing thatās been reincarnated and has this counterpart connection to the Sin Eater, he's going to think he has no chance against that, right? Of course sheāll choose Tristan. Except Nancy canāt lose him. Nancy is willing to and has risked it all to save him, to be with him, multiple times. He doesnāt think heās good enough, and yet she chooses him.
Nancy needs to be chosen, too. She feels abandoned by everyone in her life (losing her mom, losing her perceptions of her family/her parents, even losing Lucy to an extent), and she feels that so much is out of her control. Nancy worries that sheās only the worst parts of everyone who came before her, and in light of everythingābeing a source of light and good, reincarnated throughout timeāhow much of her life was her choice? Does she solve supernatural mysteries because itās a connection deep in her bones? In her soul?
Sheās prickly and complicated and messy and has walls ten miles high, and she needs someone who will choose her through it all. Ace is that person.
Thereās a recurring theme of choice for the two of them across the show. Think about Ace knowing there is a choice beyond something thatās bonded to your soul after his connection with Charity. Think about Ace remaining in Horseshoe Bay and telling Laura āI believe I have a purpose here.ā Think about Nancy making the unthinkable choice, but saying āBlind spots, Temperance. I choose this.ā Think about Nancy and Ace reading emails that say āI want to be with you. I donāt care what anyone else says.ā
Think about Nancy, an Angel of Truth, tied eternally to a Sin Eater, choosing a mortal life. Choosing to be with the man she loves.
Think about her turning away from eternal reincarnation and saying āI face the mystery of this journey with courage because it is with you.ā āIn this world that tries to silence me the most dangerous words I can speak are that I love you.ā
Think about how āitās always been about loveā and Nancy is choosing who she loves, not who sheās connected to through fate.
Love is an action, and love is a choice. Love is putting someone elseās needs first and choosing that person over and over. And really, someone that chooses you is far more romantic than a predestined soulmate anyway.
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