Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A | 157 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT PANoply
By Cindy McLennan | Season 3 | Episode 7 | Aired on 11.10.2013
Five days ago, in Storybrooke. Rumpy leaves Belle a cloaking spell to hide Storybrooke while he's in Neverland. She realizes he doesn't think he'll be coming back. There's more talk about the prophecy and how Henry is Rumpy's undoing. Belle doesn't care about prophecies and tells her beast she will see him again. They kiss. The ship goes through the portal. Belle is crying alone on the docks when Grumpy and some other Dwarfs, Archie, Blue and whoever run up. They're cheering because they figure Team Charming saved them. Grumpy grows concerned when he sees Belle is in tears. She explains that Team Charming stopped the self-destruct device, but that Greg and Tamara kidnapped Henry and took him through a portal, so Team Charming followed on Hook's ship. She only stayed behind to cast the cloaking spell. Blue examines it and asks why they need it. Belle tells them Rumpy said others are coming. I hear Jin-Soo Kwon yell "Others! Others!" But I'm pretty sure that's only in my head. Maybe not, though, because as we cut to the road into town, we see two young men approaching in a red convertible that makes me so covetous, I'm actually turning green.
Grumpy and the Dwarfs lead Belle, Blue and crew to the mines. Archie tries to be the voice of calm optimism, but when Belle says whoever is coming will want to destroy the town, he agrees with the pessimistic Grumpy that now is as good a time as any to panic. As the Dwarfs start hacking away (to get some fairy dust) we cut to the red car again. The two 20-something Hipster Doofi are looking at a map of Maine on which they've identified Storybrooke. I'm not going to pretend the Doofi are anyone other than John and Michael Darling because the visual cues are overwhelming. In addition to John's glasses, there's a miniature teddy bear hanging from the rearview mirror. You know I never have enough patience to play along until this sort of "surprise" is revealed. The Dwarfs finally open a vein of fairy dust. Belle hesitates. Since she's never before cast a spell, she suggests Blue do the honors. Blue says Gold gave Belle the task (or is it test) for a reason; she just needs to believe in herself.
Belle nods as if to convince herself, pours out the potion that came with the spell into the vein of fairy dust. When nothing happens, Grumpy leans into Belle. "You might want to believe a little harder." Summoning her best constipation face, Belle does just that. Magic shoots out of the rock over the group and out of the mine. It blows off a manhole cover and shoots up in the sky right in front of the Storybrooke clock tower, then spreads out over the town. The Darlings see it coming so they speed down the road and make it past the town line just as the magic is about to touch ground. It hits the rear of their beautiful car and rips the bumper clean off. Remember, dearies, magic always comes with a price, at least when the White Hats are using it. Did that price have to be this car's bumper? This is almost as painful as losing Sheriff Graham. The boys look back at their bumper -- the Minnesota license plate reads 0920-EAW -- which is still outside of Storybrooke, then drive off. The title card features the Storybrooke Library. Gee it's good to be back home again.