Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: N/A | 3 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT True Love? It Doesn't Exist.
By Cindy McLennan | Season 1 | Episode 3 | Aired on 11.06.2011
Storybrooke, Granny's Diner, Night: Mary Margaret Blanchard is on a date with Dr. Whale (David Anders, aka Sark, aka Uncle Snark Daddy) when Mary Margaret realizes Whale is too busy ogling Ruby to have a conversation, she asks for the check. Date over, she walks down the street, but stops when she comes across Emma, who is living in her yellow VW Bug. They commiserate over the dud date and then talk turns to Henry. Mary is glad Emma has decided to stay, and offers Emma her spare room. Emma declines, because she's not the roommate type. You're the living in a car type? Huh. We cut to the...
Hospital, Day: While most of Mary's students are out decorating the larger ward, Henry is in coma patient John Doe's (Prince Charming's) room. Just before he touches Doe's face, Mary enters. Henry quickly pulls his hand back, as his teacher encourages him to come out and help with the decorating. When Henry asks if "Mr. Doe" will be all right, Mary explains how that's a pseudonym used when you don't know who someone is. Henry: "Do you know who he is?" She doesn't know, and she doesn't know what's wrong with him, either. She explains that no one has claimed him, and says it's quite sad. Henry looks from Doe to Mary and grins as he asks, "Are you sure you don't know him?" She insists she doesn't and hustles the boy out of the room.
Waterfront Park: Henry and Emma are sitting up in the castle shaped play structure, looking at the Once Upon A Time book. He tells her that John Doe is her father, Prince Charming, and notes how they have the same scars in the same place. That place is the chin -- right where Snow White clocked Charming with that rock. Emma is still too adult to understand any of this, so Henry explains that the curse is keeping "Doe" in a coma, to keep him apart from Snow/Mary. He insists they have to tell Ms. Blanchard that Doe is her Prince Charming. Emma suggests that telling someone their soulmate is in a coma is a less than helpful. Giving someone unrealistic hope is even worse than not having a happy ending. Henry: "What if I'm right? We know who they are. Now they have to know." Henry says if Mary reads to Doe, then maybe he'll remember who he is. Emma agrees, provided they do it her way.
Emma's way is to approach Mary (who already knows Henry thinks she is Snow White), and ask her to read to Doe. She confesses that Henry thinks Doe is Charming. Emma points out that if they go along with Henry, it may show him that fairy tales aren't real. Mary sums it up. "He'll see that Fairy Tales are just that, that there's no such thing as love at first sight, or first kiss. He'll see reality." She pronounces the plan genius and agrees to it. Emma gives Mary the book and tells says to meet Henry and her for breakfast at Granny's the next morning.