Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B- | 49 USERS: D+ YOU GRADE IT (Re)Born In The U.S.A.
By Cindy McLennan | Season 2 | Episode 17 | Aired on 03.17.2013
Present. Cemetery. Mills Mausoleum. Regina rifles through Cora's belongings, pausing only to gaze at a locket containing a pictures of Cora and her. Come on, Show. Cora's locket would have two pictures of Cora, and you know it. Regina pulls down one of Cora's gowns and starts ripping it. It's then that a little scroll falls out. Regina unrolls it. As she reads it, a smile shines through her tears. "Thank you, Mommy." That wasn't creepy at all. Shudder.
Present. Mills Mausoleum. David and Gold find the vault in disarray. Gold realizes Regina plans to use a spell against Mary Margaret. When he looks at Cora's box of potions, he realizes two ingredients are missing -- chimera's blood and viper's eye. Charming asks, "What kind of curse do you need those, for?" Gold: "It's the Curse of the Empty-Hearted." Well, seeing as Snow is presently catatonic, casting that curse seems like overkill. I'm so frustrated we get so little family interaction on this show. I already ranted about this in the recaplet, so I'm trying to hold my tongue, but I'm so bitter right now.
Back at Snow's, Gold and David catch Emma up on the situation. Ah, it seems the Curse of the Empty-Hearted won't be cast upon Snow because Gold explains, "In theory, it has the power to make someone love you." Emma's up on her fairy tale lore, so she knows magic cannot be used to bring someone back to life or force someone to love you. Gold clarifies that this spell can make someone think he loves you. Henry comes downstairs and says he knows Regina will use it on him. David tries to hustle the boy back upstairs, but Henry stands firm. Ready to offer himself up, Henry says, "If all she wants is me..." but Gold interrupts him. "Your mother is a complicated woman. She wants your love, of course, but she also wants vengeance on Mary Margaret. [...] The last ingredient she needs to enact the curse is the heart of the person she hates the most." Emma tells Gold he must stop Regina. Gold laughs. "No, I don't have to do anything. On the contrary, I believe warning you fulfills my debt." Charming says it's not even close. "This is my wife's life we're talking about." Emma chimes in, "Not to mention, your grandson's." Gold looks at his "undoing" and says, "Well, wars have costs." Emma and I both say, "Nice," at the same time, so Gold explains that this is a blood feud between Regina and Snow. The only way to end it is by spilling more blood. As he sees it, killing Regina is the only way to solve their problem.