Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A+ | 384 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT PANic And PANcakes
By Cindy McLennan | Season 3 | Episode 11 | Aired on 12.15.2013
Gold's voice is weak, yet high and lilting as he says, "Ah, but I'm a villain. And villains don't get happy endings." At that, he digs the knife in deeper. As it passes through Pan's body into Gold's there is a gold flash of magic. As the magic spreads and surrounds them, Gold brushes back his father's hair. He looks like he's either going to make out with Papa Stiltskin, or possibly suck his blood, but I watch too many vampire shows, so pay that last bit no mind. Before the magical glow overcomes them, Gold kisses his father's cheek. The light blazes out from the dagger, then disappears. All that is left is the scroll. It falls to the ground.
Sidebar: Some people were confused as to what all that was about. First of all, keep in mind Gold's then seemingly out of place line in "Save Henry." When he caught Pan trying to take Henry's shadow, and opened Pandora's Box, Gold said, "Blood magic works both ways, father." Now, remember, the Dark One's curse works like this: whoever controls the magical dagger controls the Dark One. If you stab the Dark One with his own magical dagger, he dies and you become the new Dark One. Since Pan is magical and immortal, he can't be killed with a regular weapon. When Gold shoves the magical blade through Pan's body first, and then into his own, it as if Pan is the person stabbing Dark One, because the blade is coming from Pan's body, to Gold's. However, since Gold is still wearing the magic suppression cuff, the Dark One's powers cannot flow from Gold into Pan/Papa Stiltskin. The Dark One's curse ends because of this. The curse is blocked from traveling to Pan, so it dies as its last host (Gold) dies. It evaporates in a poof of paradox.
Orange magic washes over the gang, and they are unfrozen. Belle buckles at the waist. Snow covers her own mouth with her hands. Emma looks at Neal. With his head hanging low, he shuffles toward the scroll. The weight of her grief drives Belle to the ground. No one goes to her. What the hell is with the blocking in this episode? Okay, a moment of this is fine to show us how alone Neal and Belle both feel, but it becomes damned awkward that no one goes to them. It makes the other characters look harder and colder than they are. I know they're in shock too, and I know there's a lot to do, but the scene at the church, and the Neverland flashback could have been cut for some frigging human emotion here (and at the news of Blue's resurrection). Okay. Moving on. Or not. Commercial.