In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.
I grabbed Queenie's, "Let my wrath be unleashed" as this episode's headline, because Once Upon A Time's Maleficent appears to have a modicum of conscience and restraint. [Fools! Idiots! Imbeciles! --Actual Maleficent] And? She's blonde? [No! It cannot be! --Actual Maleficent] That is just wrong, Show.
Look, I have Maleficent issues -- in that I think she is the most perfect villain of all time -- in any medium. [My pet... you are my last hope. --Actual Maleficent] She talks the talk. [Now you shall deal with me, O Prince, and all the powers of Hell! -- Actual Maleficent] And with horns growing out of her head -- before she turns into a dragon? Sister walks the walk. [Did you hear that, my pet? --Actual Maleficent]
Your "Maleficent" -- Show? She has a bedazzled headpiece that looks more like a flaccid joker's hat. [You poor, simple fools, thinking you could defeat me -- the Mistress of all Evil! --Actual Maleficent] I know Snow White's Evil Queen is this show's primary villain, but don't let me catch you defanging, dehorning and dedragonizing my Maleficent, ever again, Show. This sort of insolence I shall not brook. Now, I'll try to put aside my marrow-deep umbrage, so we can talk about what was otherwise a strong episode.
Our World: Thanks to exposition from Henry, we learn that -- because of the curse Queenie cast in the Enchanted Forest -- pretty much no one in Storybrooke, Maine remembers his or her true, fairy tale identity. In Our World, time had always been stopped for them, until Emma Swan decided to stay in town, and their magically created Our World-personal histories and memories are decidedly fuzzy. Mr. Gold (aka Rumpelstiltskin) is an exception to this rule. Regina seems as though she may remember that she's the Evil Queen, or at least waking up to that fact, but it's hard to be sure. So far, the Regina character has been crafted to be both horrible, and horribly sympathetic, which instills in me some faith that the writers are committed to telling us a layered story (even though they miserably misuse Maleficent. Really. I'm near tears, here).
Mayor Regina Mills spends the episode setting up her son Henry's bio-mom, Emma Swan, in a number of ways -- most notably to be arrested for stealing Henry's patient file from his shrink, Dr. Archie Hopper (Jiminy Cricket). When Emma is arrested, Henry convinces Mary Margaret Blanchard (Snow White) to bail her out. And when Emma is evicted from Granny's Bed & Breakfast because of her arrest (which the show deems makes her a felon, even though she hasn't been tried, and believe me, I'll hit that in the full recap), Mary goes a step further and takes Emma in. Emma learns that Henry believes Mary is Snow White, but she plays her cards close to the vest and does not reveal to Mary that Henry thinks Our World's Emma Swan is daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. In an attempt to drive Emma out of town, Regina also manipulates Emma into calling Henry and his fairy tale faith "crazy" within his hearing.
Enchanted Forest: In the Evil Queen's backstory, we learn she got the "No Happy Endings" curse from Rumpelstiltskin, but then traded it to "Maleficent" for the "Sleeping Princess" curse. Since Charming was able to wake Snow White with just a kiss (which is the same way Sleeping Beauty's curse is broken), Queenie wants her curse back. When "Maleficent" won't agree to return it (and she refuses out of reasons that could almost be considered moral *shudder*) Queenie and "Maleficent" have a fantastical, special-effects heavy battle. When Queenie defeats "Maleficent" (as if anything can defeat Maleficent other than the Shield of Virtue, the Sword of Truth and true love) she snags back the curse and sets to casting it, along with the help of some other Enchanted Forest villains. She uses her prized steed's heart for her blood sacrifice, but the spell fails.
Queenie visits Rumpy, who explains that this cursiest of curses requires a much dearer sacrifice than a horse's heart. She must sacrifice what she truly loves. Queenie says what she truly loves has already been killed, thanks to Snow White, but Rumpy knows she's fronting. Queenie struggles with herself, but eventually her evil wins out, as does her desire to start over. She kills her own father (named Henry) and uses his heart for the sacrifice. Girlfriend is hardcore. Rumpy, of course, has laid down certain self-serving conditions in the curse, which I'll cover in the recap.
Our World:
Emma makes amends with the Henry and agrees to take part in the sting he's named Operation Cobra. She also burns those pages of Henry's Once Upon A Time book which reveal that her Enchanted Forest counterpart is Snow and Charming's daughter -- the savior of that world. By episode's end, Henry and Emma agree to thwart Regina by pretending they don't believe in the Enchanted Forest and curse. Emma is as much pretending to pretend she doesn't believe, because she is having a hard time believing. What she's not having a hard time doing is bonding with Henry. She knows he is in need of something. She knows Regina is, as Emma deems her, soulless. If she can help him by respecting his "belief system," then that's what she'll do.
I will cover the whole story, which includes the Magic Mirror and his Our World manifestation (an editor for The Storybrooke Mirror) in the full recap, but what did you think? I'm looking forward to watching this episode again. If I forget about what was done to my darling Maleficent, and just think of this show's "Maleficent" as another Fairy Tale villain who is well played by Kristin Bauer (Pam, True Blood), I am well and truly satisfied, thus far. I'll be back with the recap, ASAP. In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then join us in the forum, where nobody puts Maleficent in a corner...or restraints.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!I grabbed Queenie's, "Let my wrath be unleashed" as this episode's headline, because Once Upon A Time's (blonde!) Maleficent appears to have a modicum of conscience and restraint, which struck me as wrong, the first time I watched "The Thing You Love Most." Actual Maleficent and I ranted about this at length in the recaplet (see that red link up there referencing a nutshell), so I'm skipping the rant, this time. I enjoyed this episode a lot, so here is the distilled version of my dissatisfaction: Maleficent is my favorite baddest badass of all time. When I heard she would feature in episode 2, I was thrilled. The thing is, Once Upon A Time wants to tell us the "real" untold stories surrounding our favorite fairy tales, with real seeming to mean less black-and-white. So, while I still think Maleficent should have been fiercer during her first appearance on Once Upon A Time, I do get the writers' choice, here. I even hope to see more of this Maleficent (albeit with a better headdress) in the future. If you want ranting, read the recaplet. If your ire too has cooled, let's get to the story, shall we?
Our World: Over a montage of significant scenes from last week's pilot, we're treated to this opening narration: There is a town, in Maine, where every storybook character you ever knew, is trapped between two worlds -- victims of a powerful curse, that can only be broken by one person... Title card.
Mayoral Manse: Henry Mills looks out at the clock tower and smiles when the previously permanently stuck clock finally advances from 8:15 to 8:16. Cat Stevens's sweet "Don't Be Shy" sings us through the night and beyond. In the morning, Mary Margaret Blanchard (Snow White), is eating breakfast by one of the windows in her hovel, when she is surprised to see the town clock working. Over at Granny's B&B, Emma Swan looks out the window, but it's not clear if she notices the clock. Archie Hopper (Jiminy Cricket) nods as he passes Mr. Gold (Rumplestiltskin). Granny is quite the entrepreneur, um... I mean "job-creator." She arrives at her diner, just as Ruby (Little Red Riding Hood) is putting out their "open" sign. The Sheriff arrives and smiles at Ruby in a way that makes me wonder if he is Our World's incarnation of the Big Bad Wolf, even though I previously expected that he would turn out to be the Huntsman from Snow White.
Mayor Regina Mills (Evil Queen) pores over her adopted son Henry's Once Upon A Time book. Cat Stevens stops singing, and the music turns scary. My friend, Erin, tells me a story about how Cat Stevens was, allegedly once a dick to her mother. I carefully redraw my often redrawn mental line between the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens (whose work I love) and that other guy who used to be him, but no longer is.
Anyhow, Regina carefully studies the illustration of Queenie crashing Snow and Charming's wedding. When she turns the page, she finds the rest of the pages in the book have been torn out. She marches up to Henry's room and demands to know where the missing pages are. Henry says it's an old book, and asks why Regina cares. She claims she cares, "...because you think I'm some Evil Queen. That hurts me Henry. I'm your mother." Henry says, "No, you're not." Regina blames the book and Henry's newly found bio-mom, Emma Swan, for changing him. When Regina is startled by the town clock chiming, Henry bolts out of his room.
Storybrooke Square: Regina is staring up at the clock when Archibald Hopper hops up to her and says, "Hey, how about that. Guess those rusty old innards finally straightened themselves out." Regina's face is all: Hey, I resemble that, at least until you get to the straightening out part.
Granny's Inn, Emma's Room: Emma answers a knock on her door to find Regina waiting on the other side, with a basketful of apples. Regina: "Did you know the Honeycrisp tree is the most vigorous and hardy of all apple trees. It can survive temperatures as low as 40 below, and keep growing. It can weather any storm. I have one that I've tended to since I was a little girl, and to this day, I have to taste anything more delicious than the fruit it offers."
TWoP Posters: "Did you know you're carrying a basketful of Red Delicious apples, which have been cultivated so long for beauty, that today, their texture is mealy, and they are relatively tasteless?"
Props Department: "But the Red Delicious look so much richer on screen."
TWoP Posters: "Only to people who have never tried them. Seriously, they suck."
Props Department: "Are you people always this fussy?"
Recapper: "It's our gift."
When Regina hands Emma an apple and is all here's your hat, what's your hurry. Emma counters that she's decided to stick around for a while to make sure Henry is okay. Regina insists he's fine and says she has him in therapy, then adds, "Take my advice, Ms. Swan. Only one of us knows what's best for Henry." Emma: "Yeah, I'm starting to think you're right about that." Regina: "It's time for you to go." Emma: "Or what?" I like Emma. She has pluck. Regina dislikes her for the same reason. "Don't underestimate me, Ms. Swan. You have no idea what I'm capable of."
Enchanted Forest, Snow and Charming's Wedding: Queenie threatens to destroy the couple's happiness if it's the last thing she does. Charming flings his sword at her. She disappears in a cloud of black smoke. We flash to her castle. The sword arrives and ends up stuck in a wall, before Queenie rematerializes. A guy who seems to be Queenie's butler, but whom we'll later learn is her father, asks her if she wants something to drink. Queenie: "Do I look like I need something to drink?" Pretty much, yeah. Father claims he was only trying to help. Queenie takes the glass of wine (or perhaps blood) and thanks him. Behind her, the Magic Mirror (Giancarlo Esposito) cracks, "Now that was an awfully big threat. Destroy everyone's happiness. How do you plan on accomplishing that?" Queenie smiles. "The Dark Curse." Father and Mirror remind Queenie that she traded that curse away and made a deal that she'd never use it. Like Evil Queens ever stick by their word. Queenie: "Prepare the carriage. I'm going to the Evil Fortress."
Evil Fortress: Maleficent (who is blonde when she never should be blonde, and seriously read the recaplet for more on this) invites Queenie to sit by her fire and proceeds to taunt her about Snow White's happiness. "Weren't you about the same age, when you were to be married, before she ruined it all? Yes, you were." Oh, age digs? Shit just got real. Queenie: "Yes, it was about the same age you were, when that Sleeping Beauty got the best of you, my dear Maleficent." Anyhow, Queenie wants the Dark Curse back. Maleficent (Kristin Bauer) reminds her she traded it away for the Sleeping Curse. Queenie points out that the Sleeping Curse was undone by a mere kiss. Maleficent reminds Queenie that not even the Dark Curse "...can bring your loved one back from the dead. Have you considered a pet? They can be quite comforting." She reaches down and pets a CGI unicorn so ugly that I like it, in spite of myself. There's more back and forth, but Maleficent refuses to hand it over, saying it's hidden for the good of all. "Whoever created that monstrosity makes the two of us look positively... moral. Who did give it to you?"
Queenie loses patience. She wants her curse and she wants it now. She draws fire from the fireplace right into her hand. Maleficent flies to the other side of the room and puts up a magical shield. Queenie, magically moves all the weapons hanging on the walls, until they're floating in mid-air. She then eyes Mal's unicorn. Mal screams, "No," and flies over to put herself and her glass-like shield between her pet and her frenemy. Queenie aims the weapons at the iron chandelier over Mal's head. It falls and encircles her. Thus restrained, Queenie magics Mal into the wall and picks up her fallen staff. The curse is stored in its orb. Mal: "If you're going to kill me, kill me." Queenie pets Mal's staff. "Why would I do that? You're my only friend." What's sad is that she's telling the truth. While Mal argues that using the Dark Curse crosses an uncrossable line, Queenie smashes the orb and retrieves the curse, which is written on a wee scroll. Mal: "All power comes with a price. Enacting it will take a terrible toll. It will leave an emptiness inside you -- a void you will never be able to fill." Queenie glares. "So be it." Commercial.
Queenie stands around a fire, with her father and other fairy tale villains. They're in a creepy, dead corner of the Enchanted Forest. She blahs about putting an end to "our" misery. "Today we claim victory, and move to a new, better realm -- a place where we can finally win." A blind crone who must be the villain from Hansel and Gretel ask if they'll be happy. Queenie guarantees it, of course we've already seen her word is far from her bond. She needs a lock of hair from all the horribles. To motivate the villains to cooperate, she magics up some twisty branches on the dead trees surrounding them. Snakelike, the trees surround the horribles. The crone, a dwarf or gnome (I like thinking of him as a dwarf in this scene, because of the Narnia connection, and a gnome in the , because... you'll see why), and a giant (from Jack and the Beanstalk) all cut off locks of their hair and hand them to Queenie. The trees resume their normal shape. Father hands Queenie a jeweled box. In it is the final ingredient -- the heart of her prized steed. She tosses it in the fire and charges: "Let my wrath be unleashed." The winds whip up. The fire turns a blackish green. The wind ceases. The fire dies. The dwarf-gnome laughs like hell and taunts Queenie for her failure. Queenie immediately turns him to stone. See? Narnia.
Our World, Mayoral Manse, Exterior, Garden: There's the same little stone dwarf-gnome. Ahahaha. Well played, Show. Well played. Just then Sidney (also played by Giancarlo Esposito, i.e. the Magic Mirror) finds Regina picking apples from her prized tree. He holds up the local paper, Storybrooke Daily Mirror (ha), and says, "The Mirror strikes again." He's done a hatchet job on Emma Swan, but what Regina really wants in intel. There's not much intel to tell. Emma was a foster kid. She got in trouble as a kid, but since then she's been clean. She doesn't like to stay in one place. Oh and she had Henry while she was in Phoenix. Pay attention to that, because we're going to need it later. Think about the Phoenix of mythology, not just the city that would be America's oven, if only ovens were that hot. What does a phoenix do? It's a firebird that burns to death and is reborn from the ashes of its former self. Regina is dissatisfied. She tells Sydney that he's found her nothing of value, therefore he has no value to her, and she warns that when something is of no value to her, she throws it away. Sydney promises to do better.
Granny's Diner: Emma is reading the hatchet job on her, and is just about to bite into Regina's apple, when Ruby brings her a cup of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and cinnamon, and explains that it's from an admirer. Looking around, Emma assumes it's from the Sheriff. She approaches him and he teases her about crashing into the town sign last week. Emma is impressed that he guessed she likes cinnamon on her hot chocolate, but says she is not there to flirt. The Sheriff insists he didn't send it. Henry pops up from a corner booth. "I did. I like cinnamon, too." Because I'm your kid, dummy.
As Emma walks Henry to school, he tells her he has a plan to break Regina's curse. He calls it, "Operation Cobra." When Emma notes that has nothing to do with fairy tales, Henry says he knows. He just picked it to throw Queenie off their trail. They talk about how everyone there is a fairy tale character and how time was frozen 'til Emma arrived. When he sees she's about to bite into Regina's apple, he yells at her not to do that, grabs it, and throws it away. I already love this kid.
There's more exposition about how none of the Storybrooke residents remember their true, fairy tale identities. All they have is fuzzy memories of timeless time in Storybrooke. Emma is the only one who can break the curse because she's Snow and Charming's daughter. Henry tells her Regina doesn't know that, and takes out the missing pages from his Once Upon A Time book. It's the part with Emma in it. Henry: "I know the hero never believes at first. If they did, it wouldn't be a very good story. If you need proof, take them, read them. But whatever you do, don't let her see them. They're dangerous. If she finds out who you are... it would be bad." He leaves her in front of the school, saying, "I knew you believed me." Emma: "I never said I did." Henry: "Why else would you be here?" And with that, he's gone.
Mary Margaret Blanchard approaches Emma and tells her it's good to see Henry smile. When Emma asks what the Mayor's deal is, it's clear Mary's memory of town facts is obscured, as she just says Regina has been Mayor for as long as anyone can remember. She inspires fear and Mary is afraid she's only made matters worse by giving Henry the book, because now he thinks his mom is the Evil Queen. Emma: "Who does he think you are?" Mary laughs and says it's silly, but finally admits Henry thinks she is Snow White. Emma lies the she doesn't have a book counterpart, and then asks where she can find Henry's therapist.
Dr. Archibald Hopper's Office: Emma asks about Henry's therapy and seeming fairy-tales-are-real fixation. Archie demurs. He shouldn't discuss this. He does caution Emma that she needs to take care not to disparage Henry's "belief system" to him. He's using the fairy tales to express complex emotions. When Emma asks what the deal is with Henry and Regina, Archie says that Regina is complicated, and her attempts to draw Henry closer always backfire. He then hands her Henry's patient file and lets her leave with it.
HIPAA: "That is such a no-no."
Writers: "Silence. You have no power here!"
Once Emma is gone, Archie calls Regina and tells her Emma took the file. "How did you know she was going to come here?" Regina: "Because I'm the one who gave her the idea." Tricksy! False! Commercial.
The Sheriff shows up at Emma's room as she's reading through Henry's file. He says Archie claims Emma stole Archie's file. Emma brings him right in and gives him the file. The Sheriff arrests her. Emma: "You know I'm being set up, don't you?" The Sheriff asks who's behind the set-up. We cut to...
Street: Regina walks down the street to the school, where Mary is teaching a lesson outside. Remember the teachers who would do that? They were always the ones who really liked kids. Regina pulls Henry out of class for a moment, and tells him Emma stole files from Dr. Hopper, and that she's a con woman who is trying to learn about them, to take advantage of them. When she says she's sorry, Henry replies, "No, you're not." Regina blathers on about how she's trying to protect him. Henry dismisses her and runs back to his class.
Sheriff's Office: Emma insists that Regina put Archie up to lying about the file. The Sheriff acknowledges Regina is intimidating, but says he doubts she'd go as far as framing Emma. When he mentions Regina has her hands in everything in town, Emma asks: "Including the Police Force?" Just then, Henry and Mary enter. Henry pronounces Emma a genius. He wrongly figures she stole the file to gather intel for Operation Cobra. The Sheriff says he's lost, but Henry tells him it's a "need to know" situation. Ms. Blanchard isn't just along for the ride. She's there to bail Emma out. Emma holds up her wrists to the Sheriff. "If you could uncuff me, I have something else to do." We cut to the...
Mayoral Manse: Regina's office has the perfect wallpaper for an Evil Queen who exiled herself and everyone else from the Enchanted Forest. Someone in on the boards identified it as Cole & Sons' "Woods," a 1959 pattern by Michael Clark. Check it out! I don't get to look at it long enough though, because Regina and I are surprised by the sound of a chain saw. Emma's taking it to the Red Delicious "Honeycrisp" apple tree. Regina rushes out screaming, "What the hell are you doing?" Emma shuts off the saw and throws it to the ground. "Picking apples." She's already cut off a large bough. I sort of love her. When Regina says Emma is out of her mind, Emma says, "No, you are if you think a shoddy frame job's enough to scare me off. You're going to have to do better than that. Come after me one more time, and I'm coming back for the rest of this tree, because sister, you have no idea what I'm capable of." She turns her back on Regina and as she's walking away, says, "Your move."
Enchanted Forest, Site of the Failed Curse Casting, Night: Queenie's father tries to convince her that it may be best that the curse failed. "The forces you're summoning are darker than we can conceive." Queenie: "Oh, now you're trying to protect me." Oh, and OKAY! That just confirmed something I've been thinking since I looked up the show on IMDB, to find Regina and Henry's last name. I see some people on the boards have come to the same conclusion. I want to discuss it, but I don't want to ruin things for those of you who would prefer to avoid my speculation, when I'm convinced I'm right, so I'm going to stick a pin in this and save my speculation 'til the end of the recap. Okay? Let's start a new paragraph...
Queenie's father says that protecting her is what he does. Queenie: "I know. You're the only one who does." She wants help figuring out why the curse failed. Father suggests she find the person who first gave her the curse. He does leave her with this warning, though: "Revenge is a dark and lonely road. Once you go down it, there is no heading back." Queenie: "What is there for me to head back to?"
Dungeon: Rumplestiltskin eyes a mouse nibbling on an apple and says, "It's just us, dearie. You can show yourself." In a puff of smoke, the mouse turns into Queenie. She tells him the Dark Curse he gave her isn't working. He tells her Snow and Charming were there, and are anxious about Queenie and the curse. Queenie asks what Rumpy told them. Rumpy: "The truth, that nothing can stop the darkness, except of course their unborn child. You see, no matter how powerful -- all curses can be broken. Their child is the key. Of course the curse has to be enacted first." Rumpy will tell her how to get the curse to work -- for a price. Queenie: "What do you want?" Rumpy: "Simple, in this new land, I want comfort. I want a good life." Queenie guarantees him riches and an estate. Rumpy: "I wasn't finished. There's more. [...] In this new land, should I ever come to you for any reason, you must heed my every request. You must do whatever I say, so long as I say... please." He laughs at his own, creepy, evilness. Queenie says, "You do realize, should I succeed, you won't remember any of this?" Notice that Rumpy doesn't confirm she's right. He just says, "Oh then, what's the harm?" Regina smiles: "Deal."
When they get to talking about the curse failure, and that Queenie used her steed's heart as the blood sacrifice, Rumpy reaches his hand through his cell bars and grabs her face. She must sacrifice what she loves most, and spews out a Gollum-like, "Precious." Queenie: "What I loved most, died because of Snow White." When she says she's willing to go as far as it takes, Rumpy says, "Then please stop wasting everyone's time and just do it. You know what you love. Now go get it."
Our World, Granny's B&B, Day: Granny says she has to evict Emma. "I'm afraid we have a "no felons" rule. It turns out it's a City Ordinance." Some people misunderstood my nitpick with the word felon in the recaplet. I understand that Regina rules this town with an iron fist, and can bully anyone into doing anything she wants. I have no problem with her engineering Emma's eviction. I just wish the writers had used a term other than felon, here. It's not accurate. Emma wasn't tried and convicted. She's out on bail. It would have been just as easy to say there's an ordinance preventing the inn from taking in anyone who is out on bail. That was my only point. Moving right along... Emma returns the room key and we cut to...
Mayoral Manse, Exterior, Garden: The Sheriff finds Regina gathering up her fallen apples. Regina wants Emma arrested for destroying city property. The Sheriff says he thinks that isn't the best idea and makes it clear he knows Emma didn't steal the file from Archie. He thinks she was set up, "And if she was, that means Dr. Hopper was lying, and if he's lying, that means that someone asked him to. Are we really confident the man's conscience won't get the best of him..." on account of him being Jiminy Cricket and all. Regina: "I think your schoolboy crush is clouding your judgment. Remember, I made you Sheriff, and I can take it away just as easily." The Sheriff says he'll arrest Emma again if Regina truly wants, but it's just going to escalate. Regina is very convincing here, when she goes on about Henry being her son, and that she's doing what's best for him. She's convincing, in that it seems to me as though she believes it, herself. I keep waffling on how much she does or doesn't remember about her true identity. Sheriff: "I know that's what you believe, but it seems to me if this escalates, the only one who will get hurt is Henry." Nearly in tears, Regina sighs. We cut to...
Storybrooke Center: Emma just notices a Denver Boot has been put on one of her tires, when her phone rings. It's Regina. She says she thinks it's time they made peace. "Why don't you drive over to my office..." A beat. "Or...walk. Whatever suits you." Heh. She's so bad.
Mayor's Office: We get a great view of that Woods wallpaper. I covet it, but not for a whole room, maybe just an accent wall. Regina apologizes and says she just has to accept the reality that Emma is in town. When Emma agrees, Regina adds, "And that you want to take my son from me." Emma says she has no intention of taking him away. She is only there because he got to her and she needs to make sure he's okay. "The more you try to push me out, the more I want to be here -- especially after seeing how troubled he is." When Regina picks up on the word troubled, Emma explains that while she only got through a few pages of Archie's notes, the kid thinks everyone in town is a fairy tale character. Regina: "And you don't?" Okay, now I think she remembers her Evil Queen identity. Ack. I can't make up my mind, because Regina is also asking that question to make sure an eavesdropping Henry hears Emma's answer. Emma: "How can I? The poor kid can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality, and it's only getting worse. It's crazy." Henry appears in the doorway. "You think I'm crazy?" Emma calls out to him as he runs off. She turns back to Regina. "You knew he would be here." Regina: "Did I know that my son comes to my office, every Thursday at precisely 5:00 PM, so I can take him to dinner before his therapy session? Of course I did. I'm his mother." She places her hands on the arms of her chair, as though she were sitting on a throne. "Your move." Emma: "You have no soul. How the hell did you get like this?" Regina watches Emma walk out, and then lowers her eyes. We cut to...
The Enchanted Forest, Night: Queenie storms back to her castle, and ignores the Magic Mirror as he follows her from mirror to mirror (nice touch) as she passes through the hall. When she finds her father (who we still don't know is her father) he asks if Rumpy told her what she needed to know. Queenie: "I'm not sure what to say. I'm conflicted." Finally, she reveals she has to cut out the heart of the thing she loves most. Father takes this in before he says, "Me." Queenie closes her eyes for a moment, before turning to him. "Daddy, I don't know what to do." There, that's the reveal I spoiled for you at the beginning, but I didn't have the patience to refer to him as the butler the whole time, and I guessed he was her father, right away.
Daddy pleads with Queenie, saying she doesn't have to do this. He reminds her she can move past this. She doesn't have to activate the curse. Queenie can't keep living like this. This. This. This. This. This. Queenie: "What Snow did to me, what she took from me -- it's eating me alive, Daddy. Her very existence mocks me. She must be punished." Echoing Maleficent's earlier sentiment, Daddy asks why she'd do it, if the price is a hole that can never be filled. I guess we know why Our World's Regina can't love Henry; it's because of that damned hole. Daddy encourages her to start over. "We can have a new life." Queenie: "What kind of life? All I've worked for, all I've built will be gone. My power will disappear. They already think I'm nothing." Daddy: "Power is seductive, but so is love..." Ew. I mean yes, but when you're the parent, trying to convince your child not to rip out your heart and sacrifice it in the darkest Dark Curse, maybe don't use the word "seductive" while comparing power and love, m'kay, 'cause you just made my skin crawl. Shudder. Let's start a new paragraph.
Daddy tells his daughter she can have love again. She comes close to him and he takes her in his arms. When she says she just wants to be happy, Daddy assures her she can be, again -- that they can find happiness together. My skin crawls some more. "But the choice is yours." Tears spill down Queenie's cheek. She pulls back from her father and smiles at him. "I think you're right. I can be happy." Relieved, Daddy sighs. Then Queenie adds, "Just not here. She plunges a dagger into him (or possibly rips out his heart with her bare hands -- I keep missing the dagger). Daddy falls to the floor. Queenie gasps softly, then says, "I'm sorry." Oh well then, all better, Daddy?
Our World, Storybrooke, Mary's Hovel, Night: Mary is doing needlepoint (another nice touch) when Emma knocks on her door. She's there to thank Mary and pay back her bail money. Mary says she looks like she needs to talk. We cut to the kitchen, where Mary serves up hot cocoa and cookies. When Emma picks up her cup. "Cinnamon?" Mary apologizes, saying it's a quirk of hers, and asks if Emma minds. Emma: "Not at all." The wheels start turning in Emma's head. She asks Mary why she said she trusted her, when she bailed her out. Mary says that since Emma arrived in town, Mary has had the oddest feeling that they've met before. "I know it's crazy." Emma: "I'm starting to reevaluate my definition of crazy." I know I'm supposed to be snarking, but this is a lovely scene, with just the right mother/daughter feel. Snark, like orgasm, is only good when it's real. When Emma says she's leaving town, to prevent Henry from getting hurt, Mary says, "I think the very fact that you want to leave is why you have to stay. You care about him. Who will protect Henry, if you won't?"
Archie's Office: Henry fiddles with Archie's umbrella, as Archie tries to get him to open up. He tells the boy, "That umbrella is kind of my good luck charm. Is that why you think I'm Jiminy Cricket?" Henry's shoulders are slumped. His voice is flat. "I don't think you're anyone." He lays the umbrella on the table. Before Archie can say anything else, Emma bursts in. Archie tries to confess his involvement in the set-up, saying, "The Mayor forced me," but Emma already gets it. She needs no explanation. Archie tries to warn her that it would be bad if the Mayor were to find out she was at Henry's session. Emma sits down across from Henry as she tells Archie, "To hell with her."
Holding the missing pages from his book in her hand, Emma tells Henry that he is the only reason she stayed. Henry: "You think I'm crazy!" Emma: "No, I think the curse is crazy, and it is, but..." She looks up at Archie as she tries to weigh her words. "That doesn't mean it isn't true. It is a lot to ask anyone to believe in, but there are a lot of crazy things in this world, so what do I know? Maybe it is true." Henry: "But, you told my mom..." Emma: "...What she needed to hear. What I do know, is that if the curse is real, the only way to break it, is by tricking the Evil Queen into thinking that we are non-believers, because that way, she is not onto us. Isn't that what Operation Cobra was all about -- throwing her off the trail?" Henry's face lights up as he sits up tall. "Brilliant." Emma tells him she read the torn out pages. "And Henry, you are right. They are dangerous. There is only one way to make sure she never sees them." She rises to her feet and crosses Archie's office, 'til she reaches his fireplace. Kneeling before it, she tosses the pages in. Once they are consumed, Emma says, "Now we have the advantage."
Henry runs to Emma and hugs her. "I knew you were here to help me." Emma holds him close. "That's right kid, I am." When she lets him go, she says, "And nothing -- not even a curse -- is going to stop that." When Henry smiles at her, she hugs him again. We cut to...
Enchanted Forest, Night, Curse Casting Circle: None of the horribles are there, this time. Queenie is alone, and her hair is much shorter. She opens the box that once held her horse's heart and takes out her father's heart. She tosses it into the fire, which basically turns into a green-tinged version of the Smoke Monster from Lost. Queenie watches in wonder. We cut to...
Queenie approaches the site where she cast the curse or some place that looks like it. Some time must have passed, because there's a gravestone there now. Queenie lays a rose on it. "I love you, Daddy." The camera pans from Queenie to the stone. It reads: "HENRY, Beloved Father." WHAT?
Our World, Storybrooke Square, Night: Henry and Emma leave Archie's and walk down the street. We cut to...
Mayoral Manse, Garden: Mr. Gold (Rumplestiltskin) finds Regina tending to her injured tree. She's in a good mood, because she believes she just, "...rid the town of an unwanted nuisance." She figures Emma is halfway to Boston by now. Gold picks an apple from the tree, laughs and tells her he just saw Emma walking downtown with Henry. "Thick as thieves they looked." He suggests Regina should have come to him. He's willing to help for a price. Regina laughs. "I'm not in the business of making deals with you, anymore."
Okay, so she does remember. Gold says, "To which deal are you referring?" Does he remember who he is? Either way, his question seems to catch Regina off guard. She looks up from tending to the tree trunk. Her face is oddly blank. Okay, maybe she doesn't remember. She turns to face Gold and says, "You know what deal." Gold laughs. "All right. Yeah. The boy I procured for ya -- Henry. Did I ever tell you what a lovely name that was? However did you pick it?" Regina's eyes open wide. She asks Gold, "Did you want her to come to town? You wanted all this to happen, didn't you? You're finding Henry wasn't an accident, was it?" Gold: "Whatever do you mean?" Regina: "Where did you get him? Do you know something?" Okay, she does know. Argggh. I can't tell. Gold: "I have no idea what you're implying." Regina: "I think you do. Who is this woman, his mother, this... Emma Swan?" Gold: "I would say you think you know exactly who she is." When he tries to take his leave, Regina rounds on him. "Tell me what you know about her." Gold: "I'm not going to answer you dear, so I suggest you excuse me." He waits a beat as Regina tries to stare him down, and the adds, "Please." Regina, falls silent and still, as if under a spell. Gold takes a bite of the apple and strolls past. Regina turns to see him throw the fruit over his shoulder. The End.
Okay, I've seen a lot of people talking about Henry. Has time passed for him? It must have, if he was actually born in our world, which seems to be the case, since Emma remembers having him. Has he aged while the other characters haven't? What is more important to me is to try and figure out if he is Queenie's father, reincarnated. They have the same name. We could write that off to Regina remembering (consciously or subconsciously) her love of her father who she sacrificed for her own happiness, but it seems like a pretty anvilicious clue that this Henry was born in Phoenix. Has he risen from Queenie's Dad's ashes metaphorically, or literally. Right now, I'm inclined to say literally, which... does that make Regina her own grandpa? Or Emma? Or Snow? There's something to chew on for a while. My paragraph is speculation about the Evil Queen's Enchanted Forest Identity. I'm not spoiled, but pretty sure I'm right, so if you don't want to risk it, we can part ways here. See you Monday morning, with my recaplet of the installment.
SPECULATION: Now that we're rid of them, let's get to it. I have been biting my tongue to keep from spilling this speculation, since I wrote up the recaplet of the pilot. Since people on the boards are now openly speculating the same thing, I feel free to discuss it. You know who Queenie is, right? I mean, we all know Regina is Queenie, but Queenie's got her own backstory, that reaches further in her history, than just being the villain in Snow White's life. Queenie is the miller's daughter. I'm sure of it. Remember the story Rumplestiltskin? A miller brags, lying that his daughter can spin straw into gold. A king catches wind of this, summons the girl to his castle, locks her up with some straw and a spinning wheel, and orders her to get cracking. The poor girl can't actually spin straw into gold. At her most hopeless moment, Rumplestiltskin appears. He'll do the deed for her, in return for a piece of jewelry. She gladly makes the deal. The night, she's in the same predicament. She gives Rumpy another piece of jewelry and he again spins the straw into gold. The third night, the girl has nothing left to trade, so Rumpy says he'll still help her, provided that, when she has her first born child, she gives the baby to him. The king marries the girl. When their first child is born, Rumpy returns and demands the miller's daughter/now-queen hand over the baby. When the queen tries to buy him off, he refuses, but he tells her he'll release her from their bargain, if she can guess his name in three days. She fails on the first two days, but on the third, one of her messengers tells her he's found it. It's Rumplestiltskin. Rumpy's ultimate fate depends on what version you read. I do believe in our Once Upon A Time version, his fate was to be locked in the dungeon. Queenie is the miller's daughter. Her daddy is the miller. Now, was that king Snow White's father? Does Queenie blame Snow White for his death, or for the death of her child? I don't know about you, but I cannot wait to find out.
I'll be back, Monday morning, with my recaplet of "Snow Falls," in which Snow and Charming meet for the first time. In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then join us in the forum, where nobody puts Maleficent in a corner...or restraints.