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Enchanted Present. Team Princess argues over who should accompany Hook up the beanstalk. Aurora wants to go, because she has nothing left to lose. Snow and Mulan each think they're better suited. Emma, however, wants to get back to her kid, so she insists it's her journey to make. Hook explains the beanstalk is enchanted to repel intruders, but Cora has given him two magic bracelets that will make the climb possible. Supposedly, one bracelet is for Hook, and the other is for Cora. Nobody calls Hook out on this detail, but why in the world would Cora give Hook her bracelet? Clearly, this is a setup.
Up above the clouds, Hook and Emma meet up with the Giant, played by Lost's Jorge Garcia. And yes, I'll be calling him Hurley (and occasionally Hugo) because the character doesn't have a name, and I can't not call him Hurley. While Hook distracts Hurley, Emma knocks him out with sleeping powder that she got from Mulan. It's made of poppies, which surprises me because I thought the show burnt through all its Oz references last week.
Hugo wakes back up before Emma and Hook find the compass. He storms towards the thieves, which causes part of the ceiling to collapse right on top of Hook. Emma manages to capture Hurley in one of his own traps. He assumes she'll kill him, because contrary to what she's heard, it's humans who are vicious killers, not giants. Emma explains she just needs the compass. When Hurley gives it to her, and she doesn't kill him, he is touched, which is really sort of sad. Emma asks her new friend to do her a solid and keep Hook captive for ten hours, to give Team Princess a head start.
Back on the ground, Snow tries to help Aurora, who has been plagued by nightmares ever since waking from the sleeping curse. Snow knows from sleeping curses and tells Aurora how Charming used to light a candle for her to keep away her nightmares. She promises to watch over Aurora while she sleeps. When Aurora's sleep is disturbed, Snow wakes her. Aurora recounts her nightmare: She's trapped in a red room. There are neither doors nor windows, just blood red curtains -- and they're afire. She's huddled in a corner, but there's someone else in the room. He's looking at her from the shadows. Snow calms Aurora and she finally falls back to sleep.
Mulan has been busy watching the sun's progress. Before Emma left, she said that if she didn't return in ten hours, Mulan should chop down the beanstalk and find another way to return Snow to Storybrooke. When Mulan tries to make good on her word, Snow tackles her and makes it clear she will do anything to protect her daughter. Their fight doesn't last too long because Emma tumbles of the beanstalk, tells Team Princess about their head start and says it's time to hit the road. Snow wraps Emma in a fierce embrace and insists that they stick together and return to Storybrooke together.
Portland, Oregon. Unenchanted Past. Emma's VW Bug is ill-gotten gains. Slim Jim and screwdriver in hand, she steals it, only to find the guy who stole it just before she did, is napping in the backseat. It's the mysterious stranger, and his name is Neal Cassidy (not Neal Cassady).
After Neal saves Emma from the fuzz, they fall in love. The couple survives on petty theft, but Neal is a wanted man. He'd like to fence the high-end watches he stole a while back, take the money -- and Emma -- and start all over. Emma's down with this plan and chooses Tallahassee as their destination. Perhaps she wants to enroll in Anthony Cooper's Con Artist College?
Because there are wanted posters featuring Neal's face, Emma retrieves the watches from the storage locker where Neal stashed them. When he goes to fence them, he's jumped by August, who tells him Emma has a destiny and Neal cannot keep her from it. To convince Neal, August shows him something in his wooden box. Whatever it is, I'm thinking it's not his antique typewriter because Neal is immediately convinced to cooperate.
Neal drops a dime on Emma. She gets arrested for the watch theft and does 11 months in a minimum security facility in Phoenix, which is where she discovers she's pregnant. While in the clink, Emma gets mail from Phuket. It's a swan keychain that Neal stole for her one time when they were shop lifting. Hanging from it are the keys to the VW Bug. Emma's a little distracted, though, because while the matron is showing her the keys, Emma's staring at the positive pregnancy test in her hands.
Storybrooke. Present. Henry wakes from a nightmare. Charming lights a candle to keep the bad dreams at bay, as Henry tells him all about it. He's in a red room. There are neither doors nor windows, just blood red curtains -- and they're afire. He's huddled in a corner, but there's someone else in the room. She's looking at him through the flames.
"Tallahassee" is a fun episode. There's great chemistry between Hook and Emma in the present. I watch a lot of shows in which characters get injured, but I haven't seen many wound-tending scenes hotter than when Hook bandaged Emma's hand. There's a good deal of chemistry between Neal and Emma, which is good because it helps me forget how young she's supposed to be in these scenes. Even in her cute, geeky glasses and her hair high in a ponytail, it's hard to buy that Emma is only 17 or 18 years old. Don't get me wrong, Jennifer Morrison is a fine-looking young woman, but after 22 or so, most people cannot pass for 17. Seriously, I remember my fifth-year high school reunion. The changes were jarring. Still, I'm grateful we finally got to watch some of Emma's backstory instead of just hearing about it. I'm glad Henry's father loves Emma and that he left her because he thought it was the right thing to do. It's great to see August, too, even if he's still screwing with Emma's life. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy him. Is this the start of a love trapezoid? You know, Show, you could bring back Graham and make it a love pentagon. I'm just saying.
I don't usually mind the special effects in the Enchanted lands. I wish that was true this week, but alas, my mind screams "GREEN SCREEN" during every scene in Hurley's treasure room. Seeing Jorge Garcia back on my TV made up for it, though.
I'll be back with the whole story, in the full recap. In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then come on over to the forum, where Hook is tending to our wounds.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously on Once Upon A Time, Killian Jones becomes Captain Hook and sworn enemies with Rumpy. In a bid to keep Cora from Storybrooke and Henry, Emma destroys the enchanted wardrobe. Team Princess reluctantly joins forces with Captain Hook in hopes of locating a magical compass which could be their ticket back to Maine. Regina tells Emma she knows her gadabout history, and asks what she so enjoyed about Tallahassee. Henry eats the sleeping cursed apple tart that Regina means for Emma. Emma kisses him back to life. In New York, we meet a mysterious stranger, and badinaging birds totally become a thing.
Currently on Once Upon A Time, we open in the Enchanted Present. Hook leads Team Princess to a ginormous beanstalk that grows up through the clouds. Mulan: "It reminds me of death." Snow: "Encouraging." Recapper: "Isn't it time for Mulan to die, yet?" Speaking for me, Emma asks why they can't just pick a portal-opening bean and go home. Per Hook, all the beans are gone. "Whatever story you think you know, my dear, is almost certainly wrong." Emma spews out what she remembers of Jack and the Beanstalk. Hook says while it's a lovely tale, the truth is more gruesome. He says the giants grew the beans, and used them to plunder all the lands. Jack fought a terrible war and defeated all but one of the giants. As they died, the giants destroyed the beans. If they couldn't have the magic, then nobody could. Hook: "It's really very bad form." One of my childhood friends (yeah, this one) was like that. One time, we went to the store together. She got a big bag of pretzels. When she didn't want to finish them, I asked if I could have some. She said no, and lied that her mother didn't like her to do stuff like that, and then threw the bag away in a public trashcan. No, really. Anyhow, where was I? Bad form. Right.
Emma wonders why anyone hasn't climbed up the beanstalk and grown some more magic portal beans. Hook tells her the remaining giant is the strongest and most terrible of them all. They'll have to get past him to find the compass amidst all the treasure. Thanks to the enchanted wardrobe ashes, Cora has the means to open a portal, but can't find Storybrooke without the compass. Hook says once they get the compass, they'll snatch the ashes from Cora and be on their way. Mulan asks why they shouldn't just think Hook is using them to get the compass for Cora. Hook says since all he needs is a ride back, and Team Princess is far safer company than the Mother of All Evil, he'll swear allegiance to the side that gets him there first. Their first challenge is that the beanstalk is enchanted to repel intruders. Luckily, he has a counter-spell from Cora. As Snow frees the Captain's hands, she stares him down like the lioness she is. Hook gets too close and thanks her so flirtatiously that I'm surprised there isn't a twink sound effect.
Holding up his good hand, our pretty pirate knocks on his wrist with his hook. As his wrist glows golden with magic, he explains that he has one more enchanted wrist cuff, because Cora was to accompany him. I really hope Emma, Snow and the whole team, really, don't gloss over this. There's no way that Cora left her own counter-spell cuff with Hook, even if he was or is playing for her side. This is a trap. It's such a trap that I'm surprised the magical glow doesn't form the letters T R A P. Team Princess lets this pass without comment, but I hope it doesn't pass without notice. Hook asks the women which of them will accompany them. "Go on. Fight it out. Don't be afraid to really get into it." We flash sideways and back to...
Portland, Oregon, 11 years ago. Emma is supposed to be 17 or 18 years old. In the recaplet, I already hit the fact that nothing older than 22 can pass for 17, so I won't belabor the point here. Still, with her hair in that high ponytail, and sporting those thick-rimmed glasses, she does look adorable. Using a slim jim, she breaks into the familiar yellow VW Bug. Once inside, she uses a screwdriver to pop the ignition and drives off. She nearly crashes the car when episode 2-1's Mysterious Stranger (played by Michael Raymond-James) pops up from the backseat and says, "Impressive." As Emma gasps for breath, he dangles the keys in her face. "But really, you could have just asked me for the keys. Emma struggles between keeping her eyes on the road and the urge to get a good look at her unexpected company. Our Mysterious Stranger gives her such a smile that I'm waiting for a twink sound effect to accompany it, too. Title card.
The Mysterious Stranger introduces himself as Neal Cassidy. Contrary to what you may have read online, Cassidy is the character's last name (as we'll later see) but yes, it's still a shout-out to Kerouac's bud, Neal Cassady. Neal is ridiculously flirtatious with Emma, given she just stole the car in which he was napping. When she fails to look where she's going, Emma blows through a stop sign. It's not long before a cop pulls her over. Neal tells her to take the screwdriver out of the ignition and replaces it with the keys. When the cop asks for Emma's license and registration, Neal tells him he's just teaching his girlfriend to drive a stick. I am not going with the obvious pun, because the show already has. After a little sexist commiseration about women drivers, the cop lets Emma off with a warning, even though she never produced a driver's license. Once he's gone, Emma figures out Neal's angle. The VW Bug isn't his either. She's just stolen a stolen car. Talk about meet cute. This is so sweet, I'd better brush and floss once it's over.
Enchanted Present. Mulan, Snow and Aurora argue over who should accompany Hook up the beanstalk. Yes, Aurora. Why couldn't they have found her some more suitable clothes in the ruins of Snow's castle? Seriously, it's not even like we get to see her pretty gown, because it's covered by that ugly wrap. We all know Emma's going to be the one to go with Hook, and she is, once she plays the Henry card to Snow.
When Emma asks Mulan if she's got any good anti-giant weapons in her bag, the warrior pulls her aside and gives her a bag of sleeping powder, made from poppies. Alone with Mulan, Emma asks if her sword is strong enough to cut through the beanstalk. Why? Because there needs to be some element of tension for the members of Team Princess who'll remain on the ground. If Emma's not back in ten hours, she wants Mulan to cut down the stalk and find another way for Snow to return to Storybrooke. Contrivance Fairy: "You're welcome."
With a "Tick-tock," Hook reminds Emma they need to get a move on. He's in constant flirt mode, which is fun to watch, but there are only so many ways to mention it without becoming repetitive, so from here on out, I'll only note when he's not flirting. He slaps the cuff on Emma's wrist and asks her to return his hook. When Emma says she's not going to take her eyes off him, Hook says, "I would despair if you did." Twink. Commercial.
During their climb, Hook plays beanstalk psychologist on Emma. He says she's silent because she's afraid to reveal herself and to trust him. He claims she's an open book. It's clear she doesn't want to abandon Henry the way she was abandoned. He says she has the same look in her eyes, he once saw in the eyes of Neverland's Lost Boys. When he notes that love has been all too rare in her life, he asks if she's ever been in love. Taking a page from Regina's book, Emma lies: "No. I've never been in love." We flash sideways and back to...
Speculation Sidebar. More than ever, I think Neal is going to turn out to be Baelfire. I know the magical bean that Blue gave Bae was supposed to take him to a land without magic, but I can't shake the feeling that he might have done some time in Neverland as well. After Milah's death, it would be understandable if Hook searched for her son, provided he knew the boy road a rare magical bean away from the Dark One.
Portland. Neal and a visibly pregnant Emma are in a convenience store. Neal grabs a road map to distract the clerk while Emma does a little shoplifting, which I guess we're supposed to accept is justified, because the clerk is a jerk. At the counter, there are two racks of key chains for sale. The leather keychains bear names, and both Henry and Alice are prominently featured. The Alice one reminds me of the White Rabbit clues in Neal's Manhattan flat. I can't decide if I should ditch my Neal = Bae speculation, or enhance it. There's plenty of speculation that Neal may be both Bae and the ever-hurrying bunny. Given Rumpy's many identities, I don't see any reason to rule that out.
Anyhow, there are also some metallic keychains. Neal swipes one bearing a swan for Emma. Isn't theft romantic? I'd better call my dentist once I'm done. Another customer enters, just as Neal is pocketing some Apollo Bars. He tries to warn the clerk, but Emma creates her own distraction by pretending to go into labor. Neal rushes her out of the store. The customer tells the clerk that the couple was robbing him blind, but that's all we'll see of them, so who cares.
As Neal and Emma return to the Bug, she drops her purse out from under her shirt. She's not pregnant after all -- at least not as far as she knows. Inside the car. Neal gives Emma the keychain and they start kissing, because even they know it's a wrap for the clerk and customer.
Neal and Emma stake out a motel. When a family leaves a room, Neal says, "Twenty minutes 'til housekeeping," and they rush inside -- just to take showers. Get your minds out of the gutter. This is a family show. Emma finds a left-behind (not Left Behind) dream-catcher, which we last saw in this season's premiere, in Neal's Manhattan flat. She explains that it's supposed to keep away bad dreams. Neal: "It's flypaper for nightmares? Let's keep it." Emma laughs at the idea of hanging it in the car. Neal admits it's not much of a home and suggests it's time they retire the Bonnie and Clyde act, and settle down. Emma: "Where? Neverland?" Hmmm. Neal is serious. He grabs a framed map from the bureau, tells Emma to close her eyes, and pick a spot on the map. She chooses Tallahassee. [Note: I think we've met a guy from there before. -- Rachel.] Emma's smile in this episode reminds me of how seldom she smiles in this show. It's nice to see it, yet I'm bracing myself for her heartbreak that is sure to come within the 44 minutes. She asks Neal if he's sure this is what he really wants. Neal: "What I want is you." What I really want is some Anbesol. I kid. I kid. I'm enjoying Neal and Emma. As they kiss, we cut to commercial.
Enchanted Present. Mulan draws a line in the sand, plunges a stick in the ground at the end of it, and explains to Aurora it will help her mark the time. Snow is already suspicious. "Do you have somewhere to be?" Mulan says they can take turns sleeping and keeping watch. When Snow volunteers for the first shift, Aurora volunteers to stay up with her. She doesn't sleep much these days. Snow understands. Nightmares are a horrible side effect of the sleeping curse both princesses endured. Snow tells Aurora how when she had the nightmares, Charming would wake her and light a candle. He said it would capture the bad dreams. "He'd watch over me as I fell back to sleep." Aurora: "Sounds like he lives up to his name." Snow: "Yeah." Sounds to me like after the first nightmare, one of them should have been more proactive and thought to keep a lit candle by your bed. Am I wrong? Snow encourages Aurora to sleep. She'll watch over her new friend and keep her safe. When Aurora wanders off, Snow stares at Mulan's what do I call that -- it's not a sundial. Can I just pretend it is, for convenience? Thank you. You're too kind. Anyhow, Snow eyes Mulan's sundial, then trains her gaze to the beanstalk.
CGIsland. Hook and Emma arrive at the top of the beanstalk. It's dark there, which makes no sense to me, since it's still light below, and the beanstalk world is above the spot where Team Princess waits. I understand they're in another land, but it's still weird. Surveying the ruins and many, many skeletons, Emma asks what happened there. This, my girl, is what happens when special effects go bad. Hook says it's where the final battle took place. When he notices Emma cut her hand while climbing, he insists upon bandaging it, because fee fi fo fum, giants can smell blood, you dumb bum. When Hook pours rum on Emma's cut, she feels the burn. When he takes off his scarf, wraps it around her wound, and ties the knot with his teeth, we all feel the burn.
Hook's plan is to wait for the giant to fall asleep, and then sneak into his cave and rifle through the treasure until they find the compass. Emma says they can't wait for him to fall asleep and reminds him about Mulan's sleeping powder. When Hook proclaims that plan riskier, Emma speaks for me when she says, "...than waiting for a giant to fall asleep when we need him to." Hook: "Point taken. Ooh, you're a tough lass." I'm not sure what that's about, but it doesn't matter. Taking the sleeping powder out from under his coat, Hook says, "You'd make a hell of a pirate." He must be watching the Portland scenes, yeah? Emma notices Hook's "Milah" tattoo and asks who she is. While Hook isn't forthcoming, Emma realizes that Rumpy has taken more from Hook than just his hand, which must be why he wants to kill the imp. Hook: "For someone who's never been in love, you're quite perceptive, aren't you?" Emma's voice is hushed as she admits maybe she was once in love. We flash sideways and back to...
Portland. Emma has a tattoo of her own. It's a little flower. Did we see that last season? When Neal shows up, she smiles as she announces she has donuts. He's less happy as he hands her a wanted poster which features him (and which is how I know his last name is spelled Cassidy). He found it hanging in the Post Office. He was working as a janitor in Phoenix at a high-end jewelry shop. The manager was a drinker and would forget to lock the cases. Neal resisted twice, but the third time was a charm. He grabbed some watches and hopped a train to Portland. The watches are still in a storage locker at the train station. Emma says he got away clean, which clearly isn't the case because...WANTED POSTER. Neal says that while the manager was drunk, the security cameras were not. He's sorry, but Tallahassee is out. He's got to go to Canada -- alone. He can't risk having Emma with him if he gets caught. She insists he won't get caught. They just need fake IDs and passports. They can get the VIN off another car, and make the Bug legit. Emma, I want you to learn one thing for me. Please stop referring to VINs as VIN numbers. VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number. It's like calling an ATM an ATM machine. Get it? Good.
The couple argues a bit until smily Emma suggests that she can retrieve the watches. They can fence them and use the money to change their identities and move to Tallahassee. Neal: "You want to steal the watches to help me get away with stealing the watches?" I get the parallel to her stealing a stolen car at the top of the episode, but she's not actually stealing the watches, Neal. You already stole them. She's getting them out of a locker, with your knowledge. I'm a crank today, aren't I? Emma's too smitten to call him out on this though, so it falls to me. Neal's still unsure of this plan. He can't let her risk everything. Emma shushes him by saying, "I love you." Neal looks at her. His voice is low and husky. "I love you, too." When he asks Emma if she thinks he can do it, Emma smiles. "I know I can." Yeah, get some watches out of a locker? I think she's up to that, as she's not a toddler. We jump forward and sideways to...
CGIsland. Emma's perched atop a statue by the doorway. Hook grabs a huge bone and asks if she's ready. She is, so he bangs on a huge shield until the giant roars and marches out to see what's going on. The giant is played by Lost's Jorge Garcia. We never do learn his name, so I have to call him Hurley (and/or Hugo). I also can't be too afraid of him, because Hurley is a love bug (but not in a Herbie way, because that's Emma's stolen-stolen car's job). Hook distracts Hurley and leads him closer to Emma, who doses him with the sleeping powder. When he falls to the ground, I'm a little afraid he's crushed Hook to death, but nope, there he is, still flirting. "I don't mean to upset you, Emma, but I think we make quite the team." Emma refrains from smiling and says, "Let's go steal a compass." Commercial.
Mulan watches as the shadow travels down her sundial that isn't a sundial. When Aurora starts crying in her sleep, Snow wakes her and reassures her that it was just a dream. Aurora says the dream was the same as last time. "I was in this room. This-this red room. It was bright. Blood red curtains. There were no windows or doors, so it didn't make sense. I couldn't get in or out. I was trapped. The curtains -- they were on fire. It was horrible. Snow lays her hands on Aurora's arm and whispers that it's okay. Aurora: "I was hunched in a corner, and I looked over into the other corner. In the shadows, there was someone else, there. I could just see his eyes. He was looking right at me." Taking the princess's face in her hand, Snow gently reminds her that it's okay. She promises the nightmares will pass, and that she'll sit with Aurora until she falls back to sleep. "Who else do I have to take care of?" Oh, poor Snow.
CGIsland. Inside the castle which is no cave at all, Hook exposits about the treasure. Emma has no idea how long the sleeping powder will last, so she'd like Hook to stop fondling the few gold items that aren't computer generated and start looking for the compass. We jump sideways and back to...
Portland. Emma finds the storage locker, takes out a backpack full of watches, walks right past two cops, and smiles.
CGIsland. When Hook wonders how much treasure they could carry down the beanstalk, Emma gives him a dirty look. When she comes across a human sized skeleton, Hook explains it's that of Jack the Giant Killer. His sword bears his name, and lies right to him. Walking backwards, Hook is about to stumble over a tripwire, so Emma grabs him. Hook smiles as he wraps his arms around her. "It's about bloody time." Emma struggles free and shows him the trip wire, which is rigged to a cage up above. Hook: "Well that's a plausible excuse for grabbing me, but time, don't stand on ceremony." Emma is not unaffected, but she puts up a brave front and insists they get down to business.
Portland. Night. Emma runs to Neal, who is waiting in the bug. He shows her the watches and figures they can get $20,000, easy. He takes one of the watches, puts it on her wrist and tells her to meet him at the parking structure near the tracks at nine o'clock, sharp. He kisses her and says, "Tallahassee, baby. We're almost home." As she watches him walk away, Emma says, "Home."
As Neal walks through a sudden fog or steam attack (seriously, what is that?) he realizes he's being trailed, so he starts to run. It's August who is following him. Hi August! It's so nice to see you in the flesh. August catches up with Neal in Exposition Alley. He pulls the the thief down from the fence he's scaling, and throws him to the ground. Neal thinks August is a cop, so our boy sets him straight. "It's not like that. You want to protect Emma? Come with me." Neal demands to know how he knows Emma. August introduces himself, and says it's a long story, "...but trust me, you want to hear it." Commercial.
August says to think of him as Emma's guardian angel. Neal says he's doing a pretty crap job. August: "I've been looking for her for the past two years. Now I finally find her, and she's robbing convenience stores with some deadbeat. Tell me again who's doing the crap job?" Neal says he's the best thing that's ever happened to Emma, and what's sad is that he's probably not wrong. He wonders where August was the rest of her life. August jumps into self-defense mode. He's not perfect. This world is full of temptations. He's not that great at saying no. Okay, Ado Annie. August insists, "I'm not built that way."
August explains that he was in the same foster home with Emma when they were kids. He promised to take care of her, but he thought she'd be safe in the system. When Neal says he and Emma promised to take care of each other, August says, "You love her! Good. That means you have to do right by her." When Neal says that's all he wants to do, August says then he should leave her. Emma has a destiny and Neal and this life will keep her from it. He then asks Neal, "Do you believe in magic?" Neal doesn't react the way a grown man from our world would when he's asked this. He looks down for a moment, then back up at August. "I take it you do." August: "So will you. Trust me. I'm gonna show you something -- something that's going to make you look at everything differently." August's bike is already conveniently parked in Exposition Alley. His mysterious box is strapped to the back. He lays his hand on it and says, "Now listen, you're going to believe every word I say." Neal mumbles, "Yeah, right," but when August opens the box, he bends over and looks into it. We, of course, don't get to see what's in the box. Because of that Chanel commercial, I already feel like I'm too often dipping into the Brad Pitt well, but WHAT'S IN THE BOX? [Note: ABC is really into box-related mysteries on Sunday nights, these days.] Whatever it is, it's enough to convince Neal. He sniffs that he's listening. August: "There's a curse, and it needs to be broken. I was tasked with keeping her on track. And you, my friend, just got caught in the crossfire. Now I'm going to tell you a story, and at the end of it, you're going to have to make a decision. Will you do the right thing, or not? Are you ready?"
Emma's waiting for Neal. When he doesn't show, she calls him and gets an "out of service" message. A male voice yells out that she's been set up. It's a cop and he's arresting her for possession of stolen goods. He says her boyfriend called the cops with a tip to look at the train station surveillance camera footage. He orders her to give him the watch and then asks if she knows her rights. When Emma says she does, he says, "Good girl, then turn around." I don't think that counts as reading her her rights, Officer. He's too busy to stand on procedure, I guess, and wants to know where the rest of the watches are. Devastated, Emma says, "Gone. They're not coming back."
CGIsland. Hook and Emma are bickering. He wants her to trust him. Emma's not that easy, but it doesn't matter because here comes the giant. He's stomping so hard that the whole place shakes. I don't know about you, but I'd expect a giant's castle to be a little sturdier. When Hurley starts to run at the pair, the vibrations are so fierce, part of the ceiling collapses -- right on Hook. Hurley reaches his giant hand toward a terrified Emma and we go to commercial.
Vancouver, Canada. Day. Two months after Emma's arrest, Neal and August meet up at the waterfront. August cautions Neal against reaching out to Emma, but Neal just wants to know that's she okay. August says she'll be fine. She got eleven months in a minimum security facility in Phoenix. Neal's distraught. He should be doing that time, not Emma, but August insists it's good. August is really starting to seem like Emma's curse. She'll be out soon and have a good life. Neal needs to steer clear so she can do what she's meant to do. Neal makes August promise he'll be there for Emma. He takes out a big stack of money. He fenced the watches. "Don't judge me. I'm giving it all to her. And the car. I got a clean VIN number [argh!!!] so it's all legit." August says money isn't what Emma needs to prepare for what's ahead. Neal hands him the cash, and the Bug keys, on the swan keychain. "Can you just see that she gets it?" August: "Sure." Recapper: "Your nose is growing!" Neal: "And one more thing. If anything changes and she does her job, this insanity ends -- and she's free..." August: "I'll send you a postcard." You could spring for a premium Hallmark, August, 'cause we know you're going to take that money. Snarky McBirderson: "Fact."
CGIsland. In a visual that owes as much homage to King Kong as it does to Jack and the Beanstalk, gigantic Hurley holds teeny, tiny CGI Emma in his fist. Emma tries to tell him she's not what he thinks, but Hurley says she's a thief and one who poisoned him. He could not care less that she just needs the compass. As he squeezes her, Emma says she's just trying to save her son. "Don't you have a family?" Um, Emma, were you not listening to Hook about how this guy is the last of his species? Hurley: "No, because humans killed them all." Finally, Emma bites his hand. When he drops her, she makes a run for it. There's more growling, stomping, and crumbling. Emma hops the tripwire and grabs Jack's sword. When Hurley is in the right position, she slashes the tripwire. The giant is caught in his own trap. I hate when that happens.
Running to the cage, Emma points the sword at Hurley's eye. When he cries out, she figures it must be dipped in some sort of poison. All she wants is the compass. Hurley says she's going to kill him either way, so she might as well. When Emma protests that he doesn't even know her, Hurley says, "I know your kind. They massacred us and destroyed our beans." Emma says she heard it another way. Hurley: "Because the victors get to tell the story." When she thrusts the sword at him again, Hurley cries out for her to stop and tosses her the compass. She picks it up and smiles until Hurley says, "See, I'm not the bad guy." Emma turns toward him, then lowers her sword. She realizes he might be telling the truth. When she asks if there are any more giants left because she only remembers the story every second time she thinks about it, Hurley says he's alone. This gets to Emma. She notices the giant is wearing a medallion featuring a bean and asks if it can make a portal. Hurley says, "Not anymore. It was destroyed, like the rest of them. I wear it as a reminder -- a reminder that you're all killers." Emma points the sword at him and says, "You're wrong," then walks away. It's then that Hurley bursts out of his trap. Afraid, Emma holds up the sword to him, but instead of hurting Emma, Hurley tears a chunk out the wall, making an opening for her. He tells her that since she didn't kill him, she gets this one favor. Emma: "Actually, I get two favors. [...] The way I see it, I could have killed you, twice -- the poison and when you were knocked out. Hurley: "What do you want?"
Emma frees Hook from the rubble. He declares her bloody brilliant and amazing, then asks to see the compass. Emma gives him a quick peek, but then puts it back in her pocket. Holding out his hand to her, Hook says they should go. Emma takes his hand and chains him to a perfectly positioned chain. Convenient Prop Fairy: "You're welcome." As Emma tries to stammer out an explanation, Hook tells her to look at him. "Have I told you a lie? I brought you here. I risked my own safety to help you. The compass is in your hand. Why do you do this to me, now?" Emma says she can't take a chance that she's wrong about him, and says she's sorry. Hook can't believe she's going to leave him to die at the hands of that "beast." Emma says Hurley is no beast, and Hook isn't going to die. She just needs a head start.
Down below, Snow can't help but watch as Mulan looks at her sundial that isn't. Ten hours must have passed because Mulan draws her sword and rushes right for the beanstalk and tries to chop it down. When Snow and Aurora want to know what she's doing, Mulan explains Emma's instructions. As she hacks away at the beanstalk, magic wafts around it. Snow screams, "NO!" and tackles Mulan. The two struggle, but Snow gets on top of Mulan, who says, "This was your daughter's wish." Snow yells, "I don't care what you say. You do not put my daughter in danger." Just then, Emma jumps off the beanstalk. Snow runs to her and helps her to her feet. Emma shows them the compass and explains that Hook is detained. They've got a ten hour head start because Emma has a friend looking after the swashbuckler. Snow can't believe Emma told Mulan to cut down the beanstalk. Emma starts to say that she couldn't risk whatever... but Snow interrupts her. "WE go back together. That is the only way. Do you understand?" Emma hugs her and says, "Yeah." Still catching her breath, Snow says, "Good. Let's go get that dust from Cora." Emma: "Yeah, and go home."
Minimum Security Corrections Facility. Phoenix, Arizona. Eleven years ago. Emma is sitting on her bed when a guard comes in and tells her she's got mail. "Know anyone in Phuket?" The guard has to open the mail in front of Emma. When she does, all that's in the envelope are car keys -- hanging from the swan key chain. "No letter, sorry, but good news, you get a car when you get out." Emma looks from the guard back down to her hand. The guard notices what Emma is holding before we get a look at it. On her way out of Emma's cell she adds, "And a baby. Congratulations." The camera pans down to the positive pregnancy test in Emma's hand. The cell door slams shut.
Storybrooke. Night. Henry wakes with a scream. Charming pounds down the stairs and to his side. He lights a candle and tells his grandson it will help keep the nightmares away. He asks the boy about his dream. Henry, who is yet another recovering victim of the sleeping curse, says, "I was in this room, and it was red. And there were no doors. No windows. And these curtains. They were on fire. I was in this corner, and I was looking up. And there was someone else there. She was staring at me through the flames. Then I woke up, and..." Charming tells him not to worry. It was just a bad dream. I don't know. I'm a little worried about leaving a candle burning at night, particularly to a little boy's bed. So, I guess Aurora and Henry are seeing each other in nightmare world. This must play some part in getting Snow and Emma home, right? I like this development a lot. I am getting tired of the separation. I hope it ends soon. I want to see the Charmings get to know one another as family. What about you? Let me know on Twitter.
It's interesting that Emma's sentence is long enough to make sure she's still in prison when she gives birth. I'd call it convenient, but it feels better than that. It feels magical. I'm glad Henry's father loved Emma. I am angry at August (and a little bit at Neal, but mostly at August) and can't wait for Emma to find out how he screwed with her life. I'm starting to think he played a part in getting Henry placed in Storybrooke. I understand the curse needs to be broken, and she needed to get on the straight and narrow, but still, setting her up like that is deplorable. He didn't have any trouble convincing Neal to go along with his plan, so whether or not Neal is Bae or the White Rabbit, he's got to be from a magical realm. Perhaps these two could have talked to Emma instead of setting her up to take the fall for Neal's crime. I've read the arguments on our boards and understand them, but I'm not a big fan of the ends justifying the means. If Emma's destiny is an actual destiny, then she's destined to do it. I sure wish I knew what was in August's box. I don't think his old type writer would have convinced Neal that quickly. Obstreperous Ostrich: "Obviously."
I'll be back Monday morning with coverage of "Child of the Moon." In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then come on over to the forum, where we've got Hook. In chains.