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In the enchanted past, Rumpy is excited to serve in the King's army during whichever Ogre War that was. He wasn't always a coward, but apparently he started life as the son of one. He and Milah agree that joining the army is his big chance to prove himself. Before he leaves, Milah encourages him to be brave and fight honorably. After he has served, they can start the family of which they've always dreamed.
While with the army, Rumpy meets a prisoner -- a seer -- who changes his life in all the worst ways. Although she is but a little girl, her eyes have been cut out of her head, and she has magical eyeballs embedded in her palms, which I can't discuss without gagging, so that's all you're getting about that. The seer tells Rumpy that Milah is pregnant, but because of his coming actions on the battlefield, their son will be fatherless. When Rumpy asks the girl what he can do to avoid his fate, she tells him the truth: nothing. Too bad Rumpy didn't watch Joss Whedon's Angel, because he needs to learn that if nothing we do matters, all that matters is what we do.
Like most of us, Rumpy proves to be his own undoing. He hobbles himself to escape service. Once he limps all the way home, he is met by a disgusted and disappointed Milah, who is holding their newborn son in her arms. When Rumpy says Baelfire is a good strong name, Milah hisses that the boy will need it, considering his father is such a sissy.
Years later, after Baelfire has left L'enchantement, Rumpy (now the Dark One) meets up with the seer again. Although she can tell him he will see Bae again, years from now, she cannot provide the specifics Rumpy wants, so he takes her powers from her, only to realize what a curse they are. He is overwhelmed by knowledge of the future and can make no sense of it.
Storybrooke. Present. Hook wants to go to New York and kill Rumpy, but Cora has other plans. She tells Hook and Regina that while Rumpy is out of town, they need to find the Dark One dagger. Then they can control him. Regina goes to Belle's hospital room, magically puts her to sleep, then magically rifles through Belle's purse. When the contents float before Regina, she grabs a yellow index card. On it is the number 915.63.
The evil troika goes to the library and, thanks to the Dewey Decimal system, they find a drawing hidden in the stacks (915 is Geography and Travel; Asia). Pirate that he is, Hook instantly recognizes it as a treasure map. He lays it over a map of Storybrooke, and shows Cora and Emma the location of the dagger. Cora tells Hook that she and Regina will take it from there. Hook understandably objects, so Cora whammies him across the room. Regina asks her mother if getting the dagger and Rumpy's powers was Cora's goal all along. Cora's answer, while less than direct, satisfies Regina. If they possess the dagger, they control Rumpy, which means they can make him kill Emma, Snow and Charming, but Regina will be blameless in Henry's eyes. Regina, this could be your undoing.
As a side note, the funniest scene of the night is a small one between Snow and Charming. When Emma calls and tells them that Rumpy's son is Henry's father, the couple tries to figure out Henry's family tree. My son and I had that conversation, almost to the word (including the confusing bit about Regina being Henry's step-great grandmother rather than just his step-grandmother) during a commercial break. Well done, Show. I should also mention here that by episode's end, Gregor Mendel places a phone call to someone on the outside (undoubtedly Her) and shares a video of Regina standing in front of Belle's levitating belongings. Dun dun dun! I hope he doesn't put it on YouTube.
Manhattan. Present. When Gold, Emma and Henry arrive at Bae's apartment, Emma puzzles out which one is his, rings the bell and pretends to be UPS. Rather than buzzing her in, Bae flees. Emma chases after him. Once she finally catches up to him and sees that Baelfire is also Neal, she is floored, because even when you're Princess Savior, it's not every day you learn you've given birth to Rumpelstiltskin's grandson. Jennifer Morrison mines priceless emotional gems throughout this episode and if we DQ the impossible Robert Carlyle, she is the episode's MVP (the entire cast brings its A game). Bae doesn't want to see his father and although he's disturbed to learn Emma made a deal with the Dark One, he persuades her to lie that she was unable to find him.
Emma does lie to Gold, but he hasn't come all this way for nothing, so he insists upon breaking into Bae's apartment. While the threesome is poring over Bae's belongings, Emma is taken aback when she spots the dream catcher that, Once Upon A Time she and Neal found in that motel room. Gold realizes Emma is covering something. He demands the truth, and when Emma doesn't give it to him, he gets loud and threatening. Bae bursts in to save her from the consequences of breaking a deal.
During the conversation, Henry (who had been banished to the bathroom) wanders in. It's not long before Bae realizes that Henry is his son. Henry is heartbroken that Emma lied to him about his father, and hops out onto the fire escape. When she apologizes to Henry, he tells her she is as bad as Regina. Adolescent hyperbole or not, that's gotta sting. Meanwhile, Rumpy and Bae talk. Don't expect them to go fishing or play catch, any time soon.
Emma tells Bae that Henry wants to meet him, but cautions him not to break the boy's heart. After they trade accusations, Bae acknowledges they're both messed up, but they have to try not to mess up their son. Emma agrees. Once he's out on the fire escape with Henry, Bae tells the boy he's sorry it took so long for them to meet. Henry says, "It's okay. You didn't know."
Back in the enchanted past, the fallen seer tells Rumpy that over time, he will learn how to piece together the puzzle -- how to discern between what can happen and what will. As the grateful seer is dying, she offers him one last bit of information: a boy will be responsible for reuniting Rumpy and Bae, but that boy is more than he appears. He will lead Rumpy to what he seeks, but there will be a price; the boy will be his undoing. Rumpy shrugs this off. "Then I'll just have to kill him."
Manhattan. Present. Looking through the window, Rumpy watches his son and grandson -- his undoing.
Except for a couple of clunky moments (Emma's line where she asks Gold if his son is expecting them, and the revelation of what August showed Neal that convinced him to leave Emma) "Manhattan" may be Once Upon A Time at its best. I'm sitting here, listening to the wind howl, staring at the ice blue sky and thinking about destiny, free will and how often I am my own undoing. I've seen comments berating the Baelfire is Neal revelation as predictable, but shocking twists are not what draws us to fairy tales. Fairy tales tell us who we are and why -- how we should be, and what we need to do to make it come true. They're about faith, love, fear, pain, fate, choice, and in this case, redemption. They're about the journey.
I have so much I want to say about this episode, but I think I have to save it for the full recap to come later this week. In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then come on over to the forum, where we're nursing Hook back to health.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!"Manhattan" is about self-fulfilling prophecy, how we are often our own undoing, and how we need to learn to discern between fate and free will. I've read a lot of comments from people who are dislike the fate or destiny focus in "Manhattan," but our genre is Fairy Tales, so it would be odd to me, were fate to play no part (or even a smaller part) in these stories.
To discuss this episode, I have to delve a little into religious thought -- specifically some Christian (and I think Judeo-Christian) thought. I am religious, but please know I'm not trying to proselytize here. I'm trying to explain how I understand free will in the face of fate and am speaking only of my own understanding. I am not trying to tell you how to understand the world, but I hope I can explain how I think fate and destiny are used in Once Upon A Time.
In my understanding of God, God is, among other things, omniscient and omnipotent. What's more I believe that God's will will ultimately be done. I'm trying not to quote Whistler's speech from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode, "Becoming, Part I," but am having little luck because I keep hearing him say, "What are we -- helpless? Puppets?" No. I don't think so. I think we have free will. Whistler would tell you, "The big moments are going to come. You can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are." And in my understanding of how it works, because God's will will come to pass, it is down to us to decide if we're going to work to further that, or if we will oppose it. In other words, we have to pick a team. It matters what we do after (and before and during) the big moments -- which are out of our control.
In the cosmology of Once Upon A Time, True Love serves as the deity -- a.k.a., the most powerful magic of all. Certain things are fated to happen, but that doesn't mean the characters are puppets. It is up to them whether they will work for Team Love or Team Evil. When people say hate is the opposite of love, they're often corrected by those who believe that hatred is passion gone wrong, and that indifference is love's true opposite. I hate to get in the middle of all that, so let's look at it a little differently: If True Love (emphasis on true is intentional and doesn't have to mean romantic love) is the ultimate good, then its opposite is Evil.
While our story's characters cannot avoid fate writ large, they are free to make whatever choices are available to them. And whether or not they choose good or evil, they will have to deal with the consequences of those choices. Just as in our world, you can do right and still have wrong done to you, otherwise we wouldn't have the saying, "No good deed goes unpunished." But by choosing to do right, good things happen inside of us. We become stronger and finer. What happens to us isn't always our choice, but what happens inside of us is. "Manhattan" is a glorious look into this whole idea. I only hope that those of you who were turned off by the episode's focus on fate will take a moment and think about how the choices the characters make are far more important. Fate is there and is inescapable, but the real story is in each character's journey.
We open in the Enchanted Past. Rumplestiltskin arrives home glowing as he announces to Milah that he's been called to the front line of the Ogre War. While Milah seems genuinely concerned for her husband, he is thrilled. Not only are his weaving days behind him, he also has the chance to escape the shadow of his lily-livered father's cowardice. Milah is worried, but proud of him and tells him to go, be brave and fight honorably. After they declare their love for one another, Milah says, "When you return, we can start living the life we've always dreamed of. We can have a family." With that, we flash forward to...
Manhattan. Gold, Emma and Henry exit their taxi and stare up at the building in front of them. When Emma asks if they're at the right place, Gold confirms they are, but he seems disinclined to go any further. Emma says, "Let me guess. He's not expecting you." Okay, did Emma lose her fricking memory when they crossed the town line? I understand the need to say something, Emma, but since the only reason you're there is to help Gold find the son he lost centuries ago, why would you ever think there was a chance this visit was expected? Your inanity -- it burns. You know that thing about how there are no stupid questions? That's a lie, Emma. Gold agrees with me and doesn't bother to answer. He also manages not to bite her head off when she adds, "Well, who doesn't love a surprise?" The title card appears and gives me a second to shake this off.
Storybrooke. Day. At home, Regina tells Cora that Emma and Henry left town with Gold. When Cora reassures Regina that Henry will return safely, Regina says she knows, it's just that Henry won't be returning to her. Enter Hook, who demands to know where Rumpy has gone. Since he has left town, he is killable. Cora and Regina won't have their magic if they leave town. Hook sets up Regina to play Exposition Fairy when he asks if they'll lose their memories. Taking the wand, Regina explains that since none of them were victims of the curse, their memories are safe. This is all Hook needs to hear. He's ready to set off into the world and find, Rumpy and kill him. Given how moronic Hook later acts, the ladies should just let him go. I doubt he could find his way out of Maine. Instead, Cora enlists him to help them find the one weapon that can kill Rumplestiltskin in town -- the dagger of the Dark One. We cut to...
Manhattan. Apartment Building. Interior. The trio examines the call button name tags to no avail, until Emma spots one that only bears an apartment number -- no name. When Gold doubts her hunch, Emma traffics in people who can't be found and knows their ways, so she rings the bell and says, "UPS package for 407." When the person on the other end shuts off the intercom, Henry says, "Maybe you should have said FedEx?" Heh. When Emma hears rattling, she realizes their man is using the fire escape to flee and rushes outside. With his limp, Gold cannot chase after Bae, so Gold says, "That favor you owe me? This is it: get him to talk to me. I can't run." Emma leaves her son with the man so twisted that he corrupted at least one woman (and probably two) into hideous villains, with nothing more than a "Watch Henry." Oh Regina, if you only had a good P.I., you'd never lose a custody battle with this girl.
Emma chases Baelfire. When he gets too far from her, she takes the other way around a building and runs smack into him. They both fall to the ground. As she's panting, she looks up at her target, only to find he is not only Baelfire, but Neal. This is anticlimactic as hell, but the big moments are going to come. It's what you do afterward that counts, and from this moment on, "Manhattan" is practically perfect. Commercial.
When Emma and Neal get to their feet, he asks her what she's doing there. Emma's voice is low and shaky as she tells him she will not answer anything until he tells her the truth. "Are you Gold's son?" Neal is all, "Who's Gold?" Emma: "You played me. You're from there. You played me. And he played me. You both played me. You and Gold." Neal hushes her and again asks who Gold is. Emma says, "Your father. Rumplestiltskin." Neal is blown away. He freaks when he realizes Rumpy is in New York. When he starts to yell at Emma, she shuts that nonsense right down. "Hey, I am the only one allowed to be angry, here! Did you know who I was -- where I was from -- the whole time? Was this just some sort of sick, twisted plan? Did you even care about me, at all? I wanna know. I want the truth. All of it!" Neal shushes her again and says they need to go somewhere else to talk about it -- like a bar. One look at Neal and I knew he was going to suggest a bar, didn't you? Emma refuses at first, but Neal is bound and determined not to be found by his father and walks off. Emma follows and we cut back to a...
Hot Dog Cart. Henry tries to reassure Gold that Emma will find Baelfire. After a little back and forth, he thanks the man for getting him a hot dog. Gold says, "You are quite welcome. And thank you." Henry: "For what?" Gold: "Well, if it wasn't for you bringing Emma to Storybrooke, none of this would have come to pass. You are a remarkable young man." Henry tells Gold that he forgave Emma for giving him up, and says he's sure Bae will get there, too. Without going into detail, Rumpy allows that the circumstances surrounding their separation were less noble. Henry says Rumpy's here now and wants him back -- that's all that matters.
In the bar, Neal tells Emma that had he known who she was when they met, he never would have gone near her. He was in hiding. He came to our world to get away from all that magical crap. Emma concludes that he must just have been using her to take the fall for his stolen watches. Neal denies this and explains that while he didn't know who Emma was at first, he found out when he went to fence the watches. "I ran into a friend of yours -- August." We flash back to the events of "Tallahasee," which, of course is set in...
Portland, Oregon. Exposition Alley. Night. August opens the mysterious box that's strapped to the back of his bike. "When you see what I have in here, you're going to listen. You're going to believe every word I say." Neal grumbles, "Yeah right," then looks in the box to see August's typewriter. The paper in it reads: "I know you're Baelfire." Let's have a...
Sidebar. All right, Show. Look. Even though people have suspected Neal is Baelfire since he first passed that hansom cab, the reasonable among us understand why you've drawn out this revelation. And those of us who watched Lost (see what I did there) don't even think this revelation is all that drawn out. Most of us can certainly understand why you didn't reveal Neal's identity in "Tallahasee." That's not the problem. The problem is the mystery surrounding the box. In "Tallahasee," the contents of that box seemed so important. Surely it was something spectacular and fantastic (hey, don't blame us -- you're the one with all the magic). Now it turns out to be a piece of frigging paper with Bae's name on it. Blah. Now, I'm cutting you some slack, here. What I'm hoping is that August's typewriter winds up being important (like maybe it was used to write Henry's Once Upon A Time book), and that you're just seeding it into the series, slowly. If not though, if this was just a case of imagination failure, or perhaps, "We wanted to have something fantastic in the box, but we blew our CGI budget revisiting Anton's CGIsland," then fie on you. That's right. I said fie. Don't make me say it in earnest.
Back in the bar, Emma's voice is choked with tears. "You left me and let me go to prison because Pinocchio told you to?" When Neal tries to explain himself, Emma interrupts: "I loved you." Neal stammers out that he was trying to help her. Yeah, right. There's a mug of beer right there, Emma, throw it in his face, march out, grab your kid, tell Gold where he is and be done with this scum bum. Emma wonders how it could be helpful to let her go to jail. Neal corrects her: "By getting you home." Emma: "Are you telling me that us meeting was coincidence? Because how the hell did that happen if it wasn't in your plan, or your father's?" Neal says, "Think about it. He wanted you to break the curse. Us meeting could have stopped it. Maybe it was fate." Okay, what? Why wouldn't fate want the curse broken? I'd rather think that maybe the curse didn't want the curse broken and it caused them to meet. Still, I say Emma was fated to break the curse, and whether or not Neal stayed with her, I think that would have happened. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, until I'm shown (rather than told) something that contradicts it.
Emma says (to Neal, not to me), "You believe in [fate]?" Neal says, "You know there's not a ton I remember about my father that doesn't suck, but he used to tell me there are no coincidences. Everything that happens, happens by design, and there's nothing we can do about it. Forces greater than us conspire to make it happen. Fate, destiny -- whatever you want to call it. The point is, maybe we met for a reason. Maybe something good came from us being together." Emma's expression softens. Clearly, she is thinking of their son. These thoughts only deepen her resolve. She whispers, "No. Not that I can think of. I just went to jail. That's it." Neal shifts in his seat and averts his gaze. Emma stands. "It doesn't matter, now. I'm over it. And you." Neal looks down. As a smile plays around his lips, he looks back at Emma. "Why do you wear the uh... key chain I got you?" It's hanging from a long chain around Emma's neck. She grabs the swan, pulls it off, and sets it down in front of Neal. "To remind myself never to trust someone again." She waits a moment then tells Neal it's time to go. "I made a deal with your father I'd bring you to him." Neal is alarmed. "You made a deal with him?" He tells Emma she doesn't have to uphold her end of the bargain and pleads with her to tell Rumpy she couldn't find him. "You do that -- you never have to see me again." The Who and I are tempted to call that a bargain, the best you've ever had, Emma, but then I think about this episode and its point. We can't control everything, but only we control our choices. Emma's going to think it over during the commercial and get back to us.
Enchanted past. Army camp. An officer is needed at the front, so he orders Rumpy to guard a nearby crate with his life. In it is a prisoner who can help them turn the tide of the battle. The officer leaves Rumpy with a warning: it's a tricky beast. As soon as he's alone with the crate, Rumpy hears a sing-song voice calling his name. When he pulls up the tarp to get a look at the prisoner, he is shocked to see she is but a child. Her eyes have been put out (I have big time eye squick; this is killing) sewn shut with big, horrendous Frankenstein-style stitches. She begs him for water, but Rumpy is freaked that she knows his name and asks how. She holds up her hands to reveal that embedded in each palm is an eyeball. I'm done talking about that now, right?
Anyhow, she holds up her hands with the... things in 'em and says she's a seer. Rumpy says, "That's not possible." Wait, so he's not only a coward, the Dark One, the "fairy" in the Cinderella story, Hook's crocodile, and Belle's beast? He's also the dumbest man that ever was? I mean, I don't personally believe in seers, but if some child with no eyes in her head, and extra eyes on her palms knew my name even before she got a look at me, and told me she was a seer, I'd give her the benefit of the doubt. Then again, I'd have also given her a cup of water as soon as she asked for it.
Seer goes on to say that Rumpy is the son of a coward, raised by spinsters, who is scared of turning out like his father. She reveals she can also see the future, including his. Rumpy says he won't indulge this dark magic, so Seer teases that she also has knowledge of his wife. When he demands to know what she knows, she again tells him to give her some water. This time he obliges. After Seer takes a sip, she says Milah is expecting and will bear him a son, "But your actions on the battlefield tomorrow will leave him fatherless." Rumpy wants to know how he can stop this from happening, but when Seer says he can't, he grabs the water from her and says he's done helping her. Seer says, "For now, but someday, you'll help me again." Rumpy blusters that he bets Milah isn't even pregnant and that Seer must be trying to trick him into deserting. Seer: "You shall see. Tomorrow, when you see the army ride cows into battle, you will know I speak the truth." Rumpy laughs this off and makes a crack about milkmaids manning the catapults, but Seer holds up her hand. The thing in her palm looks at him as Seer says, "There is no escaping it. You will have a son and your actions will leave him fatherless." We flash forward to...
Storybrooke. Snow is on the phone with Emma, who is still on the streets of Manhattan. The Fairest of them All can't believe Rumpy's son is her grandson's father. Emma knows it's crazy, but right now, she needs some advice. "Henry thinks his father is dead. I told him that for a reason. I want to protect him." Snow says, "No matter what this man did, Henry has a right to know who his father is. The truth about your parents? Emma, you -- of all people -- should know how important that is." Emma cries that she wants to protect Henry, but Snow asks her if she's sure it's not about protecting herself." We cut to the..."
Apartment Building Lobby. Since Henry was excited to find Emma, he can't understand why Gold is nervous. When Gold chalks this up to experience, Henry says, "In my book, it says you can see the future. Why don't you just look and see what's going to happen?" Gold says that his foresight is complicated. He didn't always have the ability, and once he got it, he learned that it's not the gift one might hope. "Seeing the inevitable can be a terrible price." Henry thinks it would eliminate worry, but Rumpy says, "That's the great trap. The future is like a puzzle, with missing pieces. Difficult to read and never, never what you think." Just then Emma returns, when Gold asks if she found Bae, she lies that his son got away. Oh, Emma. You're doing the wrong things for the right reasons. You are the embodiment of True Love -- the most powerful magic. If you don't do the right thing, it will come back to bite you so hard -- probably harder than it would an ordinary L'enchantement-er. Commercial.
Storybrooke. Hospital. Belle and her little yellow johnny (I love this show's attention to little details like that) are lying in bed, when Regina walks in. She seems pleased to learn the girl doesn't even remember her and admits they spent some time together, but right now, she's looking for something that belongs to Rumpy -- Mr. Gold. When Belle says, "I don't know him," Regina magics the girl to sleep. She then waves her hand. Belle's purse opens up and the contents float out of it. The important item is a yellow index card. Written on it is the number 915.63. Regina grabs it and smiles. We cut to the...
Library. Hook can't figure out what they're doing there, but Regina explains that Gold wouldn't risk crossing the town line and losing his memory without entrusting the dagger's location to someone. Belle is the obvious choice for Hook. Given how the rest of this scene susses it, Belle is the stupid choice, if you ask me. The 915.63 is a Dewey Decimal number. I've lost the link now, but someone in the forums looked up that specific number (I'd given a general interpretation of it in the recaplet) and got a lot of hits on books about Turkey (the country, not the roast deliciousness that David and Snow are going to have to share with a bunch of villains). Regina and Cora skim the stacks 'til they find the right location. Sandwiched between two books is drawing. It's Hook who recognizes it as a map, and crows about it to Evil and the Mother of All. Hook, quick, find a dictionary and look up gullible, because I think Belle's picture has been replaced by yours. He doesn't listen, because we cut to...
Snow's Hovel. In a heavy episode, this is by far the most fun scene of the hour, so I'll be generous with the quotes. The Charmings are trying to work out the whole family tree. David says, "So Rumplestiltskin is Henry's grandfather?" Snow: "Apparently." David: "But I'm his grandfather." Oh you poor noodle. You're jealous! Snow: "You can have more than one." David makes a kind of, I get that, I just don't like it, gesture. "So his step-grandmother is Regina, the Evil Queen." Snow: "Actually, his step-great grandmother. And she's also his adoptive mother." David lets out a long sigh. "It's a good thing we don't have Thanksgiving in our land, 'cause that dinner would suck. Snow laughs nervously, then says, "Or...maybe this will mellow everyone out." Don't hold your breath, sweet cheeks. We cut to...
Manhattan. Gold is banging on every apartment bells. Someone finally buzzes him in. Emma tries to discourage him, but he figures Bae has to come back sometime. When he does, Daddy Dearest will be there waiting. Emma tries to warn Gold about how there are things call laws, but Henry, who is clearly his father's son, is positively gleeful as he volunteers to play look out. As Gold opens the door, we flash back to the...
Enchanted Past. Army Camp. Night. As Rumpy is watching all the wounded return to camp, a comrade comments how lucky they are. They're not dead, but they can't fight, so they get sent home. It's then that another soldier (maybe the officer who asked Rumpy to guard the Seer, I can't remember) announces that the Duke has sent fresh supplies, including horses. Rumpy doesn't have time to be relieved, because then the soldier tells everyone to grab a cow. When Rumpy is all, "What?" the soldier explains that "cow" is their nickname for a leather saddle. As the men disperse, Rumpy starts to panic. He makes his way to the Seer's cage and whispers, "So it's all true. I'm to have a son and I'm going to die." When there's no response, he pulls up the tarp and demands that she answer him, but the cage is empty. It's then that he unleashes his trademark temper and starts pounding on the cage. Once he stops, he notices a sledge hammer lying nearby. As he holds it aloft and considers it, Rumpy starts to cry, but that doesn't stop him. With all his might, he brings the hammer down on his own foot. He falls to the ground and screams in agony. Thankfully, it's time to flash forward, because I can't listen to any more of that.
Manhattan. Neal's apartment. Emma and Henry follow Gold in. Emma continues to beg him to leave but he ignores her as he searches around for clues about his boy. When Emma spots the dream catcher in Neal's window, she remembers, of course, where they found it, so she rushes to it and takes it down. Gold can't help but notice the way she's looking at it. She tries to play it off like it's nothing, but Gold's better at detecting lies than oh say... Emma, and knows it can't be nothing if she's still holding it. Perhaps Gold remembering how Emma read the dream catcher that he used on Pongo, because he thinks she saw something in it and demands to know what it is.
Emma tries to continue her ruse, but it's no good, so she orders Henry to wait in the bathroom, then tells Gold there's nothing there to give them a clue to Bae's whereabouts Gold grows angry. He demands Emma to spill or he'll make her spill. When Emma points out that he doesn't have magic, here, Gold insists he doesn't need it. When he tells her not to push him, Emma stands firm. "Don't push me!" With his rage building, Rumpy knocks something over as he screams at Emma that they had a deal. "No one. No one breaks deals with me!" It's then that Neal bursts in and shouts, "Hey!" Once he has his father's attention, he says, "Leave her alone." Rumpy stumbles back until he's leaning against the wall. Commercial.
Sidebar. I'm just sitting here thinking about the scope of Robert Carlyle's range. Look at how many different facets of Rumpy/Gold he's show in just this episode, and yet he manages to make them all seem an organic part of this character. Overall, it's Jennifer Morrison whose "Manhattan" performance blows me away. She digs deep, but Carlyle surely deserves applause, too.
Enchanted Past: When Rumpy hobbles home, he's met by Milah who is holding their infant son in her arms. Her voice is soft as she says, "Rumple," and when she reveals she named the boy, "Baelfire," but don't get used to it, Rumpy. As soon as he pronounces Baelfire a good, strong name, Milah hisses that the baby will need it, "...if he has to live with the shame of being your son." Rumors travel quickly from the front, so Milah has already heard that he injured himself to avoid battle. When he explains about the Seer, Milah cannot hide her disgust. While he says he did it for her and the baby, Milah is convinced he left because he was afraid. "You became what everyone thought you were -- a coward, just like your father." Infuriated, the exhausted Rumpy rises and declares he is nothing like his father. "He tried to abandon me. I will never, ever do that to my son. That's why I did this -- for him. All for the boy -- to save him from the same fate I suffered, growing up without a father." Milah sneers as she looks at her husband. "You sentenced him to a fate much worse -- growing up as your son." When he asks what else he could have done, Milah says, "You could have fought, Rumple. You could have died." Rumpy: "You don't mean that?" Are you kidding me brother? Look at her face. Her features are rearranging themselves as we speak, to spell out CONTEMPT. Avoiding his eyes, Milah hands the baby to Rumpy, grabs the milk bucket, and runs out into the night. Rumpy doesn't even notice. He's already captivated by this baby in his arms. Crying, he promises the baby that he will never, ever leave him. We know how that turns out. We flash forward to...
Manhattan. Neal's Flat. Rumpy thinks Baelfire came back for him, but Neal says he only came back to make sure Rumpy didn't hurt "her" meaning Emma. "I've seen what you do to people who break deals." Rumpy pleads for a chance to talk, but Bae orders him out of his place. When Emma says, "Neal..." he replies, "Emma, I've got this." Rumpy realizes they know each other and asks how. Emma tries to lie, but Rumpy stops her and demands an answer. It's then that Henry wanders out. "Mom, what's going on?" Emma straightens his coat collar and puts her hands on his arms. Before she can speak, Neal asks who the boy is. Emma's voice is barely audible as she answers, "My son." Henry asks if that's Baelfire, but Emma tells him to go into the other room. As the boy walks out, Neal asks, "How old are you?" Emma snaps, "Don't answer him." Neal grows animated. Raising his voice he asks, "How old are you kid." Henry turns to face him and shouts: "Eleven! Now, why is everyone yelling?" Heh. I don't get you people who hate this character or think little of the actor. I think he's a delight.
Neal looks at Emma. "He's 11?" Henry turns and catches the frightened expression on Emma's face. "Mom?" Neal seals his lips and looks at Emma, as if he's trying to will her to speak. Gold figures out what is going on and winces. When Emma doesn't say anything, Neal finally asks, "Is this my son?" Henry thinks he can set this situation right. "No, my dad was a fireman. He died." As Emma approaches, Henry turns to her. "That's what you t--told me, you said..." As his voice falters, he looks back to Neal, who cocks his head and again asks Emma, "Is this my son?" Emma takes Henry's face in her hands. For all the world, she looks like she's trying to memorize it before the love and trust are replaced with fear and betrayal. Finally, she whispers, "Yes." Neal reacts, but who cares about him right now? He's the one who sent her pregnant ass to jail for a crime he committed. Let's focus on Henry. As he pulls away, Emma's hands fall from his cheeks. He shakes his head no and hops out the window and onto the fire escape. Not one of the three adults in the room follow him immediately. Regina, I think you've got some grounds for a custody battle in this episode, sweetie. After a moment of standing there trying to avoid everyone's glare, Emma climbs out the window and calls for Henry. Too late, Emma. He's dead on the sidewalk, all right?
When Neal tries to follow his newfound family out the window, Rumpy stops him and begs for a chance to be heard, but Neal orders him out. Rumpy says, "You came back to protect Emma, to show that she had lived up to her end of her bargain with me." Neal says, since she has, Rumpy should go. Rumpy says, "No. Our deal was for her to get you to talk to me. If you truly want her deal to be fulfilled, you have but one choice. You have to talk to me." Now, it's clear Neal...Baelfire...Nealfire -- hell, I'm sticking with Neal, because it's easier to type. It's clear Neal hasn't been around his father in centuries, because if he were, he'd remember that dear old dad is much more about the letter of the law than the spirit and he'd say, "I've said words to you. You've said words to me. Deal fulfilled. Get out of my house." But no. Instead he tells Rumpy he has three minutes. We cut to...
Storybrooke Hospital. Gregor Mendel is dressed and on the phone with Her whoever she is. He's being released, but he's going to stay in town for a while. When the person he's talking to wants to know why, he says, "Well, take a look at this and see." We get a shot of his phone. He's emailing Her a video of Regina making all of Belle's belongings float in the air. Dun dun dun! Cut to the...
Library. Hook lays the transparent map over a map of Storybrooke and points out the location of the dagger. Sucker. Cora says they'll take it from there. She and Regina start to walk out. When Hook protests, Cora magically flings him against the wall. He falls to the floor. Why can I see the black glove on his handless hand? I know he's missing his hook, but am I supposed to see that glove -- like is he letting it flop off the end of his stump, or should that have been edited out? I'm thinking the second. I guess CGIsland really did burn up the budget. The Mother of All Evil smirks as he lies prostrate on the floor. "The Kris dagger is much too powerful to be wasted on someone like you."
On their way out of the library, Regina turns to Cora. Her voice is hesitant at first. "So...is this what it was all about? Getting Rumple's dagger so you can obtain his dark powers?" Cora is Cora, so of course her answer is both evasive and manipulative. If they possess the dagger they can control his actions, once he's back in Storybrooke. They can make him kill Snow, Charming and Emma. "Our enemies will be vanquished and you will be blameless in the eyes of the only person who matters." Regina looks her mother in the eyes. "Henry." Oh Regina, please don't be fooled by her. You're no longer an inexperienced young girl. Hell, you kept Graham as your magically compelled sex slave and then crushed his heart with your bare hands. Wake up! Wake up! We cut to...
Manhattan. Fire Escape. When Henry asks Emma why she didn't tell him the truth, Emma says she never thought she'd see Neal again and didn't want to. She explains that he was a thief and a bad guy who broke her heart. Henry: "I could have taken it, you know. The truth!" Emma knows. "He was just a part of my life I wanted to forget. That's why I didn't tell you. I was thinking of me. Not you." Eyes downcast, Henry says, "I thought you were different, but you're just like her. Regina. She always lied to me, too." This knocks the wind out of Emma. She blinks and then finally manages to say, "I'm sorry." Henry's face is red, but his voice is steady as he says, "I want to meet my dad." Emma nods silently. Commercial.
Back in the apartment, Neal tells Rumpy the clock is ticking. Rumpy acknowledges he's made mistakes, but he wants to make up for it. "There's no greater pain than regret." Neal says, "Try abandonment." There's no way Rumpy can make up for that. Rumpy then makes the worst offer he could possibly make. He invites his son to come back to Storybrooke. "There's magic, there. I can turn the clock back, make you 14 again. We can start over." Neal says, "I don't want to be 14, again. Are you insane?" I know, right. That would land him in middle school. Nobody wants that. Nobody. Rumpy says while he can't make up for the lost time, he can take away the memories. Neal would rather not have his mind raped, thanks. Rumpy continues to plead his case, but Neal wants none of it. "You have no idea what I've lived with. You're so worried about you -- you know what I've dealt with. Every night for more years than you can no, the last thing I see before sleep is the image of you and me at that pit. Your hand wrapped around mine, and then you open your grip, and as I fall away, all I can see is your face." Aping Rumpy's trademark hand-wave, Neal continues: "Choosing all...this crap over me. Letting me go. Now it's my turn. Now I'm letting you go." He doesn't care if his father is sorry. He didn't get closure so he's not getting it. He tells Rumpy to go. His time is up. It's time for a little self-plagiarism from me as we flash back to the...
Enchanted Forest. Rumpy (now the Dark One) meets up with the seer again. After summarizing all he's been through and lost, Rumpy acknowledges that while her prophecy came true, "...it would have been nice to know about all the pesky details." I love how this episode gives such an organic explanation for Rumpy's devotion to detail, don't you? Although the Seer can tell him he will see Bae again, and that it will take years and require a curse (which will be cast and broken by others) powerful enough to rip everyone from the land, she does not provide the specifics Rumpy wants, so she eagerly offers him her powers. Rumpy says, "Glady." The magic washes over him and we flash forward to...
Manhattan. Neal's Flat. Emma goes back inside and tells Neal that Henry wants to meet him. Neal: "You weren't going to tell me about him." Emma is unapologetic, and I don't blame her. "No, I wasn't." Neal says since he's his kid too, she can't make those kind of decisions without him, anymore. Emma: "Great. Go talk to him, then." As Neal exhales and heads toward the window, Emma stops him. "Wait...but don't break his heart." Neal: "Trust me, I'm not going to do to him (Henry) what he (Rumpy) did to me." Emma says, "And what you did to me." Good for you, Emma. Now knee him in the nuts, just because you can. Neal smiles and is all like, "Okay. I get it. We're all messed up. What do you say we try to avoid that with him? All right?" As he walks off, Emma quietly says, "All right."
Neal joins Henry on the fire escape. The fandom complains about the CGI, but I didn't notice it on my own, so now that I can see it, it feels like cheating. Henry introduces himself. Neal says it's nice to meet him, and he's sorry that it took so long. Henry says, "That's okay. You didn't know." Back inside, Rumpy wanders over to the window and sees Henry smiling as he chatters away. Rumpy looks down and I put on my self-plagiarism hat as we flash back to the...
Enchanted Forest. Once Rumpy is in full possession of the Seer's powers, he realizes what a curse they are. He is overwhelmed by knowledge of the future and can make no sense of it. The now seer tells Rumpy that over time, he will learn how to piece together the puzzle -- how to discern between what can happen and what will. With that, she falls to the ground. As she lays spent, she offers him one last puzzle piece. He will be reunited with his son, and in a most unexpected way. A boy will be responsible for reuniting Rumpy and Bae, but that boy is more than he appears. He will lead Rumpy to what he seeks, but there will be a price; the boy will be his undoing. At that, she dies. Rumpy shrugs off her death and her warning about the boy. "Then I'll just have to kill him."
Back in Manhattan, Emma is also watching out the window as Henry gets to know Neal. When she walks off, her face is grim. Rumpy also turns from the reunion scene. I sure hope he's considering all the meanings undoing can have.
I'd like to thank the Academy for giving me this weekend off. I'll be back after March 3rd's episode, "The Queen Is Dead." In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then come on over to the forum, where we're buying Emma a much needed drink.
See the biggest questions for Season 2 and check out the Downton Abbey cast reimagined as OUAT-style fairy tale characters from our friends at Wetpaint.