With only one episode left of its first season, Once Upon a Timefinally picked up speed in its penultimate episode before what is sure to be an epic finale next week.
After finally getting some answers about Rumplestiltskin and August in the last few weeks, this episode was all about Regina, her fury and her fear.
Opening with the mayor having a nightmare that the townspeople, including Henry and led by Emma, attack her, it is made clear that the new sheriff’s presence in Storybrooke is getting to Regina. She has no idea that Emma at that point had kidnapped Henry and was trying to drive him out of town.
Of course, while Emma seems to want to do anything but stay and believe in the curse, that is all Henry is focused on. He practically crashes Emma’s car in an attempt to get her to go back and fight for her family.
While half of this episode deals with Emma and Regina’s struggles in Storybrooke, the Magical World half is all about the Evil Queen and Snow. Though Charming had been taken by his “father” the king, he was quickly placed into Regina’s custody as a way to lure Snow. This leads to a sort of epic but also really odd looking assault on the castle by Snow, the dwarves, the fairies and Red and Granny to rescue him. Though watching a swarm of neon colored fairies attack guards is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen, it’s always fun to see Snow being a badass, and I love her and Red’s friendship. Sadly, poor Charming had already been moved from the castle, though the lovers did get to communicate via a magic mirror and wax philosophic about their tragic love. They were quickly interrupted by Regina, who offered Snow a parley: the two would meet to talk at the stable at Regina’s childhood home, where the two had first met.
Back in Storybrooke, everyone is on edge. Regina had dreamed about her apple tree going rotten, and she’s not happy to discover that it is, in fact, dying. She confronts Mr. Gold about it, saying that it’s a sign of the curse weakening because of Emma. Apparently they cannot kill Emma without breaking the curse entirely. Regina tries to get Gold to make a deal with her to take Emma down, but he refuses. He wants the curse broken and says that Regina has nothing that he wants. Instead of playing her ace in the hole, the fact that Belle is alive and in her custody, she goes to find other help: she leaves a white rabbit card on the Mad Hatter’s daughter’s bike.
Emma is also on edge. After having a surprisingly familial fight with Mary Margaret over her almost leaving and what is or is not best for Henry, she goes to Archie for advice. But no one seems to be on Emma’s side, and Archie admits that she has no case. He also pleads with her to end her war with Regina.
Henry’s also frantic, running to see August to get him to help with Emma. But the poor guy is declining; he has three wooden limbs (which Henry can see, prompting him to realize August’s identity), and is not healthy enough to help Henry. Honestly, I would love for Emma and August to get together, and this scene proves that he would be a great dad for Henry.
As for Regina, when Jefferson arrives at her house (thank goodness he’s back, I adore Sebastian Stan), she gives him a deal. She has his hat and has some residual magic. If he helps her retrieve something from the Magical World to take down Emma, she will give him his daughter back in the Real World. Though he has no reason to trust her, he finally gives in, asking that they be given a new story and a “fresh start” in the Real World. Regina agrees, as long as they get rid of Emma first.
So the two go to Regina’s crypt, where she previously destroyed Graham’s heart, the place where she’s kept her magical items from the Magical World. After sacrificing Daniel’s ring, which for some reason had magic but who knows why, they are able to get a small enough portal open to retrieve one item: an apple.
Back in the Magical World, Snow meets Regina and the two walk to Daniel’s grave. Though Snow apologizes and rightfully claims that she had been a child when she broke her promise, Regina is too enraged to listen. That is when Regina pulls out the apple and gives her an offer: the apple is cursed to trap her in a coma where she will be forced to live in dreams made only of her regrets. She must eat of the apple willingly, but if she does eat it then Charming will go free. Since Snow would willingly die for her Prince, she agrees. Of course, he can feel her pain from his cell and screams her name as she falls. These writers know exactly how to hurt their viewers! And, of course, we see at the end that Regina has not set Charming free, just as we see Snow’s friends find her and assume that she is dead.
As the apple rolls away, it falls into a portal where it’s grabbed in the Real World by Regina. Apparently Jefferson’s hat can travel through space and time!
Regina puts her final plan into motion: she takes the apple and uses it to bake an apple turnover, which is kind of genius. Emma comes over and offers Regina a deal: after much soul searching, she realizes that their fight over Henry is only hurting their son. She offers to leave Storybrooke, but she demands the right to visit. Regina, of course, wants Emma gone for good, but she agrees to this plan and gives Emma the turnover as a peace-offering, smiling evilly the whole time.
Back at Emma’s apartment, Henry comes to visit and is shocked to hear that Emma is leaving. He tries to fight her, explaining once again that she needs to stay and break the curse. This kid is really a one-note character. But when he sees the turnover he knows exactly what Regina has done. Though they both reach for it, he gets it before Emma does and says, “You may not believe in the curse, or in me, but I believe in you” before taking a bite and falling to the ground.
In next week’s finale Emma will finally face down Regina now that Henry’s life is on the line. Though I hope for some sort of satisfying season ender, I don’t expect it from these guys.