Fairyland Past
In fairyland past, in a very very spikey castle (therefore
evil – evil always has sharp edges, it’s the first rule of evil fashion) Hook
is staging a gaol break to rescue Belle (she’s been in prison a while, you can
tell by the chalk tally marks. Who gives these prisoners chalk anyway?) he
wants her help because her father is under attack by the Dark One – Rumplestiltskin
(an enemy of Hook’s). There is a rumour of a weapon that can kill him and
since she has spent more time with Rumple
than anyone they hope she’ll have an idea.
Belle protests she has no idea how to kill Rumple and wouldn’t even if she could. Hook knocks her out and prepares to kill her with his Hook since she’s useless – when Regina appears behind him, magicking his Hook to her hand. She, after making it clear who is boss, tells him she can help him kill Rumple since she intends to enact a curse that will take everyone to a land without magic where Rumple will be helpless. But there’s one person she’s determined won’t follow her to the new land – her mother.
She enchants Hooks’ Hook so it will take a heart – only one.
She has banished Cora to a far off land and to get there Hook will have to use
a portal (provided
by the Hatter’s hat) to get to her, take her heart and bring her body back.
And she’s been banished to Wonderland.
When he arrives, he’s taken before the Queen of Hearts – Cora, of course. Hook stabs her to try and take her heart and she points out she’s the Queen of Hearts, why would she keep hers where everyone else does? Hook reveals that it’s Regina who wanted Cora dead – which rather upsets Cora. She offers a counter to Hook – since Regina’s curse would also remove his memory (something Regina didn’t mention) he wouldn’t be able to get his revenge on Rumple anyway – because he wouldn’t remember him. But she promises Hook his memory and his revenge, if he will get her close to Regina to take her heart.
Cut to 28 years ago and Regina and Hook stand over a
coffin in which Cora’s body lies. Hook leaves Regina alone. Alone Regina says
she killed Cora because she loved her and, as Cora showed her when
Cora killed Daniel, love is weakness. She lays a rose on Cora’s chest and
says goodbye and leaves. Hook emerges from the shadows and helps Cora up and
asks why she didn’t kill Regina. Cora says there’s a change of plans and they
need to protect themselves from Regina’s curse.
She and Hook go to a small part of the land and when
Regina’s curse roils over the land, Cora raises a magical dome, protecting the
small segment of land. She says she still has a hold on Regina and when the
Saviour breaks the curse in 28 years, Regina will have lost everything and she
will need Cora. Hook will get his revenge and Cora will help Regina pick up the
pieces
Storybrooke, Present
Regina is worried that Charming hasn’t woken up and
Rumple suggests they take precautions. They don’t know if Charming got the
message through to Snow and he won’t be waking up until Snow arrives – so they
need to be prepared in case Cora comes through the portal. He suggests they
gather enough magic to destroy the portal and anyone coming through it as soon
as it appears. Regina protests – what if Mary Margaret and Emma are the ones
who come through? Rumple points out it’s a win/win, either they stop Cora – or they
stop Mary Margaret and Emma and Regina becomes the only mother in Henry’s life
again. Especially since magic is unpredictable in this world – who could blame
Regina for a mistake (uh, everyone? Since when does anyone extend her the
benefit of the doubt). Oh Rumple, always going back to the evil. Regina
protests, she wants to be a better mother for Henry, but Rumple points out Cora
is a threat to Henry and a good mother would protect him.
She goes to see Henry (reading allowed the story of Snow
White to the unconscious Charming. Is it narcissistic or just redundant to read
Prince Charming his own fairy tale?) to tell him she and Gold are going to
prepare the portal for Emma and Mary Margaret, that she will do everything in
her power to help them get home. Henry remarks that she really has changed.
Ouch.
To the mine under the city where the fairy dust diamonds
are being mined. Rumple praises Regina for coming to her senses and
uses the wand he stole from the Fairy Godmother to take the power from the
crystals.
The dwarves and Red notice the missing crystals and tell
Henry – and he realises Rumple and Regina lied to him.
Rumple and Regina go to the wishing well, where lost
things are returned, where they think the portal will open.
Fairyland, Present
Mary Margaret, Mulan, Emma and the Aurora!Puppet arrive
at Rumple’s cell – and Emma learns that Rumple predicted Emma would be the
saviour in a prophecy. They also reveal
that Rumple was kept alone, no human contact. Emma questions how he kept from
going crazy and Aurora!Puppet says he didn’t – handing her a loooong scroll
with “Emma” written on it hundreds of times.
Mulan finds an ink bottle - but it’s empty – and Aurora!Puppet
grabs it and throws it against the locking mechanism, imprisoning them in
Rumple’s cage. Cora and Hook arrive showing Aurora’s heart and Hook mocks Emma
with the giant’s withered bean from the beanstalk (which, I’ll wager, has an
ulterior motive). Cora magic’s the compass to her hand and they leave.
Time for a blame game. Aurora for her heart, Mulan for
failing to protect Aurora (really? Please stop with Mulan the servant and
protector of Aurora) and Emma for being a bad Saviour especially with the
revelation that Rumple predicted her, she feels her accomplishments are all
down to Rumple’s machinations. And Snow
being the good comforting mother hen.
Examining the paper, Snow realises that a spell can be
bound to the ink and blows the ink from the scroll at the bars on the door. Written
in the squid ink, it dissolves the bars (this also means, Snow, that while
Rumple was your prisoner he could have escaped at any time.) They leave, but
Aurora insists they leave her and tie her up, as long as Cora has her heart she
can’t be trusted. Mulan promises to return for her
Cora and Hook go to lake Nostros – where lost things are
returned – and she restores water to the dry lake
Storybrooke and Fairyland
In fairyland, Hook pours the ashes and the portal begins
to open. In Storybrooke, Rumple raises his wand and the clouds gather and hit
the well with lightning. The well glows and rages with green energy – whoever comes
through will die.
In fairy land, Mulan, Emma and Snow arrive and it’s time
for a fight. Emma combats Hook, Snow shoots arrows rather inaccurately, and
Mulan deflects Cora’s magic with her sword (yes this fight is several kinds of
epic). In the fight Cora’ nearly drops Aurora’s heart into the portal, but Hook
catches it and hands it to Mulan, not wanting Aurora to lose her heart. Snow
urges Mulan to take the heart to Aurora, Mulan protests but Snow insists. Mulan
gives her sword to Snow – since it deflects Cora’s magic – and leaves. More
fighting and Emma punches Hook out (when did she learn how to use a sword
anyway?)
In Storybrooke, Henry and Ruby arrive. Ruby is quickly
brushed aside by Rumple (“Sorry, dearie” I love how his voice changes between
the two roles) and Regina talks to Henry. Regina talks about the danger and
power of Cora and Henry insists that good always defeats evil
In fairy land, Emma and Snow try to defeat Cora but keep
getting blasted around. To give Regina what she always wanted, Cora tries to
take Snow’s heart, but Emma leaps in the way. With her hand in Emma’s chest,
Cora laughs “you foolish girl, love is weakness” and tries to pull her heart
out – but can’t. Emma looks stunned and replies “no, it’s strength” and a wave
of energy pulses out of her, sending Cora flying. Emma and Snow take the
compass, leap for the portal and jump in.
Regina tries to restrain Henry from jumping into the
well. She grabs him and he tells her he knows Emma and Mary Margaret are going
to come through. If she wants to change and be better this is how Regina will –
and if she wants Henry to have faith in her she needs to have faith in him. Ok
I’m going to rant about this in a minute. Moved, Regina pulls the curse off the
portal and collapses.
Emma and Snow crawl out of the well. Rumple leaves. Henry
tells Emma and Snow that Regina saved them. Emma remarks that Regina’s mum is a
piece of work and Regina welcomes her back. Snow goes rushing to Prince
Charming’s side, past his dwarf vigil to wake him up (awww, do you have to?
Still a nice reversal of the fairy tale – Prince Charming unconscious
surrounded by dwarfs waiting for Snow’s True Love’s kiss)
And Emma goes to see Rumple. He apologises and says he
won’t bet against her in the future. Emma says it’s not a bet when the game is
rigged. She tells him about the scroll and how he could have gotten out at any
time. He says he was where he wanted to be. She says he made the curse and her –
but he counters that she’s powerful because she’s the product of True Love and he
just took advantage of that, he didn’t make it. What she did, she did herself –
including blasting Cora back by magic, that wasn’t Rumple.
In Fairyland, Mulan restores Aurora’s heart and Aurora
tells her what Cora said about
Phillip’s soul – that a wraith transports the soul to another land, it
doesn’t destroy it. They can still save Phillip.
Cora tells Hook they’ve failed. But Hook turns her words
against her “really Cora, after all these years why do you still doubt me” and
holds up the
petrified bean from the Giant. She says it’s withered by Hook points out
that Lake Nostros, now flowing again, has regenerative properties.
In Storybrooke Henry affirms that Regina has changed,
Ruby calls for dinner at Grannies. And off they go – Henry, Emma, Charming,
Ruby, Snow, the dwarfs… and they leave Regina behind with tears in her eyes
(damn it, I was sat there chanting “invite Regina”) Rumple arrives and
congratulates Regina on uniting mother and son – maybe one day they’ll invite
you for dinner. And a pirate ship containing Hook and Cora appears on the
horizon.
I know he’s several kinds of naughty but you have to love
how long reaching Rumple’s machinations were. I do love an evil genius. I think
it’d be wisest if the whole cast just gathered around Rumple and offered to do
what he wants – it’ll just save time.
Ok, Henry’s “have faith in me” speech. Ugh the things
wrong with this. First of all “this is how you change” what? By assuming good
wins just because it’s good? By assuming that a weak force will destroy an
immensely more powerful force simply because it’s good? And have faith in him –
faith in what? Not his abilities or knowledge or skills or goodness, but faith
in the fact that what he wants to be true will somehow be true. This isn’t
faith in him, it’s shared groundless optimism.
The treatment of Regina throughout has been beyond
shoddy. Many people have reason to have a grudge against Regina – but Henry is
not one of them. She continues to extend her hand and goodwill when she doesn’t
have to and holds back the magical wrath she could so easily unleash. Notice
the same level of contempt is rarely levelled against Rumple. Sure part of that
is fear – but isn’t Regina an equal character of fear?
When this season started there was a lot of optimism
about the POC inclusion after such a shoddy representation in season 1. Talk
about a let down – we had Lancelot for 2 episodes before death hit. We had the
disposable Billy. And we had Mulan – a princess without her own story who,
after the death of Phillip, becomes a constant protector and champion for
Aurora. What about Mulan? When do we see her story, her needs?
And we’re into the second season and still no GBLT
characters. This is especially painful on a show about Fairy tales because
there are tales are constantly erased with the old meme that GBLT people are
apparently “unsuitable” for children. The continued erasure plays into that.
Still, Once Upon a Time built on the excellent foundation
of the first season and is still an awesome, extremely fun series that I look
forward to watching. Long may it continue after the hiatus – just with more
inclusion please.
