Our opening flashback has the Sorcerers apprentice
consulting a swirling ball of psychedelic light, presumably the sorcerer, to
try and undo the whole cursing a baby with evilness thing. There’s absolutely nothing
the sorcerer can do to fix that so the best they can do is keep the author
locked up forever so he never pulls such shenanigans again
And since he’s been released that doesn’t point to the
sorcerer’s apprentice doing a very good job. The Author, Isaac, is all sad
about Cruella dying but it’s all part of Gold’s plan- they can’t create the
proper ink until Emma goes all dark for the heinous crime of stopping magical,
gun toting serial killers from holding her child at the edge of a cliff.
Cut to the good guys and Emma is both angry and regretful for killing the evil gun-toting magical murderess who was threatening her child (did I ever mention that I’m not a fan of the moral compass of this show?) And Maleficient joins the party. Cruella dying has left her without a great deal of faith in Gold’s intentions (Regina is awesomely gleeful at her old hero leaving Gold’s thrall). Since Emma is good at finding people (back in the days when she actually worked, it was her job) she wants Emma to find her daughter, Lily.
She also points out that leaving town and Gold’s influence
may not actually be a bad thing when it comes to hindering Gold. Maleficent
tells Emma what she knows about her daughter – and
Emma is shocked because she’s already met her.
This calls for an Emma childhood flashback to where Emma,
happily living with a kind family meets Lily again – asking for help. Emma
welcomes her as a friend in her now perfect life, albeit not happy with Lily
telling somewhat changed stories of their past – and even less happy when she
realises from a news report that Lily is wanted for armed robbery.
Emma is horrified and Lily’s explanation does seem to
hint at magical darkness “every decision that I make is wrong”. Emma demands
Lily leaves but she won’t without the stuff she has stashed at her squat,
including a necklace from her birth mother. She needs Emma to get it for her so
she can avoid her boyfriend.
But while Emma is going looking for Lily’s necklace, Lily
steals her foster father’s engagement ring. And the lies Lily told and Emma
backed were exposed. As the parents grow more outraged, her foster dad makes an
unfortunate comment about “our children” which doesn’t include Emma – and Emma
leaves.
Lily tries to recruit Emma for a life on the road, while
Emma is furious at Lily destroying the family she almost had – she attacks Lily
for pretending to be a runaway for fun when it’s Emma’s real life. But Lily has
been kicked out – her whole life falling apart since she left Emma, she
considers herself cursed. She begs Emma for help - and Emma rejects her.
In the present there is, of course, only one person Emma
could discuss this with – Regina. Regina points out that fate, woo-woo or
whatever works in mysterious ways (hence her adopting the Saviour’s son).
Regina has a plan – since she has to save Robin and Emma needs to find Lily,
how about an out of town road trip? When Emma tries to turn down the offer of a
“babysitter”, Regina awesomely points out she needs help – she’s hardly left
Storybrooke before, someone who knows the big city would help.
A Regina and Emma road trip? Yes. Yes. Yes. Sign me up!
Of course, Gold is sure this will all work towards his
dark master plan. But first, Gold pays a visit to the pawn shop where we just
see Belle leave after kissing Will. Will doesn’t cower, but his fighting talk
is… lacking (“I’ll warn you, I’m scrappy”). He still knows to step backwards
after making a comment about stealing Belle’s heart. Gold demands Will steal
Belle’s heart where Maleficent is guarding it for Regina.
Maleficent gets a visit from the worst people in the
world – the Charmings. Oh Maleficent, please eat them. Please. Maleficent doesn’t
really care about their apologies – especially since they should be directed to
Lily, a complete innocent. While the Charmings mouth assurances about making it
up to Lily, Maleficent reminds them, while they’ve been threatening about Gold
turning Emma into a monster, they forgot that that’s exactly what they did to
Lily.
Gold visits next to distract Maleficent with talk of how
Lily will keep Emma on the dark path while Will sneaks in the back to steal the
heart.
He shows the heart to Belle and Gold arrives to try sweet
words and returning her heart – and bowing out to Will, saying he is the one to
protect her heart because Gold has recognised he is unworthy.
Emma and Regina make their goodbyes (Emma is still all
sulky and silent treatment with her parents) and off they go to Lowell, Massachusetts
which Regina is duly snarky about. There a neighbour tells them Lily died in a
car accident. The guy keeps saying nasty things about Lily so Emma nearly
punches him.
Regina pokes Emma about it though Emma denies it’s her
going dark – it’s guilt. Lily’s dark and unpleasant life she blames on herself –
or rather on her parents putting all her potential darkness into Lily.
Discussion interrupted by a random near car accident which is very familiar –
Emma is definitely sensing fate even while Regina snarks the idea (she snarks
everything but oh how well she does it. Fate seems to have it- because the
waitress “Starla” in the diner turns out to be Lily.
Emma talks to Lily who, understandably, isn’t all that
convinced by talk of fate. She’s also not especially eager to have Emma insert
herself into her life (with a packet of condescension to boot) or her family.
Emma doesn’t take the hint and goes to Lily’s home and
breaks in. There they find no sign of a child or husband – but they do find an
investigation board looking for Storybrooke with notes on Maleficent and the
Evil Queen and Emma – and her parents in Fairy Tale guise. Emma assumes she
wants revenge
Which makes it extra bad when they hear Lily run off with Emma’s car – and the scroll to get back into Storybrooke. Emma goes from “we have to help Lily!” to “AAAARGH WE MUST STOP HER!” while Regina desperately tries to get her to calm down and see sense. Emma is extra harsh with Regina in her utter refusal to look beyond attacking Lily.
Time for a dangerous car chase and a confrontation. When Lily
suggests hurting the Charmings, Emma punches her to the ground. Lily fights
back and reminds us all what terrible people the Charmings are who deserve to
be punished (yes yes yes!). Ominously, them fighting causes thunder and lightning
and glass to shatter. Emma pulls a gun, telling Lily she’s trying to stop her
doing something she’ll regret but Lily counters “thanks to you I’m hardwired
for bad decisions.” She adds that if Emma lets her go, she will destroy
everything
Regina steps in with an awesome speech and Emma lowers
the gun. Oh for a brief moment, you almost had me there, Once Upon a Time.
We have another flashback to Lily on a bus – and the
Sorcerer’s apprentice explaining everything to her.
In the present Emma and Lily briefly talk with Emma
objecting to Lily calling herself the “anti-saviour” but Regina hears that Gold
got Belle’s heart back so they have to save Robin now. Emma invites Lily along.
To Robin at New York to tell him about Marian/Zelena. Of
course it’s a pretty hard sell and Zelena/Marion denies everything. Luckily even
when Robin is denying Regina and saying he’s with Marion, Zelena reveals herself…
but Robin can’t leave, because Zelena is pregnant.
I’m glad to see Maleficent didn’t pull her punches with
the Charmings, especially after Emma’s “zomg you LIIIIIIIED!” silent treatment.
I still think Maleficent should have eaten them but I imagine they taste very
very very bland.
Lily is hunting down the Charmings! Quick, someone get
her a big knife! No, an axe! Can we set up a Lily cheerleading squad?
Now this? This road to darkness makes sense. It makes
even more sense because it rides on her parent’s crime. Lily was innocent, she
was victimised, she was cursed – she’s a much more morally ambiguous target
than Cruella was. How far can Emma go to stop her, what lines can she cross? Especially when she has every reason to seek
revenge against Mary Margaret and David? All displayed in a storyline
Still, if Emma has the potential to go dark now, even
with the spell cast on her as a baby, then presumably so to does Lily have the
power to turn light?
Gold, Will and Belle. I recognise the nobility and true
love of Gold realising Will makes her happy and that he is grossly unworthy of
Belle, that he has done unforgiveable things and he can never expect to be back
with her. I get that and think it’s a powerful moment and a reminder that even
evil, conniving Gold still loves Belle AND that loving her isn’t enough to make
up for everything else. However, there was still an element of Gold passing
Belle on to another man, transferring ownership and/or giving Belle and Will
permission
Robin/Zelena/pregnancy – devious woman traps man with
pregnancy after rape by deception? No, we do not need this storyline. No no no
no no no. Because absolutely none of it will be treated the way it deserves!
Back to the Emma/Regina road trip!
