Time for an episode with some pretty huge revelations
Starting with a flashback with Fiona – the Black Fairy –
giving birth to Rumple and meeting his new fairy godmother: Tiger Lilly. And
her child was extra special because he was the Saviour
The Saviour. Yes, Rumple was a Saviour
And because of that there was a big prophecy saying that
the Saviour is doomed to die when he confronts his big bad enemy: created at
the same time of him with a crescent scar on their wrist
Time to check every baby around to look for this scar… it’s probably a good thing that they didn’t find anyone because if they had that would raise the question of what Fiona the desperate mother would do to that baby.
In desperation Fiona badgers Tiger Lilly into giving her
access to the fairies psychedelic vault of secret stuff so she can design a
spell – a black curse – that will banish all children to a land without magic
(a curse which will end up in Rumple’s hands and he in turn would eventually pass
on to Regina – yes, that curse).
Tiger Lilly draws the line at banishing all these babies –
and Fiona rips out her heart and threatens to crush it. Apparently wanting to
crush fairy hearts and banishing babies is the catalyst for turning someone
into the Black Fairy. Which also puts a crescent mark on her wrist – yes she is
the evil her son must die defeating. Showing what an arsehole prophecy really
is.
Blue decides to step in: restoring Tiger Lilly’s heart
and drawing a line under all this. Tiger Lilly offers Fiona one more solution –
the shears of fate severing. Black Fairy could sever her fate, give up her
powers and then she will never be a threat to her Saviour child… instead Fiona
demands she keeps her powers and severs Rumple’s Saviour fate instead.
Preventing him from becoming the Saviour he was destined to be
Blue puts her foot down and banishes Fiona the Black
Fairy – who is dragged through the portal promising that eventually she will
return to her beloved son. Tiger Lilly and Blue decide to drop baby Rumple back
on his father who now blames him for the loss of his wife. And lo begins Rumple’s
less than happy childhood.
In the present world everyone is looking to try and
restore Blue so she could share her secrets and help find the other half of the
magic wand they’ve found (it’s at Granny’s, but we’ll get to that). We get lots
of snarking from Rumple about how effective the Saviour is. Black Fairy makes
her move and kidnaps Blue but in the process she loses Gideon to Rumple who
puts one his bracelets of magic cancelling (hey these things would have been so
useful in previous seasons, just saying) so they can find out where Gideon’s
heart is
Since Gideon can’t stay it’s time for Rumple, Emma
(because why not) and Gideon to go to dreamland to find out – that he can’t say
either because he doesn’t know. Well that’s awkward
It’s not a wasted trip though because it gives Rumple
chance to enter his deep dark dreams to find Fiona’s deepest secret – why she abandoned
him. This takes a lot from Rumple and Emma making some excellent common cause
with him about being an orphan and having to be vulnerable to confront this great
well of pain and abandonment – especially since Rumple believed his mother had
always hated him.
He access the dreams – and sees the scene from the vault.
That he’s supposed to be a Saviour and that his mother loved him and was banished.
That’s a whoooole lot to absorb
While this has been happening Regina has taught Zelena
how to drive – because she’s desperately hoping a magicless Zelena can leave
the city and take Henry and Robin with her. This is a major lea in their
relationship – Regina is willing to trust Zelena with Henry. That speaks
volumes as to how much Regina now trusts her sister
It also gives Zelena the skill to drive a car which is
necessary to run over the Black Fairy when she and is facing off against
Regina. I do wonder why the Black Fairy runs off here. This is twice she’s had
the chance to kill Regina and Zelena but she just leaves and refuses to do so.
Villain decision making.
With everyone back from the dream world Emma gives the
newly rebuilt wand to Rumplestiltskin to go and face the Black Fairy; he is the
Saviour who will face his mother. (Oh and Belle is now raising to Snow White
levels of sogginess convinced that this all proves Rumple was good all along.
Uh-huh).
And it’s poignant because it’s so very clear that Rumple
and the Black Fairy have basically had the same storyline. They both embraced
black magic to protect their children yet, at the same time, when it came to a
choice between their power and their children, they both chose their power.
They love their children but cannot think of how to live/protect their children
without having magic.
I’m, less impressed with Rumple blaming his mother’s
de-Saviouring of him for him forever being a coward (it would be interesting to
explore if this is why he always sought magic – because of the magic he should
have had but was denied him) since it feels like an absolution of all of Rumple’s
bad decisions and transferring them to her
Of course I’d be more upset if it turned out to be actual
absolution – but Rumple returns to his family and assures Belle and Gideon
everything he does is for them (which is ominous – because it sounds like an
excuse/justification). Before restoring Gideon’s heart and presenting to
everyone else what he claims is the Black Fairy’s heart
Before going back to her, his mother and their deep dark
plans to kill Emma tomorrow on her wedding day. Yes, Rumple has gone dark side.
Again. Are we shocked? Anyone? Anyone at all? After all, as Black Fairy puts it
– Rumple may have been born a Saviour but he adores being the Dark One
